#Top contender for my favorite song in the show

[salamanderpickle]

[sfsolstice]

the whites of your eyes turn black in the lowlight in turning divine we tangle endlessly

[anothermansjeans]

Heyy Idk if this is how you request but we'll see......

Could you maybe do like a singer!reader who writes like dirty af songs abt Spencer and then Penelope shows the song to the rest of the team and they all start low-key bullying him and continue making comments abt it while on a case or something like that??

<33

XOXO-

~W~

okay i don't know any DIRTY DIRTY songs so i apologize if this isn't that great 😭 let me know if you want another one that shows different songs! ALSO I IMAGINE THE READER SINGING A DIFFERENT OUTRO TO NONSENSE EVERY NIGHT JUST LIKE MS SABRINA CARPENTER

cw: implied sex, reader talks sings about getting head and being handcuffed

wc: 610

masterlist

++

“Oh, hey pretty boy.”

Spencer walked into the bullpen to see the majority of the team huddled around Derek’s desk with amused looks on their faces. He tentatively continued his walk, but immediately froze in place when he heard the video playing from the computer.

“This song’s catchier than chickenpox is.

I bet your house is where my other sock is.

Woke up this morning, thought I’d write a pop hit.

How quickly can you take your clothes off, pop quiz?

My man’s IQ is one-eighty-seven.

When he’s going down on me I’m in Heaven.

Handcuff me to the bed like I’m a felon.”

Her laughs could be heard from the video, and Spencer’s face immediately turned fifty shades of red.

“So, where were you last night, Reid? You know, when you said you couldn't join us for drinks.”

He rolled his lips into his mouth at Emily’s question. Everyone had an expecting look except for Penelope… She seemed guilty. “I uh, I was at a concert…”

“What concert?” JJ’s question was presented as innocent, but it was everything but that.

“My girlfriend’s,” he mumbled lowly, barely loud enough for them to hear.

“Could you repeat that?”

Spencer glared at Derek, he knew exactly what he was doing. “My girlfriend’s.”

“Well hot damn, you finally admitted it!”

“I wasn't keeping it a secret. I'm just not as open about my love life as the rest of you are.” He huffed and brought himself over to his desk.

“Well, Garcia was kind enough to show us a video she found online and we didn't know what to expect… who else has an IQ of one-eighty-seven?”

Spencer whipped his head over to Penelope with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry!” Her hands went up in her defense. “I just– I love her music and I couldn't make it to the concert in D.C last night so I was watching videos that people took and it doesn't take a genius to know who she's talking about when we know you so well.” Her words were quick, and she was huffing to breathe when she finished her sentence.

Spencer groaned and put his head in his hands.

“I think my favorite song of hers is Nasty.”

Spencer winced at Emily’s words as everyone else laughed. They definitely are going to have a field day with him.

“I love Espresso.” The humor in JJ’s voice was evident.

“So It Goes… and Guilty as Sin? might be the top contenders for me,” and Derek just has to add on. “Tell us, Reid, are scratches down your back?”

Spencer stood up and went towards the coffee machine, ignoring the laughs and references they were making. He was allowed about three minutes of solace before Penelope hesitantly tapped his shoulder with a shy look on her face. “We got a case. Everyone’s at the round table.” He gave a nod at her words and followed her, ears perking up when he heard her singing under her breath, “don't want to wait on it. Tonight, I wanna get nasty.”

He suppressed the groan waiting to come out, and sat down at the table when he felt a buzz in his pocket.

Y/N: made it to philly!! love you, be safe today. text me whenever you're free 🫶

He was about to message back before Hotch walked in, “We’re going to brief as quickly as possible. We're headed to Philadelphia.”

He knew Penelope knew the next stop on Y/N’s tour, and could feel her eyes boring into the side of his face. He was mentally preparing for the jokes as soon as they stepped out of the conference room.

++

songs that i imagined reader wrote about spencer:

nonsense by sabrina carpenter

nasty by ariana grande

espresso by sabrina carpenter

so it goes... by taylor swift

guilty as sin? by taylor swift

dress by taylor swift

[saintverse]

Six of Crows Playlists 🐦‍⬛

Edit: Check the notes for more!

I made some Six of Crows playlists, forgive me for the sheer amount of songs, I listen to a downright obnoxious amount of music. I was also legally obligated to include some very 2016-2018 "edgy" music that was typically associated with these books back in my fandom days. The middle school nostalgia aspect really got me.

General book playlist, some of it is songs that fit all of the characters as well as book events, some of it is songs that fit the atmosphere of the setting.

My Jesper and Wylan playlist. I'd be down to make playlists for other specific relationships, they just happen to be my favorite. If that's something you're actually interested in, let me know, because I do have some ideas!

Possibly a collection of all my favorite love songs. They meant so much to me when I was 13, I have such a soft spot.

I'm most embarrassed by this one. It has a lot of the nostalgia element that was mentioned above. It was difficult to find songs that contend with the persona Kaz has so carefully cultivated. Forgive me for the possibly shallow reading of his character that it may convey.

There's lots to work with in regard to Inej. Her past as an acrobat, her future as a pirate, all on top of her character throughout the duology. I had fun.

Possibly one of the most conflicting and chaotic playlists on this list. Creating it really had me pondering Nina's writing. She's a lot more complex/multi-faceted than I'd ever given her credit for, haha!

I struggled the most with Matthias' playlist, I'm actually surprised it's as long as it is. I didn't connect with him as much as the others, especially during my first reading of the duology, but I've definitely gained some respect for his character and what Bardugo was trying to convey when writing him. Normally I'm drawn to characters whose experience parallels mine as a "cult survivor", but there's a lot of notable distance between our experiences.

Similarly to the Kaz playlist, I hope the "just vibes" theme of this playlist doesn't come across as a shallow understanding of Jesper's character. It's the longest playlist, he's my absolute favorite and it shows. I have a lot of respect for him!

A contender for the discordic energy of Nina's playlist. I intentionally leaned into this aspect. Wylan holds a special place in my heart, he helped me come to terms with a lot of things. I fear some of the self projection is clearly evident.

A couple of extra notes:

Expect a follow-up post soon. I very much need a Kuwei playlist, as well as a Kanej/Helnik/Ninej playlist. Perhaps one highlighting the friendship between Jesper and Inej as well, who knows.

If you're uncomfortable with songs with sexual or suggestive lyrics being applied to them, I totally understand and respect that. Those songs were included either because I found that aspect of them ignorable, because I think it matches their "energy" or is the style of music they might enjoy, or quite rarely because I'm specifically keeping the Shadow and Bone continuity in mind.

