#The 3-4 episode finale got me BAWLING

[armageddon-generation]

The Bear Season 3 is a bridge season that feels weird on purpose, but also has some big problems: A review/ramble

Season 3 is clearly a bridge season, and suffers from having been written & shot alongside season 4. As a result, unlike the seasons 1 & 2, it doesn’t feel like a distinctive or complete chapter of the restaurant’s life. Just half of one.

This is partly because there’s no ‘end-goal’ like in S2, or clear progression/visible improvement to the restaraunt like in S1. Season 3 is about stagnation. Most of its storylines are left unresolved- the review, Sydney’s job offer, Tiff & Frank’s wedding, Marcus being inspired by his mother’s death, Tina and the dying farmer’s market, Carmy’s conflicts with both Claire and Ritchie. All these threads will roll into Season 4, and Season 3 suffers from that.

PACING, FLASHBACKS AND TONE: FORM REFLECTING FUNCTION

HOWEVER. This being a ‘bridge’, character-focused season isn’t inherently bad. Individual episodes of The Bear still tear when they want to. Episodes 1, 2, & 3 are a very strong setup for the season and establish good momentum. Episodes 6 & 8 are fantastic character pieces, and 8 in particular made me bawl. Even the finale, though bogged down by masturbatory celebrity chef cameos, was a strong episode.

The problem is all the stuff in-between. The actual day-to-day running of the restaurant feels hollow and empty now. There’s a distance between the characters and it feels like they don’t interact as a group anywhere near as much.

Part of this is absolutely deliberate. People joke about S3 'method acting' its way into bad reviews to reflect the restaraunt, but losing steam and the connections between characters is genuinely a formal reflection of the kitchen crew's moods, as the day-to-day grind of running the restaurant wears them down.

The use of flashbacks in 3x1 is excellent, but Season 3 quickly becomes way over-reliant on them (episode 9 especially, oh my god). Again, this feels like a conscious choice to reflect Carmy’s state of inertia/the fact he’s perpetually trapped in the past. It makes sense, but that doesn’t give the show a pass for being boring, and 3x9 was the first time I’ve ever felt genuinely bored by this show.  

FUCK THE FAKS & NEGLECTING POC CHARACTERS

My other problems are much more clearly the fault of the show; I do not give a flying fuck about the Faks. Neil is cute in small doses. The brothers are great as soundboards for other characters; Theo getting Sweeps to talk about his backstory in baseball, the brothers comforting Donna at the end of 3x8 Ice Chips, or the haunting argument finally forcing Carmy to talk about Claire.

But on their own? When they’re just bouncing off each-other? These guys aren't half as funny as the show seems to think they are. And their scenes drag on so long. For example, the B-plot of 3x5 Computer wastes half of an otherwise strong episode with pointless fucking around, propped up by a pointless celebrity cameo. I do not Give. A. Fuck about haunting, Mr. Cena, why the fuck are you here.

The aggravating time-wasting is made worse by The Bear continuing to neglect and underuse its POC characters. This is the second season in a row where I’ve felt Syd only got the bullet-points of an arc. She is the LEADING LADY. Ayo is now the show’s biggest breakout star. USE HER.

I really enjoyed Tina's focus episode, but unlike Forks and Honeydew last season it doesn't move the plot forward, and unlike Fishes the flashbacks don't contextualize Tina''s actions in the present because she's barely doing anything in the present, despite the show setting up her struggles in the kitchen early in the season.

Meanwhile, Ebra got crumbs again and Sweeps got a single scene, which is tragically at least better than he had last year.

Marcus’ arc this year is a fascinating microcosm for the show’s themes, but it barely gets a second to breathe because we have to cram in another five minutes of the Fak brothers arguing about that time Neil got taped into a cardboard box. It’s ridiculous. And then they showcase Nat being all protective of Marcus in an episode he’s barely in, when she barely interacts with him. It feels unearned & disingenuous, using Marcus as a prop for a Hell Yeah gotcha moment.

I liked Josh Harnett though, that casting had purpose, and both Chef Terry and Luca were used excellently.

CAMEOS

The surprise celebrity cameos this year felt distracting and indulgent in a way last year’s didn’t. In Fishes the slew of cameos were a dramatic tool meant to disorient the viewer. This year, John Cena is here to distract you from how pointless this B-plot is, and we've brought in a bunch of famous chefs to tell you direct-to-camera why cooking and the service industry are so important.

The chefs in particular are bizzare after season 1 spent most of its time telling us how evil and toxic the fine dining industry is. But now it's actually just the fault of a few bad apples, and these guys are really rad actually?

CLAIRE

Much has been said about how Claire was an underwritten archetype for Carmy to project onto. Now, I don’t much give a fuck about shipping in this show, but it’s clear Claire & Carmy’s romance didn’t connect with most people. It felt hollow. At the time, I thought this was deliberate, like the tone and flashbacks this season; Claire’s writing reflected Carmy’s perception of her as a saintlike childhood daydream who could deliver him from all the stresses of his life.

But this season, not only does the show refuse to let Claire go, it doubles down on objectifying her as a prop for Carmy’s self-loathing, trapped in his memory.

Again, this might work thematically if I knew Claire as a person, or was at all invested in their romance, but I don't and I’m not. As it stands, the multiple extended flashbacks with Claire feel like futile attempts to plug the holes in Season 2's weakest storyline, and drag their episodes down. If we’re supposed to root for Carmy to find happiness outside the kitchen, this is having the opposite effect, and it’s made worse by it all being left unresolved by the finale.

Either do something with this character or move on, because right now every time Claire appears I clock out emotionally, and that’s not her fault, it’s the way the show treats her.

CARMY THE ASSHOLE

All this contributes to an overriding problem that I again think is deliberate, but risky; Carmy isn’t likeable this season. He causes his conflicts with Ritchie and Syd, to whom he has passed down his generational trauma. Carmy's menu is the biggest thing dragging the Bear into bankruptcy. Carmy has stopped working to resolve his familial trauma like in seasons 1 & 2, just as Nat starts making headway. He functionally doesn’t exist outside the kitchen, entirely preoccupied with the past & a girl the audience doesn’t care about.

Unlike previous seasons, the few times Carmy is called out for his bad behaviour he doesn’t make much effort to listen or improve. Again, I get that this is the point. Carmy is on a low, self-destructive ebb, and hopefully when things start resolving in season 4 he’ll snap out of it. But him dragging the show down with him has consequences.

EPISODE COUNT & FINAL THOUGHTS

A lot of people are saying that S3 only had enough plot for 2-3 episodes, and while I think that’s disingenuous- The Bear has always been a character-focused, vibes-first show- I do think it should've returned to the 8-episode count of season 1. You can consolidate the same amount of ‘plot development’ into fewer episodes while maintaining the deliberate sense of inertia. Cut back on the Faks and flashbacks to give more time to the kitchen crew, and many of the complaints would disappear.

Anyway, all this to say that The Bear season 3 is not Bad like some are saying, but it is a step down from its first two seasons. It feels like it’s got lost in its own head and lost a part of itself along the way, and while a lot of that is deliberate- formally reflecting Carmy’s internal conflict- it exacerbates existing problems (underwritten POC, Claire) and creates several new ones (celeb cameos, overusing flashbacks, unresolved plotlines) previous seasons were able to sidestep.

[sophies-junkyard]

NOBODY ASKED but… Obviously Simon’s arc in adventure time solidified the series as one of greatest of all time (and I’m so hyped for this ice king sadness renaissance) but now I’m thinking of OTHER Adventure Time moments that rewired my brain as a kid. In no particular order:

1. “Once the strong guys got it how they liked it they said ‘this is fair now. This is the law.’ Once they were winning they changed the rules”. They really had the cartoon dog say that on tv in 2014.

2. “People get built different. We don’t have to understand it, we just gotta respect it”

3. The entirety of All The Little People. That shit was absolutely nuts for a kids show but also like…. I can’t articulate the lesson I just know there was one and it haunted me. The danger of the human ego. Hubris. Irreverence. Don’t play god bro.

4. Lady and Peebles. When PB ripped Ricardio’s leg off and bashed his skull in with it. And it was so hardcore they edited it out of the episode. Bro. I remember watching that after school one day and how my jaw just DROPPED at a PRINCESS being so brutal. They let her be so fucking angry and that was a game changer.

