#awful terrible I haaaate it

[youngchronicpain]

There is a muscle twitching in my arm that will not stop and it is so very bothersome I can't help but imagine graphic imagery with a carving knife.

[bonebabbles]

This is the pettiest thing I will ever post. But when I see Gray Wing put up with the song Mr. Cellophane I think,

Don't you dare compare Amos Hart to that hideous beast. Amos deserves the ENTIRE WORLD and also A UNION

good. gray wing deserves this, actually. Cry about it

It does legitimately interest me though, how the song becomes re-contextualized by changing the singer like this.

For those who don't know; Chicago is a musical about awful people and the way Roxie Hart and her lawyer, Billy Flynn, are able to whip the media surrounding Roxie's trial into a tool to get her acquitted of a coldblooded murder.

It's about trickery, with the only two well-meaning people in the entire cast taking the consequences. A hotshot prosecutor hangs the only innocent woman in the jail (Hunyak, a Hungarian who can't speak English and whose public defender refuses to do his job), and Roxie's husband, Amos Hart, bankrupts himself to pay for Roxie's lawyer.

Roxie haaaates Amos. She lies to him about her victim, convincing him cover up her murder, only for it to fall apart when he finds out she had been cheating on him with this man and the truth comes together. Yet, he still spends every cent he has on Billy Flynn, a very expensive lawyer, to save her from the noose.

He's not a smart man, and that's the tragedy. He's a rube she takes advantage of. She was always planning to leave him.

The whole time, Amos is kept out of the loop and used in even more schemes. Roxie feigns pregnancy to get media sympathy, frames him as a mastermind who "convinced a nun to elope one day," and ignores him for the entire trial before leaving him in the end.

So when he sings Mr. Cellophane, what that serves is to show that Amos wants ONE thing. He just wants to be noticed. Not loved, he doesn't want to own her, he doesn't wish he never paid for her defense. He wants to be NOTICED.

And that's very unlike Gray Wing, but people will hear Mr. Cellophane out of context and just think it's about sadboy pining.

Gray Wing treats Turtle Tail like shit as he obsesses over Storm, who was never interested in him. He treats her buddy Bumble like shit and yells at Turtle for having the wrong friend. He doesn't run after heavily pregnant Storm when she leaves Clear Sky for being a controlling, war-hungry monster who argues with her in public and exiled his disabled brother.

He holds a grudge against Bumble for "taking" Turtle from him, happy to watch her dragged back to a domestic abuser, and couldn't give less of a shit when she dies violently because she just HAD to go and get herself killed by his Beloved Brother and now no one will like him :(

And even worse-- he's NOT Mr. Cellophane. People think Gray Wing is the wisest motherfucker in the forest, they run after him and beg him to help them lead all the time, trusting his dumb, terrible choices and clouded judgement to the point of absurdity.

He's the writer's pet, even "rewarded" with a woman in the end to birth his biological kittens

There's something really interesting in that, though.

The song from the mouth of Amos Hart, it's insight to his goodness. Even after all this mistreatment, after being so OBVIOUSLY taken advantage of, slandered, drained of everything, all he wants is to be noticed. It's a fatal flaw.

In the mouth of Gray Wing, it's whining. It's the same bitching and moaning he does all series long, crying about how people don't listen to him when really they should listen to him less. It's "But I'm a Nice Guy!" entitlement, a refusal to self-reflect on why those three women didn't fucking like him. A fatal flaw, but in the opposite way.

[kishimotomasashi]

https://at.tumblr.com/kishimotomasashi/send-a-characters-name-to-receive-four-different/ssmr34k2vxh1 sasuke

Send a character’s name to receive four different headcanons

Headcanon A: realistic

Lately I've been playing around with the idea that Sasuke actually did work hard at getting the skills required for him to graduate the Academy early; he'd mastered most of the pratical skills you'd learn at ninja school at around 10 years old. He was refused the ability to graduate though, on grounds that his attitude in class needed work before he was trusted on actual missions.

Which is only 20% of why he was actually refused: Sasuke being at the Academy was a convenient way for Hiruzen to keep a constant eye on him and his safety and so he wanted to keep him there as long as possible. He was already intending to assign him to Kakashi when he graduated but at the time Kakashi was still failing graduated kids at an alarming rate so Hiruzen thought you know what... let's wait for that to calm down a little first.

Meanwhile Sasuke is very frustrated about not being able to graduate and even tried to stop going to school in protest. Hiruzen made him keep at it by threatening him that he wouldn't allow him to become a proper shinobi if he didn't. So in his last 2 years at the Academy, Sasuke was a little more unpleasant to be around than usual.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

I don't know if this counts but I am a strong proponent for Encyclopedia of Useless (Sharingan-gained) Knowledge Sasuke. Sasuke has used his sharingan to learn, read and memorize quicker because he haaaates sitting down to read and study for too long and as a result knows a bunch of trivia facts that are completely worthless to him except on the odd chance that someone mentions the subject to be wrong, and he corrects them and doesn't explain why he happens to know some random shit

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Honestly, Sasuke's canon life is terrible and sad enough that I've never felt the need to make up more terrible headcanons for him. But I DO really like this headcanon in which, after the Tsukuyomi torture thing, he goes back home just to completely trash Itachi's room in a blind rage.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

In my heart, he is an excellent singer. I don't think I've enjoyed a single character in which I've just projected the idea that they can sing well onto.

[spartalabouche]

sending u anon hate for hating the phantom tollbooth.

sending you anon hate for zero empathy for 9 year old sparta i can barely even remember what its avout i just remember HAAAATING it with my wntire being. evil book. terrible awful vibes.

