#and wendy idk much about her so well see how she goes
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thegirlisuedtobe · 1 year ago
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HELLO REBECCA 10TH ANNI KOREAN CAST?????
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sofy-tofy · 11 months ago
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A lil talk abt Jennifer and Fiona
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Note: this was originally planned to be posted on twitter, but due limits ill do so here. Not my usual kind of post but I planned to share my views around media on this site too more so... ill start here with this aha.
A mutual of mine recently posted an amazing artwork of Fiona crying blood and... that made me re-think a lot around Haunting Ground, especially on Fiona. During these troughts i felt a lot so many ideas, like "something is missing on this game" and I think i realized what is... a moment of true anger, sadness... a moment of "THATS ENOUGHT".
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Let me explain a little bit using my beloved Rule of Rose as an example: When Jennifer discover what Wendy did to Brown (especially after we saw her dealing with all the Aristocrat Club "games"), she vent and fast to having a little "rage" on the matter. She put all her negative emotions on Wendy, making the Red Princess "feel" her entire true and crude emotions about what she felt because of her "stupid little club of nobles". This moment is knowed and considerated by many the most iconic of Rule of Rose and i feel there is a good reason why, with Jennifer we experienced her pain and that "thats enought" scene was needed for her and us to go into a moment of "leave" and "move on" such horrible mess. What i learned by more than 20 years of life is we all have limits, and Wendy did managed to "wake up" Jennifer ones.
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After all of this you might wonder... what about Haunting Ground? Well, thats what i feel is missing with Fiona... lets thinks about it. Like Jennifer, she losed everything (not really due she still have Hewie compared but listen) and... i kinda wished it was more explored with her parents this feelings. I do feel this game did in a way "robbed us" on not giving Fiona a moment of she processing all the hell she withness and well... reacting on a pretty negative matter about it. Im not saying all games needs to follow a specific step, simply i do feel Jennifer felt more real around the idea of "losing everything you love" over the simple fact she goes and we see it in our eyes how the world (and Wendy) were unfair to her. I truly wished something "complete" was given as well to Fiona. She have Hewie yes but idk, maybe im asking too much? Who knows.
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Btw i want to be clear how i love dearly both Games. They are my favourites from the PS2 era, simply I wanted to share some lil troughts I had in my mind about something I truly wished was explored more in Haunting Ground. What you think about it?
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buysomecheese · 2 years ago
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The ship dynamic where like ugh ok so A and B were either childhood friends or young lovers and it’s Always Them even if there are other people for them it ends up being ‘A-and-B’ (i.e. Cory-and-Topanga, Wolf-and-Snake, The Bishop (Sarah Black and John Hart), Wendy-and-Tolkien) and they’ve been through their Shit and they’re established and they work so well together but then C comes along
And sometimes C has always been there, loving both of them but not being able to do anything about it because it’s ‘A-and-B and C’ and will never be ‘A-and-B-and-C’. Hell, sometimes A or B even had a thing with C in the past that didn’t work out for whatever reason so it’s over and done and C is just watching wistful from afar (Shawn, Stan)
Other times C is someone entirely new, who shakes up A-and-B’s whole world so much that they have no chance but to notice. They’re really good at the same job, or the banter is just such a new pace but one part of A-and-B just.. really appreciates it. C, however much they like both A-and-B, knows it’s never gonna include them so is very cautious about Everything relating to them (Diane, Nolan Booth)
But either way, A-and-B have a conversation- it’s more difficult for one of them than it is the other (Cory (because it’s always been there but he hasn’t been able to identify so it’s like difficult all around for him y’know he goes through the 5 stages of grief simultaneously), Snake, John Hart (similar to Cory except he’s upset about it), Tolkien) and they approach C and they are Beyond confused. They don’t believe it, this has got to be a prank or something. A-and-B are making fun of them- except C knows they would never do that, not like this. C will just have to leave, as to not disturb the peace A-and-B have created…
But A-and-B want it to be A-and-B-and-C
Of course, one part of A-and-B has more difficulty adjusting than the other (Topanga, Snake, John Hart, Tolkien)- they and C fight, they’re petty, it takes a lot of reassurance but they want this to work for their hinge (idk what else to call them I’m talking about like the Cory and Wolf characters) so them and C get to know each other one-on-one, they figure their shit out. It’s still more turbulent than just A-and-B was, but with time it becomes easier etc. etc.
AUGH it’s just so much I could talk about each individual ship So Much (especially Shawn-and-Cory-and-Topanga I’m currently watching BMW and they mean SO MUCH to me) so I think I will because this is my blog y’all get to see my opinions!!! This is just like my main/favorite hc of how it happens I Loveee playing around with timelines for angst or smut hehe
Shawn-and-Cory-and-Topanga
So ok I’ve like Not watched past s2 yet but idc I love them. I think that Topanga figured it out- watched Cory’s reactions to Shawn’s “babe” one too many times, noticed Shawn finding Cory in a room first every single time, woke up more often then she thought was normal with the taste of Shawn’s lips on hers (referencing that one ep where they kissed for some reason? Idk haven’t watched it yet but ik it happens I’ve read fanfic), felt Shawn’s hand brush against her free hand all the time in the halls. She decides enough is enough, sits Cory down- she’s smart, she’s not mad, is he in love with Shawn? Yes Topanga, of course he’s in love with Shawn, you can’t be friends with someone for this long without being in love with them. No Cory, not like that- does he love Shawn the way he loves Topanga.
And oh, the look of slow realization on Cory’s face says so many things.
He’s relaxed (this is just a fact of life for him), he’s confused (what does she mean ‘the same way’, of course he loves them the same), he’s upset (she’s not mad but he is- how could he not have realized for so long? If she doesn’t mind now then how long could he have had his wildest dreams? How long with them did he miss out on?), he’s scared (what could this mean for all of them?), he’s anxious (this is weird, what could his Shawn possible think about this?).
Topanga holds his face, calms her Cory down a bit- me too, she says, for much less time I’m sure, but me too. We can work this out, she insists, we’ll talk to him and explore our options.
And of course, when they finally sit Shawn down with them, he doesn’t- can’t- believe it. This is some sick joke, why would they want him of all people? They could literally have anyone they wanted at any time, why him and why now? But no, they just keep saying it. I love you. We love you. It’s always been you, Shawn, I just couldn’t see it- be glad Topanga only waited this long to tell me and not longer. If you don’t believe my words, Shawn, believe my dreams- do you want me to recount them right now? They’re a bit explicit for a first conversation, but I could start with- and on and on and on.
Now both of them calming him down, they come to a consensus: Shawn can think it over for as long as he needs, Cory-and-Topanga will act with him exactly as they always have until he says otherwise. Topanga is already guessing at his answer, but Cory has barely ever been more nervous in his life.
Of course, it works out for the better- Shawn comes back, he needs them in his life as much as they need him. That’s all they know and they’ll work out the intricacies later. Topanga and Shawn, who already have a sort of ‘war’ over Cory, find themselves falling into that back-and-forth sometimes still, but then one of the three starts looking sad and apprehensive and they Converse instead and make it nice (of a tad tense) for the rest of the evening, allowing them to bounce back right in the morning. Shawn has some old habits he really needs to work to kick (isolation mainly), but every time he’s feeling that way the other two know when to hold on with their whole strength and when to welcome him back with open arms.
Snake-and-Wolf-and-Diane
Ok so fully I think Snake (hc: Niraj) is a gay man but like he loves Wolf (canon: Moe) so much and they both fuck around outside of each other so it’s chill that Moe hangs out with Diane now, so often. Until Snake does find himself getting jealous, feeling pushed aside; he’s planning his escape, how he’s gonna deal with not only leaving Wolf without a word, but also the only family he’s had in years. And what really sucks is that Diane is wonderful, she’s so great for Wolf- she’s not some old jaded person, she’s Wolf’s age, full of life and love, Snake’s exact opposite. So he assumes that it’s time for him to leave, again.
He packs his bag, gets halfway to the next town before the whole gang is blowing up his phone. He can’t drive so they (Moe-and-Diane; Niraj has already accepted that his place has been taken) catch up with him fast enough. Diane’s driving; Moe is shaking so much he can barely hold his Niraj, tears streaming down his face.
“You can’t do that to us, Snake! I- we thought you were dead!”
“… just though I should get out of the way before you have to tell me to go, is all.”
It’s a whole thing, they’re both yelling at each other. Diane doesn’t know where she fits into this, so she just drives them home when they’re done yelling. She’s a bit scared, but she does love them both and she knows how much Moe needs Snake.
A lot of talking, a lot of compromise, a lot of reassurance from Moe. Diane offers to step out multiple times but they keep her there, because as much as it’s about Niraj-and-Moe it’s also about Diane. Etc. etc. this ship especially is a slow go, takes a long time to become functional again, but it is so worth it once they get there. (Snake is a big believer of ‘a hole’s a hole’ and also Diane is big on pegging so it does work out sexually even if outside of that they’re just really good friends who share a boyfriend but tbh it just like clockwork with how good everything is ugh I love this movie tremendously. Also Diana and Webs definitely flirt more than ‘friends joking’ and the whole lot of them are a bit polyamorous/anarchist in their relationships)
John Hart-and-Sarah Black-and-Nolan Booth
They like Have a canon ‘hey let’s try this throuple thing out’ scene it’s where Nolan is on their boat and is like ‘you guys fuck so loud you weren’t the only ones crying’ and Sarah is like ‘you’re eating raw pork rn’ and they’re all so silly and then John and Sarah have their ‘do you trust me?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Always.’ ‘Then that’s all we need’ scene and that’s literally Sarah going ‘her babe you literally want to have sex with him so bad just give the romance part a try. I think you guys would be so cute together and also I think he’s really sweet and cute and I kinda want to kiss him as well let’s try this out please.’ And John begrudgingly agrees and the procession of events is so funny after that (to viewers)
John doesn’t think he’s attracted to men so he’s Incredibly confused about all of this. Nolan is confused as to why he feels like this couple- the hottest couple to exist, by the way, his words and you can quote him on it- seems to be.. coming onto him? Sarah is having so much fun scheming about this she is loving this.
Nolan and Sarah bond over Taylor Swift music. John slowly gains respect for Nolan during different heists they pull, and Nolan becomes less scared of John with every small compliment (or rather, lack of a critique). It actually does cause some rifts between John and Sarah but they’ve overcome everything before, them liking some guy isn’t gonna stop them now. So when Sarah finally kisses John and then kisses Nolan, followed immediately by John kissing Nolan, poor Booth feels just a bit lost. John passed him his glass of wine and they talk it out. Takes a while, and it doesn’t definitely get physical for them on the first night, but hey! That’s that and that works for them
And then they commit heists and Sarah has hate sex with Inspector Daz at least once and they live forever after this movie is so. I’m so excited for the sequels you actually have no idea
Tolkien-and-Wendy-and-Stan
So obviously Wendy and Stan had been Wendy-and-Stan- forever ago. Back in elementary school. It’s been Tolkien-and-Wendy since like 8th grade, going strong to senior year. Stan wouldn’t lie and say he’s not jealous, but he would also never admit that he was- Tolkien was his neighbor and actually they do get along really well, and he knows that Kyle and Wendy and Tolkien are close friends individually and he’s been able to be at the very least acquaintances with Wendy recently so he really does not want to ruin that. So he’s just chilling, pining a bit, even if he’s not exactly sure as to who for.
Wendy-and-Tolkien do have a very healthy sex life for two high schoolers, and are very comfortable with one another- when Wendy asks Tolkien (really casually, over lunch) “if you were to sleep with a guy, who would it be?” and he answers “Stan” almost on instinct, Wendy knows exactly how she can work with this. Purely planning for just a sort of sexual arrangement, she gets a bit closer to Stan to assess his mental health and availability and then the three of them have a Long conversation. Tolkien ends up driving them all into Denver to get tested for STDs and they’re all clean (surprisingly on Stan’s part, until they realize just how much he’s actually just been wanting the two of them), they have the sex, and then Stan.. stays the night.
On accident, of course, but he wakes up earlier and better rested than he has since maybe early elementary school, so he makes them all breakfast. He knows how Wendy used to eat and he knows what Tolkien does like so he makes a little spread in the Testaburger kitchen and when the other two wake up they are beyond surprised- not unpleasantly so.
This becomes somewhat of a regular thing- every few weeks, they’ll invite Stan over, and he’ll just end up staying over. He sort of fits into them perfectly, and ends up not just staying over night but in their minds as well. Clearly he’s a lot more grown-up than he was in 4th grade, and they all get along as friends, and Tolkien-and-Wendy decide it’s time for another Long conversation, inviting Stan in as an always fixture to their relationship. Immediately he jumps on board with that idea, and Tolkien-and-Wendy become Tolkien-and-Wendy-and-Stan
The conflict comes mainly from Wendy’s side here- she’s not embarrassed of Stan, she swears, she’s just embarrassed to tell her friends that she’s seeing him again. Tolkien’s a bit worried about telling people the polyamorous part, and Stan is overall a bit offended because he told Kenny and Kyle and Eric the first time Tolkien and Wendy invited him over. This issue mainly resolves itself with time and comfort and then they’re chilling and it’s good. Until Wendy asks Stan the same question she had asked Tolkien…
I had a lot more feelings about this one but uh I cared about South Park for like a month or so and then my brain decided we were tired of it so I have nothing else to offer I just think they’re all a lot more chill and communicative in high school idk
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notebookmusical · 1 year ago
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Well instead of the pink vinyl, we got a tour movie announcement!! I'm definitely excited and it will be so cool to watch in theaters and see it again! twenty one pilots also put one of their concerts livestreams in theaters and it was so cool to see everything on the big screen since it wasn't available anywhere else either..and it will be cool cuz they're both my sister and I's favorite artists. I was honestly surprised it was so soon! It's very cool to see the pairs of the surprise songs and how they connect..especially with two songs I wouldn't have thought of! One that came to mind is Evermore and I'm only Me when I'm with You. Probably my favorite song and one of my least favorites..but it was clear when she performed it..it was towards the fans and that made it special. One of my fav artists Soccer Mommy actually did a cover of that song and I think I prefer her version..lol. I love seeing any Lover song getting played and they were so good! Someone also pointed out every song had the word lose in a lyric which is something I wouldn't have thought of.
By the way, I hope you had so much fun seeing Maisie the other night! She really seems like a fun energetic performer. She also has a twin sister and I'm curious why her sister doesn't seem to go on tour with her? Lol. I loveher album..but I actually didn't at first, it had to grow on me. But I wonder why her lyrics seem similar but different to Taylor. Like she wrote a lot about breakups in the album..but by actually mentioning the breakup which I thought was weird. Compared to Taylor who wrote Red the same age as her..but how it's more about heartbreak to me. The only heartbreak song to me is There it Goes I guess..and Wendy is like a mix of Love Story and The Other Side of the Door..but also seems inspired by Cardigan. Maybe cuz it's her 2nd album too..that it reminds me more of Fearless, but Lost the Breakup is pretty similar to We are Never too. It's just something I noticed and was wondering if you had any thoughts on this. I know they are different situations and writers though. Like I have written lyrics referencing both Peter Pan..or not growing up, and a song called History which is nothing like her songs too so I guess I wanted more or something different..idk!