5. [Finn, about a horrific memory] “that one’s going in the vault. Aaaaaaaaaandd. It’s gone.” I quote that CONSTANTLY. It’s a great way to bring levity to a bad situation, but also forces me to go “hey wait a sec that’s not gonna work forever”. Things don’t stay in the vault.

6. Puhoy. He lived an entire life in that pillow world. He had kids. And then it’s just gone like a dream.

7. The deer. It was probably my first real introduction to horror. The hand wiggle. You all know exactly what I’m referencing. Were the candy people stuck in that well for 6 months???

8. What Was Missing!! Obviously now because it foreshadowed (and confirmed past) Bubbline, but back then just because it was so good??? IMO, this is the episode that defined WHO our main cast was, and how their relationships needed to grow for them to be content. It set up the next 6 years of the show! Plus it gave us 2 absolute BANGERS. Ugh i rewatched that recording so many times it wasn’t even funny.

9. Ghost Princess. Really just for the line where he sounds like he’s gonna shit his pants remembering his death and then in a clear narrator voice he’s like “I was a broken man.”

10. The pajama war episode. Now I’m doing this from memory so I could be wrong, but I think this really marks the start of Finn growing up. “I’ve really enjoyed just… hanging out with you.” The ability to start over with someone you’ve got complicated history with. The kindness. The growth from both of them!! It’s a direct parallel of episode 1 but their tones couldn’t be more different and I love it.

11. The slow and horrifying realization that The Mushroom War was nuclear Armageddon. Mushroom clouds. That went so far over my head as a kid even though they reference it constantly. It finally clicked during “I remember you”. Which I am NOT gonna go into because holy fuck that’s like 18 posts on its own.

12. Goliad! A child mirroring EVERYTHING they see, for better or worse. Seeing Jake in a bad moment screaming at the kids and goliad absorbing that behavior. Seeing she can use fear to control people. Also PB was Fucking Crazy! Her line “I’m not gonna live forever… I would if I could” is even more unhinged when we learn (like years later) that she’s already 900 years old. But she does physically age so I guess there’s that. The Suitor also falls into this category of episodes.

Ok getting into some of the more talked about moments

1. OK I LIED I have to talk about I remember you. I was 11 years old. I turned on the new adventure time episode like usual. 10 minutes later I was grappling with a grief I had never imagined before. Absolutely BAWLING not just for Simon and Marceline (the PLOT), but for what it showed me. The reality that every kid tries not to think about: your loved ones will leave you someday, even if they don’t want to. It’s an episode that becomes more powerful with every year I get older. To get a bit personal, dementia has completely taken my grandparents from me. I’ve seen sides of my grandfather that should never have existed, and I must constantly forgive him for what he does… now that he doesn’t remember me. And someday it’ll be my parents. That’s just the way of the world, ya know? Anyways, I remember my mom got home right as the credits were rolling and we had a long talk about keeping people alive with memory, mortality, and how the future was far away and we should decide on dinner lmao.

2. The Hall of Egress. I was almost 15. Life was changing. I was changing, and it was strange and frightening. That feeling where you know you’re losing your childhood but you just want to cling to it. Follow the same old familiar path, stick with what’s comfortable. But life doesn’t work that way. It took me years to really understand this episode and it’s symbolism. Honestly I still don’t think I could fully explain it. It’s like. How do I put this. I was so glad to be in the target age group in that moment. I was so glad that something I was growing up with was assuring me “you’re changing, but we’re changing too”. And isn’t that the theme of adventure time? Everything stays, but it still changes.

3. The absolute horror of Ferns existence. He’s Finn, but he’s wrong and warped. All those memories of the people he loves and they can’t stand to be in the same room as him.

4. Susan Strong. The introduction of a RUNNING PLOT. The show up to that point had really been so goofy and so monster of the week. I think the only really plot heavy episode before this one was It Came From the Nightosphere? And then suddenly they call into question the fact that Finn really is the ONLY HUMAN in all of OOO. And then… is he? It was SUCH a departure from the usual tone. Ending that episode with him reaching below her hat and gasping in shock, but never telling the audience what he found. And then she’s just gone. Which leads us to Islands!

5. Min and Marty. Second saddest episode in the entirety of adventure time, made worse because you know exactly how this family is gonna end up. There’s SO MUCH to dissect about Martins behavior in the series. A reformed con artist receives a traumatic brain injury while attempting to save his son. They’re both lost at sea, and he never looks for him. Was it the emotional trauma? Was it the physical damage? Meanwhile a mother loses her husband and her child in a single night and never EVER learns why. Nobody but Martin knows what happened that night. Also Finns fear of the ocean from season 1 is finally explained. 7 years of ignoring Finns origins and then they throw you THIS??? Watching it live was unreal.

Anyways I’m sure I’ll think of more. I might add on to this later for my own sake lmao, but I’d love to hear other peoples formative moments, quotes, episodes, etc. I really just needed to dump this information out of my brain so I can get on with my week.

[neurosiscocktail]

OFMD finale spoilers ahead-

I’m on my third rewatch because I read the Vanity Fair article, and I’ve heard some really interesting opinions that differed from my own, and so I rewatched it with all of that in mind. unfortunately I still just think the last episode was not great. Some stuff I really enjoyed, but a lot that I didn’t.

1) no one searched the hostage for weapons? You’re telling me not one of the people who have been pirates most of their lives thought to search the hostage.

2) Izzy might have insisted, but putting the most notable and visibly recognizable pirate on your crew front and center feels like a very stupid move. A large part of this season was about Stede learning to be a pirate, and it feels like they slashed his character development and Ed, Izzy, Fang, Roach, and several other crew members critical thinking skills because they wanted to kill Izzy.

3) they did a good job foreshadowing his death. I kind of always knew it was coming, but wasn’t paying much attention because I didn’t want to. I really dig the fairytale themes. Someone else mentioned this and once I was looking for it I really loved it!

4) now that I’m looking for it, I see a lot of places where Izzy was a mentor and I get what he was going for and don’t mind it, really like it in some ways. however, the docking joke made me very uncomfortable now that he’s said Ed sees Izzy as a father figure. (I think I was a little delayed on seeing this because I was busy making jokes about how they were cowards for not hiring a child to play Izzy, since in real life he was estimated 15 years old when ~38 year old Ed and Stede met)

5) now that I’ve rewatched it with the writers intent in mind, I still think the “killing your redeemed antagonists” and the “killing your mentors because they have nothing left to teach” troupes are bad and lazy. Knowing that that’s what he was going for didn’t make it less so. I thought it might. If you love this troupe, more power to you, they did a good job with it and this finale was probably right up your alley. I unfortunately find it to be lazy writing and the troupe stopped being good 40 years ago.

6) Lucius was AMAZING this season. I thought his arc dealing with his trauma was very good and very realistic. I love that they didn’t just hand wave off his experience, but had him deal with things in a tangible way.

7) again, I still don’t understand why cartoon rules apply to everyone but Izzy and this gunshot wound.

8) I really loved the relationships between Izzy and the crew this season but especially him and Jim, Frenchie, and Lucius. I thought the casual intimacy really showed how their relationships developed.

9) His death speech and funeral were worse on the second and third watch when I was really paying attention and not bawling my eyes out. Ed has really… not been forgiven by the crew. A lot of them did, but Lucius sure didn’t, and it seems like they accepted his ‘apology’ but they still don’t trust him. So to have his death speech, one, include him taking more accountability for Blackbeard, which Ed hasn’t done at all yet, and then follow it up with the crew being his family who love him felt weird. It felt like that speech was written when we had 2 more episodes of character growth that got cut. Because that did not seem like how they felt. There really wasn’t much happening with the crew during his death or funeral which felt weird. Except Roach at the funeral. That was excellent.

- addendum: I know that death speeches in shows are for the protagonist but I feel like some of it should have been about him, and not an apology? The whole thing just felt awkward. And we have heard from creators that Izzy is a deeply sentimental man, not burying him with his ring and using it as a grave marker where anyone could steal it felt bad.

10) I felt when they first introduced the prince that he was supposed to be a wake up call for Stede. It seemed like he was meant to represent what Stede could have been. A spoiled rich brat with no common sense or thoughts about how his actions effect others. Someone who views themself as a main character and everyone else is a supporting role. When he was first introduced it felt like that was supposed to be a wake up call for Stede- “this is what you could have been if you didn’t want to be better. If you weren’t kinder and more empathetic” and I thought that started off really well, but then it felt like they took back some of Stede’s character development and it didn’t pack as big of a punch.

