#animal control 2x05

[jolteonmchale]

Community 1x12 - Comparative Religion Animal Control 2x05 - Dogs and Chickens

[thethiefandtheairbender]

as a lifelong ATLA fan who narrowly had ATLA dethroned as my top show by The Dragon Prince steadily over the past 5 years, the similarities between the two have very little to do with the surface level parallels that get regularly drawn between them.

Like ATLA, TDP has Books for seasons and chapters for episodes, but unlike ATLA, which only touched on storytelling sparingly as a theme, TDP is obsessed with interrogating storytelling and history and the presence of unreliable, biased narrators throughout many of its episodes (most notably 2x05, 2x06, 3x06, 4x04, and 4x07 among them). Half of what you learn in the 1x01 intro ends up being a lie once you reach S3, with more being steadily deciphered.

Yes, TDP has different magics with people living under those umbrella terms... for the elves. Humans are coming culturally at things from a completely different angle, and the elves' connection to their primal sources are discussed philosophically in detail, informing their practices and their culture first hand, including the way they chafe against humans, who are arcanum-less. Many animals in the world are also connected to magic, which influences both their design and which ones get hunted for humans' more 'clever' solution in dark magic, including each other.

The core issue of the Puppetmaster, down to being a coercive magic formed by someone deeply resentful of their imprisonment? Said puppetmaster is the main endgame antagonist of the entire show with all of S4 onwards being exploring the ethics of controlling people against their will in various methods, and the entire show itself being a thematic battleground of fate (imprisonment) vs free will for virtually every single character.

Where ATLA mostly concerns itself timeline wise with ending the war, very little thought is shown by any of the characters as to what they'll do after the war. This isn't a problem (as it reflects the sheer domineering scope of the conflict) but even Zuko being firelord is only ever really addressed with 2.5 episodes left till the finale. TDP, meanwhile, ends its 'war' in s3 and s4 opens up with dealing with the old wounds festering between people with centuries of history, the struggles that come when people aren't able to let go and believe they're safe or mourn in a healthy manner, and the religious/cultural clashes that may occur when trying to integrate different groups of people.

TDP also has an evil father with a devoted daughter and a brother who eventually defects, but it explores the reality of an abusive parent who loves/will sacrifice for you and your right to leave regardless, even if that means leaving the sibling you truly deeply love and who loves you in turn. Which means that when you and your sibling are on opposite sides of a deep ideological conflict, it actually really fucking hurts bc we've seen first hand just how much they love each other and also how and why everything fell apart not in spite of that love necessarily, but also because of it.

Is this to say that TDP is a 1:1 with ATLA or that it's better? No, not at all, and the latter is subjective. I prefer TDP, but I think they're about on equal ground when you look at each show currently as a whole (although TDP has two seasons left to go).

But TDP takes a lot of what ATLA was doing thematically with some of its most interesting beats and then builds or expands upon them further. It talks further and more consistently about the cycles of violence; in many ways, Jack De Sena's character, Callum, begins the series largely where Sokka had ended (and he's not the most like Sokka anyway; very much his own thing); we get Faustian bargains and centuries' long grief and fucked up people who are trying both succeeding and failing at not doing fucked up things. There are antagonists, but it is very hard to actually label anyone at this point a straight up villain. Moral greyness is where the show starts, and it just continues from there.

That's not to say the show is nothing but dark and depressing - like ATLA, there's a steady thread of hope and humour even as the show gets steadily closer and closer to its 11th hour point - but the show is usually emotionally heavier. There's more blood and potentially disturbing imagery with body horror and on screen death. There's so much foreshadowing you basically can't go more than 5 minutes into any episode without having something that's going to come back around or be referenced again like 3-5 seasons later.

Just to be clear - TDP is like ATLA, but it's like ATLA in interesting ways beyond the more shallow surface level that usually gets attributed to it, while still very much being its own show and its own thing. And that is why I tend to recommend it to people who like ATLA.

Thank you and goodnight

(Also, the fandom doesn't have any ship wars, and the show is queer as fuck)

[gidgets-fabricator]

LOT Historical Costume Tournament: Qualifiers (Round 2)

Character: Amaya

Time Period: 1980s

One of Amaya's 80s polls had a tie, so 3 out of 4 outfits are moving forward.

Find all polls here

[goodwhump-temp]

Ichigo; Bleach Whump Shinigami Arc and Soul Society Arc

Bount Arc (S4-S5) Arrancar Arc (S6-S8) Zanpakuto - Arrancar Finale Arcs (S9-S14)

Agent of the Shinigami Arc

1x01 The Day I Became a Shinigami - Fighting his dad, sad, freaked out, paralyzed, angry 1x03 The Older Brother's Wish, the Younger Sister's Wish - Blasted out of a window, knocked down, unconscious, bloody forehead 1x04 Cursed Parakeet - Beaten up (flashback) 1x05 Beat the Invisible Enemy! - Ragdoll real body, panic 1x06 Fight to the Death! Ichigo vs. Ichigo - Kicked and punched multiple times, panic 1x07 Greetings from a Stuffed Lion - Shoulder sliced, bleeding, hanging off a building, terrorized by stuffed animal, reliving trauma, depressed, emotional pain 1x08 June 17, Memories in the Rain - Trauma, angry, depressed, emotional collapse 1x09 Unbeatable Enemy - Engulfed by a hollow, stabbed through the chest, badly bruised, impaled, emotional, collapse, unconscious 1x10 Assault on Trip at Sacred Ground - Restrained, forced out of his body, limp body, trapped by Hollow 1x12 A Gentle Right Arm - Panic 1x14 Back to Back, a Fight to the Death! - Kicked, flown to the round, bloody forehead, exhausted, collapse, dying 1x16 Encounter, Renji Abarai! - Stabbed in the shoulder multiple times, pain, bleeding 1x17 Ichigo Dies! - Stabbed multiple times, collapse, unconscious, mass bleeding, weak, heartbroken, held down, dying, bandaged, pain, knocked down 1x18 Reclaim! The Power of the Shinigami! - Knocked out of his body, weak, hard to breathe, punched, kicked, huge fall, restrained 1x19 Ichigo Becomes a Hollow! - Extreme pain, falling from a great height 1x20 Gin Ichimaru's Shadow - Bleeding forehead, exhausted, body collapse

Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc

2x01 / Ep 22 The Man Who Hates Shinigami - Knocked back, bloody mouth, knocked to the ground, head pain, kicked 2x02 / Ep 23 14 Days Before Rukia's Execution - Trampled, cat scratch, bleeding, pain, punched/kicked multiple times, tickled???, knocked to the ground by fire, scared, collapse 2x03 / Ep 24 Assemble! The 13 Divisions - Punched to the ground, headlock, exhausted, spirit energy gotten out of control, blows up 2x05 / Ep 25 Penetrate the Center with an Enormous Bombshell? - Passed out (flashback) 2x06 / Ep 26 Formation! The Worst Tag - Head sliced, shoulder and arm sliced, a lot of bleeding 2x07 / Ep 27 Release the Death Blow! - Knocked to the ground, unconscious, bleeding 2x10 / Ep 30 Renji's Confrontation - Knocked into the wall, bleeding forehead 2x11 / Ep 31 The Resolution to Kill - Serious bleeding, slowly passing out, shoulder sliced twice, bleeding worse 2x14 / Ep 34 Yoake no Sangeki - Collapse, passes out, serious bleeding, dying, extreme pain, knocked out, spooky hollow mask appearance 2x15 / Ep 35 Aizen Assassinated! The Darkness Which Appears - Bloody forehead and pain (flashback) 2x16 / Ep 36 Zaraki Kenpachi, semaru! - Overwhelmed, exhausted, impaled, bleeding hand 2x17 / Ep 37 Motive of the Fist - Beaten up (flashback) 2x18 / Ep 38 Desperation! The Broken Zangetsu - Exhausted, impaled, serious bleeding, dies 2x19 / Ep 39 The Immortal Man - Man vs self (5head), face sliced, impaled, bleeding, collapse, unconscious 2x20 / Ep 40 The Shinigami whom Ganju Met - Weak, bleeding out, unconscious 2x21 / Ep 41 Reunion, Ichigo and Rukia - Weak, bandaged, extreme pain, spooky hollow mask appearance, bleeding

Soul Society: The Rescue Arc

3x01 / Ep 42 Yoruichi, Goddess of Flash, Dances! - wounds stabbed, bleeding, knocked out, weak, collapse, pain 3x04 / Ep 45 Overcome Your Limits! - Explosion/knocked back, bleeding forehead, chest sliced, collapse 3x06 / Ep 47 The Avengers- Bitch slapped into a wall, face sliced 3x10 / Ep 51 Morning of the Sentence - Bleeding 3x11 / Ep 52 Renji, Oath of the Soul! Death Match with Byakuya - Sliced in the shoulder, bleeding, exhausted 3x13 / Ep 54 An Accomplished Oath! Get back Rukia! - Bandaged, badass 3x16 / Ep 58 Unseal! The Black Blade, the Miraculous Power - Hit by powerful blast, bleeding all over his body 3x17 / Ep 59 Conclusion of the Death Match! White Pride and Black Desire - Sliced shoulder and cheek, bleeding, stabbed in the foot, blasted through the chest, paralyzed, turns into a hollow, extreme pain, stabbed, bleeding, emotional scream, nausea 3x19 / Ep 61 Aizen Stands! Horrible Ambitions - Being carried, almost sliced in half, unconscious, bleeding out, manipulated 3x21 / Ep 63 Rukia's Resolution, Ichigo's Feelings - Punched in the face, bloody nose

[alittlehurtwithyourcomfort]

Lloyd Garmadon Whumplist (Ninjago: Dragons Rising)

Character: Lloyd Garmadon (voiced by Sam Vincent)

Age Rating: TV-Y7 (FV)

Show available on Netflix

Genre: Children's Animation, Action, Adventure, Superhero, Fantasy, Found Family

Synopsis: A few years after an apocalyptic event called the Merge combined the realms, the ninjas team up to fight new threats.

Notes: This is a spin-off of the original series, and the animation quality is a huge step-up. Lists will be updated with new episodes/seasons when they release!

TW's: Non-graphic death/violence, mental health (panic attacks, PTSD)

List Key:

bold = most whump, best whump, or favorite whump scenes

~ = a scene break

-- = an episode i missed/forgot to list, will be filled in at a later date (most of these episodes contain minimal to no whump for the character listed)

THIS LIST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

season 1:

1x01: none

1x02: fought ~~ (flashback: knocked out, scared, emotional reunion) ~~ rough landing, fought, infused with energy (?), screaming, glowing eyes, heavy breathing 

1x03: stressed 

1x04: fought, emotional reunion ~~ choked up 

1x05: trapped 

1x06: fought 

1x07: stressed, fought 

1x08: fought 

1x09: hit by explosion blast, ringing ears, dazed, groaning, half-collapsed, brief panic attack (?) 

1x10: fought ~~ infused with energy (?), glowing eyes, screaming, terrified ~~ glowing eyes, concern for him, collapsed, unconscious, carried ~~ waking up, blurry vision, scared, in pain, confused 

1x11: stressed

1x12: fought

1x13: none 

1x14: none 

1x15: stressed 

1x16: none 

1x17: stressed ~~ rough fall

1x18: fought 

1x19: fought, stressed

1x20: concern for him, frustrated, glowing eyes, collapsed, groaning, briefly unconscious

season 2:

2x01: concern for him, exhausted, collapsed ~~ nightmares, terrified, out of control ~~ panic attack/flashback, terrified, knocked down, shaky voice, concern for him

2x02: gagging (comedic) ~~ panic attack/flashback, fought

2x03: frustrated, glowing eyes, vision, screaming, collapsed, terrified, concern for him ~~ scared, screaming ~~ fought

2x04: anxious

2x05: anxious

2x06: worried

2x07: stressed

2x08: extremely stressed, painful vision, half-collapsed, gasping for air, terrified, concern for him ~~ stressed

2x09: painful vision, collapsed, shaking, concern for him

2x10: worried ~~ fought, extremely worried ~~ painful vision ~~ emotional

[momentofmemory]

The Definition of an Alpha

for @teenwolf-meta​ week, day seven: parallels. click here for the companion gifset.

You wouldn’t think there are that many ways to announce you’re an Alpha, and yet Teen Wolf covers just about all of them. In the finales of s1-4, Peter, Derek, and Scott all define themselves and others as Alphas. The differences in their claims reflect their understanding of what it means to be an alpha, and how the show ultimately defines it.

