#btw the whole series is available on YouTube

[qippabtch]

You can’t convince me those are two straight men being straight together

Is Ax/Marco AniTV canon?

Seriously.  Was the last Animorphs episode a case of “we’re already cancelled, so let’s openly queer the protagonists”?  (See: Legend of Korra, The 100, Supernatural, Being Human, Gotham, The Owl House, Angel, etc.)

I was rewatching AniTV, and I’m starting to think they made Ax/Marco canon.  Most of that last episode is about the kids getting ready for a school dance.  There’s a whole sequence where Marco convinces Ax to morph a rabbit, so that he can have a cute pet to attract girls — only as soon as a girl starts talking to Marco, Ax starts freaking out and scares her away.  Later, lizard-morphed-Marco gets grabbed by a teacher and stuck in a cage, and starts yelling for his friends in thought-speak, but only Ax hears his cries.  He rushes out of the dance to rescue Marco, the school gym gets destroyed by yeerks (off-screen), and they relocate the dance to the mall.  The last shot of the show is all six of them slow-dancing: Tobias with Rachel, Jake with Cassie — and Marco with Ax.

[Image ID: Screenshot from AniTV showing 6 couples dancing in a room with a green floor, green tables, and gray chairs.  There are two couples of extras dancing in the background and one in the foreground, but the camera is focused on Tobias and Rachel (in a white jacket and a pink dress, respectively) while Jake and Cassie (in a black tuxedo and red dress) and Marco and Ax (in jeans and in a blue suit) dance on either side of them.  Marco and Ax are indicated with an orange circle.]

I’d always kind of dismissed that moment as being some combination of “pair the spares” and “lol so funniez when 2 boys together” (it is the 1990s, after all.)  However, on rewatching, several things stood out to me.

This is the last-ever episode of AniTV.  The one with yeerks in cell phones aired after, but was filmed before, and this ep was meant to be the finale.

It’s not just that Marco and Ax dance together; it’s that Marco sits down next to Ax (so close they’re touching), looks him in the eye, invites him to dance, holds his hand, and pulls their bodies together.  Not quite a silly friend dynamic.

They’re dancing in the same pose and manner as Rachel/Tobias and Cassie/Jake, both of whom are confirmed romantic couples.

The whole episode kinda has Ax/Marco undertones.  “Friend 1 tries to get various dates with Friend 2 as support, doesn’t realize until late in the story that Friend 2 was their love all along” is a classic teen-romance setup, and that’s basically Ax and Marco’s plot this episode.

It’s a weird choice to end the show on this note, given that this is Part 3 of a 3-part finale and yet the other two parts are about an animal-testing cosmetics company and a secret ex-controller group.  However, if the writers chose to have this be the focus of the last episode because it’s the last episode, arguably that makes more sense.

Just… this is more-romantic framing than I initially realized.

[Image ID: Screenshot from AniTV Marco (in a gray shirt) leaning close to Ax, who wears a powder-blue suit jacket and bright blue bow tie.  Marco is holding Ax’s hand in the foreground, and Ax’s other arm is wrapped around Marco’s shoulders.]

Anyway, I’ve never seen any of the creators comment to confirm or deny it, so I have no idea if that was authorial intent or not.  But this is more than Beauty and the Beast or Legend of Korra ever gave us, in scenes known to have the intent of depicting a canonical queer romance.  And it’s more than I ever realized we got, from an undeniably crappy show that might still have this little spark of bisexual hope at the end.

[toaverse]

Have you ever seen HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Ever Child? That's the approach I wish Disney would take for their live action remakes.

Unfortunately, I don’t have HBO, but I did watch what’s available on YouTube, and I did get a picture of what you mean.

I first thought the series was live-action as well, but it was actually 2D animated (which is a good thing btw. Take notes Disney).

Unfortunately, I can’t watch whole episodes because I don’t have HBO, but from what I see in 3 to 4 minute parts of an episode, the stories are well-known fairy tales but placed in different settings and may have a twist.

For example; Sly Fox and the Mirror, from what I saw, is basically Snow White (without Snow White I think) but from the Evil Queen’s POV (a young woman in this case), and is set in either native America or India? (Please correct me if I’m wrong here, I couldn’t find it on the episode list).

Personally, I’d rather have Disney just stop making live-action remakes and focus on making original work and write actual good stories, but I wouldn’t mind a whole movie of a Happily Ever After episode.

When a children’s series from 1995 can do a better job rehashing classic fairy tales, what’s Disney’s excuse?

[wroteonedad]

Songs for Early Autumn

Look, LOOK, I know that it is literally still August, but the weather this summer has been so bad that I am ready for all the leaves to fall off the trees and to go to a pumpkin patch again. I am writing this as a storm starts and the rain falls heavily over the garden beneath the balcony. The thunder begins to rage louder and that starts to scare me because I hate hearing loud noises that I am waiting for. I put my noise cancelling headphones on to drown out the noise. At first, I started to listen to a Podcast. It was Emma Chamberlain's Anything Goes series where she's discussing the concept of living in Los Angeles. The thing is I hear all the time about how good Podcasts are when you need background noise while you focus on something else, but I found it unbearable to listen to. It made my brain fog up, as if hearing someone else speak meant I needed to focus all my attention on what they're talking about, even if they are essentially saying nothing. So I swapped back to listening to music and I already feel so much clearer ??? I feel like I want to listen to Podcasts if only they weren't so distracting for me.

Anyway kinda back to my point. This selection of songs that I wanted to feature is very much directed for the girlies who watch Gilmore Girls (or maybe not I have actually never watched the show), adore the aesthetic of the Autumn and perhaps enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. I promise this list will not simply contain Sweater Weather by The Nbd; but let me just create a visual representation for the type of vibe I'm trying to go for here.

I took all these pictures from Pinterest btw, even made a whole new account just so I didn't have to Google search stuff like 'autumn aesthetic we heart it'

Without any further ado, here are the songs:

Reaper - AS YOU SOW (2018)* The Cardigans - My Favourite Game (1998) Francis Lai - Un Homme Et Une Femme (1966) Miley Cyrus x Stevie Nicks - Edge of Midnight (2020) Kate Bush - The Wedding List (1980) MOTHXR - Touch (2016) Mareux - The Perfect Girl (2021) Rendez Vous - Sentimental Animal (2018) High Sunn - Ramen Waitress (2017) Nicolas Jaar - No One Is Looking At U (2015) Shygirl x Bjork - Woe (I See It From Your Side) (2023) Still Corners - Midnight Drive (2013) Jeff Buckley - So Real (1994) Eleven Pond - Watching Trees Bedroom Mix (2012) Gang Of Youths - What Do I Do If The Fire Goes Out? (2017) Weyes Blood - Andromeda (2019) Boa - Twilight (2001) Twin Peaks - Making Breakfast (2014) BLOXX - Novocain (2016) Anika - He Hit Me (2010) Bat For Lashes - What's A Girl To Do? (2006) King Krule - Dum Surfer (2017) Wolf Alice - Sadboy (2017) Moses Gunn Collective - Dream Girls (2016) Le Tigre - Phanta (1999) Chargaux x Soft Glas - Lullaby (2014)* BLAISE MOORE - Yyz (2016) Crystal Castles - Year of Silence (2010)

*A couple of these songs mentioned in the list are no longer available on streaming platforms and upon further search, it seems the two artists whose music is not online anymore is due to removal of all of their music. However, I have found some Soundcloud links to the tracks and they are also still available on YouTube.

Happy listening to my playlist for the season and hopefully I will remember to do things like this more frequently.

[clarenecessities]

1/14/2023

im trying not to be biased bc like i waited 7 months without a response from gbagok & i only DMed him once & i was v patient despite what my friends frequently describe as “stalker” instincts (i maintain that it’s not my fault so many people have such publicly available addresses & it’s not like i’m going there or using streetview or something, it just shows up! blame google!) BUT.

toyguru is bugging the shit out of me. like i am trying to think kind thoughts here because he has information i want very badly but he is just being kind of a douchebag. straight up when he took a while to respond to my email i was like okay cool, that’s fine, i will settle in for the long haul, but then he did respond saying he’d be posting videos about it “soon”. when is soon. he was posting daily videos at the time & he’s since dropped off to 5 a week, but like?? surely information which ONLY he holds, literally only he, would give him more fucking views than an unedited, 8 minute ‘how minimum order quantity works with action figures’ video. who is going to CLICK on that scott. it is a one sentence answer on the first fucking page of google!

okay deep breath. deep breath i’m cool.

anyway. he posted this big clickbaity video yesterday about how Origins is cancelled & he has it from three inside sources blah blah blah and that’s, obviously, had a surge in views. but now he’s posted a response video bc people are like “why should we believe your uncited and unverifiable claims” and i guess god forbid he wait until monday to say “wait and see”

what if he dies? what if he just fucking dies and this information dies with him? what if somebody who’s mad he’s talking shit about an action figure line goes to his EXTRA publicly available address (he never shuts up about his town and hangouts) and stabs him or some shit and i never get to know how the fuck i’m supposed to pronounce c’yra

god it’s just like. jesus christ. i would rather he never answered my email. i was already watching his youtube channel, but now i just feel like he’s trying to keep me on the hook for something, the same way he did to the he-fans when he worked on MOTUC. like okay man great i’m on your channel. i’m not going to watch any of this shit, especially the NFT toy commercial? (#girl really) your titles are always too long & get cut off--literally the only videos i can see the full title of are the ‘learn hieroglyphics’ ones (and btw, there are faster and easier ways to do that than one 10 minute video at a time), you repeat topics constantly, and your MOTUC “director’s commentary” are--

wait actually. hang on a minute. i need to look something up.

holy shit they’re in order. okay. okay.

he’s doing one figure a week, right? last few were entrapta, flutterina, NA skeletor, and madam razz. which were all released aug/sept of 2014. and he left MOTUC in october of 2014.

could... is it that easy? is he just going to run out of figures in--well he probably worked on the whole year so--11 weeks (or 4 if i’m real lucky)?

eleven weeks. i could wait eleven weeks. assuming that’s when he’d start the new series? god but catra was the 32nd fucking figure is he going to do one at a time and drag this shit out for three years? it wouldn’t exactly be out of character and like i wouldn’t go to north carolina for this but somebody is going to stab him at that rate

[thewilliamambervein]

Some sneak peaks on extra thing that will be apart of Power Rangers 101:

Hindsight is 20/20: a section where after the lesson and talks about behind-the-scenes things, we try and look at what could have been changed to make it more cohesive of a story. This will not account for the series as a whole since Disney didn't care about that.