Example: ...Baby One More Time is a fairly suggestive song. But I'll stand by the fact that Jesper Fahey would listen to 90s pop artists over my dead body.

[pep-tides]

Britta Perry for the character ask thing!

YESSS i was hoping i'd get her thank you!!! i'm not sure who my favorite member of the study group is but britta is a strong contender <3<3

favorite thing about them

i love her silly little one-liners that are occasionally funny or witty but mostly they flop. i can really relate to that. and they're always really good and fun and some of the best lines in the show come from her

least favorite thing about them

her underuse in the later seasons :( there aren't a lot of good britta episodes later in the show, she's mostly relegated to a side character role, and i wish she got more focus

favorite line

off the top of my head i'm gonna say "i know what an analogy is. it's like a thought with another thought's hat on"

also nominating "as you'll see, with a few adjustments, i can make the entire image (tap tap tap) old west color!"

brOTP

britta and EVERYONE. she's such a good friend they need to appreciate her more!!!! i especially love her support of abed in the first season, and their dynamic when she moves in with him + annie, so maybe britta & abed & annie? also she and jeff really have their moments when they're not bitching at each other <3

OTP

honestly not sure on this one, i'm not a huge britta shipper? i do like seeing people pair her up with frankie, i think that's a really fun dynamic. they would be good for each other

nOTP

hmm. none of her relationships in the show are ever that good (see: vaughn, subway, the blade guy). i think her on-again-off-again thing with jeff is fun but i do not see them working long term - i would prefer it over jeffannie obviously, but i'm not gonna be thrilled if the movie ends up pairing them off for good. she can do better

random headcanon

we see her knitting in one (1) episode, so as a knitter myself i'm totally running with that! i think she's not a particularly good knitter but she does it a lot to keep her hands busy and make little gifts or hats for her cats or whatever. she thrifts old sweaters and unravels them for the yarn to save money and be more sustainable, and she gets abed to hold her ball of yarn (since he sits on her right). everyone in the study group has a too-skinny scarf or slightly lumpy hat from her, which most of them will never admit that they treasure

unpopular opinion

a lot of people say that britta's writing fell off after the first couple seasons, that she was cool and collected in season 1 and got goofy and stupid later on. i disagree. i think her calm personality at the beginning is totally for show, and once she gets more comfortable (and spends enough time at greendale) her true personality starts to show, and underneath the cute outfits and wit she really is just a weird confused and passionate woman. and i adore her for it.

song i associate with them

i am awful at song headcanons, but hmm. i think she would enjoy blasting overtly political music even if she doesn't actually like it all that much, just for the optics, yknow? green day, system of a down, rage against the machine, all the old punk bands... although i bet she would go to the concerts too and have a great time

favorite picture of them

soggy wet cat. i want to give her a hug

[moistvonlipwig]

BtVS for the favorite things ask game?

ok!!!

my favorite female character: Cordelia of course.....though if we're counting her more as an AtS character then it'd be poor beleaguered Anya, who has too much sense by far for the rest of the Scoobies to handle.

my favorite male character: Spoike my horrible little man who is faking his accent and cheats at kitten poker <3 he sucks sooo bad (affectionate) (also objectively true since he is a vampire)

my favorite book/season/etc: This one's tricky -- I think S5 probably takes it in the end, although I think the overall arc of S2 is very impressive and the highs are higher. But I prefer big sister Buffy to only child Buffy and the later seasons cast line-up to the early seasons cast line-up, and S2 has a lot of bad episodes, whereas S5's worst episodes are just kind of whatever. S3 is also very strong overall, but it doesn't emotionally grab me the way S2 and S5 do.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show): This one's even trickier! I think "Becoming" (especially its second part) is definitely in the running for its amazing character work for Buffy and the whole cast. "Lovers Walk" gets points for the sheer amount of fun it packs into its runtime. "Who Are You?" is another contender, largely due to SMG's absolute tour-de-force performance as Faith. "Restless" would be a contender if it weren't for the horrifically racist treatment of the First Slayer that infects the entire episode, which knocks it soundly off its otherwise well-earned pedestal. "The Gift" is very, very good as well. (I'm not as big on "The Body" as everyone else -- it's good, I just don't think it's one of the show's top episodes.) And I think "Dead Things" is probably the most challenging episode the show ever put forth, which I appreciate deeply. (I enjoy the songs in OMWF a lot, but as an episode I don't think it's super cohesive, so while it's up there for me, I don't think I can say it's the show's best.)

my favorite cast member: I honestly don't really tend to get super invested in actors, so, idk? I guess I'd say that, while she's nowhere near the show's strongest actor -- in fact I would argue she's one of those actors who is extremely good at playing one specific part and basically can't play anything else -- I nonetheless have a lot of respect for Eliza Dushku as a person, what with how she's spoken up about the sexual abuse, harassment, and mistreatment she's faced within the industry, and how she threw her full support behind the people speaking up about Joss Whedon despite having a positive experience with him herself.

my favorite ship: Most of my favorite Buffyverse ships are AtS ships, but my favorite BtVS ship is ultimately probably Buffy/Spike, despite, um, everything -- I think they have a lot of really fun interactions and I buy their friendship in early S6 and S7, and I appreciate that the show made some attempt (YMMV how successful it was) to deconstruct and problematize the enemies-to-lovers trope. That said, my ideal endgame for them is that they end up as friends, not lovers. And the way some people talk about that ship on here is......well. It's something innit. In terms of other ships I like: despite what I'm about to say about Giles below, I do like his interactions with Anya a lot and I feel like there were some romantic implications in "Grave" that weirdly never got picked up again in S7. I think a Giles/Anya romance would be a lot better than S7 trying to resurrect the shuffling corpse of Xander/Anya. ...Although, I'm also a "Willow should've killed Giles in Grave" truther, so, I'll also propose a Willow/Anya romance, because they had good chemistry in "Selfless" and it'd be funny.

a character I’d die defending: It used to be Dawn and Cordelia, but honestly the fandom has cooled off a lot when it comes to hating those characters, so, uh, I definitely still defend them ardently when needed, but they don't need it as much these days as they used to. Buffy still gets some very weird things said about her which I think she should be defended from, although I also think there's pockets of fandom that act like she has never done a single thing wrong in her life ever, which is a point of view I also don't subscribe to. Faith I think is in a weird position where she has done some legitimately awful things, which some of her more hardcore fans gloss over, but some people are strangely hellbent on making up things she didn't do to get mad at her for, which I can't abide. People are also deeply weird about Joyce, as you know, but, like, I'm not a Joyce Fan or anything, I don't even think she's a particularly amazing mother, I just think people seem entirely incapable of seeing things from her point of view and weirdly insistent that her relationship with Buffy was worse than it was. So, IDK. Most of the women, I guess. Except Willow. Sorry Willow, I'm sure some people are weird about you too, but the narrative is too nicies to you already.

