#and i no longer have a silly little show to enjoy :( maybe i will rewatch to my star again (SEASON 1 ONLY)

[exoexid]

cut my hair after two years and i feel weird :)

[soobnny]

meet odd — han jisung.

trope. acquaintances to lovers. college au. u live in the same apartment floor. fluff.

synopsis. you get to know han jisung under strange circumstances or alternatively “we live in the same floor and the room between ours always has really loud sex so now we’re both in the main lounge at 2am… do you want this last bit of ice cream?”

word count. 2.3k

warnings. mentions of sex (from the apartment neighbor), cursing

note. hello hello! another skz fic hihi send an ask if u wanna be added to my skz perma taglist :’) i hope u enjoy this silly little story

part 2

There are a lot of things you love about your apartment – the free water and electricity bill, how it's walking distance from your school, the really cold study lounge, and the cat that frequents your small balcony.

For its price, you really couldn’t ask for anything more. The cheap monthly pay goes perfectly with your very strict budget as a broke college student. So, truly, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

Actually, maybe you could.

Within all the great qualities your apartment has to offer, there lies one really, really big setback. The apartment right next to yours and your painfully thin walls. The amount of times it has fucked you up in the head after a long day of classes and exams are immeasurable.

Cue the soft banging of your head against your wall and the pillow around your ears to block out the noises, serene smiling as you greet her the next day as you walk out of the apartment together to head to your early morning classes.

The months before she moved, your apartment had been the safest haven to retreat to – where you could stare at the ceiling after a long day, finish your school work quietly before getting comfortable in your bed, and rewatch a show you’d seen a million times before sleeping to prepare for another battle in your university.

Now, your armor is faltering, and the number of hours of your sleep is decreasing gradually fast. Each night was just repetitive banging of her bed’s headboard against the wall between your apartment rooms and obnoxious moans.

You honestly wouldn’t have minded if they weren’t so fucking loud about it.

And if they didn’t go at it until the crack of dawn.

You hate to be told to be grateful. There’s a clear border for when you’re valid to feel frustration over your situation – when you’re allowed to be ungrateful for the downcast of your neighbor in your life.

Because of your predicament, you’ve found multiple alternatives to aid you in overcoming this temporary challenge. There’s a pair of noise canceling headphones on your nightstand that you begrudgingly used your savings up on to purchase, and you’d been a constant visitor in Seungmin’s dorms.

However, you can only go for so long before you start displaying lower back pains from Seungmin’s old and fucked up couch. His roommate, Jeongin, doesn’t help much either when he enjoys talking your ears off as he does anything but study for his classes.

This is what your new living situation is like. You live off Seungmin’s dying couch and the random stabs of pain on your lower back, your apartment neighbor having the time of her life, and the newly formed bags under your eyes.

You’ve definitely thought about marching up to her room and talking to her about it. But what the hell were you supposed to say? It isn’t exactly the easiest thing to confront people about their sex life.

That’s how you find yourself retreating from your apartment at the ass crack of dawn to sit at the main lounge for a bit, defeated with slumped shoulders and heavy eyes.

They can’t go on for much longer, right? You just had to wait at the main lounge for a few more minutes and you could go back to the comfort of your own bed.

“Good morning.” There’s laughter in the voice of the only other person lounging on the couches of your lobby, legs crossed with a tub of ice cream in his hands.

You recognize him as Han Jisung – the other apartment situated right next to your sex addict neighbor. You’ve only really seen him a few times, in the elevator, leaving for the gym as you come back from school, and you’ve only really shared a brief exchange of hi’s and hello’s. Seeing him in a hoodie and sweatpants with glasses on has your stomach doing a summersault.

He is so painfully handsome, jumping straight out of his hot-boy-with-humor trope.

As soon as your eyes meet, the two of you laugh so loudly and so hysterically. You just know. You know why he’s here at 2am with his tub of ice cream. He’s at the main lounge for the exact same reason you are, and something about that feels so humanizing and funny to you.

There’s a shared understanding in your crinkled eyes and cracked smiles and heavy panting from laughing too hard at your predicament. You don’t care that you look crazy with your messy hair from tossing and turning from your bed all night. Nothing looks or sounds crazy to Jisung.

He’s scooting over the couch to leave the space next to him for you, his hand dropping down to pat the spot so you can sit right next to him.

You’re quick to walk over and sit next to him, and he gives you a smile, fingers drumming over the arm of the sofa with his thigh pressed up against yours slightly that makes your heart beat erratically.

“Want some?” His round boba eyes look at yours as he nudges the tub of ice cream in front of you, twisting his body so he can face you better.

The scent of his cologne is holding you ransom.

None of this feels real, but you swear you can’t be making this shit up. You can’t be making up pretty Han Jisung with his slightly long and a bit disheveled hair and his puffed out cheeks as he chews on his ice cream.

Staring down at his offer, you go over your choices. Although, when someone offers up free ice cream at 2am when you need comfort the most, you don’t think there’s really a need to go over your invisible choices. There’s an obvious answer – the one you take as you grab a spoonful of his ice cream and stuff it in your mouth.

You close your eyes at the cold sensation, a smile creeping up on your face instantly. You’re the happiest you’ve been today already, in this moment, eating ice cream with the boy with worn out converse and the sweetest laugh.

“How have you been coping?”

Jisung knows exactly what you’re talking about, and he finds it hilarious how you’re labeling his response to your shared neighbor as ‘coping mechanisms’. His lips twitch up as he rolls his head back to rest on the cushions.

“You can only go so far with noise canceling headphones.”

“I know right!” Your face lights up as you take another spoonful of ice cream, nodding your head in agreement.

“I tried staying with a friend for a bit, but I’m tired of living off protein shakes and cuddling on the same bed. A double sized bed cannot fit me and Changbin.” He shivers as he recounts his experiences with the boy.

“Changbin as in Seo Changbin from the Music and Performing Arts department?”

“Yeah! Binnie! How do you know him?” Your question makes the smile on his face brighter.

“My friend Seungmin knows him. I’m definitely telling him you shaded his love for protein shakes and that you hate cuddling with him.”

“I don’t hate cuddling with him!” Jisung defends himself, shaking his head aggressively. “I would cuddle with him on a bigger bed.”

“Dude…” He laughs.

Something about how he has experienced the same struggles you have is a little haunting, but also comforting. To know you’re not the only one who has gone through the mockery of begging to stay at a friend’s or purchasing those stupid overpriced headphones.

“Wanna… uh, nevermind.”

“Hm?”

Jisung isn’t the most straightforward person in the world, but something about the way you’re looking at him with wide, curious eyes is intoxicating, and it gives him enough courage to continue talking.

Clearing his throat, he repeats. “Wanna go out for a bit?”

Han Jisung’s voice is very deep and very convincing at 2 in the morning.

“They’re not gonna be done soon?”

He studies your hopeful features and pats your shoulder in comfort. “I don’t wanna ruin your small ray of hope, but they were going at it until 4am last night.”

Grimacing, you drop your head in defeat. “If that’s the case, then let’s go.”

That’s how you find yourselves at a creepy, run-down convenience store near your apartment, purchasing more ice cream and looking through the stalls for anything to buy.

“Hey, Hannie!” You call out to him at the back of the store, and he comes padding over with a splash of giddiness in his heart at the nickname you give him.

His friends have called him that a million times, but it sounds different coming from you. It sounds so natural, like you were always meant to say it.

He bites down his lip to prevent himself from smiling further. His heart flutters at the possibility of you being a constant in his life. Hannie, Hannie, Hannie. It slips out of your mouth so easily that he wonders if the universe purposely gave you two that neighbor for this specific moment.

For him to meet you at the main lounge and invite you to the convenience store (and into his life in the process).

Is this what those stupid male leads feel like in those romantic comedies he binge watched with Changbin?

Jisung used to think it was absolutely ridiculous to meet someone and form an entire life with them in their head, but he finds himself doing the same in all his hypocrisy.

When he arrives to where you’re standing, he watches in amusement as you spend the next few minutes trying your hand at a run-down claw machine – desperately aiming for the pompompurin keychain.

First, you play with eyes of determination and careful movements, and then you’re smashing at the buttons in frustration.

Pretty, he thinks.

He can’t help but swoon at the sight of you with an oversized hoodie, smashing at the claw machine with your eyes half open and your lips pouted in defeat.

“Want me to try?”

You’re aware that claw machines were always faulty and deceiving, but you allow Jisung to try and win the keychain that’s probably cheaper to buy than the amount of money you’ve inserted in the coin slot to play the game.

With the plastic bag of ice cream and candy on his left hand, he uses his right hand to control the stick so he can angle the claw the way he needs it. Leaning forward, he focuses on getting the keychain you’ve been aiming for, pressing the red button after a few seconds of pushing it around.

His lips twitch in a smile when he sees the claw land exactly where he needs it to be, and he sneaks a glance at your anticipating face – heart speeding up at the sight.

“Oh my god. And you got the one I wanted?!” Jisung crouches down to grab the keychain from the prize slot before handing it to you and it immediately finds its home on the zipper of your wallet.

He has a proud smile on his face when he sees you hugging your wallet to your chest with a newfound happiness brightening your features. Even the convenience store lady is impressed at how he was able to get anything from that claw machine at all.

Maybe that’s what the graveyard shift does to you. It tires you out so much that you find someone winning at the claw machine game fun.

With an ice popsicle on your hand and your wallet with your new favorite keychain on the other, you and Jisung start to make your way back to your apartment. It was getting late, and they have to be done by now.

There’s a few moments of peace before you hear Jisung audibly trying to suppress his laughter. He’s trying not to giggle, and you know exactly why.

Your jaw drops, hitting him on his upper arm before sulking.

He doesn’t even need to tell you for you to know he’s laughing at your ice cream eating skills (your popsicle’s already melting and you’ve desperately been trying to finish it before it dissipates for the past few seconds).

There’s a taunting smile on his face as he apologizes. “I’m sorryyy.” He drawls the last syllable, bumping his shoulder with yours.

“You just look so cute.”

Something ricochets in your stomach the moment he says that, and you really hope he can’t hear your heart racing over his obnoxious giggling.

Jisung doesn’t know where he got the confidence to say that aloud. He’s also hoping the streetlights are dim enough for you not to notice the redness on the tip of his ears.

When you arrive, you immediately recognize the boy hurriedly rushing out of the apartment as your neighbor’s boyfriend. And when he speeds past the pair of you with a sheepish and shy smile on his face, you immediately make eye contact with Jisung.

Another fit of laughter breaks out.

And as you laugh and giggle over the poor boy’s obvious embarrassment, your eyes drift over towards Jisung, your newfound friend and how his eyes glint with genuine happiness and how he feels so comfortable to be with.

Similarly, Jisung finds himself mirroring your gaze. Somehow, he feels that starting today, things are definitely going to change between the two of you and the possible shift of your interactions into something more constant makes his heart flutter.