Conspiracy corkboard: This will definitely be added in for Samurai and beyond where I try to make sense of things. This would be trying to make it connect to the rest of the series and just be mostly, MOSTLY, as a joke.

Unused sentai discussion: This will be mostly for when we run out of seasons to talk about and waiting for them to be available for either streaming or DVDs. This will be talking about unused sentai seasons, both new and past, to see if they would be usable and what they could be if used.

Oh btw I did make a YouTube channel for it. Called Angel Grove Study Group and I am waiting on Black Friday to buy what I need. Also I have an artist friend who is willing to take a commission for the channel icon and banner.

[huenjin]

CONTENT CREATOR YEAR IN REVIEW

tagged by @jeonginks @delicatewerewolfsoul @mikoto-ica-fics​ @hongism​ @sleepylixie​ (thank you for tagging me, either as a cc you like or for this ✨)

tagging: @bangtantaegi​ @itsapapisongo​ @dreamyhan​ @chanluster​ @mochinnie​ @sparklemin​ @baekhvuns​ @unsaidhj​ @jeonqqin​ @starrychannies​ @bearseungmin​ (i do not know if you have done this already or not, but please don’t be pressured either ways!)

1. first creation of 2020 and most recent creation of 2020 this blog came into being only three months back, so, i guess, everything that revolves in this post is about those three months, yeah? my first creation in the year 2020 was the chan!fic warmth, something i wrote after listening to auralescent. and my most recent creation is yet another chan!fic, domestic disturbance.

2. one of your favorite creations from 2020 it’s the devil!au for me. if to point one, it is dripping, a minho fic. perhaps because i steered away a lot from my religion this year or whatsoever. it is these fics that made me actually gasp while writing, so i must give it its place here. 

3. a creation you’re really proud of the study of relationships. it is the only fic so far on this blog that is long and does not include smut. made me realise that maybe some sheer soft fluff is what makes me the most happiest. that it’s alright to feel conflicted for two people at the same time. because that was where i was at one point in my life.

4. a creation that took you forever domestic disturbance. perhaps because it is crime. perhaps because i was feeling the most unmotivated in the month of december. i dragged this fic forever, wrote 1k in the first week and then simply did not feel like writing it, till deadline became a thing and i wrote like 13k words in two days. yes. so technically this fic did take me the whole month of december.

5. a creation from 2020 that received the most notes the study of relationships. as it should. that fic is my lovechild. it was originally meant for jjk before i paused writing for bts (which btw i will resume soon because of the demands to repost throttle). it was truly great writing it.

6. a creation you think deserved more notes i really do not check. and therefore, i do not know. but hey, if something doesn’t reach to the readers and make them feel the same way, it is alright. not everyone can like everything, right?

7. a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it. stray kids is the latest fandom i got in. this is my writing blog. and here is my gif blog (albeit it is my proudest blog because the efforts to gif though!)

8. a creation you made that breaks your heart so yeah. throttle is the fic that i will always hold close to my heart. it was originally for another fandom and then i made it into bts as it should be (because i wrote the fic thinking of jjk). maybe one day, i might find the courage to repost it. yes.

9. a ‘simple’ creation you really love ah, this pornstar!hyunjin fic all thanks to that one nonnie that i am now making into a mini series!

10. a creation that was inspired by another one most of my fics are inspired something. for instance, the study of relationships came into existence because i was in love with hq (and still am). chains, envious, warmth were inspired from nsfw asmrs once available on youtube. and dripping was inspired from this mature manhwa, rain curtain.

11. a favorite creation by someone else ah, these are only fics. but these made me feel stuff, made me smile or made me gasp. you may find most of my fic recs here. however, few specific ones that made me feel (my heart go doki doki) great are: i. badboy!hyunjin fic by @sinisterlyhan​ [nsfw] ii. non ducor duco by @chanluster​ [nsfw] iii. who you are, who i am by @jeonginks​ [sfw] iv. bittersweet by @unsaidhj​ [nsfw] v. power grab by @mikoto-ica-fics​ [nsfw]

12. some of your favorite content creators from this year this is off the top of my head so if i missed any, i’m sorry :((( i also don’t read much, so i am merely tagging people whose works i have read || @chanluster​ @sinisterlyhan​ @mochinnie​ @mikoto-ica-fics​ @unsaidhj​ @sparklemin​ @kabira​ @hongism​ @zibermuda​ (yah, zee! it’s me, rue!) @dreamyhan​ [the way all of you string your words together is a whole art. ily!]

[thatwitchyaunt]

Makeup for Magick/Ritual: Imbolc

So, this is a post that got taken own off of reddit because, apparently, a post about makeup as a tool in witchcraft is not... about... witchcraft? Okay? Anyway, this is the copy/paste of the original first post and the rest of this series will be here, so I hope you enjoy. And to anyone coming here from r/witchcraft, welcome to the absolute hot mess that is The Whatever Book!

“Well, here we go! The first post in (hopefully) a series that some of you were surprisingly interested in! Not gonna lie, I thought it would get a bunch of downvotes and that'd be that, but here we are! Before I start, quick disclaimer: My current phone is a 3S, so the pictures aren't the... best quality. But it's what we're working with. Now let's get into it!

So, quick cheeky recap of what I said in my original post: My other passion besides witchcraft is makeup. It's how I express myself artistically and I often use themed makeup looks as a way to celebrate the sabbats, doubling as offerings on Imbolc and Lammas/Lughnasadh. Sometimes, I even incorporate themed looks into spellwork in the same way I would decorate an intention-specific altar. (I fully blame Ms. Frizzle for my love of themed/inspired-by makeup looks, btw.) Now let's get into the post! First sabbat: Imbolc.

Generally, my rituals focus on the more fiery aspect of Lady Brighid on Imbolc; so reds, oranges and yellows are what I reach for. Depending on what you focus on (cleansing/purification, healing, the returning warmth, prep for Spring, new growth, etc), what you choose may be way different. So lets take a peek at the palettes I have in my collection that I can see fitting this coming up sabbat, starting with Colourpop!

Here we have the "Uh Huh, Honey" palette, the "Orange You Glad?" palette and the "Main Squeeze" palette. I'd use these three together for my more fiery looks, but "Uh Huh, Honey" could be paired with a more icy look if your focus is on the returning warmth.

Speaking of! This is the "Going Coconuts" palette, "Blue Moon" palette, "Mint to Be" palette and "Just My Luck" palette.

"Going Coconuts" is definitely a good, affordable neutral palette for Imbolc. It's neutral, but can lean on the icier side thanks to the shade "Palm Reader". Add a pop of yellow from the "Uh Huh, Honey" palette and you're set for a "returning warmth" look.

Then there's the "Blue Moon" and "Mint to Be" palettes, which are both good for the more healing/cleansing aspects of Imbolc. "Blue Moon" can go icy (and be paired with "Uh Huh, Honey" for the returning warmth), or can be used to represent Brighid's healing/cleansing waters. The shades in "Mint to Be" are somewhere between wintery greens and spring greens, so perfect for Imbolc! These mints give me very "fresh and clean" vibes, and also would not be out of place on a set of nurse scrubs. More gentle healing than "Blue Moon".

"Just My Luck" is your girl if you're going for the green of "new growth". Try pairing with "Mint to Be" for a more interesting green look.

The last CP palette I'd look at is the "Yes, Please" palette. It's a descent dupe for the Give Me Glow "Extra Spicy" palette if it's sold out. This is Colourpop's original eyeshadow palette and has those fiery tones I reach for this time of year.

Then, onto the Give Me Glow palettes, there's the "Extra Spicy" palette. I would reach for this one over the "Yes, Please" palette, because it's a better formula and is multi-functional. "Mild", "Spicy Peach Martini" and "Habanero" make for really great blushes and "Ghost Pepper" is a really cool fiery-yellow highlighter. This is being discontinued, however, so If you want it you need to grab it while you can. 10/10, would absolutely recommend!

Next is "The Grunge" palette and the "Sweet & Sticky" palette. Both are descent neutral/nude palettes for this time of year (if you aren't like me and are down for to look like a "Happy Clown") "The Grunge" palette has some interesting matte pops and has two metallics that could lean either warm or cool depending on what you pair with it. It's currently out of stock, and I'm not sure if it's coming back? This past Black Friday, they had it labeled as "discontinued" but I'm not 100% sure.

"Sweet & Sticky" is a cinnamon bun themed palette, and the colors are spot on! I absolutely consider cinnamon buns to be an appropriate food for Imbolc, what with the white icing (melting snow) paired with the cinnamon filling (warmth) in the roll (earth). An excellent small palette for neutral lovers, and "Icing Drip" and "Sweet Cinnamon Latte" are good highlighters depending on your skin tone.

The last Give Me Glow palette is the "Summer Vibes" palette! Specifically for the shades "Orange Soda Pop", "Mango Margarita" and "Sunny". Again, for the fiery aspect of the Sabbat. All the shades in this palette are available in singles, but I'd say just get the palette if you're interested in it. This will definitely come up again in my post for Litha/Summer Solstice, no doubt about it.

Now onto BH Cosmetics! We'll start with the two bigger palettes I chose this time around: "The Zodiac" palette and the Holiday 2020 "Naughty" palette. "The Zodiac" is a that cool with a pop of warm that fots the Sabbat, and the formula is gorgeous! The middle shade is a baked highlighter as well, and looks great on fair/light skintones (don't ask me about deeper skin tones, since I'm out here looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost and have absolutely no clue).

The "Naughty" palette... I'd say it's the only holiday palette that I've seen in the past few years that a brand actually put any real thought and effort into. And the formula's 10/10, so well done, BH! If you want to do a warm tone or cool toned Imbolc look, it's got you. If you want to do a fiery look, it's got you. If you want to do an icy with a pop of fire look, it's got you. It can be used all year round, too, which is pretty great, and you can use it as a sort of anchor palette for different looks. The day I'm writing this (January 18-19, 2021) it's on sale for 60% off, so only $12, and I honestly think you should snatch it up. Definitely going to be showing up in my Yule/Winter Solstice post.

