#because i wanna celebrate all aspects of the show

[samtheacesheep]

it's the anniversary of Milo Murphy's Law tomorrow, which I forgot about, and now I'm scrambling to come up with and write a fic that is good enough for the occasion

currently I'm torn between my take on a hypothetic s3 episode 1, or a sort of Milo character study/a look at his whole life starting from when he was born, up to sometime during canon

@fairytalepsuedonym @cantdanceflynn

[hplonesomeart]

Hey!! So turns out a video I made between a certain “well beloved but highly sensitive/emotionally reactive T.V” and an “orange haired inkling-turned-human” has managed to sweep my YouTube channel and accumulate 100k VIEWS!! THAT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY?? My most widely viewed video EVER to exist in this moment in time?? AAAAA?? Not even mentioning the various comments and staggering increase in subs! It’s so much more then what I expected or even prepared for—might even be the most impactful thing to happen for me this year <3

…aside from graduating high school + the social connections I’ve been fortunate to make lol

BUT THE POINT IS I’d been closely monitoring the YouTube growth through the entirety of October. It’s make me smile like a dork, gawk in astonishment, dance frantically in my room from the energy boosts, and grow courage to stop being so selective/self-conscious with what I wish to share with the world! It’s kept my ambitions going!

I needed to find some way to celebrate the occasion and express my thanks—because I can’t NOT acknowledge this milestone jksjskp. Typically I try to avoid getting tunnel visioned focusing on the metrics/numbers. Mr. Puzzles had already demonstrated how much those things can mess with the minds of creatives. Caring too much about chasing views or placing your artistic value in attention seeking gets damaging. But at same time…it’s hard to deny the sense of pride the 100k achievement has filled me with. I understand that reaching 100k views doesn’t immediately make me any “better” or “worse” then I was before. I’m still just me! It only helps me feel seen by others—and that’s all I really needed. To hear some nice words & receive reminders that my ideas are cared about. So thank you SMG4 fandom for that, seriously thank you.

Please accept this Mr. Puzzle drawing as a way of sharing the happiness around. He’s so entertaining. Love him for simply existing. So glad we can all collectively be super attached to him (and the rest of the SMG4 cast of course). Can’t wait to see more incredible artworks from the fandom :)

Just incase anyone is confused by my vague description over which “animated video” I’m referring to here—hopefully this photo will help clarify lol. It’s this one!! Sorry about not outright stating the title at the start, I got carried away with writing!!

I’ve been in an odd place mentally when thinking about it. Wondering to myself if any of the attention is deserved considering it’s not even fully colored and could be dismissed as “low effort” content (despite taking several days making it). It’s easy to get into a trap of comparing yourself to others and questioning how much of the videos success is based on your skills, sheer algorithm luck, or only because you used popular characters and catered to a specific fandom. And then judging yourself by looking at other peoples videos. I’ve seen several artists post higher quality works then my own but it somehow gets less views. So why did mine succeed when others (who should have gotten just as much attention if not more) didn’t? Sometimes you feel like you’ve unfairly robbed them of that chance to be seen. However I’ve realized that I can’t ever expect views to be consistent—and comparing is pointless. So why worry about it or feel inadequate? I mean it’s pretty common for funny cat videos to go viral, so who am I to question the system lol. “Popular” YouTube videos can range from a passion project which took 7+ artists…to a clip of Toad singing Chandelier or a nonsensical Vine sketch. Anything can happen when it’s the internet! And just-so-happened my video was chosen. I should stay glad about that and get rid of all the overanalyzing. So that’s what I’ve chosen to do :)

[martian-astro10]

Astrology observations - Part 3 (use whole signs)

🎀 For a lot of people with moon in 7th house, their mother had a huge impact on their personality (in a good or bad way). They'll either admire her a lot and try to be more like her or, do their best to not be like her. Their mother usually has a lot of say in who they marry. If the ascendant lord is not strong, then these people completely change after marriage and start to behave in a way in which their spouse would like them to.

🐈‍⬛Saturn in 9th house people can be really good when it comes to their career, they end up getting promoted earlier than others, but I've noticed that they prefer to work alone. It's like, they create something, but they would like someone else to market and sell it since communication is not their strong suit. Can be very introverted, not the best at taking initiatives, are very prone to undermining themselves.

🎀 moon in 11th house people have a really good relationship with their kids (unless it's debilitated). It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, it's the same for both. They're the parents who have a very "chill" relationship with their kids, their kids trust them a lot, treat them as a friend. All my friends who have a great and healthy relationship with their parents, 85% of those parents had moon in 11th.

🐈‍⬛ Mars in 5th house people have such an "interesting" dating life; love triangles, friends with benefits, they've (or will) experienced it all. The people to say "it's complicated" when you ask them about their love life. But I've also seen that these people are very accepting of other people's dating preferences, this is one of the things that I really admire about them, this can result in them having a very diverse group of friends.

🎀 Jupiter aspecting ascendant/midheaven is one of the best placements that you could possibly have. I was going through celebrities' charts and I noticed that the ones who were exceptionally popular or rich had this like 90% of the time. With opposition and square it can indicate that people hate you at first, but then some info comes out and suddenly everyone loves you, but you gotta go through the hate first. Conjunction can go either way depending on the sign.

🐈‍⬛ Saturn in 4th house women have my full respect, like, these people go through so much shit in their life and yet they're so hardworking and never give up. Their mother was probably their worst enemy growing up. If you know someone who has this, give them a hug, they're carrying so much burden, and yet they never show it. You'll never hear these people complaining about life, have a very, "it's okay, problems come and go, you can't be sad all the time" mentality.

🎀 Sun in 1st house people make me so angry, I don't get along with them. They have such a shitty personality, and always wanna fight for absolutely no reason. Start a beef out of nowhere, but they are so fucking good at their job, that's actually what makes me hate them more. My class representative has this, and she's such a bitch, but she's so responsible, it breaks my fucking heart, can't even complain 😔

🐈‍⬛ Mercury in 11th house people have unmatched Rizz, will charm the pants off you (unless it's debilitated). I'm so jealous of people who have this. I know people with this, who are not conventionally attractive but their charm is what makes people like them. I never knew what it meant to be attracted to someone's personality until I met someone who had this. (I know this sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it's really not)

🎀 I have never in my life met a moon in 8th house person who was like....okay. these people will have a mental breakdown almost every week. Can't take criticism AT ALL. I have seen that people with this have a tendency to date whoever they see once they break up, just to show their ex how "wanted" they are, and it's not healthy because a lot of their hook ups have bad intentions. Have a habit of playing the victim "everyone bullies me 🥺" "I have the hardest life" and blah blah. On a positive note, they can handle fame really well because of their ability to manipulate people, once you get in their trap and start liking them, you'll never be able to hate them.

🐈‍⬛ I never see people talking about how smart Venus in 3rd house people are. I'm always so amazed by the way they carry conversations. A lot of women who have won beauty paegents have this because of how nice their answers were. A lot of young politicians have this as well. Their juniors often look up to them.

© martian-astro All rights reserved, 2024

[b3achysurfer]

I really wanna talk about this scene where “Logan saves Ashlyn” because I really believe it’s more than just that

I’m gonna be referencing mostly episodes 34, 35, 43, and 44 just in case you want to do your own digging 😋!

for starters I kinda bugs me when people brush this whole scene off as ‘Logan saving ash’ because 3 things:

1.) Logan saving Ashlyn didn’t really feel natural! mans was allllll the way in the graveyard, he was scared, it was dark, and he didn’t have any prior experience with using guns. but he still somehow did it in 1 shot. I honestly feel like that bit was so that he can’t be excluded from the later celebration and so that him being left behind had a purpose.

2.) ASHLYN WOULDVE SURVIVED WHETHER OR NOT HE MADE THE SHOT!!!!! if anything we’d probably learn a lot more about the phantoms if Logan had never shot his gun.

3.) I feel like Logan making the shot was suppose to distract us from the important lore aspect we see during the scene. we already know red loves throwing in foreshadowing and small hints for us. Especially when these hints get covered by other scenes so that we only notice them after we get the new information and we re-read old chapters. We can see an example of this in the same episode when Taylor offers to go see why Aiden was screaming and Tyler quickly takes action instead and sends her upstairs. it’s obvious that going back outside was the more dangerous option which is why Tyler told her she shouldn’t do it. But at the time many people brushed this off as Tyler caring about his sister as much as any brother would, and a part of his ‘jock/I’m bigger and better than everyone’ attuide seeping through. then later on in chapter 49, we learn about Tyler’s promise to always take care of Taylor and their mom, and we see how their safety is always his priority even if it’s to much for him. Taylor’s frown makes a lot more sense after we get this context.

Anyways what I’m trying to say is that I think Logan saving ash was suppose to draw away our attention to the whole reason he was even able to get the shot in the first place.

Ashlyn is convinced she’s gonna die here and this is her last effort to live. So very strong emotion. But pay attention to her voice box thing. It’s black and has the red streaks around it.

The phantom immediately pauses, as if it understands her. Also, it’s aggression vanished as soon as she spoke. This being LITERALLY TRYING TO KILL HER pauses and starts to question her!! In some twisted way Ashlyn can communicate with phantoms, or at the very least they can tell there is also a connection between her and them. This is literally so important and it’s not talking about enough. Even though no one has ever tried speaking directly to the phantoms before this, I do think this trait only belongs to ashlyn. For starters we already know that she has the strongest connection to the phantom world, and she’s the only one who can actually hear them. Her parents also said that they saw the phantoms after ashlyn was born. This is important for later on.

