#also i just listened to EPISODE THREE which is the first time chad is mentioned and i just love how they leave threads around and years

[eternally-tired-cryptid]

Y'all. Y'all. They told us there wouldn't be a nightvale mayor.

Episode 7, History Week "In the year 2052 ... Approval ratings for the mayor will hover in the low 40s, which will be surprising, as there will have been no mayor for over 30 years"

Aka since Dana stepped down in 2018 (EP 129, a Matter of Blood pt 3)

[alaffy]

Riverdale 5x11- Strange Bedfellows

Post these on Reddit, might as well do it here too.  Riverdale is back and it’s..just as crazy as ever.  Did really enjoy this episode. I have a lot of thoughts on the whole Jughead situation.  Spoliers below.

Jason's death has now hit cult status.  Veronica wants her Opal back (and, you know, the hostages).  Palladium could be it's own drinking game.  Archie cleans up the streets of Riverdale.  And Darla.  Just Darla.

I do appreciate the fact that Archie, upon learning that Chad didn't sign the papers and Veronica can't tell Archie why (which she's right, she shouldn't get him involved), decided they needed to take a step back until things are settled.  The army has, at least, somewhat made him a bit more level headed.  And then we have the Batman scene, and...

But the big story is that they're finally dealing with Jughead  (and a bit of Jughead and Betty).  First off, glad to see that the Doc he mentioned is still alive.  And clearly something bad happened in New York.  Jughead mentions it and I have a feeling that Jessica wanting the manuscript confirms it. So, clearly, a lot of Jughead story has to do with these three women.  And, my standard disclaimer, I'm not interested in ship wars, just here to discuss a story.  Also, let's be clear, while I am going to discuss Jughead and Betty's relationship, I am not doing it to make Jughead the villain or to excuse Betty.  Even if Betty was starting to question things about their relationship, there are several ways to deal with that situation that don't involve cheating.  Betty is responsible for her actions just as Jughead is with his.  But I'm talking about  Jughead right now.   

So, I'm going to start with this, Jughead may not have seen Betty in seven years, but seems to be strongly suggested he was in contact with her.  At the very least, he invited her to his book party and then sent her that message when she didn't respond (I still wonder if we'll find out she didn't show up because she was a prisoner of TBK at the time).  And as for the message itself, I mean, it sounds like a message someone who was hurt and drunk would send.  I don't think he was right or wrong for sending it.  I'm not going to get into whether Betty deserved it or not.   Because, again, I feel there's something we're missing from those seven years and, yeah, until I know everything, it's hard to judge.  What I do find interesting, is that he clearly was in contact with Betty and Jessica, his girlfriend at the time, didn't know.  And she clearly does not seem pleased about that.  Also, it's important to note that, unlike Betty, Jessica wasn't allowed to read his manuscripts.  

Jessica, it turns out, is there to get his manuscript because she's afraid Jughead will write about their lives and she doesn't want that to get out.  Clearly she doesn't trust him enough to believe that won't happen.  Going back to the beginning of the season, the Serpents don't want anything to do with Jughead because of what he wrote about them.  And, going back even further, Jughead pitch a story to a group of publishers, using Betty's life story, as a way to keep a book contract.  Also, there is the fact that, again, Jessica didn't know that he was in contact with Betty while Jessica was living with him.  Furthermore, at the beginning of the time jump, Jessica leaves after finding out that he has creditors after him and he's about to be evicted (something that will also affect Jessica's life and so he should have told her).  And where have we seen this secretive behavior before?  With his relationship with Betty (and, to be fair, Betty was just as guilty hiding things from Jughead).  

I've written about this in detail before, but the fact of the matter is this ties back to what the Guidance Councilor said to him in season four.  The fact is, Jughead has had a hard life and has probably developed traits that where created to protect himself (like lying/withholding information).  And Jughead does have a tendency, when confronted with his behavior, to try to pain himself as the victim.  The best case in point is when Betty found out he used her story to keep the book contract.  Betty is, understandably, angry with him.  But instead of apologizing and admitting he did something wrong, he makes excuse and, when that doesn't work, gets angry at her.  And while there's that moment later where he tells her he hates it when they fight, at no time does he ever admit what he did was wrong.  Same with the Serpents, he gets defensive. The fact is it doesn't matter if it's Betty or Jessica or anyone else, his behavior is not ok. And until he acknowledges that he has hurt others, and improve on these behaviors, this will continue again and again. The thing is, I think they are trying to deal with some of Jughead's behavior this season and I don't think that's a bad thing.

As for Tabitha, maybe his message was a hint of future things with her, maybe not.  It's one of those pieces of dialogue put in to make people question.  But the real question is, even if he is interested, is she still interested?  For me, listening to her dialogue and watching her expressions,  it seems to me she's starting to realize she doesn't really know Jughead and is uneasy with what she's seeing.  At the very least she has to be wondering if he's still hung up on Betty.  But, especially with Jessica's story, and how much he was hiding from her and the whole using people stories to create his book, is that something she wants to get involved in?  People say Tabitha is good for Jughead, but is Jughead good for Tabitha?  Well, we'll just see.  At the very least, I'm guessing Jughead will be dealing with his own issues for awhile.  And I like this new friendship between Betty and Tabitha.

[unhinderedramblinglass]

So I am literally just speculating but something does not sit right with me about this last season. It doesn’t sit right with a lot of people but here’s my thing:

-knowing this is going to be the last season (I don’t know when they announced it but it was pretty early) and you went in, you started plot lines in s14 that would continue into s15 that just... didn’t go anywhere.

-you brought characters in and back for storylines that only fit to further the boys’ plotline, which would have been fine if you didn’t insist on killing them right after when the fandom has been asking you for years ‘please stop killing my faves’

-one of your actors, who’s been trying to convince you for years, goes full down knock down drag out for one whole ‘I love you’ scene to canonically make him gay (which you’ve been denying for years and made him sleep with women) and you decide to pepper little things throughout the entire season that shows Cas and Dean feel more for each other than just friendship. And instead of making Dean reciprocate, you kill him because of literary symmetry that stopped being relevant to the story in s4 or s5

-you then started a bunch of plot lines (and here is where it REALLY gets me) that were good this season. That were leading you up to the finale. And then you got to the middle of it. AND IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE YOU JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR CHARACTERS OF 15 YEARS SO YOU JUST DECIDED TO THROW OUT AT LEAST 9-10 YEARS WORTH OF CHARACTER GROWTH IN ORDER FOR IT TO REALLY ALL TIE TOGETHER ( I mean, come on. They did a whole ass episode bout why being normal sucks and then all they wanted at the end WAS TO BE NORMAL I CANT EVEN THIS SHOW WAS EVERYWHERE THIS SEASON)

-and then you just LITTER the season with meta and foreshadowing (Dean and Cas in purgatory, Dean and Cas ‘what’s real about any of it?’ ‘We are’, Sam and Eileen not knowing if it’s real and breaking up because of it ((which didn’t even matter come sam wanting to get his dick wet but I digress 🙃)) and then you have Garth who got to live, his episode is ‘the heroes journey’ and he ends up safe, happy, still settled with his wife LIKE A MIRROR FOR OUR BOYS) and then you just DECIDE THAT NONE OF THAT MATTERS

-and then you did exactly what we asked you not to do for years. No matter how many times we all said ‘we want to see the boys happy, together, all three of them. We want them together as a family, even Jack too and Claire and the wayward sisters, we literally wanted everyone safe, happy, alive.’ So it doesn’t matter which ending they were going to give us, it was always going to end in a way we never wanted or asked for. They literally heard... okay. We kill the boys. And then everyone, even if they aren’t dead yet... will be in Dean’s heaven. That sounds right. EXCEPT THE PEOPLE THAT WE WOULD HAVE WANTED THERE, THAT WOULD HAVE MADE IT REDEEMABLE FOR US (Samantha Ferris, Chad Lindberg, Osric, etc) WERE NEVER GOING TO BE THERE. it was going to be filled with his abusive father, a mother that we fleshed out and mourned for a second (or third I can’t remember) time, a vessel of the guy that very much tried everything to get away from you and your brother and this life and was super not okay with it and only did it to save his daughter but sure, he cares about you, and the actual fucking band Kansas. Who isn’t even dead!

So you did that. You did all that. And so here’s where i absolutely eat fire. Besides wanting to know why on earth this was done to our show after years of asking them not to, I want to know why it nearly felt like they were setting us up for another season. They knew that s15 would be the last way before they started writing. They had the time to write this well thought out ending and they could have taken it so many ways. They could have closed a loop, they could have tried again with the spinoff as I’m sure it would be phenomenal now. But everything they did, every plot hole and plot line they opened and never closed again... feels like it should have been a set up for s16. Now maybe I have too much anger and this was done accidentally, but I don’t think so.

Now I want to add a disclaimer that there a no proof here, I’m speculating, of course. And there were never rumors about a s16. But with the way the season went, I can’t help but wonder if someone had already planned for one. And when j2m said no, we’re gonna hang it up, it fucked a lot of peoples plans of this show being their cash cow. Now, it’s completely possible that the writers are just bad as this show has given us some doozies before. maybe they recycled plot had they been planning for a s16 but Cas’ declaration scene was the first thing to be written so... I doubt that.

But here’s my thing alright, and if you’re already here with me, guys, stay with me: why would you leave all these open ends knowing there will be no other season, throw away all this character growth you’ve been writing and telling the fans about for 15 years, and do exactly what the fans asked you not to and leave them separated and stuck on blood when for years you’ve been telling us ‘family don’t end in blood’?

It was a fuck you. It was a big fuck you to everyone involved. And I don’t mean just to the fans, which is exactly what it was to all the people that asked for them to end up alive and happy (so most of us). Again, I say, I’m speculating but it sounds to me like producers, show runners, went out of their way to make this season not make any sense. To make it bad (the fight with Dean and Cas having been written more sad than angry, the way we had an entire holiday episode for the first time in a while but without Cas, the way they literally told us the ending in beckys scene and then had the nerve to make fun of the GOT ending, I won’t even mention saileen again, the way they knew it would only reach about 30% as a good ending). It sounds to me like someone was being a petty bitch. And especially towards Jensen and Misha. Going back to look at this season, those two boys were put through the ringer and were put at the forefront of our screens and made to go outside of their character especially in the last few episodes, and yet it was all a plot device for Sam to live on.

Jensen who went tooth and nail for his characters ending and hated it (even the original one because I’m pretty sure it was pitched to him precovid) got a car ride for the send off to his character. Misha who fought for Cas to be queer for years got to die and have 12 years of love be for nothing (as dean dies a week later). These are the two that have been trying to tell the show who their character really is for years. If you go back and watch panels, Jensen has been trying to tell them for years where he thought his character should go and he said multiple times that it got swept under. He said he left the meeting feeling drained and they told him he was too close to the story. Bitch, he’s Dean!

I can only speculate that Jared didn’t have as much back and forth with the writers and show runners, but I don’t actually know. I’ve seen a panel in which he said he’s done that stuff but they’ve literally either not listened or done the opposite so I have a feeling he stopped trying so hard after a while. But I can take a guess, after hearing what Jared said at his panel about the ending being good and right, that they brainwashed him just a little to believe that this is the ending they’d always been fighting for. They say forget AKF, forget pretty much all the growth you’ve had for the past few seasons and he had to go along with it. I can also speculate that with the new show coming out they were like ‘shhh this will be good for your ratings’.

TL; DR: I think the show runners/ producers purposefully set us up with a bad season because the producers/show runners are petty bitches and they broke our boys to do it.

[wunderlass]

On BFFs and friendship while Adulting

There was a post in the tag earlier today posing a question that I wanted to answer but unfortunately by the time I got around to it the post had vanished. I can’t remember the exact wording, but it was asking opinions of who is the ‘better’ friend to Maria during the series: Liz or Alex. 

I still wanted to answer that question (in a much broader sense) so here we are.

Usual meta caveats: my interpretation, ymmv etc.

First up: there is no right answer to that question. There are ways to be bad and terrible friends, sure, but every friendship and every connection is different in ways that are difficult to measure tangibly. We use “deep” friendship a lot when we discuss it but we can’t quantify that: time and knowledge and commonalities can make a difference but ultimately friendships are as much about chemistry as romantic connections are.

Also, just because somebody is the kind of friend you only go out partying with doesn’t mean they are less valid than the person you’ve known since nursery school who has been there for every major milestone of your life. So long as you’re both happy with the fact you’re only in each other’s lives to party, that friendship does what it needs to.

All of this to say: friendship isn’t a competition (and I don’t think that’s what the other poster was actually implying). You can have multiple best friends or none, or one “deep” lifelong bond. Liz and Alex aren’t competing for Maria’s affection or to be the better friend to Maria. All they need to be is the best friend they can be for her.

The real question is, how successful are they at it?

Honestly...not great.

But they’re trying!

Liz and Alex are both damaged, flawed people, for different reasons, and that’s impacted not only them but the connections they have to other people.

For Liz, she’s been wearing Rosa’s armour for ten years. We know she’s flitted from place to place, eschewing social media. She couldn’t make a connection romantically but there also has to be a trail of broken friendships across all of the places she’s been in during that time. We don’t hear her reference anybody except Diego, her ex-fiance, so there isn’t a hint of other friends she’s keeping in touch with. 

She also didn’t make much attempt to keep in touch with Maria or presumably anybody else from Roswell (perhaps understandably). It all sounds pretty lonely, and we come to learn that as capable as Liz is, the events when she was 18 have caused real damage to her emotionally. She’s isolated and stunted. Only upon returning home does she begin to shed her armour and attempt to reconnect.

Alex is also isolated and stunted, but for different reasons. Even after years of abuse we know he made major life choices in the hope he’d receive some form of love from his father (and likely brothers). He doesn’t seem to have had any kind of affection in his home life, so he reached out for it wherever he could when he was a teenager, notably to Michael. That ended badly, and he’s done what his father, the military, and a patriarchal society have wanted him to do: he’s locked his emotions away. 

Where Liz displays her emotions proudly and often loudly, Alex is quiet, introspective. He internalises everything, or shoves it away so he can pretend he isn’t feeling. He wears his own form of armour so nobody can hurt him anymore. It’s a survival mechanism. We have hints that he has made friends and bonded with some of his colleagues, but how much he’s opened up to them or given them the opportunity to hurt him is debatable. And much like Liz, his time in Roswell is teaching him that although allowing other people to know you is a risk, that kind of vulnerability can also be its own kind of reward.

How does that relate to Maria specifically?

We see Liz spend more time with Maria than Alex does on screen, although arguably that is because Liz is the lead so we spend more time with her anyway. Both are returning to Roswell after a decade away, with the implication that they may have briefly returned in that time but haven’t made much of an effort to keep in touch with her or each other.