Wow that's so cool about the Night Circus..I had no idea it had the potential to be a musical. The songs were good and it seemed similar to something I was trying to describe with cool sets and costumes. I will definitely read it in October since you recommended it! For Breakfast Club, I thought there might be too many characters to each have their own song and how they're mostly in the same room a lot of the time might make it hard. Another one of my favorites is 10 things I hate about you..but that's based on Taming of the Shrew which is Kiss Me Kate that already exists. I love Funny Face so much and think it could work great as a musical with the costumes and balloon scene and dancing. I heard the Oklahoma revival was a lot darker which might have made some people dislike it but I understand what they were trying to do after reading the article. I think a revival of The Producers or Man of La Mancha are two more I would like to see and any Sondheim musical..maybe Passion or Funny Thing. You could probably make those somewhat different or darker. I actually read an article about the plan to move a new Sondheim musical to Broadway the other day!
The book is just fine to me so far. I'm on chapter 12 but will probably read more today..maybe to chapter 20. I wasn't exactly expecting to love it anyway though. None of the characters stuck out to me so far but I do like reading about family issues in books. It is pretty similar to Some Other Now by Sarah Everett to me though.That one was kinda a love triangle between two brothers but Im not sure if that was going to happen in this book too but that's what i'm thinking so far. Its not a problem being similar but it just gives me something to compare it to i guess. That book I think I did not care for the present part of the story and only liked the past after a while but I'm not having that issue with this book. Like I skipped near the end with that one and I hope it doesn't happen with this book. I do love triangles but only when I have an opinion on it..which is not yet and in that book it was kinda used for suspense or whatever. I have read a lot in a day before and it makes sense to want to finish quickly. It has been nice just focusing on one book for now too. This might be a book I don't have much to say about it so far though so it makes sense that you gave it 3 stars. My reading habits definitely change every week..sometimes I don't read for a few weeks and sometimes I read a bit everyday and sometimes I read a lot in one sitting..like 3 hours..so it really depends on my mood, if I have time,and also the book. I'll see if I can get used to 30 minutes around the same time every day though. Hope you're doing good!
hellloooo friend!! it's been a hot minute! i don't think i've ever seen a concert movie in a cinema but i've seen a fair share of livestreams and other recorded performances — for taylor, and other artists! i do remember going to see the proshot of an american in paris at ipic though, but that definitely has a very different vibe! i love i'm only me when i'm with you — honestly, i think debut is just ... so solid of an album and i have such nostalgic memories with it, but it's just like phenomenal as an album. i'm super curious to see if she'll continue doing a midnights song every night + something else for the international leg, or if she'll mix it up a bit!
god, i love maisie! maisie's genuinely one of my favorite people to see live because her stage presence is just so good but i think she's just such a strong lyricist too. i can't wait to see how her career grows :") i think maisie's sophomore album is really lovely in the fact that "the band and i" is the only real love song on it! and i remember @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes talking about taylor & maisie's songwriting styles and how similar but also also very different they are! i don't really think that lost the breakup / we are never are similar, but i'll give them both a listen in a bit! i personally loved the good witch more than you signed up for this, but i really love you signed up for this (and also trying, dressed too nice for a jacket, etc). maisie has, in my opinion, just always been a very strong songwriter! i also really love seeing how many young singer-songwriters talk about their love of taylor, and seeing how taylor's music has influenced them if that makes sense? like the way maisie's vulnerable in her lyrics ("called my mother in a denny's") reminds me in a way of taylor's? i don't think i'm making a ton of sense right now. but i think you can see taylor's influence in like, griff's music (who i love!! and i'm so happy taylor gave griff a shoutout! griff and maisie have a song together — happy hunting ground) for example, and a lot of younger, gen-z artists.
i saw the 2019 revival of kiss me kate and thought it was fun, but i didn't love it (it was also my intro to kiss me kate, to be fair). i did really appreciate it as an art, but it just wasn't my cup of tea! the oklahoma revival though ... chef's kiss. i think the oklahoma revival, and the spring awakening revival are some of the best revivals we've seen lately. i would love to see more sondheim! i also really loved the recent company revival, and i'm really excited for the tour next year!!
definitely curious about your thoughts on the book + where you are in it now!! 🤍 i'm doing a september readathon with my friend jamie @goodwitchs, so i'm hoping to get back to my usual 15~20 books/month this month after not reading a lot over the summer! hope you're doing well!! <3
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legit9thlunaticwarrior · 3 years ago
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Your imagines are so good!!!!!!!!!
Enemies to lovers with Kenny Omega? 👉👈
please anon i love you! 🥺 enemies to lovers eh? well i am a fan of cheryl and toni from riverdale and their story so let’s see if i can pull this off
|remember to leave feedback and i love all you heathens|
‘Anyone Else but You’ Kenny Omega (Tyson) x fem!reader
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^they admired each other from afar but wouldn’t dare to say anything. when matt and nick finally had enough, everything floats to the surface^
- mild inspo from ‘creep’ by radiohead and ‘stockholm syndrome’ by one direction (my bbys), and a scene from juno (im a lil sappy bruv) - also inspo from that bit in gravity falls where mabel locks dipper and wendy in that room in the bunker until dipper confessed to wendy - idk 3rd person just felt right
3rd Person POV:
Their disdain for one another was no secret. Out in the ring or behind the curtains, they wanted to and tried to tear each other apart. Interruptions, sly digs, passive aggressive comments were normal at this point. Even the fans thought it was just for show; until they attacked each other in the ring and referees had to pull them apart. Their friends couldn’t figure out why they hated each other so much. Among the many things they did have in common; it was the Young Bucks. The brothers were friends with both of them and they knew they had to end this.
After the two had settled down, Matt and Nick decided to do what any good friends would do: lock them in a vacated locker room until they made peace. A+ plan right? Matt would lure Tyson to the room and Nick lured Y/N. “Where the hell are you taking me?” Tyson questioned his friend. “Just taking a walk with my buddy so he can get his head on straight. Y/N is a great person, I can’t understand why you want to kill each other.” Tyson rolled his eyes and scoffed, “I have no clue what woman you know because the Y/N I am familiar with is a bitch.” They approached Nick outside a locker room door, Nick opened the door, Matt pushed Tyson in and quickly locked the door. Y/N looked up from her phone at the ruckus, “Nick? What the he- Are you fucking serious?” she swore as her eyes met her enemy. “Oh no, absolutely not,” he turned around to bang on the door, “Let me out man! This is bullshit!” “No. Not until you two work this out. This has gone on far too long.” Nick said through the barrier in between them. Then, he heard them walk off.
When they hadn’t come back to let them out after ten minutes, the rivals knew this was going to be a while. As time passed, he got to admire her a little closer. For the longest time, he had hidden how he really felt about her. Little did he know, she did the exact same. Cover up the attraction they had for each other with hate. He was pulled from his thoughts by her voice, which he actually quite liked. “Hell are you starting at, Smith?” “Y/N, I have a feeling we aren’t going to be let out any time soon so let’s cut the bullshit and get to the point.” She looked at him confused, “Which is?” she asked as she put her phone down. ‘Here goes nothing.’ he thought. “Why do you hate me so much?” Y/N blinked and raised her eyebrows. “I could ask the same. I was just serving back what you have been dishing out to me.” He sighed. “You think I hate you? I must be one hell of an actor. I don’t hate you Y/N, I actually really like you.” What he just admitted had her jaw in the netherworld. He continued, “I knew you had a reputation for being cold and closed off, but I was hoping you would’ve let me in. I just started matching your energy and pushed how I actually felt to the side. I gue-” He didn’t even finish his next sentence because she heard enough. Getting up and placing herself on his lap, she shut him up by kissing him with so much passion, he felt like he was floating. When they finally pulled away from each other, they just stared; processing what just happened. “It’s nice to know you don’t actually want to rip my head off.” she said half-joking, as a sentence along those lines had been exchanged a number of times before. He put his hand on her cheek, “Well if I did, I wouldn’t be able to look at your pretty face.” she smiled and looked down. “So your gear isn’t the only tacky thing about you?” he scoffed. Looking in his eyes, she felt the courage to ask; “Tyson? What does this mean for us?” He stroked her cheekbone with his thumb, “If you’ll have me, we take this at your speed. I know we’ll prompt questions but at least we don’t have to lie.” “I like that plan.” she kissed him again. His lips on hers was a feeling she could get used to. Another mutual feeling between the two.
They stayed like that for another hour until the door opened. “Well Matt, I’d say that worked.” “Hell yeah it did.” They high-fived. Y/N got up from Tyson’s lap and he led her out the door, hand in hand. “Go change. I’m taking you on a proper date. I’ll get you at your hotel room.” She smiled up at him and went to her locker room to grab her stuff so she could go back to her hotel room. Maybe getting lured to and locked in a random room wasn’t so bad after all?
~~~~~~~
lovely taglist babes (dm or comment to be added) @josiewrites @rubyred1980 @chrisdickinson @xkennyxomegax
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derivativealigner · 4 years ago
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Well I haven’t watched sp all the way through for about a decade now, so I thought it was time
Sometimes I wonder how accurate the fandom is when it comes to how we interpret the characters. Like, why is Stan a football star so often in fanfic and why’s Kyle always the smart one? So I thought I’d rewatch the show and make notes along the way to see where the source of all these interpretations is. I also wanted to see if I could get some fun info to analyze, but season 1 is pretty sparse in that regard so there’s not too much of that in this post, but I’ll make a post for all the other seasons too as I watch them
In summary, it’s established in season 1 already that Stan’s a star quarterback and an animal lover, Kyle’s an A+ student, and Kenny is poor and knows a lot about sex and doesn’t have many qualms about doing crazy shit. Cartman is a bit weird since he’s mostly just a naive brat in this season, but he and Kyle have a mildly antagonistic friendship already
I have all my notes under this cut. They include a bunch of small details and other observations. I also listed every Kenny death just because
Ike has freckles
Cartman says “Weak!” and “You guys” and “Seriously” a lot from the start, also “Kickass!” He doesn’t say weak or kickass much in the later seasons iirc
Stan says “Dude, this is pretty fucked up right here” three times in this season but they dropped that catchphrase pretty quickly
Bebe got named in episode 2
Stan’s been an animal lover since s01e03 Volcano since he won’t shoot a bunny or anything else. He does shoot Scuzzlebutt at the end though
Cartman’s a pathological liar but in a childish way
Randy got named in s01e03 Volcano (and it only got worse from there)
The mayor went to Princeton
South Park is next to Mt. Evanson
Kenny will literally drink gasoline
Stan’s a star quarterback in 3rd grade
Clyde’s voice is wrong as hell in S01E04 Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride and he has a dog, Rex
Garrison says Kyle is an A+ kid
Shelly seriously abuses Stan, punching him, throwing him, maiming him with a lawnmower
Cartman had a pot-bellied pig called Fluffy
Cartman’s mom smokes crack and has sex with strange men
Dr. Mephesto is probably a Buddhist since he says “Thank Buddha” instead of “Thank God”
Clyde’s voice gets kind of fixed in S01E06
A guy called Mr. McCormick is killed in a protest, launched and splattered against a network building. He doesn’t look like Kenny’s dad though
Zombie Clyde attacks Bebe, rude
Wendy gave her costume contest prize (2 tons of candy) to hungry children in Nairobi
Cartman’s mom is on the cover of Crack Whore magazine. “Back do’ ho… Five on one action!” is the headline
Cartman genuinely cries at Kenny’s grave after the whole zombie thing but gets over it because of candy
Stan knows his mom’s credit card number and has no problem using it to adopt an Ethiopian child (the boys wanted a watch that came with the adoption, they weren’t doing it to be nice)
Cartman calls Stan a vas deference, Stan doesn’t know what that is so Kenny says “Dude, it’s a pipe for your peepee” (according to a transcript). Kenny sure knows male anatomy
Kyle sniffs Kenny after Cartman asks why poor people smell like sour milk and Garrison says “idk eric they just do”
Cartman thinks poor people should die and decrease the surplus population
When the boys get Starvin’ Marvin delivered to them, Cartman says “Hey mom, we found an Ethiopian, can we keep him?” and his mom says “Sure, hun.” She rarely says no to Cartman
Kenny’s dad is an alcoholic who drinks scotch according to Cartman. I mean, Mr. McCormick is seen drinking in multiple episodes and has a hat that says SCOTCH so it’s probably true
Kenny’s family says grace
Craig’s first appearance is S01E09. Also, S01E09 is the first time Kenny doesn’t die (Coincidence? I THINK yeah but it’s still fun)
Clyde got named in S01E10
Clyde and Bebe both spit on Pip’s face, friendship goals <3
Cartman and Kyle have their first fight at Cartman’s birthday party because Kyle didn’t give the right gift. Cartman slaps his face and  screams “I hate you! I want you to die! Die!” while on top of Kyle who’s not really fighting back
Satan throws a fight with Jesus after everyone except Satan bet that Jesus would lose, which leads to Satan winning everyone’s money. Mr. Garrison says “What a mean thing to do!” and Jimbo says “He is a jerk!” and I thought it was quite a laugh so I wrote it down
In S01E11 Tom’s Rhinoplasty Bebe and Wendy are sitting in the swings together and generally appear together throughout the episode, then Bebe gives Wendy a makeover so they’re bffs obviously <3
Craig first appears in the classroom, though not sitting down, in S01E11
Wendy’s not happy about Ms. Ellen taking Stan away from her, she says “Don’t fuck with me! Stay away from my man, bitch, or I’ll whoop your sorry ho ass back to last year!”
Kenny gives Ms. Ellen a scrumptious looking sausage as a valentine’s gift and giggles deviously. Wendy’s gift to Ms. Ellen is a dead animal
Even Kenny doesn’t know what a lesbian is
Wendy’s grandma died in S01E11
Wendy gets Ms. Ellen killed by hiring the Iraqi government (?) to put her in a rocket and shoot it into the sun, then she and Bebe have a pool party (very cool, they wear sunglasses 😎) and watch the rocket hit the sun
Cartman and Pip play a game of kicking each other in the nuts until someone falls. Cartman calls it “Roshambo”
Kenny has a sack of marbles
The boys aren’t fans of Barbra Streisand, but Stan is a fan of the Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (he’s not a quarterback anymore, he’s an American football executive and the president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the NFL according to wikipedia.)
Officer Barbrady is a fan of Fiona Apple (who was 20 at the time and had only one album released called Tidal)
Ned knows how to pilot a helicopter
Kyle’s mom is a fan of Streisand unlike literally everyone else, she even gets an autograph from Mecha Streisand
The boys are fans of Robert Smith, the lead singer of The Cure. Stan says “Robert Smith is the greatest person that ever lived!” and Kyle says “Disintegration is the best album ever!” and Cartman says “Robert Smith kicks ass!” and Kenny’s dead so he doesn’t get to have an opinion
Cartman has tea parties with his toys: Polly Prissypants, Clyde frog, Peter Panda, and a dragon called Rumpertumskin
Kyle wants to make fun of Cartman for the tea party but Stan stops him because he’s concerned that Cartman needs help
Craig is in front of the school counselor’s office in S01E13
A young miss Cartman drinks like a motherfucker at the 12th annual drunken barn dance where Cartman was supposedly conceived
Stan lets Cartman borrow his bike like a good friend
Garrison wanted to have a threesome with Chef and Cartman’s mom. I don’t know why I’m making a note of this but uh… yeah.