a character I just can’t sympathize with: Yeah, it's Giles. He's the character who has gone down the most in my estimation over time, particularly as I've gotten older. S1 Giles is arguably sympathetic, with his fate somewhat paralleled to Buffy's, but as the show goes on, the character and worldbuilding develop to a point where it becomes pretty irrefutable that this is a guy who profits off of Buffy's suffering and could stop doing that at any time, who abandons her when she needs him most, and who then has the gall to act like he should have any say in the decisions she makes about her life afterwards. Additionally, the way he seems totally indifferent to Xander's home life and clear desire for a non-abusive father figure/masculine role model, and even more egregiously (given that it is literally his job to 'watch' her) the way he seems totally indifferent to Faith's lack of a home or family or any kind of support, is profoundly foul to me, and yet another thing that's made worse by the retcon that Giles is well-off and gets paid to do this. (The Faith stuff is even worse when you remember that Giles, too, has accidentally killed people, yet he makes no effort to try to reach out to her. Angel's attempt to reach out may have been bad, but at least it was an attempt.) I've read a lot of meta on here about how Giles was deeply affected by Jenny's death and how that made him feel like he had somehow doomed her by loving her, or even when Jenny isn't brought into it a lot of people will say that Giles thinks he is an awful person who makes people's lives worse and that's why he holds himself at such a distance, and like, that's a fine interpretation, but I don't actually see any evidence that that's true? To me that's in the realm of "Xander hates vampires because of Jesse" -- it's something that could psychologically make sense for a real person, and you could write about in a fanfic and have it be quite interesting, but I struggle to see any real basis for that idea in canon. And of course I should add that I think Giles should probably suck, for the show to work; if he's a good father figure the story doesn't really happen. But he sucks in such deeply baffling and unsympathetic ways to me that I just really don't like him anymore at this point, aside from the occasional Buffy-Giles emotional beat or snarky one-liner that makes me smile.

a character I grew to love: This one definitely goes to Buffy -- I think pre-Dawn Buffy is a well-done but ultimately fairly typical Campbell-style comic hero, whose character is largely elevated by SMG's iconic performance and by BtVS's strategy of using monster-of-the-week episodes to mirror Buffy's internal journey. I like her fine in the early seasons, but it's only really in S5 that she starts to grab my emotional attention, and it's in S6 that I truly love her -- S6 is a mess, but I think Buffy's arc in that season is utterly compelling and beautiful, and it gives me so much more affection and appreciation for her character. As for S7...well, let's just not speak of that, shall we.

my anti otp: With apologies as always to my Bangel followers & mutuals, I find Buffy/Angel to be not entirely uninteresting to think about (especially in S2, which is when I think the writers had the strongest sense of what they wanted to say with that relationship), but they are profoundly tedious to watch. Melodrama that is played straight is rarely appealing to me, and I can't for the life of me imagine them in an actual adult relationship -- what would they talk about? As Buffy herself admits, they were never actually friends, and so many of their conversations on the show just revolve around how they shouldn't and/or can't be together but they want to anyway. I also think, as the shows go on, they develop different values and their lives go in such different directions that I don't think they would work as a couple in the future, either. Both of them are better off, IMO, moving on and living separate lives.

[jules-has-notes]

Aca Top 10: Disney Villains — VoicePlay music video

Many actors contend that it's more fun to play baddies who get to indulge their darker desires without regret. The same often applies in musicals, whether they're on stage or screen. Disney knows how to craft a good villain song. These are some of their most fun, slick, seductive, and dastardly.

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains

original songs / performers: "Friends on the Other Side" by Keith David as Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009); [0:33] "Mother Knows Best" by Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel in Tangled (2010); [0:50] "Trust In Me" by Sterling Holloway as Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967); [1:08] "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee as Si and Am in Lady and the Tramp (1955); [1:28] "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Ken Page as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993); [1:52] "Cruella De Vil" by Bill Lee as Roger Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians (1961); [2:16] "Gaston" by Jesse Corti as LaFou & Richard White as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991); [2:50] "Hellfire" by Tony Jay as Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996); [3:06] "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Pat Carroll as Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989); [3:25] "Be Prepared" by Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King (1994)

written by: "Friends on the Other Side" by Randy Newman; "Mother Knows Best" by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater; "Trust In Me" by Robert & Richard Sherman; "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke; "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Danny Elfman; "Cruella De Vil" by George Bruns & Mel Leven; "Gaston" by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman; "Hellfire" by Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz; "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken; "Be Prepared" by Elton John & Tim Rice

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci & Layne Stein

release date: 22 March 2019

My favorite bits:

Layne kicking things off with scampering percussion before settling into a swingy groove

J.None showing off his smooth lower range

the vibratto Earl puts on that final high ♫ "motheeer" ♫

both Eli and Layne doing snaky hand motions during "Trust In Me" 🐍

Geoff's big bass drops on ♫ "ey-yyyes" ♫ and the final ♫ "meee" ♫

that crunchy harmony on ♫ "don't pleeease" ♫

all the shenanigans with the tiny kitty figurine 🐈

getting a preview of the "Oogie Boogie" production to come

that funky take on the second half of "Cruella"

the back row's dubious reactions to Geoff asserting his intimidation factor in "Gaston" as Layne fixes his hair

the extended transition — ♫ "Gimme hip-to-hip" ♫ ::Eli and J start flossing:: 🕺 "Chapstick!" ::Earl holds up a tube::

the clever coordination of ♫ "[tur]-ning me to" ♫ and ♫ "number two" ♫ at the end of "Hellfire"

Layne's bubbly percussion during "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

Earl getting annoyed at J and Eli joining him on the lyrics of "Be Prepared" before they return to harmonies

the three octave unison between Geoff and Earl

that nice clean ending

Trivia:

○ VoicePlay had recorded or performed several of these songs before.

They did a full version of "Cruella de Vil" in collaboration with Disney for the Diamond Edition release of 101 Dalmatians on Blu-ray. They also included an excerpt in their aca-Disney medley to celebrate 20 years of Disney shows on Broadway.

