#also can we talk about this stellar casting???

[fangirlintheattic]

SHIRA & HANNAH | Harlan Coben's Shelter ↳ s01e04 (Phantom Threads)

[birdofprey1234]

Hi all, I have something important. Whether you're in the Markiplier fandom or not, or if you even watch Markiplier at all, if you like internet creators, and seeing independent artists making what they want to make... I urge you to read. This is happening right now!

In 2019, Markiplier was in a narrative horror podcast called The Edge of Sleep. It's an AWESOME show, if you're into psychological horror, apocalypse stories, or just audio dramas with great acting and amazing sound direction I highly recommend it. People LOVE this series, me included. And after it's success, they revealed a TV adaptation was in the works in 2021.

For a LONG time, multiple years, we have heard nothing about The Edge of Sleep. The show went dark and has been presumably stuck in development hell ever since it was announced. None of the cast have been legally allowed to talk about what's going on with it, how far along it is, or even when it's slotted to come out. Fans were originally very excited about the show, but many of us had all but given up hope of it coming out at all.

And now... It's here. But in a different way than we expected.

About a week ago, Mark released an update vlog where he explained that The Edge Of Sleep was coming out on October 18th. No warning, not a single trailer or promotion, or any sign that it was even releasing besides Mark's video. He explained that in order to "open doors" for his own theatrical release, Iron Lung, the studio has given him and his community the task of getting The Edge Of Sleep to the top 10 on it's streaming service. What streaming service?

...We don't know. Mark explains he isn't legally allowed to tell us. He's only allowed to say that it's coming out on the 18th, and it needs to be in the #10 spot or higher in order for him to do anything that he wants with his own movie.

Then, for even more chaos to be added into the mix, The Edge of Sleep ACTUALLY went up on Amazon Prime Video on October 15th, three entire DAYS before the date that Mark was given. He explains in a NEW update vlog, that this was not malicious, and the studio just did not at all expect people to find the show before it's intended opening day... For some reason.

I hope I don't need to say how insanely weird this all is, and a complete MESS from a studio perspective. Mark has little to no power over what happens with The Edge of Sleep. He was the executive producer and acted in it, but that's it. He isn't an advertising company, or in control of any of the streaming details for this show. When it airs, where, how, etc. Qcode, the studio producing The Edge of Sleep, has done almost nothing to even make people aware of it's existence, now days after it's gone live. They are putting a lot of heavy lifting onto Mark and his fanbase to get this show seen, a fanbase he now is forced to ask for help from for his own professional relationship's sake.

There's not a lot of information about what exactly is going on, and Mark has worded everything very gently. He assures that this change up is not malicious, but many of us are skeptical about the studios intentions in all this, and whether or not they actually want The Edge of Sleep to succeed. I have my own suspicions that Mark would be speaking out about this further (as he is known for doing to youtube), if he wasn't 1. Legally bound, and 2. DEPENDENT on his relationship with this studio and Amazon to be able to pursue his future creative aspirations in any way.

This is where you come in, reader! Because we can help!

The Edge of Sleep is an awesome show, I watched it myself yesterday and I have no doubt anyone who tries it out will love it. The cinematography in particular is absolutely stellar. It is streaming now on Prime Video, and is also going to to release on plex.tv (which is free) on October 18th. It's already gotten high in the US charts, but now the important part is keeping it there, showing longevity and viewer interest to Amazon and the studios. If you have Prime Video, or if anyone you know does, WATCH THE EDGE OF SLEEP! Get a 30 day free trial for it! Listen to it in the background after your done! Show it to your friends, family! Get everyone you know in on it.

Not only that, but showing genuine engagement and interest for the show online is very important for it's success as well. Shout it out across your profiles, especially Twitter! Make memes about it, fanart! Rate and like it on IMDB, as well as Prime Video itself. Leave reviews for it! Even if you don't watch it, support for it online will help massively.

Mark is an amazing creator. He has made many ambitious film projects over the years which he releases for FREE on his channel. Just 2 years ago he released In Space with Markiplier, an OVER 7 HOUR LONG, film-level quality epic which is one of the best things I've had the pleasure of watching in recent years. He is an amazing actor, aggressively passionate, and is dedicated to paying his film staff fairly and honestly. I want him to keep making things he wants to make, to succeed and pave the way further for YouTube creators to be taken seriously.

Mark is one of the most well known YouTubers ever, he's one of the biggest creators on the platform. If he can't succeed at moving into the industry, it's going to be a lot more difficult for others going forward. It sets a precedent.

SO WATCH THE EDGE OF SLEEP! Enjoy the hell out of it! Enjoy it with friends! Let's give the power to creators we actually care about! Everyone who wrote, composed or at all worked on the original podcast AND this adaptation deserve to see their ideas come to life, and the recognition for this awesome product they've created for all of us to see!

[extant-exhaustion]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "extant-exhaustion "?

Well, first of all, thank you so much for your patience! I know it took me seven weeks to reply to this Ask! I agonized over my list (also, the holidays happened, which kept me busy). But I finally narrowed it down, so here we go, in no particular order:

My Top 10 Favorite Fanfics

In Another Life by LittleLuxray Haikyuu!! | T+ | 23k | Bokuto/Akaashi | angst, sickfic | It's famous for a reason. Truly one of the best pieces of writing I've ever read, including published works—I've rarely cried so hard or been moved so much.

died in my dreams by MTrash Haikyuu!! | T+ | 10k | Ushijima/Tendou | futuristic/cyberpunk AU, opposites attract, reluctant work partners to friends to lovers | fantastic characterization, really cool conceptually, a story about trauma and healing and finding your person

the weight of water by wordstruck/@redluxite Haikyuu!! | M | 6k | Iwaizumi/Oikawa | angst | Painful, soul-crushing heartbreak, but so, so beautiful. As someone who's experienced loss and grief, this story is visceral and the accompanying art haunts me.

Come and get lost with us by boxofwonder Haikyuu!! | M | 150k | Hinata/Kageyama, Daichi/Sugawara | action/adventure, Medieval AU(?) | unlike anything I've ever read before or since; a really masterful integration of an enormous cast and a plot that unravels with absolutely zero fluff or filler

shimmer in your shine by zenelly/@zenellyraen Hunter x Hunter | T+ | 91k | Leorio/Kurapika, Killua/Gon | American roadtrip AU | This story made me cry over a fist fight between Leorio and Illumi in the parking lot of a Red Lobster in Arkansas.

The Myth of Mankind by MistressEast/@mistresseast Promare | T+ | 63k | Galo/Lio | action/adventure, romance | masterful worldbuilding, kickass fight scenes, intrigue galore, falling in love while preventing mass murder? yes, please

A Second Chance To Say by KazimaKuwabara/@kazimakuwabara Yu Yu Hakusho | M | 92k | Yusuke/Kuwabara, Youko Kurama/Kuronue | action/adventure, hurt/comfort | ft. Kuronue's eternal sass and unwavering friendship, the slow burn of reincarnated already-in-love KuwaMeshi (because Kuwabara doesn't remember it), somewhat menacing levels of intrigue, and Hiei finally winning MVP of emotions on Team Urameshi

Don't Blink or You'll Miss It (Lift Up Your Head) by umisabaku/@umisabaku Kuroko no Basuke | M | 81k | Kagami/Kuroko, Kasamatsu/Kise, Midorima/Takao, Himuro/Murasakibara, Aomine/Momoi | super powers | This story and its accompanying series are so cool and so unique. The characterization is amazing and the worldbuilding is stellar.

neither fish, flesh, nor foam by twoif interactive on Twine Kuroko no Basuke | Kagami/Kuroko | angst, Little Mermaid–esque, interactive storytelling | incredible, but also devastating; a story about how sometimes our doubts can destroy not only ourselves but the good things we build; one of the coolest things I've ever interacted with as a story, a true tour de force

Transient Shadow, True Light by seafoamist/@seafoamist Kuroko no Basuke | M | 322k, WIP | Kagami/Kuroko | angst, hurt/comfort, time travel, historical (Edo Period) | If you talk to me about this story, I will go absolutely feral, because it is my current obsession and the only WIP that is on this list. I'm straight-up insane about its quality and depth. I can't even put this story into words. It knocks the wind out of me.

And lastly, my URL doesn't actually have a story behind it! It's basically just my life, haha. “Extant” is an adjective meaning “ongoing/still in existence” and “exhaustion” is pretty obvious. Essentially, I like alliteration and thought it sounded better than "tired 100% of the time."

[fanyeline]

maybe i just have f@tt exhaustion & need a break but most of palisade has been incredibly bleak & idk if this post credits ending is going to fix that. let's take a look at where the characters started and "ended" this season

Kalvin Brnine: started unable to talk abt their feelings & with hope that millenium break could change lives. ended unable to talk abt their feelings, estranged 3 important relationships & with a death wish.