On to the smaller BH palettes! First batch are "Love in London", "Smitten in Switzerland" and "Chillin' in Chicago". These are the three more neutral/"wearable" (eff, I hate that word) palettes in the BH Travel Series. There are a couple more like this, but they'll pop up in later posts.

"Love in London" can go either warm or cool depending on the shades you use, but either way, the tones are deep enough to fit the winter season we're still in.

"Smitten in Switzerland" is more cool-toned, muted-colorful palette with a bright pop. My favorite sage green eyeshadow look is from this palette. Outside of any Sabbat uses, I genuinely cooked up an entire scenario based solely on the vibes of the palette. Like, this is the palette you'd wear if the world was no longer on fire, and you and your family decided to go to a ski lodge for a weekend. You're no winter sports kind of Witch, no skiing or snowboarding for you (you're not here to break all the bones in your body so, hard pass). Instead, you sit by the lodge's fireplace/hearth wearing a cute and cozy sweater, perhaps some cute boots. Maybe you're reading a book or on a laptop/phone/whatever with a mug filled with a hot beverage of your choice, possibly spiked. And there you stay, looking like a cute snow bunny while you wait for the rest of your family to be done nearly getting themselves killed on the slopes.

*Cough cough* Now back to the post... Eh-heh...

"Chillin' in Chicago" is the palette to grab for a muted fiery look. Still has some color to it, but nothing as intense as, lets say, the "Extra Spicy" palette. Great alternative.

Now for the two bright/colorful palettes from BH's Weekend Vibes series. "Avocado Toast" and "Blueberry Muffin". "Avocado Toast" has your greens/warm browns with a pink and yellow pop that'd work great for any "new growth" symbolism. Meanwhile, for my fellow New Englanders, "Blueberry Muffin" gives us those more icy tones for the foot of snow we usually get on, or around, Imbolc. Any other New England Witches just look at that whole "new growth" bit when they first got started and went "B!tch, how?!" ...No? Just me? Side note, "Decadent" is the exact shade of the stain from blueberry juice and that made me idiotically happy. Don't ask, cause I don't know either.

The Shroud Cosmetics "Creepy Cute" palette! Widely considered one of the best pastel palettes on the market (Use code BEAUTBEAN fo 10% off! Did I just plug one of my favorite beauty YouTubers Why yes, yes I did...), it's insanely pigmented! "Void", "Tombstone", "Creep It Real", and "Cold Shoulder" can help you with colder, more wintery looks. "Cold Shoulder" and "Creep It Real" could be used for healing/purification if that's your ritual focus, and "Third Eye" and "Strawberry Milk" could both be used as crease/blending shades for a more fore-based look.

These three are my mainstream "if color is not your jam" palettes. The Tarte "Tartelette Toasted" palette, and the Anastasia Beverly Hills "Soft Glam" palette and "Sultry" palette.

The "Tartelette Toasted" palette is your neutral fiery palette. It gives a nice orange-red "toasted" look that fits the Sabbat well. Not my first choice, but if you're looking for a "basic b!tch" warm palette, she's your girl.

"Soft Glam" and "Sultry" are more warm tone vs. cool tone. If you want a more "cold, thawing earth" vibe, "Sultry" is the way to go. If you want to get it, I think it's only available in bundles on Ulta and the ABH website (but it's like.. half off in Ulta sooooo....). And "Soft Glam", obviously, for the warmer aspects of the Sabbat.

Now, on to my single shadows!

The top five are from Shroud Cosmetics. The first four (left to right) would be good for a fiery look), while the last one would be good to use for a water look/pop.

"World Eater" (Drool-worthy metallic red), "Ignite" (coppery orange metallic), "Vigil" (yellow-gold metallic), "Oracle" (light gold "inner corner highlight" type of metallic), "Sea of Ghosts" (medium blue metallic with a gold shift).

The bottom one is from Colourpop in the shade "Glass Bull", which is the perfect inner corner highlight for icier blue/purple looks.

Last, but certainly not least, my Give Me Glow Singles!

The amount of times I had to curate these singles so they would fit into one large palette.. I just... That's why this took three years to figure out. Anyways, I have a few different color stories in this palette, so stick with me more a second.

*Row 1 (L-R)*

"Marshmallow" - White matte. Pretty basic.

"Halo" - White metallic with baby blue and gold shifts. Perfect inner corner pop of sun for icy looks.

"Satellite" - Straight up silver metallic. If the Tin Man is your fashion icon, this'll do ya.

"Bubbles" - Icy blue metallic.

"Sky High" - Bright sky blue matte. Not pictured because mine came broken, but it's legit the perfect Imbolc blue.

"Blue Jeans" - Muted grey-blue metallic.

*Row 2 (L-R)*

"Cream Please" - Basic cream shade.

"Spring Break" - Green-blue with gold shift.

"Kiwi" - Kiwi Green. What it says on the tin.

"Joker" - Olive green metallic with lime undertones.

"Patty"- Just a true green matte.

"Space Dust" - Deep Smokey true grey.

*Row 3 (L-R)*

"On Ice" - Pale champagne nude metallic.

"Highlight" - Pale champagne gold metallic.

"Lucky Charm" - Golden yellow metallic.

"Fierce" - Pale orangy peach matte.

"You're Cheesy" - Mac and cheese orange metallic.

"Low Battery" - True red orange matte, more on the red side.

*Row 4 (L-R)*

"Selfie" - Burnt golden orange metallic.

"Hashtag" - Grungy medium toned orange matte.

"Chili" - Deep blue based rusty red matte.

"Icy Frap" - Icy warm champagne metallic with taupe undertones.

"Iced Coffee" - Deep bronze gold metallic.

"Dark as My Soul" - Grungy deep warm brown matte.

Now on to the color stories:

*Color Story 1* Icy Blue with a sunny gold pop on the inner corner (returning warmth)

Marshmallow, Halo, Satellite, Bubbles, Sky High, Blue Jeans, Space Dust.

*Color Story 2* Greens (new growth)

Cream Please, Spring Break, Kiwi, Joker, Patty, Space Dust, On Ice.

*Color Story 3* Brighid's Fire

Highlight, Lucky Charm, Fierce, You're Cheesy, Low Battery

*Color Story 4* Warming earth (warm tone browns)

Selfie, Hashtag, Chili, Cream Please, Highlight.

*Color Story 5* Frozen earth (cool tone browns)

Icy Frap, Iced Coffee, Dark as My Soul, Marshmallow, Halo.

And that's that for Imbolc! Holy crap, that took ages! The pictured do not do these shadows justice. One day I'll have a phone with a properly functioning camera...

Well, Glamour Ghouls (you can boo me, it's fine), it's your turn to shop your stash and get those creative juices flowing! Is there anything in your collection that you'd grab for Imbolc? Sound off in the comments and let's inspire each other!”

[ivory-in-rapture]

Dealing with the restlessness and depression arising from staying in quarantine for more than 10 days:

So I have been watching a lot of Youtube. I would read more but I kind of got into a slump and have to read a lot of boring books for Uni as well so the reading has slowed down but I’ll get there. Here are some suggestions for content that will cheer you up:

Youtube channels to watch:

I rewatch things with a high quantity of comedy and wholesome content. They both distract from the anxiety-inducing news and also just cheer you up. My favorite things to watch are mostly old stuff that I have watched to deal with anxiety before. Things that have been my safe place and I associate good memories with. Here’s a list for those who might be interested:

Starkid: If you don’t know, this is a yt based theater company and they are so generous and kind and they upload whole freaking performances to yt so broke bitches like me can watch from across the globe! I basically love all of their stuff but they have different genres and you can find your fit.

Danandphilgames: Ever since BA, I watched DanandPhil’s videos before exams when I get too anxious. They are funny and sweet and it’s a great distraction. I HIGHLY recommend the sims series. It’s like a freaking drama series with some really chaotic creators! They haven’t released anything new but the old stuff are still so precious. 

TheMischiefmanagers: This is a channel dedicated entirely to the Harry Potter universe and I LIVE FOR IT! It’s so good. They have a marauders series and a golden trio+Draco series and they also do sketches and parodies and the whole thing screams cozy and nostalgia and hygge!

BonAppetit: Gourment makes and It’s Alive! That’s it! That’s my whole pitch!

The Try Guys: 4 guys being adorably chaotic and dismantling toxic masculinity one joke at a time! The whole thing is that the more you watch, you start to develop emotional attachments to them so things get funnier and more endearing. 

Tin Can Bros: This is very similar to Starkid and ShipWrecked. They have two very good musicals. I recommend “Spies are Forever”. Everyone should have the pleasure to watch that once in their life!

ShipWrecked: Arguably one of the best channels on Yt (I said what I said!) Their ‘Edgar Allen Poe murder mystery Party’ is one the best miniseries in existence especially for bookworms and fans of the classics. So many literature puns...so many...(My favorite character is George Eliot!)

The Lizzy Bennet Diaries: An oldie but a goodie! Who wouldn’t want a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice? WHO???? (I have more modern retellings recs if anyone is interested btw! Let me know)

Safiya Nygaard: So Safiya’s videos are so good? I resisted watching her videos for a long time but when I did, I became obsessed.

Read Fanfiction:

If you don’t have work or you’ve still got some time on your hand and trust me when the quarantine gets to the second week, you will get restless and everything will suck, so rereading some favorite fanfics can cheer you up. What’s the point of fanfic if not to be reread at hard times?!

I have fanfic recs but I feel like that defeats the purpose! You should just go reread your faves! 

Read a good book:

Reading is obviously a great option and it passes the time and this is the perfect time to catch up on your tbr. Audiobooks are a good option right now. There are some free audiobooks available on both yt and Spotify. You can also use the openlibrary to burrow ebooks. Some reading recommendations:

Jane Austen: All of her books. Just any of them. This is a good time to read them. They are funny and romantic and dramatic and historical so basically, perfection.