Cartman’s mom has had sex with everyone at this bar that Garrison’s drinking at, including principle Victoria, the mayor, Father Maxi, and Jesus (and maybe Kenny’s dad since he’s at the bar but the camera doesn’t pan to him when Garrison says they’ve all slept with Liane). Later Gerald Broflovski is a possible father to Eric, so he fucked her too. Also Mr. Mephesto and his friend Kevin, that little guy, are candidates along with a lot of other people, including the 1989 Denver Broncos (and Mr. Tenorman is included in that later)
Cartman doesn’t make fun of Kyle for being Jewish much at all in this season even though the Christmas episode is all about Kyle not celebrating
Clyde and Token appear very early on and Clyde has always been in the classroom (along with Bebe, Red, Kevin Stoley, Wendy, and Pip and uhh DogPoo too I think). Craig appears later in the season and Tweek’s not in season 1 at all, so Craig’s gang isn’t really a thing yet
And here’s a list of the ways Kenny died in this season. He dies in every episode except episode 9, and he dies twice in episodes 2 and 3. Altogether he dies 14 times
S01E01 Killed after alien shoots him, cows stampede over him, then cop runs him over which finally actually kills him
S01E02 Killed in a play by a falling teepee, then a second time shot by Garrison which sends him in the air and he gets impaled on a flagpole on the way down
S01E03 Killed by a volcano rock that burns him then rolls on him but he’s alive again in the end but gets shot by Ned’s gun that he drops and it accidentally goes off
S01E04 Gets his arms and head torn off in an American football game
S01E05 Stan’s clone punches Kenny into a microwave where he gets cooked alive
S01E06 Death touches Kenny
S01E07 Kenny gets crushed by a Russian space station and turns into a zombie because he gets Worcestershire sauce in his veins, then Kyle chainsaws zombie Kenny in half, then zombie Kenny rises from his grave and is crushed by a statue and a plane
S01E08 Kenny is killed by a bunch of turkeys. His eye gets plucked out. It’s dark blue
S01E10 After Kenny gets turned into a duck-billed platypus, Jimbo and Ned shoot him
S01E11 Ms. Ellen throws a sword through Kenny’s face
S01E12 While Mecha Streisand and a giant robot Leonard Maltin fight, Kenny plays with a tetherball and gets the rope wrapped around his neck and it strangles him
S01E13 Kenny gets stuck on a go kart and it drags him around but stops and he’s still alive! Too bad the go kart stops on train tracks and a train runs him over. Stan’s grandpa sends a video of the event to America’s Stupidest Home Videos and wins $10,000
If you read all that, first of all hello. I’m not new to the fandom even though this is the first thing I’ve posted on this tumblr blog. I’ve been writing a fanfic called Caffetamine though so I’m not a complete non-entity. Anyway, I’ll watch season 2 soon and post my notes on that too probably.
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gregorygrim · 4 years ago
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Dragon Prince Hot Takes
!!! Full Spoiler For “The Dragon Prince” Seasons 1-3!!!
So I finally got around to watching The Dragon Prince. Timely, I know, but better late than never i guess. I’m not completely caught up yet as I only got as far as S3E7 “Hearts of Cinder” in this first sitting. Considering I haven’t binged any series in almost two years, I think that’s pretty respectable. This means I won’t discuss the last few episodes here, except for a couple of things I was unfortunately spoiled for already, hence full spoilers.
These are basically my first thoughts and opinions after the binge and a good night’s sleep. It’s gonna be a lot so if you don’t care or don’t want spoilers…
TL;DR: 7½/10. Generally enjoyable, there are some aspects I’m not exactly fan of, but no dealbreakers
Firstly to everyone who told me that this was the new ATLA: you all need to rewatch Avatar stat! Like seriously. There are definitely parallels and given the cast and crew I think that’s what they were going for too (which is why I think it’s fair to compare the two), but still, no.
Secondly I love most of the worldbuilding and love that the series at least tries to give it to us in a bit of a non-linear fashion, even if it is kind of clumsy at times. I know some people are put off by expository dialogue and flashbacks, but I’m an epic fantasy nerd, I need that sweet, sweet lore to live as much as you mortals need food.
I like that there was clearly an effort made to integrate the worldbuilding in more subtle ways. For example you may initially find it kind of weird that all these different human ethnicities are existing perfectly integrated in what looks like a medieval society, until you remember from the opening monologue that the Human Kingdoms are the result of a massive diaspora following the human exodus from Xadia, so obviously people got all mixed up everywhere. It’s representation with an excellent in-world reason and that just brings me joy.
I also love the magic system(s) even though we haven’t really gone into that just yet. it really feels like there was a genuine effort made to create underlying mechanics for the magic rather than just making each spell a vaguely elemental themed ability. I really hope we’ll dive deeper into that in coming seasons.
I also like the little nods to other works of fantasy: Ezran’s ability to talk with animals is a reference to Tolkien’s world where some royal bloodlines had the ability to speak with animals, specifically birds; Primal Magic and its spells being cast with Ancient Draconic runes and words might be reminiscent of the Ancient Language from the Inheritance Cycle etc.
Thirdly the main cast is great. Callum, Ezran and Rayla are all interesting and relatable characters in their own right and as a group. I’m not going into each of them individually here, but while I think the series as a whole falls short of ATLA, as protagonist parties go I dare say this one is nearly on nearly on par with the gAang.¹
And yes, I love Bait, which I really did not expect following the first few episodes. I love his weird pug-toad-chameleon design, I love that he works like a flashbang whenever somebody says a quote from Scarface (I wish they hadn’t dropped that later on) and I love how done he is with everything and everyone at all times. I’ve only had him for 25 episodes, but if anything happened to him I would kill all of my followers and then myself.
On top of that, and speaking as someone who god knows is really not into shipping, I love Rayla and Callum’s relationship. It’s believable, it’s refreshing and it brings out the best in both characters without changing basically anything about them. Just two good friends who fell in love. A++, maybe even S tier.
Unfortunately though I can’t sing the same kind of praises about the villains. None of them are terrible (as in terribly written, most of them are pretty awful people), but with one exception they just don’t stand up to the protagonists in quality.
I could simply not take Viren seriously. Even now that is probably the single most powerful magic user in the world, he just has such strong Karen energy, every time he finishes a speech I am overcome with the urge to say “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” and it does not help the mood. I’m not even sure why. It might’ve been the voice because the guy who did Viren (Jason Simpson) also does a lot of kinda slimy characters in various anime dubs, it might be that over-the-top walking stick, idk.
What I’m saying is that as a primary antagonist he simply did not work for me. Which is doubly a shame because this kind of tarnishes the real “Big Bad” of this story by proxy. Aaravos, even as an invisible ghost, with his voice coming out of a caterpillar and next to no info on his backstory, has more style and gravity than all the human antagonists combined. It helps that he is by far the best designed character and Erik Dellums has the voice of a young god, but I’d argue even without that unfair advantage he has the potential to be a top tier villain. While he is stuck as Viren’s “little bug-pal” though he is just being dragged down.
(I’m aware that as of the final episode the caterpillar familiar is undergoing metamorphosis, probably to create a new body for Aaravos’ spirit to inhabit outside of the magic mirror, so I’m definitely hyped for more of him in the coming seasons.)
As for Soren and Claudia, I’ve got mixed feelings. This was one more aspect of the show that a lot of people compared to Avatar and while I see the parallels to Zuko & Azula, they are still very different, at least where Claudia is concerned. I’d also just like to mention that a lot of people told me that they thought the direction in which their storylines went were really surprising and I can’t disagree more. I predicted that Soren would defect to the protagonists on episode 5 right after Viren told him to kill the princes and I knew Claudia was going to stick with her father from episode 12 onward. My point is, it didn’t feel like some kind of plot twist, the way some people made it out to be, and which I don’t think was the intent.
I definitely got the sense that Soren was at least a Zuko-type character, though still not a Zuko clone, and as with Zuko I was consistently able to empathise and sympathise with him and his predicaments. I also appreciated that his dilemma is the result of his convictions and not him being kind of dense, which would’ve been all to easy and probably would’ve ruined his character for me. As it stands he is extremely milktoast, but perfectly functional for his purpose in the story and I can definitely see him evolving further and getting more interesting as we go on.
Claudia is where it gets complicated. Again, I can see the Azula parallels. But unlike that character, who is her father’s animal 110%, Claudia doesn’t strike me as a victim of Viren’s manipulation the way Soren undoubtably is. The way she talks about and uses Dark Magic, how she talks down to Soren and how even Viren finds it difficult to communicate with her, tells me as an audience member that she is an independent person. Which tells me that the cruelty and enthusiasm for causing harm she regularly displays is her own will. And that was before she straight up leads Callum on to manipulate him.
On the other hand I can absolutely relate to her devotion to her family, her big sister role (even though she is younger than Soren) and the way both the separation of her parents before the story and Soren’s injury in episode 16 must’ve affected her because of this. I know that, if my brother had become paralysed from the neck down and I knew a way to heal him, I would not have hesitated to kill that fawn either. Then again her relationship with her father is very different from parental relationships I am familiar with, so I can’t really say I see why she is so devoted to him, other than she promised her mother to stay with him years ago? ¯\(o_Ō)/¯
So basically Claudia falls into an emotional grey space for me. I can’t really tell how to feel about her either way and I’ll just have to see where she goes from here, which, while fine, isn’t necessarily great for an end of season cliffhanger imo.
Seeing as I’ve already talked about some of the show’s shortcomings, I think it’s time to dive into some of the what I would consider flaws.
Firstly this show needed at least 12 episode seasons. I have never made a secret out of my dislike for the modern short seasons and while I recognise that in the current climate in the industry giving everything full 25 episode seasons isn’t really doable, the pacing of this show, especially for the first season is just outright bad at times. It works as of the second season, but the first season alternately feels like it’s either rushing through or crawling along the whole way through.
The believability of Rayla’s and the princes’ relationship really suffers from this the most. It comes a bit out of nowhere on the boat ride and is then taken for granted way to quickly. Like Callum, seriously, this girl tried to kill you and your brother not even a day ago and you are currently cut off from all allies you have ever had until now. A little skepticism isn’t misplaced here. I also wold’ve liked if we’d just gotten a bit more of a sense of movement with the characters. I get that this is not the kind of show where we can just make an entire episode about the characters travelling and camping, intercut with plots centred around a more expansive supporting cast, but still I really would’ve preferred if Xadia didn’t feel quite so around the corner.
Another issue is with setup and payoff, which I think is partially a consequence of the pacing as well. A lot of smaller plot points are set up within the same episode as the payoff just wreak havoc on the narrative structure. A good example is the episode where they ride down the river in a boat and Bait tires to go into the water, but is saved by Ezran, who then explains the story behind Glowtoads and how they are pefect bait for large water predators. Then Bait falls into the water and is attacked by a massive water monster. This happens within five minutes of one episode and never comes up again. To me that looks like sign of rushed editing, which is probably not entirely the crew’s fault, given that they are on a schedule from Netflix, but it’s still a point of critique.
It unfortunately also manifests in the occasional line of horribly forced dialogue, often for things we can literally see happening on screen. Again, this is mostly the case in the earlier episodes, but it never completely goes away.
Finally, and this is where i get into serious issues that made me want to write this, we gotta talk about representation in this show.
First: disabled representation, meaning Amaya. Why is Amaya deaf? Because it’s good to have disabled representation.
Why is Amaya deaf and a high-ranking military officer? Because they didn’t think it through.
I know this may be a contentious opinion, but it is my belief that the purpose of representation, particularly of disabilities characters may suffer from, in fiction is to, y’know, represent people as they are in life. That includes especially the struggles they face and have to overcome, sometimes their whole life. This is not just me talking out of my ass either. A couple years ago I discussed this with several people that are disabled, specifically blind or otherwise severely visually impaired, in a different context obviously, and the general consensus was that it’s better to have representation that shows their life and their abilities as they are, rather than how they might wish they could be.
A mute or deaf person cannot be a medieval fantasy army general, no matter how good they might be in melee combat or who’s sister they are, because at the end of the day, they’re not able to give commands while they are holding a sword and shield. That such a massive logical oversight, especially in comparison to the extremely well done example of representation I mentioned above, and has so little impact on the plot that it leads me to believe, this aspect of Amaya’s character was tacked on in the last minute without being given any thought for the sole reason of the story having a disabled person in it. All this does is necessitate the existence of two otherwise entirely unnecessary characters, Gren and Kazi, both of which achieve nothing, aside from sometimes being literal set dressing.
That is where representation ends and tokenism begins.
And unfortunately this generally lacklustre attitude also extends to the LGBT+ representation on the show.
As of S3E7 “Hearts of Cinder” we have had two onscreen gay couples on the show (onscreen in the sense that both partners were onscreen and they were somehow confirmed to be in a relationship on the show). One of these, the queens of Duren, literally die in the same flashback they are introduced in, which incidentally also features them invading a foreign nation to poach a rare animal and subsequently starting the conflict at the series’ core. Not a great look.
Aside from serving as a tragic backstory for their daughter, the most impact they had on my viewing experience was that they made wonder how the fuck royal succession works in Duren. (People who know me are rolling their eyes right now because I’m bringing anarchism into this Dragon Prince review, but I’m telling you, this why fantasy monarchies aren’t compatible with LGBT+ politics in the same setting. Dynastic governments are inherently bigoted, you can’t have it both ways.)
The other couple are Runaan and Ethari, Rayla’s caretakers, although if I’m being honest you wouldn’t be able tell based on Runaan’s treatment of Rayla in the first episode. By the time we actually meet Ethari and find out about their relationship with Rayla, Runaan is suffering “a fate worse than death” (direct quote from the show) trapped in a gold coin.
I mean come on. That’s about as “technically not ‘bury your gays’” as it gets.
I think I need to reiterate here that my point is not that this show or its creators are somehow malicious. As i stated in the TL;DR: I don’t think this is a dealbreaker for liking this show. But it does demonstrate that they are prone to slipping to some potentially harmful tropes and this needs to be criticised and pointed out to them.
In conclusion, I really love this show. It’s not ATLA, it never will be, nothing else will ever be ATLA no matter how badly (and terribly) Netflix tries. But it does and should not have to be.
What it has to do though is improve. A lot of the building blocks are already there, such as Aaravos or Claudia’s development, Callum’s father, the origin of Ezran’s ability, the purpose of the “Key of Aaravos”, the true fate of King Harrow (we all know his soul is in the bird, right?) etc. Some things like the treatment of Amaya’s disability unfortunately won’t be fixable as far as I can tell, but if they at least manage to fix the gay representation I can make my peace with that.