Derek’s explanation of the concept of Alpha in Pack Mentality stresses power and threat: “It’s the most dangerous of our kind. [...] This thing is more powerful, more animal than either of us” (1x03). ‘The Alpha’ goes on to be an almost mythical force in s1: untouchable, powerful, and controlling, and central to what it means to be in a pack. It takes everyone coming together to finally defeat him in Code Breaker, the finale of s1. By that point, Derek has told Scott that the only potential way for him to become human again is to kill Peter (a lie, according to an interview with Jeff Davis). Now, at the crucial moment, Derek chooses to kill Peter and take the Alpha power for himself. When he turns to look at Scott, he says only: “I’m the Alpha now” (1x12). In claiming Alpha status, Derek claims the mantle of everything Peter had—including Scott’s relation to him. He is “the” Alpha—the definite article—and therefore, Scott’s only choice.

In the finale of s2, Master Plan, Scott rejects this. After successfully defeating Gerard’s plan, Scott says “You may be an Alpha, but you’re not mine” (2x12). This is a direct response to Derek’s line in s1. Scott clearly acknowledges that Derek has a certain amount of power in the first clause, saying Derek “is an Alpha,” but in switching out the definite article “the” for “an,” he rejects the idea that Derek is the only option. This is especially significant as Derek is the only Alpha in the area at this point—even the Omega from the first episode of s2 calls Derek “the” Alpha (2x01).

The second clause of Scott’s sentence, “but you’re not mine,” explains why Scott can make this distinction. Derek simply having power does not mean he automatically has power over Scott. This begins the shift in what it means to be an Alpha—the seeds of which had already been planted by Derek himself, when he recognized that Scott was “already an Alpha of [his] own pack,” despite being an Omega in terms of his power (2x05).

In the 3a finale, Lunar Ellipse, that metaphorical title of Alpha becomes literal. As he did with Derek, Scott defines himself and his new red eyes only by saying, “I’m an Alpha now” (3x12). He doesn’t use the definite article like Derek did in s1, and he certainly doesn’t use “The True Alpha,” contrasting Deucalion’s “The Demon Wolf” (3x04). Scott’s Alpha status, despite the way he earned it, doesn’t automatically place him above anyone else. He is simply “an Alpha”—which he’s been as a person for a while now. The shape he’s taken is simply reflecting the person he is.

Before 3a is over, however, this new definition is threatened. At the very end of Lunar Ellipse, Peter—“the” Alpha from s1—reenters the scene. After killing Jennifer, Peter throws his head toward the sky and roars, “I am the Alpha… I have always been the Alpha!” (3x12). This is a direct challenge to not just Scott himself, but Scott’s entire philosophy; Peter argues that it’s all about being the Alpha, not just an Alpha. Not only that, he’s always been The Alpha. This plays with the earlier concept of an Alpha being more than just red eyes, as Peter is a Beta at this point. Whereas Derek first suggested Scott was a kind of Alpha because he had a pack (2x05), Peter, on the basis of just having killed Jennifer at the Nemeton, is making a claim to Alpha on the basis of violent power.

These competing definitions finally come to a head in Smoke and Mirrors, the finale of s4. There Peter is a Beta in the literal sense, and Scott is an Alpha, but Peter desires to reverse this dynamic. First, Peter attempts this through actions. He spends much of the last two episodes acting like he imagines the Alpha should: he makes plans, gives the pack orders, and even coaches Malia on the importance of “shedding the blood of his enemies” (4x11, 4x12). Meanwhile, Scott has been turned into a Berserker, placed under the control of another—like Peter imagines a Beta should be, given his actions in s1. Secondly, when Scott breaks free of the Berserker mask, Peter attempts to define them both through words. He rejects Scott’s Alpha status by saying Scott doesn’t “deserve” his power—stressing, again, that he considers the position of Alpha as one defined by power. His rejection is on the basis of Scott’s distaste for violence, which he also considers central to being the Alpha. Finally, he reestablishes himself as the Alpha by reminding Scott that he was “[his] Beta first” (4x12)—as only Alphas can “have” Betas.

In rejecting Peter’s claim, Scott follows the same pattern of actions and then words. First, the outcome of the fight shows that Peter hasn’t understood what being an Alpha is about at all: whereas Peter had tried to get Malia and Liam to fight on his behalf, Scott fights on their behalf. Once Scott has defeated Peter in deed, he defeats him in word, as well: “You were never an Alpha, Peter. But you were always a monster” (4x12).

This is the reversal of Peter’s “always” claim in 3x12, because being an Alpha—being a werewolf—is ultimately about having and taking care of a pack, not having a monstrous desire for power.

[fanfoolishness]

Liveblog time!

Live-blogging for The Mandalorian 2x05, The Jedi, beginning now!

Almost forgot! This was my first piece of Mandalorian fanart, I think!

Calodan on Corvus is possibly my favorite planet after Sorgan. I love the misty color palette so much.

Also heeeey I’ve now seen nearly 3 seasons of The Clone Wars so Ahsoka will not be nearly so much a stranger this time around!

Calodan gives me such an Avatar-city under siege from the Fire Nation vibe, except Ahsoka’s the whole-ass Fire Nation and she’s here to save the day.

Why does the Magistrate have the beskar spear, anyway? And I wonder if it has any electronics in it the way everything else beskar we’ve seen has. I would guess not, but it would be kind of cool if it did, maybe something that actively keeps the spear well-balanced.

Look, evil lady, killing people doesn’t put the blame on Ahsoka. It just ain’t how it works. But bad guys always think that’s somehow an argument?

I wonder if the men of Star Wars are sad. Their hair is never very exciting but the women go all out.

So Din’s slightly testy with Grogu about getting back in his seat. Because... he’s fully expecting to go down to that planet and come back up again without the kid. I’d be testy too. ;_;

Oh God Grogu is even cuter than I remembered somehow. Like weeks and weeks of nothing but Mandalorian and every time I watch him he’s still just marvelous.

Love that shot of him focusing on the control knob with the pretty lights behind it. It really makes it seem magical, which to Grogu’s mind, it is

Love these weird giant creatures in the back, apparently just massacring these trees. CRONCH

I wonder how far they walked into town. I just love finding every little scrap of time between cuts that you could stuff a fic into.

I bet Grogu loves the smells of the marketplace, but can pick up on the tense atmosphere and doesn’t like it. He likes the kids, though.

I really enjoy the lighting of this episode because 1) we get to see those little lights on Din’s gauntlet easily and 2) it drives home the fact that not every world is going to have the same spectrum of light as our yellow sun. Reminds me of when I got to see the total solar eclipse in 2017. The sky seemed like daylight, but wasn’t. It was utterly unlike our world and I still get chills EVERY. TIME. I think about it.

I like her stupid guard droid. Cool color scheme.

God I wish I had a little water garden all my own.

Love the sound beskar on beskar makes.

Grogu: “Dad, this guy sucks. I can tell.”

UGH love those misty hills!!!!! So fucking pretty!

I love these trees so much. They remind me of buckberry.

Ahsoka: BABY???

Ugh the misty background is so gorgeous at night too!

Poor Din. He is so worried. Look at all this pacing when this is normally such a man of stillness and restraint.

Din: *pacing around anxiously* *kicks a cool rock* “I wonder if the kid would like this rock? MAYBE I SHOULD GO INTERRUPT THEM AND ASK oh never mind.” *back to pacing*

That smile that Ahsoka gives Grogu after she looks at Din — it’s so clear how many nice things he’s telling her about Din <3

Din is so worried. What’s she going to say? Is he doing this right? He doesn’t want to mess things up for the kid —

Can you just imagine everything in Din’s head right now? Relief at knowing the kid HAS a name, that Ahsoka can talk to him? Guilt at not somehow knowing the name before this? His heart going out to the kid, thinking of his home being taken away from him, thinking of him being in danger many times before Din could meet him or help him? Thinking this is time to say goodbye...

Awww thinking of Grogu curled up in Din’s cloak on the mossy ground while they sleep

Din is so worried Grogu won’t pass his test ;_;

Din is worried *he* won’t pass the test XD

So cute how Din kneels down to his level to encourage him to take the ball :)

Din is SO EXCITED

I love how when *Grogu* calls the ball to his hand, the musical cue plays *Din’s* motif with the recorder — a sign of their connection <3 <3 <3

Mando music is playing in the background. Grogu is NOT going to grow up to be a Jedi! I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, the title of the show might refer to Grogu :)

Ahsoka: giggling at “laser swords”

Aww man, these trees aren’t this way because of the giant animals? The Magistrate did this? Goddammit. I was hoping it was just like, a life cycle of the planet.

I like that even though Ahsoka is grownup and serious you can still see all those little smirks <3 Love that Snips!

CAN’T BELIEVE DIN TRUSTED HER WITH THE MUDHORN PAULDRON

Hey! Din learned how to drop-kick someone with the Rising Phoenix!!! Good job Din! Learning from Koska, I see. (Not as graceful as her, though.)

Huh, he still has durasteel or something on his shoulder, from under the beskar. I don’t know WHY THEY WON’T PUT OUT AN OFFICIAL DRAWING OF HOW ALL THE ARMOR FITS TOGETHER.

Look dude, don’t even mess with Din Djarin, all right? And none of this “we’re a lot alike” bullshit. But I did appreciate this guy’s attempt to “I don’t even care, bro” as foolish at it was.

WHERE IS THRAWN AWWWWWW FUCKING YEAAAAAH I still only know him from the Zahn trilogy but I’m so excited they repurposed such an awesome character.

“Wait here, I’ll... go get him.”

Din rocking him gently in the hammock back and forth ;___;

... how... long did they stay there just... cuddling... I fucking CAN’T

Ahsoka: “...it’s been like four hours. I’d better go look for them. Either Mando’s not giving the kid up or the kid doesn’t want to go. Shoulda seen that coming...”

I totally got this wrong in one of my fics. I wrote Din flying the Razor Crest back to the town. I’d forgotten HE SITS THERE SO LONG WITH THE KID AHSOKA HAS TO GO AND FIND THEM when Din was the one who claimed “I’ll go get him, wait here.” OMG DIN. JUST ADMIT YOU WANT TO PARENT THIS CHILD FOREVER.

The concept art of Din and Grogu striding off into the sunset together? My HEART

Man. I’m enjoying the Clone Wars, but I’m just so sad at all the badness that’s going to happen to everybody in them ;_; And thinking of how many things Ahsoka has gone through by this point is just... the Star Wars galaxy just hates people not being traumatized, doesn’t it?

Do I have the strength to get through The Tragedy tonight??? I mean, there’s Boba Fett and Fennec Shand being badass, and the best opening of any media, ever, but then there is PAIN and CRUELTY and it ISN’T FAIR.