So this is an old friendship - the kind potentially forged when they were as young as toddlers - but one which has been neglected due to time and circumstance. One where all involved have to discover how much the other parties have changed and grown in the interim.

Maria herself has become pretty isolated. We know this because she also never mentions other friendships - the closest she has is her banter with Michael - and she seems to devote all of her time to Mimi and the bar. She also mentions dating a Chad, which is hilarious, but also hints at a desperation to have a connection with somebody after she’s been left behind in a one-horse town.

Liz is good at the easy stuff: turning up for advice, drinking, reminiscing about old times. She’s too wrapped up in her own stuff to give more than that. Maria says she was happy with this because it’s a distraction. She’s either sharing more with Alex - possibly because she expects Liz to leave town again sooner rather than later - or Alex has been around enough to see the situation with Mimi.

But I don’t think Alex is much good at the heavy emotional lifting either. He has to turn to Liz to help him shoulder that burden in episode seven. Fandom likes to celebrate him calling Liz out, but she really has been going through a lot, and it was Maria’s choice not to share. Liz doesn’t necessarily know Maria well enough anymore to spot the signs of emotional distress if they’re hidden from her.

Here’s where I admit that I see plenty of myself in Liz and Alex. I’m not very good at being a shoulder to cry on either. At the start of episode nine, Maria reaches out to Liz, who immediately starts to problem solve, and that’s the kind of friend I am: come to me when something's gone wrong and I will figure out how to fix it, even if what you actually need is someone to listen while you fall apart. We’re looking at two emotionally distant people who work in technical disciplines, and that’s their likely go to behaviour.

I think when Liz is aware of a problem, she’s better at being supportive, whereas Alex is so out of touch with his own emotions he might not be very good at handling others’ emotions either, hence his appeal to Liz in episode seven. However, both of them ultimately leave Maria high and dry when she’s most vulnerable. We end up with Michael who is hilariously, visibly uncomfortable with an upset Maria and yet does the right thing purely by instinct: offering her a literal shoulder to cry on. In episode nine we see Liz let Maria go off to “be her own damn saviour” when that might not actually be what Maria needs or wants.

So neither Liz or Alex are a perfect friend to Maria, and that’s okay, because that’s part of their emotional arcs. They both need to, and are beginning to, learn how to flex the friendship muscle again. By the end of the series we may even have three emotionally healthy, functional adults!

Just kidding, the show is going to put them all through the wringer and destroy them and us.

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff ~ Stray Thoughts: Steven Universe’s Movie

It’s high time I finally looked at this film. 100%, Monkey Style. Let’s roll...

Ah, a curtain raise. Fancy Schmancy.

Chance the Rapper! Good seeing him have a hand in the music, cause I doubt it’ll sound any different.

I wish the tale was more than just about Steven

Lucky she got planet earth, I guess.

*Holds onto the laugh* She latched onto Greg’s seed. HEHEEE KEK! 

That’s one way of putting it

You know, I would’ve preferred he was 18 instead of 16. It makes sense that he’s still a teen, but that is me

I guess this film wouldn’t have gone the way it did if Steven didn’t dox himself like that.

“Saving.“ That reminds me. What of the Cluster? “They’ll never mention it.“ I know. *sigh*

I’m so glad this time skip makes me ask more than accept, trying to make me compelled for season 6 to know what happened in between that time. You’re not slick here, movie.

“The White Power Hour will be right back“

Am I the only one finding this scene with the Diamonds creepy?

“Come on, Steven. You’re all that stands between me and doing the racism.“

Connie! Glad you look spry and well in your 65% of screen time.

Cheek peck! Lovely!!!

Shoot, they could make a whole episode about him being a guest at the space camp. I mean I’m saying this cuz I doubt they are.

Ah, the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” song.

Zach is quite the singer when he can sing more naturally

Come on Pearl, don’t make me believe Rose was a character

Oh the chest is open. Neat. Wish I cared.

Unconsenting head warp

1st Born Amethyst is adorable.

*sigh* Wonderful. It’s a shame I’m gonna forget this song.

Ah, the best character in the series has arrived

Real Talk tho: How did our antagonist get to Earth with that craft so quickly? Like, let’s say it took 10 real minutes at best between Steven giving his Homeworld speech to resting on that hill. She just had that injector, roaring to go, and knew exactly where Steven might’ve been all in that short amount of time? “You know logic is not this show’s strong suit.” Let me dream, damn it!

Again, none of this would’ve happened if Steven didn’t out himself

Ruining other people’s happiness. I love her already.

Why did Steven getting his face kicked feel satisfying?

“Pink Diamond“ Ah, the secret word.

While “Other Friends” is such a bop, one of the only good songs so far, I knew this movie would have it’s musicals take place every.... less than five minutes.

Wait. The villain has stretchy powers, so there's an in-Universe reason to be off-model all the time? Oooooh, they’re fucked.

It was at that moment the villain knew, he fucked up.

Again, Steven getting kicked feels so satisfying.

Reaper? Awwwww ye!

I’m telling you. She let him slice her. 

What? How can he not control his powers while he’s aware of- ugh.

Surprised he didn’t revert back to no neck Steven

Ok, that quick censor joke got a laugh outta me.

Two for two laughs, Greg is on a roll

How would gems know what seashells are?

Three minutes apart. Not bad.

Whaaat was that zoom?

Ah, the “For the Newbies/clueless” song

We’re doing the amnesia plot, Pearl, keep up a bit.

I’m somehow giddy and uncomfortable at Spinel’s presence.

Beautiful song. Sad I won’t remember this one.

Wonderful lip sync there.

Oh no, chekov’s scythe.

Heheheheheheh, Spinel’s dead eye stare

Ah Lapis, if only the show treated you better

That’s some morbid logic. I can dig it.

Seriously, if you are aware of your powers, then why can’t yo- ugh.

Ye, get the Diamonds. They could punt the injector out, everything could go as planned. Only problem would be having to listen to them.

I doubt Garnet would know what to do, honestly.

Spinel’s VA must’ve had a blast with the role

About five minutes apart. Doing better.

Song is better too. Not memorable, but it’s a fist pump worthy tune.

Dang it, Spinel, you’re precious!

I’m with Steven, I’m getting Cupcakes vibes with that pizza slicer

Ye, just let her pick up that weapon. It’ll conveniently advance the plot.

Oh a lovely constitutional for those two.

Rise of the Shield Hero!

Four minutes apart. Slightly better.

Weakest song by far, but the visuals were amazing.

Subtle moment here. I’ll express later.

Is Onion teleporting?

So sad Ronaldo.

Okay, that was a wholesome moment. “That’s why Amethyst and Steven ARE the best.“ You know it. *fist bump*

Ye, I think it’s best to get out of there?!

I doubt it’s gonna kill everything on Earth

Oh wait, what about the Clu- “It’s not gonna be mentioned.” The Cluster deserves better, man.

I honestly would’ve loved to see Steven lift that entire thing

Great, you made it worse.

But forget the end of the world. We got music to make.

A little over five minutes. Pretty good.

Why am I getting Pat Benatar vibes from this tune?

'Disobedient’ is bad btw

The look Steven and Greg gave before rocking out? I felt that. Now....

There comes a time in all forms of media consumption where you are so utterly bewildered by an event taking place that there are so many things wrong with it that you don’t have words and you simply laugh..... 

When I saw this sequence for the first time I wish I recorded it. I burst out laughing, struggling to compose myself, and I was fundamentally blown away at what in the world I was seeing. And the kicker? I wasn’t even entirely sure of why..... 

It’s like so many issues cascade on your brain at once, you are overwhelmed and you couldn’t possibly pass it out in the amount of time you have left before something utterly ridiculous happens on top of what you just saw.... 

So that is why posts like this exist, to collect and come up with a sensible way to exhibit one’s feelings about the sequence because.... what. the. fuck. Let’s roll back.

Chad Gem? Chad motherfucking gem.

Got a pompadour, super-sized mullet, potentially 8-pack, and a clean shave which surprised me the most. They just... *MWAH* pulled no punches with Multiverse’s design.

The powers however confuse me. Can he just fly now and make anyone fly? 

I get where people were coming from with their discomfort, but honestly this is the funniest thing in this entire movie. Nothing about this feels right and that just makes it hilarious.

I’m just gonna say it.... *DEEP BREATH IN* RULE 34 MUST HAD A FIE- *snap* Sorry, low hanging fruit.

Did Pearl just literally sploosh?

It’s Always Sunny honestly did this better.

Opal, you’re back for a minute! I forgot she could talk.

We All Float.

Damn Steven, you look like shit.

Steve-o, you’re not helping her situation. Comfort her, fool.

Oof, this is gonna be a painful number isn’t it?

Such a dear jester

A nice detail is that Spinel’s voice feels slowly exhausted and empty the more she shares of her memories. It makes that scene where she snapped at Steven make a lot more sense.

I also like that it isn’t clear if Steven sees what she’s envisioning but can understand what she might’ve remembered.

*taps the mic* Pink is a CUNT. That will be all.

'Drift Away’ was.. beautiful. Ugh, not gonna remember it though, which sucks.

That brings up a question. Was there never a message saying that Pink was “shattered”? Like you’d think news like that would’ve reached any and everywhere, Spinel especially. That certainly would’ve changed a few things.

Okay, ‘Found‘ was a great AND memorable song. That’s two out of.... ten. Not bad.

Greg is honestly the best in this movie.

Uh, Steven? You’re just leaving her there.

“Just Forget.“ How to make someone on edge feel worse in two words or less.

Welp, there’s Chekov’s scythe.

Pretty convenient he kept that around to further the plot.

I would say Spinel’s gone off the deep end, but.... uh, ugh I can’t help but side with her? I really just wanna give her a hug before the end of the world happens.

Garnet, are you gonna do anything? Were you this stagnant?

Ah, it’s the “Marketed like Let it Go” song.

I love that we got chill music in the midst of the apocalypse. It’s a good way to die.

Guess they saved the animation budget for the violence? Lovely.

Wait, that’s it? All that fluid and it doesn’t even look like it’ll destroy the world? Just Beach City? That kinda... kills the tension.

And why was everyone just standing there? Jesus, this feels messy.

It’s the final bout!

Tch, Get Dekt, Steven.

Shield hero’s back!

Spinel I love ya, and I don’t blame ya, but singing’s all they’ve done this entire movie.

Dead.

I got Mob Psycho vibes from that nuke. Don’t know why.

That reminds me. WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE MILITARY?! “Cause and Effect is not a stro-” Shut up!

Then stay with him, Spinel. Travel the world, be more than a single one’s friend and... oh, the Diamonds are here.

That’s a fate worse than death, dictators moving in with you.

It’s only been one night, White.... Seriously, this all happened in a day. It feels weird.

I’m with Yellow. That is sickeningly funny.

Seriously, their song is creepy. I don’t trust them like that.

I got a problem with Spinel’s ending deep down. Then again, if she can be happy... then I’m happy that she’s happy. That’s something, I guess.

Okay, I’m tired of the singing.

But when I think about it, I feel bad for Steven. All he just wanted was some time to himself where he didn’t have to deal with any bullshit. Had to teach whole dictators and remodel a whole empire. Yeah, he’s gonna change as he grows, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having “me time” so to speak. Can’t the kid have a chance to not have to worry about anything, actually live a life? No? Jerks?

Well that was a bit of fun. While the musicals and most of the characters felt like an afterthought, save for Greg, Spinel, and Steven, there were a few moments that honestly made the watch worth it, intentionally or not. I really have no interest in seeing this again, but I’m satisfied with the events that transpired and I’m glad the crew got to make this film. “What about the moral of the story?” 

Eh, it’s Steven Universe, morals are whatever.

[darisu-chan]

The Three Gruesome Mysteries of Karakura Town

Welcome to my take of the “Buzzfeed Unsolved IchiRuki AU.” I hope I did it justice, because I love BU, and you know I love these dorks. 

Hope you all like it!

You can also read it here.

Prompt: au of your choice!- Buzzfeed Unsolved AU

Summary: Ichigo tries to prove ghosts exist, meanwhile Rukia insists all evidence is the wind.

Video starts.

The scene: an abandoned building at downtown Karakura.

Two twenty-somethings, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia, stand outside, with their backs towards the building. Chad, their main cameraman, gives them a thumbs up. Ichigo takes a deep breath and then looks into the camera.

“This week on Bleach Unsolved we cover several cases and we visit some of the most haunted locations here in Karakura Town.” Ichigo explains while Rukia happily nods next to him. “In an effort to answer our ongoing question: Are ghosts real?” He asks while his partner vehemently shakes her head.

“What? Think they’re not real?” He tells her.

“Nope.” Rukia says simply. “In every case we’ve covered, there hasn’t been any compelling ghost evidence.”

“Well, today’s that about to change, since, for the first time in the show, we’re actually going to be investigating in the actual places.” Ichigo says. “Fasten your seatbelts, folks, ‘cause this is not a drill. Today we’re gonna prove ghosts are a thing!” He says excitedly.

“I’m pretty sure all we’re gonna hear is the wind.”

“Shut up! I swear to god ghosts are real!”

“You keep saying that, but I see no real reason for ghosts to exist.”

“No real reason? Rukia, our myths revolve around ghosts and demons and the supernatural!” Ichigo says gesturing around them. “They have to exist!”

She just shrugs. “You think that only because you think you saw a ghost.”

“I didn’t think I saw a ghost! I saw it!”

“It was probably a delusion.”

“I’m pretty sure it was a ghost.” He mutters angrily. “And I’m going to prove it in today’s episode!”

“Speaking of which, what are we doing here?” Rukia asks, looking around. “The building looks creepy, but that’s about it.”

Ichigo smirks. “Glad you ask. Today we’re here for our first gruesome mystery: the sad guitar incident.”

“The what now?”

“The sad guitar! Keep up!” He coughs. “Anyway, here’s how the story goes.” Ichigo changes his voice tone to a deeper, more mysterious tone. “On November 5, 1988, a strange thing occurred in an apartment building in downtown Karakura. In one of the empty apartments, a peculiar noise could be heard. It was the strums of a guitar. The neighbors filed a complaint to the landlord, who insisted nobody lived there. Since the door was locked as well as all windows, it was impossible to get inside. The landlord went in and checked the place without finding anything. However, days passed and eventually they became weeks, and the guitar playing could still be heard. It unnerved the neighbors.”

“Hold up.” Rukia says, interrupting him. “They were unnerved of a guitar?”

“Well, yeah. Imagine if you suddenly start hearing someone playing a guitar, but there’s no one in the apartment.” Ichigo says. “By the way, I forgot to mention it was always at the same time. 10 o’ clock pm.”

“It’s a lousy time to practice guitar, I’ll give you that.”

“That’s all you’re getting from the info?” He asks in disbelief.

“Well, yeah. Some people start getting ready to go to sleep at that time. Imagine if you have to get up at 5 the next day, but you can’t fall asleep because an asshole decided to play the guitar.” Ichigo wheezes. “Was the guitar playing good anyway?”