Before today, Han Jisung was just another boy who lived on the same floor as you, who you shared a few small pleasantries with. However, as the pair of you walk back to your rooms with your plastic bags of popsicle and candy wrappers and the hint of laughter still bubbling in your throats, you can tell that this moment right now with him feels like the beginning of something wonderful.

You hate to be told to be grateful, but in the stupidity of your own reflection, you are. For what – you’re starting to think it has something to do with the boy next to you.

[acaplaya-musings]

A random assortment of Geoff Castellucci pictures - Part 3

Y'all seemed to enjoy part 1 and part 2, so here, have a part 3! Featuring pics of Geoff from videos where I haven't already saved any screencaps from (not counting Voiceplay Visuals posts), but where he still looks really good anyway. And so because this one involves me going back and rewatching certain videos for the purpose of screenshot grabs (always nice to have another excuse! <3), these pictures are going chronologically by video, oldest to newest, rather than alphabetical by title. And again, featuring little bits of thoughts/commentary from yours truly. This one ended up being longer than part 2 as well, so enjoy!

(Everything below the cut as like the previous posts!)

Starting off strong my fam!!

I said as much in my VoicePlay Visuals post I think but this is honestly one of Geoff's best "shorter (or at least shorter-ish) hair" looks imo. Like look at those waves and curls! To! Die! For!

Also the open shirt with the popped collar is such a look and I kinda wanna see Geoff with a popped collar more often tbh

Also on the Panic Medlry Part 2 video someone commented "Is it just me or is Geoff extra hot in these last two vids". VoicePlay replied with "It's not just you. There was no air conditioning. ;)" XD

I forgot how hard it is to get decent pics of Geoff from this video, rip. I couldn't not include anything from it though! I mean come on!

Sir excuse me who gave you the right (and can they give you the right more often please)

I don't even know what it is in particular about this look that's so good but dear god everything just works and like, y'know, as I very frequently say: He's! So! Pretty!!!

Actually I do know one key component: his smile!!! <3

Well hello there good sir! 👀

Yet another video where Geoff smiles a lot and it's so lovely and nice but goddang is it hard to get a clear pic of him!

Yes a good portion of these pics is honestly just me showing some of my favourite Geoff smiles from different videos, and I apologise for nothing <3

Look, I love Geoff as a Disney villain, of course I do, he slays it absolutely every single time, but goddamn, I would love for more Disney Prince Geoff, in vibes/aesthetic if not any actual Disney song.

Also shoutout to one bit during Eli's When I'm Older section, where Geoff is looking off to the side and smiling <3 (smiling at Kathy? Maybe?)

(Oh and actually, between Sh-Boom and this video, I'm realising I kinda sorta wanna make a picture collection post for Layne as well - he does have some good looks sometimes! Nothing Else Matters, Hellfire, Warriors, y'know?)

Jumping ahead 1.5 years now!

Butter is such a fun video - everyone looked like they had such a great time!

If I Were A Rich Man/Girl MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED

The fluff in the hair, the visible bit of white/grey, the shirt, the smile!!! This video has me so weak y'all <3

Honestly Geoff looks phenomenal in almost every single medley video in particular and I love it (almost every medley - Greatest Showman Medley isn't in this photoset for the same reason that Kidnap The Sandy Claws and Hide And Seek aren't, lol)

(Also appreciation for the long-sleeve shirt behind rolled up to the elbows 👀)

Geoff from like 2022 onwards was "I'm going to find a hundred different black outfits to wear in videos and I'm going to look good every time" /j

Couldn't help but include a pic from We Don't Talk About Bruno in this - he's so silly (affectionate) <3

Not including any pics of Disney Princess Geoff(tm) only because it makes me laugh too much XD (seriously even as soon as Ashley starts singing Isabela's part I already start giggling, and it does in fact get me every time, but you can find a couple of pics of it in my VoicePlay Visuals post for this video HERE

I haven't rewatched this video in a while, so I wasn't exactly sure what kinda quality of screencaps I was gonna be able to grab from it, but well... it delivered!!!

I said this in a comment on the video as well but whoever had the idea to have that little bit of breeze/wind blowing Geoff's (and Adriana's) hair back, you're a genius and I love you

Also DJ_410 has occasionally referred to Geoff having "puppy dog eyes" or something along those lines, and man, he ain't wrong!

Someone said in the comments of this video that "Geoff is slowly turning into a silver fox" and honestly so true bestie <3 (ages! like! fine! wine!)

Also love how you can see the full necklace in this one (fun fact: Geoff's wearing a white singlet underneath, but he actually deliberately ripped it open a little bit at the neckline, which is how we end up with this 👀)

Plus this is the closest we've come to Geoff wearing a upturned/popped collar since the Panic Medley!

I Love Drunken Sailor A Normal Amount

Okay so obviously I already had one image from this video already saved to my folder - my profile pic - but nothing otherwise, and man is this video a goldmine. The arms! The hair! The eyeliner!!!

We really were absolutely spoiled when it came to Sleeveless Geoff in 2023 quite honestly

And what better way to end this post than with the god-tier all around stunningness that is Geoff in Hellfire?

I mean come on he literally looks like a goddamn painting!

So that's all for now! I might at some point do a part 4 or something dedicated to Minis and/or Shorts, but I do have a couple of other post ideas in mind for later down the line, so we shall see!

[basslinegrave]

sonic 3 spoilers (longer - very long thoughts)

just thoughts about something that i would add to the movie

1) i fully expected sonic to take the photo of shadow and maria and later give it to him, since he destroyed everything else and it would be nice like "hey i held onto this for you, might be important" i think it would be a nice way to connect them in an even stronger way. it felt like the rivals to friends was rushed, though shadow seemed to be depicted as more youthful here, i still feel like he would need something more to get through him (but then he def felt something already when he hit tom so it wasnt like a sudden switch or anything)

2) maybe i wasnt paying full attention but robotniks last words came kinda out of nowhere, i really expected them to show at least a little bit of the times stone cared for him. like have him go through the realization and let him feel it on screen a bit longer. maybe he had a moment of thought but i dont remember that. (also it was good but kinda silly in retrospect he really broadcasted it to the whole world 0 shame 😭 just imagining bot from the first movie seeing his future self say that. hed explode)

i would add like 10-20 mins to the movie for this. just let the characters stop for a moment and feel. but then, its a sonic movie. the audience is 5 year olds. it doesnt matter. but i still felt like a lot has been cut or missing? - then again, i need to rewatch it/watch the original to see the original pacing and wording of things. perhaps some things got lost in translation or whatever. i also couldnt concentrate cause someone kept fucking talking over the movie. but what wasnt shown just wasnt shown. also for shadow idk i thought they would go for some brooding scene in the vibe of spiderverse introductions but it went all action but ig they made up for it later i loved the scenes with maria and the stargazing (back when i was into sonadow stargazing was my fave trope for them. stars in general. so this was beautiful. shadow as a falling/fallen star too and in this case it applied to both him and sonic)

3) more music. again this might be just the case of the dubbed version but i felt a severe lack of music? and to me personally the live and learn part felt extremely weak, the orchestral version or whatever it was is nice but here it wasnt hype enough for me. idk, again, maybe the og will feel different but you know. if more of the scenes were treated music wise like the dance ones id be more hyped, i dont like when they use a song but only like 4 seconds of it and stuff. to compare it with an example of what i loved it would definitely be deadpool - the opening fucking slayed and also the like a prayer part. that shit went hard as hell and i didnt even like dp3 that much.

but overall i feel like the pacing was so much better in this one than the second movie and it felt like they actually gave more screentime to the nonhuman characters this time

- this is more critical but there were also parts that i loved and like overall the movie was good, i liked the story, i liked what they did with shadow (i wish they stretched out the tokyo part longer though, that was dope), loved what they did with him and maria, the movie felt balanced enough (but i felt that way about 2 and then on rewatch it was noticeable how many useless human scenes there were so that might change), the gun agents were walking the thin line of being too annoying but it was doable, i loved what they did with walters! also i like wade as a character but this was just enough (people were Groaning when he got on screen lmfao) same applies to the others but i was surprised that was it. so silly

however i still enjoyed 2 more. but this might just be the case of "im super tired, quite depressed, i dont care about anything rn, some ppl fucked me over today and i dont feel good, the vibe is off, i cant hear half of the movie, im too hot and got low bp and keep hearing my heartbeat louder than anything else, and i didnt get a happy ending" rather than "movie bad"

when they revealed shadow in 2 i was jumping off of my seat and gripping the one in front of me. this post creds reveal here was like "oh! okay nice" (<- expected this so 0 surprise or anything)

also for 2 i went in with low expectations and got peak. for 3 i expected better than 2. so i failed myself there

i wish i could say i enjoyed this even more than the 2nd movie. i wish i got back from the cinema just typing out jumbled words and screams on social media like after the 2nd. i got out of this one like "i have to pretend i loved this greatly like i had to do with the fnaf movie" but this was at least better than the fnaf movie to me lmao

fucking sonic prime got more reactions out of me than this movie and i wanted to enjoy it so bad. anyway i need meds or something i ran out of D3 its also that speaking thru me

[waitmyturtles]

SPOILERS FOR THE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC FIRST EPISODE OF OS2 X BBS

(I’m on the far, far end of the international date line, so hopefully most of y’all have seen it or are close to seeing it...)

I MEAN?!?!?!?! I MEEEEANNNNNN?!?!??!?!?!!?

Maybe I was a little (okay, A LOT) worried that these episodes would feel like an appendage, maybe in kind of the way I felt The Eclipse episodes turned out (but I really need to rewatch those again).

But how could I not trust Aof? It almost seems like he started writing this as soon as he was done with BOTH BBS and ATOTS to put this story together. 

I was getting mixed up in mom brain with @miscellar a few days ago, thinking that there was going to be a body swap thingy, and kind of groaning about it, so I’m SO SO GLAD I WAS WRONG, and that this is going to be set up to be a mini-drama about two couples going through their growth shit. 

I dunno, y’all. What can I say. The MAJORITY of you all have been waiting MUCH LONGER than me to see Pran and Pat reunited, as I only watched Bad Buddy in January, and ATOTS late last year, but still, really -- I have this seriously strong sense of nostalgia that I am so happy to see Pat and Pran HAPPY, and/or at least working on their relationship, AND, JESUS, to see Phupha and TIAN TOGETHER, and omg, THAT MUSIC THAT PLAYED WHEN PHUPHA TURNED HIS HEAD and Pran was googly-eyed, and I was literally DYING AT THIS STARBUCKS, actually covering my mouth with giggles because not only is it so good to see all these guys back, but ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, and acting together, and FUCK, THIS WHOLE TWO-WEEK DEAL IS GOING TO BE SO FUCKING GOOD.

Like, this storyline does NOT seem played out. (Listen, I enjoyed PatWai.)

Honestly, I can’t really conjure analysis, LOL. I’m just too overwhelmed. The fucking shots of Chiang Mai and Pha Pun Dao. Pran sticking his hand out of the car and seeing the green hills. PRAN IS THERE, Y’ALL, PRAN. I mean --

IT’S DOUBLE NOSTALGIA TIME. THAT’S WHAT AOF DID, THAT’S WHAT HE’S DOING TO US!!!!!!

