#also josh just has chemistry with everybody

[sparklygraves]

yooo West Wing ppl! does anyone ship Josh & Sam? I am obsessed with Josh & Donna, but sometimes I find J & S have a vibe!!

[clarajohnson]

the magicians s1e12

guys i'm having so much fun with this rewatch (recap reminds me that richard killed his son through neglect and q betrayed alice with the threesome and julia's about to get duped by a fake goddess) um

this kitchen reminds me of the season 4 apartment but i'm having fun so i'm not gonna think about season 4

such a small thing but i have beef with the dude imbuing kady with faith by doing something for her like. i guess we disagree on what faith is!

you can't unring a bell so be certain when you call, julia!

poor penny getting stuck babysitting three neurotics and one alice (not neurotic relative to everybody else In This One Thing)

cannot get over q being the one who initiated it. i just can't.

jesus christ jason ralph is so hot

in 2015 you could sell an audience on the badassery of a line just by including the term patriarchy

please alice drinking triple sec :'''-)

we talk about alice's style being sexy librarian but it reads much more to me as a girl who knows she could fall at any second into twee oblivion so she's styling it in dark colors. i'm waiting for an owl necklace.

ooh! dionysus, okay!

i did NOT remember her hooking up with richard. but. i'm fine with it.

mannnnn i love julia wicker so much she is the epitome of the girl with an inch-thick tough exterior filled with love all the rest of the way through she is so special and good

fucking "didn't think you had that in you" go to hell quentin! oh MY cheating is okay YOUR consensual sex outside of a relationship is BAD! again this is why i hated him the first time around

How I was feeling about Quentin would have got us all killed. :l

i kind of feel like if he was a real person i would have bullied quentin coldwater or at least been very rude to him. sorry quentin!

lol the "janet" "actually it's margo" "this time" joke went over my head last time

I PLANNED MY WHOLE OUTFIT AROUND THAT BOTTLE !!!!!

truth serum is toxic and banned? interesting

"oh i was kind of poking around in the dark with that one" lollll my baby

quentin WOULD always bring up groundhog day. also he's actually stronger than me because if fogg told me i'd been killed in these exact circumstances 39 times i would absolutely lose all hope and try and beat the beast to the punch

penny has chemistry with everybodyyyyy

i'm in love with julia's pier one ass apartment

julia and q's reunion gets me so good !!!!! so bad !!!! "you smell the same" wow you guys should be friends forever for your entire lives and you WILL be!

julia calling god magic "some pretty eclectic shit" like it's a limited run pressing of a neutral milk hotel b-side

cool, useless, kind of gross

julia's destiny is to find a whole new kind of magic. do we think this happens? what is this referring to do we think?

the LOOK q gives julia after "richard gave it to me" so much immediate understanding and shit-stirring delight

it's crazy, like, not crazy but crazy that eliot stays so torn up about mike

"yeah, no, it still sounds bad."

JOSH HOBERMANNNNNNN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please i did not remember that they were all going to fillory in like fucking ren fair cosplay

MAGIC IS FOR FIXING THINGS JULIA SAYS (also "if fixing things was easy everyone would do it" because somebody needs to fucking validate quentin now and then)

despite my indignation on julia's behalf i do love the choice of isolating her from the academic environment of brakebills, i think it adds a new dimension and texture to her knowledge and understanding and engagement with the world around her and i like that so much

it's fucking crazy that q and jules just... do horomancy. like horomancy is such a big fucking thing the rest of the show and in this ep they just do it!

alice's light bending feels so much like a superpower, it's so rare that they let magic seem that magical but they let it happen there and i love that

margo hanson i love you and your gun forever

the moment jules and q step through the telephone booth always kind of gets me it's so much of what the promise of the show can be it's so lovely

[safflowerseason]

Ted Lasso, the OC!

Favourite character:

Funniest character:

Best-looking character:

3 favourite ships:

Least favourite character:

Least favourite ship: 

Reason why I watch it:

Why I started watching it:

Thanks so much for the ask!! This is a fun game!!

Ted Lasso

Favourite character: In season one it was Rebecca, but S2-3 Jamie Tartt (unexpectedly!) has earned the top-spot in my character ranking.

Funniest character: oh god, how can I choose...a tie between Roy and Jamie?? Although Higgins is also extra-delightful, and I love Kitman Will Kitman's little bits. OH WAIT NEVER MIND my answer is ISAAC.

Best-looking character: Jamie Tartt. Phil Dunster is...whew.

3 favourite ships: hmmmm!! this is hard, Ted Lasso is the rare show where I don't find myself super invested in one particular ship. Higgins/his wife are probably my Ted Lasso OTP to be honest. I do like Roy/Keeley although I think the writer bungled their break-up pretty badly this season.

Least favourite character: Besides Rupert who I feel is everybody's automatic least favorite, probably Nate, just because I think the show ultimately ruined all the interesting potential for his storyline.

Least favourite ship: idk, Nate/Jade, probably? Also Coach Beard/Jane never made much sense to me either. Give Beard a more compelling love interest!

Reason why I watch it: To see how it ends!! (Assuming S3 is the final season, which it may not be...increasingly it feels like they are going to continue just without Jason Sudeikis/Ted).

Why I started watching it: I started watching Ted Lasso in late December 2020...I had seen some chatter about it online, and I had an AppleTv+ subscription earlier than most of my friends/family because I got a new iPad at the time when Apple was giving out subscriptions for free ☠️ It was such an intense time...I spent most of that month just lying around and feeling sad about the state of the world, and the show's focus on kindness felt really revelatory in a time of such political turmoil, but also in general a really tightly written, well constructed show (I do not feel that way now, necessarily). I remember sobbing my eyes out at the end of "Tan Lines" where Ted says goodbye to Michelle and my dad was like "...what are you watching???"

The OC

Favourite character: Oh god, probably a tie between Marissa and Kirsten...two characters who I feel got screwed by Josh Schwartz (albeit to very different degrees).

Funniest character: Unfortunately because the character has aged so poorly, it is indeed Seth Cohen, although I think Sandy is a close second.

Best-looking character: MARISSA. S1 Marissa is just the EPITOME of California beauty to me.

3 favourite ships: Ryan x Marissa, Sandy x Kirsten, um...I *guess* Seth and Summer, their S1 story anyway. My favorite trash!ship is Jimmy x Julie. Smarter writers could have done something with their chemistry!

Least favourite character: Hmmm...of the main ensemble I have to say Jimmy, although among the rotating supporting cast I really don't like Rachel in S1. Trey, of course, for what he did to Marissa. Also Rebecca and Carter in S2. Basically everyone the writers invented in S2 and S3 for "drama" purposes, because they were all so poorly written!! (with the exception of Alex).

Least favourite ship: Ryan x Sadie and Marissa x Volchok. I only saw S3 once and I found both of those relationships offensive.

Reason why I watch it: S1 is prestige television!!! Especially through "The Best Chrismukkah Ever." Teen drama at its best!! The pilot is one of the best episodes of American network television ever produced, and I will go die on this hill.

Why I started watching it: The OC was so omnipresent in the early-mid 00's I honestly don't remember where I first heard about it. I do remember seeing a youtube clip (in youtube's earliest days when it was just fanvids and bootlegged movies) of the ending of The Countdown and Ryan and Marissa's iconic kiss and thinking "wow, I have to watch this show."

[properbantz]

BEACH HUT CONFESSIONALS 001 — EDEN FOSTER

BOMBSHELL ENTRANCE:

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT ENTERING THE VILLA? 

“ oh i’m absolutely stoked. i saw callie on the show and thought like, now there’s a girl with an idea. ”  her smile widens and she leans forward in the chair.  “ like i know i should be nervous or something but i’m just not y’know? ”  it helps that she’s used to a sort of reality tv type beat. talking in front of a camera is comfortable at this point given interviews or her family’s little day in the life show.  “ the camera’s don’t really faze me or anything and i’ve done this long enough not to like.. have a total freak out like that one guy with the hair, reece? or the boxer trying to throw his dick everywhere? or the other blonde? jenny’s an absolute dream but she’s gotta work on grounding breathing exercises. really, i’m just here to have a good time and whatever it is at the end of the day that’s that. ”  eden shrugs, bright smile returning to her features.  “ like obviously i’m hoping to find someone grand but i’m also being realistic. shoot for the moon, yeah? stars are pretty too. ” 

IS THERE ANYONE WHO YOU HAD YOUR EYE ON ALREADY OR HAS CAUGHT YOUR EYE OFF THE BAT THAT YOU’D BE INTERESTED IN GOING FOR? 