11) I really feel like Stede and Ed have not been put in a good position to be successful in the very intense relationship they have just started. They have just decided to completely isolate themselves, when we just had a whole episode foreboding doing that. I LOVE Mary and Anne, but I do feel like the finale had Ed and Stede just ignore every warning they got and I feel like that’s been disappointing- feeling like their characters were making progress but ended somewhere where they didn’t actually make any progress. It was all very romantic but lends itself to 0 longevity.

12) Ed especially felt stunted this season. Stede made some great progress, but Ed just kept running away from his problems, figuratively and literally and not taking accountability. I love Ed, but I think if I didn’t already love him before watching this season, this season wouldn’t have convinced me to. I’m not sure where that leaves us for season 3- I think maybe that season will be about him having to actually face himself, and I look forward to it.

Overall I feel like I could have really loved this season if the writers were given more budget and time, and they weren’t, and that’s not their fault. However, I’m really not thrilled about the product we were left with. Which is unfortunately kind of what MAX wants because it has really seemed like they’ve been trying to cut this wildly successful show.

Again, dissatisfaction with a season is not a reason to harass other fans, writers, or actors. I’d love to hear how other people are feeling about things

[fricchead]

Hai there! Wishing you a great day!! 🌹

...So, I was wondering, what are your top 5 UY storylines or the ones you just have a soft spot for?

Hope you'll reply! X3

Hihihihiiii also wishing you a great day !!!

I’m going to be going off the storylines from both the original 80’s anime and some off the manga (I haven’t completely finished it lol) and I feel like the UY 2022 reboot doesn’t have a lot AS FOR NOW

But here are my top 5 (there’s so many but I had to pick) :D

5. Since your departure/ After You’ve gone

UNORIGINAL BUT IDC BECAUSE IT JUST HITS THE JUGULAR. It’s just such a bittersweet episode and yes I know Ataru deserves to be punished every once in a while but seeing this mans BAWLING had me- HHHHHHH

Put this on #5 because while it’s already a fan favorite, there’s others I prefer more

4. Dolphin Dating and Beach Babe Patrol

I like both the manga and anime adaption !!! It’s a very fun chapter/episode and hearing Ataru refer to Lum as “his woman” has me eating drywall and breaking plates

3. Valentines disillusions

WHY WAS THIS NOT IN THE ANIME THIS IS A FREAKING CRIME— THIS IS SUCH A CUTE CHAPTER YOU SEE THAT FACE ??? HE REALLY CRIED HIMSELF TO SLEEP BECAUSE HE THOUGHT LUM WOULD RATHER GIVE MENDOU A CHOCOLATE INSTEAD OF HIM HES SUCH AN IDIOT I LUB HIM

Now this was hard because as I went down the list I realized… how can I pick only 5 ?? Like as I was finding the episodes and chapters I was like ‘oh shit I forgot about this one’ but I think #2 will be TWO STORYLINES BECAUSE YES

2. I love Darling’s Kindness/ Love has No Boundaries-Goodness ! Words aren’t getting to Darling !

As I’m typing this I realize I didn’t add Lum thinking she’s turning into a cow, Electric Jungle, Inaba the Dream Maker, Big Bottle Little Bottle, Happy Birthday My Darling, How I’ve Waited for You, Thrilling First Date, etc. and now i wanna kick myself because HOW DID I FORGET. ANWAYS These two have a GRIP on me

And now #1 yayayayay

1. The Final Chapter/ Boy Meets Girl

Words cannot DESCRIBE how much I love this arc. Absolute perfection. The movie adapted it so amazingly, and captured it so well. This storyline truly shows how strong Ataru’s and Lum’s love for each other is, and while we never got the actual “I love you” WE DIDNT NEED IT BECAUSE HE SHOWED IT AND IT GETS ME IN TEARS EVERY TIME.

Thank you so much for the ask Yume 💗💗💗 i would’ve wrote more, but as you can tell, I suck ASS at formatting and analyzing but I’m always excited to gets asks !!

[rocketturtle4]

15 people, 15 questions

Thanks for the tag, @callipigio

1. are you named after anyone?

Someone from the bible, aren't parents creative!

2. when was the last time you cried?

Um define "cried"

Eyes got prickly - yesterday during this video essay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdmhiv7O5m8

Tears rolled down my face - Saturday during the WDYEY Finale

Bawling/sobbing IFYLITA Episode 11

I'm an easy cry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. do you have kids?

No but someday

4. what sports do you play/have you played?

Ahh all under the age of 17 (most under the age of 15) but:

Swimming, Netball, Tennis and Dance

5. do you use sarcasm?

does snark count?

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

How they talk/the way they sound, Peoples voices tend to stay with me, and catch my attention

7. what’s your eye color?

Blue grey. Like you mixed together a dark blue and a light grey

8. scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. Always. Scary movies aren't my thing

9. any talents?

umm, define talent? I can touch my nose with my tongue...

10. where were you born?

Down Under lol 🦘

11. what are your hobbies

ummm I have many that come and go and then come and go and then come and go in a cycle.

BL, Reading, Video games, Quilling, Painting, Sketching and Rock Climbing are some.

12. do you have any pets?

Personally no, but across my immediate family (parents and siblings, I live with my parents) we have 1 lizard, 2 birds and 7 dogs.

13. how tall are you?

1.67m I think?

14. favorite subject in school?

Science and Wood Tech

15. dream job

Palaeontology Curation at a museum or University I think, although to be completely honest I am absolutely desperate to be a parent someday and if I had to pick, I'd pick that.

Tags for those who wish, no pressure

@thegalwhorants @sorry-bonebag @visualtaehyun @plantsarepeopletoo @shouldiusemyname @italianpersonwithashippersheart @pandasmagorica @slayerkitty @troubled-mind @wen-kexing-apologist

[winwintea]

okay i have A lot to say about belladonna but lets catch up i literally missed talking to you so much but uni sucked me in gonna drop out fr so like first i got into a lot of groups like groups i use dto be a fan of during their debut but like im back to them now (finally)

i’ve been getting into Ampers&one recently they are so fun lol liki use dto be a fan during debut because kamden jiho and brian use dto be on boys planet an dthey were my 1st episode picks till jiho got eliminated and all my dreams were crushed so anyways they are so fun im genuinely happy to be an andear now life is so sunshine and rainbows

One thing that ruined my sunshine and rainbows is those um ot6 and seunghan literally bawled my eyes out when he left and i just went into a slump for so long and i got flashbacks from when shotaro and sungchan left and i didn’t get out of my room for weeks because i felt like a woman who lost her children and i hope seunghan comes back very soon i miss him so so much😞😞 BUT BUT RENJUN IS BACK😦😦😦 im actually so happy crying tears and shit my husband is back yeorabun🥹🥹 but jaehyun going to military… shibal my military wife life💔💔💔 streets are saying doyoung is leaving for military after his new single and i linda agree with the streets..and riku💔💔💔 first renjun now riku im ready to jump off a cliff ugh sigh

DREAM NEW ALBUM AND WAYV NEW ALBUM🥹🥹 i love my life but winwin isnt in the album fuck you SM DIE SM anyways i think i finished with all the kpop news i wnated to talk about

thats all i hav ern ill go continue belladonna then start with my detective session🤞🏻🤞🏻

3RD COMEBACK WITHOUT WINWIN SUICIDE STILL ON !!!!

no but actually i think i'm gonna shoot myself in the head. i should've expected it based on seasons greetings and winwin showed no signs of being in korea but i'm a kpop stan so of course i was delulu enough to hold onto a string of hope. also sm is so stupid like obviously the comments were rioting about winwin so they deleted and then reposted the post so the comments would be gone but the backlash was stronger. glad some wayzennies are still supportive of him <33

havent kept up with dream album announcements bc i have been so busy lately but chenle looks so scrumptious in every single photo i need a mewing tutorial from him rn. someone needs to get a fancall and ask teach this man how to mew properly so then he'll just start doing it randomly. or maybe he does know. regardless i need a video of it so i can watch it and get absolutely MOGGED by his fuckass facecard. (i sound angry but i love this shithead so much)

i actually deserve like financial compensation for the amount of times sm has like fucked me over bc #1 i'm a winwin stan, #2 renjun is a big bias wrecker for me in dream, #3 i'm a lay stan, #4 i'm a riku stan, #5 i stanned seunghan since pre-debut, #6 i am broke. I HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN THROUGH IT THIS YEAR. SM STOP OVERWORKING YOUR IDOLS OR ILL KILL MYSELF (sm does not give a fuck about me)

i recently got into e'last though they're pretty chill haha. i love kamden though even if i didn't vote for him during boys planet he was such a favorite. i love the cunty sassy ones tbh.