The only other time we ever see the black text bubble is here when Logan is mad (chapter 42) his shadow has also changed to his phantom world-self. Notice that even though his actions are connected to the phantom there is no red streaks next to his text box?

The fight obviously shows again that they affect the real world because their emotions and phantom and blah blah. This is all stuff we know. But hear me out! View their actions as if they are part phantom.

Ashlyn’s commanding them to do something while feeling strong emotions. Her text box is black with the red streaks again. Just like it was during the scene that ‘Logan saves her’.

And just like the phantom, all of them freeze and their violent behavior disappears. The fact that it’s all in sync and they all stop immediately shows that they didn’t just stop because their friend told them to. They stopped because Ashlyn’s commands have some strength to them. And remember earlier when I said think of them as part phantom? It makes sense why her commands would work, because it’s frozen a phantom before.

AND LOOK!!!! THEY SOUND JUST LIKE THE PHANTOMS! The fact that this guy doesn’t react to that statement means that his organization already knows this. They already know that the kids are partly related to the phantoms. Ashlyn’s especially.

I guess this can split into two ideas:

1.) Ashlyn’s becoming part phantom the fastest. And I don’t mean that she’ll eventually become a full phantom but idk how else to phrase it. Her words can already be understood by phantoms and they have enough impact to confuse and stop phantoms in place. The phantom tilting their head at Ashlyn was kinda like ‘how did you do that?’ .

2.) Ashlyn’s connection gives her semi-control over phantoms. This could be a skill she has to develop over time but the fact that her words were able to break that main cast out of their anger and brought them back into reality shows that they CAN listen to her commands. Either she’s not strong enough yet to control real phantoms or she can only stun them, ash was still able to communicate with the phantom.

That scene is such an important building block that people just brush over. I just don’t see a lot of people talking about the fact that Ashlyn can talk/control phantoms in a way. Or maybe she can’t and all of this means smth else but it’s still so important.

Also before ppl jump on me for saying Ash would’ve lived w/ or w/o logan:

Aiden was literally two seconds away from getting to ash. Plus the phantom was stunned. We don’t know if this hesitation would’ve lasted long or not, but it would’ve been enough time for Aiden to crawl to the top of the roof or for Ashlyn to kick it away. Ashyln was also in shock though so I’m not sure she would’ve been able to do much. But if Aiden saw the phantom on her he would’ve went crazy bro. Do not touch his girl ❌🙅‍♀️❌ All jokes aside though, we definitely would’ve learn more about the connection between Ashlyn and phantoms if Logan didn’t shoot. Not blaming him or anything but I’m just saying.

ANYWAYS THATS ALL THANKS FOR READING!!

[matan4il]

Hey need to ask, since I'm working on a fanfic portraying Jewish characters.

Do all Jewish children have their bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah? Or only from the more religious families? Cos there are two characters of the show who have theirs (their father is more religious), but not sure if the rest of the family after that would have one since neither of the two are practicing

Hi hon!

So as an idea, because Judaism is an ethno-religion, almost no element of it is just religious. This is true for bar/bat mitzvah, too. It has a religious meaning: it's when a Jewish kid becomes old enough to be responsible for observing the Jewish mitzvahs (Jewish religious decrees). But at the same time, it also serves as a cultural coming of age celebration, and has a social aspect, and an emotional meaning even for secular Jews. So, religious Jews will def celebrate it for their kids, but most secular Jews I know will, too. I have some incredible true stories about how Jewish kids during the Holocaust celebrated their bar/bat-mitzvah against all odds, even when they were secular, and what it meant for them, as an expression of their Jewish identity, an occasion to feel Jewish joy, and a way to defy Jew hatred. However, for secular Jews it's a bit more of a choice, which means the more estranged they might be from their Jewish identity, the less likely they will be to celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah for their kids.

And also, don't forget that there are Jews who've been forcibly secularized, as my family was by communism. In that case, they may wanna celebrate Jewish traditions, but they won't necessarily know how to. I remember coming across an Israeli Jew who made aliyah from Russia, and she recounted how they knew a specific day was a Jewish holiday, they wanted to celebrate it (in hiding, for fear of the communist regime), they didn't know how to, so they did what was customary in Russia at the time for festive occasions: they drank wine and ate pork...

I hope this helps! xoxox

[waitmyturtles]

I have caught up with Knock Knock Boys, and it is a DARLING KEEPER of a show so far (with some stumbles)

Post-travel drama catch-up continues on my front with Knock Knock Boys, which I picked up in part due to my permanent commitment to support the king, Seng Wichai, one of my top three Thai QL actors of all time. We're through episode 8 on this one, and

I LOVE THIS SHOW

and I hope it doesn't falter, I hope, I HOPE!

Highs and lows below. First of all!

This show is not shy about sexuality. Not NC-sex scenes, per se, but sexuality -- the sexualities of the show's characters. This is SO REFRESHING!

Every character is clearly depicted at a different stage of their experience and their physical and emotional readiness for new experiences. I love it. AND, those stages are used wonderfully and clearly to provide context as to how they're behaving vis à vis each other and their environments.

Part of the early fandom controversies around GMMTV's We Are focused on the show's declining to define, clearly, the sexualities of the young men in real-life terms. This is an endemic issue in Thai BLs, and has been since the birth of the television genre; it's also a common presence in university BLs in particular.

(This is why, early in the life-cycle of the Thai BL genre, Make It Right, as a school-based BL, was already so groundbreaking -- because it didn't hesitate to explore gay and queer life boldly. Compare that to SOTUS, which aired after MIR, which took a very deliberate step BACK from "saying gay." The genre has struggled with openly embracing gay themes since its start.)

The thing is, in real life, for MANY people, when you are a part of, or hang with, queer communities, being queer is a HUGE and central part of most conversations, along with sexual readiness, experience, CRUSHES, attractions, everything. Even one's internal hesitations, or maybe even internal homophobia, are up for discussion.

That's why I grab my pom-poms when I watch a show that doesn't shy away from much more realistic engagement, not necessarily about intimacy as a whole, but really more about the communal aspect and acknowledgment that humans are intimate creatures. When a show depicts people in a community -- especially a queer male community like the Knock Knock house -- engaging realistically about the various stages of struggles and acceptance unto themselves and others that they have about their intimate lives, and weaves interesting and coherent stories about those people, it's something, in this still-young genre, to celebrate.

Knock Knock Boys, with a few stumbles, is doing GREAT on this front. Almond is inexperienced, and suffering because of it! He's got an AMAZING friend and suitor in Latte --

LATTÉEEEEEEE!!!!

who likes, AND wants to support Almond in his growth.

I wanna take a second on Latte, and Jaonine Jiraphat. I love that Jaonine is Bright Vachirawit’s doppleganger (dopplenonger), but also, Latte is kind of like Sarawat's dopplenonger, too. When 2gether was airing four years ago, Bright Vachirawit didn't hesitate to explain publicly that his character, Sarawat, was gay-gay -- again, at GMMTV, which is not a studio that necessarily embraces gay-gay for its characters.

We have the same here for Latte as with Sarawat: Latte is UNABASHED, totally owning and in control of his sexuality, his preferences, and his popularity, all which Almond is paying attention to and learning from. And on top of that, Latte is such an empathic friend, not just to Almond, but to the intimacy student club that he speaks to with Lookpeach. It is a LOVELY storyline of how Latte, feeling comfortable in himself, can use that comfort to help others find themselves. THIS IS BIG, and wonderfully written. And, when Latte pulls back from getting intimate with Almond, because he knows that NEITHER of them are ready, and want it that way -- it was just such a great moment of Latte's awareness and empathy for the both of them. Latte, unless there's a stumble, will be going down in my books as one of the most admirable and openly queer characters I will admire (in my same book as the first openly pansexual homey, Frame from MIR).

I'm also loving the ThanwaPeak storyline, with fiancée Jane doing her thang to get her betrothed un-betrothed. I think the way in which this storyline is written is a bit more choppy: like with so many Japanese BLs that are predicated on endemic miscommunication, I think dropping hints without clarity as to Peak's issues with his family, and Thanwa's unknown struggles with Max, didn't help last week's episode, especially with Thanwa accusing Peak of not truly knowing him -- Thanwa, homey, you need to TALK about your issues with Peak in order for Peak to know them.

That being said, while I don't think I'm the biggest fan of Best Vittawin's acting, I think both Best and Seng are dancing around their characters' hesitations with intrigue and chemistry. Especially Seng: this is not his loudest role as compared to SCOY and War of Y, but the ways in which he can indicate interest in another person with a simple glance and a quiver of a smile is incredible. His acting is on another level, and I think Best may not be living quite up to it, but I can't really blame Best, because Peak as a character is having to figure out SO. MUCH. with a lot going on around him.

I'm looking forward to finally finding out what the exact deal is with Peak running away from Jane and his father, and to finding out whyyyyyy Thanwa would go back to a peeper? AND, was it really Max, not Almond, that leaked the clip?! These are good cliffhangers at this point in a series! These stories have been well-paced, sensible, and told in a sensible order, and we have some big reveals and decisions awaiting us.