“ oh definitely. ” her expression twist as if she’s asking ‘are you serious?’  “ yeah a lot of the islanders already seem pretty ace. i’ve got a few that i’m looking forward to pulling for a chat before others, like miles, frankie, adela, but i’m keen on getting a chat in with everybody. not because i’m desperate or anything, ”  she laughs, pointing at the producers behind the camera,  “ but how else are you going to know if you’ve got chemistry with someone if you don’t even try to entertain a conversation? how do you know there’s not that spark or fireworks if you don’t go for the kiss? ”   

WHICH COUPLES SEEM THE MOST SOLID TO YOU? LEAST SOLID? 

her nose scrunches, clearly not wanting to answer this question and not having a good answer for it either.  “ none of them? ”  she feels bad saying that, but all of these couples seem so shaken around.  “ i mean if you want to get into it i guess angel and callie have got a really good thing going? but something about callie and frankie feels severely unfinished, like if they don’t get it out now they’re going to end up doing something they regret later or hurting their partners. like not intentionally, but that original fire pit just felt... intense. even in here, you don’t react that way to someone you’re over. i think jude and jenny are sweet. i’d like to see them succeed, i think he’s sweet to her despite the fact he looks like he would kill a pair of tracky daks. you think he owns ‘em? ” 

WHAT PEOPLE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF GETTING ALONG WITH?

“ overly optimistic to say everyone, like i’m being thrown into the lion’s den here, but that’s not unfamiliar in the slightest. plus i know cal, she and i ran in a pretty similar circle a while back. ”  her tone’s light, teasing. who would she be if she didn’t make some sort of wild animal reference right out the gate?  “ i’m gonna have to put a little more thought into what comes out of my mouth from time to time but i just call it like i see it. i’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, the last thing i wanna do is make anyone upset. so like... that’s gonna be the thing. i hope i get on with angel and charlene. they seem like a good time, dante and jude maybe? ” 

WHAT PEOPLE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF NOT GETTING ALONG WITH? 

“ i’m not like hoping to go in making enemies. that’s not my speed. ”  she tries to make this aggressively clear,  “ but maybe dylan? maybe. which is like wild considering that’s another true blue right there but i think he just takes himself so seriously and i’m not really about that. but i hope that’s not the case. um... i don’t really know how it’ll go with josh. or naomi.  i don’t want to get sucked into that whirlpool of a mess just by being in their sheer proximity so maybe i’ll stay away from that with no less than a six foot pole. ” 

[madam-o]

Cowboy Bebop (2021, Netflix)

*Minor Spoilers*

I honestly didn't think this thing would work. What made Cowboy Bebop work in its original form was the poetry of the images mixed with the gorgeosity of the music. It was heavy on style, which made the simple story feel like it had depth. A live action version just can't do the same thing as an anime.

But the only thing I honestly didn't care for in Cowboy Bebop (2021) was the white hair on people who clearly aren't close to even being blonde. That never works. I would've gone with the original gray hair look for Vicious anyway. Otherwise it was well-written with an obvious understanding of the original work while being entirely its own thing. It made smart choices regarding the characters and built on what we know of them from the original.

All three leads are well cast. The Bebop crew have a charming chemistry and several amusing bonding scenes together. Happy to report, they still really suck at their jobs. And probably best of all, some unnecessary baggage has been removed, namely Faye's unrequited attraction to Spike and Spike's "walking dead man" character thing (which I liked as part of the anime, but it doesn't fit here.)

There were several minor differences but they made sense. Some things just wouldn't translate well to live action, like Vicious' very cold personality, which feels like something that works better as anime trope. Here he's got more barely contained rage and a lot of arrogant superiority. Julia is less pure and unobtainable, and I like that to be honest. Her arc makes sense to me considering the fucked up situation she finds herself in.

There's some notable cameos from great actors, like Adrienne Barbeau and John Noble, and lots of wonderful secondary and single episode characters. Pierrot Le Fou is especially well played by Josh Randall, who I don't know at all but I can tell you one thing about him, he was born to play this part. Faye's "mom" is notably played by Christine Dunford, who I also don't know. In fact I don't know a lot of these actors, but damn, they're good.

I consider Cowboy Bebop a perfect anime, and I consider the live action version a worthy tribute and expansion to that anime. I really have no time for the "this show r*ped my childhood" bullshit I'm seeing everywhere (I can't believe people still say things like that unironically.) I feel like a lot of that has to do with the characters not looking as young and hot as they do in the anime, but c'mon, it's anime. Everybody looks perfect in anime. If you can't deal with the changes, just grow the fuck up and go rewatch the original. Big mommy milkers Faye hasn't gone anywhere.

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

i’m watching the 2017 beauty and the beast because i felt like watching beauty and the beast without having a full emotional breakdown (which is what the original movie’s gonna do). some thoughts--

i know that i was grumpy about emma watson’s casting, and i still don’t think it was like the most amazing casting ever, but she’s also so damn charming that i always just feel happy to have her on my screen. aww, emma watson, hi! also i know she’s gotten a lot of crap for her eyebrow acting over the years but i personally think it’s delightful and iconic. everybody’s got their thing, okay!

okay, so i get how it would have been hard to make ewan mcgregor a convincing candalabra with practical effects in this movie, but i at least wish they’d done makeup for the beast instead of cgi face. i just feel so bad every time belle and the beast interact and i imagine emma watson having to play all these emotional scenes with dan stevens in that weird cgi suit. and i also feel bad for dan stevens for having to be in the cgi suit. i think there’s a serious something to be said for actors actually being allowed to act off each other and be able to believe in the reality of the scene they’re doing, and the magic feeling that comes through the screen because of that, and movies nowadays NEED TO REMEMBER THAT.

can you imagine having to emote and try to develop chemistry with literally a room full of tennis balls or whatever? god, the absence of joy in acting experiences like that must be profound. practical effects whenever possible, plz, world of movies!!!! it’s frankly amazing that emma watson’s eyes manage to remain so sparkly throughout this movie while she’s interacting with literally nothing for the majority of two+ hours.

i know it got so, so panned on the interwebs, but i find this movie’s incarnation of lefou really fun. there! i said it! (josh gad has my admiration forever for olaf, which i get is controversial, and i also really enjoyed him in wolf like me recently. damn! that show was just a great little heartwrenching weirdo!!)

the bf and i were talking about the notorious disney+ gaston and lefou sequel series, and we’ve decided that the only valid plotline is lefou moving on from gaston and self-actualizing and gaston realizing he’s in love with lefou and trying to win him back in a series of madcap romcom misadventures. let it be so!!! i’ll just be over here manifesting it.

[singingaboutwishingx]

the west wing professor au

i feel like this has been done before, but i can’t find it if it does exist. if this is your au, please know that i did not intentionally copy any ideas because, again, i’m not sure if this really exists.

also before i start, i don’t know how other people’s colleges work, so just in case: a capstone class is a sort of cumulative class for seniors (i’ve also heard it called a senior seminar). it’s usually a very small class size and either discussion-based or research-based. what’s required for the class varies by major.

dr. joshua lyman (ratemyprofessor score: 4.5): chairman of the political science department. also teaches one capstone class per semester. it is the single most sought-after class in the department (which strokes his ego. also, he literally does not have time to teach a second section).

dr. josiah bartlet (ratemyprofessor score: 4.7): the only econ professor anyone likes. his classes fill up very quickly, given that he’s a nobel laureate and all. he’s kind of a hard grader, but he’s very kind and enthusiastic.

dr. claudia jean cregg (ratemyprofessor score: 4.9): teaches communications. she loves her capstone classes because they give her more one-on-one interaction with the students. she’s taught several influential people who cite her as one of their sources of motivation and inspiration.

dr. tobias ziegler (ratemyprofessor score: 3.7): teaches comp. you either hate dr. ziegler or you love him. no in between. praise in the margins of your papers feels like winning the lottery.

dr. samuel seaborn (ratemyprofessor score: 5.0): teaches english and creative writing. if you’re attracted to men, it’s practically a rite of passage to have a crush on him. he’s so sweet and enthusiastic and encouraging that it’s nearly impossible to not.

dr. leopold mcgarry (ratemyprofessor score: 4.5): teaches psychology. fairly universally beloved for his dry jokes and in-depth lectures. he gives a little half-smile easily, but sometimes he smiles with teeth and it’s enough to make everyone want to cry.

professor donnatella moss, m.a. (ratemyprofessor score: 4.9): teaches music theory and choir. sweet, encouraging, knows how to foster talent. don’t disappoint her or make her mad. she’ll break your heart and you’ll never forget it.

professor charles young, j.d. (ratemyprofessor score: 5.0): adjunct professor of civil procedure, also practices human rights law part time. every student loves him to pieces (he’s a genuinely good teacher, but the weekly bonus point opportunities certainly don’t hurt).

dr. abigail bartlet (ratemyprofessor score: 4.2): teaches biology capstone classes and anatomy. a little bit of a hardass, but she really does want students to succeed. even if her classes make you want to die and reconsider your major, you can’t help but love her.

dr. william bailey (ratemyprofessor score: 4.3): teaches astronomy, and his eyes just light up when students ask thoughtful questions. a little bit of a mess, but he’s pretty endearing (and a pretty easy grader–if you get the concept, you get most of your points).