[guardian-angle22]

2023 Character Wrapped

Thank you for the tag @welcometololaland & @heartstringsduet

From what I've gathered, the rules are just list your top 9 characters from the year? Right? I will put most of these under a cut to save the timeline.

#1. Paul Strickland

If anyone is surprised by my number one, you must be new here. I am the self declared number one paul stan and he IS the moment. he IS the year. and he IS the number 1 in my heart. I can't wait to bless everyone in the tag with more Paul sets during our collective rewatch in january.

#2. Henry from RWRB

Listen, I've left out the surnames cause who can keep track? especially since the book and movie have different ones lol. but I liked the book when I read it ages ago. I thought the film was a fun book to movie adaptation. and Nicholas Galitzine was the perfect Henry.

#3. The various tea dragons from the Tea Dragon Society series by K. O'Neill.

I read the 2nd book in this series this year: The Tea Dragon Festival. This series is just so lovely and cozy. It has dragons that grow tea and they're fucking adorable. LOOK AT THEM! (pictures are from this post in which K. O'Neill pairs each zodiac sign with a dragon!)

#4. Chidi Anagonye

2023 was the year I finally finished The Good Place. and Chidi... oh Chidi. I want to bundle him up and keep him and his anxiety safe in my pocket. but I also want to sit down and have a book club with him. and talk about how much better almond milk is. I bawled like a baby watching the finale episode.

#5. Mickey Milkovich

2023 was also the year I did a rewatch of Mickey's storyline from Shameless from the beginning and then got caught up on the seasons I never watched. The character growth in Mickey was so wonderful to revisit and Noel Fisher was one of the best things to happen to that show, fight me on it.

#6. Josie from Bottoms

If you haven't seen Bottoms yet... what are you doing with your life? it's a queer classic and it just came out. I don't make the rules its just true. and Ayo was fucking brilliant as Josie.

#7. TK Strand

TK will probably forever be somewhere on this kinda list. he's my fave little blorbo or whatever weird internet term we're using these days. 2023 wasn't my fave year for TK or Tarlos plots, that's for sure... but he was still his adorable, brave, strong self throughout it all.

#8. Anakin Skywalker

The return of my teen obsession: Hayden Christensen, everyone. He was great as Vader in the Obi-Wan show but this year coming back as Anakin... be still my heart. The flashback episode was some of my favorite star wars stuff in ages and wooo boy I loved getting to see live action clone wars Anakin.

#9. Garlic from the Garlic & the Vampire and Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulson

I mean… look at her! a cute little anthropomorphic clove of garlic with anxiety. What’s not to love about her?

Some honorable mentions:

Judd Ryder. But specifically Judd Ryder holding this tiny espresso:

Paul’s pudding cups. May they find justice.

TK’s comfort bicep. Legend has it, he’s still clinging on at this very moment.

every other Nicholas Galitzine character that I binge watched after RWRB came out. particularly the one wearing this goofy outfit:

I don't know which mutuals have done this yet so I'm just gonna tag my sister: @drivenstardust and then @reasonandfaithinharmony because I said she needed to suffer with me ✌😜

[for-dramas-sake]

The Starry Love ep 39, 40 (finale) thoughts

Cute fireworks date for the Immortal couple! A quiet moment to relax and unwind…and Yetan is unloading her problems on her husband. At least he takes it with stride and like any romantic partner gives her a new nickname.

Yes for Yetan for moving on. She's sad but doesn't want to stay in grief forever. Thank goodness for family and friends to bring her back and help her move on.

Did I guess correctly? Does Haichou like Sushui?! (excited face)

Why is it so important for Suzhi to admit that she's the plant that Qingheng watered years ago? Did he fall in love with this plant? I think it's kinda funny and sad he's so set on being right about this when it's kind of a non-issue. That's why I don't really like these two. They had some cute moments, but my heart is not set on them.

When a girl tells you 'no' multiple times, take the hint, Qingheng, and walk away. There are other girls in 4 realms.

Poor Chaofeng. He is so desperate to get his wife back. He is talking to the stick and calling it Qingkui. This dude misses his wife so much!

Is it just me or is Suzhi acting a bit sus? What is she planning? I said a few episodes back I didn't trust her! It took some time for that shadiness to take form.

Suzhi has gone full crazy and wants to take down the world because the world treated her wrongly. Geez, pulling the victim card again? Did you have to pull Yetan into your crazy?

Things are happening in the 4 realms again! Oh no, not things! Like stands, trees and whatnots falling over and cracks appearing the ground. Things!

Oh no! Qingkui shows Yetan the truth of the Sacred Tree and the Twin Flowers AND THEN Yetan has flashbacks to Youqin sealing the Guixu seal and saving everyone. Bad news!

Yetan sacrificed herself for the 4 realms. Everyone is crying including me. Qingkui gave her life for her sisters and then Yetan gave her life for everyone else. It's too sad. I saw this coming and yet my heart is still broken.

(insert mini rant about the stupid ADVERTISEMENTS in the saddest moments in the show)

Then Yetan has the most sad pep talk with Youqin. The heck! He's bawling and she's crying. Not the way I wanted these two to end.

In the midst of our sadness, here comes Wudai! Yay! And the way he comforts Chaofeng! Hilarious but I'm not laughing just yet. Still sad.

I can't hold my anger at the Immortal Emperor. He's a crappy dad and a crappy emperor, but he's apologizing and I do love second chances. And he's giving the throne to Qingheng! I approve! The boy needs recognition for his hardwork. Good boy!

Qingheng, let Suzhi go. For the love of pete, please! Coriander tastes like soap anyways.

Yay! The Void gang is back together and is in a better mood. Anytime when Haichou can be sassy I'm happy.

And just like that Dongqiu is rebuilt. That was really fast.

Rapid fire couples getting together! Here we go: Ziwu is married to Di Lanjue and she's pregnant! Yay! Haichou and Sushui are now… a thing. And Luoluo finally got Wudai! They're so happy! I'm so happy!

We did not get enough of the Beastie Queen! She was amazing and I wanted more of her! And her, her Beastie King and the twins' father hanging out was not the trio I had imagined but now I wish I had more of.

The boys waited and gave their blood for their wives. And they grew a tree. I'm crying again. I was so hoping for the flowers to become humans again, but instead we get the tree.

I'm not still not over it! Extra scene where the girls come back, please!

Awesome show. 10 out of 10.

I have thoughts (written as the show is going on) for all of the episodes. A lot of them are about how much I love Youqin and Yetan. They were adorable.

37, 38 / 35, 36 / 33, 34 / 31, 32 / 29,30 / 27,28 / 25,26 / 23, 24 / 21, 22 / 19, 20 / 17,18 / 15,16 / 13,14 / 11, 12 / 9, 10 / 7, 8 / 5, 6 / 3, 4 / 1, 2

[blazingstorm8895]

Oh fuck I forgot to update my Gravity Falls watchathon regarding the Gravity Falls Finale

Spoilers below!

Part 1/4:

oh. oh the intro changed. Oh it’s fucked up and evil. This is peak intro to Weirdmageddon. Also goddamn Bill killed the Time Baby? And the Time Squad? Just like that? Holy fuck.

Also damn Bill’s havoc is. Wow

Also Gideon’s a little shit here, at least Dipper finally got some sense in his head

Part 2/4:

Happy Mabel Fun Time Land! I did a triple take when Mabel said that in the bubble, “the party will never end”. That’s what Bill said too that’s why he’s doing everything. Oh. Oh he was making a Mini-Bill over eternity. Fucked up. Also fucked up how Not-Wendy wanted Dipper to take her hand. Making a deal. Fndkgnsk ajgnskgkak. Also kinda funny how half a week has passed but only in Gravity Falls, the entire outside world is unaffected. Also also how did the cartoon bros escape. What. Also also also is the title a reference to hit movie Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa?