This is not a complicated show, but it's a deep one, and it's not shy about telling big stories about growth, homophobia, the economic issues that many gay men face, and what decisions they need to make in order to afford and survive life. I love that this show bridges university life with working life, to tell stories about four young men in very real stages of their lives, being upfront and honest about it. I was not expecting much from this show at all when I first started, but I am LOVING IT, and would highly recommend it up until this point!

[sothasil]

hi! so, first of all, i love your khajiit art, it's awesome to see someone expanding on khajiit lore in such a thoughtful and interesting way. second of all, i have been looking for ages for any information on marriage in khajiit culture and i have found little. obviously there ARE marriages in elsweyr, but i wanna know traditions: what clothes are worn, what kinds of rings are exchanged, if any, what foods are eaten, etc. but i cant find anything! do you have opinions on this? i'd love to hear!

thank you very much! i can't help with official lore sources (since ESO came out i stopped following that :')) but i do have my own headcanons on the matter!

marriages are a big deal when it involves the linking of two notable families/clans. in the northern regions, where clans are more important to everyday life and social structure, notable members marrying are grounds for large celebrations and larger amounts of discourse between family heads. expected topics include with whom the family will live, how both spouses fit the clan's skill and values and of course, how [insert party currently talking] is better than [insert the other clan involved]

marriages are more important by the greater families union they provide than other aspects surrounding the actual individuals. as a strongly communal society, to khajiit, marrying is first and foremost to officialize your relationship with a partner in relation to what that means for your families. the formation of elsweyr itself under that name happened with a marriage, and that historical example is propped up by some as what should be the cultural standard.

when a marriage does happen, it's a huge party. both sides of the couple's family come over to show off and have fun. it's a good occasion to meet other people and demonstrate the skills and power of you and your clan. as with all big parties, there will be guests who have nothing to do with either families coming too! those party crashers can just come for fun, but some attend to make connections and deals while taking advantage of the events.

romance, sex and having kids are not that tied to the concept. for marriages between important people, if they do have kids matters a lot but it's not that linked to the marriage in itself. khajiit are not very strict when it comes to why and how you have your lovers. it isn't a shame to have sex outside of marriage (including if you end up with kids), and if you are indeed married and want a lover, the big deal won't be ruining a sanctity of marriage, but more what your partner thinks of it. it is however considered unsightly to marry someone you do not have some feelings for, as well as marrying your friend for each other's benefits. again, greater family above all

who was there when it happens and how much you talk about your union are probably the most important factors for officializing it all. divorce isn't really a thing because khajiit aren't bureaucratic. if your marriage falls apart, it's up to you to make it clear you are ending it and face the likely familial backlash. it is however completely acceptable to marry several times - if your spouse is gone, if you find a better one... if that latter case applies and both sides don't remarry, the one who doesn't might get a bad rep. marriages between more than two people aren't a social norm, and while you might have a clan mother who celebrates that, it is rare and polyamoursly inclined khajiit tend to not marry at all and just stay lifelong lovers with their partners.

The only place in my personal khajiit musings where I explored marriage was for my own characters - Ma'Jahrann's parents, Elaahni and Qa'Husar. In those two, each hails from a very different culture - Elaahni is from a more traditionalist mid-sized Anequina clan, and Qa'Husar is from the southern parts with a more cosmopolitan structure, born to a small immediate family who dissolved as he grew up. Their marriage was a bit of a deal when it happened. Elaahni was a local celebrity and her family didn't see too kindly the nobody from those big humid cities marrying their daughter. Qa'Husar himself had to face acquiring a gigantic extended family overnight which he had no experience with. Both ended up fucking off to a smaller town where they settled on an in-between of living a settled lifestyle close with the local community, with Elaahni's close relatives visiting when they saw fit.

[merrymorningofmay]

I saw your post about how hard things have been lately and I was wondering if having people boost not just war/survival related things, but also positivity would help? Ukraine has such a rich and beautiful culture; I'd love to know if there are good tags for finding information and examples to boost to show people that and if you think that would be genuinely helpful?

Sorry if this is worded oddly. I hope you and your family stay safe and that this ends in victory for your people soon. <3

thank you for the kind words and support!!

as for your question: it's not odd at all, but i have kind of mixed feelings on the matter, so this is gonna be long i'm sorry....

first i'll say this: celebrating and promoting ukrainian culture is always, unambiguously, a good idea, because historically it's been largely underrepresented and understudied (and appropriated and/or miscredited by. Some Country. anyway). i like to think it's also helpful to our plight, however marginally, because people are more likely to sympathise with someone familiar and relatable, and engaging with ukrainian culture/boosting ukraine's presence anywhere can help bridge that gap.

as for online sources to share, i can definitely recommend ukr_arthistory (ukrainian art) and old_ukr_books (vintage book illustrations) on twitter, and also vintage-ukraine here on tumblr. if you'd like to help promote ukrainian artists on here as well as on twitter, #украрт, #укркрафт are the tags you wanna check out. living artists could always use some engagement/commissions

this list is quite short, to my shame, but again, fellow ukrainians are very welcome to add their own suggestions! (guys, please do)

i have my own reservations, though. see, there isn't a single aspect of ukrainian culture, art, life that hasn't been affected or retroactively reframed by the current war or by the long gruesome history of russia's colonialism in ukraine. the war is a part of us, it's a part of me, and any attempt by a non-ukrainian to draw a neat line between the two feels. unearned and violating? somehow? (again, these are just my feelings; e.g. i never trigger tag my war posts because nobody gets to have the fun parts of me and filter out the war part of me. other ukrainians may have different feelings)

and especially now, when the political and battlefield situation is at its bleakest yet and ukraine has been making less and less headlines, hearing non-ukrainians praise the resilience of the ukrainian people or repeat the comforting "kyiv in three days" platitude makes me feel bitter more than anything, because like. we shouldn't have to be this resilient! we're resilient because our allies are failing us and our only other choice is death! sure they didn't take kyiv in three days, but if they take it in three years instead i'll be just as dead in the end! you feel me?

this, of course, isn't to imply you did/were about to do any of that; i'm just trying to explain why i can't just answer "yes, by all means" to your (respectful and valid) question.

i guess the bottom line is: sure, do share and celebrate the beautiful, joyful, fascinating things about ukraine, as long as you also share and engage with the serious stuff. unfortunately, the bad news are the priority right now. i sincerely hope we live to see the day they won't be.

[bitchinbarzal]

#46 with luke

“Stop being a fucking prick”

-

Milo’s birth had been the best kept secret of Michigan.

You honestly thought Mackie would’ve spilled the beans at one point.

You were cautious when Ethan left to play in Jersey. With Luke having left the year prior and Milo being a couple months old now, you waited for the

how come you had my baby and I didn’t know? text.

It never came.

So, you carried on with life. You were close to graduating and looking for a job. Not having a job after graduation wasn’t an option at this point, being a mom was expensive.

“Hey, you wanna go watch the Red Wings Devils game this Saturday? Eddy says that he can get us tickets” Mark asked, shouting through the house.

“I’m down but we’ll have to take Milo because his babysitter is out of town”

“Eddy also said ‘tell her she better bring Milo because I miss him’” you laughed, always one step ahead.

At almost a year old, the little boy was beginning to develop noticeable features from his parents. He had Luke’s hair and nose while he had your eyes. He hadn’t fully developed a smile yet but the way he gave his gummy half smiles with a certain slant you knew they’d be just like Luke’s.

Dressed up in his Devils jersey, a gift from Ethan when he left. Milo had been to so many hockey games in his short little life, being a common spectator at Yost.

While Luke wasn’t in the picture you still wanted to bring those certain aspects of him around Milo. You took him to hockey games, you celebrated certain Jewish holidays with him (after a lot of googling). People thought it strange, you hadn’t told Luke by choice but wanted to keep him around.

Your reasoning sounded stupid to some but others understood where you were coming from. Luke broke up with you after loosing out again at Frozen Four.

The devils organization were there in Tampa. Luke had signed before he even got out of his jersey.

He told you it wouldn’t work, how you were going to be too far apart and that he wanted to experience life as a rookie in New Jersey with a fresh start.

You planned to tell him that night, you were pregnant. You never got the chance. Instead, you nodded and wished him well in Jersey.

You then didn’t tell anyone for months until you were all leaving for the summer and you bid your goodbyes very tearfully. You weren’t sure what would happen next year, if you’d ever be back in Michigan with your friends.

You told them, they dragged it out of you and you made them promise to not tell Luke.

It was awfully quiet at the lake house that summer.

Everyone had brought their partners and Luke was alone for the first time in years, he felt lonely. He missed you. He screwed up.

“Have you got his bag? His ear defenders? Oh did I pack snacks? What about-“

“You gotta calm down, what’s up with you?” Mark stopped you, taking milo out of your arms and looking at you bordering on tears.

“This is the first time I’m gonna see him Mark, I thought I could do it-“

“You can! Luke knows nothing about Milo and I’m sure he won’t even notice us there. I’m right here with you”

His words of encouragement calmed you, nodding in agreement and making your way to the car.

It was a busy night and Milo was loving all of the attention he was getting from random people that passed, all waving and smiling at him.

“C’mon buddy let’s go find Ethan and get your first NHL puck” Mark announced, taking him from your arms and walking down the stairs to ice level.

You watched people skate by that you recognized; Jack and Dawson both from your visits to Jersey with Luke, a few Red wings players who had been in contact with Mark over the year with the team showing interest in signing him come graduation.

Eventually you found #73.