¹ I know I said I wouldn’t go into each of the characters individually, but a) you should never trust a stranger on the internet and b) I really want to talk a bit about Callum. Specifically the “mystery” of why the hell he is connected to the Sky Primal. I write “mystery” because I think it’s fairly obvious from whence this talent came: there is only one humanoid species we know of with innate access to the Sky Arcanum and one of Callum’s parent’s is unidentified, presumed dead. 2+2=4. Callum’s father was a Skywing Elf. That’s why he recognised Nyx’s boomerang weapon. He remembered one like it either from his very early childhood (remember that he has photographic memory) or Sarai kept one and he found it at some point.
On top of that the name “Callum” or at least the pronunciation is clearly derived from Latin “caelum” meaning “sky” or “weather” and I already mentioned that Ancient Draconic is just bad Latin. It’s not very subtle. Unless they pull a complete 180 concerning the lore about Primal Magic he’s definitely going to be a half-elf, which would also just so happen to make him the perfect mediator between the Human Kingdoms and Xadia. Hmm, it’s almost as if they are planning ahead.
My question: How the fuck did that happen? Or rather: how did that fuck happen? I don’t think even Harrow knew or he probably would’ve a) paid more attention when Sarai advised against poaching the Magma Titan, because obviously she’s gotten around Xadia more than him, if y’know what i’m sayin’ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) or at least b) put it in his final letter to Callum. Unfortunately we know basically nothing about Sarai except that she was a soldier alongside Amaya and already had Callum before marrying Harrow. So does Amaya know? This is probably the most interesting plot thread in the whole story and as far as my friends told me it’s not going to be touched on anymore in the last two episodes than it already has thus far, which is basically not at all.
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rvmmm21 · 4 years ago
Text
. scent .
summary : sheltered omega wendy doesn’t heed the warnings she gets about wandering into secluded parts of the woods. so naturally, when alpha joy - who’s sitting out her rut in the exact same location - sniffs her out, she doesn’t stand a chance.
requested : yep, by rvmmm21 to rvmmm21.
[alpha(g!p)joy x omega!wendy]
tw : dubcon, overstimulation.
(my first proper a/b/o! good practice, i guess but idk why i decided to go down such a weirdly hard route when i could’ve just made them soft but uh. also it feels weird to write g!p as top? if you know what i mean? i like writing my g!p characters as bottoms or submissive... but oh well.)
...
Seungwan has walked right into the wolves’ den.
Stumbled, more like… but she doesn’t know it yet.
She should really enjoy these final moments of freedom she has while she still can. While she still has a clear head. Although how clear the head of an oblivious young omega – who has willingly – willingly – ­left the safety of her village to gather various kinds of herbs only found in the densest, most secluded area in the woodlands – must be, is questionable. Dangerously questionable. It’s not like she hasn’t grown up huddled round by the fire with her big sister, listening to their grandmother tell them stories about vicious monsters that lurked around in the shadows, just waiting to devour young children. Hell, it wasn’t like she hadn’t been warned prior to her departure that this wasn’t something she could just treat like a hop and a skip in the park. Oh no, no. There were real threats out there. Blood-sucking demons, perhaps not, but there were threats much realer than that. Threats who wouldn’t hesitate to make an absolute meal out of delicate little things like her.
Old wives’ tales are everywhere, Seungwan thinks now she’s older, just so kids won’t go out and play past dinner time. Monsters? Hah, as if there could ever be such things. She bids her family goodbye and sets off until she’s past their point of vision, nothing but stubbornness and idealism shielding her from any sort of danger. It’s still the afternoon, so she has plenty of time.
Plus, it isn’t like this route is ‘new’. Back when she was a child, her and the neighbourhood kids would often explore the ‘Forbidden Forest’, as they called it, on dares or out of morbid curiosity. Seungwan had her fair share of ‘I dare you’s’, and - once she had gotten over the initial excitement of going against everything her parents had ever told her - had found the woods to be rather serene. Somewhat of an escape, if you please.
So she knew her way there like the back of her hand. Every twist, every turn, every slope and every dip; memorised as well as the tune she hums to herself as she begins the tedious task of gathering. The shade of the trees is marvellous, and it puts Seungwan in an extra good mood. So surely when she’s exhausted from filling her basket with herbs and cooking flowers – surely when she feels the ache in her back from bending over so much – it isn’t totally unreasonable for her to lay back on the trunk of a tree and… rest her eyes? Just for a while?
It can’t hurt, can it?
Yes. As crimson pupils and a predatory snarl will soon tell her, it very much can.
Unbeknownst to the naïve, unconscious omega, her fate was sealed the minute she set foot into the woods she thought she knew so well. This was never hers. It’s hers. The greenery, the trees, and every shadow they casted belonged to her.  This is her territory; alpha territory. And this is where the cruellest one of them all intends to wait her rut out. It is nothing but a mild inconvenience to her, a sorry stroke of luck, that Park Sooyoung is no longer part of a pack. Then again, killing another in-pack alpha for no good reason will do that to you. She had left the group without a shred of remorse for their fallen member; it was survival of the fittest, anyway. And in Sooyoung’s case, a hard-hitting reminder that wherever she may go, raging jealousy will always follow. So here she is, secluded and alone, not having anything to take her frustrations out on.
Until now.
It’s her scent that sets the alpha off, all bright and innocent, and it has her suppressing a hungry growl as she pokes through the air with a heightened sense of smell. Finally, through a clearing, she finds her prize, propped up against the oak, eyes closed and dreaming. Dreaming sweet things, of course. There’s no way anything so fragile-looking, so peaceful – so delicious – could dream of anything other than rainbows and sunshine. What on earth is a human doing taking a –
Hang on, Sooyoung sniffs the air again… no. No way. A human omega? Oh. She drinks the sight of her; tiny hands, tiny feet, tiny everything. She’s so incredibly petite, Sooyoung wonders how she doesn’t have an alpha of her own yet. Either that, or she just can’t smell past the density of her own arousal to locate the lingering scent of any potential alpha. If she was really unbound, Sooyoung would love to change that, of course. But she’s not sure she has the space in her head right now for flirting and small talk. There’s a demand in her trousers that’s far too pulsing to ignore. A demand that soon has her creeping up to the blissfully oblivious girl.
Cinnamon eyes blink sleepily open at the particularly loud sound of a crushed leaf.
She sees Sooyoung. Then she sees the ravenous glint in her pupils.
Then it’s a struggle. Everything’s a struggle. From trying to kick free of the vice-like grip dragging her face down and backwards, to the panicked efforts of lungs expanding under the weight atop her, everything’s a bloody struggle. A good fight she’s putting up, too, Sooyoung has to admit. If only she weren’t so much taller and so much stronger, Seungwan might not be washing all her determination down the drain. It’s just too easy to flip her over and pin her down, and Sooyoung gladly lets the little omega writhe and wriggle until she’s too tired, too defeated to do anything other than meet her gaze with innocent, frightened eyes and ragged breaths. Park Sooyoung is alpha, undisputed.
God does she even know what she looks like right now?! Sooyoung’s mind goes berserk at the image of the omega trapped under her. Cheeks tinted a deep rose, caramel locks all tousled like she’s just woken up – which, I mean… – and the overwhelming smell of… just her. So soft, so warm, so vulnerable.
Sooyoung barely manages to snarl down at her with how much that lust cloud has expanded in her brain. “What are you doing here, omega?”
She sounds angry, but Seungwan can tell it’s much more than that. The hardness she feels pressed against her core is a pretty big giveaway, for starters.
“I was j-just resting… p-please don’t hurt me,” she whimpers, shivering under the alpha’s scrutiny but too terrified to look away. “Plea – please let me go!”
Though even Seungwan knows that was just a breath worth saving.
The response to her tearful pleas is a deep, throaty laugh and powerfully concentrated alpha pheromones that force their way up her nose, suffocating her. It’s overbearing, and it’s more than enough to trigger her instincts. Seungwan bares her neck, head lolling back onto the soil below them. Feeling those sharp incisors nudging the delicate skin of her throat has the helpless omega whining in submission, unconsciously tilting her chin further back so Sooyoung can clamp down on her throbbing pulse point.
After dutifully marking her, the alpha can take it no longer. She only needs one hand to hold Seungwan down while she unzips her trousers to free herself, hard and aching with the need to mate. It’s too much work to even think about stripping her, and Sooyoung simply pushes her skirt to her waist and yanks her panties to the side. Seungwan lets out a tiny gasp; the late evening mist is crisp and frigid against her thighs and it makes her feel slightly feverish.
Although she has no time to worry about a stupid draft when there’s a scorching heat now overtaking her. She doesn’t even realise how wet she is until she feels two fingers slide far too easily inside her, curling upwards and stimulating the spot that makes her cry out. A sinful grin tugs at the corners of Sooyoung’s mouth when she feels Seungwan try to push herself further onto her fingers, hips on autopilot, grinding down like she has no control over her own actions. Seems like little omega is a lot more worked up than she’d thought. She throbs with desire as she watches the smaller girl fuck herself on her fingers with her eyes rolled back in her head, but it’s so mesmerising that she almost forgets her own needs. She remembers just in time, though; just in time to tear Seungwan’s orgasm from her, laughing as she grabs her hips to hold her steady.
A small whine fills Sooyoung’s ears and she looks down. “Aw, what’s wrong? What do you need?”
It’s too adorable when she feels those trembling fingers paw weakly at her chest in a silent plea for more. Still, she leans forward, letting the girl grab onto the fabric of her shirt. “Voice up, little one,” she purrs seductively, “I have no idea what you want, and I’d never take advantage of a poor, defenceless omega.”
Seungwan tries to resist, but it’s hopeless. Her body needs it.
“Alpha,” she whispers, sending electricity up Sooyoung’s spine at the sound of her title, “plea – ah!”
Seungwan sucks in a breath, eyes screwing shut as the fingers suddenly enter again, teasing her where she aches to be filled completely.
“Alpha, please what, hm?” Sooyoung asks, a little sinister, a little playful. “Please stop? Is that it? I can do that.”
She removes her digits from her dripping heat, acting as though they were really done here.
“N-no! … please don’t leave!” Seungwan can’t help sounding as desperate as she looks, whiny and ridiculously needy, “… please… please fuck me…”
Oh, anything for you, baby.
In one fluid motion, Sooyoung sheathes her length right the way to the hilt. Tears well up in Seungwan’s eyes and cloud her vision with sheer pleasure when she finally gets what she needs. Sooyoung won’t lie either, she’s glad she did it when she did… who knows how much longer she could’ve looked at that pretty face just begging for her cock. Their combined fluid allows the alpha to build a steady, albeit punishing, rhythm, and Seungwan sobs at the arousal burning through, inner thighs coated with slick that continues to drip out of her.
“So tight, little one,” the alpha growls, nipping at a collarbone when she feels the omega’s walls clenching down on her every time she moves to pull out, greedily sucking her back in. Seungwan lets out a restricted sigh at the feeling; the girth stretching her open, the way the ridge of her head rubs mercilessly against her inner walls. It takes a few jerks for her to realise she isn’t being held down anymore. Well, not by Sooyoung, anyway. Her own burning desire still has her very much pinned in place.
For a good moment, Seungwan can only hear the wet noise whenever Sooyoung’s hips meet her butt as she decorates the silence with her own little moans and gasps. Not even the sounds of the surrounding nature registers in her foggy mind.
Sooyoung reaches down in between the omega’s legs, prodding around in search for her clit. She finds it with ease, and a keening whine erupts from Seungwan’s throat as the pad of her thumb rolls against the swollen thing with the perfect pressure. This alpha is immaculate at multi-tasking, she thinks, involuntarily bucking her hips up towards her, begging for more stimulation, begging her to never stop.
Sounding pathetic again is the absolute last thing she wants to do, but – “please, please alpha… I can’t take it, please let me cum…”
“Soo – young,” the alpha corrects her between thrusts, voice noticeably huskier as she gets closer herself.
Okay, okay, anything.
“… ple – ea – se… Soo – young,” she’s panting out now, unable to make a sound louder than a hoarse whisper, “… I’m – gonna…”
Sooyoung feels her tense up, and takes it as a cue to thrust deeper, if that was even possible. With a final gasp, Seungwan’s cumming. Hard. She’s sobs freely, shuddering and twitching at the sparks of heat ripping through her, entire body trembling. It’s immensely pleasurable… for a while.
And that’s when it all becomes too much.
“Ah! Sooyoung, Sooyoung… no, please… I – I came, it hurts,” she whimpers. She carelessly grasps at whatever is around her, trying to shift off the cock still pounding into her, and away from the pressure on her sensitive clit – but Sooyoung won’t let her.
“Don’t you dare…” she warns.
Her nails dig into her thighs, leaving pink crescent marks in the soft flesh, probably hard enough to bruise. She holds the squirming omega in place as she chases her own release, knowing she’s too drained and too spent to put up a fight. The teary omega can do little but lay there and take the overstimulation that’s driving her mad, shattering any other physical sensation she thought she had. She’s limp, but that goddamned tightness is slowly rising again, overwhelming and awful. Oh my god no, she can’t cum again, she can’t, it’s impossible. But apparently, so were the existence of vicious monsters lurking in the shadows of the woods, waiting for their chance to pounce on unsuspecting little things like her – so, she knows there are some lessons to be garnered from what she assumed was impossible and what was really not.
The thought of a second orgasm is terribly daunting, but Sooyoung’s cock and her thumb that never left her clit were pushing her closer and closer, giving her all the stimulation she needs and the heat is rising and she doesn’t think she can stop herself and she’s – she’s – oh god, she’s –
Seungwan’s vision goes stark white as she’s tipped over the edge again, falling apart with a raspy wail.
That does it for Sooyoung. The moaning, the shivering, the way velvet walls tighten around her shaft when she makes her cum a second time has her groaning as she gives a few final thrusts.
“Oh baby, yeah, I’m cumming,” she grunts, curling over Seungwan to lock her in her arms as she pumps into her, fucking her into the ground, the omega’s quivering heat milking every last drop from her.
They stay like that, both too tired to move. When Sooyoung eventually props herself up and pulls out, she’s rewarded with a feeling of satisfaction and the wonderful sight of the little omega who’s blinking wearily up at her, letting out a tiny yawn. Sooyoung wants to slap herself for mating one this adorable. Not for anything other than the fact that she can already see herself weak at the knees for this girl, and she can see herself tending to her every need, when she’s supposed to be the one in charge.
Still, now that she’s found her, she’s not letting go.
Seungwan’s fast asleep by the time Sooyoung gathers her up in her arms, mindful of the scrapes and cuts her poor little omega sustained from their first encounter. She’s so glad she got to her before anyone else did. She’s so tiny and warm and all hers.
...
i’m so sorry, i really don’t know what the heck ‘cooking flowers’ are i clearly just made that up it sounds so dumb lol.
also it’s hard to write smut when the words you hate typing are literally all the words you need to describe the scene??
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heronpoxed · 4 years ago
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SONS OF ANARCHY SPOILERS
Idk man, the show’s been over for 6 years but still BEWARE
So I’ve been thinking a lot about Jax and Tara and about how fabulous Tara is and what an ass Jax is for cheating on her more than once because well, I’m a simple hoe and I love them more than life and they’re the reason I started watching SOA in the first place and I’d literally die for them no matter what.