Thisbe: started w the idea that they have no freedom. ended with the realization that they have freedom, but also they have an energy thing in them that prevents them from relaxing

The Figure in Bismuth: started w wanting to break free from slavery. Ended up dead.

Phrygian: started w wanting to fight the good fight & end the war. Ended up dead.

Coriolis Sunset: started idealistic & naive. ended up grizzled, chased from planet to planet & having forcibly lost their girlfriend to a contract with a God

from my point of view, if the idea was that they wanted to make a corny, hopeful season, they picked the wrong game from the start. armor astir's pillars are practically undefeatable, that is part of the game.

secondly, the cause VS principality gameplay where the team was split into two groups didn't really work for me. it felt like it created aggression between groups, where both groups wanted to win instead of creating a collaborative story. you can hear austin struggling with this in early episodes of the game against jack & art, and eventually it felt like they just leaned into the opposition between the two groups. This is maybe "fun", but in the end it creates this feeling that there's always a losing side.

secondly part 2, the inclusion of the stellar combuster arc towards the beginning of the season felt super weird, pacing wise. i know we can't always control these things, but overall that whole arc only felt stressful, never fun or rewarding. even when brnine killed the princept, i was just kind of stressed out!

third, i'm not sure the final questlandia game was a great ending game, especially when so many of the character beats couldn't really explored in a system that's talking about kingdom level activities. Besides that, I found the choice of characters to be a little disappointing. Bringing in Levi after figure's death didn't feel like a breath of fresh air, it just felt like 'well who is this guy?'. I felt the same way about Jack's character, August Righteousness. I think either could have played a character we already had a strong connection with. What about Gucci? What about Jesset? How about Mustard Red? Keith bringing back Leap was the right choice, not only bc leap is someone we already cared about but because he's like this incredible force as a character. He is someone who generates change.

fourth, I felt the treatment of Clem as a character was absolutely ridiculous. the immediate dislike and rejection by the cast of an extremely popular character after art brought up playing her felt like it was both disrespecting art as a player and his ability to do a villain justice, and towards the listeners who have been invested in Clem's story since she was a player character in Partizan. It felt like after a certain point, Art had to give up caring about what Clem did or face backlash from the other players! In the last few kingdom episodes, art was going "I mean, whatever, I don't really care" half the time they asked him about what he felt clem would do. And I also found it to be a huge bummer to listen to the players have discourse over Clem.

There's a big difference to me over fandom discourse and players taking part in that discourse. First and foremost, Clem is a character in a story, and while their "what should we do about Clem" discussion should have revolved around how to give her a satisfying character arc, it felt more like they were trying to figure out how to wash their hands of her. I don't really understand how or why the friends soured on Clem so much, and you know what? I get being sick of a character. But having a public discussion about it was really weird, & as a fan, a total bummer to hear.

So yeah, over all I feel really burned out by this season and the decisions they've made. I think it's been a sad time. I don't think it's been fun or goofy for awhile.

Obviously as creators they have a right to do whatever they want with their art, but I can't help but find it disappointing. It feels really different to what they've put out before & I'm having a hard time enjoying this gritty, sad and stressful season.

[absolutebl]

Hello, hi.

Next week is Cherry Magic's last episode and I'd like a suggestion as to what to watch next. Since last year I've watched some shows that I've enjoyed to different degrees. So far I've vibed more with the Japanese ones and only have watched two Thai shows: step by step and cherry magic.

I definitely like cherry magic more but I'd like to watch some more Thai bl, as I can see they're very popular, but honestly I don't know where to begin. I don't know if mentioning my favorite shows would help?

Old fashion cupcake

Cherry magic (JP)

I cannot reach you

Semantic error

Thank you so much in advance 🙌🏽

This is a perfect question for me!

I think you're vibbing more with Cherry Magic Th because it's following the original yaoi so closely, so it's def more JBL feeling story than it is ThBL.

Okay so your favorites are:

Old Fashion Cupcake

Cherry Magic original

I Cannot Reach You*

Semantic Error*

You've named some of my all time favorites, and 2 of my VERY few top 10s*. (For more of my top 10 JBLs, try here (pre 2023). For my top 10 KBLs, those are here. And my top BLs of all time are here.)

But you want Thai recommendations?

Before I start, off script, seek ye Seven Days. It's my favorite JBL of all time and it's absolutely amazing and very special. It's in two parts and worth every effor to try to find. Here's me talking about it.

First, let me triage some connective tissue.

It seems like you like soft and gentle BL. (Try this cozy list.)

You like JBL so that means higher filming standards and certain aura of authenticity.

Also a lower heat level.

Okay, here are 10 Thai BLs I think you should try, in order...

10 Thai BLs to try if you prefer soft Japanese BL

1 Until We Meet Again (YouTube)

UWMA is, without question, a work of narrative genius with a powerful and cohesive romantic backbone and stellar performances. It is (to date) the only Thai BL that I’ve rated a 10/10 predominantly on the basis of story structure. That said it is also very well cast (and it’s a BIG cast), with solid production values, and enduring pair branding and a softness and complexity that should appeal for a JBL stan. More of my feels on this on here.

trigger warning on the original trigger

2 I Feel You Linger in the Air (iQIYI or grey)

I truly loved this time travel romance. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn AKA soap opera. This is an elegant and classy BL… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t great either. However, JBL isn't noted for sticking the landings either. Full review and discussion here.

3 My Ride (Gaga)

Thai BL grew up with this little pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. Full review.

My caveat with this one is, like Step by Step, it is a Thai pulp which mean production values will not be up to Japan's standards. So if you bounce hard off the style of the first few 2 eps, it doesn't get better, so drop it and move on.

4 A Tale of Thousand Stars (YouTube)

With great casting and cinematography this drama nods at BL tropes but manages to elevate them (and itself) with a strong mature story concept about a spoiled rich kid who gets a heart transplant and becomes a rural teacher in order to pay out survivor’s guilt. On the way he falls in love with a local park ranger and contends with his own classism and escapist tendencies. Everyone seemed to perfectly suit their roles and GMMTV made the most out of its stable. Combined with excellent production (and post production) values, 1000 Stars is without question GMMTV’s most mature, charming, and smart BL series. I think it should go down as one of the top BLs of all time. I feel safe recommending this one to friends and non BL watchers.

5 He's Coming to Me (YouTube)

Boy and ghost boy fall in love, must solve ghost’s murder. Peak pining but also pretty tame, features my favorite sweet but important coming out sequence. The third in my precious triumvirate of unbeatable Thai BLs, that are only nominally BL because the story, acting, and production values are so good. (others are UWMA & 1k*)

You don't mention any PNR or high concept, but I still think it's worth giving this one a try.

6 Moonlight Chicken (YouTube)

I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain. I thought the leads (EarthMix from 1k*) turned in their most compelling performance to date. But it was GeminiFourth (My School President) who stole my heart. That said, the most interesting central relationship was that of Jim & Li Ming, their father-son angst mixed with evident affection made me tear up. This was more slice of life than it was BL, but it ended happily so I’m not mad at it. Full review here.

It's not as soft as you like, but you might try it anyway, because it is Very Good.

A note if you watch this and enjoy GeminiFourth, you could try their BL, My School President. I chose not to explicitly rec it to you because it's VERY Thai Bl with lots of comedy and slapstick, and you named prestige JBL and KBL (which are the anthesis of this). Taht said, MSP has no more or less than Japan's Cherry Magic, so you might enjoy it.

7 Make a Wish (grey)

An odd pull but I'm going with it. This PNR (from noted Y-novelist Sammon - Manner of Death & Triage) about a doctor who can see the dead and strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love. The Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay af and has a fag hag bestie and everything. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings could feel too overblown and tonally off. (But again no more than something like Japan's Cherry Magic.) It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

8 Bed Friend (YouTube -cut version, iQIYI - v high heat)

You didn't name My Personal Weatherman (a great high heat JBL from last year) but if you want to try some Thai-style high heat, this is your best bet. Office frienamies transition a flaming hot one night stand into a f-buddy relationship that is built on a puppy/cat dynamic (and kinks into it at one point). Our puppy is loyal, smitten, and protective with endlessly longing eyes, while our cat is snarky, prickly, and deeply damaged (ALL THE TRIGGERS). NetJames give lovely high-heat with excellent chemistry and tuned-in performances of surprising depth, the story ultimately fails them at little as it waffles and went off the rails. But that's a Thai BL thing. Full review here.