“It was described as a nostalgic tune. Hence the name ‘the sad guitar’.”

“So it wasn’t good at all?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Hah. Thought so.”

“As weeks passed by and the situation continued, the landlord started believing the building might be haunted.” Ichigo keeps retelling the events. “As it turns out, he had acquired the entire building at a low price eight years prior. He didn’t receive a lot of information about it, thinking everything was in order. Most tenants stayed, but there were unrented apartments. One of them was apartment number 25.”

“Ghost guitar apartment?”  Rukia asks.

“Ghost guitar apartment.”

“For the next eight years, the landlord, Ukitake Juushiro, would have trouble keeping that apartment rented. Each time someone came to live there, they would inexplicably leave shortly after.”

“How shortly after?”

“Six months to a year after having rented it.”

“Huh. Not that unheard of. But still…”

“Yeah. Around ten tenants went through that apartment, and when the guitar incident started happening, it had been empty for around two months.”

“Now I’m curious about the apartment.” Rukia says.

“Let’s take a look.”

Scene changes. Ichigo and Rukia get inside the building. There, they notice the empty hall. The walls look gray, the paint’s chipped, and there’s rumble littering the floor. The whole place is covered in cobwebs and dust. It seems that it was abandoned long ago.

“This place is a mess.” Ichigo mutters as they explore the place.

“How long has it been empty?” Rukia asks him as she flashes her flashlight in every corner.

“A decade.”

“Huh. Well, to me it looks like it’s been like fifty years in this state.”

“There’s a reason for that.” Ichigo starts explaining. “Eventually, Ukitake-san started digging in the records of the past tenants of that apartment. He found out that, in the early seventies, a twenty five year old man by the name of Hisagi Shuhei lived there. He was a struggling musician, who worked at a local bar. He often practiced in the apartment, to the discontentment of his neighbors. The instrument: a guitar.” He dramatically pauses to show a picture of Hisagi playing the guitar. “However, even if he was a promising musician, he wasn’t getting paid enough. His friends said he had been desperate to make more money, as he planned to woo and marry a waitress that worked at the same bar as he did.”

“Love problems. The downfall of most men in these stories.” Rukia comments.

“It’s always been the reason for most infortunes in history.”

“Like the reason I’m doing these videos in the first place.” She jokes, making Ichigo fume.

“Shut up.”

“As for Hisagi, soon he piled up a considerable debt, to the point the previous owner of the place, Tosen Kaname, told him he needed to leave the apartment in three days after he failed to pay the rent. On November of 1973, he played his guitar one last time before jumping from his fourth floor apartment. He didn’t survive the crash.”

They begin walking up the stairs to reach the four floor. As they pass, they see more rubble on the floor. The steps creak each time they walk on them. The place is dark to boot. They need to illuminate it with their flashlights.

“So, you’re saying the sad guitar is being played by a ghost?” Rukia asks as they ascend the stairs.

“It’s too much of a coincidence to have the previous tenant be a musician and then die, only for people to hear a guitar coming from that same apartment years later, on the same month he passed away, no less.” He answers her. “Right now, we’re going to the apartment to see if we can hear the guitar.”

Rukia rolls her eyes. “Yeah right, Ichigo. As if we’d suddenly hear the guitar.”

As in cue, they hear something as they walk up the stairs.

“What was that?” Ichigo asks, stopping dead on his tracks.

“It was nothing.” She dismisses it with a wave of his hand.

“No, no. I’m sure I heard something.”

There is a noise which almost sounds like guitar strums. But it is so low it can be barely heard through the video. Ichigo immediately starts running up the stairs left to reach the fourth floor.

“Where are you going?!” Rukia yells at him as he speeds up in front of her.

“That was the guitar! I need to reach the apartment to listen closely!”

They both run what is left of the way until they reach a floor which looks exactly the same as all the previous ones. There is a bit of a rustle coming from one of the apartments. Ichigo runs towards apartment 25, the camera strapped to his chest picking up more sounds.

“Aha!” He exclaims as he opens the door to reveal… absolutely nothing.

“Well, well, well.” Rukia says from behind him. “If it isn’t an open window!” She gestures to the sole window in the room, which, as she said, is opened. The wind makes the dirty curtain move and rustle, the cacophony of the room helping it create an echo. It does sound melodically. Almost like a song.

“Bu-but… I don’t understand.” Ichigo says dumbfounded. “I swear I heard the guitar!”

“It was just the wind.” His partner replies, shrugging.

“I hate it when you’re right.”

“Where are we now, Ichigo?” Rukia asks as both she and he stand outside another building at night.

“This is Karakura High School, and the setting of our next incident.”

“Karakura High? Didn’t you study here?” She asks, gesturing to the beige school behind them.

“That’s right. And I’m about to retell the most famous legend in here.”

“Oh, this will be fun.” Rukia replies, motioning to him to start speaking.

“For years and years, it has been said that exactly at 12 pm at night, in the girls’ restrooms located at the third floor, a voice can be heard coming from the third stall. It is said it’s the spirit of a girl by the name of Hiyori. If you go near her, she will insult you before slapping you in the face.”

“Slap you?” Rukia asks incredulously.

“Yeah. It’s as you heard.”

“Well this one sounds even more unbelievable than the other. Why would a ghost slap you?”

“For the record, a lot of our classmates held spiritual sessions here. A couple swear they got slapped after being called ‘baldies.’ Right, Chad?” The camera man grumbles in reply.

“But why would she slap you?” She repeats her question.

“That’s what we’re here to find out. We’re staying overnight to see if we can find her. At exactly 12, we’ll go to the stall to catch evidence.” Ichigo says.

“Man, this will be boring.”

They make their way inside the school. It looks like your average Japanese school. It has a lot of tree areas outside. The corridors are filled with classrooms, offices, restrooms and the like. They pass by the cafeteria, as Ichigo shows Rukia around.

“Does it look any different during daytime?” She asks him as they walk.

“Less creepy.” He says, shrugging. “It has many legends going on. A haunted classroom, moving chairs in the cafeteria, a ghost that peeks on the girls’ locker room. I just chose the one with more evidence for this video.”

“The ghost in the restroom has more evidence?” Rukia asks in disbelief.

“Hey! As I told before, there’ve been many eyewitnesses.”

“Sure, Ichigo.”

They finally approach a classroom on the third floor, right beside the girls’ restroom. They sit down on the ground, forming a small circle, their flashlights lighting up the room.

“Okay. Now’s time to actually tell the story.”

“Ooohhh. Storytelling time!” She exclaims.

“The story goes that there was a student by the name of Hiyori. She was mocked because she was poorer than the rest and couldn’t afford shoes. She mostly put on sandals when it was time to go home, and always got to school wearing those same sandals. However, a mean spirited group of girls once stole her sandals, so she had to go home barefoot. Here’s where the story gets muddy.”

“Muddy? I like that!”

“Some say she walked on the riverbank, where she got mugged and killed. Others say she was too ashamed to go back home, so she escaped and eventually got killed. Other stories are inconsequential. But, long story short, in all of them she dies.”

“This isn’t a fun story.”

“It’s not.” Ichigo clears his throat. “Anyway, the girls were in a club. Some stories say that it was the volleyball club, others don’t name it. The point’s that they were holding a spiritual session in this very room to scare the club’s new members. They asked for any spirit to materialize. Nothing happened right away, but, someone heard movement in the restrooms at exactly 12 pm. They dared one of the new girls to check it. She did it and then she screamed. She rushed out of the restroom as the others reached her. She claimed a girl with blonde pigtails had called her a ‘stupid baldy’ and slapped her with what felt like a sandal. They immediately knew it was Hiyori. Ever since, students have stayed overnight to have séances and the like. After that, if they hear movement in the restroom, they go to the third stall to see if there’s a ghost.”

“So that’s what we’re doing.” Rukia says. “Calling this dead girl to see if we can catch her on camera.”

“Or at least get slapped.”

“Or insulted.”

“You insult me enough.”

They both laugh. “Then why are you complaining?”

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo takes out a candle from his backpack. “So now we’re gonna hold a spiritual session. It’s exactly 11:50. Let’s see if in ten minutes we can call a ghost. Rukia, give me your hands.”

“Oh, Kurosaki-kun, so bold!” She says before grabbing his hands.

“Shut up. Anyway, here comes nothing. Spirits from beyond. We call to you to seek the truth. Tells us, is there a girl by the name of Hiyori here?”

Nothing happens.

“Nothing’s happening.” Rukia grumbles.

“Be quiet.” He tells her. “I’ll try again. Spirits, if you hear me, please tell us, is there a girl named Hiyori? Hiyori, are you here?”

They try this a couple more times to no avail. Rukia starts getting impatient, grumbling about ghosts not being real, while Ichigo starts getting frustrated. Exactly at 11:59, Ichigo tries one last time.

“Hiyori, are you here? Talk to us!”

They both hear a sound coming from the restroom next door, as if something was rustling.

“What was that?” Ichigo asks, suddenly alarmed. He stands up and looks around.

“It’s probably nothing.”

“No. It’s coming from the restroom. I’m sure.” He says before bolting out of the room. Rukia sighs just before having to follow him.

“Let’s see if Ichigo’ll finally find a ghost.”

Ichigo runs to the restroom and opens the third stall with a kick to the door to find… nothing. Rukia starts giggling uncontrollably behind him.

“Where’s your ghost, Ichigo?”

“No! What’s this? She was supposed to be here!” He says, gesturing to the door.

“I don’t see anything. But aren’t ghosts transparent.”

“Incorporeal. But that’s not the point!” Ichigo exclaims. “What was that sound if it wasn’t the ghost?!”

“Hey, look.” Rukia says, catching his attention. “The janitor left the window open. What you heard was probably the wind.”

“The wind?! Again?!”

“I’m convinced that’s all your ghost evidence.”

“I really hate you right now.”

“I love you too.”

“Well, we’re on our final location for this episode.” Ichigo says to the camera as he sits outside of a fountain. “The Karakura Mall.” He says, gesturing around him. Sure enough, he and Rukia are sitting on the fountain in the middle of a deserted mall. There’s rumble everywhere, and the entire place looks as if it had seen better days.

“What’s this place?” Rukia asks him.

“It’s the first mall we had in town. It was abandoned like 20 years ago.”

“Why?”

“Ah. That’s the thing and the reason we’re here.”

“Spooky.” Rukia says in a playful tone.

“It’s very spooky, actually.”

“Can’t wait for this one.” She says, winking at the camera.

“When the Karakura Mall was first built, it was supposed to be the highlight of the town. It was meant to attract tourists as well as bring in stores that didn’t exist here yet. It was a win-win situation for everyone involved. After it was finished, stores started opening, and the business went booming. That is, of course, until strange occurrences started happening.”

“What occurrences?” Rukia asks.

“They noticed that things weren’t in the same place they had left them during the night. First, it began with small things being moved around. Then, things were thrown to the floor. Sweaters and pants sprawled all over the place. Chairs missing. Spoons on the floor. Mannequins moving from place to place. Their initial thought was that there was a thief. The problem was that they found all the things which were missing eventually, and the cash registers were left alone. All money was there.”

“Then how did they go from a thief to a ghost? They’re very different.”

“As I was saying, because all stuff was there, and nobody stole the money from the registers.”

“It could’ve been a prank, though.” Rukia says.

“Well, here’s why they began thinking these incidents were supernatural. One very silent night, the guard was doing his rounds around the place, when he saw movement from a display window. Naturally, he approached it, thinking he had caught the person responsible. What he saw, however, wasn’t made by a human. He saw one of the mannequins from a store move its head to stare at him right before it fell to the ground with a thud.”

“Did that really happen, Ichigo?” She asks her partner. “It seems too far-fetched.”

“The guard swore by it then, and even in a recent interview for a local online magazine, he repeated the same thing. All the times he’s retold the story, the details have been the same.”

“Is he sane?”

“He didn’t imagine it. They found the mannequin on the floor the next morning.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. And other guards started hearing noises at night. They saw chairs from the food court moving around. It came to a point the people that worked here theorized the mall was built on a cursed place.”

“Is this why the mall got abandoned?”

“No. Back then, people weren’t too materialistic and they didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the stores here. The rumors of the poltergeist activity just made it so less people came. With no costumers, it closed down entirely. Eventually, the citizens’ way of leaving would change, and they opened a new mall in another place. Yet this building remained abandoned, only being frequented by the homeless, those doing illicit activities, and people trying to find the spirits that are said to be here.”

“So just like us.”

“Well now, to catch some evidence, I’ve brought this.” Ichigo says taking out a device from his pocket.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a spirit box. It’s a device which uses radio frequencies to help ghosts communicate.”

“That doesn’t sound very scientific.”

“Well, it is, and we’re going to try it now!”

The two move to one of the empty stores on the first floor. There’s a chair lying around and Ichigo sets the box there.

“Alright, ghosts, I’ll leave this device here, it’ll help you talk to us. So, when you’re ready, you can start saying something.” Ichigo turns it on and it starts making a lot of static noise. Rukia covers her ears.

“That’s really loud!” She exclaims.

Ichigo laughs. “Yeah. Should’ve warned you. Anyway, have a question for the ghosts?”

“What’s your name?” Rukia asks.

There’s nothing except for noise.

“Why are you here?” Ichigo tries now.

“Do you hate malls? Is that why you haunt this place?” Rukia tries again.

“Yes.” Comes from the spirit box. It is said in a voice which sounds deep and masculine.

“Holy shit!” Ichigo exclaims, taking a step back while Rukia laughs.

“Do you want to harm us?”

“Maybe… brown.” Comes from the EVP.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Both ask.

“Gerald.” It says.

“Is that your name? Gerald?” Ichigo asks.

“Potato… pie.”

“Potato pie?” Rukia asks and starts giggling. “What’s that? A new dish?”

“Okay. That’s enough.” Ichigo says as he turns it off.

“I gotta say, Ichigo, that was fun. Scientific? Eh.” She says, shaking her head and moving her hand. “Fun? Yes.”

“Ha, ha.” Ichigo says sarcastically. “Well, now let’s keep exploring.”

They walk around, laughing at discarded mannequins. They play with some of the stuff littering around the place. They decide to go upstairs, to see the other stores on the second floor. They pass by what seems to be an old video store. They’re looking around when Ichigo hears a whispering sound from the next door store.

“What was that?” He asks, turning around and squinting his eyes at the wall.

“Probably a raccoon.” Rukia says dismissively.

“No. Something’s not right.” Ichigo says and bolts to the store. He gets in to find… nothing. “Wait. What the hell was that?”

“I told you. Probably a raccoon, or a rat. Maybe a bird.” She says.

“It didn’t sound like that.”

Rukia shrugs and looks around before she starts laughing. “Hah! Found the source of the noise! There’s a hole on the roof. You probably heard the wind moving around rocks.”