Part 3/4:

Welcome back wax guy and Multibear! Also holy fuck, ANIME. SHACKTRON. THE OLD MEN MEET AGAIN OGNEOGJWO. THE CIRCLE FINALLY RETURNS (though I can’t help but feel that Pacifica and Wendy were hammed in. At least Fiddleford was wearing the new glasses for several episodes now. Ice meaning cool and Pacifica only wearing the llama sweater that episode feels like too little for them. Also Stan and Stan fucked up the circle and now Bill’s gonna torture them all. Oh. Oh. Oh. The series finale next episode. Ohohohoohohohohoh

Part 4/4 (apparently Part 3 and Part 4 were aired back to back so technically still Part3/3):

It’s over.

I know that if I hadn’t been spoiled on Stanley’s switch nor on his recovery, I would’ve been bawling. I teared up at the part where Mabel doesn’t want to part with Waddles, like you can’t do that to me. Even as a fakeout you can’t force a girl to part with her pet pig

The credits were nice, forgot about Dipper 3 and Dipper 4. Nice to see that they are content with their lives in the woods. Also those moments between the family? That’s sweet. Also nice to see both Stan’s threaten the bus driver for Waddles, really cool of both of them. Overall, it’s a touching note for the series to end on.

When Bill turned into the statue I gasped and pointed like that one meme. That’s the thing from the ARG hunt and the Book of Bill I think

TLDR if I hadn’t been spoiled on major plot points (especially the later ones), I would’ve enjoyed it more. Even so, I still enjoyed this series a great deal, and I’m glad I took the time to watch it.

Oh and also minor note, the furthest episode aired that I watched as a kid appears to be Season 2 Episode 7: Society of the Blind Eye. Everything after I hadn’t watched before. Final calculations incoming beep boop beep

Watched:

S1: Episodes 1-4, 7-9, 11-14, 16, 18-19

S2: Episodes 4, 6, 7

That’s 17 episodes out of the (for all intents and purposes) 40 aired, meaning I watched 42.5% of the show as it aired and missed out on 57.5% of the show until now (spoilers not included).

Oh yeah the cops just straight up said they love each other. Hell yeah

Oh fuck me how could I forget about Soos inheriting the Mystery Shack

He deserves it, Soos the goat

Oh yeah also in Part 4, when Bill turned the others into paintings my jaw dropped and I went “oh my god, like from A Link Between Worlds! He Link-Between-Worlds’ed them!”

Also also Gideon still being in touch with his prison friends and using them to get back at that bully was funny

BIG TLDR: big good show even when I got spoiled on pretty much everything from “Not What He Seems” to “Somewhere in the Woods”. Peak fiction I fear. Maybe one day I’ll get into the books and the other media, but for now, I’m content with looking at Tumblr, what with Grunkle Stunkle Wins The Finkle Bunkle and Pyramid Steve and all the fanart skfkabfjangjkwndksbdksj

Anyways I gotta go to sleep now maybe I’ll do Adventure Time next stock for Weirdmageddon buy gold byeeeee

Wait what the fuck I didn’t know you could change text colour until just now. Oh okay but still BYE

[spicysoulsa]

Catch me being up at 3am crying about Steven universe,,

[fishy-xp]

ranking my favourite tomorrow (2022) plotlines

we interrupt my usual thaibl ramblings for a little self indulgent kdrama review. i'm not a big kdrama watcher, i watch like one kdrama a year and usually it's the same one (i remember you/hello monster, park bogum <3333) but i finally got around to watching tomorrow because the premise of it was interesting and i am a fantasy so i gotta support the homies yknow. the drama was really good and i cried a lot so this ranking is based on how much i was invested in the storyline and how hard i cried :)

spoilers! + trigger warnings for suicide

No 11 - Ryu Cho-Hui/Suicide Broker

the only thing important about cho-hui is that she was formerly gop-dan, other than that, her plotline was very boring.

same for the suicide broker, the only thing that mattered was the fact that ju-woong had to come to terms with the fact that they had to save anyone no matter what. but it didn't make sense because he was going to hell anyways? so like why bother saving him when he was going to die anyways and end up in hell???????

No 10 - Kim Woojing

I liked this one because the love story between them was beautiful

No 9 - Namgoong Jae-Su

So did the dad survive? Did they change time???? I'm so confused by this episode, ALSO DID HE END UP PASSING THE POLICE EXAM???

No 8 - Shin Yena

I feel like this could have been better if they didn't figure out who it was so quickly and we were constantly guessing who the red light person could have been. for a brief second, i thought it was the boss and that was the big twist lmfao

No 7 - Twins Siblings

Ryeon as a prosecutor? Joongil setting the rapist on fire? Excellent.

No 6 - Lim Yu-Hwa

Whilst the reincarnated plotline wasn't my favourite because i'm not a fan of children and i'm not a mother, when ryung-gu gave yu-hwa her memories and they had that talk, i think that was when i bawled the hardest T_T

No 5 - Koo Ryeon's Past Life

This was one of the most angsty love stories ever and it was beautifully done. I didn't expect the conflict to be that she was a 'returned woman' and i thought for a brief second it was that joongil cheated on her with gopdan lmfao. but everything that led up to her suicide just made me so mad. especially that fucking mother, did she forget that ryeon literally saved her ass? and now she's like nah divorce? man fuck her. also the commoners really think it's okay to publicly talk shit and THROW STONES at a noblewoman? nah i fully agree with joseon joongil, death to all them idc idc

No 4 - Kim Kong

This one only made it this far because of N and the fact the main character was about a dog, nepotism is alive and well my dudes.

No 3 - Noh Eunbi

I think the memory thing was super cool and trippy. also because it was the first plotline it was really well fleshed out. the actor who played eunbi did an amazing job and i'm very happy the bully got what she deserved

No 2 - Yoo Bok-hee

This one was so traumatic and the twist at the end of Yun-i being the grim reaper, JDIGJARLGSJTGLTGLKRTSJGLRJSGFLSERF amazing

No 1 - Lee Young-cheon

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS, EVERYONE COMING TOGETHER TO GIVE HIM THE RESPECT HE DESERVED. OLD PEOPLE ALWAYS MAKE ME SO EXISTENTIAL AND GTGNJRTSKGLRTGNNGNGNNGNGNGNGN

[blorbologist]

hmmm top 5 favourite cr campaign moments? 👀 from any campaign or from ur choice

!!

This is Long because I Cannot not gush

1) The Cathedral in Campaign 2! The fucking AESTHETICS, the DRAMA, Caleb smashing the window, Yasha nearly killing Beau, Pumat Swole, the shift from glorious cathedral and stained glass down into the bowls of the building, Matt and Ashley's HDYWTDT. It's beautiful and hits so emotionally hard and I simply adore it

2) All of The Fancy and the Fooled, but lets say the party + After especially. Fancy formal dress Mighty Nein is Divine, for one! The Bjreaus jamming out to the Ruby of the Sea's performance while Beau trips balls, locking out the creepy fuck on a balcony 2 electric boogaloo, the maneuvering to get Essek out of there and confront him, and the incredible Shakespeare Liam fuckin OBrian brought when Essek was finally cornered? "You were not born with venome in your veins, you learned it"??? Hi hello?? And ofc Welcome to the Mighty Nein ;;;;;

Also, Fancy and the Fooled was the first episode I ever caught live, and I watched it with @insyndiar, so itll also be special to me for that reason <33

3) The conversation with Syldor in Heredity and Hats. Everything - Laura fuckin Bailey's incredible emotional range, "If I could pull the blood of you from my veins and give it back, I would. I want no part of you", the contrast between Vax and Vex, how Tal tests the waters for titling at intervals prior during the conversation, The Title, "So good sir, despite your relationship with her, do watch your manners", the Literal Mic Drop. The meaning of the moment too, with the Twins confronting their father and letting him have it, and how it ties into Percy and Vex's convo the night before and he found just the perfect way to support Vex in this time (and show he loves her because Oh Shit he Loves Her). And how giddy she is to bring up her new title for the rest of the episode!!