Triggers include: child abuse, attempted rape, family abuse

9 The Eclipse (YouTube)

This is a good show but the cast is excellent and the leads are absolutely flawless, which elevates it beyond just good. We got a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection, plus plenty of angst. This narrative is less about love than it is about courage and tenderness. However, near the end the pacing was off and the plot frustrating. Still, this is an enjoyable watch, with a finale that features verbal consent and a fun blooper reel.

10 Love By Chance (YouTube)

Okay I dithered a lot over this last one and finally chose this. Because in an intro to Thai BL you should have at least one trail by fire and that's bound to be a MAME offering.

AePete’s meet cute is one of the best ever put on screen. They are just so genuine and soft with each other, it’s hard not to love them from the first moment. All the best Thai BL tropes deployed (and there are a lot of them) are earned honestly by the narrative, including the seme/uke dynamic (such as it is). The characters are unique as this is a poor/rich pairing, where Ae is tough & scrappy, caring & protective, and probably demisexual, while Pete is timid, shy, lonely, and out gay (with his peers). The language is also glorious with Pete using formal (even old fashioned) register, while Ae is entirely rude. You can train your ear for Thai high & low registers with this show (in fact, it's why I started learning them). As surrounding characters point out, they shouldn't work together, and yet they're very much wonderful when they are together.

HOWEVER: You watch LBC for the mains, ignore the sides (trigger warnings), and don't bother with any of the follow ups and you'll be fine. AePete will remain in your heart for a really long time. They are still one of my all time favorite couples. Also (still) two of the Thai BL industry's most famous actors.

For those who are wondering, yes the last contender was, indeed, Bad Buddy. But I chose LBC purely on the basis of softness.

There it is.

I hope I have picked some winners for you and please loop back around and let me know how it goes?

I really want to know if any of these worked for you, this was such a fun challenge.

(source)

[agentoffangirling]

I feel like we need to discuss how creators' respect for a character influences the project they're doing

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I don't blame you, I had no idea how to word that, but you'll get it in a sec. Let's take a look at both "WandaVision" and "Loki"

See, when Marvel started production on WandaVision and brought in Jac Shaeffer and Matt Shakman and all those people, it was very clear that there was a singular goal among the team: how can we depict Wanda Maximoff well? How can we treat her character with dignity and grace? How can we discuss her psyche in a respectful manner? And everyone delievered

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany gave downright beautiful performances, the supporting cast played their role well. The writers did research on Scarlet Witch's character and her comics, everyone fully understood what type of project this was and they used it to its full potential. I'm no fan of Olsen for numerous reasons, I'm not even a big Wanda Maximoff fan. But I can fully admit that "WandaVision" is a stellar story, and every person on the team poured their heart into it

And hey, let's also look at the promotions for this show. When Schaeffer and others were interviewed, in no moment did they mock Wanda's character or what she goes through in the series. They treated her very similarly to how they treated her on the show, discussing the deeper parts of her character with an obvious interest. They like Wanda. They want the best for her. They want to make a story Wanda would be proud of

But now to "Loki". I've said my pieces on the Loki series too many times to count, so I will keep this brief. From the very beginning we know that Waldron was not interested in developing "Loki", only to develop his original script (which is pretty shitty anyway). He wanted to make a time-travel, sci-fi, romance type story, and Loki was the character he was saddled with

Now, this doesn't mean that he still couldn't develop his script, in fact he did, and I could think of dozens of ways that type of story could work with Loki. There's a lot of potential there. But Waldron never cared. He never cared to develop Loki. He never cared to examine his character past pop culture. He never cared to make Loki fans happy, only himself

Look at the promos he gives! He refers to Loki as a "little shit" multiple times, talks all about how they're taking him in a different direction (aka completely tearing down his character), it is so obvious he just wanted to fulfill his own personal fantasies. At least Kate Herron treats the subject material with some ounce of respect; Waldron proudly proclaims he's never seen it

And to quickly switch gears here, it's very similar to Kevin Feige vs Brad Winderbaum's view on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Where Feige dismisses it, giving it general statements and never hinting at a possible future, Winderbaum speaks of it with a clear love of the series. He's all but admitted that he wants the characters back in the MCU, and if someone like him is heading that, I just might trust him with it. Feige is Waldron. Winderbaum is Schaeffer

In the end, it all just makes me wonder, why didn't Loki fans get their WandaVision? Why did we get the creator who puts down his characters? Why did we get the story that only existed to introduce a multiverse? Why did we get the short stick?

Loki fans deserve a WandaVision. After a literal decade of waiting for a solo project, we should've gotten the respectful, genuine creator. Pretty much every other character got it-- why not us?

[femmmie]

Review of Smosh's Funeral Roast

I am harsh at times, but know it all comes from a place of love!

Spoilers under the cut

I live in Europe. This is relevant because of timezones: the funeral roast of Anthony Padilla was live at 6pm for them, meaning 3am for me. I am not the youthful insomniac I once was so I had to train my sleep schedule the entire week - otherwise I would miss it because I fell asleep. But I wanted to witness this live. I love smosh.

The trailer for this roast deserves an award: Ian and the cast have a movie night as suddenly the light turns blue and everyone but Ian freezes. He seems to know what's going on and discovers a zombie or ghost like Anthony levitating. The cast of the roast are all introduced and all play a gothic, churchy kind of character. See the full trailer here (it's currently at 666k views, how fun):

Around 1am I got impatient and decided not to wait for my alarm clock but to install myself on the couch, with a blanket and a scarf, and a hot cup of tea, god knows I would need it. I watched episodes of the Scott Pilgrim Netflix series to kill the time. The character Todd Ingram reminded me a lot of Anthony and I wonder whether Anthony has 'vegan superpowers' as well. Probably so.

Finally, the pre-show begins. This is pretty uneventful as they play a game and succesfully convince thousands of viewers to buy their tickets to the main show. I look at them. Everyone is gorgeous. But I can't look away from Ian and Anthony. And here is where I stray from actually reviewing the show to let my inner fangirl out: holy fuck they are hot. Me and my friends on tumblr have been making 'forgive me Father, for I have SINNED' jokes because his character, 'the pastor', just brings that out in people. We're not used to Ian in black, or in a robe, and he looks phenomenal. And then there is Anthony, clothed in a ridiculous Harry Styles-esque lace top with lace gloves, resting his head on Ian's shoulder. It's such a cute moment, Ian pushes him upright. He can be alive for a second before his funeral. My heart melts. Honerable mention: Courtney's bikini girl cleavage right behind Ian. The girls were ready to rock. Okay, okay, back to the review.

The room feels kind of small and a bit claustrophobic. The Smosh art dept. always steps up, so the stained glass "friendship never dies" high-five looks incredible, and the megachad-Anthony portrait hilarious. The casket is huge. But the props make the set look even smaller. I think the problem is the cameras. I realize how difficult camerawork is when you have multiple focus points to switch between, but next time they should do a lot of practice with this to streamline, to get everyone in the shot and better capture people's reactions to the roasts.

Ian walks in. He starts off with a bit about who Anthony is: a hot, hardworking guy with a big dick. Those are the main takeaways of his roasts.

Amanda is next. She looks beautiful but very wacky. Her deliverance and accent are stellar, though. She truly is top talent at Smosh. Her roasts are also some of the most scorching of the night. She doesn't shy away from calling out Anthony's past problematic behavior and less than stellar performance in the bedroom ("look it up!") She gets a round of applause and deservedly so.

Tommy follows with a kind of angry roast, and proceeds to read the will, from which nobody comes away unscathed. I feels like his words about Anthony supposedly hating the cast are a necessary evil. Just the same day Anthony posted his interview with Shayne on his personal channel. There we learned that Shayne didn't know before if Ian and Anthony actually had wanted to hire them. Anthony said they were very much involved, something I don't know whether to believe. As apparently, Ian never talked about it with Shayne either, for all those years. Shayne had also been very apprehensive when Anthony came back, not knowing what would happen and the first change was to boot the entire cast off the main channel. I feel like Tommy's roast puts the topic on the table and hopefully they will talk about it more until nobody has any doubt left.

Now I have to insert that one of my main critiques of the night is that lots of people both did a lot of obvious jokes (tattoos, leaving smosh, general appearance) and did not go hard enough. Anthony kind of has an awkward CEO vibe (he's not the ceo but still) about him that seems to make even the cast a bit wary of him. I had hoped for jokes about that.

Brandon Rogers is next and rightfully points out the lack of celebrities in the line-up. Doesn't Anthony have more friends who want to roast him? Either he doesn't or the rest of Smosh don't have access to them. Which is both fine, because it is a Smosh party after all.

Arasha comes in swinging with all kinds of Zoomer slang that I frankly don't understand but her deadpan delivery is like a breath of fresh air. She ends with a very nice message. That kind of undercuts her roasts though, I wish she would have been meaner.