[radioromantic-moved]

NYX'S LIBRARY OF GAY SHIT

every (completed) self ship fic i've ever written babey!!! there will be a link to this on my carrd in a little bit. don't worry it's not the full text of every single thing under the keep reading it's just links. i promise

EYE OF THE STORM (DELLA X NYX)

untitled reunion (i'll level with you guys this one is old and probably embarrassing. but in the interest of posterity it's here)

SOMEONE WILL REMEMBER US IN THE FUTURE (THETIS X XENO! THEY HAVE A NAME NOW!)

the sea and those who love it (i haaaate this dialogue i cannot write anything old-fashionedy without sounding like a cringy roleplayer!! also this is technically not complete it was supposed to be like a multichapter thing but it works like this so. it's fine)

YOUR ANNUAL ENTREPRENEUR (FRANK X NYX)

"ray of sunshine" (unfortunately i think maybe i think all of my old shit is a little cringe. this is fine i hope it's fine. aged only a little poorly.)

DOOR TO NOWHERE (HELEN X NYX)

ode to a modern meneleus (this one still fucks. written when i was real sad about her canon death.)

nothing worth loving isn't askew (the longest completed self ship fic i have Ever Written! light body horror in chapter 5, general creepy shit throughout but filtered through the perspective of a protagonist who deals with scary shit through humor. this thing is a Beast it's over 50 pages and i've never shown it in its entirety to anyone before. this feels a little like sending your firstborn child off to school.)

not a fic but! her ship playlist :)

FOLIE‏‏‎ ‎A‏‏‎ ‎DEUX (CYTREX. JESUS CHRIST.)

tw for alcoholism or at least the suggestion of it for everything here

an awful realization fic (how this wretched bullshit all got started)

another awful realization fic (the sequel...briefly suggestive but not on purpose and it's incredibly awkward and terrible for all involved)

whatever this is. (okay i was struggling with intrusive thoughts and having a really bad evening and i needed to comfort myself somehow and listen. listen. listen. did it make me feel better? yes. i don't have a defense on this one. your honor there are worse coping mechanisms...)

drabblecember 3 (not very explicitly romantic but perhaps that is a good thing.)

barstool operatic (has never seen the light of day before! this is a little like sending your secondborn child off to school but they still haven't learned it's not okay to bite people and you're worried you will have to attend a parent teacher meeting. conflicts a little with the canon of the first fic on the list though it doesn't necessarily conflict with the second. genuinely one of the best fanfics i've ever written i just wish it wasn't. well. for this.)

they have a playlist too

COBRA LILY (BERNTIGONE. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO END ON THAT)

drabblecember 1 (sadly the only completed fic i have of them as of right now but i like it the best out of the 3 drabblecembers so it's okay)

one more playlist for the road!

MOTH TO A FLAME (MOSS X NYX ALMOST FORGOT)

drabblecember 2 (still don't Love this one but i may have been too hard on it before. i still want to develop my‏‏‎ ‎monprom‏‏‎ ‎s/i‏‏‎ ‎more they're too generic right now)

[gorematchala]

What did you dislike about Pokémon gen 5?

I didnt play it when it first came out cuz I was in a PSP phase at the time, so a lot of it was probably expectations being built up by people saying how good the games were, and me seeing how amazing the Pokémon themselves were. Then eventually I learned what the story was about and it read to me like they let an edgy american middle schooler write the plot. Cuz the whole thing is like "are Pokémon abused actually?" And the answer is no. When Ash's Charizard doesn't feel like fighting it doesn't. You can't force them to

Then I think I got Black 2 from someone eventaully and I played it cuz I though Kyurem was crazy looking, and Colress spends the whole game collaborating with the nationalist socialist party of Unova to test his hypothesis that bonds of friendship make Pokémon stronger. And I'm like, Buddy!! Wait till you hear what every single episode of the anime and every movie is about!

So it was not only failing me on a narrative perspective, but I also just didnt like the region, and black 2 is constantly stopping you in the middle of routes to introduce new wireless features and side bullshit that doesnt matter

And my most controversial take on those games is that I fucking haaaate the sprite animations. The awful distortion on the otherwise amazing sprites is so infuriating to me and I don't know anyone else who feels the same. I cant believe they stuck with it and ruined like 600 beautiful sprites for terrible hopping and wiggling animations that give me weird motion sickness

I also think most of the character designs like Cheren are kinda not great. I dont like Alder or Iris or Drayden. It's literally everything about the games besides their god tier amazing pokedex, and Bianca's pawg status in the sequels, and Lorainne being the coolest ever. I'm eagerly awaiting Pokémon Brilliant Black and Shining White cuz I wanna see them release the exact same identical games and for people to suddenly not like them anymore like with gen 4 lol

[dirt-goth]

The sticker machine at the skating rink!!! Memory unlocked my friend. Did y’all have the girls that were like wanna be bratz and the awful tribal art?

Oh absolutely we did 😭 It was actually terrible for me bc I was really awkard and kinda fat so those wannabe Bratz girls haaaated me, and it didn't help we also went to school together.

I just miss the needlessly bright carpet and the insane playlists they would compile for a group of 6 to 15 year old kids...

[totalspiffage]

man i love DA but i hate That One Character that inevitably makes their way onto my dash like mnn nope

[veronicasanders]

are you vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian etc and if so why did you turn to those dietary restrictions?

I've been a vegetarian or pescatarian since I was about 9 years old.

The reason is because I've always hated (haaaated) chicken, especially these pan-fried bread-crumb-covered chicken cutlets that my mother literally made like 3 times a week when I was growing up. I never cared that much about any meat, but I HATED that chicken.

Anyway one day, I was sitting watching a documentary about factory farming with my parents, and we got to the part with the chickens kept in the tiny cages, and my mom was like, "Oh, that's so awful." And I saw my chance. I was like "Yes! It's so terrible!! I don't want to eat meat anymore! I want to be a vegetarian!"

And she was like, "Okay."

And the villagers rejoiced! Lol, I was so proud of myself. Along the way I did become on board with all of the political arguments for eating less meat, but the truth is that I would probably still eat it occasionally (maybe?) if I didn't need to use the word "vegetarian" in those first few years of like 9-12. And now I've just lost the taste for it completely.