Ok this is getting hard now Fuck

4) Can I just put all the moments between Imogen and Laudna after storm nightmares here? Hell lets include those nightmares, too. The panic and fear and frustration Laura brings to the table, every time, every fucking time, the imagery, the desperation. And how Laudna is so gentle and supportive and just *there* and their dynamic is so soft and strained and im. So excited for Imogen's first nightmare after their fallout last episode because i love them but they need a dose of Angst

5) The Hag. Just. What everyone offered, how much we can speculate about those that didn't get to offer anything? Beau had me devastated, because she was regressing and Marisha was so cmearly mourning potentially losing her character,,,, Yasha going in right after Beau bc she just realized she loved her not long ago, NOTT OFFERING TO RESTART THE WAR?? FUCKER?? And of course Jester's incredible fucking power play because Laura Bailey wins at D&D

Honorable mentions:

- Saying bye to Frumpkin :c because my childhood cat was a white tomcat and he just left one day (keep your cats inside people please). I started bawling 30 minutes into the 7 hour episode boy it was A Time

- Nonagon final battle, just. Holy shit. Everything. Marine layer, Beau's double nat twenties, 'Caleb they need you', almost got a mind controlled Essek, the heals the love the fear the horror visuals ughhh

- Kaylie revealing her identity and Scanlan's reaction

- 'darling take off the mask' 👁👄👁

- the escape from the King's Cage

- inviting Essek for dinner and the hot tub

- "do you want to talk before or after"

- Sunken Tomb :))

- Jester wingmanning Yasha / Beau tripping on Yasha / The Poem

- I could beee herrrr Beacon

- Vex testing out the broom (especially when Percy freaks out over it being unsafe)

- Wall of Fire

- Three orcas chasing Avantika

- Keg <33

- when Beau and Caleb act like siblings, or Vex and Vax do <3

@fatal-blow fuck u <3

[elizabethrobertajones]

I would love to hear your thoughts on [Unidentified Media]! We can all try to be grownups and survive disagreeing with a person on the Internet if that's what happens

Okay but I really hope you don't care deeply about this to the point of offence, I really don't want to upset anyone, and people really care a lot and I get it!

It's just that, I was requested to watch the latest Stranger Things by my very non-fandom normcore friend and I'd fallen behind since I forgot the netflix password on my laptop, so I saw all the spoilers before external social pressure got to me and got me to make the effort to watch it on the TV.

I just feel like I watched an entirely different show from everyone who'd got really invested in the first half of the season and then got completely crushed by the second half. First of all, no one spoiled ANY of the main story to me. I was more spoiled on the main story by fukkin BBC Newscast interviewing Kate Bush about the belated hit single, than anything I saw on tumblr.

And I casual fan watched this thing with the expectation I needed to be able to talk to my friend about it more than Tumblr, and you'd all be a side benefit where I could get the fandom goods and slyly ship that new ship on the side and it would just be a nice little thing between us who see subtext since my friend has no shipping instinct at all and the most important detail I had to get right was recognising Friendly Orderly (thanks IMDB) as Jace from the Shadow and Bone movie she took me to a few years back.

Anyway I ended up BAWLING over Max and adoring that storyline which absolutely fucking carried the show, and Eleven and her story which was actually riveting and I could see this was something they'd seeded from the start OR had gone back very carefully to explain plotholes/mysteries they'd flagged up from the first season or two. And the whole thing that everyone else was doing was so thematically tight to that.

I did think the WHOLE Russia plot was entirely stupid and fanservice for the Hopper actor guy to watch back later as the core audience and no one else, and the whole thing would have been a normal length if they'd just REMOVED it whole cloth and got the adults out the way another way. Like, the previous season would have been excellent if the russian thing was waaaaay lower scale and borderline imagined/threadbare single rogue actors concluded in a single season, and the American government was jumping at shadows, the kids legit were always a second away from seeming like they'd conjured the whole thing as a prank and there never HAD been russians in Hawkins, and Russia as a whole remained oblivious to this, like, they didn't order it nor did they actually ever have anything to do with it. IDK maybe the russians were operatives trapped in America and trying to get home by a portal if you HAD to send Hopper there. But frankly you shouldn't. But regardless, once they actually got to the finale movie of the damn thing, it was thematically tight and made sense to the story they were telling even if it was entirely stupid and pointless and also grounded in silly tropes, apparently has caused real world harm with the concentration camp appropriating (??? aargh??!?!?!). But like, that's legitimately my only complaint with the entire season/show storywise, taken at face value and just for my enjoyment/quick impressions of what is a good story.

So, to get to the actual point, fandom has completely and utterly made up the Steddie ship because there's legitimately nothing but a few seconds of actor chemistry, like, the 4 gifsets I saw beforehand are IT. Like maybe 3 shippable exchanges of actual dialogue interspersed through 9 MOVIE LENGTH EPISODES, and I don't even think Steve was putting out the vibes that hard. He was genuinely playing as in love with Nancy and permanently distracted by Nancy even when talking to Eddie. The looking at his lips gifset where Eddie looks moments from snogging Steve would be woefully onesided because that's literally the conversation where Eddie confronts him to tell him he's still in love with Nancy and Nancy leaped into the Upside Down after him in a heartbeat.

I loved Eddie. INcredible character. 10/10 would buy again. He and Friendly Orderly were both great characters with minimal IMDB histories who I cannot wait to hopefully be cast in a ton of stuff to continue their careers post-ST and for us to adore.

But that post about how Stranger Things is written as if being a nerd is the greatest oppression one can face? Literally true. Will crying in the car after assuring Mike that his nerdiness will not stop El loving him is THEE pinnacle of this ridiculousness but you have to understand, they Empire Strikes Back'd the whole story, Which means every single plotline they harped on in this first "half" is now set up for the second. I literally can't comment on how grossly they treated Will because while it seems vile so far in a meta sense that's not where they're leaving it, and Jonathan's reassurance to him and genuinely careful writing to make it clear this was all textual stuff and NOT the actors being goofy and putting gay subtext in means that Will is subtextually gay in an INTENTIONAL way. He's been written like this because they are acknowledging his sexuality, making his story about it until he gets back to Hawkins, and very clearly setting up that he's in absolute shambles, personally, in a way that HAS to be addressed later. Him crying like that was his horrible cliffhanger to be resolved that's just as horrible as Max in the hospital: that NEEDS to be fixed but the writing has put him here, not anything the actor did for funsies.

Meanwhile the sound editing on Eddie parading around the lunchroom was ATROCIOUS and I am 100% without reading a single interview or whatever that this is because the actor voluntarily leaped off the table and wandered out of the range of microphones etc and fucked up their sound set up by treating all the cafeteria as a stage, and it was so hecking cool they kept it in and just boosted the sound in a really weird way that made it all muffled and frontloaded in a way that my TV speakers hated. I could see the improv dripping off this lad. So I don't trust a single thing fandom is saying about ANYTHING he does as intentional writing because there's like 3 things per scene he's in that I feel were actually in the script because they're on message to the themes and the rest is all adorable actor bullshit.

What I can see is a character who they wrote as The Alpha Nerd, the Baddest Badass in this very persecuted subgenre, the man who makes it all worthwhile to be a nerd, the pinnacle of the mountain that these dweeby kids might climb. An accumulation of all that makes the younger ones cool all crammed into a single character. Mike's Heart, Dustin's funniness, Will's creativity, like even sass for sass with Lucas's sister??? Metal is the Nerd Music and you know he's in it for the Lord of the Rings references. And he's KIND to these little uns, even when it seems almost overbearing in the cafeteria scene he doesn't make it about bullying them he still manages to be aggressive but turn it around to a positive conclusion so they're not "in trouble" or ostracised for asking for a replacement for Lucas.

In short, I don't think he was actually meant to have as much characterisation as was brought to the role, and so him being written as an aspirational character makes him like. The Gandalf of D&D, and the rest of them the awed Frodo he's mentoring and setting them off on their journey, to a new level of pure geekdom, the untoxic pinnacle of what this personality trait might be, the unbeatable nerd who can't be bullied, who rises above it, who, of course. In the end will be SO cool that his outro is the bassest badass thing a nerd ever did see.

He was DESIGNED for his one true memorial to be a painting airbrushed on the side of a van showing his final concert, a la wizards on vans. That's his vibe, a living breathing Too Metal To Exist painting from the side of a van you smoke weed in.

It's just wildly unfortunate that he was so good at the role everyone adores him, and is always shipping around for ships they like, and he interacted with Steve twice while Steve was in a relationship quandry since his one true love is technically dating someone else still, leaving him single and open to interpretation (ish). Throw in the bananas good chemistry Steve and Robin have on screen and you get so much more character room to flesh him out so of course he is one of the better characters. And fandoms love shipping the two white boys who look at each other once.