Now it is time for the musical half-time show, which actually deserves its own review. Performed by Angela and Chanse, this is incredible. By far, the most professional part of the evening. These are no theater kids, as they still call themselves. These are Broadway acTORS! I was really taken away by their talent. Not only do they act, but they also sing amazingly? Did you hear Angela do screamo?! And Chanse's riffs? They pointedly mention the sexual tension between Ian and Anthony, both on- and off screen. This has been occupying my mind ever since. Wow, sorry I went fangirl-mode again. But the halftime show simply is that good. Keith makes an appearance at the end and brings the show back down to earth with his humor.

The biggest surprise guests are next in what I can only describe as Dan telling the horny tale of his years long obsession with Anthony, and the many, many times he unloaded on the 'sexy Anthony' calender (which is a real calender, I was there when it came out but was broke at the time, darnit). Dan and Phil have been shedding their PG personas on their own channels for a while now, but for those who don't watch them daily this December - they're doing gamingmas and it's chaos - it is shocking what X-rated stuff comes out of their mouths. Anthony is visibly taken aback. Good!

As the show progresses, Ian keeps moderating as the pastor. It is great to see him so in control and enjoying the roast of his best friend. The joke of Ian not being able to show his emotions comes up a lot, but today I see him mainly just having fun.

Of course, then there is Bikini Girl, whom I had high hopes for, maybe too high. She is hilarious, but nothing really stings. Courtney does also direct the whole show, so super kudos to her. I just don't think she has the best roasts. She is followed by Rhett and Link, who just do their regular thing. It is funny but not very original. You can only hear so many tattoo jokes before it gets old. We do see Link's bare torso, so a win for fangirls (gender neutral).

Then Shayne, or should I say the Chosen has his turn. He is absolutely in character and does great. I just don't know if the Chosen is the best person to deliver roasts. It feels more like a Shayne party than a roast of Anthony. Which enough people love all the same, I'm sure.

Angela is 'the vessel', a possessed girl, reading the roasts from the audience. These roasts are very mid (they should have included mine! /j), but her delivery is again stellar. Smosh is really lucky to have her.

And last but not least, Ian goes on a second roasting spree. Only, it isn't a roast? He just makes fun of Anthony’s baby picture and then proceeds to tell Anthony how grateful he is for him, how he's so glad they are friends again and that he loves him? Anthony is crying by this time, which makes the moment even more tender.

Of course, Anthony has to do a counter-roast. It is apparent that he is still affected by all the roasting or 'love-bombing' as Amanda calls it. And he's not as good at live comedy yet. Still, his jokes are funny and really in Anthony's own style. He concludes with Ian's quote of being happy to burn Smosh to the ground with him. I knew that quote would be ingrained in Anthony's mind. It was one of the sweetest things Ian had ever said to him, after all. Until Ian has now told him he loves him, of course.

And then it was 5 am. I got a healthy two hours of sleep in! I came away from this roast with a content smile and a full heart. This was well worth the ticket, the staying up late. I am happy to be a member and support them monthly, I've loved their humor even before they started their youtube channel. I love Smosh. I'm so happy that Anthony is back. Smosh is whole again. And it brings out that light in Ian's eyes. He is funny in an unhinged way again. I truly love Anthony and Ian and their dumb videos. I want them to continue to make them forever. These kinds of live shows are fun. But Ian and Anthony truly shine in their off the walls absurdist sketches.

Special shout-out to my bestie @only-frann who I could scream at this whole day.

[seoul-bros]

ARMY Day - The Devil's Deal with Suga

I think it's so funny that BTS members who have no problem standing on a stage in front of 50,000 people still get super shy when they appear at a film premiere. Remember Jin at Emergency Declaration and Taehyung and JK at Dream

This ARMY Day we get to see the story behind this photo of Suga with Lee Sung Min and Cho Jin Woong at The Devil's Deal premiere.

It all came about because of Lee Sung Min's interview on Suchwita.

I'm so used to seeing cocky confident Suga with his members (especially Jimin) but look how adorable he is here getting all shy talking to the cast.

He still made a stellar entry at the photo wall though....

...and he also decided he'd be inviting some international guests to the shown when he hopefully resumes Suchwita after the military.

I can see long time BTS fan John Cena accepting the invitation.

Post Date: 09/07/2024

[utilitycaster]

What would you say are the CR cast's individual weaknesses? I'm always trying to improve for my own games and also curious to see if I can spot them in the episodes.

Hi anon,

This is super subjective, heavily biased towards my own personal likes and dislikes, etc, so I don't think you should per se use this as your own metric, and also a lot of these are not mechanical but more broadly about structure or acting.

Travis: bias immediately begins here; I think he's one of the strongest actors and one of the strongest people mechanically at the table. He also really knows what he wants and likes to do, which, spoilers, is essentially my biggest criticism of almost anyone else; and I think as part of that he addressed what would have been my biggest criticism in the past (namely, a hesitancy towards emotional roleplay which was present in C1 and was very much part of what he proceeded to push his boundaries on with Fjord and in some ways even more so with Chetney). Anyway I think my current main critique is that I would like to see him play a character who really isn't good with melee/is a full caster and I think he's been more hesitant on that, but also, it's valid to have a strong preference for one type of build so like. he can keep doing what he's doing and I will not be mad.

Marisha: I've talked about this before but I think she really needs to do more involved backstory planning that dives into motivations more, or, failing that, simply have very goal-oriented characters. I think that even when there's been vagueness in the backstories of her other characters (basically everyone but Keyleth) their motivations were enough to carry them through, but this has been a campaign-long struggle for Laudna. I will also admit that I find her acting choices as Laudna specifically to be rather overwrought in a way that doesn't particularly, work for me but I have a really strong personal bias towards naturalistic styles. She's also capable of much subtler work, and both Bee and Patia I think showed that off.

Sam: Kind of a weird in-between situation in comparison to the above. I think Sam knows his sweet spot and capacity for humor and so he rarely goes as dark as say, Oscar Grimm, but he is absolutely killing it already over there. In general I think Sam needs to be more willing to leave his comfort zone and push himself more because he can play it a bit safe. I think he does have a sharp learning curve re: complex mechanics (this is why early FCG was rough) exacerbated by the fact that I think he really tends to assume what he can do is way more limited than it is, and I suspect the much simpler Candela system is working to his favor, but like, he does eventually get there and, should we get a campaign 4, I'm going to tape "BE PATIENT WITH SAM, HE ALWAYS GETS THERE" on my laptop to remind me.

Ashley: Bit like Sam actually! I think she can and should go harder on mechanics (and for the most part has been; I think she underestimates herself a lot), and I also think she needs to make wilder choices. Fearne has been a delight in this regard but I want to echo the cast at one of the recent convention Q&As: please push the red button more, please go absolute as hard as you want. Will say her acting is maybe my favorite in the cast.

Laura: ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO PUSH MORE BIG RED BUTTONS. Like...man. I feel this mindset; I don't really play video games other than stupid phone games but I'm That Person who's like "I only have 100 erasers in Two Dots, I must ration them". But I think she's doing a fantastic job with Imogen and my one criticism would truly be Go Bigger And Weirder And Harder. This is why I mentioned her; she was willing to take such massive risks as Arlo, and I think part of that was because it was a short campaign and she didn't feel that need to hold back but like, please, press buttons and take more risks. Her RP is always stellar though. Like, truly, I think Laura, Ashley, and Travis often appeal to my personal taste in acting choices and themes the most, and I just want Laura and Ashley to make similarly wild choices to Travis sometimes.

Liam: This is 100% purely a very me thing; I find he acts like a stage actor (which he is!) when there is a camera like 10 feet from his face and it can at times be a bit much for me, a person who is annoying re: subtlety. When he hits, he fucking hits though. Vax sometimes got a little overwrought for me but when he went quieter it was top notch; Caleb was fantastic because I think he counteracted this tendency; and there's been a couple moments with Orym I haven't loved but so many that I have. Mechanically he is great and while I'm a noted Rogue Disliker, Wizard/Fighter/Cleric are all flawless and much as I'd like to see him play other classes he is valid for his core four choice.

Taliesin: Here is the thing. I think whereas Laura takes a somewhat hesitant, afraid to let her character die stance, Taliesin does in fact have sort of a parallel issue of taking huge risks and then being very pikachu face when his character does die. Big swing of the pendulum in the other direction. However, Taliesin tends to hit on themes I find fascinating, consistently, and has a truly impressive breadth of mechanical skill. Even when I don't like his characters (only happened once) I absolutely respect what he's doing, and perhaps most importantly, he truly does not care what I or others in the fandom think, which makes me respect him more. Like, you know what? Molly isn't for me, and that's valid! Anyway. I hesitate to suggest more caution bc episodes 3x77-78 were so good and I loved all the wild shit Percy got up to (I also loved Caduceus but he was a much more laid-back character by design) but I do think that lack of caution is his weakness.