[itsclownhours]

okay so i don’t know if i ever mentioned it but while watching merlin i’ve used a google doc of weird title ideas to rename all of the episodes and now that i’ve finished the series i would like to share with the four people who always like my posts the absolute nightmare that is the contents of this google doc (spoilers ahead, technically, i think)

merlin Things Historians Pretend Aren’t Gay: The Unlikely Adventures of Bitchface and Go Fuck Yourself

1x01 the dragon’s call Neither Boss Nor Employee Paid Enough to Deal With Each Other

1x02 valiant Everyone Should Learn First Aid (This Has Been a PSA)

1x03 the mark of nimueh Let’s NOT Wipe Out Humankind

1x04 the poisoned chalice I Fell Into a Deep Hole

1x05 lancelot You’re Valid, I Support You

1x06 a remedy to cure all ills This Is Absolutely the Right Decision

1x07 the gates of avalon I Go For an Unwanted and Unexpected Swim

1x08 the beginning of the end The Small Child Is Annoying

1x09 excalibur Ya Dun Goofed

1x10 the moment of truth The Regular Fuckface Returns to the Town of Fuckface

1x11 the labyrinth of gedref Guys, It’s Been Three Weeks Since I’ve Eaten a Vegetable: My Destiny as a Bad Cook

1x12 to kill the king Ultimate Showdown: Murder Father versus Murder Daughter

1x13 le morte d’arthur Dreams Do Come True (And That’s Not a Good Thing)

2x01 the curse of cornelius sigan The Good, the Bad, and the Okay I Guess

2x02 the once and future queen The Broken Ribs Poked Our Lungs

2x03 the nightmare begins I Need an Explanation, What Is Going On

2x04 lancelot and guinevere I Approve (This Time)

2x05 beauty and the beast part 1 This Wasn’t the Family Meeting That I Was Expecting Tonight

2x06 beauty and the beast part 2 I Am Saved From Certain Death By Being Killed

2x07 the witchfinder Those Stories Aren’t Real

2x08 the sins of the father How to Traumatize Your Children: 7 Proven Methods to Help You Screw Up Your Kids Deliberately and With Skill

2x09 the lady of the lake Can’t Wait to Tell This Story to My Grandchildren

2x10 sweet dreams Getting Distracted by a Hot Girl Only Leads to Bad Things

2x11 the witch’s quickening The King Can Go Fuck Himself

2x12 the fires of idirsholas Everything is a Goddamn Ordeal in This Family: Top 10 Anime Betrayals

2x13 the last dragonlord I Turned Out Liking You a Lot More Than I Originally Planned

3x01 the tears of uther pendragon part 1 Ask and You Shall Receive...Sometime Next Year

3x02 the tears of uther pendragon part 2 In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong

3x03 goblin’s gold Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly-True Memoir)

3x04 gwaine This Is Why I Don’t Socialize

3x05 the crystal cave Man Miscast in Role of Father

3x06 the changeling Successfully Evading Responsibility

3x07 the castle of fyrien The Dumbasses Take a Road Trip

3x08 the eye of the phoenix Tone It Down a Bit, Geez

3x09 love in the time of dragons Hey, Look, Old People

3x10 queen of hearts Running From Your Dad: I Know Exactly What I’m Doing (No, I Don’t)

3x11 the sorcerer’s shadow You’re a Special Kind of Stupid, Aren’t You?: Merlin Makes a Rash Decision

3x12 the coming of arthur part 1 Orphan Does Her Best to Fit in After Horrible Childhood

3x13 the coming of arthur part 2 There Is Absolutely No Way It Can Get Worse (It Got Worse)

4x01 the darkest hour part 1 Oh, Look, a Ghost

4x02 the darkest hour part 2 Unfortunately, I Am Alive

4x03 the wicked day Didn’t See That One Coming

4x04 aithusa I Wasn’t Prepared For Parenthood

4x05 his father’s son I Stab a Bitch: Aggressive Negotiations Make Everyone Hate You

4x06 a servant of two masters And God Said, “Let’s Not Give This Bitch a Break”

4x07 the secret sharer Apparently, Agravaine Does Have Some ’Splainin’ to Do

4x08 lamia The Boys Are Here

4x09 lancelot du lac I Call Shotgun (Said the Dead Man)

4x10 a herald of the new age Possession or Obsession?

4x11 the hunter’s heart I’m Bitter and I Won’t Stop Whining (Solitude Was the Only Logical Ending)

4x12 the sword in the stone part 1 I’m Packing Up My Crayons and Leaving

4x13 the sword in the stone part 2 A Guide to Giving Up

5x01 arthur’s bane part 1 My Boy!

5x02 arthur’s bane part 2 My Boy! Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

5x03 the death song of uther pendragon Way to Go, Dumbass

5x04 another’s sorrow Live Every Crisis Like It’s Your Midlife Crisis

5x05 the disir Why Am I Like This?: Merlin Is a Fucking Bitch

5x06 the dark tower What the Hell? I'm in Hell (I Have a Heated Make-Out Session With My Lifelong Enemy. Who Would’ve Thought?)

5x07 a lesson in vengeance You Know That There Is Nothing That I Love More Than Just Chilling and Drinking Poison. Seriously. I’s Great

5x08 the hollow queen An Unexpected Visit Leads to a Change in Career Paths

5x09 with all my heart A Trip to Memoryville (I Hate It)

5x10 the kindness of strangers Don’t Accept Rides From Strange Relatives

5x11 the drawing of the dark Why Didn’t I Just Walk Away? Oh, Right. Because I’m an Idiot: In Which Merlin Fucks Up

5x12 the diamond of the day part 1 We’ve Been Tricked, We’ve Been Backstabbed, and We’ve Been, Quite Possibly, Bamboozled

5x13 the diamond of the day part 2 How to Mistakenly Assume You Have Everything Under Control

[tomeandflickcorner]

Umbrella Academy Recap 2x08

1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07 1x08 1x09 1x10

2x01 2x02 2x03 2x04 2x05 2x06 2x07

Last episode didn’t go well for the Hargreeves Siblings.  While Number 5 managed to secure a deal with The Handler that would ensure they could return to their own time, with both apocalypses being erased from the timeline, only Number 5, Luther and Klaus (and Ben) managed to make it to the touchdown point.  Diego got abducted by Lila, Allison was attacked by the Swedes and Vanya was held up and subsequently knocked out by the cops because Sissy’s husband wasn’t willing to allow her to leave.  Because of that, the three of them didn’t arrive in time, and Number 5 was forced to throw away what might be their only chance at getting home.

After getting knocked out by the cops, Vanya was carted off by the FBI.  It appears they suspect that she is a Russian spy, based on the fact that she has a Russian name and can speak fluent Russian.  (The latter comes as a surprise to Vanya, as she still has amnesia and therefore doesn’t remember how Reginald must have ensured they were all multilingual.)  And the fact that she clearly has some sort of supernatual power has not gone unnoticed, as there were eyewitnesses who saw her defending herself from the cops with her powers.  Vanya attempts to use her powers on the FBI agent interrogating her, but the nurse standing nearby quickly steps in with a chloroform soaked cloth.

Elsewhere, we see 1963 Grace poking around 1963 Reginald’s office.  It appears she hasn’t forgotten what Diego told her after the gala, about how 1963 Reginald was involved in a plot to assassinate President Kennedy.  In doing so, she finds the physical evidence to back up Diego’s claims, complete with a map of the route President Kennedy’s motorcade will take when he arrives in Dallas the next day.  Unfortunately, 1963 Reginald discovers her snooping.  1963 Grace confronts him about what she found.  She tells him that she wants to spend her life with him, but she needs to know for sure that he’s a good man who would never harm the president. 1963 Reginald doesn’t give a direct answer, simply stating that there are elements of his life he cannot share with her yet, but someday he will.  He just needs her to trust him.  However, 1963 Grace says she can’t wait that long and she walks out.

In the alleyway, Number 5 is angrily disparaging Allison, Diego and Vanya for failing to show up on time and ranting how he was better off on his own.  Luther, on the other hand, seems to have a much cooler head and suggests that perhaps something happened to them.  Number 5, however, isn’t swayed and storms off, declaring it’s every sibling for themselves now.  So Luther heads off after him, tasking Klaus with checking up on Allison.  Klaus complies to the request, pausing only to inform Ben that he’s no longer allowed to possess him.  As Klaus heads off, Luther tries to reason with Number 5, but to no avail.

At the Chestnut household, Ray is freaking out.  In order to save their lives, Allison had used her powers to get one of The Swedes to turn on the other one.  So now, there’s a dead body in their living room.  And if anyone ever found out about the dead White man in their house, then it’s an instant death penalty.  Not to mention it would destroy all the efforts their Civil Rights movement had tried to make.  It’s at that moment that Klaus shows up.  And he takes the presence of the dead Swede very cavalierly, calmly asking if they’re burying or burning the body.  Which probably didn’t help Ray’s sense of understandable panic and bemusement.

Meanwhile, the last remaining Swede is an emotional wreck over the knowledge that he was forced to kill his own brother.  Particularly since his entire family is now dead.  Filled with grief and guilt, he is all set to cut off his own hand.  But before he could do so, his attention is drawn to the capsule that had sent them after Diego back in 2x05.  As he studies the capsule, he begins to realize it’s a counterfeit capsule and it hadn’t really came from The Commission.  And, because it still holds the faint scent of lavender, he realizes that The Handler had been the one who sent it instead.  So now, he realizes he and his late brothers were played for saps.

Speaking of The Handler, she does not approve of Lila’s choice to bring Diego in as a member of her team.  (Remember The Handler placed Lila as head of security in the last episode.)  After all, Diego is Number 5′s brother, and they don’t have the best history.  However, Lila pleads her case, and in the end, The Handler agrees to allow him to go through initiation, with the warning that if Diego sets so much as a toe out of line, Lila must kill him herself.  (So, doesn’t Diego get a say in this?)

In any event, Lila proceeds to show Diego around The Commission’s headquarters.  Diego is not happy about being drugged, kidnapped and threatened with murder, but Lila is not perturbed by this.  Instead, she drops him off at Orientation, where Diego is forced to watch a training video.  At first, he seems disinterested, particularly since the training video seems to be talking down to the audience by having the narrator be an animated talking briefcase.  However, Diego is instantly at attention when he hears about the Infinite Switchboard Room, where the entire timeline is monitored for any anomalies.  After checking to see that the instructor has fallen asleep, Diego slips out to locate the Infinite Switchboard Room.  He manages to find it without much trouble, but can’t figure out how to operate it.  Fortunately for him, he then is approached by an analyst called Herb.  Diego gets Herb to help him look up the day of President Kennedy’s assassination.  (Herb agrees to this partially because Diego and his siblings are virtually legends within The Commission.)  When they watch the footage together, they see that an explosion will occur at the FBI building as President Kennedy’s motorcade drives through Dallas.  As a result of the explosion, the motorcade gets rerouted and the assassination never happens.  But because the explosion was blamed on the Russians,  it ultimately lead to an all-out war between Russia and the U.S. A war that resulted in a nuclear apocalypse.  Diego instantly realizes this is what Hazel had tried to warn them about.  With Herb’s help, Diego studies the explosion that occurred at the FBI building.  In the process, he discovers the explosion was caused by Vanya’s powers exploding out of her.

Simply put, throughout the episode, the FBI agent was continuing to interrogate Vanya through the use of electric shocks.  When the nurse applied some sort of eyedrops to her eyes, Vanya began to hallucinate that she was back at the Umbrella Academy mansion, sitting at the dining room table with the Hargreeves Siblings (including Ben) and Reginald.  This hallucination ultimately resulted in Vanya’s memories to return.  The return of her memories, combined with continued electrical shocks, resulted in Vanya snapping and completely giving into her powers, letting them take control of her.

In any event, Diego is forced to conclude that Vanya will always be the bomb that triggers the apocalypse.  He decides he has to get back to Dallas ASAP.  Fortunately, Herb is in full agreement with this.  So he takes Diego to a side room where a bunch of other Commission employees are.  Apparently, these particular employees seem to realize that The Handler was behind the death of the board of directors, and they are not happy with the changes The Handler made when she took over The Commission.  To help Diego out, they present him with a time traveling briefcase. 

While all of this was going on, Luther was finally able to get a chance to talk to Number 5.  Which leads to him realizing that Number 5 has managed to come up with an alternative plan.  Number 5 reminds Luther how, when he was stuck in the future after his first attempt at time travel, he ended up working as a temporal assassins for The Commission.  And his last mission for them before he found a way back to 2019 in the pilot episode involved him heading to 1963 Dallas to ensure President Kennedy’s assassination.  In other words, Old Number 5 is  also walking around.  So Number 5 plans on making contact with his Old Number 5 in the hopes that Old Number 5 will let them use his time traveling briefcase.  Of course, Number 5 notes that it’s a risky plan, as Old Number 5 was a dangerous assassins who probably won’t react kindly to being approached by himself.  Not to mention it’s very dangerous for individuals to meet their older or younger selves in the same timeline.  It often results in both versions experiencing paradox psychosis.  So Number 5 wants Luther to come along as a buffer, in case things get out of hand.