"Gaston" is part of their Beauty and the Beast medley, Tale As Old As Time, on their 2012 album "Once Upon an Ever After".

"Be Prepared" is part of their "OUaEA" Lion King medley, The King Has Returned. (That's also where the snippet over the end screen is from.)

"Mother Knows Best" was part of "The Story of Rapunzel" that they performed at Disney World's 2015 Social Media Moms Celebration.

○ They had also previously created a shorter villains medley including several of these songs for Jonathan Freedman as part of their Disney Sessions collaboration with the Aladdin stage cast.

○ Since this video was released, the guys have recorded longer versions of several more of these tunes.

"Friends on the Other Side" was their Halloween video for 2021, as well as their first reunion with J.None after he left to join the U.S. Navy Band.

"Oogie Boogie's Song" was their Halloween video later in this year.

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" was included in their Little Mermaid medley with Rachel Potter a year and a half later.

"Hellfire" was their Halloween video in 2023, also with J.None as the featured guest.

Geoff did a short of "Trust In Me" on his solo channel in 2024.

○ The guys' shirts are once again thematically appropriate.

Eli — Darth Vader from Star Wars in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" drawing

Earl — the face of Hades from Hercules in blue and purple linework with yellow eyes and teeth, surrounded by blue flames, all with a glow effect meant to imitate neon lights

J.None — a full-body portrait of Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with one hand extended to the side (I couldn't find the exact design, but I found one that's somewhat close and did a bit of editing to get it closer.)

Geoff — the stylized face of Scar from The Lion King

Layne — Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog mirrored in the style of a playing card, with glowing red cards floating near his outstretched fingers and his name on a banner across the middle

○ Geoff later mentioned in his interview on The Charismatic Voice that he'd considered auditioning for Gaston at Disney World when he worked there, but that the guys who play the role are usually four to six inches taller than him due to the costume and choreography required.

○ They garnered a bit of praise from prolific a cappella arranger Rob Dietz, who they'd met during The Sing-Off, and who would become a frequent collaborator in a few years.

○ An artist fan was inspired to create a gender bent version of Cruel-Layne De Vil.

drawing by rtlndr_ on Instagram

○ The boys busted out some of their best evil laughs to further entertain their social media followers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

○ This is the final entry in a mini-series within their "Aca Top 10" series, which was preceded by countdowns for "Disney Heroes" and "Disney Sidekicks" over the previous year and a half.

[autisticandroids]

15, 21, 23?

15. something you learned this year

i don't know if i can say i learned a new skill as such. but one thing is like... i really enjoyed making three card stud. and it really opened my eyes to like, how much of what i like about the practice of fanfiction is the meticulous remixing/reinterpretation of canon. there's a way in which the AMV is a more... analytical art form than the fanfic, because you are literally forced by the constraints of the medium to keep to the text. all you have are song lyrics and the kuleshov effect to convince your audience to take the new meaning you intend to convey from stuff already in the show. and i brought that ethos to three card stud even though i did add stuff. in a lot of ways three card stud was just me listing off things from canon i think a lot about and saying eh? eh? like. hoping the context would make it clear *why* this stuff makes me crazy. and i think that was a lot of the motivation behind the fic i'm currently working on, which is about dean and cas getting caught by the police. that fic at this point is mostly lists of things that have happened in spn episodes, placed in a new context by baffled feds and cops. which is the fun part. so like basically i learned that this is really fun, listing off canon facts in a new context

21. most memorable comment/review

so the most memorable traditional comment as such i got was probably this one, on i fold in half so easily (ifihse tends to generate the best comments because it's extremely dark without the ways in which it is dark being obviously flagged. so people are more shocked and more forced to think). "Cas: no officer i am very happy please dont tell dean im emotionally complex" is so funny and true that's literally what happens in that fic.

another top contender is this one, on getting serious, which generates good comments for the same reason ifihse does, though it's a lot less intense.

but in terms of my favorite *response to my work,* it was the breastfeeding anon saga (in chronological order here) which was a response to my fic smorgasbord.

and then i wrote a fic based on those anons, and then i got these very funny tags on my fic post:

23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

when i tell you about the 120k deanvictor fic which is literally 90k of victor henriksen hunting down a serial killer dean winchester while becoming a little (sexually) obsessed with him and then 30k of victor knowing about the supernatural and moonlighting as a hunter while he and dean suck each others dicks so much.

and also it's about victor's relationship with his two ex wives and his former stepdaughter who he is still emotionally a parent to even though they have no legal relationship and the coworker he had an emotional affair with who he doesn't speak to anymore and how he feels trapped in his life and his job and dean represents this escape for him this total freedom. just living in his car on the road and not having to worry about what your boss thinks or needing to quit smoking. while for dean victor represents this stability and adulthood dean can never achieve. and dean leaves three spare pairs of underwear in victor's divorcé bachelor pad as a kind of little... fantasy. of what life could be like.

anyway the most compelling scene from that, IN MY MIND, is a scene where victor STILL thinks dean is a serial killer. and now he has him in custody. and against his will he's... charmed. by dean. because dean is charming and pathetic, shaking and sweating from mild alcohol withdrawal but still cracking jokes and being friendly and observant and extremely young-feeling, for 28. and earnest in a way he didn't expect. and they're forced to work together against a demon siege, a spin on jus in bello where victor still doesn't find out about the supernatural he's just protecting himself and a prisoner from a threat. and he has the uncomfortable realization that he's attracted to dean winchester (serial killer) (guy he is trying to take down) (has killed so so many people). and he's like well. we can table that for later. and then dean escapes.

so i've been trying to figure out a way to scoop out just that scene and turn it into its own fic because that's actually manageable for me.

the dean and cas pursued by the cops idea also comes a bit from frustration that i can't write this, though the feds in that one are ocs bc it's later.

from here

[pinkberrypocky]

pmmm rewatch live notes: ep 6

my favorite part of this ep is kyoko playing ddr to the opening song (lies its all my favorite. this show is a masterpiece and every single scene, line, shot has meaning and adds to the story. literally this show is my everything)

Kyoko asks homura if they’ve met before when homura calls her by name and homura just says “perhaps, who knows” which should not be so funny to me

Homura tells madoka that if reasoning with a fool won’t work she’ll resort to more drastic measures which sounds like she is thinking about hurting madoka to meet her own ends but in actuality it means that she may be more forceful in keeping madoka out of magical girl business in order to save her

The opening ends with a scene of madoka and homura looking dramatically to reddish lighting 

Kyubey eats the fully black grief seeds which makes him at the top of the food chain the kyoko referenced

