#but it’s honestly hard to say considering all of the episodes have been so enjoyable

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

I just saw the new episode (finally) and am absolutely obsessed with these screenshots of Gene:

Look at him, he’s so silly and cute 😭🥺

Everyone needs to hush up and appreciate my darling baby son for a moment 😌

Also, the way Big Bob won a giant gorilla for the kids without hesitation is the cutest and funniest thing ever. And he just carries it with him for the rest of the episode 😭

@br1ghtestlight has speculated that Bob is Neurodivergent because of Big Bob and this episode and this moment just confirms it. He’s very Autistic.

He looks so happy about getting the gorilla, it’s so adorable ;>;

[transmascutena]

finding a good reaction series for any anime is so hard, and then trying to find one for utena is like trying to find a needle in a very small haystack, i think i've only found like one or two??? that have actually been pretty enjoyable?? and by that i mean, like, where the reactors actually take the show seriously and try to analyze and understand all of the symbolism/meaning/commentaries on society instead of being just like 'woahhh that was weird ig, oh well' and just moving on. although one of the ones i enjoyed also completely missed that juri was in love with shiori in her first episode but honestly i found that more hilarious than frustrating considering how good they were at picking up other small details and how blatantly it was spelt out hfsiuacjk. suffice to say, they figured it out later.

but like when I found the other good reactor to utena it was SOOO nice. like. i don't need the reactor to be absolutely correct on everything and catch every single detail, i just need somebody WILLING to actually engage with the show, and have the ability to look deeper than surface level. i've watched this reactor regularly for a while and i figured utena was the type of weird symbolic stuff he would really enjoy, but when I was proven right and he loved the show and loved the characters and created well-reasoned theories and predictions it was SOOOO satsifying. and i can probably never recommend him to anyone in good faith because he can make some tasteless jokes that i've been pretty desensitized to over the years because he says them more as a bit, but it's still to the extent that I can't tell how other people would take it if they were to watch him for the first time. but when it came to the utena and akio stuff he immediately understood that the show was depicting grooming and abuse and treated it as such in his commentary even before episode 33. and i know like that's probably a low bar, but after seeing people think it was a legit romance, it was so gratifying to see the actions of akio being responded with immediate disgust. he said that utena was probably in his favorite shows of all time at the end of the series, and he was so excited at almost every twist of the plot, so altogether my favorite reactor.

anyways, all that's to say, do you have any reaction series recommendations for utena that you think were a good watch? thanks for your time and all of your great utena posting!

only utena reaction series i remember liking pretty much all the way through was the one by semblance of sanity. there were probably things they missed or whatever as there will always be on a first viewing, and some of the things they said about the final episode in particular were a bit odd (though i've forgotten what exactly it was), but generally it was very enjoyable to me. you could tell they liked the show a lot and wanted to understand it and i think it also helped that they were two people who could bounce ideas and theories off each other. most reactors do it alone which can in my opinion get a bit stale at times. it was really just one of those things where i was looking forward to the new episode from them every single week (maybe helped too that it was only my own second or third rewatch and i was looking for new stuff myself still). i even subscribed to their patreon for a month towards the end so i could view the full uncut reactions, meaning i effectively watched the whole thing twice, but i don't think that was the smartest use of my money or my time lol

[ashleywool]

"I LOVED THAT SHOW"

I wore my How to Dance in Ohio hoodie to church today. It's Palm Sunday and we did our customary palm procession from Duffy Square into the building, which is nice and all except winter decided to come back and bite my skin off again...so that sweatshirt seemed like the best choice as warm enough for the weather + can fit under my choir robe + won't get swelteringly uncomfortable once we're inside at the service. It did the job. Truly the ultimate transition piece. Get yours today while supplies last.

At fellowship afterwards, someone from the congregation that I didn't know--she's only in NYC part of the year--pointed out my sweatshirt and said "I LOVED THAT SHOW!"

It took her a moment to recognize me (she initially confused me for Madison, which, yeah that happens, I'll never be mad about it), and we had a lovely chat about the show. And what I noticed after walking away was...the subject of autism, or me being autistic, didn't come up at all.