“Look Milo, who’s that?!” You pointed and his eyes followed to Eddy who had stopped right infront of you.

His eyes lit up, babbling and slapping the glass in front of him at his uncle.

“Hey buddy I missed you!” Ethan shouted, smiling down at him.

You were too consumed in the people around you, you hadn’t noticed a certain defenseman watching from the crease in utter disbelief.

Luke’s heart broke. You had moved on, with his old teammate and friend and now you even had a baby.

Jack skated into his little brother, almost knocking him over “Yo, what’s up with you? Move!”

Luke just pointed ahead of him and Jack’s mouth fell open when he saw it “Holy shit!”

Luke just pushed away from his brother, shaking his head and making his way back to the locker room.

When the game started Milo fell asleep leaving you and Mark to enjoy. Sometime after the second period started he began crying softly and you decided to take him on a walk around in an attempt to calm him again.

“I’ll be back” you whispered to mark.

“Sure you don’t want me to take him?”

“Nah I’ve got it, text me if anything exciting happens and if Eddy gets in a fight film it”

You were bouncing up the stairs, Milo starting to hush now smiling up at you “Hi cheeky boy, you’re just tired huh?”

Just before you could exit to the concourse you heard your name being called, turning to see The Hughes.

oh shit.

“Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen you in forever!” Madison, Jack’s girlfriend said while standing up from her seat to hug you “How have you been?! You have a baby now?”

You felt overwhelmed, a flush landing across your cheeks “Yeah, yeah I know it’s been a while!”

“He’s so cute! Hi little man” she cooed, her finger swiping across his cheek while he smiled a gummy smile.

You looked over at the rest of the family, they looked conflicted and your heart was racing.

“I should be going-“

“Luke’s hair was that light when he was that age, it’ll get darker” Ellen said, looking straight at you.

You’d been caught.

You bit your lip “I didn’t-“

“We’re here now, no point causing a scene for something we can’t change. You’ve got my number sweetheart call me when you get back to Ann Arbor and we’ll talk” she was always so good at getting her point across.

You nodded with a slight smile “Do you want to hold him?”

You could see their eyes light up “Please?” “Of course”

Milo groaned when he lost contact of you but soon situated nicely in his grandma’s arms while she doted over him.

Madison hugged you tightly now your arms were free and mumbled in your ear “You’re so strong for doing this alone”

Down in the locker room in the second break Luke was fuming. Since seeing you all he saw was red.

When everyone had filed out back onto the ice Ethan pulled Luke back “What’s wrong with you dude?”

“What’s wrong with me?! You knew Mark and Y/N had a baby and you never fucking told me!”

Ethan looked confused “Mark and Y/N? Milo isn’t Mark’s son you moron! Is that what you’re so upset about? You’ve been missing easy passes because of that?!”

“Because of that?!” Luke mocked him

“Yes it’s because of that! How would you feel?!”

Ethan chuckled humourlessly “You left her Hughesy don’t get it twisted”

“You don’t get it!”

“Oh I get it plenty, you’re jealous now you think she’s moved on with someone else! Milo isn’t Mark’s son you dipshit he’s yours! He’s almost one and he loves hockey, his mom is really fucking awesome and his dad? Well he’s a giant fucking loser”

Luke stuttered a response but came up empty.

“She’s out there, with your kid right now and you have every opportunity to make things right. Now stop being a fucking prick and sort it out but first we have a game to win”

Luke didn’t reply, just nodding and headed out the door to the bench.

Luke’s parents hadn’t wanted to let go of Milo, soaking up all of the time they had with him and you let them because who were you to stop it. After all, you’d deprived them of their grandson for months.

The game ended with a devils OT win, you were ecstatic for Ethan and nervous to see Luke. There was no hiding it anymore.

The hallway outside the locker room felt claustrophobic while you waited, staring down at your sleeping boy.

Ethan came out first, giving you a hug and mumbling “He knows, I told him and I’m sorry but he needed to know”

You nodded, a non verbal agreement that it was ok.

Luke was one of the last out, side by side with his brother.

He looked around for you almost instantly, shoulders physically relaxing when he saw you there. His eyes flickered between you and the baby.

“Go, go see her” Jack pushed him. The whole family watching him stumble over to you.

“Hi Lu”

“Hey”

You were both visibly nervous, taking it upon yourself to break the tension you asked “you want to hold him? Your mom said it’s the best cuddles she’s had”.

He chuckled, nodding and you handed the small body over. You watched him closely snuggle closer into Luke’s chest in his sleep.

Luke laughed softly and when you looked at him you saw the tears that lined his eyes and a watery smile to add “He’s so-“

“Perfect?” “Yeah”

The two of you had your moment, being mom and dad for a few seconds until the family interrupted. Uncle Jack claiming his stakes to meet the little one.

The two of you stepped back for a minute watching them all coo over him. Luke’s arm slinging over your shoulders to pull you in under his arm.

Your head dropped onto his shoulder “Lu I’m so sorry I kept him from you”

He shook his head lightly “It’s done now, let’s just go forward not back. Come back to the hotel with me, we’ll talk about everything”

“Everything?” “I want to fix it all, you and I too”

“I’d like that, I don’t think we’re getting him back anytime soon though” you joked.

“More time with you? I’m not complaining”

Later that night you were asleep in his arms on the hotel bed, Milo asleep in a travel cot next to you and Luke felt happy for the first time in a very long time.

Next morning the family had woken up to a text in the family group chat.

Quinn Hughes: what the fuck is this I’m hearing about having a nephew? Was someone gonna tell me? Jack who did you knock up?!

[laurapalmerz]

re: my james post i'm gonna be so honest when i say i completely forgot that he's modeled off of james dean. i don't think it helps either i've never seen a movie he's stared in. i've always had a bit of a blind spot when it comes to 50's/60's pop culture and celebrity. but i can see the similarities, especially when putting them next to one another like this.

though i'm not sure he's really modeled off of james dean the person since he was multifaceted and troubled in life, moreso the image that was crafted for him by studio execs, especially (as was pointed out in the replies of that post) the tough guy he presented as in 'rebel without a cause'. i'm still standing behind my post though. james deserves to be treated better. mostly cause i'm tired of seeing headlines like this whenever i search his name:

and reading sentences like this:

or this:

and this:

(this article sucks btw, don't read it) james is not "the worst thing about twin peaks", not by a long shot. if i must point to a specific example; the adult woman who groomed james into a sexual relationship. it was unnecessary, there was no character growth or regression as a result, and is repeatedly ignored when discussing james at all. or the subplot about nadine regressing to a teenager after coming out of a coma and getting with mike (also unnecessary and very gross!). or even JOSIE TURNING INTO A DOORKNOB! these are all aspects that really bog down the show, but are they brought up in equal measure with how much they hate him? no. putting him above leo, any of the renaults, the black rose (because i don't wanna call her by her actual name, yikes), fucking BOB, is short sighted. he's a teenager, struggling with the death of a girl he truly loved while making poor decisions, not the end of the fucking world. get your head screwed on straight for a minute and prioritize where your hate is being funneled.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

In celebration of Animaniacs' 30th Anniversary...

I'm gonna list some of my favourite segments/episodes from the franchise and explain why they're my favourites! The segments/episodes will be listed in order of their debut in their respective series.

I'll start with my favourite episodes from the original Animaniacs:

Taming of the Screwy

I see this episode as the turning point of Warners' and Scratchy's relationship. Before they'd drive him crazy and he'd want nothing to do with them, but because of his job he's forced to deal with them. This episode was the start of Scratchansniff realizing that the Warners' aren't all bad, which eventually leads to them to getting along a bit better later on. The Warners still mess with Scratchy a lot because, as they say in this episode, it's their way of showing affection, but he genuinely tries to tolerate them (key word being "try"), and they even help him a bit ("La La Law"), until eventually he starts acting somewhat like a guardian to them and he's even willingly choosing to hang out with them (like in "I'm Mad", "Fake", "The Party", etc).

This episode also puts the Warners' characters in a new perspective, being the first that tries to get the audience to genuinely sympathize with them. We knew about them being locked in the water tower, but that wasn't taken too seriously and (because of how "Newsreel of the Stars" presented their origin) you could argue the studio's treatment of the Warners was just a reaction to the Warners' antics. Here the Warners kept their end of the deal and were well behaved, yet were betrayed anyway. They had gone up against a "special friend" before this episode, but this episode was pretty much the first to firmly establish that the Warners are capable of behaving if treated fairly (although they'd rather mess about, not out of maliciousness, but because they just wanna have fun), but if not they're not afraid to fight back and wreak havoc.

A big reason why I like the Warners so much is that they seem like simple characters on the surface, but there is nuance to how they act, and this episode is a good example of that ("The Sound of Warners" also being a good example). It would've been easy to write the Warners as one-dimensional characters who all act the same, are completely incapable and/or unwilling to behave and do nothing but make anyone and everyone's lives worse for no reason, especially since it's a variety show, but they didn't and I appreciate that. I also think the way they're drawn in this episode is adorable! They don't look how they usually do when animated by TMS, but I still like it.