Matt: Judging more on the basis of being a DM than a player here just for sheer quantity but I think that his two greatest weaknesses are first, communicating highly specific risks (the main ones being the Iron Shepherds and the Otohan fight; you can't do that in pitched combat my man); and for lack of a better way to put it, I do still think he needed more firmness in the character creation stage of c3 and then looser reins during the campaign itself. I've been thinking about this a lot because I think that when I have frustrations with Aabria's style it's weirdly sort of...needs slightly looser reins but in a totally different way, and like, when Matt needs to loosen up, RP moments fall by the wayside and plot is fine, whereas when Aabria needs to loosen up, RP is still stellar but plot suffers.

[entering--hyperspace]

Was talking to a friend about this but like. The fallout show is weird in a way that like, objectively its good. The cast is great, the production value and attention to visual detail is stellar, but it doesnt feel like Fallout. Well, It feels like Bethesda Fallout which is a negative, bc that Also doesnt feel very Fallout to me, But I digress. I was wondering what else it was missing outside the obvious weird lore tie ins.

Its the Hope. Its the silly satire. I think the show leans too heavily into the grim direction of the wasteland, theres never any payoff, theres never any hopeful seeds planted, and they blew up Shady Sands for no good reason other than to hammer in how much the world sucks which, isnt a good enough reason, narratively. Theres not really any moments that make me appreciate the uniqueness of the setting way Fallouts 1/2/New vegas did.

Im not saying fallout cant be serious, it absolutely can be, but its being steered into a weird tunnel vision of everything sucks direction for no reason other than to continuously loop a "war never changes" without the nuance of civilizations trying to rebuild and look towards the future in their own way, of learning from the past and stepping into this weird, struggling but endearing.

Take the Kings of F:NV, for example, theyre an independent group trying to help freeside without an outside faction, theyre objectively one of the more morally upstanding groups in Fallout...And theyre a bunch of Elvis impersonators without even knowing what that means. Its silly, and the part that fallout excells in is taking that silliness, seriously. And even to continue. This not really train of thought.

The "comedy" of The Fallout show is so weird, its just thrown into the script which, personally, is 1. mostly not even funny to me and 2. Just takes you out of the moment in general. I always felt like Fallout's dark humor and comedy was moreso built into the world itself and the people you meet more than it is just a haha funny joke.

Its just. Weird, this whole show is Weird. I think it wouldve been so much better if they kept it an independent story rather than trying ot give us answers that, honestly, the world didn't need. We did not need to know who was responsible for it all directly, thats not the fucking point. Is it an objectively good show? Yes. Is it a good fallout show? No. It had so much potential to be, but it really just wasnt there.

[lemotmo]

I would be so interested in seeing some actual conflict with a parent, I feel like for a show with so many less than stellar parents for the adult cast, the actual problems and issues and grievances tend to get swept under the rug a lot? Glossed over. Which I will admit does seem realistic in a way, especially for people their age who might want to keep the peace and prioritize that over like, their mental health (I’ve been reading about how younger generations are more likely to cut contact with parents and forgive less, it’s been interesting with the different perspectives) I would love to see some consequences though

Yeah, that would be interesting to watch, I agree.

I do think though that it's vital to also show that cutting ties with someone isn't always as easy as it seems. Also, sometimes cutting ties with a parent isn't the best thing to do either.

Parents are people just like everyone else. They make mistakes just like everyone else. Most parents try their best, but they aren't perfect so they fumble up sometimes.

And yes, some parents are abusers, gaslighters and manipulators and if there is abuse, whether mental or physical or both, YES! Cutting ties is the right way to go. Same goes for abusive children by the way. It's okay for parents to cut ties with an adult child that mentally or physically abuses them.

But I do feel that these days people scream 'abuse' too soon and too often. Sometimes there are problems that have nothing to do with abuse, that can be solved by actually communicating with each other and even going to therapy together. There are a million solutions out there for struggling families where the problems don't fall under 'abuse', but rather 'misunderstanding' each other.

If we look at the show I would say that the Buckley parents were definitely neglectful and mentally abusive. They never offered Buck any comfort, love or protection. They told Maddie to lie about Daniel. Imagine what that does to a child. Yes, the Buckleys were obviously extremely traumatised people, but they took that pain and trauma and made it into some kind of barrier between them and their kids.

They did show us that the Buckleys were trying to do better, but I'm not so sure if that worked out. In my opinion, if Buck or Maddie decided to go no contact? They would probably be better off.

As for the Diaz parents. Well, Helena has definitely shown her true colours in 8x01. She isn't trying to help Eddie. She is living out her dream of raising Chris as her own son after Eddie disappointed her when he was just a kid. Ramon seems to just follow his wife in her decisions, so he is just as guilty. This is a form of emotional manipulation. Helena is making Eddie feel guilty over something he ultimately didn't have any control over. Did he screw up? Yes, he did. Does he deserve this treatment from his own parents? No, he doesn't.

If I were Eddie? I would get on a plane to El Paso, tell my son to pack his bags and take him home, telling my mom that she wouldn't be seeing them for a while until I decided when to talk to them again. Let them feel some of that agony he felt when they had Chris in their care and treated Eddie like he was a second-class citizen.

So in the 911 cases? Yeah, I do think some time away (or even forever) from the parents would be an excellent idea.

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Cherry Magic (Thailand) - final thoughts

So this is where I confess I still haven't seen the original Cherry Magic (*ducks thrown fruit*). I know, I know! It really hasn't been on purpose, I just happened to get into BL at this very particular time where I was starting to catch up on quite a few recommended watches, and then we got this firehose of new content, and now I'm just eternally behind (good problems, I know).

All that to say that when the initial trailer came out, I didn't have any baggage from feelings about the previous one, so I kinda just ignored the complaints and thought it looked super cute and fluffy. And it was!

What I loved:

This show had such A+ casting. I love Tay & New. They're good individually, they're good together, they have great chemistry, and are fantastic actors. I was so glad to see Junior again after he was so stellar in Midnight Museum - playing a very different character, he has great range - and I like that they had tested his and Mark's chemistry there first, so they already had a good level of comfort here. And I adore Jan & Sing as well, so always happy to have them on screen.

I adore that this show prioritized showing healthy communication. People were willing to talk about things. Achi telling Karan about his mind-reading was so good. When things went wrong, like their first date, they would talk about it afterwards. The miscommunication trope is one of my most hated, because I have gotten to an age where I just strongly feel that no one has time for that kind of bullshit. And this show agreed with me!

Also the scene where Karan's sister gives feedback to their mother about how she's treating Karan was incredible, and if I have time at some point, I want to talk about how she nailed all the key elements of sharing feedback in a way that will encourage someone to truly hear it. (I know a lot of people don't like to hear this because it's easier to call people dumb or tell them to "shut the fuck up", but if you actually want to change minds, this is how you do it).

Getting more of an exploration of queer life at an older age, having to navigate your work and friends and families as you discover new things about yourself. We joke all the time about the glut of university shows, but seriously, that's a time that is well past for so many of us, and it means something to delve into more adult life.

Relatedly, I also really identified with Achi both as someone who is demi, and as someone who's realized things about my identity at a much later stage than most. It was nice to have that kind of representation.

The theme of what healthy love can bring to our lives. Most of the show is focused on romantic love, but I love that the platonic love and support also plays a very large part. We don't want to be dependent on others to feel good about ourselves and what we are capable of, but the support and caring of others can often be really important in being able to take that next big step, or to see something in yourself that you didn't even realize was there before.

Anyway this show is marshmallow fluff in visual form, and getting both this finale and Perfect Propose finale on the same weekend has left me with many warm fuzzies on my insides.

[9leaguesofmirrors]

My Favourite Reece Shearsmith Characters

So it's Reece Shearsmith's birthday today, so I decided to celebrate this by sharing some of my favourite characters played by this fantastically talented actor

These are in no particular order

Gregory Brewster - Him Indoors

Him Indoors is a short film about a serial killer with agoraphobia. Not only is the premise very interesting, Reece delivers a chilling yet very entertaining performance as the main character. It's on YouTube if you want to watch it, which I highly reccomend you do!