I love and cherish the advocacy aspect of my work on HTDIO. I love and cherish the opportunity it gave me to be the autistic representation I wished I'd had growing up. But I have to say, it was SO nice to have someone, a total stranger, talking about the show and loving the show independent of The Autism Part.

It was wonderful being part of discussions about diverse representation, and I will never turn down opportunities to eagerly participate in those conversations. But I really wanted us to stick around long enough that the "novelty" aspect of "autistic characters played by autistic actors" (or even "canonically nonbinary/genderqueer characters") would wear off sufficiently for more people, so they could focus on the story and the characters and the music and all the other things that make our show great irrespective of the Representation aspect.

I've had a ROUGH few weeks, y'all. Truthfully, I've been going through one of the worst depressive episodes of my life. Aside from the obvious grief factor and logistical stressors, it turns out that post-operative depression is absolutely a thing. While I'd like to think I'm cognitively and emotionally mature enough to handle this level of change, especially considering how lucky I am to have robust support systems in family, friends, and healthcare practitioners, my very autistic nervous system has had a difficult time letting the sympathetic part cooperate with the parasympathetic part. So I've been a ball of tension, exhaustion, and worst of all, that soul-sucking apathy where nothing seems enjoyable or interesting, but maybe it would be if I had the energy to be interested.

It's helped to find a great physical therapy clinic that is giving me comprehensive, multi-pronged care and NOT charging me copays (because apparently my insurance pays them excellently--thank you, Equity-League and Cigna). It's helped that I got back in touch with a therapist I had seen years ago on BetterHelp (she's since left the platform and honestly, GOOD FOR HER). It's helped that I have parents with the means to help me out financially--and, crucially, the means to keep me accountable without resorting to pressure and guilt-tripping. It's helped to still live in a city where financial assistance isn't excruciatingly hard to come by if all else fails (at least compared to other states). It's helped to have agents submitting me for tons of exciting projects, and having several cabarets and readings to look forward to in this time of transition. It's helped to have a really chill, supportive church community keeping me spiritually grounded without buying into the yt American evangelical toxicity. It's helped to have my cats.

But sometimes, what makes me the happiest of all, is hearing "I LOVED THAT SHOW!"

I'll never not be proud to be known for How to Dance in Ohio and everything we stood for. I'm proud that the love was real, and the quality of the material reflected and reverberated that love. I'm proud of the representation aspect, and I'm proud that it wasn't just about that. And people who saw it, saw all of that.

It's so comforting to know that we shared this show with enough people that it's going to continue to matter.

People aren't going to forget.

I love that for us.

By the way, it was too cold to really show it off, but this is the shirt I wore underneath the sweatshirt. :)

[rebelumbrella46]

HOTD "A Son For A Son" Thoughts

Winterfell: Nostalgia.

Starting at Winterfell: It gave me so much nostalgia listening to the Stark's theme. I cannot wait to see more of Cregan; I wish the show would've shown more of Jace in the North. But it was nice to be back at the Wall.

Dragonstone: Tension and Conflict

The conversation between Rhaenys and Daemon. I understand why he is so upset and restless; Rhaenyra has been gone for a while, and no retaliation has been done to the Greens. I understand wanting to kill Vhagar, but honestly, the whole "kill Vhagar with Meleys and Caraxes and attacking King's Landing" and "I'd pity Aemond" is bullshit. Let's be real—they have no chance against Vhagar (not without one of them at least dying in the process).

Also, the line "It'd if you were the King…" Oh Rhaenys—the Queen you would have been.

Rhaenyra’s Silent Sorrow

Rhaenyra broke my heart this episode. I liked that she didn't need to speak to show her grief. It was an amazing performance; the heartbreak in the first scene as she watches Storm's End.

Driftmark: I'm curious about this Alyn guy. I also wonder if they'd bring back Laenor. I'm kind of hoping that they do… but I don't think it would happen anytime soon. Perhaps he will come back after a very important death of a loved one who will die this season.