The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special

This episode gives a more detailed retelling of the Warners' origin story. This time it is presented as a "live" TV special, which is a unique premise for this show that helps this episode stand out. I like how "Newsreel of the Stars" tries to make the studio look as good and reasonable as possible, only for that to be flipped on its head in this episode which makes it clear that really the problem was that Memlo and Plotz were the unreasonable ones. The Warners' backstory itself expertly manages to be both comedic yet sad at the same time in a way that doesn't feel tonally inconsistent at all. I still find it hilarious that they took an actual Looney Tunes character and made them into a twist villain just because they were unpopular in real life (let it be known that Animaniacs did that joke before the 2002 Scooby Doo movie did). Combine all that with some fun cameos and beautiful TMS animation, and you've got one of the show's best episodes.

Episode 92

Yup-the whole episode. This episodes is a great summary of Animaniacs' strengths, because each segment is a perfect example of an aspect (or multiple) of Animaniacs that the show does expertly well. "It" has some of the best animation in the whole show, "Dot-The Macadamia Nut" is one of the best parody songs in the show, and "Bully for Skippy" provides some of the best meta humour, political satire, slapstick, and irreverent humour in the show. It's one of my favourite Slappy segments, and although I think the message isn't supposed to be taken seriously...I legitimately think it's a good moral? After seeing other shows/movies/etc (particularly since the 2010's) have their protagonists easily talk down and redeem multiple incredibly vile villains, or sometimes just outright let the villain get away for the sake of keeping them passive/non-violent, this episode's conclusion was incredibly satisfying.

Children's media will often tell kids to just ignore bullies or to constantly try to "get through to them" no matter what, because if they don't that makes them "just as bad" and I'm sorry but that's not something we should be teaching kids, and I'd argue they're not just bad but straight up dangerous messages. Ignoring bullies doesn't work most of the time, it just makes them try harder to get your attention, which often means acting more aggressive and malicious. I do think teaching kids to try and make peace with people non-violently is very important, but if the bully keeps harassing them, at some point you have to draw the line and stand up for yourself. Sometimes you have to yell. Sometimes you have to fight. It sucks but that's life...so anyway, back to Animaniacs. Duke seemingly does learn his lesson in the end, because he's seen helping Slappy, but only after getting his butt kicked, and it's not like him and Skippy are BFFs or anything.

I think this is one of the most well-balanced non-singular story episode of the show, quality wise that is. Most Animaniacs episodes with multiple segments have at least one that is mediocre or straight up bad in comparison to the other(s), but that's not the case here. They're all great.

Honourable Mentions: The Sound of Warners, La La Law, Meatballs or Consequences, A Christmas Plotz, Super Strong Warner Siblings, Morning Malaise, Season 3's Finale (Episode 82), Win Big, Puppet Rulers, Bubba Bo Bob Brain, Yes, Always, Bumbie's Mom, ...And Justice for Slappy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock, Critical Condition, Woodstock Slappy, When Rita Met Runt, Smitten With Kittens, Phranken-Runt

Best Songs: Yakko's World, Wakko's America, I'm Cute, Yakko's Universe, The Ballad of Magellan, Variety Speak, I'm Nobody's Mama, Let's Try for Two, Humans Ain't What They Seem to Be, A Quake! A Quake!, The Senses Song, There's Only One of You

Now on to Pinky and the Brain:

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas

Yeah, yeah. I'm just gonna get this one out of the way now. You love it, I love it, and we all know why...but I'll explain anyway!

For one, this is the only episode TMS animated for the spin off, and it looks gorgeous. The writing's as good as ever. I'd like to point out the Donner Party joke for being clever; but Bill Clinton being unable to open the window is the joke that gets me to chuckle when I think about it. Although let's be honest, people mostly like this episode because of the ending. I get it though, it's touching! It shows just how much Pinky loves Brain and how selfless he can be, dedicating what was supposed to be his Christmas list to Brain. Then the smashing, the keychain, the credits, blah blah blah we know how it goes.

I mean if you're reading this then chances are I don't need to convince you; it's the show's most well-known episode, and it's really good.

Welcome to the Jungle

This episodes flipped Pinky and Brain's dynamic on it's head. Brain was out of his element, meanwhile Pinky took charge. This is the main reason it's one of the most memorable episodes of the show, although another is that Snowball makes his grand return in this episode, and is even more antagonistic this time by trying to get Pinky and the Brain killed, whereas last time he was really only trying to one-up Brain. I find it interesting that Brain’s more sympathetic towards Snowball this time around, insisting that he needs help and attempting to save his life. Perhaps he always missed Snowball as a friend (and still cares about him deep down), perhaps being so out of his element softened him, maybe both? And when Brain defeated Snowball towards the end, after what he went through in the episode that genuinely felt triumphant and deserved.

This episode really shows off how Pinky and the Brain is distinct from Animaniacs. The Warners don't take serious situations seriously, they're always on top of things and are ultimately winners. Pinky and the Brain are kind of the inverse; mice wanting to take over the world is ridiculous, but they take it completely seriously, and fail every time. Though it is exactly that that allows the protagonists to be vulnerable and struggle more often, hence allowing the characters and their stories to often times be slightly less zany and a bit more sincere.

Star Warners

This episode was just fun, what more can I say? It was nice to see many of the Animaniacs characters again, especially the Warners and Slappy, but we even got to see the more obscure characters like Pip, Zalgar, the aliens from “Space-Probed”, Sid the Squid and Beanie the Braindead Bison. Some Looney Tunes characters and Freakazoid appear too. I also like a lot of the "castings": in particular Yakko as Han, Wakko as Luke and Dot as Leia are perfect choices.

There's more to this episode than cameos though, like the interactions between characters who pretty much never interact. Dot and Brain, Wakko and Mindy, etc. My absolute favourite aspect of this episode is that the Warners, Pinky, Brain and Slappy all got to star alongside each other throughout the episode! The Warners have interacted with Slappy a few times, they've also interacted with Pinky and the Brain too, as has Slappy (very briefly in "Spell-Bound"), but they've never all interacted as a group for an extended period of time. I haven't kept it a secret they're my favourite Animaniacs characters (and also have pretty much the only segments I truly care about aside from maybe also Rita and Runt), so to see them interact as a group was great!

Also, the final credits gag was “Nympholepsy - To have a desire for an unattainable idea”. That's a perfect Brain’s Word to end the show on, and this episode was a pretty good way to end the show. Sure, something with higher stakes that takes place in the main setting of PatB (as in an episode where Pinky and the Brain live in Acme Labs in the modern day) like the "Brainwashed" trilogy would've made for a good finale too, but honestly having the final episode of the show essentially be a crossover between it and its parent series is cute. In fact it's probably...eh screw it, it IS the best Animaniacs-related series finale there is.

Honourable Mentions: TV or not TV, Snowball, The Pink Candidate, Pinky and the Brain…and Larry, This Old Mouse, A Pinky and the Brain Halloween, You’ll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again, The Family That Poits Together, Narfs Together

Best Songs: Brainstem, Cheese Roll Call, Just Say Narf!, A Meticulous Analysis of History

And now, because I haven't seen "Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain" and don't plan to, the Animaniacs reboot:

Fear and Laughter in Burbank

I love that the Warners' Halloween costumes were the Marx brothers, it's a cute reference to the fact that Yakko and Wakko were partially inspired by Groucho and Harpo respectfully. That and I really like segments where the Warners torment some evil supernatural being. The fact that these literal children can not only hold their own against but outright best beings like a soul-sucking clown, the Devil or even Death himself is both hilarious and admirable. They're not just pests, they're powerful pests.

It's pretty interesting that Yakko is the only one of the siblings who falls victim to Nickelwise, before being narrowly saved by Dot. His encounter with Nickelwise reveals a few things about him: that he hates being alone, fears losing his voice, and is at least a little insecure about his comedic skills whilst seeking validation via comedy. It also implies that despite the fact that he acts as the most mature, experienced and the de facto leader, he may be the most anxious and have the most self-worth issues of the three. This would make sense since he's the eldest, and therefore presumably has a lot more worries on his mind than Wakko and Dot. I do like this segment overall, but this moment is what made it one of my favourites. It provides depth to Yakko's character like never before, which I appreciate given that he's my favourite.

Rome Sweet Rome

This segment had a lot of good gags, solid satire, a fun song, and each Warner shows off their skillset pretty well: Yakko using his words and not his fists in a fight, Dot weaponizes cuteness to blindside an opponent, Wakko has an endless appetite and is really destructive. Titmouse animated this one so of course the animation was great. Pretty much everything I like about the Warners' segments is here and in top form. Not much more to say other than that, it's just...really good!

The Island of Dr. Warneau

Titmouse animated so once again there's great animation (Jurgen's lab was wonderfully creepy), and I really liked how the Warners were written in this one. I like that Yakko has a picture of Scratchy in his wallet (I'll take all the "Scratchansniff is their dad" crumbs that I can get), the clones are adorable, and of course the comedy was as good as ever ("You're living beings, not unpaid interns!" in particular got me).

Jürgen seems to be depiction of what an abusive family member might act like (although obviously exaggerated, since this show is a zany cartoon and all). In addition to forcing them to do whatever he wants whilst giving no love in return, Jürgen makes the clones call him "brother" to condition them into thinking he's family so they'll feel obligated to associate with him, has convinced them that he's their "protector" so they'll feel helpless without him (unfortunately that worked because Ratto straight up says they're helpless in his first line), and when the clones finally do stand up for themselves he tries to bribe Ditto towards the end by offering her a strawberry, whilst claiming she was always the "sensible one". The ending was very satisfying, with Ditto refusing to call Jürgen "brother" anymore and switching to using his first name (basically disowning him) and calling the Warners her real family. The six of them hug and just before things get a bit too cute-Jürgen gets eaten by a whale. The ending, like the whole segment really, is a perfect mix of both wholesomeness and dark humour.