Wild how no one in the show comments on the fact that they collect food for him

They are like livestock to him

But livestock that raise themselves 

Magical girls becomes witches, different magical girls defeat the witches and fill the grief seeds with black, kyubey eats the grief seeds, and kyubey makes more magical girls

Kyubey even tells sayaka about how strong madoka would be and suggests that sayaka could ask madoka to make a contract to defeat kyoko for her which is so fucked up

Not important but it’s so silly to me how kyoko is dancing to the opening song at the arcade

Kyoko w a pocky stick in her mouth is such an interesting reference/allusion to cigarettes

She is corrupted, she is distinctly more adult (not age wise but mentally), she is a delinquent

Gold shines on the surface of the fight between kyoko and sayaka when sayaka returns the next day to try and track the familiar 

Madoka is always trying to get the magical girls to talk and work things out between each other because she believes that each of them deserve happiness and life

Sayaka so quickly jumps to being willing to kill kyoko which shows the instability of her ideals and morals once she is faced with the reality of the adult world

In this way madoka is more naive since she never loses her sense that all people are good and deserve to live

The argument madoka and sayaka have at the site of the fight is the first time we see sayaka coming to terms with and addressing the severity of the situation

She is overwhelmed by the badness that she sees in the world and becomes jaded, contending that she and mami are exceptions

Madoka cries and i think this is because she sees how sayaka is being changed not because she’s hurt (which i do think she is) 

When madoka comes downstairs that night to talk with her mom the lighting is green

A big difference between madoka and sayaka is that madoka believes that there can be multiple truths, both sayaka and kyoko can be correct and valid while sayaka believes that her view is the only morally just one

Which is why sayaka is so upset and spirals once she learns that not everyone ascribes to her philosophy whereas madoka continues to say that all the magical girls should try and work together

Madoka’s mom says that as you grow up the consequences for messing up get bigger and bigger which is ironic considering madoka is actually facing much higher stakes than her mom

The sky is yellow when sayaka goes to visit kyosuke and he is already gone from the hospital 

The lighting is red as she walks away from the hospital sadly and contemplates visiting him at his house

Red lighting continues as kyoko confronts sayaka outside kyosuke’s house

Kyoko sas that if sayaka wanted kyosuke to have to love her she could just break his bones so he would have no one else to rely on 

Objectively kyoko is right that it would be a more straightforward way to get kyosuke to be with sayaka but all sayaka sees are the ethical concerns

Kyubey gets madoka to intervene in the blooming rematch between kyoko and sayaka bc he knows there’s a good chance he can get madoka to make a wish if something goes wrong

Madoka panics and throws away sayaka’s soul gem to stop her from transforming and fighting 

Homrua immediately panics and disappears to go after it bc she knows from past timelines that the soul gem is the entirety of their being

The shrillness and hoarseness in madoka’s voice as she begs kyubey to save sayaka is so painful 

Homura has been a magical girl through all these timelines, does she even remember what it is to have a body and be human? No wonder she doesn’t feel or act human anymore

Madoka’s immediate reaction is sadness and crying, while kyoko’s is anger and violence 

Highlights the coping mechanisms of the two of them

Homura silently retrieves the soul gem and revives sayaka

Just like she silently slaves away time after time to save madoka in every timeline

[irxne]

I'm a little underwhelmed with Chill Kill. Not to be misunderstood - I like it and I've listened to it at least a dozen times, it's well made and there are a few highlights (especially Underwater, WIESYA? and, funnily enough, Bulldozer) but my expectations for them are always so high that it can be tricky for myself. I think that my main issue is that it's too delicate and lacks RV energy. For example closest to home (SM), most of the songs on Aespa's mini album sound crispy and fresh, but Chill Kill is more subdued and feels tired. I don't know if it makes sense to you, I'm not great at explaining

Hmm I see where you're coming from, but I disagree a bit. I really liked the soft sound and nods to their older discography. While it's not on my top 3 of favorite albums from them, I still like it a lot. My favorite part of Chill Kill was that beautiful bridge with that 80's synth sound that reminded me of city pop songs which I looooove. While the song was really not what I was expecting, I really enjoyed the blend of red and velvet. Knock Knock (Who's there?) is so good, and I wish that they were performing it on music shows along with Chill Kill. I KNOW this song will eat so bad with a choreo and live. I love that in the chorus the instrumental keeps going up and amp up the thrill of the song matching the lyrics. And I know I said I was a bit tired of the classical sampling, but they used Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and I'm a big sucker for ballet. I get why this song was a contender for tittle track, but I think it fits being a b-side better. Underwater is so cunty and the production is so good. Their vocals are evenly!!!! Kingdom Come you were number 1 for so long and now you've been dethroned in my heart. WIESYA is really I Just daughter and it's so good!! That empty chorus with just pure instrumental is such a vibe. It's also such a summer night song and it feels like it should be heard in a beach during sunset. Wendy sounds so beautiful in this song and so does Seulgi. I think these types of songs suits Seulgi a lot.

[thelensofyashunews]

HOZIER’S ANXIOUSLY AWAITED NEW UNAIRED EP OUT NOW

Continuing a prolific year, award winning / RIAA Diamond-certified singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Hozier unveils his anxiously awaited new Unaired EP out now via Columbia Records.

It notably arrives on the one-year anniversary of his acclaimed album Unreal Unearth—which dropped on August 16, 2023, bowed in the Top 3 of the Billboard 200, and notably just received a Gold certification from the RIAA.

The three-song EP opens with the new fan favorite “Nobody’s Soldier.” Last month, he began his rapturous headline set at Lollapalooza by performing the single for the very first time live. Since its debut, audiences have clamored for the song’s official release. With its rafter-reaching vocals, robust guitars, and soulful harmonies, it has all the makings of a staple Hozier anthem.

Additionally, Unaired includes the heartfelt “July” and the duet “That You Are” featuring Bedouine.

Says Hozier on the Unaired EP, “Unaired follows on from Unheard in sharing three more songs from the album sessions that all live in the world of ‘Unreal Unearth’, but could not fit on the initial release for one reason or another. Nobody’s Solider, July, and That You Are, a song written and recorded with the incredible Bedouine during my time in Los Angeles.”

Unaired lands in the wake of his Unheard EP. The latter boasts one of his biggest career hits “Too Sweet.” Not only did it catapult to the #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it has hit #1 at Pop, Alt, Hot AC and AAA radio, has generated over 1 billion streams and has garnered over 43 million YouTube views on the music video – watch HERE. It’s no wonder Variety hailed “Too Sweet” as “among this year’s Song of the Summer contenders.”