ms. katherine harper (ratemyprofessor score: n/a): head rotc coordinator. has personally visited high schools across the country to speak on her experiences with rotc. when students come to her, she takes them very seriously. has made many a girl wonder if they liked girls (spoiler alert: they usually do).

dr. annabeth schott (ratemyprofessor score: 4.3): adjunct professor, teaches public speaking and advises the student theatre group. makes her students do silly exercises to loosen them up. fairly well-liked. does some media consulting on the side.

dr. amelia gardener (ratemyprofessor score: 4.0): teaches women’s studies. tough as nails, but clearly knowledgeable and passionate about her subject. not very good at answering student emails, so it’s best to go to her office hours.

dr. josephine lucas and mr. kenneth thurman (ratemyprofessor score: 4.3): joey is second chair of the political science department and teaches statistics for political science. she generally uses power points so she can click to the next slide and have both hands free to sign while kenny interprets. students adore both dr. lucas and mr. thurman.

dr. matthew santos (ratemyprofessor score: 5.0): teaches humanities with a specific focus in government and global relations. is just the most enthusiastic, fun guy on campus with so much passion for his subject. includes corny jokes in his power point slides.

professor ainsley hayes, j.d. (ratemyprofessor score: 4.2): teaches constitutional law. loves nothing more than civil debate in class. a tough grader, but leaves lots of constructive feedback. she only wants her students to be better.

professor daniel concannon, m.a. (ratemyprofessor score: 4.4): teaches journalism. enjoys teaching well enough, but takes semesters off at every opportunity to go cover stories worldwide. his assignments seem hard, but he helps the students work through them.

margaret hooper, carol fitzpatrick, ginger webster, and bonnie parikh (ratemyprofessor score: n/a): grad students working as ta’s. margaret teaches psych under leo, carol teaches comms under cj, ginger teaches chemistry labs, and bonnie teaches creative writing under sam.

bonus:

everyone knows that dr. and dr. bartlet are married--they’re the campus power couple who literally promote their spouse’s classes (”and if any of you are biology/econ majors, you’ll probably have my wife/husband”).

however, it’s somehow several years before any student figures out that there’s something going on between dr. lyman and professor moss.

they both have wedding rings on, but they don’t necessarily talk about their personal lives in class, so nobody really thinks much of it until a particularly gossipy student runs into them (holding hands, no less) at a local theatre’s production of a tennessee williams play and it spreads like wildfire.

so now everybody knows they’re married (and have impeccable taste in theatre).

cj and toby have been having an ongoing affair ever since his divorce, but they keep it very quiet.

sam is painfully aware that his students have crushes on him, but he keeps it incredibly professional (besides, he has one eye on that cute astronomy professor).

one of the girls who met kate and wondered if they liked girls was ainsley (and, spoiler alert: she did). there was a faculty/staff mixer at the beginning of ainsley’s first year teaching, and when they shook hands, ainsley forgot how to breathe for a second.

josh and joey went on one date during josh’s first year after he started teaching at this university, but it didn’t really work. however, they remain close friends.

[businessbois]

i'm here on daggryet's suggestion to ask how you'd currently rank the five mcc teams? 😄

oh boy oh boy alright so i’ll do my placements and then explanation below the cut, these are just initial reactions honestly i can see any of the top three flipping around

1.) Green Guardians

2.) Orange Ocelots

3.) Lime Llamas

4.) Red Rabbits

5.) Yellow Yaks

green guardians- obviously strong, but having 2/3 of the dream team is obviously not historically enough to secure a win. however, they are a very powerful duo and teamed together, dream and george have never gotten below 4th place. 3/4 of this team has an advantage of having been training together even before teams were announced and regularly playing minecraft together. the captain and dream have been together, they work well together, i don’t imagine this team will have any issues with chemistry or communication. skillset wise, an advantage this team also has is being not super dependent on games. obviously dream is your s tier “carry” whatever you want to call him, he’s a superstar. george is solid all around. the captain is a good player, very experienced and good at the game. and quackity while not excelling in the past has been practicing lately and honestly all he has to do is stay alive for a decent amount of time in most games and not even worry about kills/at least finish the course if it’s a movement type thing. like maybe rocket spleef or buildmart is their worst game? but like half of them are good at rocket spleef and then is anybody good at buildmart really (/hj)?

orange ocelots- okay hear me out. consistency is so important in this tournament. this is why orange and lime go above red. three experienced, consistent players plus one team leader is a better team composition in general. people are saying that quig has been doing worse ever since mcc12, but it’s not like he’s fallen off. he’s been practicing a lot and he’s still really good at the game. and he’ll have a solid, supportive team to help him out. shelby’s played in a lot of the top teams for the tournament. she can hold her own just fine and would be super good in dodgebolt for these guys. eret and kara are similarly experienced and also have been in high placing teams, they were actually in the 1st and 2nd scoring teams last mcc. i put orange above lime because i just think the players on orange score the tiniest bit higher (again everything will be dependent on the tournament itself but just looking at averages) quig- 3168, shubble- 1935, kara- 1937, eret- 1705 VS fruit- 3167 (yes one single coin less), false- 1954, cubfan- 1698, ren- 1662.

lime llamas- similar ideas to above but with hermits. these guys are solid. fruit is also one of the best mcc players. he’s been top two for the past four tournaments. false is good. ren and cubfan can definitely support the team as well. these guys also have the advantage of playing together often, notably false ren have done every single tournament together except two, but everybody on this team has done mcc together. i think only ren and cubfan haven’t done a dodgebolt together so like crazy strong stuff here with this team. they’ve had similar team makeups to this before and gotten 1st. they go third because they’re a little bit weaker than the lime liches, a little bit weaker than the mcc12 lime llamas, a little bit weaker than mcc10s orange ocelots, a little bit weaker than the similar teams they’ve had before. again though numbers aren’t everything. maybe i’m only putting them third because i really want to get the captain a win and also josh fruitberries walking off the side of the bridge in skybattle is flashing through my mind right now. but yeah third here because the other guys are the slightest bit stronger i feel. i wouldn’t be surprised to see them in dodgebolt though.

red rabbits- i adore these guys. super talented all around. but again all these teams above them have consistency over them. vikk is very good at the game, has not played mcc in particular in a hot sec. i mean i don’t suspect he’ll have too much trouble readapting, especially if he’s willing to train beforehand on the training server. niki also hasn’t played in a sec. they go third because this team has good players and while niki hasn’t excelled in the tournament, she brings great vibes and a supportive atmosphere to the team. also she’s been practicing so im ready for her to get revenge on georgenotfound. tommy is good when he’s not worrying too much about everyone else. i think this team is good for that. tubbo doesn’t need too much guidance, i think he can operate on his own and pop off. vikk might need a nudge but i don’t think he’ll need as much as a newer player. im thinking of mcc12 red rabbits right now where niki and big q would have similar roles and then vikk and wisp. i think vikk would need less help than wisp did in that tournament. they’re a well rounded team. no chemistry issues. i don’t think niki lets the game get to her head and i think that’ll be good for tommy as well. pvp games would be fantastic for them and the real make or break for how high they score.

yellow yaks- 2/4 coral carolers lets gooo. sylvee and krtzyy are very experienced. dave’s an a tier player. i believe sylvee could pull like around 20-25. dan is new but a good player, top 15 potential for sure and honestly would have made that if it wasn’t for the buildmart finale last tournament. sb i’m not as familiar with but i’m pretty sure he’s a top 15 player as well. he’s steadily improved each tournament he’s played in. they’re a good team but i don’t really see as much chemistry in their favor as these other teams and no s tier which obviously doesn’t actually mean anything, but just looking at things it helps to have someone like these other teams have dream, fruit, and quig (and vikkstar)

[daisugababy]

i'm not the same anon who sent you all those asks just want to make that clear before i say what i have to say. i read your responses to these asks and i'm sorry but i have to call you out on what i perceive as hypocrisy. i don't know that you remember that or if it was someone else with a similar url to yours but either way you co-signed the idea that nico was "flirting" with josh, the patient he lost and at the time nico and levi were going strong and committed to one another

Bro, I literally don't know what you're talking about?? In what part of fandom have you been chillin? i asked @schmico-ing @glassesandkim and @pb-nj and none of them have encountered this kind of discourse/idea either. I have never heard about Nico flirting with Josh??? A patient??? While his boyfriend is right next to them, complaining about Nico possibly leaving for that new job?? When would Nico have flirted with Josh? I'm genuinely so confused my dude. Where did you read that? On tumblr dot com? No hate towards you, I am genuinely asking.

i don't know that you remember that or if it was someone else with a similar url to yours but either way you co-signed the idea that nico was "flirting" with josh

i'm pretty sure i didn't co-sign shit. i even checked an di did not entertain once the thought of a josh/nico flirting situation. fandom clown @glassesandkim said they had chemistry, but i'm pretty sure she didn't say that they were actually flirting with each other right in front of Levi, Bailey and Josh's grandpa. That would be really fucking weird.