I feel genuinely bad that people feel queerbaited and angry at the end of the season, but I think all the characters they feel were slighted (except Eddie) are being set up for a part 2 which lifts them up, while for example Max was an absolute MVP of the season but it looks like she may be getting a rest now for carrying the story after her FANTASTIC work in this half, so now we can maybe explore Will's story some more, for example, because he got so much less. El's the only one who really needs to be super character explored every season and they consistently do that because, well, she's the mainest plot character and fascinating. But this slanting towards one or the other character while leaving out others has helped lift up a sense that it shit all over certain characters, and Eddie counted as a main enough character to even be included in that group.

He never was, he just was a convincing side character who was adorable and badass so of course people want more of him. But it's not like something happened to make the writers just randomly decide to kill him after the first few episodes aired and they didn't put in a ton of queercoding and they didn't write parallels with him that would seriously mean that he was in contention as a love interest - his only major relationship was with Mike and Dustin and since Mike wasn't there, Dustin carried the end of his story alone (and it was lovely, and, again, made me cry but not bitter tears of resentment, just good tears of sad catharsis and loss of a nice character and grief well-written in the aftermath). If anything they said LOOKED like it was a parallel for love interest stuff, it was to boost our understanding of the main characters and to help us relate back to Eddie in turn by shorthand relating him to the ones we were already invested in (though again, so charismatic these are lines the writers only hypothetically needed if he'd been flatly acted XD)

Anyway as you can tell I think he's amazing, I just can't interact with a single post about him because every single one i've seen has severe poisoning with fandom anger, shock, queerbait allegations, intense Steddie shipping and denial and bringing him back to life etc, all of which are valid normal fandom things for any character, except the overnight aspect Netflix gives us and the ENORMOUS vitriol and also everyone's past fandom baggage like, literally overnight made a blorbo who's floating in a cesspool of stuff I don't agree with and don't want to interact with because I fundamentally don't see it that way and there's no dang normal content about him being cute and funny in an environment where he's not fandom's latest martyr on the My Gay Blorbo Deserved Better And You Murdered Him For Being Gay, JUST LOOK AT HOW THEY TREATED WILL, YOU ASSHOLES.

So, um. Having a normal one over here enjoying a show on the surface level while skeptical and not particularly wowed by the writers' deeper messages beyond "friendship good, family good, love good, everyone happy and successful when love and friend and family" which is, the basicest take ever but also guaranteed to make me cry if done with true authentic belief (and it was) but also in no way inspiring to make me go any deeper on fandoming given the weird worldview exposed by psychoanalysing literally anything that a male character who seems to represent an aspect of the writers does that is not clearly actor improv, and yet also having free access to Deep Fandom due to my entire dash posting this stuff :'D

[bestiepetedavidson]

Can I request hcs what Pete would do when you're standing in the middle of the night at his door, after a break up with your now ex boyfriend? Thankss ❣

yes! this game me inspo and i’m going to try to do a written-out story if that’s ok! :)

a/n: y’all this is the first story ish thing i’ve ever written so i apologize if it’s really bad/cringey! i feel like it’s extremely choppy but idrk how to fix it. constructive critism/suggestions/etc is ALWAYS appreciated! thank u! <3

song to listen to: i’m thinking adore you by bestie harry? idk it just fits hehe

tw: angst? i think? idk this is my first time writing this much lol. some strong language. ending with fluff :)

it was almost 3 am on a saturday night, pouring rain and thundering, and you were left crying on your now ex’s doorstep. you ran into your car, soaking wet. your boyfriend/girlfriend of 3 years, the person you were gonna marry- had just dumped you. they cheated on you with your best friend.

you had no one to talk to and nowhere to go. you’re pretty introverted, and the only people you really had were your ex-best friend, your ex, and your friend pete. and pete’s friends too, technically. they were mainly his friends but you would all hang out together, none of which you felt comfortable enough to go to.

you called pete- no answer. he probably still hasn’t left 30 Rock. but anyways, he had a lot on his plate. you continued to bawl as tears rolled down your cheeks and your mascara smudged underneath your eyes. you broke down and you couldn’t stop. he/she broke your heart into a million pieces in the matter of seconds. the past 3 years of your life had gone to waste.

you decided to just drive. you didn’t have anywhere to go because you were staying with him/her. you just drove around aimlessly for 20 minutes, still crying the whole time. then, you got a phone call. “pete”, your phone read. thank god. quickly, you pulled into a random grocery store’s parking lot. you picked the phone up and your bluetooth connected to your car.

“y/n” pete said. he sounded tired.

“yeah?” you responded, still crying.

“what happened? is everything okay?”

you tried to explain what had just happened, but you were too much of a crying mess for him to make out anything you were saying.

pete, confused, told you “y/n, i’m sorry, i can’t understand what you’re saying”. he took a deep breath, and continued. “do you want to come over? i just got home from work. we can talk it out”. his voice sounded worried

you agreed and hung up, and set your google maps to his apartment address. you started to blast a random spotify breakup playlist and drove.

~

a little later, at around 3:40, you finally made it. still soaking wet from the rain, you took the elevator up to his floor. you had somewhat calmed down, but you looked like you’ve been through a trainwreck. you knocked on pete’s door and he opened it to see you in your current state. the moment you saw him you just broke down, and he pulled you into a hug without saying anything.

so there you two were. just standing in the middle of the building’s hallway, hugging. in the middle of the night. he didn’t care that you were getting him and his clothes wet, and he didn’t care that he couldn’t go to sleep. he was simply focused on you and what was going on. he softly rubbed your back, and every time you would start shake uncontrollably again, he’d just hug you harder.

eventually, he suggested going back in. “y/n, let’s go inside and sit. you can tell me what’s going on and i’ll do my best to help.”

he held the door for you to go in, and you walked in and sat on his couch. he sat right next to you and there was a moment of silence before he decided to speak up. “hey.. y/n look at me. please.”

his words only made you cry more. he place his hand on your chin and slowly lifted it, giving you a slight “please tell me what’s going on” smile.

you took his hand off of your face and held on to his thumb. you were luckily able to get a hold of yourself and explained to him what had just happened, crying in between sentences. he didn’t take his eyes off of you for a second. he stayed there and listened to absolutely everything you had to stay, his thumb still in your hand. by the time you were done, any trace of makeup that was still on your eyes was a done deal, and it was all smeared on your cheeks. he took a deep breath and gave his opinions.

“wow.. y/ex/n is a fucking scumbag. no like seriously, what the actual fuck. who would do that? and especially to someone like you.. y/n you deserve so much better than that piece of shit. fuck him/her.”

you cried, and responded with “no, he/she’s right. i wasn’t worth it and y/bsf/n is so much better fit for him/her. she’s so much prettier and smarter and just better”

pete took a second. “y/n that is so fucking wrong. you can’t say that about yourself. you are beautiful and smart and amazing in every single way. anybody would be lucky as fuck to date you.”

you simply shrugged, he knew that he couldn’t technically change your mind and that you weren’t in a state to really believe that, so you just let it be. he took both of his hands and cupped your face.

“you are perfect.” he tried to wipe your cheeks with his thumbs but it only made things worse, spreading it all across your face. you looked across the room at that large mirror he had hanging on the wall and went “ah”, making fun of the way he made it look.

“hey, at least we have matching raccoon eyes now” pete said, smiling. to that you giggled, and he responded with “gahhh, there’s that smile i love”, as he hugged you again.

still sniffling but now with a smile on your face, you whispered “thank you” in his ear.