That said, I will not turn down a lobster roll.

[breezy-cheezy]

I finished Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Long story short, I loved it!! So much!! And there’s alot I wanna rant about so here we are. A review of sorts?? Major spoilers ahead! 

And if y’all think you’re immune to spoilers because you played the original FF7, YOU ARE NOT. Lots of new stuff here....just warning y’all.

Although! I did find this great looking walkthrough playlist if anyone’s interested and can’t play the thing themselves? Idk how complete it is with the details, but from a glance it looks nice! 

- FIRST OF ALL the music in it all is amazing!!! From the menu song all throughout, I got Emotional. All the rehashings of Aerith’s theme?? Tifa’s theme?? The FF7 main theme here are there?? AMAZING!!!! I need to find a tracklist or something there are so many versions of the songs specific to the scenes they played in and I die??? Man it is Good. 

- On the music front, I really enjoyed the Jukebox feature! So they could add in old classic songs that story-wise couldn’t appear yet...good nostalgia there. 

- Lil disclaimer, I played the original FF7 fairly recently, on Steam. HOWEVER. I played Crisis Core years ago, and watched Advent Children, etc. And Final Fantasy music has been a staple homework playlist for me for ages now.... So yes I’m new to the whole FF7 original story. But not new in how most people are...it’s a weird situation lol. Like I knew the general FF7 story for awhile but just recently filled the details....

- The gameplay is awesome!! I wasn’t great at it, but...tbh it felt like mechanics combo of the original FF7, FF15, annnnd Kingdom Hearts :D Also appreciated it PAUSED when you picked out commands lol. Loved upgrading weapons. Loved working with materia. I wish there were like...ways to save a materia set so you could easily switch over when your characters were switched out though X’’’’D 

- Biggs is Aro/Ace

- Cloud is VERY Aro/Ace

- Tifa might be Ace

- I decided long ago (in my Crisis Core phase) that Sephiroth is Aro/Ace. There’s nothing to “prove it” in this game but I’m holding to it. I have claimed these characters askjdhuiwdhguerhgr

- Side note, slightly related, but I love how the relationships shone in this remake?? Lots of casual, comfortable touch with Tifa and Cloud (in which Cloud seems in general pretty touch averse due likely to Trauma) in a “we’ve known each other our whole lives” way and gosh I love them. Aerith with Cloud is adorable. Barret!!! Was characterized SO WELL here, and I love him way more than I ever did!! Barret and Tifa interactions as well were so heartfelt and wonderful aaaaaa how good

- Like...Barret haaaates Cloud in the beginning. But somewhere along the way he adopts Cloud instead and ain’t that fantastic?? He just can’t contain how much he cares about others and especially his daughter and goSH I love him. 

- Aerith!! I love her!! She gave such a vibe that she knows more than she says, but is still so cute and sweet and sassy I LOVE!!!! Also that scene in the train graveyard with baby Aerith ;;~;; 

- Also

Cloud: You need any help??

Aerith, climbing a ladder: I’m fine. You don’t need to treat me like a princess or anything~~~

*ladder breaks*

Aerith, completely serious: s h * t.

I LAUGH

- Cloud was actually really cute with kids!!!!! 

- I think I saw a post where they talked about how much more consistent characterizations were here?? I have to agree. I feel some stuff was lost in translation while playing FF7 original, and it felt alot more put together, character-wise, here. I feel like some of that was learned from FF15 and its success with character relationships?? It was Good. 

_ I rambled about this before, but Wall Market was every bit as embarrassing as you would think. *covers face*

- Also I thought it was interesting how they handled who was in your party when! A little annoying sometimes though, switching materia around!!! DX I also really wanted to actually PLAY Red XIII/Nanaki....but sure make him an NPC, whatever. (I am grateful he healed me often.)

- *me when Nanaki shows up* AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! THERE HE IS!!!!!!! (sidenote, in the original, I didn’t wanna call him by his experiment name. He’s the only character I changed the name of. The name I picked? Ignis. :”D )

- The motorcycle segments were ANNOYING AS HECK, especially that last one in escaping the Shinra building DX The game forced your camera to focus on the boss and that made the controls VERY ANNOYING. Cool to watch tho.

- I actually almost completed the game boss fight chain early last night!! But RIGHT when I got to Sephiroth, the family demanded I get off the TV for their use D: all that progress....I had to redo ALOT. DX 

- STILL the fights were VERY cool! Reminded me of KHII end alot actually, jumping around on broken floating buildings and whatnot?? Also the creature looked like a HUGE DARKSIDE heartless lol

- There’s actually alot in this remake that gives alot of a KH feel to me?? Nomura I see you....

- *screeching the One Winged Angel theme still not knowing the words* 

- I LOVED how they showed scenes of the future in the end?? Probably ripped from Advent Children, but?? The characters actually seeing that?? Going “this CAN’T be our future!!” Yo. Also it’s implied it might not HAPPEN now going against destiny and all. I know alot of people are pissed but I am EXCITED. I’m all for a fix-it fic game thank YOU. 

- Speaking of fix-it: ZACK. ZAAAAAACK!!!!!! It’s implied he’s alive in one reality so WHERE IS HE??????? I’m so curious about this new story. I’m gonna eat up theories. I want!! To see!! My baby boy!!!!!! to be Fair (haha) I spoiled myself knowing he was in the game but I didn’t know WHEN!!!

- This is terrible, but I love how much they expressed how NOT OK Cloud is. His mental state is awful, but boi won’t talk about it. 

- Like I know it’s in the original, but it comes up ALOT more in the remake, and the flashbacks/brain short out moments are more obvious in HD for sure. Plus Cloud’s eyes seem more green there, which is a great touch!! Also the incredible FORESHADOWING it brought. Love it. Please someone help this idiot with his headaches....