This segment essentially emphasizes the importance of who the Warners are as characters. It explored the idea of what the Warners would be like if instead of being chaotic and rebellious, they were meek and well behaved, essentially the opposite of themselves, and it made for an interesting watch! It shows the importance of being assertive, and why being "perfectly behaved" and "obedient" isn't always a good thing. In hindsight, had Scratchansniff actually managed to successfully "de-zanitize" the Warners, it might've been the worst thing to have happened to them.

The Warners aren't perfectly behaved. They're snarky. They're chaotic. They're insane(-y). They're a lot of things, BUT when they see something wrong they don't stand aside, they fight back and make it right, just in a comedic way (they're like the embodiment of karma). Their backbone is one of their biggest redeeming qualities, and although people in-universe give them a hard time over their chaotic and irreverent nature, they'll always be better than the corrupt authority figures (like Jürgen, or many of their "special friends") they tend to take down.

Honourable Mentions: Suspended Animation Part 1, Ralph Cam, That's Not the Issue, Future Brain, Roadent Trip, Yakko Amakko, Christopher Columbusted, Reichenbrain Falls, 23 and WB, Planet Warner, Talladega Mice: The Ballad of Pinky Brainy, Fantasy, Teeniacs, Animaliens, Global Warnering, Slappy's Return

Best Songs: Suffragette Song, The Cutening, Be Like Me, A Zit!, I Am The Very Model of an Ancient Roman Emperor, Yakko's Big Idea (Yakko's Big Song), Magna Cartoon, Warner's Ark, D.I.WHY?, Here Comes the Sea!, Some of Humanity's Wins

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Before Animaniacs, many syndicated cartoons (specifically ones from the 60's to the 80's) had either a) good writing but cheap animation or b) more expensive and impressive looking animation but were essentially over glorified toy commercials. Animaniacs had both witty, intelligent writing and downright beautiful animation (seriously, the segments animated by TMS are some of the best hand drawn animation I've ever seen in a TV show). This wasn't unheard of by the early 90's, but only a handful of other cartoons could claim the same at the time. It's higher budget compared to a lot of other contemporary cartoons also meant it could afford a 25-to-40-piece orchestra, and that (along with the extremely talented staff) allowed Animaniacs to have one of the best soundtracks from any cartoon ever. Not to mention it was one of the first TV shows to garner an interactive online audience. Animaniacs was one of the first examples of internet fandom culture. Think about that. That is huge.

The Warners, Pinky and the Brain and Slappy are unironically some of my favourite characters of all time. I love that that the Warners are chaotic, nigh-omnipotent beings who can do anything, but also non-conforming outcasts who look out for each other because no one else will, but also well-meaning rebels, but also cute silly little children all at the same time. And that's just what they have in common, that's not even getting into their individual personalities. To put it very briefly (because I literally already wrote an essay about Dot so if you've read that you know how long I can go on about them but this post is long enough already and I'm still not done) I admire Yakko's wit, Wakko's optimism, and Dot's confidence.

I love that Pinky and The Brain are complete opposites in every sense of the word yet still manage to have an unbreakable bond. I love Slappy's unapologetically violent but never too meanspirited sense of humour (even though she's only one in-universe I genuinely think she makes for a better female Looney Tunes character than most of the actual female Looney Tunes characters) and how despite how bitter and cranky she is, she never lets that get in the way of her bond with Skippy.

Both the original Animaniacs and the reboot are some of my favourite shows of all time. I love their sense of humour, I love the main characters, I love that they never hold back and go places/accomplish things that a lot of other kids shows wouldn't even dare to. Not only was Animaniacs heavily influenced by Looney Tunes but it (and a series of Looney Tunes television spin-offs) helped bring Looney Tunes back from a period of stagnation by popularising its sense of humour (particularly its type of snark, wordplay, slapstick and visual gags). I feel like not enough people talk about just how influential the original show was; not only did it have more pop culture references and social commentary than pretty much any children's cartoon had before it, it played a big part in popularising those two things as well as sharp satire, cynical irony, meta humour, self awareness, and just witty humour in general being in children's cartoons, if not TV as a whole.

And above all else...it was fun. It was a fun show that just wanted to make you laugh above all else. It knew what it wanted to do and was good at it, and sometimes that's all you need for success.

I love this franchise, and I can't wait to see what it does next.

[total-drama-brainrot]

out of the three (four? if you wanna include ridonculous race) noah appeared in, which one do you think noah could have won if he cared about the competition

hot take; none of them.

he did care about the competition (at least somewhat) in the first season and it was objectively his worst. in island, he was too blinded by his own hubris to consider the fact that he was, for all intents and purposes, isolating himself in a socially driven competition. he was standoffish and rude, which would've been fine if he hadn't outright directed negative attention to himself with his comments AND refusal to participate in the dodgeball challenge, and he offered little in terms of both teamwork and team utility anyway. so being voted out early was a given, and a much needed wake-up call for him.

he didn't compete in season 2, but if he did i doubt he'd make it to the finale. i'd like to say he'd make it pretty far into action- both because action has a lot more technology and media references, which noah could play to his advantage as both an established nerd and a canonical hacker (though these aspects of him are mostly delegated to his biographies/interviews outsode of the show itself), and because we know he does learn from his mistakes in season 1 so he'd try to be a better teammate (like he does in season 3). but i truly and honestly don't think he'd stand a chance against powerhouses like courtney and duncan, or have even a smidge of beth and owen's in-competiton social game/likability, so he'd eventually be voted out.

and in season 3, as much as i disagree with the amazons winning the challenge, getting rid of noah there and then was the right play from a narrative standpoint. because, at the end of the day, he's a filler character. he doesn't have any engaging plotlines of his own to warrant keeping him around, and his only real use from a writing standpoint is to make snide comments and witty one-liners; when the remaining cast all have at least one subplot going for them, and you need to 'thin the herd', you get rid of the deadweight characters first.

by world tour, i believe he's only competing for the sake of it, and he doesn't really care about winning or losing; if anything i'd say he only went along with the celebrity manhunt bus chase because he was supposed to stay with chris/the total drama crew, and since he was fired from being chris' assistant he didn't have anything better to do (he's always been a passive character, so going along with the crowd for curiosities sake is very much something he would do).

but if he did care?

i think he'd make it to early merge. a noah who cares about the competition would try to take down alejandro for the sake of his own survivability (after all, how long is it going to be until team victory is gone and alejandro turns on his own teammates as his next targets?) thus making himself plot relevant enough to keep around- maybe even allying himself with heather to do so. but alejandro, whilst not as smart as noah, is far more savvy and capable than him, and their 'rivalry' would end in noah being voted out.

or maybe he'd embrace his villain-coding (watch island again and tell me he isn't villain-coded. he does a "mwu-ha-ha" laugh and says "excellent." he's so campy bond antagonist coded in island) and ally himself with alejandro to garuntee his survivability, helping him weed out the competition as a right-hand man. eventually, alejandro would discard noah- either because noah would refuse to help him eliminate owen, or because they'd make their way far enough into the competition that noah becomes less of an ally and more of a threat and have him eliminated accordingly. because noah might be the villain, but alejandro's the archvillain.

that, and i think the finalists of each season are already the best picks from their rosters. i wouldn't change any of them to give one sarcastic twink the chance of winning.

(i haven't seen ridonculous race but i'm fairly certain caring about the competition is part of his character arc in it? he comes in guns blasing and then gets sidetracked by being smitten with emma, at least that's my understanding of it. so nothing would change there.)

[myobsessionsspace]

Regarding the Itaewon ask.

I think it shows how much people rely on kdramas and maybe even fanfiction when it comes to their thoughts on South Korea. Because as someone who did no research on the different districts in Seoul (yet), mainly because I'm not planning to visit soon or care about where BTS live (invasion of privacy, imo), I too thought of Itaewon as the party hot spot. Which it is but I guess as with all things SK it is a lot bigger and more diverse than just that.

But thanks to your post I'm now educated.

I think Bam might be the deciding factor, and I hope JKs mansion has enough outdoor space to satisfy a dog his size. Anything else would be bordering animal cruelty which is not who JK is at all.

Also, as you said, security is really important and I assume that there's a lot of protocols for both the general Itaewon and Gangnam areas to protect the many celebrities living there. That on top of the excellent security BigHit has given BTS puts my mind at ease.

My last point is that I don't really see JK being a club going person. Firstly, he's THE JJK and it'd be sadly very dangerous for him to just go out and be drunk in a public space. Especially since the idol image in general is so sterilised, and if him drinking a few beers last year at home caused an army-wide panic that he was a depressed alcoholic, I don't wanna imagine what leaked pics of him from clubs and bars would lead to. Their loss of normality is something all members have talked about repeatedly, and it's one of the saddest aspects of their reality we as fans have to understand. On top of that, the constant presence of saesangs and rabbid fans isn't something you truly forget about.

JK's privacy had been invaded way too often already. I hope the mansion has security that puts the White House to shame.

~Ask Anon is referring to~

Hi lovely!

I appreciate what you’re saying! Thank you for sending this in, I try not to answer just for the anon but for myself and anyone that wants to take the time to read my essays (I have a problem with talking too much 😩🙈). I’m so glad you were able to learn a little something new too💪. It’s difficult to say or show something that hasn’t already been said so that puts a smile on my face for sure.