i remember this clearly happening in the schmico fandom because everyone was trying to justify nico's actions by saying he was grieving

Yes, he was grieving. Because he fucking killed a 21 year old kid due to making a mistake during surgery. There's a difference between losing sb you (barely) know aside from work and making a mistake that kills someone. Nico. killed. someone. He's the reason this 21 old is dead. That shit is traumatizing. Everybody handles trauma differently.

so yeah i'm sorry but it comes across a bit hypocritical to get up in arms about levi entertaining the idea of another guy whenever he and nico are officially broken up and only hooking up

It was pretty clear that they were not broken up anymore, since Nico asked 'so did we break up or...?' While, infuriatingly, we didn't see them get back together onscreen, it is implied that they were back to being a couple. (This is also one of the main issues with Schmico. A lot of things are just implied to have happened through side comments. It makes it more difficult to follow their barely there storyline.)

and to finish off my thoughts on all this levi and nico were not only broken up but levi had been broken up with specifically because nico didn't want to open up, didn't even wanna talk at all

Nico told Levi he couldn't talk about this issue, but Levi kept on pressuring him. This is not the first time that Levi did so, so Nico will open up. Levi clearly did not respect Nico's boundaries and didn't give him the time to process, because he made Nico's trauma about himself. Repeatedly.

this wasn't a mutual split. so i can understand having a bit of emotional whiplash from going to being dumped to fuck buddies to in love and let's move in together.

I get what you mean, but again, Grey's relies heavily on implications when it comes to Schmico. And from them sleeping together (actual sleeping) and comforting each other (the on-call room scene + hand holding in public), it was kinda implied that they were just back together. But tbh I was also still confused until Nico said his 'did we break up or...' line.

i just don't understand why it's ok for nico to run from levi/push him away, last out at him whenever he is hurting/confused/going through it but levi has one second of hesitation, of wondering what it might be like to have an uncomplicated thing with a guy and we're ready to crucify him

Again, Levi kept pestering Nico about opening up. He acted like Nico not being ready to talk about his problems/trauma was a direct attack on him. This wasn't about Nico not trusting him, but Nico just not being to talk about it in general. If you can't respect your partner not wanting to talk about things that don't even involve you personally, then maybe you're not mature enough to be in a relationship. There's always a time and a place to talk about deeply traumatizing things, but I assure you, work is not that place.

My main issue here is just that Nico has always been so, so supportive of Levi. He gave him pep talks, hyped him up, stood by his side whenever Levi needed him, because he knew how to support him. Levi tried to comfort Nico the way he would've wanted to be comforted. But Levi never knew how to do that for Nico and he never asked.

I'm not crucifying Levi, I'm just annoyed, because relationship wise, from what we've seen, Levi is pretty selfish. He barely made any effort to learn how to be there for Nico, it has always been the other way around, always Nico adjusting to Levi's needs.

And yet, Nico always ends up as the bad guy... Hmmm... Very strange.

[thxngam]

i think being a ww fan means recognizing the inherent flaws in its story and characters. for every amazing character moment, theres the fact that the show has a lot of misogyny, both from its male characters and how its female characters are written and treated (ex. the whole laurie and sam arc. some of the stuff that josh says to donna). for every istotg moment, theres the fact that charlie was literally written in bc the show was considered too white (and for most of its run, was). for all the awesome political moments, for all the show presented bipartisanship, and had republicans that were sympathetic, three-dimensional characters, theres the fact of ainsleys entire introduction to the show. it has issues, real issues, and highlighting its high highs should also come with acknowledging its low lows.

Absolutely! I couldn’t have said it any better  (but pls watch as i proceed to make your point bc i feel like i should respond).

For any of yall saying the moments i talk about don’t rlly matter, please notice that even if it didn’t bother you, it might have bothered other ppl/enforced steroetypes/etc. 

For example, there’s one super misogynistic line that josh says that still sticks with me? as a woman, i think most times the show was sexist/anytime anybody was sexist i tend to notice in a way men probably don’t, the same way white ppl don’t notice when everybody in a room is white. it’s just something you notice. but anyway, there’s that one thing with the economy/china-us trade relationship or something in season 5 or 6 and they talk about bras, which is this whole comedic moment. but i remember donna telling josh this, and then josh going “do the Chinese even need bras?”

and i’m not Chinese, i’m desi and i don’t know what it’s like be Chinese and i’m sure there are cultural beauty standards i’m not aware of, obviously. but hearing that line made me so uncomfortable. ig it was supposed to be funny, and donna sort of reprimands him, but it made me so uncomfortable! and there are so many moments like that on the show.

there are maybe 3 recurring black characters (charlie, fitz, nancy mcnally) and that’s it. there’s angela blake, but she wasn’t there for you to like her bc she was “replacing” josh after that whole carrick business. your point about charlie being the point of diversity saddens me. i saw one asian person on the show, cathy, for like two episodes. that’s all. 

and also, sam, despite being my favorite, says some sexist things! i’m gonna talk about sam because he is my favorite, but moments of casual sexism are true of just about every character on the show. the bit about “leggy blonde republicans not knowing anything”, he condescends connie tate (i thought that was kinda funny but it was in poor taste bc connie--despite not seeing much of her--was incredibly intelligent and sam speaking down to her did rub me wrong), the bit about “baton twirling” when he talks to ainsley (tho she gives a great quip back and abt five minutes later he calls her intelligent), that borderline savior mentality with laurie (i (not being a sex worker, someone pls let me know if that was more problematic than the way i saw it) would’ve been fine with that whole storyline if they just kept her on so we could see laurie put sam in his place some more. bc i liked that they said that sex work was real work and that she liked what she did and didn’t fall to some trope about being abused as a child/crazy/etc but then they straight up never mentioned her again. she was smart and she could put him into his place and i liked her enough that i wish we saw their friendship). also he hears from this one weather person/air force person, and when he sees her he goes “you look exactly how you sound on the phone” and yuck

all the same, i like sam! he was idealistic and incredibly smart and i loved all his little impromptu speeches and he had great chemistry with everybody. i was so sad when he left the show and so excited when he came back (even for like two scenes). but i know he’s problematic. knowing he’s problematic and liking him as a character can happen at the same time.

also cj and relationships is weird on this show. that whole episode where she goes back to visit her ailing father there’s this weird romance with that one guy and it’s so weird. also bill? that we never see? the ranger or whatever? i like that cj had emotions (to be strong does not equal emotionless, i appreciated her appreciation for a pretty dress/shoes/jewelry bc that’s something i wish i knew when i was younger) but that was ridiculous. when she gets promoted to chief of staff, this was a great moment to mention sexism in the workplace/the sad rarity of women in power and i honestly don’t think they did, at least not meaningfully enough that i remember it. 

also there’s this whole ridicule of the michigan’s women’s caucus? not important at all, but it’s a sad how they talk down to an organization that isn’t there for mockery just because it’s full of women. it’s a legitimate thing, and because it’s full of women they constantly talk down about it.

i don’t know, but as i type this, i keep noticing more casual sexism and racism on the show. but that doesn’t mean i don’t love the show anyway. government can be optimistic (it’s not right now, but it can be) and it brought me out of a funk and i love it so, but like you said, it has its high highs and its low lows and we, as viewers, should acknowledge this. 

[silverscreenmusicals]

Every ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ Performance Ranked

In late 2019, Disney+ premiered the first season of the highly anticipated spin-off series ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, based on the Disney Channel franchise ‘High School Musical’.

A year later, the series released its very first holiday special, in which the cast member detailed their favourite holiday memories whilst performing covers of some Christmas classics (including two originals).

Below is a ranking of every performance from the least good to the best of them all! These rankings are based on both the performance and the quality of each song. So let’s begin!

13. ‘Last Christmas’ - performed by Matt Cornett

Much like any Christmas musical special, a cover of the Wham classic was featured, and this time it was Matt Cornett (E.J. Caswell).

Whilst the vocals were fairly decent on this one, Cornett’s cover lacked the emotion, fun and vibrance that one would expect from a ‘Last Christmas’ performance. The song is known for either its high-tempo and exciting nature or its ability to captivate an audience with its emotional lyrics and somehow this version attempts neither of those.

The visuals appear to be based around Matt Cornett’s car, forcing us out of the Christmassy feel the song is used to giving off. 

So with the fact that the visuals are pretty plain and how the performance lacks much feeling, ‘Last Christmas’ is unfortunately the worst performance from the special.

12. ‘Hanukkah Medley’ - performed by Julia Lester

Julia Lester is an incredibly talented cast member, but this performance doesn’t leave much to remember her by.

Although the medley of Hanukkah songs is decent, it is (at times) pitchy and awkward, with the performance being particularly plain.

Lester isn’t the show’s best dancer, but she is definitely a powerhouse vocalist, so perhaps she should have gone for something that could have showcased that instead of attempting a dance-pop number like this.