GAAAAAHHHHH. I think that’s it. I’m getting hit TWICE, Y’ALL, TWICE WITH THE FEELS! PatPran, PhuphaTian! Flashbacks to Tinidee and Chiang Mai! Campus and hills of tea! It’s too much! Too much for an almost menopausal woman like myself! I’m fuckin’ gonna give myself hot flashes with this shit!

And Tian is SO FEISTY, UGH, and Pat is SO DETERMINED but still making silly mistakes, but being SO HONEST and reflective about those mistakes, and Pran is still such a buggy little SHIT, but has opened up so much, as we can see, to be open and honest about his feelings, while these guys still know and maybe slightly regret that they have to keep things secret.

I FUCKING LOVE THAT THIS EPISODE MADE MULTIPLE REFERENCES TO UNCLE TONG AND THE IMPACT THAT HE HAD ON THEM. THAT THEIR HONEYMOON TRIP WAS THE LAST TIME THEY COULD BE OPEN AND OUT TOGETHER.

I might have more to say later, but I’m just agog right now. This was so well done, at least so far. These guys fucking hauled ass to do this show, I mean, Ohm had finished filming Double Savage like the day before this. I’m shaking my damn head. This was fun, it was flirty, it was emotional, the bros are still fucking bro-ing (WTF KORN, BTW! I mean, did you out them, or was that a slightly homophobic comment?!), it’s filmed BEAUTIFULLY, but what would you expect of Aof otherwise. 

I mean. I just wrote a whole bunch of gibberish, but I honestly have no words. I’m so, so, so, so, so, so, so glad to have all of these guys back, in one place, all four of them, acting together, working together (PAT IN THE CLASSROOM OMFG I’M GONNA DIIEEEEEEE TOMORROWWWWW). 

I’m a CROSSOVER STAN, NO PROBLEMS WITH IT. I AM SUITED AND SEATED FOR IT. Ohm x Nanon x Earth x Mix -- FUCK. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

[variousqueerthings]

hi, do you have any plans of doing a review system similar to the measurement when you get to the chibnall era of doctor who? I think you said that you didn’t watch it, but i could be wrong

SoooOOOOOoooo first of all hi friend!

second of all: back in the day of uh... whenever the first season of jodie came out, I did watch that season and enjoy it, it was a fun first season. I then promptly forgot everything that happens in it, because my brain works that way, and then (because my brain also does this) was like "well legally I can't watch the second season of jodie unless I rewatch the first season of jodie because I can't remember what happened in it, and I can't watch the first season of jodie, because I don't remember what happened in capaldi's seasons, and I can't watch capaldi's seasons because then I'd have to rewatch matt smith's seasons and if I watch those from beginning to end again I will lose all joy in my soul"

third of all: I no longer feel that way, I have grown as a person who deals with my brain being a silly-billy, so not only could I legally watch whatever I wanted to without the brain police nee-nawing, I also um... well I have a system of how to watch matt smith's seasons so that I find them enjoyable, so actually maybe on second thoughts I didn't quite outrun the whatever-the-heck-my-brain-does laws, so much as... rewrite them a little to work for me (crucially I did in fact... watch all of matt smith's seasons and capaldi's seasons to get back here, so hopefully I can implement a more holistic watch in future, where I just engage with the episodes I noted down with commentary and rankings that I enjoyed!)

fourth of all: I'm not sure if this rating system works for chibnall's era (I mean, maybe it does, I genuinely don't know, but my gut says no). the reason I wrote it in exactly the way that I did was mainly because of very specific noticeable recurring things I dislike in m*ffat's writing across several shows -- misogyny, making all of his main guys cruel because they're "intelligent" (which absolves them of the need to be not-cruel), those men being the most important thing in the universe of the story, "sexy" dialogue, amatonormativity, and overly complex plotlines that often spring up out of nowhere and go nowhere

fifth of all: so maybe what I'll do is just note down more simply what I'm getting out of (or potentially not getting out of) jodie's run. I obviously know the reputation of that era, I've seen a couple of oof moments, but there are definitely oof moments in rtd's and m*ffat's runs, so those alone aren't dealbreakers so much as "I see you"s

sixth of all: actually my main question with regards to chibnall's era is whether he understands that diversity is about more than casting. this in particular with regards to yas being a police officer, and how that may or may not create a difficulty in discussing the limitations and cruelties of systems, such as those propped up by... police officers. (this, by the way, speaking of rtd, so many people of colour and of course shirley anne who's a wheelchair user represented in UNIT, but that is a whole other tangent -- shirley I am manifesting a liz shaw type arc for you where you get to go "hold on, this whole thing is sus")

seventh of all: I think it's much harder, probably, to discuss chibnall's era with such a simplistic system, because from the outset it's a much more complex thing than what m*ffat was doing -- that is m*ffat's was still essentially casting a couple of white guys who were travelling with white women until s10 (which noticeably is... just a better season, in my opinion). this not to say I'm not critiquing it, but I wouldn't want to make a ranking system out of "how well does chibnall do diversity," I feel like that would be crass of me, because these stories opening up like this is already such a fascinating space to play in, vs me in m*ffat's era actually being able to track the almost complete absence of diversity in s5 (vampires in venice and hungry earth have my back) just... as a whole... to where we got to in s9 and s10, and using this measurement system to go "yeah this era got noticeably better on several fronts later on" -- I note btw on this point, that bill is waaay more proactive in her first three episodes that amy or clara usually got to be. her questions also aren't just essentially "and now what are you going to do doctor," they're more her trying to figure out how she's navigating her environments and then working with the tools she's getting

eighth of all (conclusion): probably not a review "system" but yeah, I'll still review for sure and maybe find a way to structure that, I want to be consciously interacting with the story, it's the best way for me to engage and actually remember it afterwards. I won't have the benefit of foresight with these seasons either -- that is, I won't know where certain things are going and how I feel about those trajectories (for example, although I don't remember s10 I do remember liking it!) + what I do know, I'll be filtering somewhat (with the flux for example) through the three specials we just got, so I'll know there's some form of through-line of emotional arc that perhaps wasn't felt as much when it was first being aired? all suppositions

ninth of all (epilogue): I am eager I tell you, eeaaager to see sacha dhawan in action!

tenth of all (nothing in particular): I remember s11 starts in sheffield, which is wonderful to me. since the time it aired I've just been in sheffield so many times, it feels so very familiar to me. wonderful to get out of london for a bit

[karebear923]

Vice Versa Rewatch ep 5

Ok now that I got my apology off my chest, I’m ready to get back into this! I’m still here, fam! 💪🏽 and I’ve decided to just vibe. No thoughts, head empty, only feelings 😌

Gosh, it hasn’t even been that long but I’ve missed seeing Sea on my screen 😭 I still get to see Jimmy, but not Sea! I can’t wait for the LOL concert!

Episode 5 is called Winter White, which is associated with purity, perfection, honesty, cleanliness, and beginnings. Here I think it represents new beginnings more than the other definitions. And no, I don’t think it has to do with Talay being cold towards Puen, that’s not what’s happening here 🙅🏽‍♀️

Same, Talay. Same! *swoon* ���🥰

I love Talay’s “shiiiiaa”s hehe it’s cute every time he says it! 🤭

Is it called meta if they’re basically writing their own love story in the show? Is that what we call meta? Lol

See Talay, it’s these little moments where you just say such real emotional things like it’s no big deal that Puen feels the full weight of them and falls for you even more!! And look at Jimmy’s expression!! This is why I fell in love with this show in the first place!! The looks of love!! 🥹❤️

Oh wow I did NOT remember that Talay was older than Puen! 😮 not by much, but still.

OMG NAMTAN!!!! Back when I watched this I had no idea who anyone was, but now I know!! Gosh everyone looks so young here, it’s crazy how time flies! And omg a Gun Atthaphan cameo too! Crazy!

Oh here it is!! Talay’s biggest fear!! He immediately thinks that Pang could be Puen’s portkey, and he brings up he and Puen leaving each other for the first time. At this point it’s still early into their relationship, and he’s feeling unsure and insecure and he doesn’t want to become attached if he’ll just end up being left behind.

But then Puen mouths these words at him! And it’s just what he needed to see! The reassurance that they can stay together!

Plus it’s kinda cute and silly how he runs away like that after! 🤭

I noticed Talay’s been wearing white all episode so I think he’s the one beginning to fall for Puen. We know Puen’s already come to the conclusion that he’s in love with Talay, but that first kiss has really started turning the wheels in Talay’s heart and mind.

And because Talay’s been wearing white, the color pairing was matched with Puen in black all episode! I see the colors!

Clearly it doesn’t snow in Thailand, cause that is not how you make a snowcone! 😅

This man presents another real fear for them. They might be trying to live their swapped person’s best life, but there’s no guarantee the effort will be returned. And that man was gone for 5 years! His whole life was ruined by the other guy! Puen and Talay could be stuck there for a long time, who knows what Tess and Tun could do by then!

It’s stuff like this that reminds you the premise of this show is actually pretty scary and sad. One second you’re laughing cause of the way they hold their fingers up to count, and the next you’re having an existential crisis 😥

They held hands throughout their first movie screening! 🥺 and Talay said no matter what happens they’ll go through it together! 😭

And then their movie tanks but they watch it together and comfort each other and Talay even plays along with Puen pretending the theater’s packed. And they thank each other for helping each other grow and be better! 🥲

Funny enough, the ending where they have their new beginning since they’re no longer screenwriters is when Talay is not wearing white anymore 🤔 maybe the disappointment has made him close himself off a little.

It felt good to be back to watching this! 😊 The school semester’s almost over so I can do these more often! And I’m gonna enjoy doing it too!

As always a thank you to @stormyoceans for the idea!!

[sirikyu]

See you later, Ash and Pikachu.

I'm going to feel so silly if Ash cameos in the new anime during the next few months. Or it's announced he's continuing in the movie format. But I'd be SO happy to see them too, so it's alright, I can be a little silly sometimes.

So, Ash and Pikachu's last episode aired on friday 24th mar 2023, and I saw it around the evening of the same day, ~23 years after I saw the first episode for the first time. This duo shaped my entire worldview as a kid, and growing up, even got me to mourn the fact I would never have an adventure as grand and a connection as touching as Ash and Pikachu's. A boy and his little creature friend who understand each other perfectly. It was magical, and it always felt magical revisiting the show. It's so special.

Being an adult and watching the series again, getting introduced to the games and whatever else I missed (like some specials and movies I never fully saw as a kid because they weren't available), I grew to appreciate that I could come back to it anytime and have more adventures to watch. The overall quality of writing, or animation, or personal preferences when it came to stories weren't an issue, because there would always be a ton of stuff to see and to watch. In fact, I started to take it for granted that my favourite guys would always be having an adventure and I'd be able to see it. That was almost one of the core features of Pokemon for me: the constant presence.