King's Landing: I kind of liked Aegon this episode. He is trash; he is not a good king, obviously, but he is so oblivious that it was funny and entertaining to watch him. It kind of made me think about how he would have turned out if only Viserys had cared more for him, if Rhaenyra and he had a better relationship, or if Alicent hadn't been such a shitty mother.

Alicent and Cole: Hypocrisy and Disgust

I could not be more disgusted… and this says a lot considering that this show is hard on the incest. But this couple, the first scene they appear in this season, just disgusted me… and I get it. Good for you, Alicent, you probably never enjoyed sex before in your life, but seriously, you could do better than this bitch…

I don't know, but Alicent has really pissed me off this episode. She's portrayed as a saint, but she's a hypocrite, and so weak. Where is the Alicent of episode six and seven? That's the Alicent I want to see; the whole righteousness act is getting boring. I want to see her being the mother of the usurper and the evil stepmother she was in season 1.

Criston Cole can go and fuck himself. I literally cannot wait for him to die. Every time he shows up on the screen, it's so fucking annoying.

Aemond: The Threat

We didn't see enough of Aemond this episode. He is insane but smart, probably the only real threat in Team Green at the moment, which is why it makes sense that Daemon wants to get rid of him—not only for revenge but also for Vhagar. I liked that Aegon put him on the council. And I understand the strain in his and Alicent's relationship; she's mad at him for killing Lucerys when she literally requested the boy's eye when he was a kid. I imagine Aemond must have felt like she was also siding with Lucerys on the matter.

Otto: Is a cunt as usual… but an enjoyable one. I liked the scene in the Throne Room where he councils Aegon. It gave me Joffrey and Tywin vibes.

Larys Strong: Creeping Influence

I like how he has gained power little by little. And he is definitely Alicent's karma. I think that scene where she's bathing is the moment she realizes that Rhaenys was right—she's never going to be free. All these men are controlling her and constantly diminishing her: Otto, Aegon, Aemond, Cole, and Larys. She would have been happier and more free if she had remained on Rhaenyra's side after she was crown Queen.

Aegon as a Father: Inconsistent Portrayal

Jaehaerys: I wish we had seen more of him to actually care... i've seen a lot of reaction videos and people were shocked obviously, but everyone was more mad and upset about cheese kicking the dog. But i wish we have seen more of Aegon as a father, because at this point, it felt just forced. Aegon has so many bastards in Flea Bottom, and he was ready to leave his kids, wife, and everything behind in episode 9. And now he's a good father? I'm not buying it.

Mysaria: The Essential Outsider

Mysaria: Oh, she's an interesting character. I think Team Black needs a member like this, someone to pull on strings. I think she's the counterpart of Larys.

Daemon: The Rogue Prince

And his crime hoodie. I found it tedious how he kept blaming everyone around him. But I get it; he is impulsive and prone to anger. And I truly want to believe that he ordered Blood and Cheese to kill Aegon's son, because he is not supposed to be a nice character. I do feel like the showrunners are whitewashing this whole conflict too much. With Aemond accidentally killing Lucerys. And now the rats choosing to kill the boy instead.

There is no need to hold back. I mean, in "Game of Thrones," we saw worse. We saw the Lannisters trying to kill Bran, we saw Stannis burning his own daughter, we saw Jon hanging the boy (can't remember his name), we saw Daenerys killing hundreds, we saw the Red Wedding.

This leads me to the last scene… Blood and Cheese and Helaena.

I honestly love Helaena so much; at this point i think i like her even more than i like Rhaenyra, but no more than i like Rhaenys. I think the performance of the actress is so good. I find it interesting that she's a dreamer. I bet Viserys never even knew of it.

I enjoyed Helaena and Aegon's interaction; obviously, you can tell they are more siblings than husband and wife.

My frustration with the scene comes from the lack of guards. We don't need to see more violence; it was already bad and terrible enough with only the sound. But the fact that there were no guards there, that they didn't have to kill anyone to get to Helaena and the children, it's just ridiculous. I also think the lack of begging on Helaena's part comes from a place of her knowing this was going to happen one way or the other; she saw it already. So the best she could do was to save her daughter.

But I would have loved to see Alicent being tied up, watching all of this unfold. I understand the changes for Maelor's absence, but the no guards is lazy writing unless they find a way to justify it next episode.