Little Women: Has anyone else decided to reread the book after watching the new movie? Now’s a good time, I mean [SPOILER] does [SPOILER] but COME ON! That was a spoiler 150 years ago! 

Harry Potter series: I’m rereading Harry Potter. It’s nostalgic. I listened to the audiobook today while baking. It was really nice. 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik: great book; has a dragon and magical trees and a badass protagonist.

I have a list of new releases if you need more recs.

Carry on by Rainbow Rowell: Gay wizards. What else do you want?

Read some sjm books: because hate-reading is a thing you can do when you buy all the books like an idiot, even if you already know you hate them...

Write that book you always say you want to write but capitalism won’t let you!

Yup. Do that! 

Well, there’s my list. I’ll make more later, maybe? I don’t know, depends on if I get notes on this!

[toonin4drama]

My ID is Gangnam Beauty

15th October 2019

So my friend J, recommended I watch this, but I haven’t had much time up until recently. I watched piece of the first episode some time last week and then finished up and watched the second episode today. So let’s go!

First Impression: I might actually finish this series, bringing my grand total up to five finished series (if you count Noble My Love which had like 15 min episodes and you exclude all web-series on YouTube).

Cast: As usual, everybody is gorgeous! But these dramas are usually star-studded so what else to expect? Like I don’t get it when characters are supposed to be ‘not pretty’ and the actors are gorge.

Wardrobe: Ehh! I don’t think I’m really into all of the K-drama looks. I’m not that fashion forward, but I probably would wear a few of Kang Mi Rae’s outfits. Especially that striped shirt! I’m not too hot on Do Kyung Seuk’s outfits either. Ah sorry!

Plot: Pretty good to be honest. *SPOILER ALERT* I was not expecting her to tell him the truth so early. I honestly thought that the whole plot would be centred around her lying to him and then he would find out and that’s how they would break up before they got back together. When she admitted the truth, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Also wasn’t expecting everyone to find out so soon either. I’m a little disappointed about that, but I’m also looking forward to where this goes. BTW Kim Chan Woo is a total creep!!!!  I can’t wait to see Kang Mi Rae continue to defend herself.  *END OF SPOILER ALERT* I’m looking forward to see how the story develops.

Favourite Character: I guess I still have to wait and see. Haven’t really met the second lead yet, so haven’t fallen ill with second lead syndrome yet. I love Kim Sung-Woon, Jang Won-Ho’s sidekick. Yoo-Eun is really pretty and seems nice. Go Ye-Na is hilarious so I love her too. And who can leave out Woo-Jin. I know the expected answer would be Do Kyung-Seok, but I’m still getting used to the robot oppa of k-dramas. I do love him when he’s teasing Woo-Jin though.

Least Favourite Character: *drum roll please* It’s honestly a tie between Hyun Soo Ah and Kim Chan Woo. Jang Won-Ho is underneath them. I don’t know why, but I don’t like him at all.

My Ship: Woo Boon (Woo-Jin and Choi Jung-Boon)

First... k-drama with a college setting. I learnt a lot about Korean college culture. It looks really tough.

You can watch episodes on Viki, because I’m pretty sure if it’s available in my country, it must be available in yours: https://www.viki.com/tv/36424c-my-id-is-gangnam-beauty

Tl;dr You should watch the first two episodes of My ID is Gangnam Beauty, if you haven’t already, ok maybe even if you have...

[womenofcolor15]

MATCHING PJs, Dance Battles & Quality Family Time Were All The Makings Of A FAB Christmas ’19 – Here’s How Celebs Celebrated!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! See how celebs celebrated Christmas ’19 when you go inside…

Christmas ’19 was all about family and fun. Celebs and their kiddies got all dressed up (or dressed down) in matching pajamas to see what Santa brought them this year. And it looks like everyone made the Nice list.

Ciara & Russell Wilson, reunited LaLa & Carmelo Anthony, Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade, Steph & Ayesha Curry along with their kids were all decked out in cute PJs this Christmas SZN.

The Wades decided they wanted to be warm this XMAS, so they jetted to Maui for the holidays. Swipe below to see their videos:

          View this post on Instagram

                  Christmas with The Wades in Maui! #YBFLiving #YBFHolidays #YBFFamily

A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Dec 25, 2019 at 2:56pm PST

  The Wilsons turned all the way up to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You":

          View this post on Instagram

                      A post shared by Ciara (@ciara) on Dec 25, 2019 at 11:58am PST

  Every time Christmas rolls around, Will Smith and his family never disappoint. This year, there was a karaoke competition and the Oscar nominated actor showed off some hip action and flexed his vocals. “How Santa Got His Groove Back,” he captioned a video of himself and his daughter Willow Smith that his wife/Red Table Talk host Jada Pinkett Smith recorded.

Get your laugh on below:

          View this post on Instagram

                  How Santa Got His Groove Back : @jadapinkettsmith

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) on Dec 26, 2019 at 12:25pm PST

  Ha!

Oh yeah, Willow and her boyfriend Tyler Cole are still going strong, spending the holidays together:

          View this post on Instagram

                  BIG SHREDZ//<MERRY DRIPMAS>

A post shared by ∴ WILLOW ∴ (@willowsmith) on Dec 25, 2019 at 1:22pm PST

  New dad again Chris Brown loaded his daughter, Royalty Brown, with CASH!

          View this post on Instagram

                  Dads the best!

A post shared by Royalty Brown Official (@missroyaltybrown) on Dec 24, 2019 at 1:39pm PST

  "The Real" co-host Tamera Mowry Housley, her husband Adam Housley and their kiddies - Aden & Ariah - wished everyone a Merry Christmas:

          View this post on Instagram

                  #MerryChristmas guys!! Wishing you all a beautiful day #holidays #family @thehousleylife @adamhousley #thehousleylife

A post shared by tameramowrytwo (@tameramowrytwo) on Dec 25, 2019 at 10:08am PST

  Lil Nas X celebrated Christmas '19 with his pops and his MTV Moon Man:

          View this post on Instagram

                  gave my dad my moon man! happy holidays! (ITS NOT HIS PRESENT)

A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Dec 24, 2019 at 7:17am PST

  Zhuri James melted our hearts when she started singing Beyonce's "Brown Skin Girls" after opening up one of her dolls:

          View this post on Instagram

                      A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Dec 25, 2019 at 6:23pm PST

  By the way, Zhuri James has an Instagram & YouTube channel coming in 2020 thanks to dad LeBron James & mom Savannah James. Get the deets HERE.

Sadly, this was Megan Thee Stallion's first Christmas without her mother and great grandmother. She hopped on Instagram to remind her Hotties to uplift one another.

          View this post on Instagram

                  We love you Meg! Via @theestallion

A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) on Dec 25, 2019 at 6:50pm PST

  "Power" star/singer Rotimi and his girlfriend Vanessa Mdee were all wrapped up in love on Christmas Day...literally:

          View this post on Instagram

                  Merry Christmas from The Buttascotch’s

A post shared by Rotimi (@rotimi) on Dec 25, 2019 at 10:55am PST

  "Power" star Naturi Naughton and her daughter Zuri spent the holiday with family:

          View this post on Instagram

                  Wishing you all happiness, joy and peace this holiday season! Cherish those you love not just on Christmas but the whole year through! #MerryChristmas #BabyZ #mymommyanddaddy #NaughtonChristmas #soblessed

A post shared by Naturi Naughton (@naturi4real) on Dec 26, 2019 at 8:52am PST

  Joie Chavis shared a Christmas shoot she did with her daughter Shai Moss (whom she shares with rapper/actor Bow Wow) and Hendrix Wilburn (whom she shares with rapper Future):

          View this post on Instagram

                  Merry Christmas y’all : @patty.othon

A post shared by Joy. (@joiechavis) on Dec 25, 2019 at 10:17am PST

  Steve Harvey's wife Marjorie Harvey had WAY too much fun with the kids' toys:

          View this post on Instagram

                  Why am I having this much fun on the kids toys

A post shared by Marjorie Harvey (@marjorie_harvey) on Dec 25, 2019 at 1:00pm PST

  Ha!

Singing sisters/"Grown-ish" stars Chloe x Halle served up a light Christmas twerk for the holiday season:

          View this post on Instagram

                  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

A post shared by chloe x halle (@chloexhalle) on Dec 25, 2019 at 1:04pm PST

    "BlackLightning" actress Nafessa Williams had fun with her sisters and her nephew at 3 in the morning Christmas Day:

          View this post on Instagram

                  We still going up at my house! Litty Christmas 3:23am Safe to say I earned it! [Btw, my sister been on the phone with her boyfriend ALL day, she’s holding the phone while doing this video, MAJOR boo love] #Woah

A post shared by Nafessa Williams (@nafessawilliams) on Dec 26, 2019 at 12:23am PST

  Ludacris & Eudoxie's daughters gave away Christmas gifts in Gabon, Africa:

          View this post on Instagram

                  @unspokenangels Christmas in Gabon. My little helpers spent the day giving presents and also learning new dance moves. They had many questions about the orphanages we gifted to and wanted to know why the children didn’t have parents... #childrenarethefuture #leadingbyexample #love #caring #unspokenangels

A post shared by Eudoxie (Eh-dox-ee) Bridges (@eudoxie) on Dec 26, 2019 at 4:03pm PST

    T.I. and Tiny's daughter Heiress Harris served up laughs on Christmas:

          View this post on Instagram

                  The obsession is changing a bit still a big @itsjojosiwa fan but to add to that she loves @ryansworld & these eggs he got!! Anywho this kid was made for this thing we call entertainment!! @realnickroses u better get into now 20/20 Happy Holidays #PrincessHeiressDiana #RyanWorldsEggs #Christmas2019

A post shared by Majorgirl (@majorgirl) on Dec 26, 2019 at 10:03am PST

            View this post on Instagram

                  Another amazing Christmas with my big family!! @majorpharris & @troubleman31 was out all night being Santa Clause.. I’m more than Thankful for all of my Love #OurXmasEveTradition

A post shared by Majorgirl (@majorgirl) on Dec 25, 2019 at 11:36am PST

  John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and their kiddies celebrated Christmas in Wyoming:

          View this post on Instagram

                      A post shared by John Legend (@johnlegend) on Dec 25, 2019 at 11:55am PST

            View this post on Instagram

                  The snow is very bright in Wyoming

A post shared by John Legend (@johnlegend) on Dec 25, 2019 at 2:16pm PST

    Kevin Hart, his wife Eniko Hart, and his kids Heaven & Hendrix spent Christmas at a Lakers game:

          View this post on Instagram

                  #Harts #HolidayHarts #MerryChristmas

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Dec 25, 2019 at 7:55pm PST

  Kev got sat on by Lakers baller Anthony Davis:

          View this post on Instagram

                  Look out @kevinhart4real!!