“What?! No way!”

“Yes, the evidence is right here!”

In cue, Chad zooms in the hole, showing Rukia’s grin and Ichigo’s displeased expression.

“Fine. You win. For now.”

“I’ll take that.”

“Well, I guess we’ve seen enough.” Ichigo says.

“Yep. Let’s go.”

“These local buildings have been said to be haunted for years now. Although many people have heard and seen things, there’s no concrete evidence to say they are actually being haunted. The question of whether or not there are ghosts involved in these incidents here in Karakura will remain unsolved.”

What unsolved mystery do you want to see next?

[lumalaya]

summer films ‘18

hi there! to clarify, this is a log of films i’ve seen this summer, not exactly films set in the summer, so if you’re here for that, i’m sorry?

anyway, here we go!

1. kasal (2018) / dir. ruel s. bayani ♡ 180525 ♡ girl is engaged to the son of cebu’s current mayor who is currently preparing for elections, but her ex comes back and tries to win her back ♡ cliche, i know, but trust me, this movie deals with this plotline in a very interesting way ♡ and come on, it’s bea alonzo and paulo avelino, two icons 2. high school musical (2006) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180614 ♡ iconic, i love troy bolton, thanks for reminding me ♡ i know sharpay isn’t that bad but she’s still a bully lol ♡ the choreography for when there was me and you got me dying i love it ♡  fave song: stick to the status quo 3. high school musical 2 (2007) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180622 ♡ my least favorite in the trilogy ♡ there was so much unnecessary drama they should’ve cut troy some slack ♡ i hate chad danforth, that’s all ♡ fave song: you are the music in me 4. high school musical 3: senior year (2008) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180622 ♡ my favorite in the trilogy! ♡ i still hate chad tho lol but i love taylor so much she’s my favorite character! ♡ i wish they elaborated more on gabriella though, because i like to imagine an alternate ending where she declines stanford and stays in albuquerque for another year which disappoints everyone and puts a strain on her relationship with troy. that would’ve been so interesting! ♡ fave song: i love all of them, but if i had to choose, the boys are back 5. kimmy dora 2: the temple of kiyeme (2009) / dir. joyce bernal ♡ 180626 ♡ the only reason i watched this was because i had a terrible pimple on my forehead and it reminded me of some horror movie then i realized it was this so i had to look for the particular scene ♡ the movie was really bad, as expected ♡ but i absolutely love eugene domingo!! she’s so talented i really admire her as an actress

6. before sunrise (1995) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡ this was the day my internet ultimately stopped working (for four days, if i may add) so i thought hey why not start that movie marathon i’ve been meaning to do ♡ i was excited to watch this because it’s a known pop culture reference, and also because it’s seulgi’s favorite movie ♡ it’s unique! it’s not easy to film a story that revolves around two people who’ve just met walking around in a city neither of them knows ♡ i liked this movie but it wasn’t that spectacular or anything, i think it lacks emotion and excitement ♡ but please, do not get off a train in europe with someone you’ve just met that is dangerous 

7. before sunset (2004) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡  i knew nothing about this so i was actually surprised to see the same actors nine years after before sunrise’s release ♡ i like this better than the first one! céline shows the emotions i was looking for ♡ it’s much simpler and easier to follow because it really is just them walking around and talking to continue the story because of the short amount of time they have together 

8. before midnight (2013) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡ this movie is the reason i watched the series! it was mentioned in it’s okay, that’s love so i thought i needed to watch this, and honestly, it helped me understand the characters from iotl a bit better! ♡ it ended up being my favorite film of the three ♡ it’s more complex than the first two because it introduces more characters and is set in more locations ♡ after years of watching and reading romcoms, this made me believe in love 

9. gone girl (2014) / dir. david fincher ♡ 180701 ♡ i knew nothing about this film except that there was a girl and she was missing and the plot is unexpected? ♡ i won’t say much on this because it’s amazing when you watch it without knowing anything ♡ but it is CRAZY it hecked me up so much wow ♡ will try reading the book when i can!! 10. the grand budapest hotel (2014) / dir. wes anderson ♡ 180701 ♡ my first wes anderson film (finally) ♡ bored me at first because sadly, i can’t relate to rich european men who live in hotels and have sex with elderly women ♡ but it is so much more than that! it’s funny and deals with loyalty, the war, and crap immigrants go through ♡ yes, the cinematography is unique and beautiful, but i couldn’t appreciate it much from years of seeing wes anderson stills on my social media ♡ i went into this without knowing anything about it, but i wish i’d watched the trailer beforehand because that would’ve helped me appreciate it more 11. the fault in our stars (2014) / dir. josh boone ♡ 180702 ♡ i was bored and looking through my sister’s hard drive and i thought hey why not watch sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify years ago ♡ it was alright but knowing every line, song, facial expression that would come next made it worse ♡ john green’s cameo is so awkward it’s almost funny ♡ i hope i never meet an augustus waters in my life 12. if i stay (2014) / dir. r.j. cutler ♡ 180703 ♡ part 2 of sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify ♡ the story is pretty good but the film itself isn’t as good as i remembered ♡ i’m still so in love with jamie blackley after four years he’s so handsome and his voice is beautiful ♡ chloe moretz’s acting is really awkward though it’s almost painful to watch ♡ it made me want to reread the sequel where she went though! 13. she’s dating the gangster (2014) / dir. cathy garcia-molina ♡ 180705 ♡ i started this with an open mind and some expectations because although i hated on it for no reason years ago, i wanted to give it a chance ♡ but i’m sorry it really is bad ♡ kenji delos reyes is manipulative and selfish i hope i never meet a guy like him 14. grave of the fireflies (1988) / dir. isao takahata ♡ 180706 ♡ two siblings in the middle of a war ♡ watched this because a friend wanted to rabbit with me! ♡ i haven’t seen a ghibli film in a while so this was refreshing ♡ really sad though :( 15. 10 things i hate about you (1999) / dir. gil hunger ♡ 180706 ♡ guy is paid to date girl lol ♡ julia stiles is so beautiful :( i love her ♡ pretty funny actually! ♡ also watched this because friends wanted to rabbit with me :> 16. i’m drunk, i love you (2017) / dir. jp habac ♡ 180707 ♡ i finally, finally watched this ♡ not gonna lie it disappointed me? so many people loved it but for me it was eh ♡ paulo avelino’s character was pretty lacking for me, i wish they’d elaborated more on him ♡ but i liked the group dynamic because they’re not the wholesome, fake happy kind of friends, seeing them interact made me feel like they’re people i really know in real life (which made me miss my own friends) ♡ even jasmine’s character felt real because she’s probably someone i’d know HAHA ♡ fun fact: i’ve listened to the song lloydy long before watching this because i mean? a song about john lloyd? sign me up 17. that thing called tadhana (2014) / dir. antoinette jadaone ♡ 180708 ♡ another film i finally watched after multiple pop culture references ♡ i actually kinda liked it! it literally has a spiel about john lloyd of course i do but it gets better when the main characters become comfortable with each other ♡ i find it interesting that the director also directed love you to the stars and back which is another film that revolves around two people, both dealing with stuff, who’d just met and decide to go on a journey together ♡ the characters also feel pretty realistic/relatable once you get to know them 18. the spectacular now (2013) / dir. james ponsoldt ♡ 180709 ♡ part 3 of sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify ♡ the only reason i rewatched this was because it was the shortest of the films i had at the time and i needed something to pass the time while loading episodes of svt club ♡ i mean it’s okay? not bad not good and i don’t even like miles teller ♡ shailene woodley perfectly plays the part of the awkward oblivious girl (and that’s not a compliment) 19. the breakup playlist (2015) / dir. dan villegas ♡ 180716 ♡ this film was so refreshing to watch?? sarah portrayed a youthful musician just starting out so so well i love her so much what a great first sarah g movie for me ♡ piolo made me fall in love with him and later on hate him, as he should ♡ i love opm kaya seeing the gig scene, some actual artists like ebe dancel, and looots of covers of songs like wag na wag mong sasabihin by kitchie nadal and with a smile by eraserheads ♡ i understand now why people love paano bang magmahal HAHAHA 20. barcelona: a love untold (2016) / dir. olivia lamasan ♡ 180717 ♡ alright so remember how i absolutely hated sdtg? ♡ I LOVED THIS FILM SO. MUCH. ♡ kathniel matured a lot in two years and i think they were perfect for this!! they really showed certain struggles of young adults and did not disappoint ♡ it also shows filipino values for family, utang ng loob, ofw struggles, etc ♡ and of course the cinematography is beautiful HUHU i mean it’s barcelona!! 21. my annoying brother (2016) / dir. kwon soo-kyung ♡ 180721 ♡ honestly took me a bit to get into it  ♡ i expected it to be funny and although it did make me laugh a lot why were there tears :((( ♡ kyungsoo is so, so, so talented i admire him so much as an actor now ♡ really hits you in the feels! a really beautiful story about two brothers 22. so i married an anti-fan (2016) / dir. kim jae-young ♡ 180724 ♡ meh ♡ it took some getting used to seeing chanyeol being all snobbish and cool instead of his usual loud happy self ♡ of course it’s overdramatic for the comedy, but the hate-turned-love isn’t even that good lol it’s just unreasonable but whatever ♡ the lead girl reminds me of arci munoz HAHA 23. wonder (2017) / dir. stephen chbosky ♡ 180725 ♡ we watched this during my summer program and i was actually pretty excited because i remember loving the book! ♡ this honestly teaches you a lot not even just from the perspective of children but also as teenagers, parents, friends, etc ♡ i thoroughly enjoyed it!

[aion-rsa]

Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4 Review – Chapter 80: Purgatorio

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Riverdale reinvents itself as the fifth season properly gets underway.

This RIVERDALE review contains spoilers.

Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4

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“To be honest, it doesn’t even feel like Riverdale anymore.”

You can say that again Archie.

Following three episodes originally intended for last year and a seven-year time jump, Riverdale‘s fifth season gets well and truly underway with an installment designed not so much with shaking up the status quo but reinventing it completely. To borrow the name of a Flaming Lips song — you just know NYC writer’s block-stricken Jughead listens to lots of the band’s output — suddenly everything has changed.

In the near decade since he was last home, Archie has been through hell fighting in an unnamed conflict in which he feels responsible for one of his fellow soldiers losing a leg. He has dreams that mix battle imagery with the formally idyllic existence he had in high school. (At least that’s what I think we’re supposed to feel here, even though Archie’s teen years were fraught with bear attacks and attempted murders aplenty but I digress). The point being that Archie sees Riverdale, despite its obvious flaws, as a safe haven. Always one to embrace a cliche though, he quickly learns that you can’t go home again. Riverdale is now just as dangerous as his overseas battle. It wasn’t a nightmare he had, it was a premonition.

Ordered to run Riverdale High School’s ROTC program, Archie comes home is quickly brought up to speed by Toni — pregnant and running the reborn White Wyrm out of the former space of La Bonne Nuit. Lawlessness prevails throughout town, leaving Riverdale largely empty with the exception of those who are too poor or proud to try to restart elsewhere. The city is without hope. Mayhem reigns. Is Archie Batman now? God I hope so.

Responsible for the community’s downfall is, you guessed it, Hiram Lodge. Without the influence of Hermione or Veronica to keep his worst instincts in check, Hiram has become the villain he has always longed to be. (He’s enlisted Reggie to be his right hand man, making that character the closest to his pain-in-the-ass comic book counterpart to date). Some murky dialogue vaguely explains that Hiram’s wrongdoing is connected to his long-gestating SoDale real estate development, but the specifics don’t matter. What does is that Mr. Lodge is in power like never before, and all of Riverdale is suffering as a result.

Meanwhile at Quantico, FBI trainee Betty is also haunted by her recent past. While pursuing the hilariously named Trash Bag Killer, she didn’t wait for backup — becoming the killer’s captive before he escaped in the process. Her loving partner — let’s call him Molder for now, Mad magazine style — is worried that she isn’t dealing with the trauma of her experience, as is her therapist. But soon she too is called back home to deal with what we think is a crisis but is really just a very sweet thing. More on that in a few minutes.

We catch up with New Yorker Veronica, who is married to real estate tycoon Chadwick Gekko (Chris Mason, portraying a character from Katy Keene that Reid Prebenda originated). Apparently she used to be the “she wolf of Wall Street” until she lost her mojo after being involved in a near-fatal helicopter accident with Chad. Since then, she’s been secretly working in an upscale jewelry store that let’s her take advantage of the smart business acumen she frequently demonstrated during her high school years. But when she sells a Glamorege egg that Chadwick gave to her, it’s clear that their relationship is more than just a little fractured.

Also in the Big Apple is Jughead, and he’s just full on skeezy now. With dubious facial hair and a penchant for sleeping with fans, this version of Jughead is easily the most disturbing new version of one of the series’ core four. We learn that his first book, the S.E. Hinton meets Pop Tate’s Chok’lit Shoppe pastiche The Outcasts was a mega success that made him a fleeting media darling. But now Jughead has severe writer’s block…not to mention debt collectors literally pounding at his door and toxic boyfriend tendencies we see him display briefly. Basically he sucks. If anyone can use a priority realignment it’s him. Fortunately, he too gets a call beckoning him home.

Once the gang is back together in Riverdale, for Pop Tate’s retirement party!, awww, we get an update on Cheryl. She has successfully rebuilt Thornhill and rehabilitated the Blossom family name over the past seven years…with a cost. She still feels cursed by her family’s misdeeds and spurns Toni’s attempts to reconcile and instead chooses to live as a recluse. (I mean, for at least the remainder of this episode).

Finally reunited with all of friends, Archie is determined to enlist their help in saving the soul of Riverdale. Not that any of them seem too happy to join this crusade. But the episode doesn’t dwell on their responses as it is too busy establishing a new mystery — a murderous trucker is on the loose. And our heroes are the only one who can stop him. Obviously.

This episode is a very typical one in that it bombards the viewer with new information. True, it doesn’t feel like Riverdale as we know it, but that’s a good thing. After a previous season that was a bit middling, I am more than supportive of this quasi reboot happening here. The series has been renewed for a sixth season, so it’s likely that it will find it’s new rhythm over the course of the upcoming installments and a new normal will settle in. For now though, there’s a lot of possibility here. Riverdale‘s biggest mystery right now? Where it will go next.

Riverdale Roundup

• Along with Saving Private Ryan, the nightmare that starts this episode is also a reference to the excellent Archie 1941 miniseries — which explored how World War II impacted Riverdale and its characters.

• Since Archie and Betty are now both experiencing PTSD, will their shared trauma bond them together?

• I absolutely believe that each of these characters would return to Riverdale to bid farewell to Pop Tate, given how important his shop has been in each of their lives.

• Let’s hear it for more screen time for Vanessa Morgan’s Toni Topaz! Choni forever! (That baby bump was real by the way, she gave birth to her first child last week).