Luther and Number 5 head to some Irish pub, where they quickly spot Old Number 5 sitting at the bar.  Luther asks Number 5 if it would be easier to simply grab the time traveling briefcase and run, but Number 5 quickly shuts that idea down.  Old Number 5 has been trained to guard the time traveling briefcase with his life.  He would never allow some random person to grab it.  Besides, they have to tread carefully, because if they do anything to prevent Old Number 5 from traveling back to 2019, then Present Number 5 ceases to exist.  Their best bet is to talk calmly with Old Number 5.  Luther insists on going up first, stating that allowing Old Number 5 to see his younger future self without warning might freak him out.  Besides, Number 5 is showing signs of being itchy.  (Being itchy is one of the seven symptoms of paradox psychosis, as Number 5 explained earlier.)  So Luther heads over to Old Number 5.  When Old Number 5 recognizes his brother, as well as sees his younger self, he is visibly stunned.  Still, he agrees to listen to what they have to say.  Number 5 informs Old Number 5 that, when he heads over to the grassy knoll to oversee the assassination of President Kennedy, he’ll break his contract with The Commission and travel back to 2019 to stop the April 1st 2019 apocalypse.  But he’ll end up getting the math wrong, and end up being trapped in his younger body.  Number 5 offers his older-younger self a trade.  If Old Number 5 gives up the briefcase that he’ll no longer need, Number 5 will offer him the correct equation, so Old Number 5 will maintain his actual body when he executes his time jump and won’t be forced to undergo age regression.  Old Number 5, before giving an answer, slips off to the bathroom.  (Frequent urination was another symptom of paradox psychosis.)  Luther thinks the whole exchange is going well, but Number 5 isn’t convinced.  He doesn’t trust his older-younger self.

To try and alleviate Number 5′s concerns, I guess, Luther joins Old Number 5 in the bathroom, where he finds Old Number 5 looking at the glass eye that was supposed to belong to Harold Jenkins/Leonard Peabody.  Upon noticing the glass eye, Luther tells him that the glass eye was a dead end, and that it was actually Vanya who caused the apocalypse, on account of her anger over how her siblings treated her when they were kids.  Old Number 5 takes this in stride, but then he suggests an alternative plan.  This other plan involves Luther and Old Number 5 traveling to 2019 together and simply being nice to Vanya.  Because if they made up with Vanya, then she wouldn’t have gotten angry and blew up the moon.  Luther accepts this logic.  Until Old Number 5 suggests killing the Young Number 5, as he was nothing more than a faulty doppelganger resulting from a failed time jump and that Old Number 5 was the real Number 5.  Luther is highly suspicious of this, since homicidal rage was the final symptom of paradox psychosis.

As the episode winds down, Diego and Herb use the time traveling briefcase to materialize in the Chestnut household, interrupting Allison and Ray’s attempts to dispose of The Swede’s body.  After Allison awkwardly introduces Ray to her third brother, Diego fills everyone in on what he’d just learned, and how they have to get to Vanya before she can inadvertently blow up the FBI building and setting off the chain reaction that leads to nuclear Armageddon.  Understandably, Ray is REALLY freaking out right now (and who can blame him?), so Allison does her best to calm him down.  After a moment or two, Ray calms down enough to realize that Allison has to go away now, so this will be their final goodbye. And they have a tender yet bittersweet last kiss before Allison hurries off with her brothers.  

Meanwhile, Lila realizes that Diego skipped out of orientation, and that nobody knows where he is.  It’s not clear if she knows what Diego has done yet, but I suspect that will be revealed in the next episode.

By the time Allison, Diego and Klaus make it to the FBI building, Vanya’s memories have already returned, and her powers are spiraling out of control.  As the three of them seek cover behind a desk, Klaus presents an interesting observation.  They had been trying to save Vanya from the FBI.  But all the FBI agents on that floor are now dead.  So why is Vanya’s powers still going hayware?  To make things more complicated, it’s shown to the audience that Harlan is somehow experiencing the same things Vanya is, suggesting the two inexplicitly share a psychic link.

Closing thoughts/questions:

Okay.  So what’s up with Vanya and Harlan’s sudden psychic link?  How did that happen?

I really liked Ray.  He was such a great character!  Very likable, with realistic reactions to all the weirdness thrown at him.  And his relationship with Allison was so pure and wholesome.  Because in spite of everything, he still loved her.  While it’s really tragic that they can’t be together, its nice to know that he’ll be okay.  And I’m sure he’ll remember his time with her with fondness.

Never thought I’d say this, but I actually liked Luther in this episode.  He’s still my least favorite of the Hargreeves Siblings, but seeing him interacting with both versions of Number 5 was very enjoyable to watch.  It actually made him look like a real leader.  So kudos to him.

What’s Lila going to do when she sees Diego again?  Because this will probably be the ultimate test of where her loyalty lies.  Will she remain loyal to The Handler or will she allow her bond with Diego nullify that?

Likewise, now that the last remaining Swede knows The Handler was the one who misled them, ultimately resulting in the death of his brothers, will he be going after her?  That’ll be interesting, as he could potentially join forces with The Hargreeves Siblings, with them uniting against a common enemy. 

Hope Sissy can get away from Carl.  He’s turned into such a creeper. And she deserves better.

What’s going to happen to 1963 Grace?  Is it possible that 1963 Reginald genuinely cared about her?  Is that why he designed Robot Grace to look the way she did?

[darkpoisonouslove]

Winx Club Season 2 Thoughts (4kids) Part 1

I already posted some thoughts on season 2 last year when I legit just clicked through he episodes rather than actually rewatching them so I am back to give a more in-depth look on this season! (And, hopefully, it won’t end with disappointment for me.)

2x01:

- Eww, why voiceover? It just seems so unnatural since we’ve never had it before. Not to mention that Bloom told us what each of the other girls has done during the summer but she didn’t tell us anything about herself. Like, she set out to find out more about her origins back in the first half of season 1, and I know that she did learn about being the princess of Domino but she still has no fucking idea who her parents are as individuals apart from them being the rulers of Domino. Considering how big of a plot that is later on, it just doesn’t sit right with me that she doesn’t seem remotely interested in it currently and didn’t mention anything about it. It’s like that plotline is closed for her which we all know is not true. So I am having some issues here, not gonna lie (not with Bloom but with her inconsistent writing).

- Aww, am I the only one who thinks that Stella buried herself in fashion rules all summer because she didn’t want to think about her parents’ divorce? Poor baby has been going so hard with no rest to keep herself from grieving over it. But at least she did something! (Proving she’s not lazy and spoiled; she practically had a job. Her dream job. You go get it, girl! (but also take care of your mental state, please.))

- Why is Bloom so eager to learn her fortune? Has she not read Greek Mythology? Bad idea, hon. Bad idea. (The thing with the magical reality mirrors was cool, though!)

- (Is that a new secret library or is it the regular library? I’m confused. Does anybody have a handy layout of Alfea for me?)

- She just fucking told her everything! I’m not a fan of knowing your future tbh. It really messes with your head and you start thinking “Will my actions have a negative impact on it? Will I somehow change my own destiny for the worse?” and then you go and do exactly that. Not to mention that it would be so weird to stare at Layla and just feel the pressure of being told that you’ll be best friends. Like, what if it doesn’t work? And what if it is just the fact that you were told so that pushes you to seek the friendship of that person? I don’t know. It’s just not my thing.

- Layla is awesome, though! Climbing those rocks with no equipment, not to mention with so little power left. She probably couldn’t even transform and fly if she fell. That was dangerous but did she care? Nope. She was there to save the pixies! Brave little soldier. Too good, too pure for this world.

- Ugh, Darkar managed to annoy me with his very first sentence ever. Nice job. You are a loser, loser. So deal with it! God, how will I take all that narcissism for 25 more episodes? Oh god, oh no, please, no! Whyyyyyyyy?

- Ugh, Bloom, that diadem is doing the opposite of wonders for your hair, please! At least Stella had the common sense to remove it.

- Speaking of Stella, that moment with the multiplying beauty was so cute! I love how she complimented the others while complimenting herself! But guys (Stella & Bloom), you’re not discreet with the groping. Seriously.

- Oh, hey! Riven won! And Sky only came in third! Nice! But lbr here, Timmy is the real victor! The others came in on hoverbikes while he had an entire ship that he modified himself. I mean, idk about anyone else, but I would definitely go for the ship.

- Of course there’s Diaspro drama. God, can they not for literally five seconds? And also, “we’re just friends”? Wtf? Did you fall on your head this summer, Bloom? You were calling him your boyfriend last time I checked. And you were fawning over the romance in your future. Can you just drop the pretense already?

- Ooh, Layla is so smart! She managed to outsmart all the monsters and win even when she barely had any magic left! You go, you absolute badass!

- Did they even make any changes on that new wing at Alfea? I mean, besides the name.

2x02:

- How did Tecna know that Layla was the princess of Andros? Did she hack the interdimensional FBI system? Wtf.

- They could’ve showed some other things we hadn’t seen that Layla had to go through but, of course, why would they do that when they could just use the same footage and draw less animation, bruh?

- And we’re getting to the opposites. Right on schedule when the Shadow Phoenix has shown up. You gotta love how convenient those school lessons are (not to mention that Bloom suddenly started feeling her opposite out of nowhere. Nice!) At least we got a cool magical lesson. Though, idk how to feel about the ying-yang symbol. I mean, it is a perfect representation of what they’re talking about but kind of weird to see something so earthly in Alfea. Though, Earth did have magic so... Hmm. Okay, anyway. Moving on.

- Um, question, why do Stella and Layla not know each other? And in the first season Stella and Musa and Sky didn’t know each other even though they were all royalty (I am still unclear on whether Musa is a princess or not btw but anyway). Don’t they, like, have royal meetings with other kingdoms? (which they even did in season 5 when Domino was back. What, is Domino the center of the universe and they can’t function without it? I mean, come on!)

- The talk about love is getting on my nerves and I literally have “love” in my url and it is my fave word. So what is wrong with that? I do love that guard there. Heck, yeah, it’s a prison (it’s worse than that tbh). And the fact that they’re trying to make it out not to be is extremely fucked up and sickening if you ask me. Not to mention “You can force people to be happy. It just takes time.” I really hope whoever had the idea of that place (in-verse) is going to hell.

- They legit just kept recapping season 1 for a solid minute? Aaaaaaaand... SKIP.

- Can I say that a 30-page report is an actual living nightmare. Thanks.

- The girls are all friendly with Layla (well, outside of a slip-up or two). That’s cute. But where the hell is Tecna? Can the animators only animate five Winx girls at a time? What the hell, you guys?

- So the Pixie village is on Andros (if Layla found it accidentally. I don’t imagine she realm-hopped at will)? Why don’t I remember any of that? But hey, finally some flashbacks that we haven’t seen before!

- Oh, look! My guy Kerborg is here! (the only good part of this whole Darkar thing tbh)

- The Trix finally thought of trying to pretend to be happy in order to get out of there. Well, better late than never. Though, watching how it’s going I can understand why they didn’t try before that. It is, in fact, hopeless. (But at least Darcy is handling it! She always was a bit more controlled.)

- I am so majorly creeped out by Darkar. He just met them and he’s like “You belong to me! Mwahahahaha.” Ummmm? Can you calm down? But I loved Icy’s response. Though, it didn’t stick. And he’s at it again. Seriously, this is really giving me some major off vibes. He said they were going to be the queens of Shadowhaunt which, considering he’s the king, would imply they were his wives. Now there’s a mental image that I am not even going to let inside my head, thanks. Although, having in mind that he just kept buttering them up, I would say it was just him stroking their egos to get them to join him. Not to mention that his later treatment of them supports that theory. And of course, he had to test them first and see how they’d do.

2x03:

- Please, tell me that they’ll tell someone about the Pixies and won’t just go to Shadowhaunt on their own initiative.

- O!M!G! They actually told Faragonda! I can’t believe this! Finally doing something smart, I can’t! And of course she wasn’t going to just let them go. Though, did she really think they weren’t going to want to take the test?

- Shouldn’t Stella be weakened by the darkness of Shadowhaunt? I kinda wish she’d stayed at Alfea if that would’ve spared us from the arc that is coming. (Why?)

- Okay, but it was kind of rude of Layla to just overtake Riven’s hoverbike like that. I wouldn’t appreciate it if I had to give someone a ride and they shoved me out of the driver’s seat and occupied my car, thank you. I’m surprised Riven agreed to let her drive.

- I don’t really have much to say about this episode tbh.

- It was cute that Stella jumped off the cliff for Brandon but it was not the smartest course of action. It probably would’ve been easier for him to save himself if he was alone and they may not have ended up being brought to Amentia. God, I hate this. I don’t want to be bitching about this every other sentence so just know that I absolutely despise this arc from the very bottom of my heart and that will never change.

2x04:

- They have no powers and Darkar knows they’re there. Sounds like a great situation, doesn’t it?

- That amazing moment when you either have to marry a person you’ve just met or watch the one you love die and then be forced to get married anyway. You gotta love that! I hate this so much! (And this is different from my previous point. Or at least has a different angle.)