So now that the final episode has come and gone, I'm experiencing some real aimlessness about this. I want to have something around to remember them by, I want to save and cherish all the fan art, gifs, theories, music and videos that I can find about them and the anime overall, because I also want to do something to keep them alive in other people's consciousness - and mine. I want to come online and see people discussing them, making stories of them, extending their stay until there's nothing more to say, to think, or celebrate.

I want to remember the good times and rewatch, but I don't know where to even start. Maybe my favourite, Sun&Moon? I'd love to read fanfiction, but I don't know what I want to read.

What is it I'm missing from this ending, or the journey here? I'm sure a lot of people would say "a lot of things", but just personally if I were to write fic, I would dive into Ash's character a whole lot more. Have him have a big adventure that is tied into a revelation about himself and having to deal with unccharted, emotional territory. But I'm also sure that wouldn't be enough even if I could write. I think I just want them to be around, and a lot longer.

They couldn't go on forever, and seeing how many people were unenthused with the last seasons outside major events, and how little I personally had to say about them even though I enjoyed Journeys era a lot, I can kind of see why it didn't continue anymore. I get the feeling the writers just didn't have anything more to tell. However, and this is really important to me, I can tell from how beautiful the last episode is, that they cared. They kept true to the characters, made an effort with the animation, and I was in tune with and touched by the episode's melacholy. It was a beautiful send-off.

I still would have loved to have more involved stories with Ash, shake things up a bit more, see what Ash and Pikachu had to give, as characters, especially in their final stretch... a bit more. Take risks a bit more.

But it's time to go, and I can't help but feel thankful that I feel so deeply about them. This sadness is real and comes from a real caring, as silly as it can feel sometimes. It's a testament to how long-lasting Ash/Satoshi and Pikachu's history and impact is on me.

Goodbye, friends. Thanks for everything.

[unknownmousezoe]

Cherry's Media Well

Part 2 of the 2023 media recap

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon- God I hated this, the worse slog of all of them so far. It had less like bottom of the barrel jokes, but in return it was just the most "how much longer is this" so far. I do not enjoy these movies. 1.5/5

Midnight Suns- Honestly the game-play is really solid here. The story is also really good, feels like a B tier comic event in a nice way. I have to say some negatives also tho. Glitches are BAD and some latter enemies just ruin the fun when they show up. Still glad I played. 4/5

Melon Journey- It is a really small free experience so I can not really complain but like, there really is nothing here. It is a game that is one long fetch quest with not real story. The gbc inspired nature is cute but not really worth the time. (time to play the sequel) 3/5

Melon Journey: Bittersweet memories- MILES above the first game holy shit. So many fun little detail and a really solid small plot. Really really liked this one, charming and actually funny def worth the money to get and time to play. I am really glad I gave it a chance 4.5/5

Parsnip- One of those cutesy on the surface but actually d a r k games. Eh I do not think its great but Idk it also has a charm to it. Its a little experience like maybe 30-40 mins and is free so I think its fine just nothing more then that 3/5

The Testimony of Trixie Glimmer Smith- The sequel to Parsnip, it is a much better story, tho it does kinda lose some of the charm of the point click nature of the first game. Did a great job mixing horror with a grounded story with multiple though small paths. Love Trixie 4/5

Three Lesbians in a Barrow- I still enjoyed this one, but it was a downgrade from the scope of Testimony of Trixie. I def am happy with it, but I hope it gets a sequel with more content, because the characters are great I just wish more was done with them here. 3.5/5

Three Lesbians in a Winter Special- Surprise! There is one more game in this series. Yeah this was really good tho super short (like 10 mins at most). Just a cute extra bonus epilogue on the three characters. Art style change was a little hard to get used to but it was nice 4/5

LiveScream- I decided to play this just to get my head in a light hearted spooky mood. It is fine ,the fear mechanic was not the greatest? But it was a quick 20 min experience, so like its fine. It was so short I kinda find it hard to really rank it at all so uh yeah. 3.5/5

Spider-man 2-(rewatch) Still a really good fun movie. Really campy like most good Raimi movies are. Going back I do have some minor nitpicks, I really do not like this movie fuels the narrative of "Peter Parker cant live his life without constantly suffering". Also awful MJ. 4/5

Spider-man 3- Yeah no this movie blows. Characters all suck, and they super butcher venom. Outside of the now memeified silly lines nothing really good here. That being said still kinda fun to watch with friends so its not allll bad. 2.5/5

Transformers: Age of Extinction: Yeah, really bad. It was like 85% human stuff and I hated the humans so much in this one. There was also WAY to much factions in this holy fuck. Why did there need to be three villains all with their own goals. Just was a huge mess god. 1.5/5

Into the Spider-verse(rewatch)- Man I hate to say this is still fantastic with all the recent news with how awful the making of these movies are, but like if I didn't know about that all I would have to say is writing and art are fucking fantastic. I hate to say it but still 5/5

[askuemki]

I also have a build a bear dinosaur plush from like years ago, girlie is kinda ripping apart but I still love her nonetheless

Yeah I’m weak asf so I’m a little scared that my skin would tear from their nipping :,)

Think I have a character based on those curly furred doves, her name is Dina (before I knew who Dina from the last of us was lol), she’s a bit of a tragedy but eh it brings life to the plot

I had to search her up, it’s been so long since I’ve watched that show, seems too unnatural to be a natural voice so I’m believing you there

Victoria is a really elegant name to me tbh, I remember seeing a post abt why your mother chose that name and it’s a really sweet reason

Favorite breed is HARD to decide, all cats are lovely cats!! Though I do enjoy rag dolls and sphinxes from time to time ^^

I love birds, they’re either so creepy or so cute

Wouldn’t wanna own one but i enjoy watching them do their thing

Also the Rio movie, I’ve been rewatching that and falling in love with it all over again, there’s so many jokes that flew over my head when I was younger (pun intended)

I’d pet a wolf if it was deemed safe, the movie is kind of that cringy wolf pack hierarchy but I might of had a crush on two of the characters there when I was smaller 😭

The game can be found on Roblox, it used to be really lively years ago, but it’s kind of just dead now (sad tbh)

I was thinking abt dying my hair red but tbh I’m okay with being a natural brunette

I like my dark ass hair but my mother is like “go out into the sun!”

Nah man I’m happy being a vampire

Maybe they don’t have a name in Spanish, if that’s the case then I’m a little bummed abt it

I have plants but like, most of them are dying sighs

My coleus looks like it’s been burnt to a crisp, one of my Angel wings might have root rot, and surprisingly my purple wandering Jew keeps getting longer and longer

Hortensia feels like a cute name to me ngl, though the pronunciation might be horrendous

The name Gabrielle feels common, if just feels meh, might change my mind if i can be convinced otherwise

Hortensia feels niche, but it’s a silly kind of niche id live for

Only positive for G existing for me is the words girl or gay lol

My dad almost named me Samantha, I always wondered why

procrastinating here!! Don't mind me if i bug your inbox random confession, I had my hair cut for like a few months now (it's in a boyish type of cut) It's kind of rare but I always enjoy when people go like "wtf is that a guy??" and then they're like "oh shit no, it's a woman" I don't think Ill ever go back to long hair man, it's too hard to take care of (props to the people who can and do)

It's six in the afternoon and I just woke up and I'm shaking like a crackhead because it's been too many hours without drinking water or eating, helppppp.

I love when I see very androgynous people and I don't know if they are women, men or neither <33333 I think it's cool

And yessss, my hair goes past my hips and I love it but it is a job to take care of it and it's especially uncomfortable because it is very hot in my country.

[cowboylikedean]

Now that I’ve had time to sit with all of this, my feelings are.... complicated.

The thing is... I was finished. I was done. I watched seasons 11-14 out of respect for my past, my history, my time, my life. I was watching season 15 out of respect for the show. To see it out to the end, to give it the opportunity and respect to be finished. But I was already done. 

And then they did one of the three (3) things that could bring me back. 

And I feel so... manipulated? 

I kinda feel like Buffy in season 6 talking about coming back from heaven. “I was finished, complete. And I was happy. But I was torn out of there, ripped out... by my friends.” 

Because I was happy. I was happy in that I had made peace. I knew that I loved the original seasons 1-5 arc, that my favorite season was 7, that season 8 was when I started to really not enjoy myself, that season 9 is when I lost all ability to enjoy the show, that I only watched season 10 for the 200th and the nostalgia presented in that episode was fun, but it carried me for two or three weeks and then.... I let go. I had made peace with never getting that back. I was never going to watch this show and have fun again, unless I was rewatching 1-7, and that was okay. I didn’t need to enjoy it. I didn’t need anything. The writers were terrible and I knew that but it was okay. I didn’t have to trust them or have faith in them or generally give a shit because they were bad writers phoning it in for a pay check and that’s fine... If you can, you can I guess. I mean it’s bullshit but like I was okay. 

But now.... Now I care again. Now I need and want something from them. Now I’m worried about the fact that I don’t trust them and I think they’re all shitty writers phoning it in for a paycheck because now I care about what happens. 

And I’m pissed. 

Because out of those three things, they chose the ONE that I resent the most. 

Those three things are (1) They kill Sam. This is clearly my favorite, and if they were gonna do one I wish they’d done this especially if it was at Dean’s hands. He’d never have a happy ending after killing Sam, but I would. (2) They kill Dean. This would have been a cut and dry “let’s go kill someone” charge. I would have had my appropriate moment of outrage and disgust. I’d be seeing Sam-stans and Cas-stans write their long metas about how “it’s actually a perfect ending for Dean” and see destiel wannabes write their mourning fics like it was cute and be justified in every spec of anger I’ve ever felt. 

But they chose (3) Destiel goes canon. I get no satisfaction from this... But I do get my sense of nostalgia played upon. I get used for views with nothing in return. Well... Maybe that’s not accurate, I get something, but it’s not... 

I stopped shipping destiel 2 seasons before I finished watching. Season 8 was the last time I shipped it in any serious fashion. I sat through the wild and incredible queerbaiting that was Jeremy Carver’s run of the show.... and honestly for what?! I was here in the hiatus between seasons 7 and 8, leading up to what we, the fandom, called “season gr8″ which it was only named because of queerbaiting. And I fell for it. I drank the koolaid every single week in season 8. I wrote metas and posts, my fb memories are filled with posts insisting that “this would be the week.” 

“It’s not queerbaiting if they make it canon,” I’d say. “It’s a slow burn, a long build. A will-they-won’t-they.” I felt like my fellow fans who were getting increasingly more aggressive with the cast and crew had just “lost faith.” that if they saw the big picture, that Dean and Cas were an epic love story that didn’t need immediate payoff, they could enjoy all the little moments we were getting without demanding more. 