- I did get annoyed with the whole scene in Hojo’s lab. Cloud’s walking like a zombie toward where Jenova is, saying CONCERNING things, and NO ONE reaches out until he outright collapses? We all just gonna stand back and watch?? Sure ok. 

- Hojo is absolutely disgusting and horrifying and exactly how I imagined him, creators did great job.

- Also why does no one use curaga in these character death scenes???? Potion? Anything????Hello??????

- I was so relieved Wedge (and one of his 3 cats) got to live, and then devastated when they chucked him out a window last minute ;;A;; still. I didn’t see a body. Maybe he’s ok.....*sobs*

- I WAS NOT EXPECTING BIGGS TO BE SEEN IN RECOVERY THO YEEEEESSSSS (I love ANY sign that they DID manage to change the future a little...I thought he was dead!!) Fun fact! The one part I legitimately started crying was when Biggs “died”! Hhhhhhhhhh

- Those dang dementors huh? X’’’D Whispers of fate...there to make sure the story goes according to the original game basically. Does that make the whispers the purist fans of FF7? ...please don’t kill me for that comment sidfiushguigerha

- I just wanna say making a game ABOUT making a remake (that is different from the original) and the struggles in that is VERY meta and so clever and delightful and I LOVE IT. I really wanna see what happens next....

All in all I spent 52 hours on this game. WAY more than I expected for only covering Midgar. And I ENJOYED it!! Some parts felt like the story was being dragged/padded, but most of the time I didn’t care. Also there’s even more to do?? Apparently I missed some scenes....I don’t have time for now, but maybe someday. Or maybe I’ll just look them up ;;7;; 

It’s a good game y’all!!

[graffitibible]

K I went on the wiki for repo! and it looks really cool?? Would you mind elaborating on the au? specially kobra and party’s roles. And would you recommend the movie or the play version?

the movie is def the most “cohesive” version of the story - the stageplays are basically beta versions of the movie, and the movie had an actual…..budget….kind of lmao. i WILL warn you that it is an intensely gory film and there is a lot of grody stuff in there since it’s rated R for a reason - there’s nudity, some truly repulsive characters, lots of surgical horror, the whole nine yards - and generally it would not be my cup of tea but it’s so campy and over the top that i just find the whole thing hilarious lmao. literally one of my top movies of all time purely because it is the WEIRDEST shit i’ve ever seen. this thing came out in 2008 so the only reason it got literally any attention was because of all the emos and goths who adored the shit out of it since critics haaaated it. but the movie is def my preferred version of the story. you got giles from buffy as the world’s saddest and shittiest dad, how could you not love it

SO….the story of repo is such a grisly fucking tale but basically, as a primer, this is a terrible future where an epidemic of organ failures nearly wipes out the population but a biotech company called geneco was able to stop it and ultimately save humanity by offering organ financing. basically they will loan you some delicious organ meat on the premise that it will work just like any other loan and if you default on your payments they will repossess your organs. so we’ve got repo men who walk around ripping people’s organs out because murder is sanctioned by law thanks to greedy corporations. like i said i have some very singular tastes in media and This Theme is one of them

now loop back to the characters you’re really here for. poison and kobra are living in their parents’ old home but since this is a grim-ass future there really aren’t a lot of good jobs around, your options are either to work for this Massive Evil Corporation That Kills People or to slum it by robbing graves and selling drugs. poison and kobra have this chronic codependency wherein they would do literally anything for each other but don’t want the other to do the same. it’s incredibly unhealthy and deeply self-sacrificial and more than a little rooted in a profound self-loathing in both of their respective cases. they love each other to death, they Would Die For Each Other, but if either one of them were to lose the other, it would destroy them.

the result: poison and kobra are willing to do anything to keep each other alive in this brutal world where your organs can get ripped from your fleshbags with no legal repercussions. neither of them want the other to end up dead from organ failure or defaulting on a loan and so forth, so kobra willingly enters geneco’s employ. he meant to be a genecop (basically privatized police because Corporations Are The Worst Actually) but he’s a little too good at his job and he attracts the attention of the higher-ups (i.e., the director in this au). she decides he would make an excellent murderer so she makes him one of the repo men that goes around killing people for their organ meat. thanks, he hates it!! but walking away from the most powerful company in the world would certainly mean death for poison and himself so what choice does he have? it eats him alive. he hates what he does. he’s doing it so that he and poison don’t starve or worse but my god does he hate what he has to do to keep them both alive.

meanwhile poison is on the other end of the spectrum. they’re going to do whatever it takes to keep themself and kobra alive but like hell they’re sinking to geneco’s level to do it. they work the black markets primarily, but their priority isn’t income. their goals are more ambitious. they want to bring geneco to its knees. they start by cracking down on the company’s mysterious repo men - the company has them all hide their identities because obviously you don’t want the world knowing the names and faces of your legalized killers! - so they can use that to marshal public support into tearing the company down. perhaps a futile goal, but they’re just determined enough to make it seem almost plausible, and they’re getting an awful lot of traction…too much. geneco’s aware of this extremely vocal rebel, and they’re pouring more and more resources into discovering their identity so they can send one of their repo men to take this motherfucker out.

and at the heart of it all is something that geneco fears more than anything and keeps sequestered away from the world for fear that it might unmake them in their entirety: a strange little girl, kept in isolation and ignorant of what she might be truly capable of. kobra runs across her by accident; poison stumbles upon her in the process of trying to unmask geneco’s killers.

independent of one another, the sibs try to break her out, and they each have their reasons for it. kobra thinks he can cover his tracks sufficiently to keep geneco from suspecting him of helping her escape, and just wants to be able to do one good thing to counterbalance all the misery he’s been responsible for. poison thinks she might be the key in truly toppling geneco’s rule, so they both form daring plans to extract one small girl from geneco’s iron grip.

imagine that you are party poison, trying to retrieve this child from her unjust captivity, and you learn that your brother is one of geneco’s most feared legalized killers who has been tasked with hunting you, and has been this whole time.

imagine that you are the kobra kid, trying to retrieve this child from her unjust captivity, and you learn that your sibling is the mysterious, charismatic leader of the rebellion brewing in the streets of the city, and geneco’s public enemy number one that you’ve been tasked with bringing down.

cue the music.