• Archie reads Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, in case any of you were worried that the series’ fondness for anachronisms would be lost during the seven year time jump. Also, Archie being able to read is canon!

• Even though Katy Keene is long-cancelled, it’s nice to see that show’s title character (and her employer, Lacy’s) get referenced here.

• As an Archie comics diehard fan, I am incensed that the show has ditched his iconic whoopee hat. Yet I have a feeling by the time this season ends we will witness him throwing it back on in an effort to reclaim the artistic power that his former self possessed.

• Kevin and Fangs are established as still being together, with the former working at Riverdale High. Alice’s current whereabouts are unknown. I hope Vegas has been rehomed.

• In case Betty’s Silence of the Lambs parallels were a tad too understated for your taste, her therapist’s name is Dr. Starling. And if someone doesn’t sing “Goodbye Horses” this season I will be very upset.

• The FBI waited seven years to dismantle the two-person (one of whom wasn’t even a real agent) Riverdale field office? Actually, given government inefficiency, this sounds just about right.

• Veronica and Chadwick’s helicopter accident happened while they were on their way to “Marsha’s Vineyard,” because apparently Riverdale 2.0 now does fake places as well as brands.

• That abandoned doll Archie found in Pickens Park is super creepy.

• Betty’s cat is named Coffee, and given her history as a pet owner, I fear for the feline.

• Towards the end of this episode, new character Tabitha Tate (Erinn Westbrook) bids farewell to drifter Lynette “Squeaky” Fields. Given that Fields’ nickname is a Manson Family reference, could Riverdale have a death cult on its hands?

• Other mysteries raised by this episode: Who is the father of Toni’s baby? How will Veronica feel about La Bonne Nuit becoming a Serpent hangout? How long have Betty and her partner been together? Will Jughead get a razor? Who is the Lonely Highway killer? How did Reggie get involved with working for Hiram? What exactly are Hiram’s SoDale plans? How long until someone punches Chadwick? Where’s Mary Andrews? How long have the Ghoulies been back in Riverdale…and Archie’s house for that matter? If Riverdale is such a cesspool, what exactly does Tom Keller do all day? I suppose we will just have to wait for answers to all of these questions and more. Until next week!

The post Riverdale Season 5 Episode 4 Review – Chapter 80: Purgatorio appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[babygirl06301]

Bleach asks: All of them (;

YES, BITCH! LET’S GOOOOOOO.

*I edited some questions/changed them to update the list since the show has ended and some were future tense or questioning about the future of the series*

1. Favorite male character:

Why is this such a tough question?! 

Okay, I don’t wanna be basic and say that Ichigo is my favorite, but he is. At least, he’s my favorite main focus character. As far as supporting characters go, I’d definitely say Hisagi. I love him. Honestly, yum.

2. Least favorite male character:

Ōmaeda. 100%. He is my least favorite out of the main focus characters, the supporting characters, everything. He annoys me, he’s too incompetent at times, and sometimes he can be kind of an asshole. No to Ōmaeda. 

3. Favorite female character:

Again, I don’t want to be basic, so I’m dividing this into main focus characters and supporting characters. They are Rukia and Rangiku respectively.

4. Least favorite female character:

This is kind of difficult for me, especially because there’s so many options to choose from. I’m gonna say Jackie just because she was probably the least interesting female character I can think of off the top of my head. I mean, her backstory was kind of interesting, but her personality didn’t hold my attention for long.

5. Favoritearc:

I’d probably say the White Invasion and Invasion of Soul Society arcs were my favorites. I really liked the aspect of seeing all the characters we loved fighting extremely tough adversaries. There were amazing battles in these arcs. That’s why I love both arcs equally because the second arc mentioned here contains the Ichigo vs. Aizen fight, which is my favorite fight of the series. It also contains my absolute favorite episode, scene, moment, whatever of the whole series: Ichigo’s goodbye to Rukia.

6. Least favorite arc:

I really didn’t like the Fullbring arc as much as I was hoping to because of the lack of beloved characters, but I talk about that later in this list.

7. Most attractive male character:

I think I’ve pretty firmly established that I love Hisagi. He is sex on a stick, as I often say. If you’d like to know my second choice, I’d have to go with either Ichigo or Renji, especially post-timeskip.

8. Most attractive female character:

I find Rukia quite beautiful, again, especially post-timeskip. She has a tranquil sort of beauty. I also found Nelliel very beautiful in an interesting way. So, I’d say one of  those two characters.

9. Character I am most like:

Okay, so this is difficult because it’s difficult for me to describe or think about what I’m like, which sounds strange. I am quite sarcastic, cynical at times, I try to make lots of jokes, and I imagine I’m an overall kind person.

So, who does that sound like? Rukia maybe? I’m not as brave as her, though. I would also like to say that the deepest part of my soul is a mix of Byakuya, Tōshirō, and Ulquiorra. Just fed up, annoyed, and generally dissatisfied with the world around me (joking… mostly).

10. Favorite Captain:

This is so hard!

I love a lot of Captains, such as Byakuya, Tōshirō, and Kyōraku. However, my absolute favorite Captain is Kenpachi. He’s just amazing. Actually, I’m gonna cheat like I have with a lot of these answers so far and say that Shinji is also my absolute favorite Captain. I have two. So, there.

11. Least favorite Captain:

Mayuri is my least favorite Captain. I know a lot of people love him, and that’s great, but I just find his personality the least appealing out of all the Captains.

12. Favorite Lieutenant:

I mean… Hisagi. Okay, okay, I won’t answer “Hisagi” for everything, I swear. I’m gonna go with Renji for this answer, although Rangiku and Ikkaku are a very close second and third choice… and by second and third, I mean third and fourth because Renji is second because Hisagi is first.

13. Least favorite Lieutenant:

Again, I kind of answered this already, but Ōmaeda. I also didn’t like Iba as a Lieutenant or really as a character at all. He just never interested me.

14. Favorite Espada:

Out of the main Espada? Grimmjow, of course. I mean, who doesn’t love a little Grimmjow? (Ulquiorra is a very close second, though.) Out of any Arrancars that were ever Espada, that’s gotta be Nel. And, since I mention this in the next question, I’m gonna say that the Espada with the most interesting abilities is Baraggan.

15. Least favorite Espada:

Aaroniero Arruruerie would be my answer for this. I mean, his abilities were quite cool, but as a character, he was the least interesting. The Espada I find has the most uninteresting abilities (and coincidentally is another least favorite of mine) is Harribel. Her abilities didn’t seem as special as some of the other Espada, especially considering how high her rank is.

16. Favoriteopening:

My favorite opening can be located here. Ichigo and Rukia are just super cute at the end, and the song is really catchy. 

P.S. - Please listen to the Kenpachi version. You won’t regret it.

17. Favoriteending:

I’m gonna go with this one because… *sobs* 

18. Favorite Visored:

Gotta go with Shinji. His sass is legendary, plus he has hella style, and his Zanpakutō is bomb as fuck. I also love Hiyori and Kensei, though, if you’re interested in knowing.

19. Least favorite Visored:

I mean, I honestly like all of them, but I suppose Rōjūrō and Love are the ones I get the least excited over.

20. Favorite Fullbringer:

Chad. Is that an acceptable answer? He’s a Fullbringer. Other than him? I don’t know, Riruka, I guess.

21. Least favorite Fullbringer:

I said that Jackie was my least favorite female character, so you’d think she’d be my least favorite Fullbringer, but no, no, no. My least favorite Fullbringer is Moe. He’s a little shit.

22. Something I love about Bleach:

There’s a lot of things I love about Bleach. A lot of surface things like the battles, the character designs, the storylines. I’d say the key thing I love about it is the amazing connections that are made between the characters. I genuinely love each and every relationship between the main and supporting characters. There’s some really beautiful representations of love, as well as tension, as well as a million other things.  

23. Something that annoys me about Bleach:

I mention this a little later, but I don’t like the borderline obsession that seems to exist with Tite Kubo when it comes to Ichigo’s character development. I know he’s supposed to be ultra-special as he’s the main character, but Ichigo doesn’t need to be every extraordinary being in the universe to be an interestingly complex and complete character. I’ll stop here as I explain it a bit more later on.

24. Character I would’ve liked to see get more development:

This question and the next are quite similar so I’m gonna get to cheat a little bit here and give a couple of answers. I would’ve loved to see Kira developed more. He’s got quite an interesting personality and an amazing Zanpakutō. Another one I would’ve liked to see developed more is Momo. She had an important role in the beginning, but that became more of a background piece as the series went on, and that’s a real shame. It would’ve been nice to be able to sympathize with her a bit more by knowing her better. 

Also, Inoue. What. the fuck. happened? She had so much potential. She trained. She wanted to get stronger. She could’ve been an independent woman. She could’ve grown out of her childish obsession with Ichigo. She could’ve been a badass character, and I’m so bitter that she didn’t get the love she deserved. 

25. Character I would’ve liked to see get a flashback:

Here is where I give my favorite answer. Are you ready? Here we go… wait for it… Hisagi. I mean, you can’t show us his introduction to Kensei as a child and not show us the rest! What happened afterwards? Did he decide immediately to become Shinigami? When exactly did he decide to get the “69″ tattoo? I know, I know, we do get like three flashbacks, but only one of them was actually, completely focused on Hisagi. 

I. need. more.

26. My dream fight:

I would kill to see Renji vs. Ikkaku. Not seriously, obviously. I don’t want them to kill each other, but I want to see them fight in a setting other than sparring. They’re both very fiery fighters, they both have their Bankai, and their history together would make it really interesting.

27. Favorite episode card:

I have two, and they are very beautiful:

I’m so sorry, I have three:

28. Least favorite episode card:

There are a lot of bad ones, but this one:

I mean, did you even try? 

29. How many times have I watched/read Bleach?

Just once. I have rewatched a few episodes that I really enjoyed, though. Also, I watched the anime up until it ended and continued it in the manga from there. I didn’t read the manga that corresponded to the anime.

30. Favorite Shikai:

I really like Kira’s, as I mentioned before. I also love Tōshirō’s as it’s kind of cool that it’s basically as powerful as his Bankai. I also like (guess who) Hisagi’s. 

My favorite Shikai, though, is Shinji’s. I just find the concept of inversion really cool.

31. Favorite Bankai:

Again, Tōshirō’s is quite cool. Byakuya’s is also freakin’ awesome. However, I’m going to choose Renji’s Bankai. The aesthetic of it is very nice. 

32. Who I’d like to see join Ichigo’s nakama:

According to Urban Dictionary, “nakama” means something like a friend group, but the people in it would be closer than just friends. I assume that means that Inoue, Chad, Renji, Ishida, Rukia, and maybe Ichigo’s family and school friends are already a part of it? 

If that’s the case, then I’d like to see Ichigo get closer to Tōshirō, Hisagi (obviously), Kenpachi, Byakuya (that’s a big one), and Shinji (again, not surprising, and it’s also a big one). Other than Hisagi, Ichigo has developed interesting and unique relationships with each of these people and it’d be cool to see each of them grow. 

I just want Ichigo and Hisagi to interact. You know, spar with each other, style their hair together, make serious faces at each other. They’d be beautiful as BFFs.  

33. Something I would’ve liked to see as a part of the plot:

I mentioned earlier that I loved the relationships that were built in Bleach, and I would’ve like to see more interactions between Byakuya and Rukia. Seeing their relationship develop further or simply just seeing it with a wider lens would’ve been nice. And, just as an aside, you know who else I would’ve liked to see more with Rukia? Fucking Ashido. What the fuck ever happened to him?! I need closure!

Another thing is a little fucking clarification on how Souls work. Because they are technically another race. How did Isshin and Masaki conceive Ichigo? Does the very fact that they did conceive a child mean that Souls can reproduce? And does it have to be in a Gigai? The answer is no. I doubt Renji and Rukia did it in Gigai to have their kid, but the bloody source material didn’t tell me this, did it? I had to figure it out on my own! Is the answer that Souls can reproduce together, but a Soul and a human can only reproduce if the Soul is in a Gigai? Does the fact that Masaki was a Quincy make it easier for a Soul and human to conceive or does that not have anything to do with it?

Who gets to become Shinigami? Souls from people who’ve died? Are there even any other kinds of Souls besides the ones from the people who’ve died? Like… can Souls have little Soul babies? 

How did Ichigo turn out to be human? Is he really half-Soul, half-human? No, he’s pure human (a Quincy, to be exact). It’s been said many times. But how? He has a human body, not a Gigai, but he can also transform into a Soul. How? Is it because Quincies can manipulateReiatsu so Ichigo can subconsciously use that ability to maintain his Shinigami form? Is it because he already has Shinigami in him because his father was a Soul? Does that mean that, in Ichigo’s Shinigami form, he’s only part of a Soul? Do his Hollow and Quincy powers combine to make up for the absence of a full Soul? But then, how could he be as infinitely strong as he is? Is the equation of 1 Hollow + 1 Quincy + ½ of a Shinigami really so powerful that it surpasses everything else in existence? Or is Ichigo a complete Soul when he’s in Shinigami form, and everything I wrote before this doesn’t apply? If so, how?

Souls obviously age because we saw Rukia, Renji, Hisagi, etc. all grow up from children to Shinigami, but were they once alive or were they Soul babies? Do Souls from people who’ve died age at the slow pace that the Shinigami age at, or are they permanently stuck at the age they were when they died? Do Souls just generate out of the blue? 

How old is Isshin really? We learn how long ago he was a Captain and we know how old he looks, but if he was a Soul from someone who died, when did he die? If he just generated, when did he generate? If he was a Soul baby, when was he born? These are questions I need answered. It can’t be “just because.”

34. What is my ideal ending of Bleach?

I mean… let’s redo those final pairings, for one. 

My ideal ending is just seeing everybody happy and healthy, as well as near each other. It’s also good to know what every character is doing after the end of the series. I really wouldn’t want characters to split and break off from each other never to see each other again. Everybody’s got to stay together, stay a group, stay a family. It’s important.

(Psst! This is me telling you how I would’ve written the ending and also being a little bit bitter because I know how it all actually ends.)

35. When did I first start Bleach?

Shit, I don’t know, a couple months ago? I watched through it as fast as humanly possible, so do the math, and you’ll figure it out.

36. Should Bleach have ended with Aizen’s defeat?

Ooooo, this one is interesting! As I haven’t finished the manga yet, I suppose I can’t accurately say, but I’m gonna give it a go.

Short answer: yes. Definitely the caliber and quality of the story was taken down a notch with the Fullbring arc. It could’ve been much more satisfying to have, essentially, a single villain for the whole storyline. Not to mention, after defeating Aizen, the Shinigami should’ve had next to no issues defeating some other adversary. 