So! Kurt Sutter stated in his IG Q&A that cheating on Tara was Jax’s way to punish himself because deep down he knew that he wasn’t worthy of her love (see the screenshot below). Well, y’all, it does make sense and it’s is refreshing for a simple hoe like me to know that cheating was Jax’s self-punishment and that he knew like the rest of us that Tara was too good for him (if you haven’t already noticed, this post is mainly for Tara stans and if you don’t have the heart for reading the praise of my girl, I suggest you stop reading), but I think there’s another explanation that goes along with the ‘self-punishment‘ thing.
Bobby Munson, the absolute legend, who was actually the only one who fully appreciated everything that Tara did for the club, states in s6: “Jax is someone who needs to be with someone.” Jax hates being alone and feeling lonely. He hates being emotionally and ideally contradicted and it’s shown numerous times in the show. So whenever he’s upset with Tara like a little child he goes to the arms of women that will definitely worship and make him feel like a big boy, but all this is always based on his sadness and hurt feelings (his hurt ego too, but I believe it’s mostly his hurt feelings) whenever Tara ‘upsets’ him.
The first time he cheats on Tara is with Wendy right after Donna’s murder. Jax and Tara are in a fight during that time and after THAT GLORIOUS SLAP he’s hurt and his ego is damaged. Wendy is there, offering him comfort and pleasure. I don’t think anyone doubts that if Jax and Tara knew exactly where they stood in their relationship, he would’ve gone to Tara for comfort and consolation. And an episode later he delivers this legendary line: “...because when I’m inside someone there’s only one face I see.” -and we’re automatically calm.
The second time he cheats on Tara is with Ima when Abel is kidnapped. He knows it’s not safe for her with SAMCRO during this hard and dangerous time, knows that she’s too stubborn and too in love with him and Abel to just pack up and leave. So he does one thing he’s sure will push her away to protect her, but right after Tara leaves the house with this iconic line: “...well, guess what?! The prince doesn’t always get his way.” - he goes after her with a pained and anguished face, clearly wanting to apologize and make things right, but he’s too late because she’s already gone.
Then he cheats on Tara with Colette when Tara’s in jail. Of course, he feels responsible for her arrest, but he’s also hurt like a little kid (again) because Tara doesn’t want him in court and goes to Colette to feel like a big boy again. (Ugh, bitch, the immaturity of this!! Tara was doing time FOR and BECAUSE of him and he couldn’t keep it in his pants for 10 fucking days when Tara was faithful to him for 14 months when he was inside)
So the last time is with Colette again when he finds out Tara’s divorcing him and taking the boys. I think that even though Jax stuggles to admit it, deep down he knows that he’s the reason for driving Tara away and making her act so radically. He says as much: “I understand why you did everything you did. I’m sorry being with me took you to that place.” and let’s not forget his face when Tara says: “...what happened to me?” Right after she walks in on Jax with Colette.
Bonus:
Winsome is the first person Jax sleeps with after Tara’s death and we all know how he breaks down when he realizes that the woman he was making love to was imagined and not present there physically in flesh. I think this was the first time I realized that “because when I’m inside someone there is only one face I see” proves true. And the scene is extra heartbreaking when you know that Tara’s actually dead this time not just away in Chicago.
Jax sleeps with Wendy right after he kills his wife’s murderer. I do think that it was the first time he truly enjoyed intimacy after Tara’s death but I feel like it was just like the ‘Donna’s death situation’. Anyway, though, the scene speaks for itself.
Okay so why the fuck did I write all this you ask. Well, one of the reasons is that I have way too much free time to spare but the main reason is to show that Jax cheats on my baby girl whenever he feels even the littlest bit upset with her. His infidelity is driven solely by loneliness which he can’t stand, so it’s clear that he uses sex as a coping mechanism, which, I think is the most immature way to deal with relationship issues but no one asked for my opinion right?
Anyway, neither Jax nor Opie btw is capable of dealing with their relationships in a mature way so they both use sex and women unjustifiably to avoid confrontation. This, too, is confirmed in season 1 when Jax says “Eh, you really wanna talk about this, huh? Cause one upside of Wendy, she was usually too wasted for relationship chats.”
I’m not justifying Jax’s infidelity or behavior. I’m just saying that his unfaithfulness has other deeper and twisted explanation that stems from Jax’s inability to cope with being alone and to face relationship problems maturely. You may not even agree with me and not think that Jax is wrong in the matter and that opinion is totally valid. But this is how I personally see this side of Jax.
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allthefilmsiveseenforfree · 4 years ago
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Dangerous Minds
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Those of my readers who haven’t known me long may not know that I was once a corps member of Teach for America. I taught 10th and 11th grade English for about 5 weeks, then I was told on a Friday about my “involuntary transfer” to another school in the district, where I’d be teaching 7th and 8th grade English instead. I went from having about 110 students to about 190. My classroom had no books (textbook or otherwise), no pencils, no paper, no markers or chalk, but it DID have one of those folding lamps that come out of the ceiling at the dentist’s office. The kids had been in there for 5 weeks with a rotating roster of subs; they’d done no schoolwork of any kind. I was teaching in a very poor area of the city, and my students were predominantly Black and Hispanic. One of my 10th graders wrote his first personal essay about getting shot the previous year. I say all this to tell you that when Chad asked that I review Dangerous Minds, the 1995 adaptation starring Michelle Pfeiffer of the true story of Louanne Johnson’s experience teaching in inner city schools in California, I was prepared to laugh it off as a cringey, Lifetime-movie representation of my experience. Is that what I got? Well...
For the most part, what I got was a ball of anxiety in my chest. It’s well-worn territory, obviously. A teacher bonds with their students from the wrong side of the tracks, and ends up learning just as much from them as they learn from him/her. Usually poetry or music features heavily as a tool that can set the students free from the depressing circumstances of their lives. Depending on the rating, usually a student dies, and the teacher learns just how Important their job is, so they commit to it even harder even though it pays no money and garners no respect from the administration who just doesn’t “get it.” But these cliches and stereotypes and broad strokes exist because at their core, they’re true, and they make me anxious and uncomfortable and I can’t laugh at them or Michelle Pfeiffer being a Nice White Lady because I’m too busy being angry about the systems we put in place that straight up abandon so many kids, all in the name of white supremacy.
Some thoughts:
Oh we’re starting right off the BAT with “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Fantastic news. Two things I associate so strongly with this song is skating around the skating rink in 2nd grade and buying the Weird Al cassingle of “Amish Paradise” and wearing it out. 
Ooh, the score was composed and performed by Wendy & Lisa! Love that, you don’t see nearly as many film scores as you should composed by women.
God, the salary is $24,700 a year and Louanne acts as though that is appealing - I can’t tell if that’s because it was 1995 or because teacher salaries are so dismally low that this feels like a good salary?
This scene in which Louanne goes into her classroom for the first time and the kids are all shouting at her and getting in her face and sexually harassing her and throwing paper balls at her is giving me stress hives. 
Also her friend Griffith (George Dzundza) saying, “You wanna teach, so teach! All you gotta do is get their attention” is rather disingenuous. Trust me, you can have their attention, and still not be able to teach. 
I’m excited to see Sally-Can’t-Dance from Con Air as Raul (Renoly Santiago). He’s honestly fantastic in this, with a tough exterior but a sensitive and gooey inner sweet boy. All of the teens give pretty solid performances, but he’s a real standout.
I recognize this is based on a true story and Louanne Johnson’s lived experience, but I am not sure it’s wise for any teacher, regardless of grade or subject, to be teaching her students how to fight each other. Or taking them to dinner on what looks to outsiders like a date. I know some people have a problem with the bribery (giving her students candy for speaking up in class) but I have no problem with it - you get paid to do all the dumb stuff you don’t want to do at work, why shouldn’t kids be compensated for going to school if they don’t want to be there? External motivation goes a long way to building up internal motivation.
Mm I do love me some Courtney B. Vance, but he’s such a quiet, condescending ass in this. It’s a different vibe than I’m used to seeing in a principal in a movie like this. 
Ooh, Griffith grading papers and saying “What a fuckin’ idiot” is a real mood. 
“Since when has the Board of Education done anything for us? We barely get fuckin lunch” is legit. The lunches my students were served in summer school were some of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen. One day it was spoiled milk, white bread, and pickles. And one of my students put his in a microwave that was hidden in the back of my classroom behind some dividers and left it for a week. And just so you know, as stomach-churningly awful as that sounds, the day I found “pickle man” as my student called him, isn’t even in my top 5 worst days teaching list. 
I like Griffith, and I’m glad Louanne has a friend, but frankly I’m not that interested in these interludes between them - they really feel like they slow down the momentum from the scenes of her in the classroom slowly earning the kids’ trust. The pacing is kind of a mess, because the most dynamic sections all revolve around the kids in the classroom, and I feel like that only makes up about a third of the movie. 
One thing I know for sure is you do not get in the middle of a fight between students. I have a friend who worked in the same district I did who interrupted a fight and got punched in the face because of it. And her principal blamed her. 
Oh wow the way the soundtrack picks up when Emilio finally engages in the class is some kinda cheesy. And it continues through the rest of the scene to a distracting degree. Oh Wendy and Lisa, I hoped for better. 
Can I just emphasize that to reach these kids, Louanne uses her experience as a LITERAL MARINE by demonstrating she can kick all their asses, and then she bribes them by paying for 25 kids to go to an amusement park for the entire day with her?
Also, even if they like and respect her now, I call bullshit at any scene in which ALL of  the kids are A) sitting in their seats or B) silent, and especially C) both. 
Um suddenly feeling some weird vibes with Louanne and Raul having a dinner date at this fancy restaurant by themselves. Also, the double standard here is pretty telling - there’s no way this scene makes the movie if Louanne had been a male teacher and Raul was a female student.
Wait wait wait, she’s also loaning Raul $200? Like, is this why I didn’t make it as a teacher? Because I wasn’t a former Marine taking students to amusement parks and fancy dinners and lending them money? I was 25 and could barely afford rent. Maybe teachers who have enough money to take care of themselves are better equipped to take care of others. Idk, I’m just spitballin here.
Oh “Gangsta’s Paradise” is happening again! We already heard the whole song over the opening credits but now it’s happening again about 3/4 way through. I mean this song is definitely the best thing about the film, so I get it, but it feels weird that they think we wouldn’t notice it playing to completion twice.
Michelle Pfeiffer is doing everything she can to make this movie feel less cheesy and more real. Like, you can tell she’s really trying with her performance. Of course, it’s not like the character is a huge challenge acting-wise, but she is definitely committed to the part and can walk the line of both accessible and tough. 
This scene where Louanne tells her class she is not going to be there next year, that what happened to Durell and Lionel and Callie and Emilio made her too sad to stay has not aged well at all. And it’s certainly true to life, and I say that as someone who did the same thing. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s a reality - the fact that I’m a nice white lady is exactly the reason that I can choose to leave when things get too hard. Just because the kids convince her to stay at the end in this very rushed “all’s well that ends well” way doesn’t sweep this scene under the rug, and it shouldn’t. 
Ope, “Gangsta’s Paradise” shows up one last time in the credits for good measure. 
Side note: after the film, I researched Louanne, and she’s still teaching, which honestly made me emotional (in a good way). And I’d like to point out the racist ass bullshit the studio and screenwriter Ronald Bass pulled by changing the poems the students read to Bob Dylan lyrics when Louanne originally used rap lyrics from popular artists in ‘89-’90 to teach the kids about poetry. 
Did I Cry? No, but I did get heartburn from anxiety flashbacks.
This genre of film is easy to mock and parody because it tells the same story and hits the same beats to the point that they’ve become cliche. Ultimately, the truth at the heart of the movie (which is the un-nuanced and candy-coated depiction of Johnson’s real memoir, My Posse Don’t Do Homework) is that high schoolers crave someone who will see them and validate them, someone who is willing to put in the effort. The quality of the package that truth is wrapped in varies, and this one certainly leans in hard on stereotypes that feel like cheat codes rather than any real illuminating depictions of living teenagers. But as cringey as it is to watch, maybe it’s not a bad thing to remember that all people - including those who are trapped in poverty and all the cruel injustices that entails - want to be seen and valued for who they really are. 
If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.
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ether-gearhead · 3 years ago
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Because Tumblr user @sharlettehatesmiasma just HAD to go and prove itself a prime fucking example of why NaLus and MAGAs are fundamentally one and the same, now I gotta write a whole-ass essay just to keep her from shouting over me (incidentally a favorite MAGA tactic as well)! This is gonna need a cut, isn’t it?
By the way, this is all in the context of our prior conversation, so it may not exactly make sense. So yeah, this needed a cut anyway. I feel better about that at least.
“Lmao Lucy never tried any seduction tricks with Natsu. The dolls Hakune made were pretty much acting like what they act around Natsu(except nakedness). Lisanna used to tease Natsu about getting married, Erza always talks about taking bath together, Wendy said Natsu was her big bro and then we have Lucy who never ever showed this much obvious feelings for Natsu(totally opposite, she always denies). That's what I'm saying lol. Hakune's magic is known to all so that doesn't Have confusion at all. The difference in our points are solely based on what we think about that thing or what we wanna see.”
Obviously she’s never tried to seduce Natsu, but she’s tried seduction around him before. In fact, I’m surprised Lucy’s doll didn’t repeat “We’ll be together forever, right?” But the fact she went straight for seduction makes me think, at least compared to everyone else, that all else aside, Natsu’s view of Lucy is more sexual than with the other girls, which I guess is a point for NaLu
“Well the pseudo marriage thing Idk really. I mean ofc I would also value the moments spent with my childhood friend(romatically or not). He values his friends more than his life. But I mean, Natsu being interested in 2 girls just doesn't sit with me well lol. He really doesn't have any clear concept about love as you said. That's what prevented Hakune from bringing the real love intetest from within his mind. For Gray, it was utterly clear so Hakune brought Juvia but We're talking about a dumbass hero here lol.”
So friendship has nothing to do with it, yet he values his friends more than his life?! Which is it?! And by the way, you’re flip-flopping on Hakune’s power again! Is it a love interest or just women he’d die for?! No concept of consistency whatsoever, yet another shared hallmark of NaLus and MAGAs!
The fact that you dismiss Natsu as a “dumbass hero
Ooh, hey, I can go back to this now!
“How does this have to do anything with friendship theme?! I mean it would've made sense if he left the letter for entire team Natsu after Tartarus battle, if he had gone to the other members of team Natsu after defeating Acnologia or if he had told "we'll be together forever to Gray, Erza or Wendy" lol. And I already said if Mashima wants to go on a Kishimoto route, which means turning tables on the fanbase then he definitely should start NaLi development rn. I mean Something solid which will make Natsu think that he's in love with Lisanna instead of Lucy.”
Of course Lucy was the only one who’d get a letter! Gray had END to worry about, Wendy was in the same boat he was, and assuming she could read his handwriting, Erza would just storm after him and drag him back herself! But that’s what happens when you condition yourself to not register anything non-NaLu-related, I guess.
And Natsu didn’t “go” to Lucy after defeating Acnologia! He just fell right out onto her from the Space Between Time! Gaslighting’s another thing you guys have in common with the MAGAs, by the way.