By the time I left the show, I no longer expected they’d make it canon... but more importantly, neither did I want them to. By that time, Dean had been put through the ringer being the emotional support for every character, the punching bag, the background to everyone else’s stories because no other actor could pull the emotion Jensen could. Dean had everything he had despite the other characters’ stories and emotions. He was seen by the fandom and most of the writing staff as a filler, an extension. He was one half of a relationship - romantic or not - not his own person. He was “the dumb one” and characterized in really stupid ways. You can see it as recently as 15x16 when a writer who has written one other episode of the show and clearly never actually watched the show especially the flashback episodes. Dean was a caricature, not a character. And Cas... Cas was written with increasing amounts of fanservice too. He went from a powerful being trying to learn to balance his sense of angelic responsibility with love of the Earth to being a whiny crybaby who was generally helpless to circumstance. He was written in such a way where he both leaned on Dean to give him purpose and validation while also completely ignoring everything about Dean that made Dean Dean. 

As the seasons have gone on, this has gotten more apparent. I think what happened with Mary and Dean kicking Cas out the bunker earlier this season (which was also written by Robert Berens btw and if it’s true he wrote the confession scene first in the season - he wrote this scene after that one) is a perfect example. Dean’s criticism there is that Cas doesn’t trust him. When shit is hitting the fan, Cas expects Dean to react in the worst possible way he could, so he refrains for telling Dean vital information and asking for help while he looks for a solution by himself so Dean never has to know there’s even a problem. Then something goes wrong and Cas is always left there saying he’s sorry, that he shouldn’t have done that... But he never seems to learn, or trust Dean enough to do something different next time. And that time, the lack of trust killed Dean’s mom. The narrative and the fandom both treated Dean as irrational and overly emotional - the bad guy - in that situation. Dean shouldn’t have done that.

But like what the fuck should he have done??? I’d have killed him. Or cut him out for good... like for good for good. How toxic is it to have someone in your life who repeatedly ruins your life by not trusting you with a problem that could be dealt with collectively, but not alone? 

And we’re going to what... retcon all of that? By bringing destiel into this, all the reasons I haven’t shipped it and I’ve considered Cas to be one of the most insidious abusers in this show are what? What am I supposed to do with them? 

It’s no fucking wonder the script says Dean can’t reciprocate! Because how could he? How can they really justify Dean expressing his frustration at being manipulated and lied to for 11 years at the beginning of the season and expressing undying romantic love at the end of the season? 

But this isn’t about narrative sense. It’s about an ending. The whole season is about endings... and writings... and god and death to the author... The metas flying around about “god” and “the writers” are all spot on... And so, it doesn’t matter. The message is the story is what we make it, not what they do. And therefore, they call upon destiel as the greatest example of the fandom finding a story within the story that wasn’t being told. 

Except that’s not true. Because it has been being told, just not with any intention of payoff. It’s been queerbaited and intentionally so. “It’s not queerbaiting if they make it canon” is a lie. It is still queerbaiting if they never intended to make it canon! And it’s not okay. 

But here I am, two episodes to go and then that’s it. There are no other opportunities for them to make canon honor that unspoken promise to the viewers. This is it. And endings do matter. Despite the message of the season being generally that endings aren’t important. That the story, the push and pull, the free will of the characters to run away with the story and bring the writers and audience to new places, the interaction between audience and story and the life they run away with, that those are the important parts of stories and storytelling... But that just isn’t true. It’s a romantic notion that endings are just silly things we tack on our stories that confine us, that the real stories are within us... but we consume these stories for the payoff of the ending. An unsatisfactory ending can completely ruin a work; just ask HIMYM. 

So then this is my last chance... My last chance to feel the release of payoff of a relationship I was intentionally inspired to care about without an intention of payoff. This is my last chance of vindication for all that emotional time and energy spent. 

So I’m hopeful and I’m transported back to 2012 and 2013 when I cared. When I believed. When every week felt like a possibility. When it felt like it could really happen. And most importantly, when I wanted it to. Because I do want it to now. I have actively not wanted it to for 6 years, but now is my last chance and it very well might happen so now... I want it.. 

And the way they did it... With giving Cas his moment, but leaving it open for interpretation... IT’S SO CALLBACK QUEERBAIT. AND callback toxic Cas. Cas lays this on Dean and then yeets off? And tells Dean that it’s because Cas loves him that he’s going? Every single part of Dean’s emotional history and trauma makes that evil, but Cas does it to him? And I’m hoping he’s not mad for the sake of the payoff of the relationship?!?!?!??!?! 

Are you fucking kidding me?

And then also I wanna circle back to the queerbait of it all. Misha acknowledged today that there’s some room for interpretation here. And I don’t know how that gets resolved in the final two episodes, if it does... BUT THAT’S THE FUCKING POINT!!! I will be watching live, as it airs, for the first time in 7 years, one week before I intended mind you, because I’m being baited with the promise and hope of explicit payoff that doesn’t leave room for interpretation???? And that’s not queerbaiting??? 

The whole thing is ridiculous and manipulative and just generally awful, but I’m eating it up because I don’t really have the luxury of another choice. Because hoping for payoff is the best option I’ve got. 

I hope I get to justify my past self and see all of that payoff and feel that vindication for the part of me that loved destiel, but I consider destiel to be the number 1 thing that ruined the show for me. So it will be a hollow victory, for sure. And that’s if there’s even a victory, which isn’t a guarantee. 

I just feel so used right now. 

[marvella15]

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 10: The Barkleys of Broadway

• So here’s the story. Fred Astaire tried to retire. He’d been performing his entire life and he was ready to finally retire. In 1946, he did Blue Skies, which was meant to be his farewell picture. Then two years went by. Meanwhile, Gene Kelly was on the rise. He was booked to do a film with Judy Garland. Then he broke his ankle. 

Kelly was extremely competitive and he and his wife often hosted volleyball games at their house. He either broke his ankle while playing or, as one story goes, he was so mad at having lost, he stamped his foot on the doorstep and injured himself. 

• Kelly couldn’t do Easter Parade with Garland. So he called up Astaire and basically was like, please help me. Astaire agreed and had such a fabulous time with Garland and the film was such a success that the studio immediately wanted to pair them up again. But then, Garland’s health precluded her from doing The Barkleys of Broadway. 

• So Astaire called up Ginger Rogers and said, hey how about we reunite for the first time on screen in ten years? And although she’d essentially stopped doing musicals at all, she agreed. And so we have The Barkleys of Broadway as the final Astaire/Rogers film and their only one in color.

• Our characters/actor: Josh Barkley (Fred Astaire), Dinah Barkley (Ginger Rogers), Ezra Miller (Oscar Levant), Jacques Barredout (Jacques François)

• Right off the bat, this movie makes a dumb decision. They put the credits over Astaire and Rogers dancing. (You can see this routine minus the credits as part of That’s Entertainment 3.)

• One of the critiques of this film is that Rogers was no longer the lithe young dancer from her and Astaire’s heyday. And to that I say: shut up. Heaven forbid she have, quite frankly, a healthier and stronger look to her than she did ten years prior when she was working herself to the bone and routinely losing 10-15 pounds from all of the dancing. I support her healthier look, lifestyle, and the ice cream she was surely enjoying from her custom home bar. 

• The main tension of the story is that Josh is essentially credited with all of Dinah’s success because he “made her what she was.” This was a real-life argument reporters of the day made about the Astaire/Rogers partnership, casting her as the brainless actress whom Astaire molded into the perfect dance partner. Which is incorrect in every sense, as we’ve seen in these past nine films.

The bickering between the Barkleys is also likely poking fun at another frequent and false report about Astaire and Rogers, which is that they hated each other and regularly fought while making their films. They had their squabbles, of course, such as the feather dress affair, but from all first-hand accounts, they got along extremely well and spent most of their time during rehearsal and filming having an incredible amount of fun. 

• I adore how they cuddle up in the car. There’s so little physical affection in Astaire/Rogers films outside of the dancing that every moment of it feels like a treat. It’s slightly ruined by a rough cut, which includes the magical appearance of a lit cigarette in Josh’s hand. 

• Josh doesn’t fight fair at all. While Dinah insists on knowing what “detail” wasn’t perfect in the show, Josh doesn’t allow her to respond to his criticism. So she’s left simply to stew in anger and hurt feelings. 

He does apologize to her soon after and they seem to make up. But as we know, the same issues will resurface again and again for them because if you don’t ever have a fair, honest conversation about your problems, they don’t ever go away. 

• I have to point out how Astaire looks at her adoringly after Josh’s apology. I also love the way she hooks her fingers into the lapels of his suit. It’s a small gesture of affection only borne out of being comfortable with someone. I’d be surprised to learn that action was in the script. 

• See, when you don’t have an actual conversation with your partner you end up freezing and starving out on the balcony at a party while a snobby, elitist playwright gives them the attention and thoughtful feedback they crave. 

• Oscar Levant always plays a version of himself in every film and he does a great job of it. When you can play piano that well, there’s no need to do a lot of heavy lifting in your acting.

• Astaire and Rogers do a really fabulous job of portraying a married couple famous for their dancing but who are also major drama queens. For example, this line from Josh, “What with walking pneumonia and concussion a fine performance I’ll give tomorrow night.”

• Some light domestic violence humor here in 1949. 😒

• Dinah hums in pleasure after Josh surprises her with a kiss and I just can’t say for sure whether that’s acting or not…

• "You'd Be Hard to Replace" is another lovely song that I really enjoy hearing Astaire sing. I also really like how Rogers caresses his elbow when they hold each other’s arms. When he wraps her in his arms from behind, their hands knead one another’s. 

They kiss again at the end of this song. There are so, so many kisses in this movie. 

• "Bouncin' the Blues" is a great tap number and they both look excellent in it. The only thing that I find a tad grating is Astaire’s exclamations, which seem too manufactured (maybe because some of them are dubbed in?). Far better is the moment when they reach out to link hands and both look like they’re having a blast. For that instant, there’s a hint of that special Astaire/Rogers magic. 

• The artwork in tribute to Josh and Dinah is atrocious, misogynistic, and rude. The artist calls her a ball of shapeless dough only formed into being by her husband, the frying pan. 

• "My One and Only Highland Fling" is… an interesting choice. Was anyone looking for Astaire and Rogers to sing in Scottish accents or dance in kilts?? The kisses on the cheek are cute though and so is their interaction after the number in their dressing room.

• They look pretty fab while playing tennis during their weekend in the country. When they make plans to meet up for dinner, they say goodbye with kisses on the cheek. To me, those natural moments between them are the best parts of the movie. 

• Omg I totally forgot about the part where Dinah pretends to be faint so Josh sends Ezra to bring her some brandy and Ezra returns with the ENTIRE drink tray with four massive bottles and glasses hahahaha

• Not to be outdone, Dinah hurriedly correcting Josh when he thinks she’s faint because she’s pregnant is also hilarious.

• Dinah does the worst possible job hiding her script from Josh. He’s angry for a lot of reasons but the note from Jacques, which implies an ongoing secret relationship between him and Dinah, is what really ticks Josh off. 