Long answer: no, if it had been done properly. I don’t think the arc that was done immediately after the Arrancar Era was awful, but I don’t really like the whole mentality of having to make the next thing bigger and more dramatic. I think it would’ve been nice to see the story revert or reset back to something nearer to the first arc where it was just sort of protecting the town, at least for a little while. I think it would’ve been a nice palate cleanser for the audience to sort of go back to the roots of it all. I think that could also be enhanced by developing the characters of Ichigo’s sisters (mostly Karin), as well as Inoue and Chad to become stronger and more in tune with their abilities.

Bleach had a lot of potential to keep going since there were many characters left unexplored or barely explored. It might’ve been cool to see the story shift its focus to be less about Ichigo solely and more about everybody all together, especially after you get Ichigo’s whole background story and there’s not much left to explore with him. Referencing the Fullbring and Quincy Blood War arcs here, a wider character focus would’ve been nicer to me over muddying the narrative by packing on more character traits, revelations, and abilities for Ichigo exclusively. Because, we know the story is about him, but at some point, his development could’ve comfortably come to stop in favor of focusing on some other characters.

37. Favoritefiller arc:

I actually can’t decide between the Zanpakutō Rebellion arc and the Reigai Uprising arc, so I’m going with both. They were very similar in that fighting your Zanpakutō and fighting your Reigai are sort of the same thing. They both know your fighting style, they both know the best uses of your Zanpakutō, etc.

I like the first arc mentioned because it was very nice to see everybody’s Zanpakutō manifested into their own characters and how each Shinigami felt about their Zanpakutō and vise versa. I also liked the storyline with Kōga and Muramasa. 

I like the second arc mentioned a lot because of the relationship that developed between Kon and Nozomi. It was very beautiful and gentle, and I’m still bitter that Kon couldn’t have his own Gigai so he could be with her. Although, now she’s dead or moved or whatever, so… I also really enjoyed the history behind the Reigai and Mod Soul developments, as well as the ending of the arc where Ichigo completely Hollowfies and Rukia protects him from Ōko.

38. Least favorite filler arc:

My least favorite arc is the Bount Invasion arc, which seems to be most people’s least favorite. It just didn’t make any kind of sense, the characters were horrible, the abilities the characters had were horrible, I didn’t understand the characters’ motivations, I didn’t feel anything for any of them (sympathy, interest, etc.), all of it was bad. It also torched Ishida’s character for me for a long time, and I didn’t recover interest and love for his character again until the anime returned to the main, Arrancar storyline.

39. A theory I have:

Does it count as a headcanon to say that Ichigo and Rukia are in love, or is that just a given by now?

I mean, I do have a theory that Byakuya actually really likes and respects Ichigo. Which, I mean, you can tell that that’s the case when Byakuya says things that imply that Ichigo will save everybody or when you learn that he had enough faith in Ichigo to put his Reiatsu in a sword that gave Ichigo his Shinigami powers back. 

But what I mean is that Byakuya really likes Ichigo. More than just as a fellow force of good. It’s difficult to explain, but I really feel like Byakuya thinks of Ichigo as almost a friend. At the very least, he thinks of him as an equal, if not a superior, which is a very intense praise for Byakuya to give as he takes pride in the superiority and power of his own skills quite a lot.

Bottom line, if Ichigo married Rukia (as he should’ve), Byakuya would 100% be proud and happy to have him married into the Kuchiki line.

40. Pairings I ship:

I’m gonna try to do all the fancy ship names, so bear with me.

I guess it’s pretty obvious by now that I ship IchiRuki. I’m also a multi-shipper with this series as I think ShuRan and GinRan both are very, very good ships. I also, obviously, ship HitsuHina primarily, but I’d like to note that IzuHina are an adorable couple as well. I ship ByaRen, but I also think ByaYoru would be a cute couple. However, I primarily ship UraYoru. I ship IkkaYumi hard. I love them so much. 

I’ll wrap this up by saying that I do ship RenRuki, but not as soulmates as I see the IchiRuki ship. They’re more of a passing romance to me, although they are adorable together. I do not ship IchiHime, though. For Inoue, my ships would be UlquiHime (which isn’t meant to be a lasting relationship, but more of a heated moment of passion) and IshiHime. I really do believe that Ishida and Inoue would make a beautiful couple.

I ship other things, but I don’t want to ramble on forever, so these are my main ones.

P.S. - In case you don’t remember, I also ship NozoKon… and I’m still bitter.

41. Friendships I’d like to see:

I talked about some earlier when I discussed Ichigo’s nakama, so I won’t bring those up again. I’ll try to highlight characters that’ve never interacted before beyond combat or business or whatever. We’ll see how this goes.

I would’ve liked to see Tōshirō develop a friendship with Byakuya. They’re quite similar in personality, I think, so that’d be interesting. Maybe Renji and Kenpachi would be interesting as friends? Drinking buddies, at least. I don’t know, that’s all I got.

42. Series I would’ve liked to see Bleach crossover with:

I don’t know, fucking Attack on Titan. Let Ichigo and the gang kill some Colossal Titans. Why the fuck not?

43. Favorite Bleach movie:

Never seen any, don’t know that I plan to. Phew. That was a nice, easy, quick answer.

44. Best character design:

I think I’m going to use the character designs post-timeskip for this question, although, I was in love with both of Ichigo’s designs during the battle with Aizen.

It’s hard to pick just one character, but I’ve got to go with my boo, my love: Hisagi. Absolutely everything about him is perfect. From the blue stripe on his face, to the unfortunate “69″ tattoo, to the scratches on his face, to the explosive arm and neck bands, to his hair, to his sex appeal, just all of him. Yes.

I know I said I was going to use the characters that got a glow up after the timeskip, and Hisagi didn’t really have one, but fucking oh well (if the post-timeskip characters with glow ups were my only choices, I would have a tie between Rukia and Renji’s designs).

45. Worst character design:

This is a mean question, I feel. Oh, who bloody cares?! Ōmaeda. What the fuck was with that collar he always had and that God awful jewelry? I just really don’t like that guy.

Besides him, I didn’t like Kariya’s design at all. Actually, all of the Bount’s designs were crap. If you want something out of the manga, I wasn’t that big of a fan of Tatsuki’s glow up post-timeskip.

46. Shinigami, Visored, Fullbringer, Quincy, or Arrancar?

I added Quincy to this list, not because I prefer them or like them better or anything, but because it was a little rude not to include them. They have fucking awesome powers, bro.

But if this question is asking which I’d rather be as well as which one I prefer, then I’m going with Visored. You get the benefits of having Shinigami powers and a Zanpakutō (which is something I’d really want to have), plus you get all the cool Hollow powers, complete with your own, personalized Hollow mask.

47. Character I used to hate but now like:

You know, this question is interesting because my choice for this is Byakuya. He was painted as a villain during the Soul Society arc until the end, and I took the bait. I fell for it even though I knew he would become a cool character in the future, and I hated him. But now, he’s one of my favorite characters. 

Another obvious choice for this is Gin, but I also love him now as well.

48. Character I used to like but now hate:

I don’t know that I’ve had this experience with any of the characters. I suppose I did like Aizen quite a lot before he “died,” and then I found out about his betrayal and hated him. So, I’m going with that. It was the same thing with Kōga, but I was trying to think of someone other than a filler character.

49. What division would I join if I were a Shinigami:

I would love to be a part of the 11th Division, but I’m nowhere near tough enough for that, so I’m going to say the 10th Division. Not that I couldn’t be proud of the other Captains, but I really feel like I could stand tall under Tōshirō. He’s a brilliant Captain, and I’m 100% convinced that he will become the most powerful Shinigami one day. Although, it’d be cool to be a part of the 6th and 13th Divisions as well, just to be under Renji or Rukia. And while I’m at it, the 9th and 5th Divisions would also be bomb as fuck because of Hisagi and Shinji. 

I’m sorry, I’ll stop. I belong to the 10th Division.

50. Bankai I would’ve liked to see revealed or developed?

Um, everyone’s. There are so fucking many. So many. I’m just gonna list them: Hisagi’s, Shinji’s, Isshin’s, Rangiku’s, Kira’s, Yoruichi’s, Ukitake’s, Yumichika’s, Iba’s, Momo’s, Kaien’s, Hiyori’s, Ashido’s, even Zennosuke’s, the poor fucker who apparently wasn’t remarkable enough for Ichigo to remember his name, the list goes on.

And that’s that done! Thank you! This was so much fun! (And I definitely didn’t spend 5 hours on it.)

[bethgreeneishopeunseen]

The Guilt of Sasha Williams

(I’m combining asks since they cover the same topic essentially.)

When Sasha sacrificed herself in the finale this spring, her flashbacks to the music box scene increased discussion on her connection to Beth (X). But I’ll come back to the music box scenes in 7x16 later. 

Sasha’s first connection to Beth and cars goes all the way back to 4x01. In that episode Gimple seeded many future plot elements from Rich0nne to the Gl3ggie baby. In this episode, Daryl quips the infamous “damn romance novel” line, foreshadowing his future relationship/arc with Beth, which fits the arc of a romance novel perfectly (X) (X) (X). As he says that, the camera pans past him and passes over Tyreese and Sasha as they load up a car. They put in black crates with white crosses on them. The order of these shots is not a coincidence.

In Alone, Daryl does the best he can to confirm his feelings for Beth (X), and before he can finish, in the style of a romance novel she is kidnapped. For months, the only clue we and Daryl have of what happened is a black car with a cross on the back window.

Fast forward to season 5. Sasha and Tyreese have opposing views on how to save Beth and C@rol, and she’s also struggling with Bob’s death. They discuss the situation while overlooking the Grady parking lot. @bethgreenewarriorprincess​ and I theorized that Team Family could have taken the truck and later left Beth in it (X). The truck has a fridge in its bed, which would resemble a marble tomb. The truck also has a red bandanna tied to the radio antennae, similar to the red bandanna that Daryl used to tie the car trunk shut in 4x12. The truck even mirrors the Grady car, with the black body and white on the back. As I mentioned in my linked meta, the truck functions as a symbolic hearse. 

In 5x07, Sasha’s grief leads her to misjudge Grady!Bob, and he escapes. His death leads to Dawn having no allies, leaving her to ask for Noah back. It’s a chain reaction, a ripple effect like Martin said in 5x09 (X). 

In the span of a few weeks, Sasha loses her boyfriend, her best friend’s younger sister, and her brother. Sasha never sees her brother die, only being able to say goodbye at his funeral. They were alike in a lot of ways, and they both experienced guilt because of Beth, Ty’s was just more overt. Twice in 5x09, Tyreese focused on a female walker that was trapped in a car, and the shadowed walker looked so much like Beth that during the midseason hiatus, members of Team Delusional were convinced it was the actual Beth. In its first appearance, the walker caught the whole group off guard. I showed the scene to my old roommate, and she even noticed the group’s distress, and she doesn’t watch the show (X). By now, one trapped walker should not disturb these people. Unless of course, it reminded them of the girl they left behind.

The second time we see the walker is when Tyreese is dying. He stares at it as Rick drives away, and afterwards, Ty sees Beth as the driver. It is the last time we see her onscreen in any sense of “alive”. We see her onscreen one more time in 5x13. (This is also the last time Emily and Chad’s name appear on the title card.)

When the group reaches Alexandria, everyone struggles to adjust to the community’s fucked-up idea of “normal”. Sasha is one of the members having the hardest time, for obvious reasons. In 5x13, Sasha goes to Alexandria’s welcome party but quickly starts having flashbacks to various events in season 5. The flashbacks manifest as quick flashes of visuals and sounds. At 0:56, viewers see a clip of Daryl carrying Beth out of the hospital. (Unfortunately the video that the second anon linked no longer works so I recorded the scene myself.)

The shot is not from Sasha’s point-of-view, as she was behind Daryl and to his left (our right in this shot). The fence shot would be at the opposite side, behind Abraham. The flashback serves to remind the audience of Beth having no funeral, no closure for her family or for us, as it was juxtaposed against shots of Bob when he died beside Sasha and Ty being buried. It also reminds the audience of Beth and Daryl’s relationship, of his love for her, both of which are reinforced as Daryl has a “serious spaghetti” dinner with Aaron and Eric in this episode instead of going to the party. (This was also the episode with Buttons, when Daryl said, “You used to be somebody’s, now you’re just yours.” Which, jesus fucking christ the show is kicking us in the groin over this and I can’t sometimes.) The shot is also in motion, and rather than ending on the last shot of Coda, it leaves the story open for Beth in this moment, since we never saw what happened after. (I recommend reading this old meta on the flashback: X.)

Furthermore, Rick’s interest in Jessie continued to develop in this episode. @bethgreenewarriorprincess once theorized that he was drawn to her as a way to compensate for losing Beth, as she was designed as a Beth proxy: X. (Just compare pictures of her in the show to pictures in the comics and the differences are obvious.) He sees Jessie trapped in an abusive marriage, akin to Beth being trapped in an abusive community, so his subconscious sees it as a chance to save the girl he failed. He made the mistake of giving the Governor a chance, and it cost him Hershel and the prison. At first he wanted to just go into Grady guns blazing, but he deferred to Tyreese’s plan, and they still lost Beth. It’s why we see Rick go into Shane-mode in 5b, becoming more aggressive as Pete becomes more possessive and as his abuse comes to light. Rick can’t take chances anymore. In addition, at the end of the episode, after seeing Jessie with Pete, Rick hears a walker on the other side of the wall. He checks it out, and the scene is filmed with a strange, dreamlike mood to emphasize the effects of P.T.S.D.. A way TPTB did this was to use the song “Spicks and Specks” by the Bee Gees, which include these lyrics: “Where are the girls/I left far behind/The spicks and the specks/Of the girls on my mind/Where is the sun/That shone on my head.” And as we know, in TWD symbolism, Beth IS the Sun: X.

To resume, after having this flashback Sasha starts to bury walkers, specifically in 5x16. Like Rick, she is trying to “correct” her past mistake. She couldn’t stop the herd, and she couldn’t bury Beth, so she’s going to put down every walker that she can and then put them in the ground. It’s reminiscent of Morgan in 3x13, but Morgan just burned the bodies. Sasha is paying mind to the walkers’ past lives, and TPTB are alluding back to the funeral home caretaker and Beth’s “don’t you think that’s beautiful?” philosophy.

Towards the end of the episode, Sasha seeks out Father Gabriel for guidance. Gabriel instead accuses her of sins, also implicating her brother in her actions.

“Why wouldn't you want to die? You don't deserve to be here. What you did can never be undone. The dead don't choose, but the choices you made, how you sacrificed her. 

I know what you're doing. 

Bob was mutilated. Consumed. Destroyed because of your sins. 

Stop it.

Your brother felt he was apart from it. He was a part of it. He didn't deserve to be here. You don't! 