Also, if you’re type of person to think Gray, Erza, or Wendy doesn’t know they’re stuck with Natsu all the way by this point, you’re probably not the type of person who can capably dress themselves. I’ll thank you not to use others as your mouthpieces a la MAGA, by the way.
“And about Natsu having interest in 2 girls. I'm not being rude to you bc we have different choices and I don't wanna argue with someone while discussing a simple topic. But that doesn't really mean I can't be rude.”
A boy who doesn't understand love can't be intetested in 2 girls. And Natsu waiting for the moment Lisanna/Lucy makes a move on him also seems off bc that means he's willingly pulling the act of dense dumbass boy. That's all.”
The fact that you dismiss Natsu as a “dense dumbass boy” tells me NOTHING ABOUT NATSU IN 545 CHAPTERS OF FAIRY TAIL HAS REGISTERED WITH YOU WHATSOEVER!!!” As a dense dumbass boy myself, lemme walk you through some things.
You’re eleven years old. You raise an egg with this girl you know. While warming the egg, she starts teasing you about her being your wife. You get embarrassed about it, but you actually like the idea a little.
The egg hatches, and you and the girl start playing house with the hatchling. You’re the daddy, she’s the mommy. All is well for four years, until she dies in an accident on the job, and maybe you wanted her to be your wife for real after all.
A couple years later, you meet a girl in a harbor town while searching for your missing father figure. Turns out she wants to work where you just so happen to work, so you bring her home with you. As time goes by and you start to work together, you realize she makes you feel the same way your lost pseudo-wife did, and suddenly, everything is okay again, for the first time in two years.
And then, circumstances conspire, and you learn that the girl you thought dead is very much alive. You take care of all your business with the people who took her in, and everyone celebrates her safe return home.
But there’s a problem. Your new co-worker still makes you feel that same way your pseudo-wife did. What’s more, your pseudo-wife still makes you feel that way today. You know precious little about boy meeting girl, but you do know from your pseudo-wife’s sister and her gentle reminders to your older co-worker who likes to flirt with her that he has a wife at home that you’re not supposed to feel that way about two different girls.
You don’t want either girl to hate you for admitting how the other girl makes you feel. So you put it out of your head for now, and focus on earning a promotion at work.
This is the tale of a dense dumbass boy in love, despite being too much of a dense, dumbass boy to know what that even is.
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hedgefairy · 4 years ago
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So I'm stuck in Berlin, which, you know, it could be worse, but I really wanted to edit that 18th century breeches video. Anyhoo, now I have time and nothing else to do, so here's
Bridgerton, Episode 2
Missed Ep. 1? Here you go.
We start off with a birthing scene, is it the Dukey? It's the Dukey! Daddy Duke does some patriarchal screaming and Mummy Duke promptly dies, because of course she does, we can't have a happy childhood for the brooding hero, c'mon!
Dukey also has a mistress (present day Dukey, not baby Dukey). Is that Opera Girl? I have real problems telling these people apart, especially the Bridgerbros. I somewhere read that it's something that features extensively in the books, them always getting confused for one another, but in the series it just comes off as "these guys all look alike". Make it a plot point or something, but without it being acknowledged on screen this just screams "we didn't know how to make white brown-haired Regency bros look distinct"...
Where, Dreadlock Gent Extra in the background again!
I'm just not a fan of the colour coding between Dukey and Daphne, she basically does a Wendy Darling closet cosplay (don't get me started on that stupid hair... Yet) and he's all dark colours, it's all light female, dark male, even with their overall colouring (her being whiter than brioche and he being a POC) and character (she's a perfect angel and he's super broody) and I just don't dig it. Give me interesting shit, not this obvious sleeping aid! Also, Daphne doesn't even wear a spencer, girl, it doesn't look like it's that hot outside and you look like you're able out in your nighty.
Notes say "Horrid Featherington dresses, the spoon is def. not silver", which yes, antagonist fashion, and ffs, send the underpaid intern who didn't go get strappy shift Ersatz tops to a thrift store for some decent silverware. I can lend you some of mine, but ugh, really, its not that hard. The budget was obviously there.
Do we finally get plot? Eloise the Spirited goes walking with Penny and her hair just... isn't,and yes, she wants to go to uni (of course, because she's not like other girls™, don't get me wrong, YES, but I'm a bit tired of modern ideas being shoehorned into historcal settings because there is so much cool historical feminism and equality discourse and I'd love to see some of that in mainstream-ish popular culture), but Penny is very preoccupied with Cousin's pregnancy.
Of course Daphne's and Dukey's super clever ruse works like a charm, tons of suitors flock to Daphne's parlour. Lord B (you remember, her super asympatico brother who is a straight-up hypocrite) is super agitated about it.
Is that Dreadlock Gent in with the suitors?
Lord B continues to be a bitch about Horrid Suitor™ (who still has a broken nose which I very much approve of).
Oooh, shirtless boxing! AND gossip! Enter Lord B(itch) who of course wants to throw hands with Dukey. I really like Dukey's boxing bro, and the breeches. I want those! Well, I kinda made some, but the notes are from when I was just making them, so, err, yes. The notes also say "bad defense work, boring footwork" and I'm not sure if I meant Dukey or Lord B, but let's just assume it's both.
More Baby Dukey flashbacks! Daddy Duke sucks. So. Much. Let him kick an actual puppy already, we get it. Fun fact: When I hear Hastings (which is Dukey's last name, but I didn't bother remembering) I automatically think of the battle.
Yay, Penny visits cousin who's all rapunzeled up in her room for being pregnant. Turns out, lol, she got knocked up because church was so boring she started flirting with a guy and they totally hit it off (I'm not sure if it's canon, but I like to think they got it on in one of those confession boxes - idk if that's the term, I'm not catholic - or behind the organ or something juicy like that). Oh god, I hope they don't kill off the baby daddy because he's a soldier.
I refuse to believe in the existence of those high heels on the feet of that acrobat.
Lady B gets invited by the Queen and elatedly let's Daphne wear the family diamonds.
I just noticed that it's just Gossip Girl meets Pride & Prejudice. Ugh. I mean, that could have been a really good thing, but no.
Cool Old Lady™ (aka. Lady Danbury) calls Dukey out for dressing so drably. I like her.
"Make yourself terrifying" is a fucking cool piece of advice.
Oh, look, Dukey and Daphne are having fun while Horrid Suitor™ looks on, and Lord B tries to intervene like the little bitch that he is. Turns out Horrid Suitor™ is horrid inside and out and still insists that Daphne basically contractually belongs to him and I just don't have enough middle fingers for that shit.
We get another flashback of how horrible Daddy Duke is.
So the two women who are not into the whole (tiringly chemistry-free) romance thing are Eloise and Penny, one of whom walks like she's trying to emulate a seventy-year old with back problems and the other is the only non-thin person on screen aside from Horrid Suitor™ (and of him I suspect that it's to underline how very unattractive he's supposed to be). It feels all a bit very caricature-ish?
Horrid Suitor™, who has a shiner now from both Daphne and Dukey (I approve), tries to blackmail his way into marriage. It's just so laughably evil? What's this subtlety thing people keep talking about?
Wait, Eloise smokes? Yay! I mean, I don't encourage that, but in this case it's actual rebellion against the perceived ideal woman. Also, it explains her voice. Also, middle Bridgerbro gets a fucking line! WTF! I wasn't prepared for this! Their interaction is really sweet, I think its my favourite so far in the entire series.
Is the portly guy at court meant to be George IV? He's not. Aww. Also, cocain and/or snuff. Queen Charlotte is being ominous and braggy.
Enter Horrid Suitor™'s mum for gossip, because of course he's not only unsightly, of bad character, a sexual harrasment on legs and all the stuff, he's also a mama's boy. Which is bad, I suppose, because it implies unmanliness and being soft, which has so many unfortunate implications in itself. Ugh.
Cousin gets a line!
Eloise feat. bad "tomboy" hair (I feel personally attacked for some reason) and Daphne have a conversation about how they are super traumatised by their mother giving birth to their siblings.
Some of the background dresses look really bad.
Dukey and Daphne switch to first names, that's SO ROMANTIC! Aaah, the chemistry! (no.)
Ooooh, so Dukey not marrying is his revenge against Daddy Duke. His bloodline dies with him. Also, he just hadn't met Protagonist Girl yet, so it would have been such a waste, right?
And this concludes Ep. 2, which had surprisingly little in terms of annotations. I could delve more into the unfortunate implications of Horrid Suitor™ being a mama's boy but I'm still writing all of this on my phone and I need a break. So,
To be Continued.
Probably soon, because the trains still aren't going.
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la-paritalienne · 4 years ago
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Eve!!!! Need your thoughts about Taylor's album!!!! 💓💓💓💓💓💓
i love getting asked :”(((((( :”))))))) thank uuuuuuuu. let’s get to it. as usual, it’s an almost-first impression (normally i write my basic thoughts during the first listen – yeah i’d started doing it before getting this, you know, just in case – and then i review them w a second one, where i also select my favourite passage). sooo, let’s go
♡♡♡♡
the 1 — such sweet yet heartbreaking lyrics... very soft sound, if it sets the mood for the album im 100 per cent in! This one didn’t stick w me after one listen, but after the second i was like wooow! I love how she says waking up alone ughhh. 8
fave lyrics: persist and resist the temptation to ask you / if one thing had been different / would everything be different today?
cardigan — !!!!!!! the sound has that bittersweet something that gets under your skin and makes you nostalgic for something you can’t even pinpoint. it reminds me of the softest lana, especially in nfr (eg bartender!!). i’m in awe. instant obsession!!!! the ending takes you to another plane of existence – ‘cause i knew everything when i was young... i knew you’d miss me... you’d come back to me. also i’m crying. 10+
[it’s hard to choose bc the whole song reads like poetry but i’m especially obsessed w] giving me your weekends; once in twenty lifetimes; tried to change the ending / peter losing wendy; you drew stars around my scars
the last great american dynasty — storytelling on pointttt and sound, too! telling the story of someone she bought her house from?? the genius jumped out. she paints it like a romantic portrait, mad woman pacing on the shore, but then also gatsbian, the crazy parties, dali... and then takes it back to today w the key lime green dog, idk, iconic. i want to know this woman. this song truly takes you somewhere else, i thought it was a bit repetitive but then the bridge came in and the final vocals plus i had a marvelous time ruining everything, i have to stan! 8+
there goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / she had a marvelous time ruining everything
exile — ok wow, bon iver’s voice is something else!!!! i was kind of ignorant when it came to him, i admit. his depth and rasp paired with how angelic she sounds... heavenly. sound-wise, but also thematically, this vaguely reminds me of tomorrow never came w lana and sean ono lennon. (one of my fave songs of all time maybe?). the way they enunciate i think i’ve seen this film before is literally a work of art all in itself, not to mention – well i’m mentioning it bc it’s worth it! – the you never gave a warning sign vs the way she goes over it w i gave so many signs. god this makes me feel sooooo sad and like, involved. it’s so beautiful. 10
you’re not my homeland anymore / so what am i defending now?
my tears ricochet — ok wtfffff??? everything about this speaks to my soul. the airy voice, the way she sets the scene... sunlit room, the funeral metaphor, you turned into your worst fears. i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace speaks to me more than anything, but just, everything about the lyrics. truly something else, cursing my name / wishing i stayed gives me chills everytime she says it. the beat that gets more insistent towards the end, with the bridge....... the high notes that then fade..... just wow. 10
and i can go anywhere i want / anywhere i want, just not home / and you can aim for my heart, go for blood / but you would still miss me in your bones / and i still talk to you when i’m screaming at the sky / and when you can’t sleep at night you hear my stolen lullabies
mirrorball — love the lyrics, maybe a bit less the sound? i mean i do love the sound, so far i’m loving how softly produced and coherent this album is, but this one i wouldn’t listen to on repeat and maybe there’s something a bit whiny that i don’t love. powerful meaning tho, and who’d use a mirrorball as a metaphor for feeling like you’re fragile, trying too hard to be a people-pleaser and no one sees the real you? 7
i’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me
seven — ah........ i started crying as soon as this one started, pleeease picture me in the trees, i hit my peak at seven....... like ok there’s no need to go that hard??? it’s so dreamy and like... naïf? in a perfect way. the way she says i still got love for you...... and everything else... she mentions folk songs... the purest love described in the purest way. i don’t think i have enough words to descrive the way this song moves me. like i want to listen to it again and again, to be able to feel like that again, but also i’m almost scared to listen bc it touches me too deeply. i still will tho hehe. 10+ (also just realised this is track 7 ok makes sense but my mind is blown. 100)
[this is literally deeper than a shakespeare sonnet so everything literally is my fave but, having to choose] and i’ve been meaning to tell you / i think your house is haunted / your dad is always mad and that must be why / and i think you should come live with me / and we can be pirates / then you won’t have to cry / or hide in the closet / and just like a folk song / our love will be passed on
august — i love the contrast between the lighthearted, happy singing and guitars and the sad lyrics. the story it tells is so simple and yet there’s so much poetry in that... plus it reminds me of fearless or even speak now?? which are like. the taylor that gets to my heart, tbh. the bridge and the outro made the song for me. 8,5
for me, it was enough / to live for the hope of it all / canceled plans just in case you’d call
this is me trying — oh god... lyrically this song is so raw and honest, it gives me chills! i do have to say, i don’t love how she says i just wanted to know (like metrically?? idk, im weird) but these are really just small comments on amazing songs, bc i feel like all i’m saying is wow this is great, lyrics and sound, but it truly is a complete and consistent work of art, easily listened to top to bottom each time. 8-
they told me all of my cages were mental / so got wasted like all my potential / and my words shoot to kill when i’m mad / i have a lot of regrets about that
illicit affairs — ok this goes without saying but i love storyteller taylor, it’s the taylor i grew up loving and singing to in my room. the thing about most of these songs, this one included, is that they probably grow on you after a few listens, bc they’re not made to be catchy, the production and backgrounds are always very soft and some i love more than others. this one musically maybe isn’t my fave but the narration is on point, and the bridge?? the fuckkkk. plus it has one of mt favourite themes ever which is so rarely spoken about, which is the fact that language you only speak w a particular someone you love, makes you miss them even more when they’re gone. or well not exactly this but i can’t put it into words, she did tho. 8+
you taught me a secret language i can’t speak with anyone else / and you know damn well / for you, i would ruin myself / a million little times
invisible string — the color theme!!! the guitar strumming!!! and the idea of an invisible tie w someone special... i do think she outdid herself w this album. again, not my fave soundwise, maybe slightly whiny when she goes meEeeEee? but, lyrically adorable and moving. 7,5
one single thread of gold / tied me to you
mad woman — maam...... this is iconic shit........ how could she say stuff like this w such a dreamy, breathy voice. musically i get huuuge lana’a nfr vibes again (which i mean. goals) but i also adore that lyrically it’s so taylor, no one would say this shit the way she does. adore how she sings to wrap your news around and bonus for women like hunting witches too, i do love me a nod to the fact that some women are so deeply filled w machism that they’re basically men in disguise. 8,5 
every time you call me crazy, i get more crazy / what about that? / and when you say i seem angry, i get more angry [isn’t this just womanhood condensed in a few lines]
epiphany — aw! it sounds like a lullaby, maybe it’s slightly ‘boring’ for my taste? meaning i get distracted which is surely a shame bc the words seem beautiful, but it’s so soft i just drift off? but reading the lyrics – for focus hehe – i’m moved. 7+
only twenty minutes to sleep / but you dream of some epiphany / just one single glimpse of relief / to make some sense of what you’ve seen
betty — okay byeeeeeeeeee. this is taylor at her finest! countryyyyyyyy, storytelling, lesbian jdjdfk no yeah I know I knowww, romance went sour. gut wrenching and beautiful, this feels like... watching a sad teen movie but w a sepia filter, idk. i dreamt of you all summer long oh my......... it’s like og taylor from her iconic first couple of albums came back but w all her baggage and growth and experience and better than ever. also why does taylor sing so wel about being in love w a woman????? well. 10+
betty, right now is the last time / i can dream about what happens when / you see my face again
peace — ..........yes yes yes. the high notes, the honesty, the syncopated parts where she says so much so quick and yet it still hits you. it’s not even a short song but it ends too soon, it goes by like that..... a poem. omg it just hit me this has flo vibes! especially from high as hope, for example grace or south london forever?? i mean... taylor doing alt folk country pop...... queen. give you my wild, give you a child?? ok ok. 10
all these people think love’s for show / but i would die for you in secret
hoax — weeeell the lana inspo jumped out w that piano!!!!! and like. mood. and lyrics...... this reminds me of wuthering heights or of lana’s tormented love stories (shades of blue.....). a powerful closer. poetry. 9
i am ash from your fire
♡♡♡♡
okkkkk this was a flattering review, very well deserved imo since the review is mine gjgjhkhk i agree w myself. thank you again and as i always say, feel free to come back w your comments! and have a great dayyyyy! much love
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hermionegranger56 · 4 years ago
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ok lads its time for my breakdown of folklore, something absolutely no one is asking for but here we are!! this album. thIs ALBUMMMM. dear GOD. the intersection of my two favorite things, taylor swift and indie folk???? i feel like i’m dreaming. when she announced the surprise drop i literally burst into tears and evidently for good reason lol.