Tommy - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room

This HAD to be on the list! Reece's performance as Tommy is heartbreaking, we watch a man seems to put-together and serious slowly fall apart and lose control of his calm façade - impeccable work

Sean Stone - Chasing Shadows

Admittedly, I don't know where the watch the full show, but I have seen clips and I knew I had to put it on this list because of Reece's portrayal of an autistic person. You can tell he put a lot of thought and research into it in order to give a realistic performance, which is a testament to his dedication and how much he truly cares about the roles he plays and who he's representing

Tyler - Riddle Of The Sphinx SPOILERS BELOW

If there's one thing Reece is good at, it's how to play a chilling villain. Everything about Tyler is unnerving and he manages to be terrifying without being loud or angry all the time. It's measured and the emotion builds and builds - fantastic work!

Joseph Lisgoe - The League Of Gentlemen

I've mentioned before that the debt collectors were underused, and I simply had to talk about how extraordinary Reece's performance as Lisgoe was. He completely dives into the roles he plays and this one was no exception, not even a light smashing on his closest friend stops him from carrying on a scene (just check out the outtakes!), he simply embodies the part and delivers a performance that terrifies the cast, crew and the audience

Laurence - Merrily Merrily SPOILERS BELOW

Merrily Merrily is an Inside No. 9 episode that I can never rewatched because of how empty it made me feel - and I mean that in the best way possible! Laurence is wracked with pain over the loss of his late partner, and Reece delivers such a subtle yet haunting performance that I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about it

Ross Gaines - The League of Gentlemen

Ross is such a fun character because of how manipulative, calculating and cold he is. Not only does it set him apart from the other inhabitants of Royston Vasey, it makes his scenes with Pauline all the more tense and entertaining - and Reece really does deliver in the role. I'm glad they decided to go with this casting choice

Aiden - Thinking Out Loud

Like with Laurence, Reece delivers a hauntingly stellar performance. What makes this one really special is that it's a monologue. There's nobody for him to bounce off of or react to, he has to reach those emotions himself. And, as always, he nails it

Ollie Plimsolls - The League Of Gentlemen

I've said before that I think Ollie is one of the most cleverly written League characters and I stand by that. As a representation of the Saviour Complex and self-righteousness of people in theatre, Ollie is a character that should be easy to hate... but because of Reece's expert comedic timing and delivery, he ends up being so funny that you can't help but laugh every time he's onscreen

SPECIAL MENTION: Gilbert - Betty Blue Eyes

Reece Shearsmith said in an interview that he wasn't a great singer. Reece Shearsmith is a liar. Don't believe me? Listen to The Kind Of Man I Am from Betty Blue Eyes and thank me later

Also, if you can find it, there's a short bootleg of him in The Producers which is good too!

Of course, this are just a few of his performances and he's never delivered a bad one - whether he's playing a comedic character like Archie in The Bill or a more serious one like in Borley Rectory. And we haven't even touched on his writing skills, I can't wait to see what he does next!

[low-budget-korra]

Let's talk about Avatar Studios

And what the hell is going on

1) I already talk about the risks of a new Avatar following up Korra so I won't go much further on this here. The problem is this new show already have to face 3 problems

1. Technology. Like, if it really will be 100 years after Korra, makes sense that the Technology will evolve a lot but more technology also means less mystic shit and the fandom love the mystic shit in the Avatar World.

Transform Avatar in some sfi looking show can be bite the ass of Bryke. A lot of fans already complain about Tlok modern world because there's less mystical stuff because of it, now imagine a Avatar where the technology evolve during 100 years.

2. Repetition. For the technology not evolve this much, something have to happen to the world, something that Korra wasn't able to prevent. So then we would have Roku - Aang arc all over again. The children of the Krew will be important to this new Avatar? It's tlok all over again. We will have modern sociological and political discussions? It's tlok all over again. We will have the classic hero journey, where he have to beat the bad guy at the end of the show? It's tla all over again

3. Characters. Tla characters are hella charismatic and the structure of their show help each one of them to develop. Tlok characters were able to sold themselves just with charisma since the storytelling structure of Tlok didn't allow the show to focus on each of them so their development is more off screen. The characters of the new show will have to match the charisma of the previous shows and not sound repetitive. I don't wanna look to a character and think to myself "oh, this is just like Katara". If they want to give us a new show, then give us truly new characters.

2) As a lesbian Poc I understand, respect and agree with the choice of bring more diversity to Avatar Studios but recast the cast is a wrong decision storytelling wise and c'mon...Dante did a stellar job as Zuko (just like the rest of the cast with their respective characters) so if he wasn't half asian he would get recast too? They were all also responsible to give life to your beloved characters, I wouldn't discard them like that.

Storytelling wise, each actor brings something new to a character, this can be good or bad. What if the interpretation of the new cast feels too different for the fandom to buy it? It's more than just a voice. Think about the Joker, James Bond, Superman....all have multiple actors playing the character and every actor brought something new with them, and because of that some are loved like Ledger and Daniel Craig and some are hated like Jared Leto.

Also, I don't want the new cast to just imitate the og cast, that would be disrespectful to their talent. They should simply just keep the cast if the actors wanted to go back and voice their characters and with the new upcoming movies and tv show, then they would search only for native and asian actors to play the new characters.

3) They are taking too much unnecessary risks because a new Avatar will divide the fandom just like Tlok did in 2012 and the fandom can also don't vibe with the new cast work(and I didn't even coment on the rumors they can change the animation style). Both of these things can flop Avatar Studios projects especially in a world were they have to compete with Rick and Morty and Arcane among other young adults cartoons.

So their job is to please the fans and please the main audience that can become a fan after the new projects, but too much changes can make the old fans go away, we saw that happen before with other franchises. And again, they will have to compete for audience with excellent Young adults cartoons

They should do the safe, conquer the fandom first and then start to taking risks and expand the show to newer audience. If they tried to please both all at once, they can ended up pleasing no one

[technicallysublimechild]

“My family…” Splinter says, his back turned to his four sons as they jump up onto the rooftop he currently occupies. The sun has just set but the noise and bustle of the City below is carried to them on the cool night breeze. The dark night filled with light and life and everything else they have fought so hard to preserve.

“I am proud of each and every one of you.” Splinter continues as the boys line up behind him. The neon glow of the sign in front of them casting them all in a vibrant green hue. “You are no longer children, you are true heroes. It wouldn't surprise me if someday someone made a movie about you.”

Leo smirks confidently, sheathing his swords and crossing his arms as he soaks in the praise he and his brothers have always craved. It should feel more strange, he thinks, coming from their previously absent father, but Leo knows they've earned this. They saved their father, defeated the shredder, reunited Karai with the soul of her long corrupted father, and saved the City of New York. Not bad for a day’s work. A couple of days? A month? Leo's lost track of the time. It's been a whirlwind of events, from being beaten so decisively by the Shredder to unlocking their Ninpo. But they've done it and they somehow made it out the other end together and alive. Leo's never been so proud of his family. His father is right: a movie about them would be Oscar worthy.

Leo takes a moment to imagine his own heroic action scenes; valiantly taking on the Shredder in an epic one-on-one battle, his long golden locks flowing in the wind. Maybe it's not how it actually went down, but Leo's not above taking some creative liberties.

He's so lost in thought for a moment, he almost misses what his father says next.

"Oh, and Blue, you are the leader now.”

“Wait, what?” Leo exclaims, his daydreams grinding to a sudden halt while his brain resets, frantically replaying his father's words. It makes no sense. It must be a joke. And judging by the startled noises his brothers make beside him, they must be just as confused as he is. But when his father turns around he locks his eyes directly on the slider and Leo can see nothing but a fierce and sincere confidence.

“Leonardo.” He says, gaze unwavering. “You asked me once why nobody trusted you. I am sorry that I have made you feel this way.”

Leo's eyes widen at the unexpected apology. Where was this coming from suddenly? That talk had been ages ago while he and his father had fought in the Battle Nexus for the mystic collar they needed to stop the Shredder. While his father's skepticism and open frustration with him had been hurtful, Leo had proven to his father that he knew what he was doing. Leo assumed it was all water under the bridge. Apparently not.

“Maybe it is because you are loud, and impulsive, and never take anything seriously!” Splinter continues in an increasingly loud tone, clearly forgetting himself as he's reminded of some of Leo's less than stellar traits.

And there we go, Leo thinks, deflating. Wasn't this supposed to be some sort of motivational speech or something?

Splinter catches himself, taking a deep breath before settling back down into a serious tone. “But I have also seen your bravery, resilience and strategic mind. I know that you care for this family and would put their safety above anything else.”

Splinter puts a hand to his chest as Leo reels at the shift in tone. Talk about emotional whiplash.

“I wish to extend to you a show of trust by giving you the opportunity to lead this team.” Splinter continues, extending his hand out towards Leo, palm raised. It's as if he is holding his heart out to Leonardo, all his faith and trust in his son on full display for all to see. The weight of the gesture feels too heavy, and Leo whips his eyes back up towards his father's warm gaze.