Anyways... FUCK THE HIGHTOWERS!

[moistvonlipwig]

Top 10 Favorite Final Seasons of a TV Show

For @loisfreakinglane's enjoyment.

...This was actually so hard. I'm limiting myself to TV shows with multiple seasons that have officially for-real ended, as well as to final seasons that I've watched in full (so there are some seasons of shows I watch that maybe should make the cut that won't because I haven't gotten around to them yet). In the order that I thought of them:

Breaking Bad Season 5: A really strong & exciting final season with some great new characters (Lydia Rodarte-Quayle I love you Lydia Rodarte-Quayle!!!) and some of the show's best episodes.

Once Upon a Time Season 7: My favorite season of the show, and one that weirdly addressed a lot of the problems I had with the first six seasons. The new characters were great and they did some cool & unexpected things with the old characters. Hardly perfect, and it somehow made the show's already-convoluted timeline worse, but it was a very strong note to end the show on & it helped me look on the show as a whole in a much fonder light, which was no small feat after some of the bullshit the show had previously pulled.

Amphibia Season 3: A great final season. I loved seeing the Boonchuys on Earth in 3A, and I loved the story arc of Anne & Sasha co-commanding the resistance in 3B. IMO a lot of the complaints about this season come from people who didn't really understand what the show was about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Steven Universe Future/Steven Universe Season 5: I kind of consider Future to be the proper 'final season' of Steven Universe and not its own show, but I know some people disagree and consider it a separate limited series and would say that Season 5 is the real final season of the show. Either way, both seasons are quite good. I think Future is consistently stronger -- Season 5 has a stretch of 6 or so episodes that are kind of weak -- but Season 5 has higher highs. But again, both are very good final seasons, whichever one you consider to be the 'true' final season.

Person of Interest Season 5: Honestly, this is not the best final season -- I think being limited to 13 episodes really hamstrung the writers, and not all the episodes are good -- but it does end on a really strong note, and also I ran out of final seasons I consider legitimately great, so, uh, good for you PoI, you arguably don't deserve to be here but you're here anyway!

Better Call Saul Season 6: I'm not gonna lie, I had problems with the way 6B unfolded -- I thought the pacing wasn't the best and some of the character/plot beats didn't quite land -- but both 6A and the finale were very strong, and I'm not opposed to most of the events of 6B in theory. Plus, BCS is just well-made TV in general, so even when I didn't love it, I was still appreciative of the artistry that went into the show.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 9: I remember really liking the first half of this season and thinking it was some of the best stuff the show had put out in years. The second half was more par for the course but not bad. The actual season-long plot was pretty whatever but it produced some good episodes, and Daniel Ingram, as always, delivered with the music.

Battlestar Galactica Season 4: Look, anyone who's taken a cursory glance at my BSG tag knows how I feel about what BSG S3 & 4 did to Boomer, and S4 additionally committed the sin of killing off Anastasia Dualla, but I don't actually think S4 is overall a bad season. I think it could've been better, sure, but I honestly was fine with it aside from the stuff I hated. Lol. Also, Kara Thrace turns into a pigeon, and that's hilarious.

Infinity Train Season 4: Technically this is a better season of television than some of the seasons listed above, but it was not intended as a final season and you can tell; nothing about it makes for a particularly effective ending to the show. I will forever mourn the remaining 4 planned seasons of this show that we never got. But, hey, it's still a good season, even though it's probably the show's weakest outing.

...Revolutionary Girl Utena's Apocalypse Arc: LOOK I KNOW IT'S NOT A "SEASON" I RAN OUT OF FINAL SEASONS I LIKE OKAY. It's better than pretty much everything else on this list though because it's RGU, how could it not be.

Tagging @jioinfocommlimited, @02511213942, @occidentaltourist, @cassphos, @nocticola, and anyone else who wants to tackle this challenge. Be warned, it's harder than it looks!!!