anywho here’s the thing. Red has been my all time favorite album for 8 years now. it holds such an important place in my life and i never thought anything she did could come close (though Lover almost did). but this. THIS IS BETTER THAN RED
the lyrical genius is unmatched here. taylor isn’t just writing songs here, this is POETRY. every song is nuanced, intricate, devastatingly beautiful, with words that’ll haunt me for a long time. and the fact that it’s stories, literal folklore, no longer just about her own life is incredibly creative and is executed so well for someone who has interwoven her life into her entire body of music thus far. folklore blends facts with fiction so seamlessly and is a true exhibition of taylor’s power as a songwriter.
and the vibessss!! from haunting heartbreak songs, to ethereal lost-in-the-woods vibes, to a comforting return to her old self, this album has everything. taylor is without a doubt one of the most versatile artists of our generation, having success and skill in multiple genres and folklore only solidifies this fact.
ALL RIGHT KIDS LETS JUMP IN
the 1: hell yeah explicit tswift give it to me lol you ARE on some new shit!! ok when i first listened to this i hadn’t read her statement about the other perspectives and i was about to RIOT about her and joe breaking up (like they could ever lol). this is such a catchy beat, such a casual?? look at such a painful feeling? a really good start to this album. the part where she goes another day waking up aLONE killlllllls me wow
fave lines: “in my defense i have none/for never leaving well enough alone”
cardigan: (don’t get me started on the mv it’s gorgeous) YES THE TEENAGE LOVE TRIANGLE suchhh a good concept!! the melody of this song is unreal, the chorus makes me want to scream it’s so beautiful, the i-i-i is SOMETHING ELSE. it’s crazy how just the melody makes betty’s pain so palpable, but so enchanting at the same time. it’s bittersweet and cinematic and i’m in love. PETER LOSING WENDY GOD. easily top 5 song here
fave lines: “when you are young they assume you know nothing”, “cause i knew you/ heartbeat on the high line/ once in 20 lifetimes i” “you drew stars around my scars/but now i’m bleeding”
the last great american dynasty: watch hill!!! her watch hill house!! i live near there!! oh i think this song is so clever and i love how it ties into mad woman as well as harkens back to starlight. i LOVE the way she ties her self in, “and then it was bought by me” like ughhh her mind? and its catchy AF
fave lines: “i had a marvelous time ruining everything”
exile: YOU KNOW HOW TO DO AN INDIE ALBUM??? BRING BON IVER INTO THIS SHIT!! wowww this song is haunting and is definitely the “i’m you but stronger” version of The Last Time. the overlap of both of them singing and their parallel lines are flawless. i could play this on repeat for hours and contemplate my whole existence
fave lines: “you never gave a warning sign/i gave so many signs”
my tears ricochet: ok somehow a track 5 with tears in the title is not the saddest song here but DAMN is it good. I love the visual of someone watching over their funeral and reacting. the music is stunningggg here. ALSO i am pretty convinced this is about the whole scott/scooter drama, like the lyrics fit so well? and she said it was the first song she wrote so the timeline kinda fits?? geniusss
fave lines: “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”, “and if i’m dead to you/why are you at the wake?”
mirrorball: ohhhh this one is so pretty!! it just makes me want to dance around the kitchen with the person i love??? its comforting, ethereal, happyyy ugh i love it. I also think it could be about her relationship with her fans? like her music shows us different sides of ourselves idk? or just absorbing into a relationship?
fave lines: “on my tallest tiptoes/shining just for you”
seven: i’m gonna call this now: this is going to be the most underrated song on this album. it is STUNNING. POETIC. HEARTBREAKING. the music is so hauntingly nostalgic. and the lyrics, holy absolute shit. they’re a delicate testament to childhood, memory, and innocent love. it’s gut wrenching and i love it so so much
fave lines: “i’ve been meaning to tell you/i think your house is haunted/your dad is always mad/and that must be why”, “and just like folk song/our love will be passed on”, “before i learned civility/ i used to scream ferociously” ALL OF IT
august: and now we get the girl james cheated with’s perspective, which i think is great. its sunny, wistful and sad underneath all that beautiful production. when she slides from the chorus to the “back when we we’re changing for the better” and hits that “mineeee to lose” GOD, it just fills your chest. i feel like even if you never have, this makes anyone feel like they know exactly what a summer fling feels like. one of my faves
fave lines: “august slipped away/like a bottle of wine”, “cancel my plans just in case you call/ and say meet me behind the mall”
this is me trying: the slow pacing of this melody serves to show these EXQUISITE lyrics here. this is so intimate and personal and i feel like everyone can relate to this feeling of just trying to hold on and put on a brave face?
fave lines: “they told me all of my cages were mental/ so i got wasted like all my potential”
illicit affairs: ok all you need to know about this one is a) I’m obsessed b) this is the closest she has come to creating a bridge that makes me feel like the All Too Well bridge has, like scream sobbing in the car type vibe??? its unreal. and this song makes me feel that shitty feeling of: “this was supposed to be casual but oops its very much not” hmmm maybe that’s where the scream sobbing comes from hahah
fave lines: “don’t call me kid/don’t call me baby/look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/you showed me colors you know i can’t see with anyone else”
invisible string: this. THIS is probably her most stunning love song. like. i thought it was Lover. i was wrong. this one is confidently from Taylor’s perspective, about Joe and dear lord i want a love like theirs. and shit does this song put the folk in folklore, the music is so simple and gorgeous and harkens back to her country roots without losing this new sound she has. and the first few notes remind me of Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens so instantly im sold. this and betty are tied for my number 1, it’s just too beautiful
fave lines: “time curious time/give me no compasses/give me no signs” “isn’t it just so pretty to think/all along there was some invisible string/tying you to me”, “cold was steel of the axe that i had to grind/for the boys who broke my heart/now i buy their babies presents”, “hell was the journey/but it brought me heaven”
mad woman: FUCK YOU FOREVERRRRRR!!! yes taylor said fuckkkk ugh i LOVE this vibe, the revenge of the mad woman that the town cast out is so eerie and powerful, i’m obsessed. it ties back into the maddest woman of TLGAD and it feels like a spiritual sequel to The Man, the same feminist thread weaving through it. the lyrics are razor sharp and biting, i love it
fave lines: “and you poke that bear/till the claws come out/ and you find something/ to wrap your noose around”, “it’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together”
epiphany: so uhhh THIS is the saddest song on folklore. fight me. the seamless comparison between wartime and the pandemic and waiting for some epiphany that could make sense of all the horrors surrounding the both. idk man, as someone who’s been a covid nurse since March, i just….this one HURTS. similar to Soon You’ll Get Better tbh
fave lines: “hold your hand through plastic now/doc i think she’s crashing out/and somethings you just can’t speak about”
betty: OH I LOVE IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART! this is such a TRIUMPHANT return to old taylor, it is so joyful but sad at the same time?? the harmonica?? the last part of the love triangle?? it sounds like Taylor Swift and Fearless all grown up and it makes me ache for back then, but love where we are right now. tbh the first time i heard this i sobbed through the whole thing just out of pure nostalgia. she’s back but at the same time she never left. this feels like a love song to original fans and it. is. incredible. my favoriteeee goddd
fave lines: THE WHOLE CHORUS BABYYYYY
peace: it’s gorgeous, especially the guitarrr ugh. this feels like delicate’s quiet older sister. i think it’s definitely about joe and how taylor, despite loving him, still has these insecurities and fears about what a relationship with someone in her position could be like? like there will be struggles, but he’s her family and she “would die for you in secret”. stunning
fave lines: “i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm”, “the devils in the detail/but you’ve got a friend in me”, “give you my wild/give you a child”
hoax: i’m surprised she ended it on a sad one (but we still have the lakes!!) but this song is hauntingly beautiful WOW. every line of this absolutely floors me. i think this one will also be largely underrated, but it is pure poetry and deserves so so much hype
fave lines: “stood on the cliffside/screaming give me a reason/your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in”, “it still hurts underneath my scars/from when they pulled me apart/but what you did was just as dark” “my kingdom come undone/ my broken drum/ you have beaten my heart”
ANYWHO TAYLOR HAS PRODUCED HER BEST WORK TO DATE AND IM READY FOR SAD GIRL AUTUMN
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unproduciblesmackdown · 4 years ago
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Taylor and Winston’s Shared Glances at Wendy Which Could Recontextualize Billions 5x05 into Something Bearable
look if we take taylor’s behavior in 5x05 at face value, not only is it unpleasant for all of us but it also makes no sense. why question winston’s worth here, when he’s been making consistent and important contributions for mase cap the entire time? why bank on wendy, who everyone knows is more loyal to axe and axe cap, and who not only obviously very deliberately betrayed taylor last year for no good reason, but also has been meddling around with mase cap since before taylor offered the teamup, and refusing to ever acknowledge that she’s overstepping or doing anything wrong - not to mention that in 5x03, the episode just before taylor and wendy start off on this partnership venture, taylor expresses that they don’t trust wendy and don’t appreciate her interference at mase cap (or her efforts to deflect on that instead of like, apologizing or even recognizing she’s doing anything wrong. wendy’s really learned from last season, wow). taylor’s explanation to lauren of [Why Trust Wendy] being “well, risk is always involved, and it would be too obvious a move for wendy to betray me again, so she won’t.” i can accept the “there’s always risk” thing, like, maybe taylor knows they’re taking a big gamble on wendy here but is just that desperate and directionless, especially after sara quits, that they’re just willing to bet it all on wendy. but even so, there’s seemingly no need to push away their preexisting employees, or any benefit to doing so. and taylor’s apparent indifference / total lack of appreciation / even slight disdain for winston in this episode, when the entire point of him being here is that taylor could always recognize and respect his ability and worth, is again unpleasant for us all and also just doesn’t make sense. 
BUT then we very much extremely have this moment in the first scene between them, and it is entirely Something. the Secret Nonverbal Communication going on between winston and taylor in this moment is Real.
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originally what caught my attention was taylor’s initial glance over at wendy and how Unusual it is. it’s too fleeting to be taylor making eye contact with wendy, and the fact that their eye contact returns so immediately to winston means they’ve still Deliberately interrupted that eye contact. if taylor was acting how they normally would, they and winston would just be holding each other’s eye contact (see: kompenso. nobody blinks!!) and they’re too conscious and deliberate in the cues they give off for this to be an accident. i was going to pause just to think about Why taylor has this very strange glance away-and-back, but then of course i saw that the very next thing that happens is winston, looking at taylor, also quickly glances at wendy, then back at taylor, and nods. 
he was clearly Bemused At Best throughout this scene, but as soon as this [taylor glancing at wendy and back at him, winston following their lead and glancing at wendy as well, then back at them] moment occurs, he just goes ahead and accepts this request to Prove Why He Shouldn’t Be Fired.
what i’m getting at is that i think taylor’s Glance At Wendy is their version of [a much more pointed glance, featuring raised eyebrows and them tilting their head at her to really get the message across], and winston is picking up on i, which lets him realize that taylor is more on his side here than they can say in front of wendy. taylor has previously Cued Winston In via a pointed nonverbal Look, and he’s shown he understands what they mean to convey when they do so. already, the implication that taylor trusts winston to pick up on this (and that he Does) shows that taylor respects winston a nonzero amount lol which is a little more than this episode suggests otherwise, without the “taylor and winston are Secretly Communicating here.”
naturally, what i think the secret [glancing] communication is about is that taylor themself is not considering firing winston, nor wanting to. they’re putting on this show for wendy here, wanting her to see taylor as already being fully on board with this partnership, which will encourage wendy to Also be more on board, 40% even - for whatever reason taylor might be able to use that down the line towards some bigger plan. and in this moment, taylor is conveying to winston that this whole “i’m considering firing you” matter is playing out because of wendy, hence the glance at her, which winston copies, then seemingly accepting the premise all of this instead of continuing to argue the point here and now.
and consider: if taylor really thought they should fire winston, they could’ve immediately done so in this scene. They are the one who’s putting the brakes on, managing to keep any decision from being made, yet without making it seem like they aren’t still essentially in accordance with wendy’s perspective here. i mean, damn, they’re out here getting pedantic about the fact that no, they don’t *have* to fire winston as a *need* to continue to be alive as organisms.......it’s easy to see them playing this as like, putting themself between wendy and winston while still making it seem like they’re actually fully on wendy’s side for this, acting indifferent towards winston, avoiding defending him to any point that they seem like they’re definitely advocating for him.........not to mention that winston’s right, and the math works no matter what, and it makes no sense to consider getting rid of him.......and taylor is directly contradicting themself by denying that they “need” winston, unless they’re just again talking about “i do not literally Need you like literal oxygen,” and/or, say, because they’re putting on a show of reluctance to keep winston on for wendy’s sake.