A post shared by NBA (@nba) on Dec 25, 2019 at 6:50pm PST

  Hilar! By the way, Kev's upcoming docu-series "Don't F*ck This Up" will be available to stream tomorrow on Netflix.

City Girls' rapper Yung Miami's daughter Summer served up all the kiddie Christmas cuteness:

          View this post on Instagram

                  @thelifeofsummermiami

A post shared by Caresha .. (@yungmiami305) on Dec 25, 2019 at 7:48pm PST

  Rev. Jesse Jackson spent Christmas posting bonds for a handful of inmates at Cook County Jail in Chicago so they could spend the holiday with their loved ones. Here's a clip of Rev. Jackson walking with the newly released inmates below:

    Here's Jesse Jackson walking out hand-in-hand with three of the men he bailed out of jail on Christmas. Two were in on marijuana charges and the third had a DUI, all unable to pay the $500 needed to get out. pic.twitter.com/rbShPAIzw5

— Nader Issa (@NaderDIssa) December 26, 2019

      And there's tons more! Swipe through our gallery below to see what all your faves were up to this Christmas SZN!

  Photos: Ciara's IG/LaLa's IG/Gabby's IG/Ayesha's IG

  CHRISTMAS 2019 With Your YBF Faves!

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2019/12/26/matching-pjs-seflies-quality-family-time-were-all-the-makings-of-a-fab-christmas-%E2%80%9919-%E2%80%93-he

[valeriemperez]

As an objective reviewer, what did you really think of 5x6? I can't tell if I'm letting my disdain for Danielle cloud my judgment or if I should try to rewatch it. I have seen all of the bad reviews and even saw a youtuber who is firmly anti-Iris say its the worst episode of the series but sometimes those things can be the result of group think. Lol sorry for rambling, I'm just so flabbergasted and confused about this episode especially when the last five were so good :(

Personally, I was bored. I rewatched the episode in order to write my review, and objectively (as objective as I can be) I think the problem is that they: 

A) Focused too much on the “science” side of the experiments and why Caitlin and Thomas’ alter egos might be different.B) Placed the emotional emphasis on a relationship we’ve never seen before - Caitlin and Thomas - and that we had never even heard about before two episodes ago. It would have been stronger to have Carla there, and for her and Caitlin to make up after Caitlin realizes her mother was protecting her from Icicle, etc.

Are you going to update the women’s screentime for episode 6?

Just did!

Honestly GG doesn’t seem that close to any of the cast save TC. He mostly keeps to himself while they film and doesn’t seem to hang out with anyone unless it’s something TC arranged for GG to go to. I think left to his own devices GG would stay in his condo and do his own thing. I think that’s what throws people off cause as the lead you’d think GG would be the center of the cast social life like SA. For whatever reason that’s just not who GG is but I get it frustrates people.

Yeah, I definitely think Tom C. is his favorite person in the cast, but he’s generally not a social butterfly like you said.

I just knew the GG apologists were going to be in your inbox. I don’t doubt they are friends, but after watching that video CP tweeted today, he and the other white actors around her are apart of the problem. I will always be grateful to him for advocating WA, but why all of the silence now? Why all of the public weirdness? She is the only one he treats like that. He didn’t even show support for the rag doll actor, who btw, sang his praises more than once. Ellen Pompeo is the ally CP deserves.

I don’t think they’re being particularly weird in public, given that we haven’t really seen them out in public. They seemed fine in the one video we saw on them at the party, for example. But he has been quiet about the show for the most part, I just don’t think it’s specifically directed at or about Candice.

Agree about Ellen, though! Candice could have used way more supportive costars, but thankfully she’s out here succeeding anyway.

Tati, I’m a butthead so I’m on anon 😝 I wonder who that one cast mate could be? The wannabe female lead perhaps…? The fake feminist that has been trying to erase CP’s presence on the show since S1. The been in the game forever chick that still can’t act. I could go on, but I think we all know who the one person is.

LMAO, who ever could you mean????

People are upset because Grant isn’t as openly supportive of Candice as they feel he should be. Honestly, of late he hasn’t seemed to be supportive of much. The show, his friends/family, etc. I think something is going on with him (personally). However, as long as he make it do what it do when he’s on screen with my girl CP making those 😍🥰 and rubbing her unnecessarily so WA continues to be a healthy interracial RL I don’t care if her supports her on sm or not. That’s what we as fans do. #IWDS

This is my thought too. He hasn’t been supporting much other than his skateboards lol. I wish he was more openly supportive of her and that the cast as a whole made their interactions more available for public consumption, but it’s also not something I’m hung up on. They are the way they are, and I wouldn’t trade (almost) any of them.

To me it wasn’t obvious that CP wanted to stand on that side of the cake since she kept looking over to the other side, which was already crammed. I agree that sometimes people project their own feelings into a situation (I’ve read some pretty wild theories about GG snobbing CP bc she’s not in a RL and he dislikes single people) but what we’ve seen of GG and CP outside of SM is positive. We got ONE video from the party and it was good. He’s horrendous on SM though. Don’t care if CP agrees or not

You are 100% right that we’re all projecting, lol. We don’t know them and we only see a tiny sliver of their lives, which they have chosen to show us.

Couldn’t it just be that Candice was standing on the right side of the room to begin with so she just went to the right side of the cake where Danielle N and JPK went too. I don’t think she’s so bothered by DP that she wouldn’t stand next to Grant, Carlos, or Tom because DP was there. I mean we have to remember that Candice is in the same room with DP everyday at work. It’s not like they explode if they get close.

It totally could be that, lol. 

[kangseungsicc]

i have yet to listen to the bsides you recommended but i've watched the mvs (plus i'm fine) and you were right, they really are aesthetically pleasing �� actually in time of sorrow the red haired rapper lowkey gave me zico vibes for a second wgdgzf (in a good way tho). can you tell me who was the one with the blue umbrella who started the bridge part in unbelievable? also the one who sang right after him sgdff. looking forward to the profiles!! as long as it isn't too much effort for you tho -🍪

ooooo !!💕💓 how did you like the songs (the ones with mvs)? the red haired rapper is hanse btw!💗😂 oh of course! he’s byungchan, and the one who comes after him is heochan uwu 💝💞

no i actually enjoy making profiles lol 😂💗 gonna go ahead and introduce the members to you! 💞💕💖

they’re under Plan A ent and debuted on november 9, 2016.

Seungwoo (24.12.94): leader, rapper and also a vocalist. a multitalent uwu 💕 he’s the dad of the group 💝 he’s really hardworking and once said that he feels like he needs to stay strong for his member bc he’s the oldest 😭😭💔💝 //  the youngest in his family but the leader so basically a little brother in charge 😂💖 also he’s very annoying  😂he’s always screaming in a very high-pitched voice (someone stop him..). Super Athletic,, like.. the other members are scared of him bc of that…. he needs to chill 😂 also w e i r d (watch the mole story video (put on eng cc))

Seungsik (16.4.95): main vocalist. he’s the mom of the group 💓 also the official potato of the group (i think subin was the one to first call him that)😂💖 a silly dorky baby uwu 💕💝💞 king of smiling (honestly his smile lights my whole universe up) and being weird 💗💗 the Iconic otter face. Just a happy sunshine boy we don’t deserve 😭😭💗

Heochan (14.12.95): Main dancer and a vocalist 💞 he’s the uncle of the group  😂💖 weird boi… he’s always standing at the back looking straight at the camera like he knows something we don’t 😂😂 he has a signature hand gesture that makes him look like either a tour guide or a teacher lol 😂 the #1 subin fanboy 💗💗 A dork like the rest of them uwu 💕 his childhood nickname was dinosaur bc “he looks like one” lol (he does a dinosaur style peace sign in every pic fdhurfjdsgh) 😂 his role models are beast/highlight (he’s a fanboy uwu) 

Sejun (4.5.96): vocalist, visual, face of the group. he’s the oldest son of the group. LOUD AF!! always making weird noises… 😂😂 LOVES eating 😂💗 too extra for this world,,, someone save him pls.. // lowkey cursed highkey an angel uwu💗💓💖 in reality shows seems shy but irl is a big mess 💖💞 

Hanse (25.9.97): Main rapper. he’s the second oldest son of the group.  okay so… we don’t even know.. this bitch is weird af….. usually silent but when he opens his mouth you’ll wish he hadn’t. Like. Why. what’s wrong with him?? also this creepy baby aegyo. he’s like the laziest person ever ( i mean relatable but still.. honey..) always judging the other members even tho he’s as weird as them (if not the weirdest member lol)  💕😂😂 never even tries, he’d just rather be home chilling than doing anything else 😂💖 Also loves subin very much and is now competing for the #1 subin’s fanboy title 💞💞 another boi doing weird noises,,, yikes what’s wrong with victon?? also another Extra boi (we do love those extra ass babies 💕💕) hanse being himself and the other members dying of laughter.