“anytime. and listen, you don’t get to talk about my best friend like that.” he responded

sending him another smile, you went to his bathroom to wash your face.

best friend, he said. nothing more.

while you still loved your ex boyfriend/girlfriend, you always secretly had a crush on pete. it was ever anything you would’ve acted on though. first of all, because of your friendship. you wouldn’t want to ruin the way things were. second, because you were dating someone. you loved them and you wouldn’t just cheat... but apparently they would. and did. third, you had just had your heart broken. you were in no state of mind to just go and admit your crush. but god, was it tempting. and it’s not like if you were to, you would want to start dating him. he most likely wouldn’t like you back, and even if he did, you wouldn’t want to date. you learned that you needed to take things slow, and pete knew that about himself too.

you walked back out, and you noticed that pete was in the kitchen, making tea. he knows that you love it. he saw you glaring and smiled, going “what? you love it.” you started to giggle because pete is absolutely not a tea person, but the gesture is just so cute. “shut up,” pete jokingly went, “we’re watching spongebob to help calm you and you’re sleeping here tonight”

“oh petey! how you’re just the sweetest!” you mocked him, smiling at each other.

you went to his closet to get a bunch of blankets, and soon enough, y’all were sitting & cuddling on his couch, watching spongebob on his couch, drinking tea, and cuddled up in a multitude of blankets. you were still worn out from sobbing and very tired, but. it was the perfect comfort spot. he always knew what to do. he was your comfort person.

he started smoking a blunt, (that’s pete for you) and he offered if you wanted a hit, but you declined. smirking, he decided to put it out. after an episode, it was already 4 am. you knew he was tired and so were you, so you suggested going to sleep, but pete insisted that y’all finish the episode. neither of you were really paying attention but it was kind of just playing in the background.

pete starts talking about random stuff going on, life stuff, making little jokes, the SNL show that he just did, etc etc. he’s sitting back on the couch and you’re on his side, head on his chest. you’ve cuddled platonically before so it’s nothing new. you’re both watching the screen and going in and out of conversation. at some point, you lift your head up off his chest, and you just stare at him while he’s continuing his story. he doesn’t really notice you getting up, and continues to talk about a recent standup he did.

watching his face, his jaw moving, talking, the way he speaks and the way his voice sounds, something changes in you and you feel the urgent need to kiss him. he notices that you’re looking at him. he turns his head and looks down at you. the second he notices that you’re staring at him, his words slowly fade out and he just looks into your eyes, forgetting what he as saying before. you’re still in his arms, but your head is up and you’re just staring at each other. there’s about 5 inches between your faces, and your heart starts racing. his does too.

“pete” you quietly whisper.

he softly presses his lips into yours and you kiss him back. his hand runs through your hair. his lips are perfect and it’s like you two were made for each other. the kiss lasts for like 10 seconds, and he slowly pulls away. you’re both at a loss for words, and you’re still staring into each other’s eyes. pete, breathless, quickly glances that the digital clock underneath his tv.

“wow,” pete says. “i’ve been waiting for as long as i can remember for this to happen and it happens at 4:20,” slowly creeping up a smile.

“i kno-” you start to respond, when you fully realize what he just said. you cackle out and can’t stop laughing, neither can he.

you pull him back into you as you’re both still giggling and you softly make out for a little longer. eventually you fall asleep in his arms, right on his couch. with spongebob still playing in the background :)

i hope u enjoyed my very first mess of a story <3 requests are open!

🤍🤍🤍

[mymanreedus]

For many on the cast and crew, the enormity of the moment — even if they are moving on to other Walking Dead projects — did not truly hit them until it was all over. "It didn't feel real for a long time," says Reedus. "I just thought there was more coming. Then when I drove home for the final time, the sun was coming up, and I pulled my car up to my gate and I'm sitting there waiting for my gate to open, I'm like, 'Wow, I'm never going to take that drive again. Now it feels really real to me.' Even when I drove off going, 'Bye, guys, I miss you. I love you,' I still thought I was going to see everybody the next day."

For McBride — who shares Walking Dead OG status with Reedus, since both actors go all the way back to episode 3 of the series — reality also struck after leaving the lot: "The drive home was strange. You're in your car and you have all these thoughts and all these feelings of what just happened, and the day you just put in, and the days you just put in, the months, the years you just put in. And now I'm just driving away. Is that it?"

"I was ready to go," Morgan admits. "I just needed to get home. We went much longer than we had anticipated going, and because of the pandemic s---, I couldn't fly home on weekends and see my family. Greg was directing and I was like, 'Look, dude, I got to get home. I got a 4-year-old who's so upset that I haven't been home.' And so I wrapped first, and I just gave some quick hugs and disappeared. They had another week of filming to go, but I was on a plane within f---ing hours. I was gone!"

While Morgan chalks his Irish exit up to the fact that "I didn't want to cry again," other cast members gave into the tears when they finished their work on the series. "It made me think of my wedding day," says Ridloff. "I was a mess on my wedding day. And so fast forward to my last day of shooting, and I was a mess. I bawled."

Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly

[merry-kuroo]

My Top 10 Anime of 2021 (Non-Seasonal)

This year has been amazing and beyond stressful. While making this list, I could pinpoint what animes I was watching while I was in graduate school in Wales, and what I was watching when I came back to the U.S. to work on my dissertation. I actually ended up rewatching animes or watching older ones because it gave me comfort.

Despite how tumultuous this year has been, I was still able to watch some incredible shows and it really helped me get through lockdown when I was alone in my flat and uncertain about the future.

So, I hope you can find something great to watch next year too 🥰

1.) Fate/Zero

No cap 🧢🔥

This is the best anime I’ve ever seen in my life.

Like I started having anime burnout after finishing Fate/Zero because I knew deep in my heart that no other anime would ever compare to this one.

2.) Gakuen Babysitters

This was the first anime I watched in 2021. I wanted to watch something happy and light after being put in lockdown again.

This is honestly the cutest anime I’ve ever seen in my life. Like...I had a warm fuzzy feeling after watching every episode. This show definitely needed a season 2.

And hell I’ll admit it. I had baby fever after watching this 😂😂 That shows how much the show got to me.

3.) World Trigger

This anime has such a unique concept and I can’t believe it’s not talked about more! I’ve had World Trigger on my watch list since I was in high school, and I finally decided to watch it back in August. I quickly fell in love with this show, and I’m so glad that it got a second and third season! I will definitely be reading the manga from now on.

Please go watch World Trigger! It has amazing characters and awesome openings 😉 You’ll want to binge watch it too!

4.) Bungou Stray Dogs

I rewatched Bungou Stray Dogs because I was writing a fanfic for it and I needed to reacquaint myself with the characters and the setting. I totally forgot how much I enjoyed this show, and I’m very excited for season four! 🥰

5.) Kimi ni Todoke

This was another anime I wanted to rewatch! I never finished season 2 because I think I was irritated with Sawako and Kazehaya lmao. I always felt bad for never finishing it, so I decided this year it was time to watch it again.

Kimi ni Todoke is one of my favorite romance animes, and I just love seeing the natural progression of Sawako and Kazehaya’s relationship. They’re like the sweetest couple, and watching them slowly fall for each other made me very happy ❤❤

6.) Bleach

BLEACH TYBW LET’S GOOOOOOO! 🔥🔥🔥

I couldn’t believe that Bleach was getting its final arc animated! So, of course I had to rewatch the anime in order to reacquaint myself with the series. It really hit me with nostalgia. Like I wish I could go back to those days where I watched Bleach on Toonami every Saturday night (2009 Toonami hit different 🥺).

Rewatching Bleach has given me a new appreciation for the show, and the characters. When I was younger, I only cared about Ichigo and a couple of other characters. Now, I’m really invested in the other characters too (like the Captains). I hope I can finish my rewatch before October!

7.) Monster

Okay, so I haven’t finished Monster yet (no spoilers!) I hope to finish it in January or February!

This is such a good thriller/psychological anime! The premise intrigued me and each episode left me wondering what was going to happen next. Dr. Tenma is a cool guy, but I hate that he’s burdened with this.

I'm really worried about him tbh 👀

8.) Given Movie

The Given Movie was great and it gave me a new insight into the character’s relationships with one another. It hurt seeing the toxic relationship Akihiko and Ugetsu had, but I couldn’t help bawling like a baby when they broke up for good.

“Bye Bye, Akihiko” just hit different, ya know? 😭💔💔💔💔

Overall, I really enjoyed it and the new song Mafuyu performed was amazing. I love that the OVA gave us a acappella version of it too.

I’m definitely going to read the manga next year!

9.) One Piece

I was on a “Wow, One Piece is too long and it’s not even that good!” tour for three years, then all of a sudden nostalgia hit and I was like “Well, maybe I can at least finish the Alabasta Arc!”.

So, yeah, I don’t know what I was smoking back in 2018...but One Piece is pretty good. I finished the Alabasta Arc, and I really appreciated the character designs...and the characters themselves. They were all really unique. Some new mysteries were brought up after the Alabasta Arc, and I’m very interested in Nico Robin, so I guess I’ll have to keep watching now 😅

I’m going to start watching the Sky Island Arc next year, and we’ll go from there.

10.) Boruto: Naruto Next Generation

I have a love/hate relationship with Boruto, but the Kawaki Arc was really good. The animation and fights were amazing. It was just nice to see some manga canon content 🥲