“I see great potential in you Leonardo. I believe in you and your ability to be a great leader like many Hamato before you. I entrust this task to you and I know you will make your family proud.” He finishes.

Leo stares, his mouth flapping open in anticipation of the witty remark his mind is sure to supply. He's good at ruining an earnest moment, the best even. But right now his brain has left his mouth on read, and all he can think to do is snap it back shut again.

The thing is; Splinter's offer is everything Leo's ever wanted. A vote of confidence that his family (or at least his father) trusts in him and recognizes his abilities. And maybe he's never truly thought about being the leader before today - it's never even been on the table. But now that it suddenly is, laid out before him in all its alluring glory with promises of honor and acclaim, all he can feel is a sense of rightness. He knows he can do this, knows that he has more potential than just being the face man, and suddenly he wants it with a fierceness he can barely contain.

Leo smiles, an awkward chuckle bubbling up to his mouth from the unexpected excitement rippling through his chest. He wants to laugh, he wants to cry, he wants to sweep his dad up in a crushing hug and make him proud! But before he can do any of it he looks over at his brothers, as he always does, and sees Raph.

Raph, who Leo and his other brothers have followed around since before they could talk. Who has always taken care of them. Who has led them through all their battles, won and lost. Who is the most responsible, hard-working and caring person Leo knows.

Raph is standing next to him with an unreadable expression. Is he happy or sad? Hurt or confused? Maybe it's everything, tumbling around behind his eyes in the same way Leo's emotions are. But when Raph notices Leo's glance he gives him a tentative smile, as ever the supportive big brother.

To Leo in this moment, the gesture is like water to flame. The sudden guilt sweeping across Leo’s mind extinguishing the building fire that was his newfound burning desire. How could he want this when it would mean taking it from Raph? How could Leo ever think to do that to his oldest brother?

Leo turns away from Raph with a frown. Any response he may have had to his father’s words dying in his throat.

Splinter looks between the two of them and sighs, before stepping up in front of Raph.

“Raphael. You have led this family with great strength and love.” He begins, taking one of Raph’s large green hands gently between his own.

“But leadership is a heavy mantle, a mantle you have bravely carried since far too young an age.” Raph watches his father silently as he speaks, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes as he takes in his father’s words.

“I thank you, for being there when I was not. For filling the void I left in your lives for so long. While I know you will always watch over them, you deserve the chance to be cared for as you have always cared for us, and to take time to understand who you are outside of this role.”

Everyone stands transfixed in stunned silence. It's a lot to take in, all these heartfelt words and uncomfortable truths being voiced. They love their dad, always have, but it's true that he hasn't always been there for them. That they've had to learn the hard way how to do things on their own. They don't really like to talk about it; it's awkward and uncomfortable. What's the point of bringing up all that hurt? They've done fine up to now on their own. They have each other to rely on, and Raph to fix their mistakes, and…

Well maybe their dad has a point.

Raph looks like he's about to cry, and Mikey probably too based on how his bottom lip has started wobbling at the emotional display. Leo's still buffeting between excitement and guilt, with a healthy dose of discomfort at all the second hand emotions flitting through the air.

That's it then? He thinks to himself when no one says anything. He's the leader now? Shouldn't there be a ceremony or something? Maybe a pin? A sash? Do leaders wear sashes? Or is that Mayor's? He could be Mayor instead. Mayor of the sewers and his constituents will be rats and he'll deal with the leaky sewer pipes while Raph stays the leader and oh ho ho boy, is it getting hot in here or is it just -

“But Papa!” Donnie suddenly pipes in, his exaggeratedly prim voice cutting through the tense atmosphere with all the subtlety of a baseball bat to the face.

“If we're going to have our own movie, you can't make Leo the leader! There's no way he could carry the film as the main protagonist!”

Leo's eyes bug out in offense, emotional turmoil forgotten in the face of such a brazen affront upon his movie potential.

“Excuuuuse me?” Comes Leo's outraged response as he points at his handsome and most-definitely-leading-man-material face.

“I have enough charisma and good looks to carry a whole franchise on my shell. The final showdown where I beat the bad guys and save the day will go down in cinematic history as the most epic fight scene ever put to screen!” He proclaims, wrapping his arm around Donnie’s neck and panning his other arm out in front of them as if to show Donnie the epic scene laid out before them.

“Just because he's the leader doesn't mean he's the main character.” Mikey chimes in, waggling his finger in disapproval as Donnie escapes Leo's chokehold. “It could easily be a coming of age story!” He suggests excitedly, then dramatically drapes himself over Raph's arm. “The youngest brother, often overlooked and underestimated, goes on an epic journey of self discovery to prove himself to his friends and family!”

“Laaaaame!” Leo interjects, amplifying the word with his hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone. He ignores the glower Mikey gives him in response and continues on in a chant, arm pumping in time to his words. “Beat the Baddie! Epic final fight! Leo saves the - euf!” He exclaims with a sudden exhale of breath as Donnie pushes him to the ground before he's able to finish.

“Oh please, how uninspired.” Donnie says dismissively as Leo sits back up and tries to recalibrate his brain after the sudden interruption.

“If anything our movie should be a science fiction adventure!” Donnie continues brightly. “An epic space opera where we explore the mysteries of the universe with only our wits and my awesome tech to protect us in the harsh cold void of space.” He finishes dramatically before jumping up, hands shaking happily in front of him as he adds “Also alien spaceships!”

Everyone can’t help but laugh along at Donnie's excited outburst as Mikey steps up beside Leo to help him back up onto his feet. The bubble of tension that had previously surrounded them has burst and the mood is suddenly so much lighter than it had been just moments ago. Leo would almost think the conversation had been a purposeful distraction if he didn't think that was giving Donnie way too much credit. That would be Leo levels of diversion, and he's the reigning champion. Regardless, he's happy for the distraction.

Leo nods at Mikey in thanks for the hand, receiving a bright grin in return before Mikey turns to Raph.

“What do you want our movie to be about Raphie?” He asks their oldest brother, who's smiling fondly down at their sudden antics.

“Oh! Ummm…” Raph responds, furrowing his brow as he takes a moment to think. “Raph doesn't really care what it's about,” He says shrugging, “as long as it has a happy ending.”

It's such a Raph thing to say and Leo’s first instinct is to tease his older brother mercilessly for such a sentimental remark, but it’s been a hell of a day - Leo doesn't want to ruin the moment.

“Absolutely, happy endings are a must!” He declares, throwing his hands casually behind his head as he instinctively starts to move in the direction of the lair. The serious discussions for the day have been successfully diverted and he is exhausted. Time to go home for some well earned rest and relaxation.

His other brothers all voice their agreement, Mikey patting Raph on the back of his shell as they begin to trail behind him.

They're quickly stopped by Splinter.

“My sons…we cannot go back to the lair.” He reminds them. “We will need to find somewhere else to stay for the night.”

Right. The lair was destroyed. They no longer have a home to return to. Leo feels everyone deflate at the reminder. So much for avoiding any more serious discussions…

“Well we can’t leave the lair as it is.” Donnie remarks. “Now that the inhabitants of New York have been returned, we don’t have long before the damage is discovered. We need to get as much of our things out of there as possible and destroy the rest before anyone finds something that could compromise our safety.”

“Do you think there's even anything left?” Leo asks. “In case you don't remember, the whole place kind of caved in on itself after being engulfed in demonic fire.” He means for it to come across light-heartedly, but judging by Mikey's suddenly slumping shoulders, it didn't quite hit the mark.

Donnie huffs, ignoring Leo's failed attempt at humour. “I don't know, but we need to check. All of my tech at the very least needs to be destroyed so that no one can get their hands on it.”

Splinter steps forward, putting a supportive hand on Mikey's arm. “It has been a long day, you all should rest before attempting such an endeavor.” He suggests softly.

“But we may not have another opportunity.” Donnie argues in return. “By the time we're all rested, the lair could be crawling with clean up crews.”

Realizing that they are at an impasse, Leo, Mikey and Donnie all look up at Raph for his input. Unless Splinter puts his foot down, they'll leave it up to Raph to decide. But instead of answering like he usually does, Raph looks over at Leo, raising his brow expectantly. Everyone else’s gaze follows, and suddenly all eyes are on Leo. That's right - he's the leader now, and Raph is reminding all of them of that fact by deferring to Leo on this one.

The sudden attention catches Leo by surprise. It's not exactly unwelcome, it's just so different from how he usually has to vie for attention from his brothers. It throws him off to receive it so freely without having to bully them all into listening to him.

Huh. He could get used to this.