Saying that, the song on its own isn’t bad and is a fun pop song, but combined with the clunky visuals and uncomfortable-looking outfit, it doesn’t leave a great taste in your mouth after watching it.

11. ‘What Are You Doing New Years Eve?’ - performed by Kate Reinders and Mark St. Cyr

What is dubbed as Mark St. Cyr’s (Mr Mazarra) first televised musical performance, the Margaret Whiting cover is a fun and decent addition to the Holiday special.

We witness a cute few minutes of Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn) and Mark St. Cyr calling each other on the phone and singing to one another.

Whilst there’s nothing that is vocally spectaculor, Cyr and Reinders put on a corny cute performance together with their quirk and great chemistry.

10. ‘White Christmas’ - performed by Larry Saperstein

With his background in theatre, there’s no surprise that Larry Saperstein (Big Red) is able to pull of a great performance. Throughout the number we see Saperstein setting up the stage and then donning a suit and tie as he takes on the Christmas classic.

The performance is sweet, and the vocals are nice, but it appears to lack much beyond that. Saying that, it’s not a bad performance overall, it just isn’t quite as good as the rest of the special, so for that reason, it’s our 10th best of the group.

9. ‘Little Saint Nick’ - performed by Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett

The second Matt Cornett song of the special delivers a lot more than his solo. This duet with Joshua Bassett (Ricky Bowen) is a fresh and vibrant take on the Beach Boys classic, whilst not straying away from the boisterous vibes from the original.

The visuals also follow suit with the song, and whilst they’re not the most re-playable of clips, it’s still a fun and sweet performance attached to a vibrant song.

8. ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’ - performed by Sofia Wylie

Kicking off the show we see Sofia Wylie take on Donny Hathaway’s song ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’. Wylie is known as the show’s best dancer - by a mile - whilst also being a pretty decent singer, and this number is a great example of both of those.

The performance has its slight downfall with the vocals being slightly off at points, but when that happens, she makes up for it with her great dancing and camera presence.

A Sofia Wylie number would be expected to rank a little higher than her performance did here, but nonetheless her cover was still enjoyable. A more dance-focused visual may have been more beneficial for the young starlet, but this cover still does its job, and starts the special off to a wonderful beginning.

7. ‘Feliz Navidad’ - performed by Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez

Out of the three duets of the special, this ranks highest as the chemistry, visuals and vocals carry this performance to better heights.

Joe Serafini (Seb Matthew-Smith) and Frankie Rodriguez (Carlos Rodriguez) are the show’s most underrated couple, as their characters lack the screen time of many others but still manage to make the most of it regardless. The same can be said here in this exciting cover of José Feliciano’s Christmas hit.

Much like Julia Lester, the two probably would have found a better result with a ballad, but unfortunately not everybody could be given that opportunity. Still, Serafini and Rodriguez knock it out the park with this amusing and cutesy cover, which is combined with adorable visuals of the two decorating a Christmas tree.

6. ‘That’s Christmas To Me’ - performed by Kate Reinders, Julia Lester, Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini

In this thrilling Pentatonix cover we see four of the show’s best vocalists prove their place in this programme here. This cover features no instruments other than the vocals of the four performers, and it’s clear that they don’t need anything else.

Serafini is the standout of the group, but that isn’t to take away from the talent of the rest of them. The four vocalists create a perfectly spine-tingling cover that is both sweet and enticing.

5. ‘The Perfect Gift’ - performed by Joshua Bassett

Another original song that also features on the show’s second season is Joshua Bassett’s ‘The Perfect Gift’, which he also wrote. This song is one of the standouts from the soundtrack, giving the romantic, coddling vibe that we’re so used to Ricky and Nini offering.

The lyrics of the song are sweet and warm, proving that ‘The Perfect Gift’ is a song that can easily become its own Christmas classic - and Bassett’s charming vocals make sure of it. This is a phenomenal song that one can imagine being serenaded with by the fireplace on a cold, Winter evening.

Its one letdown are the visuals, which could do with more ambitious B-roll, but other than that, ‘The Perfect Gift’ makes us even more exciting for the sophomore season.

4. ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ - performed by Dara Reneé

Vocally, this is the greatest song on the soundtrack. Dara Reneé (Kourtney Greene) hits every note and makes sure that the “replay” button is hit repeatedly.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the visuals only feature two different shots and are combined with the closing credits, this performance isn’t placed as high as the song deserved.

'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ has been covered by some of the greatest musical icons of all time, including Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and Michael Bublé and - it appears that Reneé can find her place on that top 3 podium (sorry, Bublé).

3. ‘Something In The Air’ - performed by the cast of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’

One of the two original songs from the special, ‘Something In The Air’ is actually a part of the second season; the Drama Club creates an Instagram page and uses this to attract more viewers to the page.

The song itself is very Disney Channel-esque (in a good way), giving very similar vibes to ‘Set It Off’ from ‘Descendants’. But what really brings the tune together are the ambitious “one-take” visuals. It definitely took more than one take, and each scene is also most definitely not filmed consecutively, but that doesn’t retract from how seamless each transition is and how much hard work went into perfecting each shot.

Sofia Wylie is the clear star of the performance with her breathtaking dancing, whilst everyone else delivers with their impeccable timing and impeccable energy.

The song is fun, but the visuals are even greater, making ‘Something In The Air’ one of the special’s best numbers.

2. ‘River’ - performed by Olivia Rodrigo

This Joni Mitchell song has been covered by Ellie Goulding, Lea Michele, and many more, and much like Reneé’s take on ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, this deserves the same recognition as its predecessors.

Olivia Rodrigo (Nini Salazar-Roberts) can be given a piano and a microphone and create some of the greatest Disney musical magic we’ve seen, and her cover of ‘River’ is the epitome of that.

Her chilling vocals and solemn emotion gives this sad festive classic the mood it deserves, and makes us almost wish it were a part of the show’s canon with how sentimental Rodrigo makes it feel. This is a standout on the soundtrack, and definitely worth revisiting again and again.

1. ‘Believe’ performed by Dara Reneé

If it were possible, we’d rename this show ‘The Dara Reneé Show’ as both of her performances take our breath away. Reneé’s cover of Josh Groban’s ‘The Polar Express’ song is the best song of the special. It is thrilling, emotive, and proves just how talented the young star is.

Reneé proved in the freshman season of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ that she is one of (if not, the) best performer out of the cast, and if anyone were to ask you why you think that, ‘Believe’ would be your proof.

This stunning cover comes with so much charm and a fabulous set that it leaves no room for questioning why it is the best performance of the night.

What did you think of the special? Do you agree with these rankings? What performance was your favourite? Let us know!

‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ is available to stream right now on Disney+!

[life-observed]

How To Keep TV Real The Anthony Bourdain Way

How To Keep TV Real The Anthony Bourdain Way Anthony Bourdain didn’t start out developing TV shows. But seven seasons later, his No Reservations is going strong and, together with production partners Zero Point Zero, he’s launched a second show, The Layover and is working on a range of new projects. Here, the author/chef/restaurateur/TV show creator and star and Zero Point Zero principals talk about keeping TV real. BY ZACH DIONNE7 MINUTE READ Seven seasons deep, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations is doing something right. The show, which revolves around the brash chef/author/all-round personality indulging in transformative stints of eating, drinking, and traveling, airs on the Travel Channel and is a product of Bourdain and Zero Point Zero Productions, the same company that just helmed a successful first season of a Bourdain offshoot, The Layover. Co.Create sat down with Bourdain, Zero Point Zero executive producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, and managing director Joe Caterini to dig into why Bourdain’s shows stay afloat in a sea of programming, how multi-hyphenate creative types are working to adapt to new content paradigms, and why comedian Louis C.K. should be emulated in all things. Co.Create: You’re filming No Reservations’ eighth season. What’s the first trick to keeping the show fresh? Tenaglia: We understood very early on that if you’re really going to get to know a location well, it’s got to be through the characters that live there. Many scenes live or die by a good sidekick. Bourdain: Fixer selection is huge. Do they know the area as well as they say? Are they capable of doing all the logistical shit a fixer’s gotta do? But also, do they have a sense of humor? Are they fun? Do they drink? We’re not looking for the best of a place or everything you need to know about a place; we’re looking to have as close to a local experience as we can get, and have a good time and do something interesting that hasn’t been done before.

With Anthony’s writing background, are you doing much scripting ahead of time? Bourdain: We don’t script. We never do any writing beforehand. The Queens of the Stone Age show, it was like, let’s go to the desert and see what Josh Homme wants to do. All we really know for sure is he’s going to provide music for the show and we’re gonna be in the desert. If you think you’ve already figured out what the show’s going to be about or what you expect out of the scene, that’s a lethal impulse.