- Wow, Riven is absolutely handling being a boyfriend. Somebody get him a manual, the man is failing spectacularly.

- I am not quite a fan of Flora’s “Must be nice to have a shoulder to cry on”. Like, you have your friends???? No, I get that she wants a boyfriend, nothing wrong with that, but it came out like she has nobody. Which is absolutely not true.

- What a lucky save that Stella just arrived when they were about to become toast. Can anyone tell me why she didn’t just teleport them where the Pixies are? Or anywhere closer to them if she could do that all along?

- Am I distracted or is there nothing to talk about in these episodes? (Both. It is both.)

2x05:

- Seriously, why didn’t they at least mention the option to teleport using that gadget from the beginning?

- Aww, Brandon was trying to be noble and get out of the marriage but it backfired. Poor him.

- Why are the Pixies bickering like that? Is it Shadowhaunt’s influence or just the fact that they’d been imprisoned together for so long?

- Wait, did they just... kill a pixie? (Off screen of course, but still. Damn!)

- So Bloom and Stella did... interestingly with the boarding.

- Why is Stella afraid of heights? Also, that’s never been mentioned before. Especially not when she jumped off a fucking cliff! Wtf. They just keep throwing in new stuff without setting it up properly and I am getting annoyed.

- What happened to Tecna’s computer?

- Oh, look! Chatta lied to Darkar to protect Pixie Village.

- It’s the Trix! Finally some action! And they are harder to defeat now that they’re stronger! Nice!

- Damn! Layla was really determined to get the Pixies out of there. (Which wouldn’t have helped if Darkar hadn’t let her but she still gets points for trying.)

- Oh come on! Do I really have to deal with fake Avalon so early in the season?!?!?! Dammit! Also, wtf is up with Bloom and Stella? Like, you both have boyfriends. At least Layla’s not affected.

- “Stella returned a compliment. What is that about?” XDDD One of the funniest lines ever! And look at Amore! She is so cute!

2x06:

- But yeah, seriously, just go get Brandon, please! (Also, good that they noticed something’s fishy.)

- Aww, Stella is absolutely furious and determined to get her boyfriend back. She should’ve gone for a plan tbh since it could’ve helped them get to the palace faster.

- I love how Stella’s known Layla for a week (half of which Layla was unconscious) tops and is already making her her bridesmaid. Am I the only one who finds this weird? Like, this friendship train is moving way too fast for my trust issues.

- Poor Brandon. She’s going to stretch him, wtf? These episodes are a horror show.

- How bad can a guard worm be? Hm, gee, I don’t know, Layla. Enough to stop you perhaps since it is a “guard”, y’know.

- And Brandon is talking to a parrot now. I am losing it just like he is. How much longer will this torture go on? Please, tell me this arc is coming to an end.

- Okay, so the plotline with Amore’s magic is less problematic than I remember it. I thought she was going to make Amentia fall in love with the flower pollen but it only leads you to your soulmate. That isn’t problematic, actually. Nice!

- Wtf do you mean they’re going to eat Brandon if he’s not a good husband?!?!?! I am getting nightmares over here. Just feeling them forming in my head. Thanks.

- It must be horrible for Stella to be standing there and watching her boyfriend being forced to marry another woman. How are these people not psychologically scarred anyway?

- Aww, they’re back together! I love how Amore is just sitting in Stella’s lap! It’s cute.

2x07:

- I was not ready for the Kiko angst even though I knew it was coming.

- Faragonda really thought she could just dodge that question without them noticing, huh? Yeah, well, no.

- Oh, look! The Shadow Fire is sentient. This reminds me of LotR tbh but anyway, moving on. So Darkar is a man who is possessed by the Shadow Fire? I so did not remember that.

- Oh, no! Is it really time for Avalon already? Dammit! I was just getting thrilled there was no Darkar in these last two episodes and now I get Avalon. Uggggh.

- I get Bloom’s annoyance with this but why does she keep blasting it when that obviously doesn’t give results?!?!?! This reminds me of that quote by Einstein that madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results. “I feel tired.” You think? You’ve been out there blasting that thing for hours. Get inside and get warmed up, oh my god! Seriously, how are they even alive? They don’t take care of themselves at all.

- This might be my more advanced knowledge of what the future holds for them speaking but I absolutely do not get what is Avalon’s appeal.

- Oh, how convenient. He’s teaching magic connected to their origins. Amazing.

- “I don’t want to seem obsessive” *proceeds to spy on girlfriend* At least the show is framing it well.

2x08:

- Ugh, I really hate these Bloom and Avalon scenes. They just leave a bad taste in my mouth.

- Ugh, I’m gagging at Bloom’s obsession with Avalon. I get he promised to help her learn about her origins but she’s downright lovesick. I am so with Sky on this and I understand his frustration.

- Aww, Brandon immediately revealed his own nickname to help Stella calm down. That was so cute! I love them!

- I love how the fairies are always invited, of course, but the witches are only invited because they helped. I mean, yeah, they do cause trouble, but like, they’re witches? I think the show should have done a better job at specifying what exactly being a witch is because currently it’s like “hey, they’re evil but they can legally learn how to be evil in the legitimate school for witches!” How does that make any sense?

- Ewww, seriously? On the one front I have Bloom and Avalon and on the other Icy and Darkar. What is wrong with this season?

- Oh, hey! It’s Helia! Now only if we didn’t have to wait half a season for Flora to confess her feelings, that would be great! I love how she got mad at Stella for introducing herself to Helia. Don’t just glare there, Flora. Do something about it! (About Helia, I mean.)

- So Saladin is also a dramatic bitch. Good to know. XD But hey, the new Red Fountain looks so much better. Before I started the rewatch, I didn’t even remember the initial vision. I only remembered the one from season 2 onwards.

- Poor Timmy! But what was Tecna’s problem? Like, you dreamed of him. That’s cool. I mean, you like him. What’s the problem? I guess she’s just not used to emotions like that, though.

- “I think it was Darcy” Jeez, really? Why is the fact that she ran away not enough proof that it was Darcy? Why would she run away if she was just a random girl? But I guess it’s a good thing Musa recognized her voice because people can actually do that unlike what movies would have you believe.

- It’s Kerborg time. Nice!

- Oh, yeah, “let’s leave Bloom and Sky in charge here”. Now you trust her. Last time she was there he blamed everything on her but hey, whatever.

- I loved Sky being supportive of Brandon and then the team up with all the rest. And Riven showing a better side of himself. That was really awesome.

- Oh, I think Helia’s got his eye on a certain fairy too! ;)

- But seriously. Literally an entire army of Specialists can’t hold the monster down while Helia did it on his own. With his glove. Wtf?!?!?!?! Though really, why am I expecting anything to make sense at this point.

2x09:

- Okay, but as annoying as Darkar is, he at least knows how to steer the witches to do exactly what he wants.

- Really, Tecna, I think your facts are wrong. You aren’t completely grown up at 16, wtf.

- Who else is completely creeped out by Avalon? He really just gave all of his very female and very young students flowers. And he’s teaching them all individual things (which is just a cover so that his interest in Bloom doesn’t stand out, of course, but still). He knows they are all crushing on him and he’s exploiting that and doing his best to lead them on and reinforce those emotions. That is absolutely disgusting, thank you.

- Seriously, even Faragonda is falling victim to his “charm” (not)? I can’t with this episode anymore and it has just started. And here I thought Darkar would be the problem of this season. How was I so wrong????????

- Oh, he wants them to trust him as much as they trust themselves? How about they throw you off a cliff instead? Oh, wait, that won’t work because he has wings. Crush him with a boulder then? (This is getting very anti Avalon and I am so sorry for all the negativity but I don’t think I can stress enough how much this is upsetting and angering me.)

- Why do I feel like Avalon is the one who planted the book there so that Tecna could do all of that and embarrass herself so that she wouldn’t try it again and he could proceed with his real plans?

- Well, we finally got Bloom’s parents’ names and a very unclear peek at them. Though, props for having their designs figured out from the beginning, though I guess that is just thanks to the comics.

- Oh, hey! Palladium is back. (Why is no one crushing on him? He is so much better and more handsome than Avalon tbh.) Glow up time, bitches. XD

- Amaryl is being Amaryl, of course. But Palladium is having none of it anymore. And he saved Stella. Nice!

- The others trust Tecna, that’s great!

- (Honestly, Griffin is the only thing saving me from losing my mind in this episode tbh, Also the fact that she believes Tecna and that Tecna was suspicious enough to dig in the first place. At least someone hasn’t lost their common sense.)

- Oh, hey, how did Bloom get that medallion? Did she pull it out of the past? Pls, tell me that’s not what happened. It can legit mess the entire timeline.

- Wait, didn’t they start chasing him before midnight? Why is it suddenly morning? Wtf? You can’t tell me they chased him all night. Why is everything so wrong?

- Poor Wizgiz! Another invention is destroyed. I feel his pain.

- At least all parts of the episode came together nicely. The writing was actually good but I absolutely hate this episode, thanks! I still appreciate the effort with the script, though.

2x10:

- Seriously, why did Bloom instantly decide that Diaspro was involved in this? Ugh. Both she and Sky need to calm down with the jealousy.

- Omg, Griselda is so savage, I can’t! Her magic is so awesome. (Since when is Stella up for cooking? Or was it just because she wanted to see the cute guy that would teach them cooking? Ah, and she’s tired of take out.) I really loved how she used different methods to deal with the different powers of the fairies. Finally we’re getting all the magical lessons and it is absolutely glorious.

- (Btw, seeing Stella openly critique classes schedule makes it clear to me why she’s always been my favorite. That is such a me thing to do. I still can’t understand how teachers liked me since I was always arguing with them.)

- Of course. Sky wants to talk and Bloom immediately decided he wanted to break up with her. Why don’t you hear him out first maybe? (Sidenote: Stella and Brandon went on a date with unicorns? That is really cute!)

- Brandon is in his role of the wingman again. Considering he’s the only one having a steady girlfriend (and they’ve said “I love you” already), the rest should just listen to him.

- Mayhem globe? That’s really cool actually.

- Helia is here. Nice!

- Poor Stormy. She looked really hurt. I thought Darcy was the one with the illusions and riddles. Why did she get it wrong and why was Icy the one to solve it (through a detail that not only has never been shown but has been pretty much disproven by what we’ve seen)?

- Yeah. Tecna and Timmy were also knocked out, Bloom. Just in case you care about that.

- Kindness spell? And non-agression spell? That’s kinda cool actually. But problematic... again.

- I am not quite sure what Bloom did but I am actually glad to see they went with a hug there (and it was cute). But how many times are they going to become a boyfriend and a girlfriend? I thought we were over this.

2x11:

- Brandon is at it again. A true specialist... in dating tips. XD

- Wow, Flora. Nice Helia spell you got there. (Btw I am so loving that we get to see them in different classes and learning things! Yes, this is what I’m here for!) But Layla was so ready to help! And I also love that Flora went to Layla instead of anyone else. It’s really cute that they got so close so fast. (”He’s crazy if he doesn’t like you.” Perhaps Layla is the one who likes Flora. XD)

- Shoulda listened to Brandon, Timmy. (But Tecna so boldly went for the “us”. You go, girl!)

- Idk but to me “The Archaic Spells of Spheria” doesn’t sound any good tbh.

- Of course Stella is all about the romantic movies. But poor pixies. They had to imprison them to save them.

- Why did all of the boys know about the Codex in the previous ep but the girls have no clue about it? Why is Faragonda keeping it from them if everyone at Red Fountain knows about it?

- What was Faragonda doing? And why did she make Bloom look for the spell? Couldn’t she do that herself? (Also, she just threw the book like that on the floor. I get why it prompted her derision but damn, really?)

2x12:

- Flora and Helia are such romantic dorks. And they’re bringing their A game there. Poems and flowers... A beautiful romance blooms. (I’ll stop now.)

- This convergence talk is giving me all the friendship feels. Not just for Winx but also for Faragonda and Griffin since they have been spotted doing convergence too. Ugh, my heart!

- Wow, Riven sure has a lot of pictures of Musa, considering the way he’s acting.

- “Kind of involved”? Mhm, sure.

- So I understand Musa’s frustration with Stella’s meddling but on the other hand I can see Stella’s point. I love Musa x Riven but Riven doesn’t seem exactly present and Musa herself stated that she’s not really sure what the status of their relationship is so...