• "Shoes with Wings On" is another example of Astaire’s continued interest in special effects. Green screen technology was used to make the shoes appear to dance on their own. The finished product was one of Astaire’s enduring creations and probably what The Barkleys of Broadway is best known for outside of being a reunion picture for Astaire and Rogers. He does a convincing job of making it seem as though his shoes are dancing despite his own ability or effort. 

• Unsurprisingly, Jacques is revealed to be an even bigger pompous dick as a director than he’s been on social occasions. It’s also even more glaringly obvious that his intention the whole time has not been solely to nurture Dinah’s dramatic career but to steal her away from her husband.

 • It was Rogers’ idea to have them dance to "They Can't Take That Away From Me" rather than a new original piece. Astaire didn’t like repeating himself, and that included songs from previous films, but he made an exception. It’s a nice dance and is certainly the closest thing this film has to offer of the OG Astaire and Rogers duets. But as I said in my Shall We Dance rewatch, it’s just not the same as if they’d danced to this song the first time around.

The use of the song made sense since Ira Gershwin was the lyricist for The Barkleys of Broadway. 

• Considering it’s 1949, Dinah does a remarkable job of standing up for herself and getting to the root of the couple’s issues. He’s been taking her for granted and stifling her own creative interests and she’s been smothering her frustrations as best she can but they hit the breaking point. Something needs to change or their relationship can’t continue. But that doesn’t mean she’s happy about it.

• Dinah’s terrible acting in the play had to HAD TO be intentional on someone’s part but I can’t for the life of me think who or why. 

• Love and support are what we all want from our partners. Dinah is still in love with Josh but it’s only once she knows that Josh has been helping her despite the fact that she ended their relationship and it didn’t benefit him at all that she goes back to him. Though, she does also take a bit of pleasure in making him agonize a little while.

I like the little whistle she does upon entering their apartment. It must be something they did to alert the other they’d come home. Wish we’d gotten to see it some other time in the movie.

• The truth is, Dinah and Josh enjoy being dramatic together and I get that. When you’re with the right person, it’s fun to play around. 

• "Manhattan Down Beat" is wasted as an ending song. It could’ve been a good lively number, perhaps instead of "My One and Only Highland Fling.” I’d say that Astaire was just trying to avoid being in a top hat and tails more than necessary but he also reportedly hated being in silly costumes like the Scottish getup so 🤷‍♀️

• And that’s how the greatest on-screen dancing partnership ends. The Barkleys of Broadway is a more interesting and somewhat better film than The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle so it functions as a better finale for Astaire and Rogers. While their dancing isn’t quite the same, the chemistry between them is still very evident, which speaks to their enduring personal relationship. But that probably deserves its own post, which is what I’ll do next and how I’ll end this rewatch. 

[ceruleanmusings]

Tuesday, Friday, Recent, Tomorrow, Yesterday annnndddd Today! ^_^

don’t mind me taking forever and a day to answer this

Tuesday: name a fic you have posted which you think is overrated? 

Hmmm. Probably one of my Cursed fanfics and I’m only saying that because those three I knocked out without trying and got a lot of good (and appreciated!) feedback/response on it. I’m calling them overrated simply because I didn’t put a lot of effort into it and they did well but the ones I do put a lot of effort and time into barely get the attention I feel they deserve. But that’s the beauty of fanfics isn’t it?

Friday: most self-indulgent fic you have ever posted? 

Any of my Big Time Rush fics. Big Time Rush is a fandom that’s perfect for when I want to write something silly, trope-y, maybe a little cliche and cheesy, funny, and heartwarming at the same time. I can throw everything I like in fics and shipping and plots into that fandom and know I can always come up with so,ething that I like since it’s directly tailored to me rather than tailored to what I think readers would like.

Recent: the most recent fic you have posted online? 

Big Time Admirer. It became a behemoth; much longer than I intended the fic to be but I enjoyed writing it and having something fun and fresh and new to do during quarantine. It easily came out of my rewatch and became a staple for me to have something to look forward to. BTR is my comfort show, something I turn to when I need a good laugh and some time to feel good and writing fanfics for that fandom has become the writing version of my comfort show. (Though technically Big Time Quads is the most recent one I posted since I just put it on Ao3 and Wattpad, I don’t count them because I wrote it ten years ago. Good GOD that makes me feel so old!)

Tomorrow: favourite ways to write fluff? 

I don’t really know how to answer this because I don’t know if there are different ways to write fluff? I just go for what makes me smile, makes my heart squeeze, and makes me go “awww” in my head. (Though I do second guess a lot if it jumps straight to being cheesy.)

Yesterday: favourite way to write angst?

The same as my fluff answer, I guess, only with a maniacal grin while i ask myself, “how can I torture you today?”. Safe to say, I love angst. Not that fluff or fics with low or no stakes don’t do it for me too, because I love them all equally, but man do I get a kick out of causing so many problems for my characters.

Today: have you made any progress in any wips today? 

I have actually! I’ve been painstakingly writing a follow-up/sequel to Big Time Admirer called Big Time Boyfriend and by painstakingly I mean I’ve tried writing it, stopping and starting, so many different ways but this one finally stuck and I managed 1k words on it!

Thanks for sending in the ask!

Fanfic questions themed around time

[equisetumspn]

Finale take

It took me a few days to finally put my feelings on the finale and how it impacted me into words. It actually helped a little bit to write some of it out, cathartic almost. 

It hurts.  I found this ridiculous show and its fantastic, remarkable fandom many years ago. It helped me to cope when I was feeling at my very lowest, struggling with my depression and my anxiety. It helped. I didn't feel so overwhelmingly alone. It actually did help. 

A big part of that was due to the characters and their constant determination to go their own way, to keep fighting against destiny. I found bits and pieces of myself in them. 

Sam and his studiousness, his thirst for knowledge. 

Cas. Castiel. His awkwardness. His always trying to find a way to follow his heart. To do right. His struggling to accept himself. His want of finding a place to belong. 

But Dean. Oh Dean. I could, or would, never claim to share all of his traits, but I don't think that I've ever seen so many sides of myself in a fictional character, at least there is none other I can think of right now. His stubbornness. His dorkiness. His silliness. His sarcasm. His trying to find joy in small things. His compassion. That soft, caring heart so deeply hidden. His ability to love so intensely, but not really express it in words. How much he hurts. How deeply tired he is. His intense feelings, and the reluctance to put them into words. His ability to hold a grudge for so long. His bisexuality, though never truly canonicaly expressed in words, it was still so obviously there for those of us who saw ourselves in him, and seeing that helped me to come to terms with my own, to realise it and see my self in a different way, and to start to tell others about it. His protectiveness and the need to take care of a younger brother, to protect him from family conditions that were less than ideal - my situation far from Dean's, or what many others have to go through, but it was still more than a young child should have to bear. 

I have always become incredibly, and perhaps overly, invested in characters and stories. It has always been my way of escaping when reality became overwhelming, frightening, or just too much for me to handle. There have been so many characters and stories that have made an impact on me, that have helped me cope through my most difficult and lonely times, so many that I have cared for and loved. But these three? These three with their fighting for themselves, each other and the world; these three with their personalities, with all their quirks and faults; these three with their perpetual struggles and their found family? They hit differently. When I had the most difficulties of even liking myself, I liked and loved and wanted better for them - and that in turn somehow helped me believe that I could actually be allowed to feel a little bit better myself. That seeing parts of me in them and still love them, could possibly mean that perhaps I could deserve to feel better and perhaps could leave the flat lined, grey limbo my life had become. Eventually I got help and could get my life back on track again. But this ending hurts. Of course it hurts. 

Underneath the soul crushing sadness and the furious anger, I just have a feeling of betrayal that has been seeping through every aspect of my life in the past week. It is unfathomable to me that could do this. To end the show like this. It is a betrayal to the actors who have lived with these characters for so long. It is a betrayal to the crew who throughout the years have worked to bring this show to the screen and to give it life. But most of all it is a betrayal to the characters who fought so hard to live life on their own terms and to us. To all of us who have ever seen any part of us in them, whether that be the main characters or in someone who only showed up a few times. And that is because representation matters. 

Representation matters and heaven knows that Supernatural has had its fair share of problems with diversity, regardless of if you think about it in terms of women, BIPOC, queerness, physical disabilities, or mental health issues. I'm not saying that other shows don't have these issues, because they do and there is probably no such thing as a perfect, unproblematic show. I'm not trying to negate the feelings or experiences of fans of other shows (or even that of the people who actually enjoyed the ending of Supernatural - good for you). I know what it is like, I have been here before, burned before. 

It is a gigantic problem that television in particular, and media in general, has failed to fix. Progress has been made, but we are still a far way off. Ultimately I do believe that the majority of the problem lies with the networks that somehow fear of no longer appealing to the general audience and thereby advertisers, of being seen as niche, of fear of losing money. That they don't realise that they are more likely in the long run to lose audience and money when long-term fans are less likely to rewatch anything they dislike the ending of, and of fewer new people tuning in for something they've heard others be discontent with, why would they be wanting to see something where they aren't able to see themselves represented. Why waste all of your precious time and money on something that in the end are likely to leave you feeling disappointed and / or unseen? 

Stories and shows are still allowed to have an unhappy ending. Of course they are. For some it is even necessary, an unhappy ending can still be a good ending to the story. That's not the point here. The point is that the story of Supernatural did not have a good ending, no matter whether you see it as happy or unhappy. It was, in my opinion, illogical and went against everything that they had built towards for years. Perhaps I am too naive or maybe I have read too much meta on this show and analysed it too much over the years, but I chose to trust what my eyes saw and my mind was telling me. I chose to believe what I have learnt about storytelling through all the movies and TV I've seen and all the books I've read. After all that fighting and doing everything to break free from being a spiteful and bored god's playthings to in the end saying "screw free will, it is impossible to escape your destiny"? That is an illogical ending that doesn't care about its story's legacy.  So here I am. A grown woman upset over the ending of a long running TV show and the fact that the characters who brought me some kind of joy when I was feeling my lowest and whom I saw myself in didn't get resolutions that made sense. Can you really blame me for being hurt?

[neverneverlouisland]

surprise [louis tomlinson]

surprise

[fandom] one direction

[pairing] louis tomlinson x oc

[a/n] this was originally written over two years ago, so it takes place before the rest of the boys disbanded and also before Freddie was born. future writings and stories about Louis will definitely include his son

“Are you absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure you can’t make it?” A slightly nervous chuckle sounded from the other end of the line, ringing through the speaker of the phone. His voice carried from his end to mine. It was filled with guilt, but he tried making the tone of voice light as he mocked me.

“Yes I am absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure I won’t be able to make it.” I groaned, falling back on the mattress and facing the ceiling. 

“Alright. Have fun.” I sighed and leaned my head back against the headboard, glancing around the bed and toward the place that would remain empty until after break. 

“Don’t fret over it, you need to have fun.” He told me from the other side. He sounded so distant, being in another country and all. His voice sounded as if it was fading the longer our conversation ran on. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” I mumbled into the speaker, removing the phone from my ear and pressing the end button. 