Does it get tricky to stay away from a fixed template? Tenaglia: Each year the show keeps evolving. Tony has an inimitable style and strong point of view that informs the creative, and we have an incredible creative team, very multi-platform, from animation to incredible graphics to unbelievable shooting and cinematography that informs the show. It truly evolves out of this process of intense collaboration, and then having these incredible creative tools to basically tell a story in any way, shape, or form. Bourdain: Let’s face it, ordinarily this is a very restrictive format. The story is always the same: Guy goes somewhere, eats a bunch of stuff, and goes home, presumably having learned something. The core of whatever we do is to fuck with the format as much as we can. Let’s find a way to tell what is basically the same story, different setting, in as disturbing-to-the-network fashion as possible. Why? Bourdain: Because television, if it’s a success, if it works, they wanna replicate it. That’s the death of creativity. Then we’ve settled into a groove, then I become bored, the people I work with become bored…it’s a mortifying process. If this isn’t fun and interesting to us, there’s no point doing it. Collins: We continually want to push further in the storytelling. We understand that with television you’ve got to work within certain parameters, but within those 42 minutes and 30 seconds, how can we play with this thing?

One way you did that was with an entirely different show, The Layover. Bourdain: That’s an even more restrictive concept–this is a format that’s been done a million times. Everybody loves the damn thing, but it took me a few episodes to figure out how to do it. No Reservations is about me, me, me–they’re basically essays. The idea of going to major cities and doing a “useful” show really goes against the grain.

What are the driving principles behind Zero Point Zero as a content production company? Caterini: The heart comes from a true vérité documentary filmmaking tradition. Bourdain: You don’t want people saying, “Could you say that again?” We’d rather miss the scene than fuck up the scene you have. That dynamic is absolutely essential to why our show is different from all the other travel shows. The show looks slick, it’s beautifully photographed, beautifully edited, but you’re never going to get those transforming human moments out of a character reenacting them for you. You’re never going to get real generosity, any kind of chemistry or any kind of fun, for that matter, if you’re muscling and you keep hammering home the theme. Caterini: Our primary goal is to be able to work on projects in the way we want to. We are looking to learn about digital technology and distribution and other ways of making content that don’t have to fit into the TV business formula. TV, being advertiser-driven, is all based on predictability and consistency. Predictability means you can’t take risks and consistency means it’s dreadfully boring. We’re fortunate we can bust those two barriers down, but it’s really hard to sell new TV shows when that’s your launch pitch. Why does it work with No Reservations? Caterini: The creative process is executed very well. We create situations that optimize that. We feel lucky we got greenlit and got on the air. Now we’ve proven that it works.

How do you take it forward? Caterini: We had a big eye-opening moment when we launched into social media, and looking at it as simply another medium in content and storytelling; truthful storytelling in different size bites with a different arc of time. We’re connecting directly with who really matters, which is the audience, the people who want to enjoy what we’re creating. That really did open up the doors for us to think about ways to go straight to them. For a lot of content creators that’s extremely exciting, and the revolution really hasn’t even happened yet.

📷You must be familiar with how Louis C.K. sold his latest stand-up special directly to fans for $5 via PayPal. Bourdain: A heroic pioneer. It was a huge, tectonic moment. Tenaglia: What’s really fantastic about him, and I think it mirrors a lot of what we do here, is he’s the producer of the piece, the writer, the editor, behind the scenes, in front of the camera–he’s extremely multifaceted and nimble and flexible and self-contained. I think we have a lot of those same qualities. We don’t go out with big, bloated crews of 25 people. We can create something pretty extraordinary with a team of one or two. What’s the key to getting content made, and seen, with these new paradigms? Bourdain: People in the television business have a vested interested in keeping it as close to the way it was as possible. You don’t want to cut the ground out from under your own feet. We’re in a more luxurious position to adapt to the situation on the ground. I like making television. But I definitely have both eyes on what’s next. Caterini: The creative people have to shift the content paradigm. We look at social media as a big medium in and of itself, and we’ve successfully developed and in fact exploded growth in an audience. So it’s working. Then unfortunately we have to say, “Is that a business or not?” But that has to come second. I think we’d ideally like someone to build the perfect platform for creators to work off of. There are bits of it. No one’s actually figured out how to turn it into money right for the creator, though. I think either the platform will come along or we’ll have to do some of the business a network does–market our own stuff, sell our own stuff. Bourdain: A person with a television show generally lives or dies by the Nielsen numbers. I don’t really understand why anyone would care. I care how many people over time see and like the show and are interested in seeing more stuff. That’s the only number that counts.

What about your personality as a brand, Tony? How does it factor into all this? Bourdain: I’m happy to use the word “brand,” but listen, I’m doing a lot of things: I’m doing a comic book, I’m writing for Treme, I’m making two television shows, publishing books. I do these things because they’re fun, and interesting, and because 12 years ago I had no opportunities to do anything. It bothers me when people say I’m “expanding the brand.” You expand the brand so you can land a Pepsi-Cola commercial. You haven’t seen me endorsing any products yet, though I am asked. I’m doing it ’cause it’s fun. What happens when things become not interesting? Then it’s a job. I had a job for years, I know what it’s like to show up every day and do the same thing the same way. I don’t know how Howie Mandel gets up in the morning. I don’t ever want to be that.

[athenagrantnash]

For 911 - ☂ angsty headcanon ✹ favorite character ☣ least favorite character ✆ character I’d call in an emergency ⌂ choice for a roommate ☯ favorite friendship ♛ favorite ship ☸crack ship ✘ NOTP

☂ angsty headcanon: Bobby frequently wakes up from nightmares in the middle of the night, and has ever since his family died. Athena is used to it, and is always there for him when he wakes up covered in sweat and on the verge of tears.

After her attack the nightmares shifted, and now he dreams about losing her. And if he holds her just a little bit longer before drifting back to sleep, she doesn't need to know it's because of the panic-induced "what if's" that still haunt him.

✹ favorite character: Shockingly... it's actually Bobby. Or rather, he was my favorite character first. Somewhere along the line Athena joined him in a #1 tie (partly because she's played by Angela Bassett who is 🔥🔥🔥, but also because she's SUCH a good character). But if you want to get technical, Bobby was my favorite first and has never actually been bumped down to #2... athena just joined him in #1.

☣ least favorite character: Hen. I literally cannot stand her. I was pretty meh about her anyway, but after all of the bullshit that happened in season 4 I went from being meh about her to actively despising her.

✆ character I’d call in an emergency: Oooh that depends on the emergency. Probably Bobby, though, because he's extremely kind and reassuring and also doesn't get so caught up in what's happening that he loses his head a little bit like some of the other characters do.

⌂ choice for a roommate: Is this a friends with benefits roommate situation? Because if so 1000000% I'm rooming with Athena. Otherwise I'd actually probably have a ton of fun with Taylor or Josh.

☯ favorite friendship: Okay to keep things simple I'm not going to include romances, even though legitimately my favorite thing about the romances on this show is that they ALL started out being really good friends (and thus should count). So if we're not including those, I think I love Maddie and Buck's friendship or Maddie and Athena's (the second of which we don't get enough of).

♛ favorite ship: BATHENA 10000000%!!! They are literally so perfect in every single way. Like, it physically hurts me how much they love each other, and their chemistry just makes me cry it's so beautiful. But also if they for whatever reason left the show and the show somehow didn't end with their departure, I would still keep watching for Madney because they are Everything

☸ crack ship: Buddie, because as everybody with half a brain knows it's not canon, never will be canon, and never was going to be canon, but it's quite fun as a crack ship (or it was before the fandom got so entitled that they ruined it for me).

✘ NOTP: Maddie/Doug, Doug/Life, Doug/Happiness are the top ones that come to mind. Also Fire fam/sadness is a huge NOTP.

Send me an ask pls

[lookslikezombiesatbest]

an opinion on the daybreak characters because no one asked :)

Hi! Again, no one asked about this but idc so whatevs.

Josh

okay so he was fine, pretty funny at times and he seemed like a very real teenager. The sex scene with him and Sam was funny and accurate for how much adults say that your first time will be pretty awkward. I also really liked how basically the whole mission for the first season (find sam, conquer the world together) was pretty much all in vain, it’s a good segue into the second season that is obviously coming. Plus blah blah blah he played young sam in supernatural which I used to watch religiously so yeah

Sam Dean

k so i know shes supposed to be the main love interest but she was really pretentious to me. like she was the trope of the dream girl who was super philosophical and “idk the real me but everybody else acts like they do so I’m gonna complain about it” it just got very old very quick and she was crazy unfair to josh about it who was just insecure and wanted to love her. I do agree that josh shouldve been cooler about her not being a virgin and her arc where she became queen of the jocks was definitely cool tho and I cant wait to see how that’s gonna go down in s2

Angelica

okay. so. ik everyone loves her and I definitely love her as a character and the concept of a genius 10 year old in the apocalypse while having personal conflicts of her own with her parents and never feeling like she belongs, but the really fucked with my interest in her when they made her swear so much. Like, im all for swearing and know that if youre mature enough to handle it, you should say it but with her it was just ‘let’s put swears in for the hell of it’ it just got annoying having to listen to all of her insults that made no sense but were just there for comedic shock value of ‘hey there’s a child saying these things woah lol’. So again, loved her character and the actress behind her was really good as was the concept, it was just the dialogue that really made me not like it.