[cake-by-thepound]

1/ So I think one of the last time I checked in on the blog, there was a bit of conversation going on about This Is Us, so let me get back to it lol (Also it seems you haven’t been here in a minute either..where u at lol. Hope you’re well!) The other night I ended up rewatching the first eps and Toby is the f*cking worst. I know it’s nothing new but OH MY GOD. Idk if he’s gotten to be „less“ the worst ---

2/ (excuse the bad english, but I can’t even bring myself to say better cause lord knows he’s still the worst lol) or it’s just that I’m so used to it by now that it doesn’t register the same way (also i’m actually a few eps behind on the current season so if he somehow turned into mr perfect, i’m unaware lol) but oh my god. He got SO under my skin rewatching those eps, I almost turned it off anytime he was on screen. The man is AGGRA VA TING! ---

3/ And idk if its a case of not noticing it this intensely the first time or just getting so used to it that i kinda forgot about it but god was(/is?) he overbearing. There’s a fine line between *supporting and pushing someone to do something they’re scared of and stepping outside their comfort zone, *and straight up pushing/forcing people to do things they do not want and my god was he always crossing that line. ---

4/ Those first eps are basically Kate saying „I don’t want (x)“ and Toby „giving“ her/„making“ her do x. Its low key alarming. - - - This got way longer that I thought lol, sorry! Done venting! …for now lol

Oh my god, I was just thinking about this. I assume you’ve caught up by now, but I won’t spoil just in case. But no, he has not gotten any better. I think you’re right, that we just got used to him. Because I truly could not stand Toby. I was excited when he had that heart attack, because I thought he was gonna die. He and Sophie could fall off a cliff and I’d be the happiest TIU fan alive. 😄 But somewhere along the way, I think because Kate was so terrible to Rebecca, I let go of my hate for Toby and it transferred to her. I don’t know. But that was a big mistake. Huge. I haaaate him. Kevin and Kate really are twins, because they have awful taste, and make me endure these terrible humans they call partners. Meanwhile, even if Randall wasn’t Black, it would be clear he was adopted, because he had the good sense to find, not only a good wife, but the best wife.

[stillinaincrad]

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Summer 2019 Edition

There are still a few that I have yet to check out, mainly due to a significant lack of free time (hooray, adulthood!), but there is already way more going on at the start of this summer season than there has been in months, at least to me. 

The Good

1. Given

Honestly, I don’t care how long it lasts. Honestly, I don’t know how long they can carry an entire anime based on the flimsy story already laid out. Either way, I really don’t care. The interesting art and especially the various facial expressions in just the first episode drew me in and caught my attention, but I was shoving all my chips to the center of the felt the second the music started. As a guitarist myself, there’s no way I could stay away from this combination of drawing, characters, and technical music. I think this is going to get very good from here, but even if it doesn’t, I’ll be onboard. 

2. Are You Lost? (Sounan Desu ka?)

I have this system I’ve developed where if the OP starts and it’s the cast singing/lip-syncing? The anime is almost always raw sewage. (take it out for a spin sometime, it’s amazingly accurate) There are exceptions, and I’m not going to call this one great, but so far it’s not too bad. I grew up out in the woods, hiking and camping sometimes where you were nowhere for days at a time with only what was on your back. I probably could be stranded and survive. Doesn’t mean I want to, but for all this anime is fluff, it’s also pretty realistic and accurate in places, too. Plus, I mean, even if it were awful, is only 12mins per episode, so yeah - not hard to move on from after. Still, though, am enjoying it so far. Am certainly not expecting anything, but it has yet to annoy me too badly, either lol  

3. A Certain Scientific Accelerator (Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator)

Know what anime I was most excited for last year? Yup, Index III. Know what anime I struggled to get through and kinda didn’t care for? Yup, Index III. In the first two, as well as the Railgun seasons, there was enough offset. I mean, yeah, there were themes of mass murder, and government corruption, and imbalance and all, but there was enough humor and goofiness to offset it. Index III to me felt like a great big piece of meat that was dense and you had to chew until you were tired of eating just to get through it. Accelerator seems to be sandwiched in between storylines and feels like it will have more of that balance. And, I have to admit, the first of the ‘Scientific/Magical’ series I watched was Railgun and haaaated Accelerator - thought he was the worst of the worst - but then as you get into the other stories and see how they intertwine, you see he's a little more Walt Kowalski and a little less Amon Goth than what you thought. Am interested to see how this show goes, given we know how he begins and how he ends. 

4. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka)

I did not get to see the prequel Dan Machi series because I wasn’t going to pay the money for Amazon Strike, which was the only place that had it without all the pop-ups and viruses and fun stuff we don't feel like dealing with like we used to for our shows. So, I never saw it, which drove me insane. I have really loved these characters since day one, and am wicked stoked that DM2 is being streamed and I get more of them for a while. They moved right in on the first episode, too. Looks like it’s going to be another fun season! 

The Bad

1. Magical Sempai (Tejina-senpai)

Yes, it is fun in small doses, but this is a bad anime. And I don’t just mean the weak writing, the dependence on fanservice, or any of the things anyone can demise from sitting through an episode which, well, isn’t totally terrible. The schtick gets old quickly, but there are funny moments. But what makes it bad to me is that Kotoyama, Tezuka, Feel... none of these names appear anywhere in the credits, but damn if Senpai isn’t awfully close to a dead ringer for Hotaru Shidaire, and the OP music/mood/sequence doesn’t have Dagashi Kashi written all the frick over it. This show is bad to begin with, yes but stolen valor is the worst kind of imitation. 