- Okay, but there is no way in hell that it is Darcy’s birthday. It is fall currently and Darcy’s birthday is May 5 according to Wiki. So yeah, no.

- I am getting a bit sidetracked again but can we talk about the fact that Bloom and Stella couldn’t do convergence after a simple disagreement even though they’re together like 24/7 while Griffin and Faragonda managed to do it seamlessly at the end of season 1 after not speaking to each other for years and kind of getting into a fight the last time they spoke at the Day of the Royals. Friendship goals (well, besides the silent treatment.)

- Okay but I think it wasn’t right to blame Stella. She didn’t say anything that was inherently offensive. She suggested that they try to get closer. That isn’t bad even if it upsets someone indirectly. There was no need to blame her. They should’ve just focused on making Layla feel better.

- Why do I feel like none of them really had friends before they found each other? But hey, they are this big found family now and that is awesome! (I am getting all the feels again.)

- And Darcy is messing up the magical reality chamber again. Didn’t we do that already? Also, why didn’t they try to... idk, take precautions and put better security on it considering how dangerous it can be? Like, those are simple things. Please, be responsible.

- Better not play Truth or Dare with Stella. Unless you wanna be kissing ogres. XD

- That was a good save Layla pulled off there. Also, I love how the girls are mad at the “technical” issues. Tbh they are right to. How many times are they gonna get stuck in the wrong world when sent into the magical reality chamber? Like, get your shit together teachers. Also, why don’t they simply do a test run before they get anyone inside it? You’d think they’d learn their lesson.

- Damn, they can be deleted if the program is turned off? Why didn’t Darcy just have Jarred unplug it then? Winx are erased forever. Boom, problem solved. For the Trix, I mean.

- Aww, the pixies were ready to go in. That was cute.

- I LOVED that convergence! It was such a cool idea to have them make a figure. Also, they just created life. Damn! I am impressed.

2x13:

- Poor Layla. She has all those nightmares. But at least Piff helps! That’s really cute.

- I see Flora still hasn’t solved the Helia problem yet.

- They just ditched school to go to a club. What chaotic dumbass energy, I can’t.

- Aww, Layla is sharing about her harsh childhood. At least she has friends she can talk to now. But damn the difference between Andros and Solaria is very striking in scenes like that.

- Layla totally nailed that improv. Nice, you go, girl!

- I love the difference between Griselda and Faragonda! XD

- I loved that convo between Bloom and Vanessa! Yes, thank you for that. I am a little confused as to when Bloom learned Daphne was her sister. Did I miss something or did the writers miss something? But aww, Vanessa can’t see Locket. That’s making me sad. :(

- They did go to the club, though, huh? Nice one, you guys.

- How will Faragonda learn if they use magic on humans but not otherwise? That doesn’t sound very logical to me. (Speaking of logic, where is Tecna? They didn’t show her in this ep.)

- Oh, no! Poor Layla. But damn, she’s powerful. And the others are there to help her. (The pixies can cause so much trouble considering how small they are.)

- I love how Faragonda and Griselda just showed up to get them. It was cute. Though, now they’re being punished. Well, technically, Bloom didn’t break any rules because she had permission to leave but I guess she’s also in this because she shouldn’t have taken the others with her. (Cheeky to welcome Faragonda and Griselda to Earth.) At least Faragonda managed to get them the permission for music back from Griselda. XD

- Aww, babies! They are so tired from cleaning the whole school, they fell asleep. And the pixies helped, too.

- I’m not sure how Flora got that Helia is “the one” from talking to him for half a minute, but damn, wanna share those powers with the rest of us so that we can know immediately when we’ve met the one as well? (It was so cute to see Flora lean on Layla to sleep with her. And Piff, too. If she weren’t just talking about Helia, they would’ve been like a picture perfect family.)

This got very long so I decided to split the post for this season in parts. Part 2.

[jolteonmchale]

Ken Jeong and Joel McHale Community (2009) Dr. Ken (2016) Animal Control (2024)

[kcwcommentary]

VLD2x05 – “Eye of the Storm”

2x05 – “Eye of the Storm”

Zarkon’s forces, who showed up at the end of the last episode, attack. The Castle takes evasive action. This is the first time (is it the only time? because I don’t remember these things) that it’s shown that there are weapons drones separate from the Castle itself. Of course, the writers decided that in a tense situation, one that could be life or death, to have the never explained “rivalry” between Lance and Keith be a thing. When you’re in a situation like this, you’re fighting for your life, you’re not going to care about such petty things. Allura using the moon for a gravity assist was really nice though; I’m surprised the show could actually get something science right for a change.

The Castle makes it into a wormhole and escapes but falls short of their intended destination. Allura collapses from stress and everyone’s tired. Coran gets “the slipperies.” This plot for him doesn’t do much for me; it doesn’t bother me, I’m just eh about it. He eventually reports that the Castle’s teludav, the system that enables wormhole creation, is under severe need of maintenance. While Coran works, everyone else tries to rest.

Lance heads off to the pool, and when he sees Keith is doing the same, he gets all angry/annoyed. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?” he asks Keith. This “rivalry” is so senseless. Seriously, writers? Keith can’t even go for a swim without Lance being bothered by it? It’s tiresome. The power cuts out while they’re in the elevator though. Two people antagonistically stuck in an elevator together is a trope, but this episode doesn’t let it play out; we move on to out of the elevator almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Hunk is baking because of course he is. I can understand his explanation though, that it clears his head. This is a reasonable application of the Hunk-likes-food single bullet-point of characterization the show gave the character. It expands his liking food beyond just fat guy = food, and instead explains how it’s applicable to his psychology. Baking is meditative for him. His “cookies” are weird though, and when challenged on it, he responds, “Are you going to try and tell me these aren’t cookies?” as he looks through clear, blue discs. Are you telling me he just randomly threw unknown substances in a bowl, stirred, and then portioned it out and baked it? That’s not how baking works. If he truly is even a novice yet serious baker, he would know that baking requires precise measurement of ingredients. The show again thinks doing a faux x-ray shot of bones breaking, this time Hunk’s teeth when he bites a “cookie,” is funny. It’s not.

Lance and Keith are trying to cooperate in climbing up the elevator shaft. The “rivalry” continues as they rant at each other each step. They eventually make it out and to a spot under the pool. The water is above them for some no other reason than it’s weird.

Pidge meanwhile tries to learn Altean, but for some absurd reason, the language instruction software attacks you if you mispronounce words. And the words it teaches are just creatures/monsters. The episode later makes Pidge’s wanting to learn the Altean language have relevance, but this particular scene does nothing to advance to that point, so this scene is wholly unnecessary. 

Shiro and Allura have a brief, but nice, tender moment. She can’t help but to continue to be worried about Zarkon. Shiro tries to encourage her that it’s okay to take a bit of time to rest. Unfortunately, while they’re talking, Galra forces attack the Castle. The crew goes to stations. Lance is baffled that Zarkon could have found them. I don’t know why though since this isn’t the first time; the show has established that Zarkon can do this, and the Paladins know that he can do this. This shouldn’t seem like an out-of-nowhere surprise anymore. Coran’s slipperies remains a problem. I still don’t find his condition to be funny, but the emotion of his apology to Pidge and his asking for help makes his situation have narrative/characterization value. Keith and Lance are back to controlling the weapon drones. They call out targets for one another, which I guess is supposed to be them setting aside the rivalry to help one another, but it’s not realistic. One, an advanced weapon system like these drones would have tracking systems built into them, so each one would have fighters/potential targets being presented on their operational displays. Two, each of them would be too busy operating their own drone to be able to monitor for targets for the other.

The drones go down, other systems, the shields, Coran and Pidge have to take them all offline to power the wormhole generator. The Castle makes a short jump and end up at what looks like a giant gas planet, but they have at least a moment to breathe. Shiro’s worried about how they’re being tracked, and Allura assures him the Castle’s systems would have detected any kind of tracking device. Coran reports the teludav is even more damaged now. Pidge describes the thing that looks like a planet as being a “giant metallic storm.” This show finally has something that looks a fair bit like a realistic planet – it’s kind of Jupiter/Saturn-ish – but it’s a “metallic storm?” Whatever.

The storm should hide them from any technology that could detect them, but Zarkon’s there almost immediately. The shots of Zarkon’s ship above the eye of the storm are beautifully animated. With no known tech being identifiable as letting Zarkon find them, Allura assigns blame to herself. Saying that’s how the Galra found them on Arus too. I guess it’s just the stress of the moment that makes her blame herself. Shiro says none of that matters. (He’s so supportive in moments of crisis! How anyone could think his character is boring, I don’t know.) He says that Voltron needs to lure Zarkon away so that the Castle can get out. He says to Coran, “I need you to do the impossible.” So much leadership!

Galra fighters following Voltron into the storm end up being destroyed by the storm. I don’t understand the structure of this storm. It has an eye, but only on one end? Zarkon’s ship is stationed at that end of the eye, but there’s apparently something beneath the cylinder of the eye of the storm that blocks the other end, and thus the Castle can’t get out that way? That’s the problem when you make up something like this: you have to explain it/depict it in greater scope to let the reader/viewer understand what it is. If this is just a weird, spinning storm in space that has an eye, we’re going to instantly compare it to a hurricane to try to understand it. The eye of a hurricane is open on top and bottom. But this has no bottom opening?

Zarkon rages, “The Black Lion is all that matters.” The Castle flies out of the eye right past Zarkon’s ship. Even if Zarkon is focusing himself on the Black Lion, I can’t believe the entirety of his ship would just stop and not attack the Castle while it flies past. Voltron starts glowing purple and being pulled toward Zarkon’s ship. Shiro states Zarkon’s trying to take control of the Black Lion. Voltron struggles against the pull, and the Lions start emitting beams of light from their eyes. It’s visually confusing because Zarkon’s ship starts exploding, so it makes it look like it’s those beams of light that are damaging the ship until three camera shots later when it’s revealed that the Castle is blasting huge holes through Zarkon’s ship. Given how much damage the Castle is doing, they should be able to easily destroy the entire ship. Zarkon’s concentration is broken, allowing Voltron to escape.

Hunk’s cookies turn out to be made of the stuff that the lenses that need to be replaced in the teludav. It’s a convoluted, silly scene of the Paladins holding the “cookies.” But it doesn’t bother me. Everyone is freaking out. Lance is screaming, “We’re going to die.” And Shiro is just standing there thoroughly unbothered, with an almost resigned, “whatever” look on his face. It’s like the poor guy’s been through too much to even care at this point. The lenses aren’t enough; they need to be shined, and Coran uses his slippery goo to do so. The system works, they Castle jumps into a wormhole and escapes.

This episode does change the dynamic between Team Voltron and Zarkon. He’s no longer just standing around somewhere distant being a villain from afar. Now he’s actively pursuing them himself. The episode thus heightens the overall tension in the show’s ongoing plot.

[gidgets-fabricator]

LOT Historical Costume Tournament: Qualifiers

Character: Amaya

Time Period: 1980s 1/2

Find all polls here

[chantalthuy-yall]

[A DAY TO REMEMBER // PERSONAL POST 1/2]

Dear Tumblr,

I want to write an open letter to convey some of my feelings here because I feel more confident and comfortable in my own space and this blog is my space dedicated to Chantal. Thank you to whoever will read this, I am truly grateful to anyone and anything right now.

As my hands are shaking and stuttering words I don’t recognize on my keyboard, I want to hold on the hope that I will make sense at any point in this (long) rambling of mind that I am on the verge to provide us; as I am trying to process all the feelings, all the emotions I’ve been received since the release of Black Lightning 2x05, I beg your pardon if I ultimately failed this sole mission.

But first of all... AM I ALLOWED TO CRY WITH Y’ALL???!!!!!!! I CAN’T WITH CHANTAL OR ME OR ANYBODY RIGHT NOW. I AM GOING SO INSANE. SEND HELP. PLEAAAAAAASE.

Okay, fuuuu~! Now, let’s go back to the beginning, shall we? 

First, I want to start with little Eloo. (me) being about 7 years old, an already heavy reader of mangas -especially shonen-, watching old animes like Goldorak, being in love with both Actarus and his girlfriend (lol), and more recent ones at the time, like Saint-Seiya. I remember taking my Wednesdays’ lunch at home glued on the TV, in front of Initial-D. I was totally the kind of kid to go to see the bookstore owner of my neighborhood after school, almost every day, to discuss and discover more about the world through channels of communication I appreciated the most. My sole interest apart from Asian culture was the historic Antiquities period, especially Egypt and later growing to Greece and then Roma and its Empire. I was poorly interested by the history of my own country at first, and even less about anything or anyone that more or less looked like me (or at least, what I thought was similar to me). 