Byungchan(12.11.97): vocalist, visual. he’s the second youngest son of the group. tall skinny legend 💝💝 Also weird af (at this point who in victon isn’t..) kind of uncle-like. The king of gg dances AND sexy dances 💕💕 Honestly by his looks you’d think he’s normal but no. 😂😂Almost never seen in victon videos.. where is he???? Always gets what he wants, like he knows he’s cute and uses it for his own good 💓😂 Super weak, also uses that for his own good lol 😂 needs strong leader seungwoo’s protection uwu 💞💞 a cutie 

Subin (5.4.99): vocalist, maknae. he’s the youngest son of the group. talk about maknae on top,, sigh 💔💔 Like the other members love and adore him So Much and he knows it 💗💗💗 pretty done with the members 24/7 lol 😂 he’s used to their shit but still the most judgemental member 😂 sorry for the viewers in behalf of his older members lol // made the other members kiss for his bday wish UWU!! 💕💕 The pink prince of victon (the other members gave him this nickname during unbelievable era and isn’t that like the cutest thing??)💖💖 THE CUTEST BOY UWUWUWU

and yeah that’s all (well not all but i didn’t want to make this too long)

victon’s official yt channel

their kprofiles profile

some important videos:

victon’s sexy time (put on eng cc)

victon’s dance cover

seungsik’s singing cover

2seung and hanse’s bad boy (by red velvet) remix 

victon ‘그냥 나���면 돼’ Making M/V

subin’s graduation

this mess of a video lol (put on eng cc)

my fav fan youtube channels for victon:

victon subs

hansevicton

nikki jang (they also make videos about other groups)

series to watch:

victon’s born identity // ep 1. (all 16 episodes are available on 1thek’s channel with eng cc!!) ep 1 & 2 actually feature their older sister group apink uwu!!

me7nam // ep 1. their pre-debut reality(all episodes also available on 1thek’s channel with eng cc)

okay so this is A Long Post but i just wanted to say that they have lots of original songs and covers on their official yt channel (such as the bad boy remix) and they’re so talented UGH i’m a proud stan !!!!

and yes they’ve come up with the family positions (mom, dad, uncle, sons) themselves and they’re like one big soft family as they’ve said themselves UWU (okay now i’m making myself cry i love them sm!!!)

sfjhefas i should stop now this is getting too long

[mcrmadness]

The whole series is available on Youtube with English subtitles btw.

YOU GUYS HAVE TO SEE THIS FINNISH LIVE ACTION OF LORD OF THE RINGS 😭 SAMURAI BOROMIR KILLED ME

[jeanjauthor]

Been watching a lot of anime of late, and just watched the first season of Spare Me, Great Lord.  While there are some flaws (I think the translation went from Mandarin to Belgian to English, so it didn’t always make complete sense, and pronouns were sometimes all over the place), there are also some great things about this series.

One of the top things, and it’s a fantastically subtle one, I want to mention here, because it really makes this character, when it’s something that could break the main character if it was ever handled wrong...but...it’s not.  It’s not handled wrong at all.  It’s handled perfectly.  It’s a fantastic example of blending culture with personality with not becoming an asshat while manipulating his powers.  In short, it makes his character enjoyable rather than tedious or (literally) offensive.

SPOILERS, so I’m placing the rest behind the cut, but I do recommend this series, which is currently available on YouTube:

The MC, a teenaged boy struggling to put himself through high school and keep himself & his adopted little sister fed and housed, lives in a modern-esque world where magic is coming back and people are “awakening” to having magical powers.

Now, this plays a lot into the Cultivation mythos that’s developed fairly recently in modern Chinese fantasy storytelling, involving focusing chi/ki, meditating, reading ancient texts or lore, trying to condense and awaken mystical powers--it leans heavily on Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism (as the meditation sometimes involves the great works of philosophical literature that were developed back then), etc.  A lot of the fantasy-troped C-Dramas on Netflix follow this convention, and as an aside, I genuinely like the ideas presented by it.  But back to the cultivation tropes of this story...

In this particular case, they have to cultivate their abilities from lowly F rank (just some advanced physical prowess is gained) to E rank (ability to control elemental energies like Earth, Fire, etc), all the way up to A rank...and it’s said that there are at most 10 B ranked awakened in the whole city/region. (Again, the subtitle translations were not the best, not laying any blame, just saying it was sometimes difficult to follow, so any mistakes in who had what rank outside of a few prominent characters are no doubt my mistakes...but then, their ranks don’t really matter for this discussion.)

Normally, they use a blood test to determine if anyone has these abilities, and when the main character was tested, he had only just awakened; a fellow student in the same school is an A rank, he’s the only F rank, and there are a number of E D, and even a couple C ranks in the special class he takes. This special class involves meditating and focusing using special “spirit stones”...except it doesn’t work for the MC.

When his abilities awakened, it turns out that his powers aren’t charged up by the traditional methods of meditating, chi-focusing, etc.  His powers are improved when he irritates others.  It’s like a video game to him; he has a control panel hologram he can manifest (which only he sees), and he can see +(numbers) appearing above the heads of people he irritates.

Btw, I’m ignoring the exception to that rule regarding his powers atm, because we’re focusing on the main character’s method of “cultivation”, and not where all of those numbers come from.

So.  He discovers he can “gain points” by creating negative emotions in others.  The stronger the emotion, the more points he gets.  The longer the emotion is felt, the more points he gets (though mostly these are at lower levels of point value).  And he can use these points to play a “lottery” game, which eventually gives him an apple, a special book/scroll/poem thingy which is a version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to sing/meditate upon, and then a bunch of fruits which are sorta like eternal peaches (but not), so that they start raising/increasing his cultivation abilities and thus his attendant powers.

Now the thing to note is that when the blood test came around, he’d only eaten like 1 fruit maybe...so the blood test put him in the ‘extremely weak’ category of F-rank.  But because he’s a teenaged boy who is looked down upon for being extremely poor and an orphan, etc (though he gets very good grades, 5th best in the school, he’s also tormented for that fact)...he finds it very easy to irritate the people around him.  So he immediately starts irritating people to gain more points to buy more fruits.  And he does a LOT of irritating.

Except.

He does so by manipulating his local culture.  He handily wins an arm wrestling contest with the class president (of his grade in school) who is like a D or C rank or something, and then claims that winning the arm wrestling match “awakened” him...and then repeatedly points this out with loud and cheerful gratitude, irritating the hell out of his class president.  Thus, he constantly garners irritation points from the class prez (who mocked him for being poor, etc)...who in turn cannot fight back because this guy (MC) is saying and doing all the “proper” things, showing gratitude, asking for more help via arm wrestling matches, etc.  It’s all done properly, but in such a way that it’s irritating, but in such a way that there’s nothing the (already a bit of a jerk) class president can do about it without ruining his own reputation by being an actually rude jerk in return.  Hence, extra irritation points of frustration as well as ire.

Another example:  After a while, the Lottery doesn’t give fruit, it moves that special fruit over to the Shop section...and instead the ‘prize’ it delivers via lottery (until enough has been won that it can be “bought” in the same shop) is Stinky Tofu (fermented soybean product/dish, popular with some people in his hometown but reviled by others).

Now, our hero has been selling eggs to people every single morning before school...so while this free food is nice (if rather pungent), when it moves over to the Shop section like the fruit, he starts saving it up and brings that to his usual selling spot on the street, because he can sell it for more than the eggs, earning his little famly of two more money to survive.

Originally his idea was to bring it to his stand simply to annoy people with the scent, and that worked for a while...but then people who actually like the Stinky Tofu dish start lining up to buy it.  Eventually, the people who dislike the scent aren’t giving him any points anymore...so he starts playing little games with the people in line, denying he has any, then selling it to the next person in line, or showing a lidded bucket to a hopeful client only to open the lid and show it’s empty.

Additionally, at one point, he tricks the class president into buying all of his eggs simply because he still had over 40 to sell, but the class president kid claims that the sight of a fellow high schooler selling eggs on the street is a disgrace to the school...so the MC cleverly argues, if it’s a disgrace, why not buy all the eggs so the MC stops selling them all the sooner?

Also, he annoys his sister for points by ordering her to do homework & housework--as big siblings often do with their little siblings. He clearly loves her, cares for her, and does show her love & affection at other times, so he doesn’t just turn into a jerk overnight...but he uses the fact she is a little kid and doesn’t like homework to harvest points to buy the tofu dish (and cultivation fruits) that he can sell to make money for his little sister’s welfare & wellbeing.

This “points from other’s negative feelings that I evoke” power could be turned to outright evil really quickly.  Theoretically, he could garner a lot of points by being violent towards others (fear being lumped in with anger, etc), being actively cruel, destructive, so on and so forth...but he doesn’t do that.

He can be teasting, he can be callous...but in one case, he runs across a group of starving students, eats magic apples in front of them (a single small slice is enough to heal a person & end their starvation and hunger for a while), he refuses to share them, he walks off without giving them more than 2 weapons to face down their  oncoming & highly lethally violent foes...and it’s only after he’s gone and the characters are talking about how hopeless their situation is, that we finally get to see he’s left 2 whole apples behind, enough to keep them fed for a while.

That is the brilliance of his characterization.  Yeah, he’s acting like an ass in order to cultivate his, well, unique cultivation method, but he’s not a bad person.

Utterly brilliant, and I genuinely want to see more of this character.  I hope we get access to a Season 2 soon.

[sohmariku]

End-of-Year Butai/Musical Ask

So, I was tagged by @allyyyyy0619​, so let’s answer some questions. Honestly, I spend a lot more time on answering these questions than I should have!

Firstly, how did you manage to find out about 2.5D butai/musical? Which butai/musical was your first and your impression of it?

In all honestly, I have trouble remembering, but… I think the very first musical I watched was Rock Musical Bleach. And I don’t mean the 2016 version, I’m talking about the musicals that were in the theater over 10 years ago! I probably stumbled upon it somewhere on youtube. I absolutely loved Bleach around that time, so… yeah, let’s just blame youtube. The first couple Bleach musicals weren’t the best, but for whatever reason I still got hooked on it. Then, since the cast of the original Bleach run is more or less identical to the first Seigaku cast, I discovered Tenimyu… despite a previous negative experience with the anime, I decided to give the musicals a try.

This is actually a funny story, I wonder If I ever told anyone about this. The whole reason I learned about the Prince of Tennis anime series is… BECAUSE I COULDN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF AN AMERICAN TV SHOW PROPERLY! My friend was hooked on some show and I was planning to watch it too and tried to find it online. At this moment I’m still unsure what show I tried to find, but I happened to be looking for “Prince of Tenis”… Anyway, I watched the first episode, didn’t like it and dropped the series. The Prince of Tennis musicals really quickly grew on me though, so I gave the anime another try later. I concluded the first episode was just crap and the rest of the series was rather awesome!