Don’t even get me started about the different versions of JK people have in their heads of him,

if I start I’ll never stop, and tbh that goes for all of the members 😪

Please more secure than the White House 🥴

I too hope wherever he lives, after this pause in their lives is done, is more secure than The White House, The Blue House, The Kremlin, Buckingham Palace, I could go on! I NEED THEM TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PLACE OF PEACE, PLEASE 😭

Nice talking to you.

💜

[martian-astro10]

D9/ Navamsa chart observations - Part 6

Moon in 10th gives you a sassy (in a good way) father in law. Also, your spouse can be the best in their field. After marriage, you can be closer to your partner's family than your own. If you don't have a good relationship with your parents, then your partner's family will fill that void. (I know a gay guy with this placement and his husband was disowned by his family when he came out but my friend's family treat him as their own son. They have a really sweet relationship. I love this placement)

Rahu will either take away everything or give the best results related to the things of the house it's in. It really depends on it's dispositor. For ex- if rahu is in 5th, it can either give you a partner who is intelligent, creative, energetic, has a lot of hobbies, or it can give you a partner who drinks a lot, parties a lot, sleeps around, etc. it can also either give you a lot of kids or none at all.

Mercury in 9th gives you an intelligent spouse, they can also be a multilingual person. If you're a woman then your partner can have a little, teeny tiny tendency to mansplain, it's honestly like, they're so proud of their knowledge that they just wanna show how much they know, it can be a little annoying sometimes but nothing too serious. (I know a guy with this and his wife is so cute, she looks like a child every time she talks about her interests, you can tell how much she enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge, it's kinda cute actually)

Venus in 7th is that placement that completely changes you after marriage, especially your fashion sense. it's because it aspects your 1st house, so definitely a huge change in personality, you can also get a glow up after marriage. Also, it can give a rich partner, kinda like a crazy rich Asians type situation. (I know a girl with this placement and she was so innocent before marriage, she wouldn't even wear revealing clothes and stuff but then after marriage, her mother in law basically threw out all her old clothes and got her new ones, I met her recently and BRO, she looked so different, so beautiful and she was wearing clothes that actually suit her body type and skin color. Also her mother in law is COOL AS FUCK, every time I look at her, I'm like, yeah, this is who I aspire to be like in the future) last point, you'll have a very loving marriage

Jupiter in 2nd is THAT placement. so many celebrities who are married to rich business men have this. I feel like this is one of the placements that just makes you very materialistic, like money is very important for you all, so you should marry someone who is just as materialistic. (I know people with this placement who don't get lonely or offended even when their spouses are workaholics, both you and your spouse think that money should take priority over any other matter) I'll be honest, your married life can be a little dry, but not if Jupiter is in a good sign

Sun in 9th is OFC another good placement. I haven't really seen this mentioned anywhere but this is like THE foreign spouse placement. all the people I know who have this, married someone who was not from their country. You'll also travel a lot after marriage. It gives you a really charming partner, like they can charm the pants off you. Also, the sexual tension is HIGH, Especially if sun is in Aries. There's also a high chance that you're an introvert but your spouse is not, so they can help you get out of your comfort zone

Saturn in 3rd can be such a calm and mature placement, it's like, you know how many men don't talk about the problems they face in a relationship, and then they start acting shitty and wait for the woman to break up. With this placement you get a responsible partner, someone who is willing to talk and meet halfway but you have got to match their energy yk. if you have a weak Mercury in d1, then this placement is not nice, cuz your communication skills are shit and they are TOO mature, so the moment you play games with them, they'll leave you. So work on yourself, is what I would say.

For ketu also, if the dispositor is well placed then you achieve balance in that area, but if not, then you feel detached. ( I know 2 people with ketu in 7th, one is so against marriage and she has extremely high standards, which tbh, are not even practical but the other one has high achievable standards. The funny thing is that the first one has always dated guys who were not good to her and the other has had zero dating experience cuz she's waiting for the right guy. So the detachment sometimes refers to "wrong attachment".

You all are not gonna like this but Jupiter in 7th is one of the STRONGEST indicators of getting married a lot of times. Jupiter in 1st as well, it's not that strong but chances are high. (Halley berrey, Jennifer Lopez, angelina jolie and Scarlett Johansson have it)

To end it on a good note, if you have mars in 5th, just know I'm jealous of you, cuz if there's one thing that you're not gonna lack in your marriage, it's sex. You guys will be those parents who kiss each other even you've been married for 35 years, you do that and then your kids go "ewww, you guys are so cringy" and run away. (Just make sure that mars is not conjunct or aspected by Saturn or rahu, Saturn gives no sex, rahu gives painful sex)

© martian-astro All rights reserved, 2024

[what-gs-watching]

“Do I wanna break into a dead guy’s apartment and go through all his shit? Sounds like an afternoon.”

Okay so I obviously needed a real good palate cleanser after I watched Barry and subsequently melted down a little bit, and there was an obvious choice because Y’AAAAAAALL

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING IS BACK!

I’m fucking crazy for this show. Steve Martin??! Martin Short???!!! being amazing old guy best friends with Selena Gomez to temper their ridiculousness and bring that fantastic sass? 

It’s one of those rare, perfect shows. Everything about this show is absolutely on point. It’s funny. It’s smart. It’s emotional. And ridiculous. And gorgeously stylized. I’ve been on this wagon since day one and it’s truly wonderful.

Wherein, three tenants of an upscale apartment building in New York City, The Arconia,  start a podcast after someone dies in said building, and they’re convinced it was murder. 

Since season 4 is starting, it’s the perfect time for a rewatch, gang. And it’s my first one! That’s always a fun experience, getting into something you know you enjoyed for a second time. It’s not quite familiar yet, it can still surprise you because you remember the shape of it but not necessarily all of the details. It was extremely satisfying. 

I’m trying to decide which has been my favorite season so far, let’s talk it out.

Season 1: Victim, Tim Kono

A lot of shows struggle in the first season but dang this one is so strong. Charles (Steve Martin) is a mostly washed up tv star from the 90’s, Oliver (Martin Short) is an eccentric Broadway director who got blackballed after his disastrous last production, and Mabel (Selena Gomez) is in her late 20’s, squatting in her aunt’s posh Manhattan apartment and not doing much else. 

At the start, the fire alarm in the building goes off and all three head to a nearby restaurant and run into each other. They bond over a podcast about a missing girl’s murder in Oklahoma, produced by the podcast queen Cinda Canning (Tina, effing, FEY!!!!!!). Cinda is an amazing addition to this show, I love Tina Fey in absolutely everything but she is so great here.

Anyway, then they find out a tenant in the building apparently shot himself, but they’d been in the elevator with him not long before and none of them were buying the story, so what else was there to do than start a podcast and investigate? It’s a ridiculous premise honestly, but it works so fucking well. 

In my mind, Mabel is the focus of that season, it turns out she has a connection to Tim Kono, the victim, and the story winds out of control which I love, but they do a really good job of balancing between the three of them. Charles’ storyline ends up being insane and I enjoy Oliver’s snark and pluck and his confidence. 

And I obviously love the bromance that blooms between Charles and Oliver, it’s so sweet. Like their real friendship bleeds through. 

Another highlight of season 1 is Charles’s stunt double from Brazzos, played by Jane Lynch. The way they make the two of them really look like each other is funny as hell and Oliver’s reaction to meeting Sazz is classic - believing it’s Charles he asks what work he’s had done. It’s hilariously uncanny.

I won’t go into too many specifics, it’s too good to spoil, but I think I can say now that the killer in season one is my favorite. Didn’t really care about the victim but ooh, I DID NOT see that one coming. 

Season 2: Victim, Bunny Folger

So after they solve their first murder, the trio celebrates and everything is awesome, but Mabel goes back to her apartment for more champagne and guess what! She finds the dead body of Bunny, the head of the board for the Arconia, who they’d spent season 1 not getting along with - Bunny had even tried to evict them.

Surprise, surprise, the three of them immediately get arrested since Mabel was found basically standing, covered in blood, over the body.  #bloodymabel

It’s fun that they spend the season trying to clear their names, I liked that aspect of it. Of course they had to come under suspicion at some point, how many murders can realistically occur in an Upper West Side building before it gets weird and you have to look at the people who’ve suddenly gained notoriety because of it? 

This season for me was all about Charles, his backstory with his not-really-a-step-daughter and his dad. I guess it’s really about family overall, with Oliver’s own family drama bubbling up. I loved that they did an entire bit about Oliver always knowing when someone is lying - the scenes of him orchestrating rounds of the Son of Sam game are fantastic - but then of course he gets a big ol’ shock when a devastating secret is revealed. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of Mabel’s storyline with the random british artist that popped up out of nowhere, she was kind of a twit, but you do you girl. I’m with it. 

The killer reveal in season 2 is definitely my favorite - along with the joke about them throwing a “killer reveal party” - WAS it a party to reveal the killer, or a party that was going to be killer in nature??! Definitely the most satisfying reveal so far. 

Season 3: Victim, Ben Glenroy

So after they solve a few murders back to back, the three of them suddenly have some good press and their lives start to turn around. Oliver gets a call to direct a new play actually ON Broadway this time, even though his last production had been a literal disaster - mermen jumping from the rafters into what should have been a pool, but was definitely just a hard stage floor, instead. L O L at the retelling he does of that tragedy during season 1. 