—

A blanket was wrapped around me as I sat in an armchair beside the flat’s heater, curled up in a snug ball. The snow had begun to fall a few hours ago, and the lightweight was slowly turning the individual snowflakes into clumped bunches of ice. They got through the screens, sticking to the glass of the large windows and sliding down the panels. The clouds were a faded grey, and they just kept dropping flakes of frozen water from the top, acting as a barrier to the unaffected part of the sky. I could hear the cold wind howling outside as it whipped at the bare trees and moved snow around, covering the city in a blanket of white. 

I brought my gaze back toward the television, watching reruns of holiday movies that had been playing for the past month. Joyous songs were playing in the background, and I had yet to figure whether it was coming from the neighbors or behind the noise of the characters on screen. I reached over toward the coffee table, grabbing one of two mugs of hot tea before thinking and placing it back on the wooden surface. I stood, grabbing the second mug and heading toward the kitchen area. I sighed, placing the hot drink in the microwave to keep it warm and quickly going back into my earlier position, bringing my knees up onto the chair. 

He’d been gone a good week or two now, and even though we kept in touch every day, it still felt empty. Usually around this time, we would be having the dumbest argument over taking down the Christmas tree that still stood proudly in the corner. He always wanted to keep it up the whole winter to keep us in the spirit of the season. We would still be doing all the other classic holiday traditions because we enjoyed the films, music and treats. There would be flour, icing and sprinkles covering the countertops and our faces. He would stare at me oddly whenever I entered ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ into the DVD player before joining me on the couch, still never getting the point of the movie. I tried to explain to him every year on both Halloween and Christmas, but he would shrug it off and enjoy the songs and how weirdly scary the characters looked. 

A buzzing came from the table in front of me, and I looked away from the movie to see that my phone had received a message. I reached for it, grabbing the device and sliding in the passcode. I smiled a little at the incoming message, reading a short paragraph on how sorry he still was for not being able to make it home in time. I’ve had to shrug it all off for the past hour he’d been apologizing, finding it a bit silly for either of us to feel any sort of sadness. We were still able to talk today, and that was enough for me. 

He ended up calling, saying how he missed my voice after not hearing it for days. I agreed with it, even though most of me was still sucked into the wonder that was holiday films and the songs that came with it. I partially listened to his own voice as I kept my eyes on the moving pictures set above the fake fireplace. I glanced at the object before bringing my gaze back to the movie; it was fake because we were on the third floor and couldn’t possibly get a chimney, so he got a virtual fire that still radiated the warmth we wanted. 

We were still on the phone as I continued to watch and rewatch all the amazing films, not being able to look away when certain parts came into play. I could barely hear him calling me with how engrossed into the movies I'd become. 

“Babe.. Babe?” 

It took a few seconds to realize before I replied, “Yeah?” 

“Are you alright?” 

I let out a chuckle and brought part of my focus back on what was happening. “I’m alright, love. Just watching something.” There was silence on the other end for a short of a moment, and I somehow knew he was nodding his head as if we were right beside each other.

“Which one?” His tone was turning more cheery by the second, and I couldn’t help but smile more at the question.

 “The Santa Clause.” I stretched over for the remote on the other couch, and opened up the guide for the channel. “All of them - it’s a marathon.” 

He sighed on the other end of the line, and it made me giggle hearing him whine. “I’m missing The Santa Clause? Can you record it?”

“I would, but honestly Louis, I still have no clue how to handle this remote or the setbox aside from switching channels.” He laughed that childish, melodious laugh and I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t my fault he never let me near the thing when he was set on watching soccer, cartoons, or himself. (It was weirdly adorable. He just enjoyed watching the talk shows, like Ellen Degeneres, because the boys always did or said something stupid.)

“It isn’t funny!” 

“It’s a little funny, sweetheart.” I huffed a breath and curled up in the blanket even more, setting down the cup of tea that was still hot enough to keep me warm and grabbing for a pillow. 

“How is it that even when you’re thousands of miles away, you start bantering with me?” At first I thought I had done the wrong thing in mentioning how we weren’t even in the same country, but he sounded fine with it.

“I live to banter with you, sweetheart. It’s what drives me.” 

I let out an embarrassing snort, causing him to go into a fit of chuckles. “Of course it is. Nice to know you’re only keeping me around for laughs.”

“Oh, not only for the laughs, love. Also for the food and cuddles.” I laughed and shook my head. It was just like him to carry on more jokes from another. 

“Great.” I sarcastically snorted out, glancing at the clock on the wall. 6:28 PM. There was a still a ways to go until midnight, but he wouldn’t be here to really make the transition into the new year special. I threw my head back against the seat and groaned.

He responded instantly. “What’s the matter?” 

“Nothing. It isn’t like my boyfriend is across the ocean, a thousand miles away.” My eyes widened once I realized I switched the mood of the conversation completely. I wanted to apologize, but was there really a reason to? “I -”

He sighed, speaking into the microphone of his phone. He changed the subject. “What's happening?” It took a bit to realize he was talking about the movie, before I resisted the urge to sigh myself.

“He just found out the North Pole was real, and Charlie went off with Bernard while Scott took the chance to look around the place. So he's still having a hard time believing he's Santa Claus.” 

It was his turn to snort, which returned the mood to what it was before. I rolled my eyes but stayed silent. “Of course he is. Would you believe you were a jolly, old man with a white beard and flying reindeer who could deliver presents in one night?” 

I smiled a little. “Of course not - I'm a girl.” He laughed. “I would believe it if you were that jolly, old man and I was that man's wife.” 

I could feel him shaking his head and the smile on my face grew wider. “Well who else would you be, love?” I finally let the sigh out, but this time it was one of content. He sensed it, and let out a chuckle knowing he would get an earful about marriage when he returned. 

We spent the next couple of hours talking. I continued to narrate the movie for him, he would bring in his commentary, and it moved into the second film of the trilogy. I ended up taking the pillow and moving myself onto the elongated couch.  It was much more comfortable and my body could stretch out. As we talked, it sounded as if he was just getting further and further away. The character's voices and the music were fading, and the pictures on the screen were turning dark. 

—

I wasn’t sure how long it had been, but it occurred to me that at one point or another I fell asleep. I kept my eyes closed, still groggy, but listened in. My boyfriend had hung up on the other end after realizing I wasn’t awake anymore, there was now a stronger wind building up outside, and the film voices were nowhere to be heard. I felt something heavy against me; it was made out of some sort of cloth. That was when I opened my eyes. 

As I looked around, I slowly started piecing together what was different. A thick, patterned blanket was set on top of me. The television was shut off and the cup of tea that was set on the table was gone. My eyebrows furrowed as I took in the rest of the flat. Is he...? I shook my head lightly. There was no way he was home this early. Surely he would have called me. I decided to stay on the possible fact that maybe I was just too tired earlier to remember that I had turned everything off and finished my drink. 

Then I heard a voice. “I guess our song was right- you really can’t go to bed without a cup of tea, can you?”

My head whipped toward my left. In an instant and without warning, I threw the blanket off and jumped to my feet, tackling the figure in a hug that nearly toppled over the chair he was in. His harmonious laugh echoed throughout the flat as his arms wrapped around my waist and held me tight.

“What are you doing here?!” I let my arms loosen from around his neck and backed away to sit on the coffee table, giggling once he pulled me back and into his lap. 

“I couldn't possibly let you find another guy to kiss tonight.” 

“Right, because it wasn't like I stayed around the apartment all day.”

“You mean the flat?” He raised an eyebrow at me, shaking his head as he continued, "You Americans and your weird words.” He stated jokingly, a wide set grin on his face.

We stayed like that for the rest of the time - chatting about our holiday in both countries and what had been going on. He was on about how much him and the boys missed their friends, families and/or girlfriends. I rolled my eyes when he winked at the mention of the word. He said they all flew out early, which meant he had been in a wide visiting range the past few days.

I gaped before punching him in the shoulder. He flinched and immediately removed one arm from around me to hold it. “What was that for?”

“I thought you were in America this whole past week, you git!” I huffed, crossing my arms and looking at him. 

“Well I apologize for wanting to surprise my girlfriend. I promise not to do it again.” The corner of his lip twitched into a smirk, and mine cracked a smile. 

“I hope you realize that if my birthday surprise is anything but, I'll personally see to it that you sleep on the couch for the rest of that following week.”

“Oh well that just seems a bit cruel, doesn't it?” We both grinned at each other, spending the last few minutes of this year shoving and making jokes toward one another. It felt amazing to have him back for this holiday after having to spend the one before talking through a video screen. That year I had actually spent with the girlfriends of some of the other boys (my two favorable cousins and our mutual friend who they introduced me to). We made our boyfriends agree to a pact that if they were ever away, both groups would meet up and we'd video chat. It was actually more fun than it sounds. 

A song from the band's very first album sounded from the table. I looked over to see my cellphone bouncing about the polished wood and nearing the edge. I got out of Louis’ grasp, ignoring his whine as I reached over and checked the time before shutting off the alarm. 11:55 PM. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged, “I just wanted to talk with you for a bit before midnight. We weren't together together last time so..” I trailed off, glancing toward the balcony window. 

I gasped in excitement and turned my whole body around to face it. I skipped over after realizing that the frost on the window had disappeared, allowing me to see through it. It meant the moon snuck it's way out of the clouds, and was shining bright as flakes still continued to fall. I didn't think or bother to grab a coat as I pulled open the sliding floor. I was near to stepping out when he grabbed my wrist.

“And where do you think you're going?”

I pointed lamely toward the snowy wonderland, “Outside.” 

He shook his head and took my hand, “It's nearly midnight. It might as well be below zero.” 

He intertwined our hands, lacing our fingers together and looking down at me with a sweet smile. I glanced up at him, a small grin settling on my face before fully acknowledging his concern and giving a firm nod. A chuckle escaped his through his parted lips and he leaned his head down, catching me in mid giggle and embracing my own mouth with a sweet kiss.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Your posts have been quite the joy to read! Following up on that Oscar post, do you notice how timid Oscar is with Yang and how she, in turn, is so hostile? When they first break into the house, he's actively trying not to look at her. And when Yang says "Anything to get out of this house" she's practically shooting spiteful looks towards where Oscar is standing and it's clear she's actually saying "I want to get away from YOU." Our poor farmboy needs some more love.

HelloJade!I see you’re a fellow Jolteon enthusiast, yes? Very nice.

I’mhappy to hear that you enjoy my posts. Thank you so much for reading them! Toanswer your question: I didn’t notice Yang’s displaced hostility, at leasttowards Oscar but I do get what you mean. The more I rewatch the scenes withthe QROWMBY from V6 C5, the more I feel terrible for Oscar.

The poor farm boy needing some love is an understatement.Have you ever been among people where things are clearly not okay but ratherthan admitting that tension to yourself and succumbing to the loneliness of itsreality, you do the opposite? You create this defence mechanism where you pushpast the tension and attempt to reach out. You do little things like trying tojumpstart conversations with certain members or volunteer to give a helpinghand even if no one asked for your help. 