Around 9 years old, my father came back with four very old computers, broken, that his company had just throw away. It was the first time I was touching a computer. I will always cherish the memory of this entire weekend my father and I spent to try to fix the many problems these old pieces of junks had. My father had just broken down every piece inside the tower and named every single one of the components. I didn’t know why, maybe out of admiration for him, I just thought that one of this computer and I were going to be best friends. So, after hours and hours of assisting my father in his every move, we managed to save two out of the four computers he had taken back home. He installed a software, Microsoft 1995, and said to me: “you know, the truth is, my company is throwing these computers away because they say that they are slow and not appropriate for our work anymore, but the only problem I see for these computers is actually the change of software. We installed Windows XP on all our computers but the components inside are not powerful enough to sustain XP decently. I am installing 1995 on yours because it’s what will make your computer goes from a Citroen to a Porsche.” And my father was right. The interface was old but it got me through days and night of web searching for contents. The first thing I did was opening word and started to write stories. I couldn’t stop, for hours and hours, I was writing about the characters I liked and why I liked them and if I wanted to be them and if I had imaginary friends what would they look like, etc. It all started from this; the avid curiosity, you know? This impression you know nothing but it is exciting because you learn plenty. Within the first week, I had built my first music database, organized by country name, and singers inside the country files. By the second week I was starting to editing images with a new software I found on the web “Photofiltre”. The results were so ugly, but I was so happy about it. By the first month, I had collected more than 300 titles of world’s films I wanted to see in my life. I was reading scans of my favorite mangas online and I had made a schedule for the anime I wanted to watch each week. I was really happy. But as I was “out”, celebrating the world’s content by clicking on everything I found appealing, a gap started to grow between me, my knowledge, my parents’ knowledge, and our TV. I couldn’t stop talking about India, about Asia, about the Pacific Islands, about how I found Aborigines that were not Native Americans, etc., at our dinners’ conversations. But my parents couldn’t really follow me anymore. And I felt that. And it started to hurt. Soon after, they just decided to put me in front of the TV again because “[I was] too much on the computer, [I was] shutting [myself] down to others.” The truth being that I am a very nice and extrovert kid but at that time I was a bit shy. So I perfectly knew that it was an excuse to “reconnect” with “my” world. And here I was cradled again by a thousand faces analogous to mine, with their problems being where to go on vacation, losing one or two million out of their 23 billion’ fortune. My faith in TV providing me with some content I would enjoy had just totally disappeared at this point.

Instead, I learned to love by watching Bỗng Dưng MuốnnKhóc when I was 13 for the first time, and it stayed with me for 10 years (this year). It transformed me and transcended me in so many ways I cannot describe it. It made me caring and humble as not any teaching could have achieved this. Such a precious one! Instead, I learned about pain with One Liter of Tears. Pain for what we cannot fix yet, pain for this fatalistic optimism in the depth of darkness. I literally cried more than a liter of tears with this one. And I was so touched and traumatized by it that, for months, I kept writing letters to the main character Aya, in a notebook entirely dedicated to her.

Fast-forwarding to my 16, after all these years of me being educated by my researches on the web, shaped by the many things I’d watched and me being a part of the world and connected with many people in my own way, I realized for the first time what I was; or who I was. I had never ever asked myself that question before. I was just seeing myself as an empty content ready to be filled up each day with new knowledge. I was not black, or white, or cinnamon, or green. I was red; because red was my favorite color and red was what I was bleeding when I hurt myself. But the reality stroke me harder. I don’t want to make it sounds weird but I actually never realized I was white until an incident happened. I don’t wish to talk about it though, but all I want to say is that I discovered my whiteness very late and it made me question a lot of things after that. I tried to talk to my relatives about it, to my brother, but they didn’t understand my point. Discovering me not being what I thought of me was weird; my feeling was: I had been looking at a distorting mirror the whole time and for the first time, I was forced to look at me in the most basic mirror out there. I was nowhere near my favorite heroes. The kid that was identifying as Mulan, Nala,  Taranee, Alex, etc. was just a construction of my mind.  And suddenly, it got worse. Not for me, of course, because I was living a peaceful life and stuff, but for all of what my friends have been going through around me that I never picked up. Injustices, remarks from other white folks of mine, fucking annoying jokes on their origins or their parents, police control systematically happening for some of my friends, etc. All of these, a new world was opening right in front of my eyes. And in all honesty, I’ve never felt so dumb in my entire life, for not having been able to notice what I am saying here, earlier on. I was just naive, I guess.

This first punch in the face was followed by a second one, concerning then, my sexuality. The 1st time I thought about my own sexuality was also in high school (still in my 16, it was a rough year for my mental). I don't know why I was always subject to joke about my ambiguous sexuality there. People would argue "she's straight" / "no lesbian". But at that time, I wasn't really interested in trying things or having experiences. I was in love with my life, my family and my friends and that were enough. But others pushed me to decide; pressuring to know if I was someone in the closet. At that time, I wasn't aware of bisexuality because everybody kept splitting the concepts: everything was either black or white. But the more I thought about it myself, the more it felt off. I started to wonder why I am not able to feel more about one way than the other. It gave me a lot of pressure and internal struggles to understand that it was okay to feel this way. Once, I tried to talk about it to a friend, the immediate reaction was "you're a weirdo". I then decided to switch the subject and never talk about it again. Then two years later, I got a boyfriend and we once evoke our thoughts about sexuality. I thought that maybe it was the right moment to talk about this part of me I didn't dare to face because I thought he was open-minded enough to understand me. Again, I got unlucky. When I explained to him that I feel attracted to men he said that it was "normal". And then, when I followed up by saying to him that I've never fallen in love with a woman but I could strongly feel I was attracted to women as well, he laughed and said "that's so hot! I also love watching that on screen". It immediately gave me a strange feeling, as if I had accumulated dirt and mud on my skin. I said nothing and went back home. This time, I didn't want to just forget about this. It actually gave me the need to "identify" more specifically my "not normal" attraction because I was tired of searching for something I couldn’t find in the dark. So I searched for it and after reading, passing online tests like all young folks do, I came to the conclusion that I was bisexual. And suddenly it made sense. 

So then, of course, I wanted to look up to figures in media to make me more confident in accepting myself and be accepted by others. But the bisexual representation at that time was a continuous spreading of aberrant misconceptions. The key points I retained for my sexuality: unstable, thirsty, cheater, the famous bi-curiosity and the rejection or mistrust from both homosexuality and heterosexuality. Great!!! We stan a construction of oneself based on guilt and aberration, right? Products of society™! (LOL *sarcasm when you’re here, you stay here*)

Again, I am fast-forwarding but in short, after a long period of time dealing with these negative thoughts of myself, desperately trying to build up confidence in who I was and who I wasn’t, it finally stroke me: someone. Yes, I was someone. It was never a question of genders as people always tried to imply. It was never a question of thirst. It was about not labeling. it was simply about love; from a person to another. And while I found my satisfying answer concerning my sexuality, everything from that point started to be slightly better. I started to accept myself and I affirmed my love for others as unconditional.♡ I just love people so much; I always did. And I refrained from loving entirely without prejudice for such a long time... Nowadays it seems like a waste. But the most important part, in all of these events, is that I forgot to love myself. And as much as I want to make amends now, it is really hard. I am still learning to love myself every day a little more. I've made my way to a healthy acceptance of myself now, but sometimes my head cannot help but go backward and my mood crumbles again.  

Which brings me to my 20. That’s about the time I reconnected insanely with the US TV series. I discovered the baby series Sense8 and I got addicted to the love, the vision, the sci-fi they were feeding us with. I’ve never mentioned it but my favorite movie is Matrix, so I was ecstatic to dive in the Warchowsky work again. I learned to take some pride in who I was thanks to Sense8, I will never forget my self-esteem boiling at some point, under my veins. And last year, when they released the finale, I cried all my eyeballs out, stunned by the beauty of their work. And suddenly, I got empowered by the love, the sharing with other fans, the thought of “not being alone” in this.

And I sincerely thought “wow, representations have changed!”, “minds are changing”. And it was true because the newest representations on media blossoming here and there in diverse countries are strengthening this healthy path of constructing oneself. Bisexual representation has indeed evolved, and as the first concerned, I am happy and thankful to witness that. From shame to pride, from tears to smile, I am now confident that we are entering an era where people are given more and more room to speak up about these injustices. Or better, when they are turned down, they have the possibility to rebel, on numbers and with solidarity.  We now have strong female leads to carry our ideas and act responsibly on repairing the stereotypical behavior of many before them. My mind goes to many current ships thundergrace, avalance, wayhaught, kadena, deanoru, and many more. They are the one to help build a safe zone and a new space for younger generations to grow beautifully. But not only them, after making my way out of this, I also bare a responsibility toward others to prevent their self-esteem to go down like it did for me. 

SO in all of this, you must have gotten by now that I love being educated by mediatic content whether it is on the web or on Netflix or whatever. And I love sci-fi and superheroes. So what’s better than Black Lightning? I seriously don’t know because I love Black Lightning so much, I am so damn addicted to this show that sometimes I forget to live. BUT the best part (for me) to black lightning, is the addition of Chantal Thuy to the cast. Chantal is playing a bisexual woman of color, more specifically stated as Asian American. And her character, Grace Choi, stated as soon as her second episode on the show that she was bi, to one of the main characters (her now girlfriend Anissa, making the thundergrace ship). It felt so right, not justified, not aggressive, just perfect, I was actually tearing when I heard her words. I thought “this is the representation I always wanted to see. I see me, I see us.” and right after “I. NEED. MORE.” (yes, I am stating the obvious again haha). The more we dive into Grace character, the less we are disappointed and the more we become high and amazed by her: she is soft but strong-headed, she has a smile that could illuminate the whole world if it was ever shutting down, she loves Anissa and didn’t shy away to say it or feeling something when the line was blurred by Anissa’s actions. And now that the excellent 2x05 has passed, Grace showed us she had powers and she was hiding them. During 2x05 also, something very important happened again, and in all honesty, I’ve never watched such a raw and honest conversation that I would label as “pillow talk” between two same-sex characters in a relationship (and especially women). It moved me again because as a bisexual, we are often mistaken as the people that swipe left and right going here and there for sex. So usually if someone comes in for comfort or his/her own good, they will think that we have to take them all in. But as Grace stated very clearly: “[we] are not [...] handbag[s].” And I love it that she says that because this is exactly what I wanted to hear. She respects herself enough to stand up against this kind of behavior that harms us more than often. In a way, it’s toxic. In her defense, she loves Anissa, the problem is not in their love. The problem is in the way Anissa copes with her feelings and emotions. They are not on the same level of understanding yet. Both of them have to grow from the experience. And, I AM SO HERE FOR IT. I love that Chantal is slowly becoming a more present and an important character for the show. Again, I AM SO HERE FOR IT. It is really a true benediction to this world and I am very lucky to be able to witness that. 

That’s with all of that in mind that I decided to send a package to Chantal. To thank her for her amazing work on Black Lightning and on other characters too. Because while checking to her IMDb page, I realized that it was not the first time I had been watching her on TV. Indeed, the 1st time I saw Chantal on TV was with my grandma during summer vacations, watching Madam Secretary on her couch. But I didn't remember back then because I wasn't really into the show. It’s when I finally checked out again the episode 1x14 of Madam Secretary that I realized it was the same person. I remember that my grandma pushed me to stay to watch the show with her. My grandma loves these kinds of shows because she has never been able to travel physically outside our country. Yet, she traveled through her programs, discovering many different backgrounds and situations of characters she never expected. Madam Secretary and other shows such as the police or the attorney kinds often put minorities in a certain light, I wouldn't say the best, but the major audience responds to it with compassion. My grandma did so, it broadened her horizons a little bit. She was receptive to these stories and receptive to Nhung Chuang story too. I want to write it, so I’ll never forget.

In between yesterday and today, the mail safely arrived in Chantal’s hands. That’s what the content of this video is all about. Being honest again, it is the very first time I am sending a letter to someone I really admire like this. It never happened to me before. Stating the fact, I think it says it all. I have no word left because every single one she aligned one after another to talk to me has left me breathless and speechless. Her smile has supplanted the sun at this point, and I am in nowhere near a sane and healthy recovery. I’ve been hit by sunstroke.