Mabel of course is still a muddling millennial but she’s at least finally finished renovating her aunt’s apartment, and Charles’s return to his rebooted show, Brazzos, is on hiatus. SIDE NOTE, I love all of the Brazzos flashbacks, they’re so ridiculous and yet absolutely 100% what a crime drama in the 90’s was like. 

Anyway, Charles joins Oliver’s show, which is starring Ben Glenroy (played by PAUL RUDD who I absolutely love), a famous actor who’s known for his superhero franchise, CoBro - which is about a bro who turns into a literal COBRA and fights crime. 

One of the best parts of this season is the mentions of Ben’s starring roles. Mabel loves him from a show called “Girl Cop” and there’s an adorable moment where she does the handshake from the show with him (kind of). I want to be able to watch all of the invented content, it sounds so incredible.

BUT, of course, on the opening night of Oliver’s play, Ben ends up dead. He is by FAR my favorite victim. He seems like a dick and he definitely is but as they investigate you see a different side of him as well and I will always and forever love Paul Rudd. Bringing him on was a fantastic decision.

Did I mention that MERYL fucking STREEP is in the musical as well?? And her character is wonderful. When Oliver decides to turn the show into a musical after Ben’s death, she gets the best song of the entire thing and the first time she performs it is so poignant. I choked up a little bit the first time, and again the second time. 

Also, this season has my favorite episode of the series - Charles is trying to learn a ‘patter song’ for the musical and the first time he performs it in front of the cast, he devolves into a string of hilarious curses and he blacks out and ends up in a white room, surrounded with soothing music and he’s happy and dancing and everything is great. Until they cut back to reality and his pants are down and the stage he’s on is a mess and everyone is fucking MORTIFIED. When he asks what happened, Oliver screams “TOO SOON!!!” while Mabel is shouting, “Not ready!”

It’s absurd and absolutely fucking hilarious. He goes to the ‘white room’ a few more times in that episode and I can’t help but die everytime. I don’t know why I find it so hilarious but the sequences are perfect. You never know what happened and neither does Charles and I love it. 

I think I’ve decided this is my favorite season, even if the killer is kind of obvious. There was so much going on with the musical that the usually elaborate story of getting to the murderer is kind of muted, but it’s still so. good. 

And so, season 3 wraps up nicely, but we find out that Sazz has basically been executed in Charles’s apartment while they celebrate. Uh oh.

Which leads me to the start of Season 4. I’m SO excited. One of the best parts of this show is the cameos, and I am losing my mind over the addition of Zach Galifianakis. I’ve been in love with his insane face since his comedy special “Live at the Purple Onion” was on Netflix. I’m talking like, 2008, people. I saw him perform at some random festival before The Hangover ever came out. For a long time “Purple Onion” was my comfort watch, before ‘comfort watch’ was really a thing. 

He’s going to be incredible, and I can’t wait. I’m sure Eugene Levy and Eva Longoria will be good too but whatever, it’s gonna be all about Zatch Gaspifinasky for me. 

I’m not a huge fan of streaming shows releasing one episode a week, but I’ll endure it happily for Only Murders In The Building. Not many shows lately have been as solid, consistent, and FUN to watch as this one. 

Who killed Sazz Pataki, y’all?! I can’t wait to find out…

[mickeys-malarkey]

So, I Think I Know Who Ruth/Noone Is

No, I don't think she's Six nor Alone. But I don't think she's a totally new character like Otto/The Counselor (who, by the way, I noticed upon my relisten also identifies himself as “The Counselor” in his first audio log; an incredibly weird decision for one counselor in an asylum full of other counselors that he mentions constantly to make if it has no significance), either. And, I'm sorry, but this will mean that she is yet another poor child who doesn't get a happy ending.

Point One: Her Name

We… we know that Ruth's other name is “Noone,” not “Six” nor “Alone,” guys. That alone is proof that she's neither of them, just like how knowing Otto's other name is “The Counselor” alone is proof against the theories that he's either The Doctor or Mono/The Thin Man.

From what I can tell, it looks like people who've lived in both worlds get a Human Name and what I'll call a “Nowhere Name” or a “Nightmare Name.”

“The Janitor” is for sure Roger's in LN1.

“The Doctor” seems to be “that celebrity doctor” from TSON's in LN2.

“The Counselor” is for sure Otto's in TSON and potentially LN3 if he shows up there.

“Noone” is for sure Ruth's.

Some might choose their Nowhere/Nightmare Name, some may be bestowed it, but it certainly looks to me like the only time someone gets multiple Nowhere/Nightmare Names (excluding The Candleman/Ferryman because, from what Otto said at the beginning of Ch5, he's like literally some sort of Eldritch god or personification of an abstract concept or something who probably doesn't even have a concrete True Physical Form seeing as he's described very differently by mythologies all over the world throughout history, “‘The Guardian At The Threshold,’ an archetype that parapsychologists have obsessed over for centuries. A mythic entity who's appeared in the stories of innumerable cultures. No matter their description, his roll is always the same: to confront anyone who dares cross into unseen worlds . . . The Candleman. The Ferryman. Indeed, The Guardian At The Threshold. An eidolon [googled definitions: ‘a specter or phantom; a ghost or elusive entity; an unsubstantial image; an image or representation of an idea; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or an aspect of reality’] on the inside, determined to keep. Me. Out.” So, I think we can just assume that, because he's an ethereal being, everyone who encounters him perceives him varying degrees of differently [I mean, just look how difficult Noone found it to solidify her perception of him enough to describe him in the first place] and, unless their perceptions just happenstance into matching up enough or they decide to call him by a name they heard someone else use, they all call him something different and therefore, to use Tumblr terms: he's Spiders Georg and shouldn't be counted) is specifically in the case of kids surviving to adulthood in The Nowhere. Because, then, they transition from having a “nickname” type of Nowhere/Nightmare Name to having a “title” type, like Mono (ain't no way his parents put “Mono” on his birth certificate, that's definitely a nickname) growing into The Thin Man (an incredibly weird title, but a title nonetheless 🤷🏻‍♀️).

Sisi could easily be Six, or Raincoat Girl, or Portrait Girl (more likely Raincoat Girl or Portrait Girl), there's evidence for all three (but stronger for Raincoat Girl and Portrait Girl) and Otto/The Counselor never mentioned whatever her other name is, only “Sisi.” But, as I said, we know Ruth's other name: Noone!

Now, there is an unnamed girl that Noone is a little too similar to for it to be a coincidence: Spoon Girl (aka Girl With Pigtails, aka Nosebleed Girl, aka Hospital Girl, whatever you wanna call her) from the LN2 comics.

Point Two: Narrative Parallels & Matching Imagery

• Ruth/Noone: has an eye-looking “pea-size tumor on [her] right-sided amygdala,” as Otto said (“they maintain it's benign, despite the unusual ocular appearance”).

> Is “helped” to escape the asylum, Otto/The Counselor, and her tumor in the horrible, corrupting nightmare world that is The Nowhere by The Candleman/Ferryman after he brings her back and forth for a while, manipulating her into thinking The Nowhere is the lesser of the two evils.

• Spoon Girl: has a right-side nosebleed, which could mean Ruth/Noone was incorrect that living in The Nowhere would cure her of her tumor (not surprising, given that “ocular appearance.” Of course she couldn't escape it in its own domain) and now the cancer has spread to her nasal cavity (nosebleeds come up as a possible side effect of olfactory neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nerves that allow you to smell which starts growing in your nose and can spread into your brain. They could've researched that and thought it seemed perfectly reasonable that a tumor growing in the opposite direction would do the same exact thing)?

> Is “helped” to escape her hospital cell by an unseen person repeatedly pushing spoons under her door only to find that she's actually dug herself into an identical cell, all the way down to the hash marks she put on the walls presumably counting how many spoons she broke while digging. The door then opens to lure her to where she's found by The Doctor and, presumably, is either killed by him or “saved” from him by The Thin Man (if her Glitching Remains that Mono can find and absorb in the actual game are an indication that he attempted a rescue after the pair encountered each other through The Mall), likely turning her into a monster similar to Monster Six and locking her away somewhere until her tumor finally killed her.

Wouldn't it just wrap Ruth/Noone's story up in a positively hideous bow if, once she thought she'd escaped the horrors of her real life, she literally just found herself delivered into the hands of the very same man who traumatized her and got her face plastered all over the telly in the first place, where she basically lives through a metaphor that makes her realize what a terrible mistake she's made before she succumbs to whatever her final fate was (the latter option would mean also into the hands of someone so similar to Otto/The Counselor that the writers were able to use him to foreshadow how his part of her story would end)? 😬😢

If you need more proof, let's look at the TSON cover art…

Looks an awful lot like those bottom two hands are gripping pigtails, doesn't it (in exactly the wrong place for her to be Alone, might I add. Alone's pigtails stick up, Ruth/Noone's hang down)…? The fact they're also specifically covering the area where her bangs would be is pretty suspicious, as well… Now, let's compare her to Spoon Girl's concept art from the LN2 art book…

…Yeah, I think it's her. The face, head, shoulder, and collar shapes are much too similar for this series whose artists very much do not suffer from Same Face nor Same Body Syndrome when characters aren't meant to just be members of a faceless/masked/cloned throng. Hello, Ruth/Noone… R.I.P. 😔