Leo closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before making his decision. “We need to make sure the lair is clear before we do anything else. Let’s deal with it while we can and then find somewhere to crash.”

Leo lets his answer hang in the air for a moment before peeking an eye open to see how his decision has been received. Donnie seems happy enough, already walking past Leo to start making his way towards the lair. Mikey looks over at their father, giving his hand a quick squeeze and a small smile before following after Donnie. Raph looks over at Leo with a little smile and a quick thumbs up.

Oh god, he appreciates the reassurance but does Raph have to be so embarassing? Leo blocks Raph from his view with his hand, shoulders hunched, and shuffles after his other brothers to avoid any more humiliatingly supportive gestures.

He hears Raph chuckle and follow after him, a solid presence at his back.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Legends of the Lasat"

Kevin Kiner please take all my money forever.

Right, attempt two at this. Seriously Tumblr what is the point of having an auto-save feature for posts if it doesn't actually save a decent previous version of the post?

Also WHY THE HELL DID CNTRL+Z DELETE BASICALLY THE WHOLE DAMN POST?!

Anyway.

I'm glad we got to visit this moon space base location again, I think it's such an interesting design.

Another tightly-written opening dialogue exposition scene here, in a few short sentences we learn what they Spectres are here for and why, and that the mission is urgent.

Lol Ezra being evasive about Hondo being his contact. I do wonder how exactly Hondo got that transmitter to Ezra. Did they reconnect sometime offscreen? Did Ezra swipe it during "Brothers of the Broken Horn"? Did Hondo surreptitiously leave it in Ezra's pocket?

However it happened, it's adorable that this once-ruthless bloodthirsty greedy pirate basically decided, "I MUST BEFRIEND THE BABY JEDI, HE'S MY FRIEND NOW I CLAIM HIM."

The camerawork in this scene is phenomenal. This first shot that tracks the Spectres and then dollies just around the corner, as if we are also peeking around it with the characters? This fast almost 270 rotating pan across the Spectres as they make short work of the troopers? Stellar.

(You can also tell they had budget to spare for this episode because the Imperial officer has a face. Lol.)

Love it when they let Ezra be casually awesome.

Hera sounds so aggrieved that Hondo is Ezra's contact lol.

And here we get the reveal, Zeb was captain of the High Honor Guard of Lasan. A bit later in the episode we learn this consists of being a bodyguard protector of the royal family specifically and all citizens of Lasan in general. Sooooo yeah, quite a bit of heavy personal guilt for Zeb here, feeling like he, specifically, personally, failed his entire world. Ouch.

"Hondo could use a little help." <3

Zeb's expressions this scene are painful. :(

Hondo being so dang fond of Ezra aww.

Though not so fond that he doesn't immediately screw everyone over, greedy bastard.

I saw Zeb rolling his eyes there, animators.

So Zeb's interactions with Chava and Grond are very much a Spiritualist vs Skeptic plot, with the expected tragic personal reason for the skeptic's doubt and disbelief. It's also heavily implied that the loss of Lasan, that trauma, made Zeb regress in maturity, made him snippier and more petulant and churlish. As Ezra says later Zeb does act "like a child", so perhaps his being cast as the Child archetype in the Prophecy of the Three was not so off base lol.

Ezra has such cute smiles this episode. <3

LOL Hondo's chipper little "Hello!" at the Stormtroopers.

"Well. This must look... incriminating." This man is a delight in every scene.

I mentioned the camerawork right? This is another nice shot here, this pan down from the cockpit to the nose gun turret to meet Zeb.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The smoke coming from the chimney top of the station.

...Is this Stormtrooper also voiced by David Oyelowo?

Ezra immediately noticing Zeb's scoffing like the empath he is. <3

Love love love seeing the unique cultural way that Lasat interact with the Force, the "Ashla" as they call it, mixed ritual and magitek, prophecies that revolve around certain narrative archetypes and symbolic figures. It's just so cool.

I haven't been talking much about the music yet (oh but believe me we will have much to say on that) but this cue here starts easing just slightly into the mysticism of the Lasat ritual. It's almost Stravinsky-esque in nature, carefully stepping flutes and clarinets, discordant strings. We incorporate just a very soft snippet of the Force theme.

Zeb auto-assuming Ezra is the child.

Lol Hondo putting his arm around that one Stormtrooper's shoulder.

He's so cute asjkhfkajsh. Look at him. He's all like, "Please Dad, can I chant with the weird purple people too?"

HE LOOKS SO FOND AND PROUD AWW.

The score takes a bit of an exotic turn, a mellow arabic flute and possibly a sitar adding to the texture of the melody.

The lighting in this scene egads.

I love this scene I love it so much. Ezra acting as counselor, with his mere presence and curiosity getting Zeb to open up about his past and fears and insecurities. There's so much hurt in Zeb's slumped posture, guilt and grief compete for space in his voice, and I don't think we see him this distraught again until after Kanan's death.

But with Ezra's encouragement, he pulls himself together.

Once again showing off the cool magitek with Chava's staff and Zeb's bo-rifle here and I just love the concept, I love the whole aesthetic of hearing whispers of destiny through the Ashla and then channeling the energy of the universe through arcane, almost magical technology to navigate the stars, like some kind of arcane mariners. And we all thought the bo-rifle was just some kind of standard ordinary weapon, SURPRISE, it's also an ancient Force-magic navicomputer.

And oh wow the parallels with the purrgil next episode and the Chiss sky-walkers in the Thrawn novels.

This is soooooo pretty. The animation here is gorgeous.

After the commercial cut we're in hyperspace and the Ghost is making an almost blind jump out into Wild Space. Hera doesn't seem terribly worried. (Behind the scenes material says she apparently does this all the time.) But the ship's safety protocols flip out when they sense the imploded star cluster and Hera quickly drops them into realspace and one of the most gorgeous moments of the series.

HNNNNNNGHGHHHHH.

This whole sequence is stunning. Some of the best animation of the show, accompanied by one of the best tracks in the score, the star cluster looking like a watercolor spectacle.

And the Stravinsky influenced instrumentation brings the strings front and center; a haunting choir whispers in the background.

Kanan putting one hand on the back of Hera's chair and the other on her shoulder, aww.

Just tell me you wouldn't want this as a wall painting. <3

Chava gives some inspiring words about not pidegonholing oneself into a single role in their prophecy and this motivates Zeb to find a well of inner courage and open himself up to the will of the Ashla.

What I wouldn't give for more on ancient Lasan tech, how their ships must have been designed to integrate with the bo-rifle staffs. It functions as pilot and navigator and also apparently encases the Ghost with a protective shield that keeps it from being crushed by the gravity.

Let that sink in a moment, the staff, when channeling the Force, can literally bend gravity around the ship.

AND AS "JOURNEY INTO THE STAR CLUSTER" WRAPS US IN A VIOLIN SOLO THAT EVOKES MYSTERY AND MYSTICISM KANAN AND EZRA SENSE THEIR HELP IS NEEDED AND CALMLY PLACE HANDS ON ZEB, LIKE THE LAYING OF HANDS DURING CORPORATE PRAYER, AND CHANNEL THE FORCE THROUGH THEM INTO ZEB, WHO LETS IT FLOW THROUGH HIM THROUGH THE RIFLE TO GIVE HIM THE CLARITY OF VISION TO SEE THE WAY THROUGH.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The sparks that pop from a wall panel on the cruiser as Kallus attempts to have it follow the Ghost.

THE CHOIR COMES IN FULL BLAST.

AND ZEB CLOSES HIS EYES IN FAITH AS THE LIGHT TURNS BLINDING.

Whew! And what a rush! The absolute quiet in the score right afterwards gives us a moment to inhale and catch our breath.

Chopper of course chooses to be a pest, releasing the tension.

Lira San being the ancient lost homeworld of the Lasat fits right in with the whole arcane vibe of their culture, like they were connected to a place and people that time forgot.

And tada, we leave with a character arc complete, a new hyperspace route plotted and everything bathed in an aura of serenity.

This episode is one of the best of Season Two, if not the whole series. Everything comes together beautifully in the third act and the story has a feel of both spiritual transformation and wonder. I've already gushed about how interesting and unique the Lasat culture is, how it's presented as a mix of mysticism and technology, with prophecies and wise women, royal families and warriors, and navigators that explored the stars, guided by the Ashla.

Zeb gets more character growth in one episode than some characters get in a season, and he's largely "finished" after this, his issues with his past resolved. (Which isn't to say I wouldn't have loved more character focus on him, just that this is so phenomenal.) His heart-to-heart with Ezra is touching and illustrates just how close they've grown.

And did I mention this episode was pretty? This episode is super pretty and the music is straight fire.

10/10 no complaints. Would give Kiner my money again.