2. Granbelm

If you can’t tell what is going to happen about ten minutes before it happens - right down to lines that are going to fall out of these girls’ mouths - then you probably shouldn’t play video games. Granbelm has every edge rounded off for safety, and if the Powderpuff girls had had mecha back in the day, this is exactly what they’d have looked like (and at the same time, bizarrely enough, kind of remind me of the Invid from Macross in a way, too). Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to watch the hell out of it start to finish because it’s about badly acted mages having a battle royale in another realm using gooftastic-looking mechas that fire spells, and let’s face it - who wouldn’t? Just don’t expect me to talk about how good it is. I already know it’s going to be very bad lol

The Ugly

1. Isekai Cheat Magician 

OK, look - I watched In Another World with my Smartphone. It was awful. I watched Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody (Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku) and it was mindless as can be. And just this past season, I watched every episode of Wise Man's Grandchild (Kenja no Mago). They ALL are quasi-dependent upon cliché and irritating romances, tee-hee characters that are as shallow as the writing, and a singular, ridiculously overpowered character that nothing ever happens to. I really enjoy the isekai genre of anime and will tend to watch just about anything to see where it goes, but two episodes into this turd, I said no more. I just can’t do another one of these mimeographed brain leeches. Not this season, at least. 

[pilferingapples]

Episode 5a: Green Finch and Cosette Bird

Not gonna try to Chronology this bc despite my best efforts I have NO idea what time span this is all supposed to be covering, like if it’s weeks or months or, as it appears to be, all happening in one Really Busy Week 

Before I get into it: As always , major props for the Props people, and the set design team on this show. Whatever my other issues about the series, I’ve loved the look of the places, and there’s some real nice touches in every scene. They make rewatching it all worth it just for the visuals. 

...More mixed feelings under the cut, but I did enjoy some things besides the setting!:

HELLO HELLFONT MY OLD FRIEND , what can I say,  it’s becoming a familiar (type)face , any friend in a storm

-I really enjoy this opening-- setting up that the people in Paris really ARE at about ready to riot and everyone really is angry, it’s not just Those Kids in A Bar Somewhere. It feels very A Few Pages of History, (4.1 , for those wondering!) and I’m glad it’s being given some time. 

-I am ALSO Highly Entertained that all this deep rooted and widespread social unrest is juxtaposed with flyers of THAT DASTARDLY VALJEAN. I’m sure to this Javert they’re exactly the same thing-- and I mean I am SURE because Javert tells us so directly: 

Rivet or Rivette or whatever: Uh boss we have intel on an attempt at overthrowing the government and I mean Parisians actually do that not infrequently of late so IDK  but I think we have bigger issues than your Nemeship 

Javert, Verbatim:  THERE IS NO. LARGER. ISSUE. MAN, Mark My Words, Where Ever You Find Unrest, HE Will Be At The Very Heart Of It 

THIS IS THE BEST THING THIS JAVERT HAS EVER SAID but it’s just gonna get better and I am SO here for Hilariously Overinvested In One Rando Thief Javert, he’s got basically nothing to do with Javerts Past and I do not CARE, this is hilarious

- Cutting over to Valjean and Cosette, with Cosette nursing his really oozy arm wound! I am NOT satisfied with Valjean’s “well I had to go back to the Thenardiers for  Reasons” line at ALL, especially not when Cosette was so clearly retraumatized.  I would accept a Scheme on his end, a moral argument, ANYTHING, but she’s just like “so this is awful” and he’s all “but Cosette, REASONS” . Also not satisfied with Cosette denouncing people as Evil! or Valjean signing off on it! I understand why she’s saying it from a Watsonian perspective but the show has chosen to set this up, to have the characters most associated  with redemption and recovery ready to directly condemn. This Cosette is infinitely more judgemental, and I can see why, because holy smokes this Valjean. And this is a fairly brief moment in the show but it’s just off for what this story and these characters represent.

- Meanwhile, in Some Cafe I Guess, Enjolras has some terrible lines about the upcoming revolution that make it seem like this has been a pickup game planned since all of last week and I have horrible foreshadowing of Fandom Arguments to Come. 

Also: this is not the fandom I think we are if we can’t just Nominate some Remaining Amis out of this mess of extras! I’ll go first; I nominate the bearded guy in the corner during Enjolras’ speech about Lamarque (at ~~4:43) for Bahorel, and the dark-haired guy in front of him for Joly.

-I love how grim the women’s prison is; also, Mme T trying to be as good a mother as she knows how to be even here.  (Also I know they probably should NOT be in the same prison together, but this is one of those condensations that I Get)

- I’m sure a lot of people are gonna hate it, but I actually really appreciate that this Marius is rather cold and unpleasant to Eponine post-Gorbeau, when she’s taking him to see Cosette. That is  canon!  He’s quite rude and even physically rough with her when he sees her again!  It’s an important aspect of his character; he gets caught up with his current Only Thing In The World and treats other people around him badly, it’s a running thing! Heck, this Marius is still  kinder to Eponine post-Gorbeau than his book counterpart.  I feel awful for Eponine, of course, but then I absolutely should. This is a Good Bit.  

-Thenardier escapes from prison by pretending to have Died of Dysentery--er, cholera! If they’re not gonna have Gav and the whole Escape By Night scene, this is actually a pretty clever, quick way to get Thenardier out, and build in the info about the cholera epidemic. I can never be exactly glad to lose Gavroche Scenes, but this was a pretty good way to abridge that! 

- Valjean’s arm  is better! So it’s been Some Vague Time! So he’s leaving for Mysterious Valjean Purposes (money), with a blithe “Cosette stay here, it’s safe but also don’t leave the house until I get back, also you can���t come with me because it’s dangerous, but don’t worry it’s TOTALLY safe.” If this Valjean were more the warm, loving character he should be, this might just seem awkward and badly phrased; with all that’s happened between them already and all that comes next, this just seems manipulative and cruel.