Stop it! Stop it!” [emphasis mine]

(Subtitles note that Gabriel said “your own”, but this is wrong. I’ve listened to the audio, with and without headphones, as well as showed it to two friends. We’ve all heard “her”, which is very different from “your own” linguistically). 

I believe that during those 17 days Gabriel brought the walkers down on the group, similar to him leading the walkers from the school to the church in 5x08 (X). In 5x14, he told Deanna that the group was bad, as Maggie eavesdropped with a heartbroken look on her face. He saw them leave behind one of their own, and Maggie couldn’t confront Deanna about Gabriel’s as she couldn’t face losing Beth again. (Maggie copes by compartmentalizing to the extreme.) Tyreese and Sasha made the decision to put Beth, because of Gabriel’s mistake, so of course Sasha would be a walking reminder for what he did. That’s why he lashes out at her. The guilt would be even higher if the three of them believed that Beth was alive, as you don’t sacrifice a body. You sacrifice something alive. (I also believe that Abraham was involved, such as being the one to actually come up with the idea, because of marketing and certain narrative elements: X. It would partially explain why he and Sasha clicked so much in season 6.)

Overall, 5b focuses on the group coming to terms with losing Beth in different ways, especially those who feel most responsible. Towards the end of the summer hiatus TPTB continued to connect Beth and Sasha, using a Beth-walker in several character posters and promos (X) (X) (X) (X). 

In a massive meta Christy and I worked on last year, we noticed that the missing 17 days likely had similarities to the No Way Out arc in 6a and 6x09 (X). Everyone, but especially Rick, Sasha, Abe, and Daryl were struggling struggling in 5b and some of 6a as they hadn't resolved Beth. I think we saw many similarities to the No Way Out arc is because the No Way Out arc is how Rick and Co. came to terms with losing Beth. Hence why we saw that Beth walker in so many posters leading up to season 6. They hadn't fully come to terms with the loss of Beth until they relieved it and accepted that what happened happened and couldn’t be undone.

They lost Jessie/Beth again, but saved a whole community from a herd. It’s like Tyreese/Bob said in 5x09, “It went the way it had to. The way it was always going to.”

Beth had to be left behind so the Grady people could retrieve her, giving her needed medical treatment. Narratively, Beth also couldn’t just leave Grady. She had to escape there on her own (X).

Season seven is a retread of 5b and 6a. The group loses an emotional pillar of the group as well as a pillar of physical strength back-to-back, again, and all of TF has to rebuild, readjusting to new communities and changed dynamics. In the end, Sasha sacrifices herself for her family. The story comes full circle. While I worked on this meta, Christy and I talked about how the Williams siblings are twins, symbolically. As we’ve thought in the past, their deaths book end Beth’s “death” and resurrection. Go and rewatch 5x10, which is Beth’s resurrection in allegory. In two separate scenes characters talk about “being the same”. Michonne counsels Sasha, who was grieving through anger like Tyreese did with Karen. Then C@rol reached out to Daryl, acknowledging their similarities while also acknowledging that they grieve differently. The story keeps going in circles, keeps going back in time to Beth and her story, moving the characters through a funhouse. Sasha becomes the final mirror, committing suicide, as Beth once tried to, except to save her family. She dies in the coffin, which is covered by a yellow sheet, and “comes back”, disrupting the group’s confrontation with the Saviors as the ballerina’s resurrection inside the music box disrupted her and Maggie’s confrontation with Aaron. That’s why we saw original flashbacks of the music box scene four times. TPTB wanted to draw connections and show the parallels between the flashbacks and Sasha’s last stand.

Be patient, loves. It’s only a matter of time before Beth comes back from her own music box.

[accountingfortaste]

Favorite and Least Favorite Films of 2016

by Clay Keller

Hell or High Water is a full meal: t-bone steak, potatoes, green beans, and an iced tea to wash ‘er down. There isn’t a single empty calorie (end of food metaphors) in this lean (ok, that’s the end) West Texas thriller about brothers robbing banks and the Odd Couple marshals hot on their trail. 

The script by Taylor Sheridan is a thing of beauty - not only is the dialogue crackling and well-observed, but the chase is paced perfectly, and punctuated with terrific scenes of local color; every supporting character is so fully drawn that you could just as well follow them home and it would be just as interesting. Perhaps most importantly, the socio-economic message that pervades nearly every moment and every character is potent without being preachy, it fortifies the story with a rich sense of time and place, and elevates the entire piece.  

David Mackenzie’s direction fits this material to a “t.” His camera is loose enough to be immediate and energetic, but his aesthetic eye is sharp enough to find many truly gorgeous cinematic moments. Add to that recipe (I can’t be helped) uniformly excellent performances, a rusty, epic, mournful score, and an awesome Townes Van Zandt-lead soundtrack, and what you’ve got is one hell of an entertaining movie.   

Bonus: Listen as Clay and podcast co-host Darren Franich competitively “draft” the best films of the year on The Vidiots Video Store Show: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/60-best-of-2016-draft!/id1051071972?i=1000379861422&mt=2

- HONORABLE MENTION - 

(presented in alphabetical order)

A Bigger Splash (Luca Guadagnino)

Blood Father (Jean-Francois Pinchet)

Don’t Think Twice (Mike Birbiglia)

The Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig)

Gleason (J. Clay Tweel)

Maggie’s Plan (Rebecca Miller)

Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)

Morris From America (Chad Hartigan)

Sing Street (John Carney)

20th Century Women (Mike Mills)

- LEAST FAVORITE - 

Ugh. When the three hour long “R rated” cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out on Blu-ray, the general consensus was that it was an improvement on the much-maligned theatrical version of the film. Having only seen the “R rated” cut, I refuse to believe that this joyless, pointless, basically incoherent slog of a movie could possibly be the “better” version of anything. 

I’m generally tired of the “dark and gritty” approach to superheroes of the last ten years, but I’ll forgive a complete dearth of levity so long as the dramatic stakes make, like, any kind of sense. At all. But nothing in BvS makes sense. At all. The character choices are wildly inconsistent, the plot turns confusingly unmotivated, and the catharsis hilariously unearned. The creative missteps faceplants in BvS are so frequent and extreme that it’s truly shocking to me that it’s the work of professional storytellers; I refuse to believe that anyone genuinely thought any of this was actually a good idea. Also not helping this movie be good, or even tolerable, is lifeless dialogue, muddy, indifferent visuals, and performances so bland that Ben Affleck was impressive in comparison. Ugh.

Warner Bros. handing the keys of the DC universe to Zack Snyder is a decision that will perplex me until the end of time. That said... Wonder Woman looks pretty dope, doesn’t it?       

Anticipated 2016 films not yet seen: Certain Women, Fences, Elle, Hidden Figures, A Man Called Ove, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sunset Song

- FAVORITE CLASSICS FIRST SEEN IN 2016 -

Blue is a marvel. It somehow manages to be a work of staggering, meticulous visual mastery without sacrificing even an ounce of narrative honesty. Not once does it feel stagey or distant as it explores the confusing duality of human emotions, of freedom and happiness born of sincere tragedy. In the role of a woman abruptly forced to reassess her entire life, Juliet Binoche embodies a combination of fragility and resolve that breaks your heart and puts it back together again. And the use of music! Sublime. 

White, by stark contrast, is an acidic dark comedy fable with an almost Coen-esque absurdity. It’s a loopy tale of emotional warfare, full of delightful visual gags, profound irony, and a vicious performance from a young Julie Delpy. Placed between Blue and Red, White feels like something akin to a mid-meal dessert, but it is by no means a trifle. 

In Red, the series again shifts gears entirely, this time to a simmering voyeuristic mystery about unlikely friendships, moral relativism, and unseen connections. It’s an intriguing, if slightly mystifying, entry, whose true power isn’t fully felt until the final frames, when all three films culminate in an ending that I’m not sure is intended to be intellectually analyzed, but just simply... understood. The Three Colors is an astounding and almost overwhelming work, and one that I’m sure I will revisit often.            

- MOST ANTICIPATED 2017 -

Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh)

The Fate of the Furious (F. Gary Gray)

Annihilation (Alex Garland)

Euphoria (Lisa Langseth) 

- FAVORITE TELEVISION - 

Television in 2016 was defined by its surprises. Most of my favorite shows came to the end of their runs in 2015, and several current favorites (Fargo, The Leftovers) took the year off. In January, I could never have predicted that in December my top 5 list would include two different shows based on the same historical subject (one from Ryan Murphy, no less) and that it would be topped by a Starz remake of a film I haven’t seen. Even Veep, a perennial favorite in it’s fifth season, was a surprise; how often does a show lose it’s creator/showrunner and not only stay great, but... improve? Never, that’s how often. This is the only time. (Black Mirror wasn’t a surprise, just really fucking good.)

In a year chock full of surprises, Amy Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan’s adaptation of Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience was the biggest. I loved everything about it. I loved the out-of-control (or is it?) descent into the depths of the (impressively fleshed-out) world of high priced escorts. I loved the twisty tale of corporate espionage. I loved the formal experimentation; one 30-min episode would follow a traditional A/B/C structure, and the next would be a single long, multi-layered scene. Exhilarating.

But most of all, I loved the captivating character study of a deeply complex, possibly sociopathic, woman, played with chilling confidence by Riley Keough. This may sound hyperbolic, but Keough’s performance as Christine is a star-making turn the likes of which I haven’t seen since Jon Hamm started pushing Lucky Strikes. She’s that good. As is The Girlfriend Experience.         

[itkmoonknight]

ITK Newsletter, no. CXI: LUNAR-PICK - Comic Book Reviews on Contagion + Sister Mercy!

Loonies!

Allow me to assault you once again with a fair newsletter for your weekly consumption!

Welcome back to the ITK newsletter which gives you all you need to know for the upcoming episode. This time around, there is of course your usual Moon Knight fare, but things are slightly different this time around as we look towards some creative work done by one of our own Loonies, Corey Hardiman…it’s an independent comic book, ‘Sister Mercy’ which we will ‘review’ (I’m hesitant to ‘review it, as I don’t want to ‘mark’ it) and discuss on the show!

PHASE OF THE MOON: NULL + VOID 

LUNAR-PICK REVIEWS - OVERVIEW OF THE CONTAGION SERIES + SISTER MERCY ISSUE #1 by Corey Hardiman

But apart from that, there will be standard Moon Knight goodness with two things of note -

Firstly, we’ll be discussing the recently concluded Contagion event which featured our Fist of Khonshu - and not only was it a fleeting appearance, but Marc actually swung in to save the day! I won’t give much away here as to my thoughts on the series, but needless to say, you’ll want to tune in for this one to gather some…let’s just say, interesting thoughts I had on it all…

Very keen to hear what you thought of it too - I’ve posted up a Spoiler Thread in the FB Group and Page for those who want to drop us a line…we’d love to read out and discuss your thoughts too on the show.

I actually had the honour of guesting also on the Iron Fist podcast, to chat about Contagion too…more on that later down the newsletter in our Collective section…

As you can see, we’ve ignored Khonshu once again with the phases of the Moon…methinks it has to do with the lost Golden Sceptre…remember that? :)

Yes, I’ve not forgotten about our little serial, and you’ll be happy to know that Episode 6 of THE HUNT FOR KHONSHU’S GOLDEN SCEPTRE should drop either this coming episode, or next. I just have to find some time to stitch the episode together, but I have all the material and am keen to keep our serial chugging along!

Aside from the Contagion and Sister Mercy review/discussion on the show, there’s also the ’10 Things you Need to Know about Moon Knight’ initiative that Rebecca and Connor(shu) instigated int heir podcast episode 118 ‘2K Nine-Nine’.

We got heaps of feedback for it, so I’m keen to feature this on the show, however, I’m not really sure what the other High Priests had in mind. Speaking of which, Rebecca will be unavailable this coming episode, and I’m just trying to confirm the availability of young Connor(shu)…what you MIGHT get this coming episode is either a solo from me (which I’d prefer not to, as I’d love to discuss these issues for review with someone else), or a special guest that I may happen to snag.

Just another tiny factor playing into consideration is that my little Khonshu, Finn, has upturned his sleeping pattern and so it’s hard to ascertain when I can actually record. Fear not! I will find a slot somewhere in the day (or night) and be sure to release an ITK episode to keep this show going strong! Only downside is that it’s hard to coordinate co-hosts, as my time availability is at the whim of my 15-month old! :P

I'm even thinking of perhaps taking a short break to record a bunch of pre-recorded shows as an option of keeping the lights on at ITK...I don't know...it's a tricky one, as with pre-recorded shows you can't really do current news or updates...hhhmmmm, I'll have to give it some more thought...

FANTASY COMIC LEAGUE - OCTOBER RESULTS IN!

We have the results for the end of October and geez Louise, call me Mac 'n' Cheese, things are damn well exciting!

It was no surprise that Tommy took out the month with a commanding lead in week three of October, and as seen in the card above, Tommy remains top dog with juuuust under a century to his name. Well done, Tommy! Both The Thing and Miles had a huge month...with ol' Blue eyes in Contagion as well as the various FF books, his points saw him shoot The Man on the Streets up to top billing...

I was fortunate enough to have Cap do very well at the tail end of the month, so I managed to hang onto second place for the second time this season, with a respectable score of 85. I was pretty disappointed with Wolverine's effort and to be honest, I was expecting way more from Iron Fist too, as the weekly Contagion I was sure was going to yield a flurry of points for Danny...but not to be...

This was a clincher! Jason (previous month's leader) scraped into third position this month by one point! Poor Dustin must have been ropable! Still, well done to Jason for again picking a solid draft and making it to third spot. The big standout for Jason was Sue Storm, and I think she'll continue to do well in November, considering her solo title is still going, and she is of course, like The Thing, featured in the numerous FF titles out this month...it truly is a golden era for the FF in comics after a long drought, so expect to see the FF members firing in the FCL...

Cold Case Kurtz comes in at fourth at the end of October, just missing out by a whisker. Doctor Strange seems to have served him well (and I'm pretty sure he'll continue to do so in November) with modest totals from the Hulk and Thor. Dustin has already relinquished She-Hulk for another, so we'l see how his team fares in November...best of luck, Dustin (and Happy Birthday!)

Beloved Loony, The Power of Chad rounds out the division, and for me, the biggest upset here was Venom. With Absolute Carnage in full swing, I would have thought Venom to be cleaning up the points but perhaps with Absolute Carnage wrapping up in November, that may still be the case. Chad really needs more from Doctor Doom...I've not read the title, but with an issue out this month, let's hope for Chad's sake that Victor lays it on thick for his Latverian citizens! Modest totals from Black Panther and Conan provide the meat of Chad's score...again, let's hope there's more activity from T'Challa in both the Avengers book, his solo title and the Agents of Wakanda...! Similarly, Conan has his solo title, potential appearances in the spin off titles, and Savage Avengers...plenty of chances to light up that scoreboard!