Featuring four unreleased tracks from Hozier’s Unreal Unearth album sessions, Unheard includes “Wildflower and Barley,” a duet with GRAMMY® winning artist Allison Russell, “Too Sweet” and two additional tracks. The RIAA-Diamond certified artist is in the midst of his extensive ‘Unreal Unearth’ tour. With over 1.6M tickets sold across 2023-2024, Hozier will play a total of 59 headline shows throughout the US & Canada on this run.

Experience Unaired now.

[screamingmandrakes]

Nine fandom folks to get to know better!

Thank you @laserswordtraining for tagging me!! I always get so excited about these.

Tagging some of my mutuals: @maplebalderdash @foolishlywandwaving @andrigyn @peppershark @nerysdax

Feel free to do this! Or don’t. It’s up to you.

Top 3 ships:

Volmione def is the top contender. I’d say Harrymort comes next. Tomione would be third. I love Tom but Voldemort does it for me.

First ever ship:

Okay it was admittedly a Jack Frost/Elsa one LMAO. It was called Jelsa 😭😭 I was like twelve and I was obsessed with it. I still go back and read some of the fics and every now and then.

Currently reading:

Okay so the people in my server have been keeping me fed. I’m doing a reread of All The Wrong Choices. I recently finished ‘as stars fade from your eyes’ by miserygirlfriend (who is very sweet btw!). I also read Hairbrush by @maplebalderdash recently, a short, simple fic but I really enjoyed her take on child Tom. And finally, ‘Think of Me Fondly’ which was written by one of my friends!

Currently watching:

I actually am not one for shows or movies, so I’ll give you the audiobook I’m listening to. To nobody’s surprise, it is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Last song I listened to:

I’ve been listening to Hypocrites by Korn on repeat recently. They’re my favorite band in general but something about that song is so good to my brain. I also really like the band Kittie, so they’ve been on repeat as well. I love women in metal.

Currently consuming:

I’m eating the ice from my cup bc I’m too lazy to refill it lol. Typically I drink a lot of water but I also like dry foods. Not a big fan of anything hot, seasoned or temperature wise.

Currently craving:

A good nap, which is wild bc I took like a four hour one today. I had a cookie earlier that was really good so honestly, probably some more cookies lol. I wish the sun came out more too. I miss the summer.

[theladysherlock]

Tagged by the Delightful @kazoologist who knows I love to yap, so let's go!

Do you make your bed? Most days, though it was infrequent when I slept on a top bunk or a loft. Which I did for a long time. (What can I say? I like to be tall)

Favorite Number? 12! She's divisible by so many one digit numbers. Also 43, but not for math reasons

What's your job? Architectural Designer! Also an Escape Room Game Master, but that's less frequent.

If you could go back to school, would you? I would enjoy discussion sections and getting to research new topics, but I am no longer built for homework and finals

Can you Parallel Park? Lol. Lmao, even. (One time I tried to parallel park and my friend had to swap me places to do it for me because I fucked it up so bad. And then the one time I did it really well, my car got stolen the next day.)

Do you think Aliens are real? The universe is so unfathomably large that it would be foolhardy to assume that we are entirely alone in it. However I'm much more inclined to believe in alien life as bacteria and single-called organisms than in advanced alien civilizations

Can you drive a manual car? I will be honest with you. I don't think I've ever even SAT in a manual car.

Guilty Pleasure? On the one hand, there should be no guilt in the things you enjoy. On the other hand, watching shitty dating shows with my mom and roasting the fuck out of everyone is a delight and also not an activity I would admit to doing in front of my coworkers.

Tattoos? Love the art form, hate having marks of any kind on my skin so it will have to be a hard pass from me.

Favorite Color? It varies but right now I'd say Green! Previous contenders have been Purple, Blue, and Yellow, and may switch back to any of those on a whim.

Favorite Type of Music? Extremely difficult question to answer because there is just so much out there but I've been Manifesting a Synthpop Summer lately

Do you like puzzles? Word puzzles? Codes? Riddles? Mysteries? Yes. Jigsaw puzzles? No.

Favorite Childhood Sport? I guess Marching Band? I worked so hard at marching band and it was so much fun

Do you talk to yourself? ALL the time. I do a lot of processing verbally so it just kinda comes out.

Tea or Coffee? Tea 100% (Alexa, play Sugar In My Coffee by The Narcissist Cookbook)

First thing you wanted to be when you grew up? Princess! But in a pre-queen kind of way, not necessarily in a getting married sort of way. After that it was Detective a la Nancy Drew.

What Movies do you Adore? Song of the Sea immediately springs to mind, but it's been a while since I've seen it. I should watch that one again. I also really like Arsenic and Old Lace.

Tagging @miss-morland @mothmansbigfatass @bumblerhizal and @the-baessist !! As well as anyone else who feels so inspired to play along!!

Edit: oh my god also tagging my bestie @khan-crete forgive me for my lapse in memory

[lastquincy]

thank you for the tag nini 💚 under the cut!

(questions bolded, answers italicized)

last song i heard:

worst is on it's way by korn, HEALTH, danny brown and meechy darko! my friend showed me a song by HEALTH earlier and before this i had no idea they existed, so i went through their discography and found this collab and immediately fell in love. i love you rap and rock you belong together

favorite color:

it varies but one of these is usually good

last watched series:

i don't really watch series, or at least i haven't lately, but i did watch lars and the real girl for the first time a few days ago! i can confidently say that is one of the most terrifying ways i have ever related to a movie, and it is both exhilarating and nauseating. definitely recommend to anyone ever, especially if you are autistic or delusional/dissociative. it's almost painfully sympathetic and i haven't seen many, if any, movies that actually care about a delusional character the way this one does.

sweet/spicy/savory:

sweet and savory kissing sloppy style. i like spice a lot too, though! it's a very close tier list. depending on my mood it's either sweet or savory at the top but i'm picky with the style of spice i like so she gets last place. sorry...

relationship status:

i dunno @determine can you help me by holding my hand and telling me you love me so i can figure out my complicated feelings culminating in a heartwarming coming of age story about aro fag love and sex in a modern society that doesnt yet understand atypical relationships starring ryan reynolds played by melly (she drives)

[jokes aside, taken 👍]

last thing i googled:

i don't save my search history on my phone browser but it was probably either something on e621 or the weather. because i am always checking the weather

current obsession:

i'm somewhat between things right now but undertale is a strong contender. replayed all the main routes recently and i feel like if i think too hard about flowey i might cause an event. honestly an event has already been caused. sorry. In 12 hours it might be walten files though

last thing i read:

for christmas i got some fan guides for earthbound and mother 3 from fangamer (thank you dad!) and looking through those was really interesting. doesn't really count as a thing i read (especially since i mostly skimmed) but that's really all i can remember. unless you want to count one of my many, many rereads of any akira himekawa zelda manga and the dark horse zelda compendium things (i keep reviewing how they categorize the timelines and examining the list of all items and their differing appearances in different games).

something i've been looking forward to:

this summer i get to spend a whole month with the love of my life and my friends! we're going to go to a concert (los campesinos!) and it will be my first time at a concert ever, we're going to anthrocon (not my first time, but my second! i feel much more prepared for the situation..) and my birthday! we'll have plenty of time to hang out and chill and do whatever and i'm just ecstatic to be back further up north and enjoy my youth. i get to eat at sheetz again!