-Vajlean goes out into the streets and sees ...a drawing that doesn’t really look like him! On a wanted poster! So he tears it down. Javert’s Valjeany Sense Activates and his eyes open in his office when Valjean tears down the poster Who Knows Where. This delights me. DELIGHTS. This Javert is a hilarious parody of all Javerts and I officially love it.

-I also like Thenardier and...Montparnasse?-- and someone else..?why is this scene so dark --  in the sewers, and the cut from that to Cosette. Nice way to stress the actual real danger that Valjean’s left her in, also: good Cat Scare before Marius happens. (yeah and also Thenardier seems to be Leader of the Patron Minette, which is never my Fave Choice for an adaptation to make, but it makes sense, especially as breakneck as things are moving 

-Toussaint’s Cheerful Doomy Dooms of Doom while Valjean leaves her and Cosette to do his Secret Valjean Thing; since Enjolras has banned romantics from the barricade, guess we gotta take our cheerful death talk where we can! (also, totally canon!)

-okay, you know what, I really like Cosette’s scenes in the garden. This Cosette is doing a great job of selling me on her Extremely Young-ness. She seems young enough and unworldly enough that a Magic Boyfriend sneaking in without her noticing is Cool and Exciting and Magical instead of super unnerving.  She’s adorable. And there is really excellent framing here with the flowers and the lighting and all. It does  feel like a fairy tale, which, it really should; this is Cosette’s fairy tale romance and I’m happy for her.

...Unfortunately this Valjean is rather too much the part of the Ogre Parent and I wish Marius would just take her away.  Uhg. (also I haaaate this bgm. HAAAATE. I am not talking about it much and I know it’s probably just me but it is so obtrusive to me!) 

- Gavroche shows up, robbin’ all the randos and giving bread to a couple of genuinely unrelated street kids! I...am having such mixed feelings! I love this actor; this actor has Gavroche absolutely DOWN and I am accepting him into my heart entirely but...like...why is  this  part of the story  here,  why is there so much emphasis on him being a thief, why does he just leave the momes instead of trying to take them in, why is this show trying to make it visually clear that these aren’t his brothers? this is just..it’s the thing that keeps happening where there are a bunch of changes for no apparent reason and they don’t add up to anything new but they also aren’t the Original Thing and I can’t figure out what the point of those alterations really are (though this scene, with the extra thieving and reduced generosity, grand-total steals some of Gavroche’s heroism).  The actor is amazing but GIVE HIM HIS FULL BIT. 

- back to Definitely Some Cafe (it’s really well done, I just have no idea what cafe it is ? It’s full of workers, maybe this is supposed to be the Corinth?)  and a brief, foolish moment on my part of hoping there’ll be more discussion of why the rebellion is happening is Destroyed and turned to  “you rich students can go back to your families in the country but--”  THIS IS THE GHOST OF MY ASKBOX FUTURE AND I HATE IT , OH SPIRITS;  WHAT MAY I DO TO TURN THIS NIGHTMARE ASIDE

-...why isn’t this worker just...Feuilly...why are none of the workers Feuilly...

-P.sure my Joly HC is here 

either that or he’s BBC’s Merlin which might explain some things

- Awkwardness of Lost Historical Context aside, this Enjolras is growing on me (like a scruffy beard!) . He’s intense and physically affectionate and I like that in an Enjolras; I just think it’s weird that he’s hanging out with what are apparently random students who haven’t committed to the revolution frigging yet , but you know! Whatever!  

- ...I am currently kind of on the fence about this but...if they’re not gonna give the whole arc with Grantaire As Symbol of the Apathetic Bourgeois being Converted the time it needs, I ...think?  ..what they’re doing here might be a serviceable substitute?  He’s very obviously Not Got The Revolution Fever and is Doing It For His Friends, and he’s obviously super uncomfortable about it.  I like this take on that so far better than some versions I’ve seen. 

ATM, gotta say, the Amis Scene is bugging me the least. If it weren’t for the absolutely bizarre nonsense last week, I would be Pretty Okay with the Amis stuff?? WEIRD BUT TRUE.  Or maybe just a sign of how some adaptations have totally destroyed my expectations here to the point where “Enjolras isn’t actually Dracula” is Okay With Me. ANYWAY I’LL TAKE IT, A MOMENT OF LIKABLE CHARACTERIZATION. 

-The Revolutionary conversation segues with a cut to the Royalist Salon and Gillenormand, who  is NOT likeable and I’m not sure why we get this scene Here In Particular?  A contrast to the revolutionaries, I guess? But this Gillenormand continues to be very very  accurate. 

- At The House In The Garden, Valjean is back! Cosette comes to hug him! He apparently WAS worried that she wouldn’t be safe so what was with the reassurances earlier like she was being a stupid child! And most important

WHY DOES VALJEAN HAVE A BACK LACING WAISTCOAT  WHY DID HE WEAR THAT ON HIS TRIP AWAY  WHO LACED HIM UP WHILE HE WAS GONE  AAAAAAAAH 

okay I’m okay

- wait NO I’m NOT because now it’s time for the Patron Minette to come in and not-rob this place and the show completely destroys Eponine’s moment as the guardian of Marius and Cosette’s happiness!  Instead of her getting to intimidate a bunch of grown armed men into retreat, she’s attacked, threatened, and ultimately rendered  passive, her moment of heroism rendered null when no one comes to her scream, and her role in saving the Valjean house and all in the garden replaced by an actual dog.  I am really pretty furious about this! But the Character Destruction Of Eponine deserves its own post so Moving On FOR NOW...

- ...also are you telling me THIS hyper paranoid, aggressive JVJ doesn’t notice or react to screams and barking dogs 

- holy moly even kneeling Marius is almost as tall as Cosette, that’s not relevant to anything but it’s entertaining to me; it’s also Very Cute to have him comforting her by making himself smaller than her, when they’re both freaking out about her imminent maybe-move. 