And that’s how I ended up in the world of 2.5D and couldn’t leave anymore… at least, that’s how I remember it…

Who was your first favourite 2.5D actor/actress? Why?

Um, Nagayama Takashi I suppose? I really like(d) Hitsugaya as a character, so the moment I started watching the musical I was already biased towards him, but also really did a good job! Then, Kikumaru also basically became my favorite Tenipuri character, so… Nagayama Takashi it is! And probably Kimeru, because Fuji was my second favorite Tenipuri character and god, that guy knows how to sing! Although I can’t actually call myself a fan of either anymore, I’m always happy to see Kimeru on stage. His voice is still as amazing as ever!

However, if we start talking about the first actor I actually liked enough to start buying merchandise it was probably Aiba Hiroki? (I’m not sure why, I just liked him…) Then came Furukawa Yuta (I loved his voice!) and after that Sasaki Yoshihide (he can sing, he can dance, he’s adorable!) …all of this happened quite a long time ago. While it’s a bit harder (let’s say, impossible) to say for the others, I can still remember the exact moment I completely fell for Sasaki Yoshihide… (Have I ever told that story?)

Top 3 (or more) favourite butai of the year?

Wait, you’re expecting me to remember everything I’ve seen this year? And even rank them? Um, let me just list down a couple of plays I remember watching this year and enjoying!

So, in no particular order: Stage Play Touken Ranbu (Moeyuru Honnouji Saien, Akatsuki no Dokuganryu, Kono Yora no Odawara), Rengoku ni Warau, Noragami (Kami to Negai), Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau, Present5 (All), CHaCK-UP (+ Episode.0), Yowamushi pedal (Everything up to “The Winner”), Live Spectacle Naruto (2015/2016), Tokyo Ghoul (2017), Ensemble stars (on Stage / Judge of Knights). (Note: this is not a complete list of everything I’ve seen. It’s a list of plays I remember thoroughly enjoying. Not saying I didn’t enjoy those other plays, just saying I enjoyed these more in comparison.)

All right, let me attempt a bit of a ranking.

1) Stage Play Touken Ranbu -Moeyuru Honnouji- (Saien) Shiina Taizo made me fall in love with Fudo Yukimitsu. You can say whatever you want, but having Fudo/Taizo in this play is probably the reason I’m ranking it first. Well, I guess it’s actually the entire cast & staff that earned this play a No.1 spot. (I probably prefer (the cast of) the original run btw.)

2) Stage Play Touken Ranbu - Akatsuki no Dokuganryu- And this play comes at No.2, because I can still remember how extremely excited I felt when I left the theater after watching it. This play was great! The Date swords kind of grew on me, and my love for Yamanbagiri and Sayo only deepened!

3) Stage Play Touken Ranbu -Kono Yora no Odawara- Can I list this? I know it’s super short, but… the story was just super cute! I’m totally in love with Sayo and Yamanbagiri and having them and Hasebe being the focus of the story just…! These boys are too amazing!

4) CHaCK-UP (Episode.0) I’m not entirely sure why I’m putting this on No.4, but it probably has something to do with the absolute ridiculousness of this play. (This is a play, right?) I haven’t quite seen all of this “series”, but I’ve seen enough to think it’s absolutely hilarious. Whenever I have money available, I guess I’ll check out what else DMM has available for rent…　

5) Rengoku ni Warau / Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau No.5 is a tie. Both series are up here, because these plays did give me an urge to actually look into the series behind them. Currently gathering all the Rengoku ni Warau manga volumes & following the Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni utau anime series. And yes, the plays were pretty great too!

Top 3 (or more) least favourite butai of the year?

No ranking, but since I feel like I have to name some, I’d say Patalliro and Rusted Armors. Patalliro is a great play, absolutely! But I’m not familiar enough with the series to be super excited about it, nor did it give me the urge to look into the series. (And yet I did enjoy it enough to accept a friend’s request to subtitle it.) Rusted Armor was pretty good too, I loved the costumes & acting! It’s just, I still have trouble understanding the story (I watched it when I was super tired, so I missed half of what was going on), hence it’s among my least favorites of this year. Once I find some time to watch it again and possibly understand the story better, its rank might change. Really, what I mostly remember is Teruma’s ridiculous outfit, yet amazing vocals! Wait, they were all singing…? Why the heck do they call this a stage play! It’s a fricking musical!

Top 3 (or more) favourite musical of the year?

Did I mention I’m terrible at rankings? So, again… some musical I enjoyed in no particular order: Ultra Musical Bakumatsu Rock (Kurofune Raiko, Climax live), Musical Touken Ranbu (Mihotose no Komoriuta, Tsuwamonodomo ga yume no ato, Shinken Ranbu Sai 2017), Rock Musical Bleach 2016, Namashitsuji (Noah’s Arc Circus), Datsugoku Kageki Nanabaka, Saiyuki Kagekiden (Burial, Reload) , Tenimyu (Hyotei Team Live, Dream Live 2017, Seigaku/Rokkaku Team Party) (Note: this is not a complete list of everything I’ve seen. It’s a list of musicals I remember thoroughly enjoying. Not saying I didn’t enjoy those other musicals, just saying I enjoyed these more in comparison.)

Good, and if I attempt a ranking:

1) Musical Touken Ranbu -Mihotose no Komoriuta- First I had some doubts about this cast, so many unfamiliar names and characters I hardly know, but god… I fell in love with all these guys! Watching it in the theater was just absolutely amazing! Yes, I think Team Mihotose may be my favorite at this moment! The character dynamics are just really great. (Thank you Mokkun/Sengo Muramasa!)

2)      …

 Good, this isn’t working! I can’t seem to rank the musicals!

 Top 3 (or more) least favourite musical of the year?

Yeah, a ranking is not happening… If I have to call out some musicals as my least favorite of this year, it would be Live Spectacle Naruto -Akatsuki no shirabe-  and Musical Hakuoki -Sano-hen- at this moment.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Live Spectacle Naruto! Unfortunately, from my seat in the theater most of the projections didn’t line up, so I haven’t had a chance to enjoy this musical in it’s full glory. (I’m calling it a musical btw. Too many songs to call it a play!) And there is still the pacing of the play that slightly bothers me. But I really hope to watch it again some time. So, if anyone has the DVD or BD and is willing to share a rip with me… (Please?)

Musical Hakuoki -Sano-hen- is here, because no matter how much I love that cast, there is just something about the pacing or the way the story is told that doesn’t work for me. It’s not just this musical, I’ve had it with more of them. Somehow this musical series just doesn’t work for me, even though the cast is amazing. (I think I mentioned before sometime that I can only seem to enjoy Reimeiroku…)

 Top 3 (or more) favourite actors/actress of the year?

Not another ranking! I’m terrible at rankings!

Sasaki Yoshihide Yeah, after all this time I guess Hide is still my No.1

Sakiyama Tsubasa This guys is too adorable! I love how he can be serious, but is super immature at the same time.

Aramaki Yoshihiko He is too adorable (too)! How can a guy be that cute!?

Shiina Taizo / Suzuki Hiroki I can’t chose, so I just put them down on a shared No.4. They are both just amazing!

Ota Motohiro His Sengo Muramasa was probably my favorite thing of this year! He went beyond all my expectations of what Sengo could be!

 Top 3 (or more) rookie actors/rising actors whom you’ve high hopes for in the future?

Um, I honestly don’t know who we would still call rookie actors and who aren’t. Really, pretty much any actor that wasn’t part of Tenimyu season one still counts as a rookie for me… So, I’ll just be listing a couple actors I hope to see more of in the future…

Sato Ryuji All right, he’s like super popular already, I know. But his rise in fame went pretty quick. I’m really interested to see if he can keep this up or not. Of course, I hope he’ll do good!

Sakiyama Tsubasa After taking on the role of captain in Mihotose, his popularity appears to be on the rise too. Since I’ve come to like him quite a bit, I’m really interested to see what he can do from here on.

Ohira Shunya Maybe this is just a personal thing, but I have this feeling that Shunya’s been improving incredibly in a short amount of time, especially in his vocals. And I really feel he’s gaining more and more popularity. Aside from that, I think he’s adorable, so yes, I hope he’ll keep rising and improving!

Aramaki Yoshihiko This guy is too adorable and I hope he’ll be able to stick around for a while in the 2.5D business!

 Top 3 (or more) favourite butai/musical related drama/movie of the year?

I very much feel like I haven’t really watched any related drama or movies…

Yowamushi Pedal drama (1st season)…? I think it may have been last year that I watched this one actually? Pretty much watched it, just because… Well, I guess I knew a couple of the actors in it… hadn’t seen the musicals yet.

So for this year, I’ve seen half of FIVE… pretty much started watching it, because everyone was talking about it (Well, about Sato Ryuji and Kuroba Mario being part of the cast), but then couldn’t find time to watch the second half…

And, I kind of started watching the anime of Sengoku Night Blood (ah, they’re turning it in a play, aren’t they?), because of some familiar names in the voice actor cast… aka, Sasaki Yoshihide, Kitamura Ryo and Aramaki Yoshihiko) I haven’t watched more than 2-3 episodes at this moment though, because storywise it’s not extremely captivating (yet)…

Um, yes… that wasn’t a top 3 or anything, just me randomly mentioning what I’ve seen…

Top 3 (or more) actors/actress that you think have the best singing voice?

Um, you’re asking for a top 3? I doubt I could give you a top 10! There are many, many amazing singers to be found in the 2.5D world! So, I’m just randomly going to throw out some names here, all right?

Itokawa Yojiro, holy shit that guy just blew me away with his vocal performance during the Bakumatsu Rock climax live!

Kimeru, he’s been doing amazing ever since Tenimyu.

Spi, all I’ve heard him sing in Toumyu was flawless! This guy’s voice is incredible!

Teruma, recently I noticed how amazing he has become! Really!

Sasaki Yoshihide, he isn’t always quite flawless, but I’m biased! And he does have an amazing voice!

Ogoe Yuki, he’s good! He’s really good!

Sato Ryuji, he’s good and he’s still improving! He’s amazing!

Ohira Shunya, surpise!? No, this kid can really sing well if you feed him the right song!