further consider: winston goes to mafee to complain, and then mafee and winston both bring lauren into the fold, but winston is complaining about what wendy specifically is doing - he’s not mentioning taylor. and winston complaining about this to mafee (and lauren) doesn’t have to be an act, because wendy’s not in on all this; she probably Does want to push out pre-impact-fund mase cappers, and they Don’t have reason to trust her. there’s no reason for winston to Not be upset about wendy wanting him out / interfering so much at mase cap - and maybe this Moment where taylor communicates to him via this glance is all the info winston has, like, all he knows is “oh, taylor maybe doesn’t want to do everything wendy does, but wendy is obviously pushing some Agendas,” like, he was there, taylor was managing to defend him without making it look like they were Clearly wanting to do that, but wendy was all in on just firing him asap.
not to mention how taylor acts in the scene where they do decide to keep winston on - they wait for wendy to make the call, then without waiting for even a beat to pass, confirm that winston’s Still Aboard, and immediately leave so that the whole matter is done with. more on this whole scene in a sec lol
and for another thought on how this Broader Recontextualization (i.e. that taylor is Not as aligned with wendy as they might act at face value / has some more complex plan at work here which requires them to act as though they’re just fully invested in this partnership with wendy) could be supported here, before i even noticed these Glances, i also noticed that it seemed like taylor was really Emphatic in telling lauren not to get into the middle of what they were doing with wendy.....and not in like an angry way or anything obviously, just like, they seemed particularly Earnest about that. and i think that could be indication of like, taylor does have this elaborate, big plan here, and they want it to unfold smoothly and/or just don’t want lauren to have to deal with any unforeseen consequences of stumbling into this Scheme..............but it’s unfortunate if lauren’s entirely in the dark, especially with how taylor was kind of ignoring her advice about the 25% vs 15% thing or whatever.........good that lauren’s on board anyways, like, not like taylor didn’t back her up on the less-than-ideal(-for-taylor) transition into being partially an axe cap employee, but it’s like......any relationship strife here is unnecessary, lauren’s just trying to look out for them. why can’t she be in on any larger schemes unfolding here
also, i think about taylor’s conversations with oscar back in 5x02. he was talking to them all about speed chess and having to think as many moves ahead (including your opponents potential moves) as possible, which, first of all i think that’s just always true in chess, but with speed chess you try to do it faster......as is the nature of speed chess......and, anyways, at the end taylor lets him know that they were even better than he was at that [seeing as many potential moves ahead as possible] thing. and i could definitely buy that taylor here is playing speed chess and has a much more in-depth plan than they’re letting on, vs. that their plan should be taken at face value and they really Do just trust wendy because of like, well there’s always risk + why would she betray me twice in a row. lol. and just the fact that all taylor’s behavior and choices and attitudes here like......do not make much sense otherwise, or line up much with how they’ve ever done things previously, really.
and here’s a whole extra galaxy brain layer to the matter:
What if Rian’s Already in On Taylor’s Plans Here, Potentially Even A Co-Conspirator With Both Taylor And Winston
here’s another thing i noticed was Strange before noticing the glances.....why is rian even back interviewing again??? i mean i could absolute ignore the weirdness of why rian apparently came back to this interview, pitch ready on her laptop, but didn’t even know *why* she should want to be doing the interview until bringing that up partway through. also, the presentation / idea was not That impressive lmao like, idk, taylor was a bit more generous with praise than warranted mayhaps lmfao but like. yes this could just be all taken at face value and it’d make more sense than [taking Everything taylor does at face value] but check this out
let’s say somehow taylor gets in touch with rian before she comes in and rian is in on all this from the start lol. acting kind of ambivalent, yet has this whole project just ready to pitch?? also like, apparently conveniently an “earnest believer” in saving the world one hedge fund trade at a time or whatever, but idk, i guess some people theoretically are........but anyways yeah taylor Wants to bring rian on, but wants wendy to be part of that / for wendy to think it was mostly her idea, aka mostly taylor listening to / valuing wendy’s good idea here. 
like, the real point comes with how like, the glance suggests taylor Does Not Want To Fire Winston, but in the scene where winston Starts Up the conversation about keeping him on, taylor is Not helping winston.....still sort of being neutral, but also acting bizarrely indifferent and unimpressed with him. but then you know, for no particular reason, rian cuts in and makes a case for keeping him on. 
and idk, maybe she’s just that nice and like, reverse hospitable to new coworkers, maybe she’s already decided he’s Alright and she may as well try to keep him around. but her defense of winston includes some Weirdly Strong language throughout.
well, it actually helps that he's outside the camp. don't you think? studies have proven that a diversity of opinions really strengthens an organization. impact funds really benefit from having a capitalist douche on staff as a bellwether; i mean, if you can sell impact plays to him, you know they'll be viable to anyone.
with the italics being where rian herself places emphasis. like, aside from the mystery of how anyone at a hedge fund thinks some people are capitalist and some, apparently, anticapitalist, or why winston should apparently be Exceptionally Mercenary and uncaring when he was all for the nlp oil divestment strategy which led to this whole impact fund idea in the first place.......rian is really arguing for winston here, and taylor literally looks to wendy, who agrees with rian that they should keep him on, and then taylor immediately affirms it and leaves. 
co-conspirator galaxy brain blast here being: taylor can’t directly stick up for winston, they want to seem as indifferent / unenthused as possible, while not actually throwing him under the bus, yet not defending him to put themself at odds with wendy. winston can’t really defend himself here - imo the fact that wendy’s even considering firing him at all kind of shows that like, maybe the usual reasonable arguments he has aren’t gonna fly, since presumably arguing for the value of his own quantitative approach doesn’t count for anything if wendy’s just dead set on hiring “true believers” for whatever reason, even though the math will still work, like he says, and he hardly seems pressed about being Against this impact fund maneuver or anything...........he can’t argue for himself here, taylor can’t either b/c they want it to be wendy’s idea/decision to keep him on so they can simply seem to be agreeing with her, so here comes co-conspirator rian, mysteriously but firmly arguing that winston should be kept on board b/c of this reason that really doesn’t make all that much sense (when has winston ever been like, skeptical of any strategies for not being Capitalist enough or whatever).......but apparently wendy buys it, and she’s sort of further affirmed by it having been her Good Idea / Good Call to hire this person who she’s now taking the advice of.........and taylor just gets to Really quickly agree in a way that still firmly concludes this whole issue, and yet doesn’t make it seem like they were sticking up for him in the least. sure was really convenient for everyone lol, thanks rian for gunning for this guy you probably met just today.
if rian’s not a co-conspirator, maybe that was just dumb luck, but that’d really be bold if taylor wanted to keep winston on but there was no game plan for how to guarantee that happens, we’re just gonna wing it..........and despite their seeming indifference, even slight disdain towards him in this scene, as Soon as wendy agrees he should stay, bam, taylor tells him it’s Decided and he’s fine and immediately bails so that the conversation can’t continue, boy, they sure accepted that Wholly and Immediately for someone who was supposedly on the fence about all of it.
and anyways the point is:
tl;dr The Glancing Between Winston And Taylor Is Real and They’re Secretly Communicating With Each Other This Way in This Moment
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photolover82 · 4 years ago
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The Masked Singer Season 4 Episode 5: Last but not Least, let's (finally) meet Group C! (Commentary and Guesses)
Hey fellow Masked Singer fans! Welcome or welcome back to Ana’s Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every episode of the Masked Singer. I am so happy to be back after a short break after the World Series (thank God for the Dodgers). If you don’t know how these recaps go, first of all hi, feel free to follow me if you want to see more of these. Anyways, so how these work is that I first talk about who gets eliminated, give my thoughts, and then give my guesses and commentary for the remaining contestants and their performances. I also try to back up my guesses as much as I can by using the clues... even though I guide myself with the voice of the individual contestant. Anyways, having said that, let’s jump into it:
Warning ⚠️: If you haven’t watched the show yet, there are spoilers below, so read at your own risk.. this is your official spoiler alert warning. Don’t say I didn’t warn you...
With this episode, we met our last group of contestants, Group C, which consists of 5 masked characters, Squiggly Monster, Mushroom, Jellyfish, Lips, and Broccoli. Overall, to me, they are the weakest group vocal wise, but they were still fun to watch.
Alright, so let’s talk about the eliminated contestant, who was...
*DRUMROLL PLEASE*
Lips 💋
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Performance: Alright, so she sang “Native New Yorker,” by Odessy.... and I really try to be as kind and constructive as I can with these recaps especially when critiquing their performances because being rude really doesn’t solve anything and I want you guys to understand why I don’t like a performance if I dislike a performance (so we can start an open dialogue you get me?) ... but I am so sorry, this lady can’t sing like at all. Oh and I knew exactly who she was (haha insert Ken’s voice into that phrase lol) the moment she opened her mouth. The thing is she is talking and she messed up in the middle by laughing/snorting in the performance, it was kind of hilarious not gonna lie... it made me laugh, which I guess is a good thing, but like yeah it’s kind of obvious why she left first, because she (I mean no offense to this.. well maybe I do because I am not a fan of the person under this mask like at all since she ain’t kind and civil like at all) blew it, like it kinda felt like she messed up on purpose or that she is actually horrible at singing, which is ok because she isn’t supposed to be a professional singer and that’s fine. All that to say Lips made me laugh and I appreciate it but I am kind of glad she was the first one to go....
Anyways, she was revealed to be (to no surprise of my own) controversial talk show host...
Wendy Williams
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Whoop whoop, I got it right (as did like everyone who knows who she is because her voice is that distinct... oh and also she spoke during the song so it was kind of obvious, but I am still claiming my victory: Gotten 3/5 correct so far and I am proud of that number)! Anyways here are the clues that pointed to her:
Shock= she says very shocking things on her show and is a pretty polarizing figure, you either love her or hate her (I am not fond of her myself but whatever I guess)
“Speak my truth”= she’s known for stating her mind and is unfiltered with her thoughts on things
West Wing= her initials WW
Fire= Hot Takes is a segment on her show and also a reference to her book Wendy’s Got The Heat
Alright, now that we have finished with her, let’s talk about our remaining 4 masked contestants:
1. Squiggly Monster 👾
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Performance: I really liked his performance of Have You Ever Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival. He did super well, like I really liked it, I had low expectations because of the costume (it’s kind of creepy looking ngl) but I was pleasantly surprised. Having said that, the moment I heard him, because of his tone, I knew exactly who it was (again insert Ken’s voice here)...
So, for my guess, I think it is Full House actor/comedian:
Bob Saget
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Ok, so besides the voice, lemme give you why I think that clues wise (credit goes to this Screen Rant article for the details idk on my own):
Penguin visual in the package= he directed a parody nature documentary called Farce of the Penguins
Father and a scoundrel= father part due to him actually being a father to 3 girls/his role on Full House as Danny Tanner (a single father of 3 daughters which I think is wow funny) and the scoundrel part referring to his raunchy/dirty comedy
Cookie clues= nod to Michelle from Full House and her love of cookies
“Breaking News” and him on a news show kind of thing= reference to his Full House character Danny Tanner being an anchor for Good Morning San Francisco
He also was on the show as a shrimp cocktail as the friend for the Taco aka Tom Bergeron! So it makes sense for him to come back this season which I am all into
2. Mushroom 🍄
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Performance: Ok, so this is like the most confusing, is it a he or is it a she? That’s the biggest question, my money’s on a boy... so my guess is going to be male (I am gonna call Mushroom a he because of that so I apologize if I am misgendering them, I just need to narrow it down somehow and I am gendering them based on who I think it is, and I feel like he is the correct pronoun). Anyways, I love him, he’s my favorite Group C contestant, and his performance of This Woman’s Work was amazing, people said it was not good, but I really enjoyed it because I am a sucker for a good falsetto and this guy was almost all falsetto, I was feeling it. Having said that, maybe I like him so much because I feel like it is someone I adore, like if I meet him, I will faint status...
Having said that, I think it is Broadway star, heartthrob, actor, singer, adorable human...
Jordan Fisher
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Omg he is so cute... sorry I am gonna stop being 😍 for him I promise. Anyways, big clue was a video of him singing this exact song (I think it sounds so similar, but you guys can judge for yourselves), here it is: https://youtu.be/3lzRsMl8M8Q
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Apart from that, here are some actual clues (with a bit of help from this Screen Rant article) that got my mind thinking it is him:
WAITTT 🤔... before we get into that, what I found interesting is that he tweeted and I quote “Seasonal tweet to let everyone know that ____ on the masked singer is once again not me 💜” and THE MASKED SINGER RETWEETED IT... but also I just checked and this is the first time he’s ever had to clear that up... soooo maybe he’s a liar (bc of an NDA ofc you cannot really spill the beans.... but let’s go with he’s a liar)... a cute liar... but he’s lying.
Ok, now onto the clues:
A lot of Hamilton clues= “a healer and a scholar,” “young, scrappy, and fun-gy,” “shroom where it happens” = he replaced Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton (and also can reference his Broadway roots in general like being on Dear Evan Hansen)
Started at a “rat race” and Men in Black were mice= could be a reference to his start on Disney (Liv and Maddie and Teen Beach Movie)
A shot to turn a hobby into a career= reference to him streaming video games on Twitch
Stars clue with audience= he won Dancing with the Stars back in 2017 and also hosted DWTS Junior
3. Jellyfish 💚
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Performance: I really liked her performance of Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie even though I felt like she was holding back a bit (I can kind of say the same about Mushroom... but I still enjoyed it). I am really curious to see what she can really do, because I felt her nerves in the performance and like she can do more. This one’s killing me because I feel like I have heard that voice but I can’t put my finger on who it could be
So, with that said, I have no idea who to guess:
But I do know that it isn’t ✨Billie Elish✨
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No, but like seriously, that ain’t Billie Elish even tho a lot of people are guessing it, I am not buying it... you’ll see why in a second, here are the clues:
The Little(ish) Jellyfish title on a book
Reigned supreme in an underwater kingdom
Fans, Tiara (“princess”)
Angel Fish
Flower Crown
Missed out on normal girl stuff like parties and making friends
Billie Elish “Bad Guy” lyrics in the background= that’s way too obvious for it to be Billie Elish
4. Broccoli 🥦
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Performance: His performance of House is Rockin’/Whole Lotta Shakin Going On by Stevie Ray Vaughan/Jerry Lee Lewis was not what I expected to be honest. I thought it was going to be someone younger or a rapper, but it was an older gentlemen, and he was rockin, not gonna lie. I really liked it, not my favorite though I don’t think he is bad by any means. Anyways, I feel like I know who it is... maybe I am getting this from another person on YT’s guess who I really liked (Shoutout to them idk their user sorry)
So, for my guess for the Broccoli, I think it is legendary singer...
Paul Anka
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The reason why is because of the following clues:
Can of Soup= he won a Campell’s Soup competition and that jump started his career
Tik Tok reference= his song Put Your Head on My Shoulder went viral on Tik Tok
Also, the letterman jacket is very 60s which is his era I guess (my mom knows more ab it than I do)
Anyways, that’s it, guys! I hope you enjoyed this recap, I apologize for how long they are, it’s kind of my thing lol! Don’t forget to comment your guesses (do you agree with me? Disagree? I wanna know below... especially Jellyfish guesses bc I have no idea who she can be), like, and follow for more Masked Singer content. I’ll see you all next week for the Group C Playoffs! Bye guys! 👋🏼
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