So, at the half-way mark of the season, the standings for our Loonies are as follows:

Tommy - 4 points

Rey - 4 points

Jason - 4 points

Dustin - 1 point

Chad - 1 point

It's still anyone's game..if Dustin or Chad dominate in November and December, then they could certainly make a play for the title this season, and walk away with e free trade of their choice...!

In addition to that, Tommy, Jason and myself are in a good position to consolidate and potentially if either of us take out one of the coming months, then it would be hard to beat...

It's all still up for grabs!

I'm hoping to maybe get Brian Bradley and a couple of the Loonies from our division on the show as we get close to the end, to discuss more of the FCL and how things look like panning out...until then, we've got a bit more drafting to do, then it's all systems go!

THE COLLECTIVE, THE SPECTOR-CALL

It's fun being part of The Collective, and in addition to all the podcasts helping each other out...it's fun to listen to them all too! I've been catching up on a few of our colleagues, and as started last week, I'd like to SPECTOR-CALL them out here for your perusal...Give them a go if you're up for alternate things to listen to (but keep listening to us of course! hahaha)

Anyway, here's what's on display at Collective-Mart this week coming....

A shoutout to The Signal of Doom Podcast - Dave is really pumping hard and the Patreon push is in full swing! If you are a listener of the show, please consider being a patron. Dave is recording his first Patreon-exclusive episode and it'll be a review on 'Escape from New York' starring Kurt Russell!! Sounds very cool...

As mentioned earlier in the newsletter, I'll be guesting on the upcoming Sons of the Dragon - An Immortal Iron Fist Podcast, where I chat with host Connor, about Contagion #4 and #5. As I write this it hasn't dropped yet, so I can't give you a link, but it's bound to drop any minute now, so please just check their website for any updates!

CONTACT US!

Again, as mentioned, we'd love to hear your thoughts on Contagion too...I've posted up a Spoiler Thread in the FB Group and Page, so if that makes things easier, please drop your thoughts there...otherwise we have other ways in which you can contact us....

If you DON'T want your comments broadcast, please just add, "(DNB)" at the end of your comment, and we'll be sure not to broadcast it. We'll pick a few comments from here and discuss on the show!

Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

Discord ITK Server: ITK Server

GetVokl : Into the Knight Welcome Room

OK, I better shoot this off to the printers to get published...(yes, I am ye of olden day speak...you know what I mean!)...stick with us, it's always bound to be a surprise...! Hope to hear from you on any of our platforms and hope you like the upcoming episode!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

  Remember! You can buy your official ITK merchandise at ...ITK Store Front @ TeePublic

Check out this episode!

[itkmoonknight]

ITK Newsletter, no. XCII: No Show??? + FCL for June, Week 1!!

Welcome Dear Loonies!

Well, my golly golly gosh! What a week it has been!

As some of you are well aware, we released our 100th episode on ITK and revealed all our little surprises for all our listeners.

I'll be taking a break from recording this week, to rejuvenate after such an epic episode, but I'll be using that time wisely - I'm hoping to write more on our newly featured serial, and I may be dropping a line to some friends of the show to see if we can tee up an appearance on a LUNAR-PICK, ISLA RA or SPOTLIGHT in the phases of the Moon to come!

In my absence, the other two High Priests Connorshu and Rebecca MAY drop something for this week, so I can't tell you what it will be on, but whatever it is, I'm sure it will be entertaining!

(As heard on our previous episode - the fact that Khonshu has lost his Sceptre, has interefered with our show's scheduling and format...so anything goes!)

So there could well be an episode this weekend - or there could well not...please just keep an eye out on your podcatcher for any updates to your ITK subscription!

Anyhoo!! -

I thought I'd take this opportunity as well to reflect a bit on our 100th episode and give you a bit more insight into how it all got put together. Needless to say, I'm as proud as can be in the 100th episode - it's certainly the most ambitious one yet and it's length also reflects the desire we had to try and give you as memorable episode as we possibly could!

First and foremost, want to say how much of an honour it was to be able to chat to Doug Moench, Greg Smallwood and JM DeMatteis!

I can't believe that the expectations we set ourselves for the 100th episode was not only met but exceeded! I had thrown a wide net out there to many of the Moon Knight Alumni, and am forever grateful that Doug, Greg and JM were so gracious as to respond and give their time for our humble little show.

The interview with JM was the last one we conducted and I again was blessed to have had Anthony from Capes on the Couch join me in chatting with JM. Anthony (as previously mentioned is an Omega Level Loony) is a HUGE JM fam and his favourite run of Moon Knight is the Scarlet Redemption. Having missed out on our review of the arc, I thought it only fair that he join me in chatting with Mr. DeMatteis and we all had a really good time!

I seriously could have chatted with JM and Anthony for another hour or so, but you can most likely hear in the background, my own little Loony, Finn, crying...! Both JM and Anthony were very accommodating with this and they professionally carried on, which I totally admire. If you've heard the interview, I strongly recommend picking up JM DeMatteis' 'Moonshadow - Definitive Edition'...it looks bloody good! Also, if you are in the area, consider JM DeMatteis' writing workshop or consultation from Imagination 101 or Creative point...

The interview with Greg Smallwood was the first interview I got on tape, and it was actually during the move we made from one apartment to another in the same building. I recorded it in the empty living room of our old apartment (you can kinda hear the echo) and as a little behind-the-scenes, both Greg and I had MASSIVE gremlins in our Skype! The interview itself is made up of at least 4-5 separate recordings, and a fair bit of editing, as we'd have to stop the chat, and pick up again once Skype reconnected..thankfully I'm glad it didn't effect the final result and the chat was very relaxed and so much fun to do. Greg is most certainly a night owl, so this time it was the wee hours of the night for him and around mid-morning for me....

In stark contrast, the chat I had with Doug had me in all sorts! Although Doug was very apologetic for the time I had to wake up for the chat (4am!), I reassured him that it was only a small bit of effort to be able to get to chat with such a huge creator, so in reality it was no problem at all. To add to that, I also had a vicious cold and was coming off a week of being beaten down with a virus, so it is a very scratchy voice you can hear during the chat, but again after warming up to it, it was such an entertaining talk with THE guy that created THE character that we all know and love. I guess I didn't really know what to expect with Doug Moench. I didn't know what type of person he was and I'd listened to some of his interviews on other podcasts and read some articles in which he featured, but I got to say the only word I can describe Doug is, 'funky'. He has such a vibrant personality it's hard not to be affected by it, and so when he started telling me about his early days in the Marvel office, and his early jobs where he got to write at the dead of night...or when we got to hang around with The Who and Jimi Hendrix....well, ...that stuff is just gold!

Another MAJOR factor that made this show so special was the selfless contribution made by good mate, Wayne Hunt. Wayne isn't only one of the coolest and kindest blokes I know, but he's also generous to a fault. It's because of Wayne that we managed to not only elevate our 50th episode, by giving us great art (who can forget Conquer Lord giving Moon Knight a suplex??), but we also managed to make our 100th episode extra special by providing not one, but two original artworks! Wayne messaged me and said he felt inspired to creat something for our episode, ...and who am I to stop him? :)

It wasn't long before he sent over the drafts and I was just in awe at the beauty (the first artwork) and the pop comedic aspects (the second one) of his work - 

So a huge thank you Wayne for being our 'face' of the episode!

Not only that, but Wayne also messaged me with a surprise that rivalled his artwork - he said that he bought some comics that could be used a prize giveaways for the show! Again, I was gob-smacked by this and it just seemed that all the pieces for the show were coming together...we'd never conducted a giveaway before, and so we had heaps of fun thinking of ways to make it a competition and to figure out whether it should be announced on the 100th, or whether the winners be announced on the 100th.

As a little side note, you'll kinda hear that in our ITK Serial - 'The Hunt for Khonshu's Golden Sceptre' - there are 'clues' dropped in the serial. The idea was to have them as clues for Loonies to pick up on, when the competition was ANNOUNCED on the 100th episode. In the end, I couldn't wait any longer, so decided to announce the competition beforehand, and have the WINNERS announced on the 100th...small detail, but yeah...just in case anyone picked that up...!:P

Segue-ing straight into the ITK Serial....

Ahem...yes, this is something we thought we'd test on the show and see what sort of a response we'd get. From our end, I'm speaking on behalf of everyone involved, but I thought we all had a blast doing it! It's all tongue in cheek, and I believe most of us are fans of that Wolverine 'Long Night' serial, so why not try our own?

I'm pretty excited to try and write this thing, but as mentioned on the show, it's also an open invitation to get more Loonies involved - do you write as well? Would you be keen to take 'The Hunt for Khonshu's Golden Sceptre' further? Or do you like to have a go at acting? Either way, it would be great to drop us a line and let us know what you would be keen to do...we can either write you into an episode, or discuss what you'd want to write for the serial, and where you want to take it...it's a huge sandbox, Loonies - and we want everyone (who's keen to) to play!

So a huge thank you to the High Priests Connor and Rebecca, The Power of Chad, Dustin 'Cold Case' Kurtz, Josh 'Geronimo' Johnson and Tommy 'The Man on the Streets' for indulging this madcap Loony to bring the serial to life...!

Let us know what you thought of the episode and the interviews, serial, competition, Dear Khonshus etc...if you liked them, or would like to see something else on the show...we're more than happy to respond! You can catch us on any of these platforms - 

Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

Discord ITK Server: ITK Server

Twitch: COMING SOON!

#ITKMoonKnight 2019 Fantasy Comic League - June, Week 1

The current season of #FantasyComicLeague continues on in the month of June, Loonies, and we've got an update on the new drafts that your team members (Connorshu, Dustin, Chad, Tommy and Rey) have chosen for the new month.

The first week has already come and gone, and the points have been scored for each of the characters. Below you can see the current scorecards for each of the team members. Still early days yet, and anything can happen again during the month - 

Tommy made a late charge and came in at second place, followed by me (Rey), 'Cold Case' Kurtz, and The Power of Chad rounding off the group - 

High Priest of Khonshu, Reynaldo Gesmundo

Due to the results in May, I've been allowed to retain two of my previous players and so I've chosen to stick with Deadpool and Captain America. Those guys seem to be rather consistent - I just hope I chose the right powers for them. I've gone for two other big names in Iron Man and the Hulk. They don't necessarily translate into big points, but after perusing this month's comics, they're in with a chance...

Dustin 'Cold Case' Kurtz

Dustin was allowed to retain up to three of his players, and he's made full use of that option by retaining the supernatural/mystical titans of Blade, Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider. Dustin's also picked up a MASSIVE draw with Wolverine this time - an opportunity which arose due to last month's winner, Connorshu, not allowed to retain any of his players...

Tommy 'The Man on the Streets' Kawel

Tommy starts off solid again with a pretty decent pack of characters. Retaining only Venom, Tommy has managed to pick up Punisher and Daredevil, both of whom performed very well last month. Let's see how they go this month, but expect Tommy to shoot up the ladder!

High Priest of Khonshu, Connorshu Stephens

Poor Connorshu has had it tough for the month following May - he's had to relinquish ALL his players (due to being top of the table last month), and a busy schedule has seen him miss out on the drafting deadline...giving him two auto-drafts in Silver Surfer and Doctor Voodoo! Still, I imagine Captain Marvel will give him many points, but the new Silver Surfer title (and the Guardians of the Galaxy) may give Connorshu the boost he needs to return to the top!

'The Power of' Chad Jernigan

Our maverick, Chad had the opportunity to change his whole team, but sticking with his favourite characters has confirmed an identical team to last month. You never know with this sort of thing - although Chad rounded off the ladder last month, this month his players may yield even more points - it only really depends on how they are written for the books this month...so there's the very possibility that Chad may surprise all the others and climb up that ladder!

Well, that about wraps it, Loonies for this newsletter - a bit of a long one, but a great chance to reflect on our milestone just past...as well as give you an update on our Fantasy Comic League progress!

Thanks once again for reading this newsletter and listening to our podcast! Spread the word of Khonshu and Moon Knight if you can...would be great to interact and hear from new fans (and old ones who've only just recently come across our community!)

Keep watching that night sky, and keep tuning in!!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

  Check out this episode!

[itkmoonknight]

SPECIAL 50TH EPISODE! Gifts from Khonshu

My fellow Loonies - my fellow Travellers of the Night, 

It's been approximately one year ago that we decided to cobble this hodge-podge of a podcast together and to provide a fan base for all those who felt that Moon Knight deserved so much more....

Can you believe it? We are almost at our milestone 50th episode, and boy oh boy, have we pulled out all the stops!!

It will by FAR be our biggest episode to date and I'm holding back every fibre in my being not to spill the beans on what we have in store!

What I can say is that we'll have an extended panel once again with all three High Priests of Khonshu (Connor, Rebecca and Rey) joined by the force of nature which is, 'The Power of Chad' Jernigan! The ITK community and this 50th episode coming up being a celebration of the great community we have going on across all our social media!

As you can tell from the images above, we'll be returning to the Isla Ra Books format with a mystery guest - so this should be plenty of fun!!!! No spoilers as to what the books will be, however there will be encrypted links to the books in the episode summary, so for those who wish to find out what the books are before listening to the podcast, then you can do so and potentially read along to the discussion.

As mentioned, we have a mystery guest (or two!) on the show and as always we'll be asking the Isla Ra questions - as well as for the very first time, trekking to the Isla Ra to meet, greet and discuss the comics!

I don't want to give anything away - but I'll leave just a clue here, for you...our guest has a connection to Moon Knight in some capacity!;)...That's all I'll say - you heard it here!

Mystery Guest's Top 4 Isla Ra (Desert Island) Comics: ???

(As always, we aren't giving anything away just yet! Be sure to listen to the episode, and check out the show notes for the encrypted links to the desert island books! That way, you can prep yourselves and read along with our chat...but for those who don't want to be spoiled, you won't be able to see the books unless you click the link!)

It being a big thing for us, why not send us a message or anything related to our big 50th episode! You can do so on any of the links below...We'll be sure to read them out on the show - perhaps you can even try and guess our mystery guest and send messages to him/her/them!! :P

Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

This also almost feels like a last hurrah of sorts, as many of you know little Bushman is due to arrive sometime in late July - so I really don't have much time left! Although I'll be taking a hiatus when the time comes, to battle projectile vomiting, soiled nappies and sleepless nights, have no fear - the show will go on!!

After our big 50th episode, there will be a mixture of some pre-recorded Isla Ra Interviews conducted int he lead up to our 50th as well as a show or two by Rebecca and Connor, and even good friend of the show 'Our Man on the Streets' Tommy chiming in to give us an episode with a couple of his friends!!

Plenty of good times ahead!! Right now, it's all about bringing to you the very best 50th episode we can - so a big thanks once again for all your support Loonies! We truly could not do it without you - thanks for listening and for contributing or just dropping into our groups to read, chat, post or share!! We love you all, and here's to 50 gazillion more episodes to come!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

Check out this episode!