Ota Motohiro, he’s not quite flawless, but I remember being quite impressed by his Mihotose no Komoriuta performance.

Sakiyama Tsubasa, yes, he’s not flawless on stage, but given the right song he sounds absolute

....

  Yeah, shall I just stop here? Even though I could probably go on for a while…

A (or more) butai/musical that you didn’t initially love, but has/have grown on you?

I think that would be Present5. I took quite some effort to make it through the first play and it took me a long, long time to attempt watching the other plays. But, somehow these guys grew on my and I eventually really enjoyed watching all of them!

Top 3 (or more) anime/manga/game that you would love to see being adapted into a butai/musical in the future?

I’m very much afraid that I’m the type who starts looking up the original source after she’s seen the play… So, I’m a little out of materials I’d like to see adapted, since they are already adapted…

 Top 3 (or more) favourite fandom on the year?

 Musical Touken Ranbu

Stage Play Touken Ranbu

…

For this whole year I would say that Toumyu and Tousute are basically the only fandoms I’ve really been in. Yes, I’ve seen some Tenimyu, I’ve seen some Namashitsuji, I’ve seen a lot… but, I don’t really count myself as an active member of those fandoms, I’m just passing by… and moving on and sometimes coming back…

How long have you been in the 2.5D fandom?

I’ve been in the 2.5D fandom for nearly 10 years now… (I’ve been part of this fandom from since before we started calling it 2.5D! I think it was early 2008 that I fell down the rabbit hole…) Yes, that’s a really long time! First all the actors were nearly 10 years older than me, now they are suddenly 10 years younger than me! (I’m looking at you, Miura Hiroki! How are you that young!)

Never imagined all those years ago I’d become so obsessed with this I’d still be here after such a long time.

Lastly, what is your overall opinion of the 2.5D fandom so far?

After all these years I can say the 2.5D community is probably one of the most friendly and peaceful I’ve ever seen. This is possibly the case, since all the fights and wars take place in the tags of the source materials and don’t make their way into the 2.5D world. There are some occasional stir-ups, but… Yes, so many friendly people who are willing to share the goodies they have. I’m really happy to be part of this place…

I can however see how the community has changed over the years. When we started this fandom was basically a free for all. Since only the very few in Japan had access to the DVDs, once you uploaded something everyone could do with it what they wanted. There weren’t any rules (for as far as I remember) and barely any watermarks. But yes, with the 2.5D producers slowly turning their eyes outside Asia, I suppose it’s only a given that we thread with a little more caution now. After all, we want them to make it easier for us to watch all the goodness, not make it harder! (Come on, remove the region block from those online streaming services already! I don’t want to be stuck with a VPN forever!)

Anyway, I really hope this community will stay like this for many, many years to come!

[sharethisgemwithme]

“Adventures in Light Distortion” instant reaction

[Written on January 8-9. I was blind to this episode and the whole remainder of the Bomb, with the exception of tiny leaks and Youtube screenshots. Comments related to those spoilers are footnotes, marked with [#].]

Oh man, what a title. You see, the emphasis makes all the difference. Is it light distortion, as in little itty-bitty lies? After the previous episode, what further lies would we be telling? Or is there really the chance the gems are going to tell half-truths to Dr. and Mr. M and bring *Connie* along on this mission?!? Please oh please. Or, since the gems are light constructs, is it light distortion, as in the bending of light rays and such. And "Adventures in"... as in plural? I mean, obviously, the gems are going to chase after Blue Diamond. Are we going right to Homeworld? Are we doing this, for real? 'Cause sign me the hell up. Now, the gems have a ship, and I am 99% sure Pearl knows how to fly it because Pearl knows how to fix, operate, drive, or fly anything she damn well wants to, so we're about to find out just what it's like when the Ruby ship goes zoooooom [1]. I don't remember which is third, "Gem Heist" or "The Zoo", but whenever we meet up with Greg again (presumably at the zoo), are there other types of aliens there? Are there other gems? [2]

I'm spacing out the episodes, not chomping them all down at once, to give myself time to think about them. However, only the first episode remains available on VOD, so I'm watching tonight's via DailyMotion (the first place I saw that has the entire episode available in one video). So timestamps are those of the DM video, which has the intro begin at 0:09. As always, though, I’m watching straight through with no pauses or rewinds.

0:09 - Time to find a way. 0:32 - Hilary and Lauren tonight. (they fixed the title card, this was a Raven & Paul episode) 0:42 - Aww, no more Amethyst ponytail. 0:49 - Oh man, Pearl's losing her shit quickly. 0:59 - "Turn into a chair. I need to sit down." Wow. 1:17 - "That might be it." The zoo. Oh boy. 1:31 - Steven's like "are you fucking kidding me? a human zoo." 1:45 - Digging this music btw. 2:03 - Pearl going cross-eyed. 2:19 - "We're not coming back without Greg." That didn't sound as intimidating as I expected. 2:35 - They already flew on this, it should be OK. 2:55 - Aww. "Protect Beach City." 3:09 - "Bending reality." 3:26 - Lapis looks utterly thrilled about protecting BC. 3:42 - We're just totally handwaving all the oxygen issues. 3:53 - "Space turbulence"? Oh come on. 4:12 - WHAT ARE THEY ALL DOING IN THE SAME PLACE? 4:19 - "We should really do something about them." Ya think? 4:35 - It doesn't work that way. BTW, Greg's 40. Note to self. 5:03 - That doesn't sound good. 5:14 - NOT A GOOD DECISION, STEVEN. Maybe brace yourself before someone else hits the button. 5:35 - LOLOLOLOLOLO OH BOY. 5:50 - Oh my god, this is like almost chibi-size. 6:06 - "In what way is this funny?" EVERY WAY. 6:30 - I guess that makes sense. 6:41 - But they shouldn't all be the same size, so that's not really gonna work. 7:04 - I guess we're gonna spend the whole episode en route. 7:13 - STOP JUST MASHING BUTTONS, DUDE. 7:26 - Oh good, a big red X. That's never a bad sign. 7:31 - OH THAT'S NOT A BAD SIGN AT ALL. They just poofed? 8:07 - You might wanna get out of warp speed now. 8:31 - You can do it! 8:55 - Oh boy. Don't do this to yourself, Steve-o. 9:14 - Don't you goddamn dare do this "future vision" thing to me, here. 9:40 - HEALING TEARS? streaming back towards the gems. 10:23 - I guess, uhh, that makes sense. "Don't think too much about it." Don't worry, I won't. 11:04 - Time for stuff to happen! Next time... 11:20 - So is this Homeworld? Or are we still not quite there?

INSTANT REACTION - So it was the distortion of light we were dealing with, and honestly that was the kind of... not quite body horror, but body manipulation certainly that we would expect from a Paul & Raven episode, not a Hilary & Lauren. [N.B. I read several days later that this was in fact actually a Paul/Raven episode, and the title card was incorrect, so that makes sense] I'm a little embarrassed that the idea of Peridot and/or Lapis coming along never even occurred to me, but they were written out of the arc anyway. Steven's conversation with Connie was pretty curious, though. I wonder what she was saying on the other end of the line, but I really think she wanted to come along (as much of an absolutely terrible idea as that would probably be). We got a little more conclusive timeline. Greg would be turning 110 in 70 years, ergo he's 40 now, so he was 26 when Steven was born. Since he's "known the gems since [he] was 22", that means he spent about four years courting Rose. I know that I said "healing tears" above, and I am realizing now after the fact that Steven doesn't have healing tears, but rather healing spit. However, there really did seem to be SOMETHING there in him crying about making all these mistakes, and his tears streaming to the back of the ship. I could've sworn some landed on the gems. Obviously, since I've only watched the episode once, and in real time, I can't be sure about that (or if any of the gems were actually cracked as Steven feared, but I doubt that). At 9:14, I was briefly afraid that, with Steven monologuing how he's made so many mistakes and why couldn't he just trust Garnet's warning and now he's lost everyone, we were going to have a future-vision fake-out and reset back to the stairs outside the beach house, 4 minutes into "Dream". I would've been fucking PISSED if that had happened (side note: I've read a number of fan theories/jokes about how the last scene of the whole series is going to be Rose asking Garnet whether she should go to some concert on the beach, and that the entire series has been Garnet's future vision of what will happen if she does. It's cute, but entirely violates what little we do know about future vision), because it would've wiped away an entire episode, taken away Steven's agency to make his own decisions, and just been a fucking hack move. I'm glad that wasn't the case. I've said in the past that realistic astrophyics was never a strong point of this show, starting from the illogical gravity in "Laser Light Cannon", but I'm STILL peeved at the stereotypical asteroid belt (and though I'm amused at the trio of Rubies--I saw the first one was Navy, didn't catch who the other two were--there's no way they should all be together). That said, I appreciated the metaphorical dropkick they delivered to faster-than-light travel ("Don't think too much about it.")

SECOND WATCH THOUGHTS: Pearl's side-eye at "Back when I still served... Homeworld." WHAT ARE YOU HIDING, WOMAN? Seriously, Connie had some plan to go with Steven, or at least to do something. It's a longshot, but I'm calling it now: we are going to hear from Connie somehow before this arc is over. Pudgy, ruby-shaped Pearl is adorable. I see the really huge setting on the Roaming Eye showed up on the slot-machine-looking display as ♦ ♦ ♦ OK, doesn't seem to be any structural issues for the gems at any point while warping. That whole segment is really trippy though. As someone with minor eye issues that occasionally lead to double vision when my eyes are out of focus, it was really disconcerting. I feel like Steven's monologue is one part addressed-to-kids "Hey, when stuff around you is going poorly, you can make some rash and desperate decisions, but please don't think the original stuff is also your fault" and one part actual plot set-up, but I can't make out what it is. Whoops on the Rubies; the first one was Doc, followed by Army and Navy. That leaves Leggy somewhere off in the distance.

[1] - one of the screencaps Youtube spoiled for me was titled "Traveling faster than the speed of light" or something like that, so, yeah I'm pretty sure we'll get to see that. [2] - via tumblr posts that didn't get immediately hidden, or the tags that remained, I know there are a bunch more gems to meet. I'm still hopeful that at least a few of the Youtube screencaps were fanart, but... we'll see.