TAG: @determine @mellyncholly if you guys want to do this! also anyone reading this (hi) you are also tagged if you want to be. everyone loves filling out forms with personal info! yay sharing!

[coraniaid]

The recent best episode poll results being so heinous has got me wondering: did you ever see this list? I'd love whatever thoughts you feel like sharing lmao

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/10/14807808/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-every-episode-ranked-20th-anniversary

So, my first reaction was that this list is ... not great, but not very shocking if you've been in the Buffy fandom for a while? The top three being Hush, The Body and Once More With Feeling especially -- that matches IMDB's top three too and, although only one of them is a contender for my own personal top ten, I'm not surprised to see them doing well here.

I think I share your confusion about why OMWF is quite so popular -- yes, the conceit is surprisingly well executed and a couple of the songs are honestly pretty good, but the actual plot ("somebody summons a demon for no particular reason and it turns out it was ... oh, it's not important, let's say, uh, Xander") is so incredibly perfunctory -- but at this point I can't pretend to be surprised by it being popular. (I would rank both Hush and, in particuar, The Body a lot higher, but I'm not sure either is quite in contention for very best episode either in my book.)

As @booksandchainmail pointed out recently, memorability (via some strong distinct hook that separates it from the rest of the season) is a big part in why individual episodes get rated highly on these sorts of lists and those three episodes do have very clear, well executed gimmicks. (But then, I think that's true of Restless and Who Are You? as well, and obviously they're not ranked quite as high despite also being more solidly immersed in the show's continuity and showcasing a lot more of the show's true strengths.)

To me though, that memorability and distinctiveness almost counts against them: yes, they are fun deviations from the usual Buffy formula but I am a fan of the show beause I like that formula! I think the Buffy writers are (mostly) good at dialogue, and at consistent characterisation over a long stretch of episodes, and at calling back to previous seasons and engaging on conversation with the show's own history, and at using monsters and demons as metaphors for more mundane problems. So an episode that deliberately doesn't have much spoken dialogue or doesn't have anything supernatural happen in it or that features a never before seen monster of the week and isn't really connected to the main season plot simply cannot, to my reckoning, be held up as the show at its best.

I think the very best Buffy episodes should epitomize the show, not stand in contrast to it. That' why I'm much more comfortable with suggesting the show's various finales as its best episodes (and these do tend to be the other class of episode that dominate these sorts of lists) because generally those are the episodes that each season has been consciously building towards.

On the other hand, the longer I look at the rest of the list the more egregious some of the choices on it start to seem. As well as the handful of outright factual errors (Smashed definitely isn't the fourteenth episode of Season 6, for example, despite the list claiming it is twice), a few things that catch my eye are:

Lies My Parents Told Me in almost the exactly middle of the list is laughably generous (and "Nikki Wood is my favorite past slayer" seems a very odd thing to write, given how little competition there is for that slot and what this episode does to her memory), but at this point I'm just relieved not to see it in the top ten.

I won't pretend to think that Beer Bad is good but to me it's (almost) bad in the way some of the earliest episodes are: it's silly and forgettable and kind of harmlessly inconsequential. It doesn't really need to exist, but I'm not angry that it was made. It doesn't ruin months of characterization or completely derail a long-running arc, and it's not jarringly racist or offensive. So I don't think it's anything like the show at its worst (there are several worse episodes in Season 4 alone).

I'm also slightly surprised to see Something Blue as high up this list as it is (though perhaps a little less surprised than I would have been a week ago). It's okay, but it's not .... great, is it? I mean, call me unsophisticated, but I happen to think that a comedy episode should have more than one joke. I mean, this is definitely not a popular opinion, but I really don't see much diffference in quality between Something Blue and Bad Eggs: to me, they are both solidly average episodes which live and die on how much you already like their respective iteration of the Scooby Gang. But one gets held up as one of the show's best episodes and the other is consistently rated as one of its very worst.

Ultimately I'm not sure I can take seriously a list of 'best' episodes that ranks Revelations below both Buffy vs Dracula and The Pack. Or one that ranks Storyteller above Prophecy Girl.

On the other hand, the list does acknowledge (in its recap of Dead Things, which I think it underrates quite a bit), that Buffy didn't actually come back wrong. So, you know, on balance it probably irritates me a bit less than the average Buffy Tumblr post.

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 7 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 7:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.64

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking Breakdown: 15 5s 6 4s 1 3

Season as whole thoughts:

Our new first place season (and I think it's kind of unlikely to be topped!) Unlike with Season 4, where I was kind of surprised by how high its average scored ended up being, Season 7 is one that I knew going in had several of my favorite episodes. I remember several years ago, the AV Club had a Q and A asking "What's the strongest 3 episode run of a TV show"? My immediate thought when seeing that : "Bob's Burgers" when they did "Ex Mach Tina" followed by "Bob Actually" followed by "There's No Business Like Mr. Business Business".

"Bob Actually" is a strongest contender for my favorite episode, and when I think of the reasons why (which do, in fact, go beyond "Roudise Kiss!!!!!!!"), I think they kind of encapsulate the strengths of this season. I think "Bob Actually" is a perfect combination of being really funny (everything Flips Whitefudge says; Ms. LaBonz stealing from the school; heck, even Mr. Blevins gets a funny line!), being really creative (giving each of the Belchers their own storylines rather than just an A and B story), and being emotionally satisfying (obviously, this kind of depends on how fond you are of Tinimmy and Roudise and Boblin.)