Ms. crumble

So this is crazy biased because i absolutely love Krysta Rodriguez, Broadway star, but i really loved her character. She was played beautifully and she was wonderfully random with her quirks and sayings and overall look as a character and i was very excited when we got an episode dedicated to what happened to her and im really excited to see her more in s2. Plus i loved the bond she had with angelica and they had a lot of chemistry that really worked well with that portrayal of angelicas own mother figure

Wesley

GIVE IT UP FOR MY MANS okay so i love wesley. He was absolutely amazing as a character and really was just so dope. His love for being a samurai was a wonderful trait that added to both his comedy and his really great survival skills. Like i felt like he had a reason to be there. Loved his relationship with turbo and overall just love him. That’s all i have to say and yeah

Turbo

I really loved his arc and i felt like i could still root for him when he was evil just because it was fun and i could root for him when he wasn’t evil because he changed so much and i was so proud of him. So yeah he was just a good character overall and i loved his episode and his arc

Mona lisa

She was a really good side character and absolutely gorgeous. She was crazy and crazy funny and i really hope to see more of her in s2 just because she was so entertaining and i want more of her backstory

Principal Burr

So in the ferris bueller version of the apocalypse, ferris bueller plays the antagonist. I loved him. He was perfectly sociopathic and just genuinely played perfectly. The twist of him being baron triumph and not hoyles was honestly not expected even tho they gave us every clue lmao. Perfect villain quite honestly

K so that’s it. I know i didn’t include smaller characters like KJ just because she wasn’t there as much but hopefully we learn more about her and the other daybreakers as we through the series. Overall the first season was pretty good, some of the dialogue was a little yikes and i feel like it’s trying to be a little toooo woke? If that’s possible??  And some of the dialogue was...not it. But the cinematography was great, characters were overall pretty good, it was really fun and crazy and random, which is what i really love in zombie media (the reason i love zombieland so much is that it’s wild and doesnt take itself seriously) so if youre looking for just some lighthearted zombie fun with crazy characters and really dope ass costumes, you should definitely watch this. And ignore some of the cringe dialogue cuz it gets better.

Also it has a lot of representation that is like, meant to be there. Like i wasn’t confused with certain characters being gay or Muslim or deaf (all of which are represented without it being weird!) although due to me not being any of those things, it’s up to those who are can only decide if they’re represented correctly but i really enjoyed seeing them on the screen! 

[tbhwhocaresanymore]

Nancy Drew 1x14

I just got done watching Nancy Drew episode 14, the sign of the uninvited guest and before I get into spoiler details let me sum up my thoughts on the episode.

Holy fuck

Okay so we’re just gonna dive right in and to start off it turns out Tiffany Hudson was never the murder target? Instead, it was RYAN Hudson. Lucy’s brother Joshua was taking his mother to look at a new mental asylum but when they stopped for gas she stole the car and hightailed it over to the Claw, where she used to work. The spare key spot has apparently not been changed since the 90s and so she just let herself in, creeping everyone out. My biggest issue was her red eyes she looked like she hadn’t slept since she was a waitress.

Lara Tandy has awoken from her coma and is feeling totally zen after her near death experience and wants Ace to come to Paris with her. The entire time I was torn between “that would be so sweet” and “Ace don’t you fucking dare”. Nick picks up a stranded Joshua and brings him over as Nancy charts out everything they know about the Lucy/Tiffany murders. Patrice sees and starts muttering the Lucy Sable Murder Song (seriously who even started that) and then Dead Lucy (my creepy precious daughter) trashes the entire board except for one (1) image. A screenshot from Nancy’s video of Tiffany where Lucy first shows up.

Nancy and Ace and Lara go to the police precinct to get Tiffany’s cell phone data. Turns out Tiffany was going to rich sounding places like the yacht club, leaving her phone there, and walking to her real destination so they go to the library where she spent a few hours before she died. Side note, I would watch an entire episode about just Ace and the library politics. I want to hear more about capture the flag and Denise. Maybe they used to hack together and it went sour, maybe they were rivals from the get-go. I don’t know but I want to Find Out.

Ace manages to find what Tiffany was looking at: emails between Lucy Sable and Ryan Hudson circa 1999-2000. Most of them are lovey dovey including an actual “I think I might love you” until the end where Lucy asks Ryan to forgive her. Ryan says he will never forgive her, calls her a whore and says he hopes she dies. Then they arrange to meet the night of the Sea Queen ceremony. You know, that one little night when Lucy was murdered. Let’s take an environmental minute to talk about what we think happened. Lucy apparently did something unforgivable, and since they were in a relationship and he called her whore, there is one glaring idea: INFIDELITY. But Lucy loved Ryan. Now I’m going to go out on a limb here. What if Celia and Papa Hudson hired some guy (maybe Owen Marvin???) to seduce Lucy or something and then told Ryan. Or maybe Lucy felt awful and told him herself. OR on an even further limb, Lucy and Josh are only half-siblings. Maybe they’re going to go a la Riverdale and make Lucy and Ryan (DISTANTLY) related or something. Either way, Lucy did something she regretted and then Ryan found out.

As far as Lucy’s actual murder, during the seance when asked if the Hudsons killed her she said yes/no. Celia Hudson was in Argentina at the time but could have hired a hitman, Papa Hudson has no known alibi and already murdered a crew full of sailors including his wife’s boyfriend, Ryan Hudson had plans to meet with Lucy the night of her death “at our spot”. I am Strongly Suspicious their spot is the cliffs she died on. I think it’s a safe bet at this point to say Ryan was somehow involved in Lucy’s murder. He is a Hudson, they’d been dating and she betrayed him somehow, and they had plans to meet the night of her death at an undisclosed location. Now whether he is the one who physically murdered her, I don’t know. I suspect we will have more answers after finding out how Lucy died which we need her BODY FOR. Or at least her skeleton. We assume she was stabbed because of the bloody dress and also knife, but what if she wasn’t? What if it was an emergency C-section, what if someone else stabbed her already and Ryan just couldn’t save her, what if it was some kind of accident? And remember there was also that whole Ryan Is Being Haunted thing for the Velvet Masque. Lucy haunted him so she could use his wedding ring to show her death led to Tiffany’s. Maybe she specifically used Ryan because he caused her death, either directly or by accident.

Back to the episode, I liked seeing the entire walkthrough. I didn’t realize how much had happened off-screen that first episode. There is also the question of WHY it all happened off-screen, but considering the leaps and bounds of progress quality the writers have made I will give them a pass. When they first brought up the switched salad I wasn’t sure if they were being genuine, or if it was a part of their plan to trick Ryan, but when he and Nancy were outside and they were still talking about it I realized it was Legit.

Then that scene at the end, how Nancy managed to flip the switch from “oh hey Josh” to “holy fuck you killed Tiffany” so quickly was so in character. My girl is just so suspicious of absolutely everybody and her mind just JUMPS between puzzle pieces as fast as mine does but her brain actually stays on topic. I thought the fight scene was really well done, because Nancy was mostly improvising and trying to get away not fight, and his death was accidental. But I also want to see her take self-defense lessons or something at some point because at the rate she keeps almost dying it feels like the reasonable next step to take. Or at least like buy a switch blade. Have Nick make her a toothbrush shiv. SOMETHING.

MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER. DEAD LUCY.

Okay guys, the part with the phone. I knew it was coming, and it was creepy, but now rewatching it I have to laugh because the first face she’s making during Nancy’s recording is really just a ghostly 😐. But then when she starts fucking crawling, now THAT was creepy. And then when she kept moving closer to Ryan with each lightning flash. (He CLEARLY had something to do with her death.) Epic. It makes me wonder how long did it take her to learn this ghost stuff, and what was she doing before Nancy found her dress? Just sulking around, maybe pulling the occasional Halloween scare. I would also watch a spin off of the 20 years where Lucy is just hanging around and dead.

Side theory. What if Patrice was somehow there that night? I have no evidence to back this up but she seemed very set on Lucy always being in the water and so maybe she saw her fall or something and that’s why she’s so crazy. Moving on.