- Valjean having a conversation with Eponine instead of just getting her note to move is not inherently The Worst! But the way he treats her just reinforces how cold and uncaring he is. There’s no compassion in him for a poor abused girl who could almost have been his daughter, no concern for how she might be faring, not even an awkward “hey be careful”.  Is it understandable? Yeah, sure. A lot of selfish focus is Understandable and human. But it’s not admirable, it’s not kind, it’s not the actions or attitude of a man who’s learned kindness towards the world through love, or who tries to put others first to the point that it would kill him. It makes sense, for some characters-- but it’s just not Valjean. 

-NICOLETTE IS THE HERO THIS ADAPTATION NEEDS and she’s SO happy to announce that Marius is back to talk to his awful awful Grandpa!

- The whole scene with Marius asking Gillenormand  for permission to marry is very satisfyingly awful and I have no complaints. It’s a bit abbreviated, and I wonder if people who don’t know the era will totally get that this is a question of needing adult legal approval?  but it’s not shortened beyond the amount that Adaptational Space might suggest. I’d take this little scene as a good illustration of the Gillenormand/Marius dynamic for anyone. Also: is that the Yellow Prisoner-Crafted Wallpaper???  BBC Set Design People, you’re the BEST

- I know I’ve already given kudos to the props and set people but I LOVE this little bachelor apartment that Marius and Courfeyrac are sharing, this is so great?? I’ve seen sketches from the era that look so much like this!  Give me a  moment to squeak happily about this place-- the low roof! The clothesline! The clutter! I love it! (@ about 30:00) 

- I HATE EVERYTHING ENJOLRAS  SAYS HERE THOUGH, even if I intend to meme out No Romantic Daydreamers to the FULLEST 

-Cutting back to Valjean and Cosette’s house, I also hate that Cosette defense-flinches when she wakes up! It’s been eight years! That should not still be her auto-reflex if she’s come to feel safe and loved!  My heart! 

Valjean tells her they have to move today. Valjean does NOT tell her where they’re going. Valjean gives her an hour to pack--and Cosette has to run out and ask Toussaint what the address will be and has to LIE TO TOUSSAINT about why she needs it. Valjean, there are secrets you might feel a need to keep from your daughter. WHERE SHE LIVES should not be one of them. “I’m taking you to an address no one knows and also you can’t have it ahead of time” is what kidnappers do! Watching Cosette write her note and move (terrible bgm and all) is breaking my heart--she is so alone in this house--no one is on her side, no one is there to listen to her, no one is really considering her feelings or giving her any explanations, she’s being moved around like a pet. The abuse is less florid than with the Thenardiers, but it’s still there, and I want to cry. 

The scene goes from soldiers marching outside the window of the new apartment to the funeral. Aaaand that seems like a good place to break this giant review in two. 

Randoming Fandoming:

-I’m pretty sure that at around 6:14 a woman and kid in modern clothes just wander in the background behind Marius! This is not a Complaint, these things happen to any production, but it’s fun to have spotted? 

[i-rarely-wear-matching-socks]

god I haaaate commercials that try to like emulate popular songs its always awful and terrible why.

[mintgator]

Supernatural S1E3 Review

EPISODE 3 – Dead in the Water– RATING: 5/10

Oh, I think I remember this episode. Pretty sure the pacing is also gonna be bad in this one. Ugh.

“Guys don’t like buff girls” WHO GIVES A SHIT

What kind of awful camera did they film that with?

Dean flirting again. *rolls eyes*

I do still really appreciate the rock music in the bg.

Whoa wtf is that actress from? (Amy Acker. She’s been in a lot of things apparently! But I think I remember her most from Angel, I think.)

Dean flirting again. Low of him to use a child as a pick up line. Nm that backfired. Nice!

Oh and now the kid’s tragic backstory and Dean being empathetic? That’s good.

OH there’s some continuity with Dean liking army men toys as a child. Isn’t there one stuck in the Impala somewhere?

Why is this kid just drawing on a park bench? They don’t have tables? It’s not better to just let him do that at home? She had to haul all that stuff there so he could draw?

Damn, kid drew that house FAST.

Nasty rage-water.

The chain/plug is at one point on the table next to the sink, then it’s back in the sink. Oops. Also, you know it’s not clogged or plugged in. Water started coming UP through the drain dude. WHY WOULD YOU STICK YOUR ARM IN THERE?!

That bucket just spinning on the floor randomly? Also this dude just drowned in a sink lol.

(mentions) Nessie, water wraith, demon

I haaaate Sam’s sideburns so much.

I would not have been able to pick that house out with that drawing. The colors were not even the same.

Wow that’s some ugly wallpaper.

Talking to this kid is like talking to a wall, but Dean’s just rolling with it.

“It’s worse than dying.” Is this line a theme within this episode? It’s kind of a weird one. Like…how would they know?

Damn son. That boat flew out of the water.

This cop is sketchy af.

God the pacing of this episode is slow too.

Why is this kid wearing such baggy clothes? I mean there’s fashionably baggy and clothes that just don’t fit.

Seriously, they held him under the water TOO LONG and he drowned? That’s really effed up.

Ok, so if they’re gonna open up the dam soon, WHY is everyone still even in this town?

I don’t know how the duo expects this to work. You can’t find shit in dark water.

At least they got the kid, I guess. Still a sloooooow episode.

WHY DOES EVERY WOMAN KISS DEAN?! ARE YOU SERIOUS WITH THIS

God that car has to be terrible on gas.

Monster Index: Another Ghost/Vengeful Spirit:  Seems this is sticking to the old salt and burn rule for a ghost, but wouldn’t destroying the bike have worked? I mean it’d be difficult af, but it’s possible. Instead they just placate it with the one dude sacrificing himself. Ooookay then.