In the second video, she thanks me for my letter and everything inside the package. But I still can’t understand. Chantal, why thanking me? I am the one that should be thanking you! Chantal, you are the most precious person we have in this universe. You are smart, kindhearted, beautifully generous, talented, pretty and honest. You have nothing to thank me for!! haha Anyway, all I want to say again and again and again is: I LOVE YOU. (Is that the hundredth time I am writing it to you yet?????) ♥♥

Thank you if you had the patience to read all these words until the end... I might edit the content later because it’s 02:22 AM where I live. xx, Eloo. Writing to me, and to her. (1/2)

[bending-sickle]

Year of 2017

Mental

Self Harm (low then medium then so much)

Anxiety x 35

Lorazepam x 10

Diazepam x13

+ x1 and x2 Tester Doses

Attack x 1 (Apr. 8)

Cry x 88

Days x 69

Lost Day x 4

Compulsive x 15

Insomnia x 2

Intrusive Thoughts x 3

Irritable x 5

Heavily depressed (Sept. 14-18, Nov. 15-19)

Professional Assistance

Psychologist x 7

Psychiatrist x 4

Employment x 11

Unemployment Office x 6

Employment

Interview (Apr. 3)

Work (Apr. 5-10)

Exercise

Pilates x 58

Walk x 99

Run x 6

Swim x 1

Dog Shelter Volunteer x 62

includes walk, run, social

Films

50 Days of Night (2007)

Airplane! (1980)

Arrival (2016)

BBC Earth’s Super Small Animals (2017)

Before the Flood (2016)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Brave New World (1980)

Bridget Jones’ Baby (2016)

Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)

Burnt (2015)

Children of the Sex Trade (2014)

Chosen (2008)

Comedy Central Presents Mitch Hedberg (1999)

Confessions of a Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1999)

Dahmer (2002)

The Dangerous Few (1995)

Death Becomes Her (1991)

Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman, The Movie (1999)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

The Duchess (2008)

Echo of the Elephants: The Final Chapter (2005)

Eddie Izzard’s Force Majeure (2014)

Elle (2016)

Emelie (2015)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Fences (2016)

Flightplan (2005)

The Girls Who Were Found Alive (2008)

Growing Up Quiverfull: The Duggar’s Destructive Cult (2015)

Hidden Figures (2016)

High Rise (2015)

I Saw the Light (2015)

Inaugural USA Presidential Speech (2017)

Incest: The Last Taboo? (2010)

Indianapolis Museum of Arya’s revealing Garments: A Brief History of Woman’s Underwear (2012)

Inside the Tanks (2017)

It (2017)

It Comes At Night (2017)

Jack and Diane (2012)

Keeping Mum (2005)

The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart (20??)

Kill Your Friends (2015)

King Arthur (2004)

La dictadura perfecta (2014)

Legally Blonde: Red, White and Blonde (2003

Lilah and Diane (2015)

The Lost Girls of South Africa (2010)

LSA Summer Institute’s Monolingual Fieldwork Demonstration with Daniel Everett (2013)

Mæn & Høns (2015)

Michael Collins (1996)

Michael Kohlhaas (2013)

Michael Moore in Trump Land (2016)

Minority Report (2002)

Moana (2016)

Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Mustang (2015)

My Horse University’s Stinghalt and Shivers Explained (2017)

Natascha Kampusch: 3096 Days in Captivity (2010)

NBC’s Confessions of a Serial Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer (1994)

NBC’s Debra LeFave: Crossing the Line (2006)

Neujahrskonzert: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (2017)

The Old Lady and the Pigeons (1998)

On the Trail of Tragedy: The Excavation of the Donner Party Site (1994)

La otra conquista (1998)

Perfectos desconocidos (2017, in cinema)

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1978)

Primus (2011)

Rogue One (2016)

Sarafina! (1992)

The Scapegoat (2011)

Se Dio Vuole (2015)

The Secrets of the Austrian Cellar (2008)

Shell-Shock in WW1 (2013)

Sherlock’s Garbage and Here’s Why (2017)

Simon Amstell’s Do Nothing (2010)

Skyfall (2012)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Their Finest Hour (2016, in cinema)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Too Legit (2016)

Trevor Noah’s Afraid of the Dark (2017)

Trevor Noah’s Lost in Translation (2015)

Victoria and Abdul (2017, in cinema)

Warrior (2011)

White House Correspondent’s Dinner: Hassan Minaj (2017)

Wuthering Heights (2009)

Youth (2015)

Young Hercules: The Movie (1998)

Television

The 100 (1x01, Season 4)

Adventure Time (5x23-5x34, 5x37, 5x40-5x46, 5x48-5x52, Season 6)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (1x01-1x02, 3x01)

American Crime Story’s The People vs O.J. Simpson 1x10

American Gods (Season 1)

Atlanta (1x01)

Berlin Station (1x08)

Better Call Saul (2x09-2x10)

Between the Sheets (Abridged) (Season 1)

Black Sails (Season 1-4)

Bob’s Burgers (1x02, 2x02, 3x10. 3x20, 4x05, 5x04, 5x10, 6x19, 7x06-7x22, 8x01-8x06)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (4x21-4x22, 7x02-7x05)

Charlie Brooker’s Wipe (2016)

Children of Crime (1x02)

Community (3x14)

Crime Investigation Australia (1x16)

The Crown (Season 1, Season 2)

CSI: Las Vegas 1x01

The Daily Show (2017)

Des crimes presques parfaits (3x06)

Dexter (Season 1-8)

Dexter: Early Cuts (Season 1-2)

Dr Quinn Medicine Woman (1x15-1x16, 2x01-2x15)

Fear the Walking Dead (1x01-1x02)

Fullmetal Alchemist (#14-24)

Game of Thrones (6x10, Season 7)

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (1x01)

The Golden Girls (Season 1-5)

The Great British Bake Off (6x01, Season 7)

Grey’s Anatomy (1x01, 13x10-13x24, 14x01-14x08)

The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 1)

Hannibal (1x01)

The Hollow Crown (1x03-1x04)

Homeland (4x02-4x07, 5x01-5x02)

How to Get Away with Murder (3x11-3x15, 4x01-4x08)

I Survived 2x01-02, 2x05-2x06, 2x10-2x12, 2x15, 3x01

The Impressionists (Season 1)

Kimi Ga Oshietekureta Koto (1x07-1x12)

Last Week Tonight (2017)

The Leftovers (Season 3)

Live at the Apollo (5x05)

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (Season 1)

La mafia uccide solo d’estate (1x02)

Medium (Season 3, Season 4, Season 5, Season 6, Season 7)

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2x13)

Modern Family (1x01)

Monty Python’s Flying Circus (#24-39)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (4x24) 

Mugshots (1x06)

Peaky Blinders (Season 4)

Poldark (2x05-2x10, Season 3)

Preacher (Season 3)

Pride and prejudice (Season 1)

Private Practice (1x01-1x02)

Reign (1x01)

The Secret River (Season 1)

Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs (Season 1)

The Staircase (Soupçons) (Season 1)

The Staircase 2: Last Chance (Season 1)

Stranger Things (Season 2)

Shadowhunters (1x11-1x12)

Sherlock (4x01-4x02)

Sleepy Hollow (1x07)

The Strain (1x01-1x02)

Supernatural (8x01)

Suits (2x12)

Taboo (Season 1)

Teen Wolf (6x06-6x20)

Trial and Error (Season 1)

The Twilight Zone (#40-44)

Twin Peaks (Season 1, 2x01-2x02)

Vikings (4x16-4x20, 5x01-5x04)

The Walking Dead (7x09-7x16, 8x01-8x08)

Westworld (Season 1)

White Collar (2x09)

Whose Line is it Anyway (Season 13)

Young Hercules (1x01-1x08)

Podcasts

AngloFilles

Common Sense

Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap

Lore

A Matter of Taste

MonsterTalk

My Brother, My Brother, and Me

My Favorite Murder

Sawbones

Reading

Justice is Blonde by Pollydoodles

Witnessed by Yahtzee

Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life (2002) by Susan Forward and Craig Buck

This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It (2013) by David Wong

Daughters of Narcisistic Mothers (epub version of the website) by Danu Morrigan

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances (2015) by Neil Gaiman

The Death Cure (2011) by James Dashner

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903) - Beatrix Potter

Jeffrey Dahmer - Wikipedia Entry

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men (2002) - Lundy Bancroft

Crux by bonehandledknife (ladywinter) & primarybufferpanel (ArwenLune)

It's a Neighborly Day in This Beautywood by Masu_Trout

Burning at Both Ends by Seraina (seraina_doom)

The Worm Ouroboros (1922) by E. R. Eddison

A Dark Light (2017) by Nuingiliath

The Face (2003) by Dean Koontz

Pyramids (1989) by Terry Pratchett

The Silence of the Lambs (1988) by Thomas Harris

Dead by Sunset: Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer? (1995) by Anne Rule

What the Hell Did I Just Read: A Novel of Cosmic Horror (2017) by David Wong

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits (2015) by David Wong

The Prince by astolat

Snails & Slugs

Snails

Tally = 20 (Feb. 5)

Transfer 

Blue, Pink, and Pastel (hatched Jan. 31) into terrarium (Feb. 19)

Three babies (Dec 19)

New 

Pretty Shell and Broken Shell a.k.a. Osiris (Feb. 24)

Blind Snail (May 8)

Round-Mouthed Snails x 10 (June 5)

Dead

Lucretia (July 6)

Baby Blue (Aug. 19)

Goliath (Sep 5)

Pretty (Sep 12)

Pink (Oct 26)

Osiris (Dec. 16)

Snail eggs 

hatch (Sep 23)

batch (Sept. 13, Sept. 19, Nov. 1)

Slugs 

Tally 

= 8 (Feb. 22)

= 30 (June 19)

Transfer hatchling x1 to terrarium (May 18)

Transfer hatchling x3 to terrarium (June 16)

Transfer hatchling x1 to terrarium (June 13)

Woodlice

x 1 (Apr. 3)

Yellow x1 (June 5)

Earthworms 

Many in April

All gone by July

Bee (Brunhilda) (Apr. 15-16)

Caterpillar

Nesting (Jul 22)

Magpie failed rescue (June 12)

Swallows

Back (Mar. 28)

Nesting (June 2)

Oscar the Caterpillar 

New (Sept 23)

Nesting as a pupae (Sep 24)

Wadjet the glow worm 

New (Nov 20)

Health

Allergies (May 4, May 7, 12, 16, 21, 29, 30, 31)

Blood pressure (Jan. 20 - 119/63; Sep. 9 - 95/58; Sept. 10 - 102/63; Sept. 11 - 102/68)

Dizziness (Jan. 19-20, Apr. 18)

Left Eye

Pinguecula or pterygium (start Sep. 5)

Pain (Dec 28-31, cont.)

Exhaustion (Apr. 17-18, Aug. 24)

G.I. Issues (Jan. 11-12, Jan. 18, Jan. 20)

Sick (stomach flu) (Dec. 8-9)

Joint Pain 

Thumb (starts July 25)

Hand (starts Aug. 12, strong Aug 24.)

Headache (May 9-11)

Insomnia (Aug. 18, 21)

Migraine (Mar. 23)

Periodic Limb Movement (Jan. 22, Jan. 23, Mar. 20, May 8)

Tooth Pain (Aug. 5)

Weight

Other

Art class (Apr. 26-June 21)

Belle and Sebastian Concert (June 18)

Cigarillo x2 (Mar. 9, Sep. 13)

Beach x1

Hair

Cut (Apr. 25)

Henna (Mar. 4)

Dye (May 6)

Bleach (May 28, May 29, May 30)

Dye blue (May 31, June 1)

Cut and dye (Sep. 6)

Cut bangs (Dec. 5)

Nap x5

Social x61

Terrorist Attack (Aug. 17)

Mom’s Eviction Threat (Oct. 28)

Places

Andorra La Vella x1

Barcelona x 11

La Seu d’Urgell x1

Madrid (July 5-8)

Reus x1

Vilafranca x1

Vilanova x 37

Alcohol

Days x 180

Beer x 70

Campari x 12

Cava x 31

Clara x 12

Port x 6

Shots x 8

Tinto de Verano x2

Vermout x 11

Wine x 123