You try to include yourself. You forceyourself to try and fit in again because it’s the only thing that’s keeping youfrom falling apart and surrendering to the depressive thought that no one mightwant you around. Oscar’s behaviour with the group this last episode made methink this. I was actually expecting Oscar to become more withdrawn from the team after C4.

However instead he did the opposite or at least tried to and that was actually sadder to watch.

Oscarin V6 C5 was like watching a triangle tryingto fit in among a bunch of circles. He probably feels very misplaced aroundeveryone right now but he tries his best to fit in even if it meant twistinghis shape to fit that mould, if that makes sense. Oddly enough, I would havemuch preferred to watch depressed and socially withdrawn Oscar because Oscar trying to chum up a bit toeveryone with most of the team kind of ignoring him was sad.

Do you realize thatthe only person who showed Oscar a shred of decent human compassion thisepisode was Maria. This is great because at least it’s somebody y’knowwhat I mean and I like the dynamic they’re setting up between Maria and Oscar here. They’re technically the two outsiders in all this so it’ll be nice to see them bond more over the episodes. The Adventures of Pocket Abuelita and her surrogate freckled farm boy nieto. . 

ThroughoutC5,I noticed Oscar doing his best to sort of make things less apprehensive betweenhim (not Ozpin) and the QRWBY, timidly approaching everyone in small ways.

When Qrow busted thefront door open and everyone went in on guard, so did Oscar. As adorably silly and downright frightened he looked, Oscar joined theothers because, by my presumption, he did because that’s what his teammatesdid. With the exception of Maria whose sass could probably cut adamantium,Oscar mimicked the other’s movements to fit in.

Toshed light on what you brought up Jade, I did pick up Oscar and Yang kind ofexchanging awkward glances at each other here. Poor Oscar, he looks so nervous.

Anyways, after the group shut the door like Maria insisted, we next overhearOscar making a comment about the study in the Brunswick household. From what Isaw, Ruby stayed behind in the front hall to eyeball the Brunswick familyphotos while Weiss and Yang checked the upper quarters for blankets by Qrow’sorders. 

As the scene progressed, I noticed Oscar follow Blake or at least hewent in the same direction as Blake did so I assumed she was the one hewas with when the study was found. Not sure what happened to Qrow. He wasprobably somewhere else in the house with Maria.

Sothis possibly left Oscar with Blake to join her in checking out the study.

“Looks like astudy or…a library?”  Mybest guess is that Oscarprobably asked this out loud to Blake as a sort of conversation starter for thetwo at the time. Unfortunately, he got no response from the Faunus girl. Thenext time we see Blake, she’s with Ruby.

So…not only did Blake not answer Oscar’s open question but I presumed she left himbehind in the study to go talk to Ruby instead. That’s what it looks like here.I know this is just my interpretation and I could be reading too much intothings. However, it’s still sad when you think about it like that.

Iexpected things to be awkward with Oscar and the group but this episode definitelyhighlighted how tense it is for him with the others. What hurts even more isthat I think things are even awkward between Oscar and Ruby a little bit. I’m probably going to sound crazy whenI say this but…I think what Qrow said to the two teens last episode may haveaffected their rapport a bit. Last episode, we saw Ruby approach Oscar whenthings were still kind of cool between them.

Howeverin C5…I dunno. Maybe this is just my misinterpretation here but I couldn’t helpbut get the strange inkling that the two sort of…drifted apart from each other in this week’s episode. I found it odd that when Ruby was alone, Oscar never took thechance to approach her. And when Oscar was alone, Ruby never took the chance toapproach him either. Hmm…ok?

Even when they’renear each other, things don’t seem comfortable betweenthem at all. Look at this shot here of Ruby with Oscar from last episode (C4). 

Now compare it to the show below it of Ruby with Oscar in C5.

It’staken from the part when Ruby makes the suggestion to go look for supplies andOscar kind of chimes with support for idea. I’m going to put on my Overthinker cap when I say this but, the expression Ruby gave Oscarhere bothered me.Here is Oscar flashing Ruby a smile and theface she gives him in response to that doesn’t look like a comfortable face. Shedoesn’t return the smile. She just looks weird. I haven’t seen Ruby look this weird nextto Oscar since…the day they first met and she didn’t have a clue who he was.

I dunno but the airbetween them doesn’t feel or look comfortable anymore. The one time, they dosort of approach each other this single short episode, it just looks awkward. TheRuby and Oscar interactions in V6 C5 felt bumpy to me in the sense that it felta strangely off at moments. It is especially apparent in this scene.

It’sthe scene where everyone is seated in the study waiting for Qrow to return frommaking his scout of the farm. Right after Blake kindly placed a blanket over ashaken Weiss, the shot is then framed so that you get a full shot of RWOMBY.

Inobserving this scene, I noticed something. Pay special attention to Ruby and Oscar’s heads in this shot. I know it’s difficult to tell byjust screenshots but I challenge anyone to go back and take a look at thisscene.

Inmy observation, as Blake returned to sit next to Yang, I noticed that as Oscarturned his head in her direction, instead of making eye contact with him, Rubyturned her head away prompting Oscar to glance away.

It’ssomething that’s veryshort. You wouldn’t even notice it at first glance and in hindsightit might not mean anything because this could just be my misunderstanding. Butit’s there.

WhenI noticed this, it actually stung. Because the last time Oscar looked inRuby’s direction, she met his gaze witha warm welcoming smile that made him feel at ease. Here, she doesn’t do that.She looks away. The camera isn’t focused on their expressions like last time sothat we can properly see their reactions but this angle fits because it’s mimicsthe tension.

Myfellow Rosegardeners, I hate to break it to you but I think things are a little weird between our two honest souls.

Oncemore, this is probably just me overthinking certain moments. I’ll only know ifmy assumptions are true in the next episode. Hopefully C6 would be much longerin duration with the chapters after that following the same pattern. I’m hopingthe next episode will provide us with more substance especially given the chiller teaserleft at the end of C5. Who knows? Maybe with luck, the next episode will beanother long, exposition and/or flashback episode.

Mariamentioned finding a story to tell the QROWBY before bed. I’m holding her tothat and something tells me that Maria’s story will shed some light on the Silver EyeWarriors. Perhaps it willbe the Shallow Sea fairy-tale since it’s the only one fans have yet to learnabout or see explored in the RWBY-verse.

And if my theoryabout the ShallowSea being a remnant of the God of Light’sFountain of Life and Creation whichis what created the First Silver Eyed Warrior then I think we’re in for a real treat next episode. But that is just myassumption. I’m also praying that next episode will provide some flashback onOscar’s past. 

I hope there’s a scene of Oscar possibly tearing himself awayfrom the group to go eyeball the Brunswick family photos. He then starts reminiscingabout his own family—perhaps he’ll recall a similar family portrait of hisown family taken much like the Brunswick’s. Maybe he even carries that familyphoto around with him as a relic from his past life.

Ihonestly hope being on a farm and in the houseof another family of farmers willspark some memories and maybe even homesickness in Oscar. As a Pinehead,I really would like for us to learn more about Oscar’s past because it’ssomething that hasn’t really been addressed since V4.

Wedidn’t even get to meet his aunt during his introduction. We got to see a full visualization of Ozpin’s past (well most of it anyways—we stillhaven’t met the King of Vale and Professor Ozpin again in his flashback). Itwould be really nice if we got to see a bit more ofOscar’s life. See more of what his home life was like before. Meet his entirefamily.

If I recallcorrectly, there were more barns on the Pine Family farm back in V4. Perhaps the Pines were likethe Brunswicks. Another large family who shared and lived all together on one bigplot of land that’s been in their family for generations. I wonder if Oscarlived with his parents, his Auntie Pine and possibly more aunts and uncles andmaybe even little cousins too.

Whatif…each family sharedthe family land and had their own farm house and barn. I always wondered whyOscar slept in the barn as opposed to his aunt’s house. At first I assumed thatmaybe it was out of convenience since he also worked as a farmhand and sleepingin the barn probably saved him time on the mornings. 

Now I’m wondering if it’sbecause that barn was the one owned by his family and it was the only thing ofhis that was left standing. I still want to stick with my hunch about Oscar’sparents being killed in a storm that took part of their farm. And if the farmboy had more family then this could spell him and his aunt being the only twoleft from their original family.

Theseare questions I want answered so…hopefully it’ll come in the next episode or so.I understand that not every episode of V6 had to focus on either Ozpin or Oscar. However…thelast three episodes were technically heavily Ozpin-centric especially Chapter 3. Ozpin got his fair share of focus. Ithink it’s time we got some on Oscar now. Not to mention, and I cannot stressthis enough, the QROWMBY ARE ON A FARM!

AFARM people! Come on! That has got to spark something for Oscar. I’m evenwondering if the study that the group were in will remind Oscar more of his aunt’s house.Ozpin did mention back in V4 that Oscar’s aunt had books. Perhaps her house had a study too in a similar style to theBrunswick home and Oscar will have flashbacks oftimes he spent reading in his aunt’s study or having stories read to him by heror his parents.

PerhapsMaria even reading the group a story before bed will make Oscar feel nostalgic because he’ll see his aunt in Maria. Now I’mimagining a cute scene of a young Oscar in the study of his aunt’s home and hisaunt announcing that it’s time for bed but Oscar insists on hearing a storybefore bed. So Auntie Pine obliges her nephew and tells him to pick a story forher to read to him. So Oscar curls up in a blanket next to his aunt on thecouch in front of their fireplace as she tells him a story.

Perhaps the story that Mariawill read to the group will be one Oscar heard a lot growing up. As a matter offact…what if…it’sone of Oscar’s favourite stories. Remember when Oscar first saw Ruby for thefirst time in V5 and he was mesmerized by her silver eyes.

NowI’m pondering something awfully curious. Perhaps…there is an old Mistralian folklore about a Silver Eyed Warriorthat Oscar heard a lot growing up and it quickly became his favourite story. Iknow the obvious connection between Oscar acknowledging Ruby’s silver eyes was theparallel with Oz from V1. But perhaps there wasanother reason that’s tied to Oscar him.

What if…Ruby had silver eyeslike the hero in Oscar’s favourite childhood bedtime fairy-tale that his AuntiePine read him a lot as kid? I think this connection could be cool if madecanon.

Doyou know what would be even nicer—if Maria picks out a folklore on the SilverEyes for her to read to the group and asks Oscar for some assistance in tellingthe story. But to Maria’s surprise, Oscar recognized the story from one heheard as a kid and ends up telling it on his own because he knew it by heart.After all, it was his favourite one. The Tale of the Silver Eyes.

I’dlove the CRWBY Writers even more if they gave us Oscar and Maria tag teaming totell the group a bedtime story next episode especially if it’s one that hintsat the Silver Eyes and it’s one that Oscar knows from his childhood in Mistral.Would totally love that!

ButI guess we’ll see how things go next time. I’ve rambled enough as it is.Apologies for the long answer fam.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2018)