And I feel like a lot of the episodes of this season have that perfect combination of humor, emotion, and creativity- "Large Brother, Where Fart Thou?" sees the hilarity of Bob and Linda getting high with their account, the innovation of Tina having a storyline where she doesn't interact with any of the other Belchers, and the emotion of Gene being a protective big brother to Louise. "Last Gingerbread House on the Left" features a gunfight at a gingerbread house competition (hilarious!), that uses beautiful slow motion and closeups (creative!), and results in Bob actually winning something for once and giving a great Christmas present to his kids- and Mr. Fischoeder and his weird rich friends (awwwww!)

Obviously, I think the show was great in its previous seasons, but in my book Season 7 is just amazing- a show at the top of its game and not content to rest on its laurels!

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Flu-ouise": I loved learning a little bit more about Kuchi Kopi and Louise's other toys! I will always crack up when Teddy says "Mumaluma!" One of my favorite end credits sequences- I love Louise's exuberant dancing and the song- "but the sickness made you better, and I'm glad you didn't diiiiiiiiie!"

"Teen-a Witch": I hope before the show ends we get to see Mr. Ambrose riding his bike to school with a little dog in the front basket.

"The Quirkducers": Along with "The Hormone-iums" this was the other episode that convinced me I should do a rewatch before doing the spreadsheet. One of the cable channels was doing a marathon of the Thanksgiving episodes and I remember feeling kind of meh when this came up- I knew it wasn't one of my favorites. Or I THOUGHT I knew! This is a wonderful episode! There is a good chance I will tear up when Tina starts singing about how "it takes guts to be yourself!" And the Grandpa Potato is hilarious! And Peter Pescadero's women's issues club song is further proof that he is THE great underrated character of the show.

"Ex Mach Tina": So, we can all just agree that Jimmy Jr's musoems are some of the funniest writing on the show, right? And that "Watching You From a Distant Place" is one of the best songs? The way all three of the plots- Tina and J-Ju and the robot, Louise and Gene and Yuli and the robot, and Bob and the banjo- come together at the end is brilliant and beautiful! Tammy and Joceyln's "A.I"-"as if" conversation, followed by Zeke's "you guys are making me feel smart" is possibly my favorite moment for those characters. This episode is really pretty perfect.

"Bob Actually": So, you may not know this about me, because I tend to keep this close to my chest but I'm actually a pretty big fan of Louise and Rudy's relationship. Shocking, right? And I've basically been shipping them since the end of "Carpe Museum", a fact which I have never disclosed before (certainly not in my Season 3 rewatch post). And then they have a Valentine's Day story that ends with them kissing, and I really like that episode. Okay, I probably dropped a lot of surprising info on y'all there so I understand if you need to take a break before reading the rest of this.

"There's No Business Like Mr. Business Business": John Oliver! Gene and Tina eating cat food! Bob training a cat! Bob accepting Gayle for who she is! Mr. Business getting ALMOST as much screentime as he deserves! This is an amazing episode, and I stand by my 2019 opinion that this the two previous episodes are the best 3 episodes run in TV history (okay, well, one of them anyway. I haven't watched all the TV shows! And how would I even know how good their episodes are if Babs doesn't make a spreadsheet for them?!)

"A Few 'Gurt Men": I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one! I'm a lawyer, and a pretty burnt out one at that, so I tend to not enjoy legal shows or movies any more- even comedy ones. But my love of the Wagstaff students and staff trumped by legal burnout and I really enjoyed this episode! Also, I love the episodes that show that Louise and Mr. Frond really respect and care for each other. (That said, I absolutely am not one of those people who sees this episode and thinks Louise will grow up to be a lawyer! She wouldn't last more than a semester at law school. No matter how mature she gets, Louise will never suffer fools gladly, and that's a kind of necessary trait to get through law school- let alone be a practicing lawyer.)

"Like Gene for Chocolate": Meh. Even Michael Jordan didn't make all his shots.

"Aquaticism": I think this is one of the most romantic episodes of "Bob's Burgers"- even more romantic than some of the Valentine's Day episodes. I may love Boblin and Roudise, but honestly it's Roger and Judy that are my real relationship goals at the present moment. Just some kind of sweet, kind of awkward middle aged people finding love...or, at least, a date Awwww. (Also, to again point out the combination of emotion and humor in this season: this is also an episode where the kids convince an aquarium owner to commit tax fraud by creating a religion and it results in an IRS agent jumping in a jellyfish tank...)

"Ain't Miss Debatin'": I love Henry Haber. I wrote a fic about him named after a line of dialogue from this episode. The scene where he goes to pick up Tina for their date and makes small talk with Bob, Gene, and Louise is one of my all-time favorites. Also, the introduction of Duncan, a character who basically makes me laugh with every single line. "Rebuttal? Where I'm from we call it buttle-rubbies."

"The Laser-inth": Maybe the sleeper hit of this season. I remember thinking it was okay going in, but it just really moved me this time around. Bob is just such a great Dad in this episode! It might be my favorite Bob and Gene episode. And the subplot is great too! I love Louise and Gretchen's dynamic: "Pretend you're a little girl." "Pssh. I'll try."

"Mom, Lies, and Videotape": So, I feel like I may have been even more obnoxiously Roudise shippy than usual in this post given that this is the season of "Bob Actually", so if that's bothered any of you, I am sorry, and I advise you skip this comment. Okay, so, this is the first speaking appearance by Chloe or Rudy since "Bob Actually". And Louise makes up a story where they are in a class play that culminates in: 1. Her shooting Chloe with a rubber band and 2. Rudy holding her tenderly in his arms in front of everyone in the auditorium (yeah, I know she's playing his mom and she's dying BUT STILL!) She could've come up with any idea and put any of her classmates in any of the roles, and that's the story she tells...

"Paraders of the Lost Float": Some episodes I know how I am going to rate them pretty early on, others I don't really know til the end. This episode just has a such a beautiful feelgood ending that it moved it from a 4 to a 5. Really, I think it's probably one of the most feelgood endings of any episode of the show. It just makes me so happy! "Hot pants rain dance! Da-da doo-doo rain, I don't know the words!"

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-So I kind of stopped mentioning first appearances by characters after either Rudy in Season 3 or Felix in Season 4, but it's kind of remarkable how many characters joined this season or later. It's hard to imagine we went over six seasons without having Chloe in Ms. LaBonz's class (and Arnold and Kaylee still aren't there)!

-It's too bad I'm an old person who's more comfortable writing a bunch of words than just making memes, because I feel like this all could've been covered much more succinctly with that "Seinfeld" meme: "You're crying from 'Bob's Burgers' Season 7?"