To talk about the characters who are of course important. I didn’t entirely catch the whole Bess/Lisbeth/Amaya drama of the episode. I will say I like her with Amaya a lot more than Lisbeth for some reason because I can feel the chemistry a lot better with those two, and she and George had a nice talk at the end. SPEAKING OF GEORGE. I can see multiple ways the George/Nick/Nancy triangle could play out, let’s discuss some. A) George is about to confess her feelings to George right before learning he and Nancy have gotten back together. B) George is about to confess her feelings to Nick right before he tells her about his remaining feelings for Nancy and how much he Wants Her Back. C) George and Nick get together right as Nancy decides to fight for Nick. Let’s talk about this one for a moment. Promo for next week shows Owen Marvin (ugh) is going to be back (Ugh) and he and Nancy will kiss (UGH). Potential scenario, her and Owen are talking and he goes to kiss her and she lets him before pulling away and he says “why won’t you date me” and she says it just doesn’t feel right or her heart still belongs to Nick or something. Owen redeems himself before disappearing forever by telling Nancy to fight for Nick. Problem is Nick has seen the kiss but not Nancy stopping it and leaves, angry, because he was about to ask her to get back together or because he thought they had an Understanding or something. He goes to George who asks him out and he says yes and Nancy finds out and puts on a happy face and then leaves to go cry. God I really want to write fan fiction for this show but I CAN’T until Lucy’s murder is solved. Let me know how you guys think it will play out. Speaking of Nancy x Nick whom I love and adore, that part at the end when the cops and Nick had showed up. He said like less than ten words the entire time but his concern was just SEEPING out of him, and he so clearly like wanted to hold her but held himself back because he feels it is not his place anymore. I also find it telling that just as Bess is telling George to come clean to Nick, he is with Nancy.

In totally expected news, I am still pining for Victoria. Writers, please bring her back. I haven’t seen her since the seance episode and I Miss Her.

I have absolutely no idea what happened to Joshua’s body don’t even ask me. However I AM hopeful he has turned into a ghost and will have to be banished requiring VICTORIA.

I am SO excited for next week’s episode, the terror of horseshoe bay. It looks awesome and spooky and creepy and we will hopefully find Lucy’s body. Owen will be there which is Unfortunate but I am sure I can cope because Lucy will also hopefully be there and Nancy like spits out ghostly teeth at one point which is so metal. Since the season is getting close to wrapping up and Tiffany’s murder is officially closed, Lucy’s murder is the only major plot left, so I am curious what they will do for next season. I am hoping they will start laying the groundwork for it this season, but I also don’t want them to just drag out the Lucy Sable storyline for ages upon ages. (I’m looking at you Pretty Little Liars with your like five fucking As.) I’m interested in if it’s one or two murders again, or if it’s like one main murder but then with a bunch of mini mysteries sprinkled in a la the serial poisoner episode. I am thinking (wishing) as far as college goes, maybe Nancy applies and gets into Columbia but she decides to stay and open up some sort of paranormal/normal investigative service with Dead Lucy as her receptionist and Nick as her literary loving arm candy and the others can help upon request or something and eventually join. Let me know if you think Nancy will manage to clear her dad’s name or if he’ll actually be indicted. CANNOT WAIT.

[calzona-ga]

Showrunner Krista Vernoff and stars Ellen Pompeo and Giacomo Gianniotti defend Meredith and Andrew's season 15 romance.

Of all the empowering storylines she has done in Grey's Anatomy's record 332 episodes, portraying a woman who has lost the love of her life — and her survival — has been the one that stands out the most for star Ellen Pompeo.

And that journey has been heating up of late in season 15 of the ABC series which, last week, snapped ER's record as primetime's longest-running medical drama. This season, Pompeo's Meredith has re-entered the dating world as she looks for love some four seasons after the shocking death of her "person" in Patrick Dempsey's Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd. After a series of bad dates (sorry, Josh Radnor) and romances that didn't seem quite right (apologies, Martin Henderson), Meredith and surgical resident Andrew DeLuca (star Giacomo Gianniotti) have slowly started telling their inner-circle that they're romantically involved.'

Showrunner Krista Vernoff, Pompeo, 49, Gianniotti, 29, are all equally excited about flipping the script on Meredith and Derek's relationship that served as the cornerstone of Grey's Anatomy when "McDreamy" (and, later, Eric Dane's "McSteamy") became a pop culture phenomenon a decade and a half ago.  

"All the time on television you see older men with younger women and it is so common that it isn't even a thing that people notice," Vernoff told The Hollywood Reporter during a set visit for the record-breaking episode. "It was not a conversation that Derek was so much older than Meredith. It was just that he was the senior surgeon. The age difference wasn't a conversation. I find it delightful to have the opportunity to flip that script. And when people buck against their age difference, my response is to say, 'So? Let's not fall into weird stereotypes.' People are people ��� and people fall in love."

In season one, Meredith was an intern at then-Seattle Grace who, after a one-night stand, wound up working — and falling in love with — her attending, Derek. Now, Meredith is head of general surgery and a member of the board of directors at Grey Sloan Memorial while Andrew is a surgical resident. Viewers, naturally, are fiercely protective of Meredith — whose half-sister, Maggie, previously dated Andrew.  

"The age difference between Meredith and Andrew is something that we're trying not to talk about because we've been preaching that love is love — and that includes age. It doesn't make sense for people to say, 'Love is not love because he's too young' and compartmentalize love," says Gianniotti, whose fiancée is nine years his senior.

For Pompeo, who last year set her own TV record as the highest-paid actress on a primetime drama series, age doesn't even enter her mind when she thinks of herself or Meredith in the storyline with Andrew.

"I have a hard time even seeing myself as an older woman! I still feel like I'm 25 — although I'm so much better now! It's like, 'Wait, I'm the older woman?! When did that happen?!" Pompeo says with a hearty laugh. "But it's so true. And there's still plenty of older guys that are with much younger women and no one says anything. But hopefully we're past people saying that about an older woman with a younger man. Hopefully people don't even clock that because men have been doing it forever and continue to do it and no one bats an eye."

As with many of Grey's Anatomy's topical storylines and romantic pairings, Vernoff hopes Meredith and Andrew's romance will help viewers in similar relationships feel seen. "There are people who are going to feel witnessed in this story," she says.

The showrunner, who spent the first seven seasons on Grey's before being hand-picked by Shonda Rhimes to take over the series after the creator's move to Netflix, is keenly aware of the trepidation that comes with writing a new relationship for one of TV's most beloved characters — who also happens to be the face of a $4 billion franchise.

"What I realize as I write Meredith and Andrew is that I can have all the trepidation or fear or nerves that I want to have but any time you write for Ellen Pompeo and someone else the chemistry is different. The magic is different. It comes alive in a different way," Vernoff says. "You can do what you can do to make sure it's new, unique and fresh but what's fresh is the combination of actors and the magic that comes from that. And if it's too close to something we've done before, Ellen calls me and we fix it!"

That line of thinking is a prime reason why Meredith and Andrew shared a pivotal scene in the hospital's famed elevator of love that became so iconic during Grey's Anatomy's McDreamy era. The scene — in which the duo was trapped in the elevator — featured a heartfelt conversation in which Andrew revealed his father (played by Lorenzo Caccialanza), too, was a famous surgeon in Italy but, unlike Meredith's award-winning surgeon mother, his dad killed a number of patients during a "manic phase."

"We wanted to use those elevators in a new way and wanted to wink at the history and at what those elevators mean on the show," Vernoff notes. Adds Pompeo: "I don't necessarily love when everybody else gets in the elevator! I feel ownership over the love scenes in the elevator. Now, when other couples are in the elevator, I'm like, 'That's my juj in the elevator!"

Gianniotti, meanwhile, is having fun working with Pompeo as the duo formed a friendship after he joined Grey's in 2015. "When this was proposed to us, we both thought, 'We just get to hang out and laugh more!'" he says. "I get a lot of people asking if I feel like I'm filling Derek's shoes or in his shadow and I can't say I feel any of that. … The biggest thing that Ellen and I have fought for most is that this romance and the unfolding of it be as different by design so the audience doesn't feel like they're reliving someone else going through the same falling in love steps."

The romance comes after Pompeo was critical about how fast top executives wanted to bring in a new love interest for Meredith after Derek's death. "I couldn't believe how fast the studio and network felt like they had to get a penis in there," she told The Hollywood Reporter in a January 2018 cover story. Now, the actress — who also has a producing credit on both Grey's and spinoff Station 19 — is excited to see Vernoff and company write for Gianniotti and expand Meredith's world.

"We brought a couple other people in and it didn't seem to work and the story has to keep moving," she says of Meredith's love life. "Giacomo is someone who we know, love and adore — and he's so handsome! — and it's time for him to step up. He is an incredible actor and he has such a nice presence and I'm really looking forward to building up his character more and letting him have his moment because I really think he deserves it. I want Krista to write for him more and I'm excited to see him take off and grow as an actor and get a chance to show what he can do."

As for the age difference between their characters, Gianniotti hopes viewers find Andrew and Meredith's romance empowering.

"These things are becoming more common and acceptable and I'm happy that I get to be a part of telling that story," he says. "It's about showing the world that it's normal, that it can be sexy and empowering for someone who is in an older position to be in that and that there's not this weird shame or stigma that they have to feel about it. I'm hoping it can empower people and I hope it can be sexy and fun for the viewers to see this romance unfold."