[thefirstknife]

I've not played D2 long, all things considered, and have never shelled out for a Season Pass (Tho they're switching to something else now??) I DO like following the game's story but worry I don't play regularly enough to get my money's worth out of temporarily-available content. What sort of time investment do you (and others) feel you need to put in to keep it from feeling like a waste?

It honestly depends on you!

They're switching the seasonal stuff, yep, and we don't know how Episodes will work yet, but so far seasons have been streamlined to be fairly easy to finish even if you don't have a lot of time to play. Finishing the season pass has not been too hard, especially with the seasonal challenges that give massive amounts of XP.

The story could be done week by week or you could just wait until it's all over and then do it in one go, depending on how much time you had to play. You could technically wait for the last month or so and then do everything in bulk; the story, seasonal challenges, levelling, any extra content.

I play quite a lot, but I finish the story and the pass without any targeted grinding. I don't do bounty prep, I don't minmax XP gains or anything, I just do the story weekly and whatever else I feel like playing and I've always been able to finish all the content normally. I do have a regular raid/dungeon group as well so that helps; playing solo will always put you at a little bit of a disadvantage, but with the in-game LFG, it's now little easier to find people to play with!

I wouldn't say you need to play like a full-time job to make it all worth it and I hope they keep that for Episodes! There's plenty of time to get things done even if you don't put 15+ hours a week. As long as I finish the story and the season pass levelling, I feel like my time/money spent was not a waste. Anyone else with any extra input feel free to share!

If you know you aren't really playing regularly, I'd definitely suggest to wait before getting any of the seasonal content. You can always purchase it separately if it interests you or if you know you'll have more time to play and you can skip some stuff that you might not enjoy or have time for. You can always check things out online and decide if you want to spend money on it later!

I'm always of the opinion that it's better to skip on things/"miss out" than spend money and then regret it or force yourself to play when you're not interested. Your money and your enjoyment should come first. Preordering the whole yearly pack is not really necessary, especially if you know you're going to be skipping some content. You can always just buy stuff you specifically want and know you'll play and check the rest online.

Hopefully some time soon they'll tell us more about Episodes. So far we know that they'll last longer than season, but there will only be 3 per year, instead of 4. There might be more levelling to do, but you'll have more time as well. We still need more information about it though, so if you're not sure, don't invest into it yet.

[calliethetrekkie]

Star Trek TOS S01E17: Shore Leave

Original Thoughts

"…okay I knew from fandom osmosis that ST got weird at times, especially in Season 3… but WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?! That was… weird. Not necessarily bad, but weeeeird. I guess it was an attempt to be more comedic and considering that they look like they filmed in a park, save budget. I really can’t give an opinion on this one because I honestly cannot figure out what my opinion is for this one. It’s bizarre but harmless and I’m having a hard time deciding if I liked it or not. Spock more or less tricking Kirk into shore leave was funny though and the idea of a planet that essentially creates your daydreams is interesting, haha. The fist-fight at the end was also fun, so there are some enjoyable aspects if the bizarreness turns you off."

Rewatch Thoughts

Why was past me so anti-fun?! This episode is great!

Ah man, where do I even begin with this one? This episode is ridiculous and cheap... and I love it! You can tell that they filmed most of this in some local park and outright stuck someone in a cheap bunny costume. Yet it doesn't distract from the experience at all, if anything it adds to the bizarreness of it all. It's a chance to let everyone be stupid for a little while and sometimes you need those kinds of episodes. You need to be silly and fun and let the audience have fun too. I kind of feel like we've forgotten that as of late and it needs to change.

As I have gone in production order for this watch, I think that this was well-timed for me. We've had several serious, dramatic episodes in a row such as Conscience of the King, Galileo Seven, and two court martial episodes (well three since The Menagerie is a two-parter). I was kind of glad to get back around to this one when I did. The rabbit, Finnegan, and all the other crazy illusions that pop up make the episode pure chaos. And to think all of this could have been avoided if the planet inhabitants had just left a freakin' sign up or something.

Kirk is an absolute delight here. The guy is stressed and overworked, all of which he brought onto himself but doesn't want a break. Why? Because the Enterprise is full of workaholics. The scene where Spock tricks Kirk into ordering himself to take Shore Leave is one of the freakin' greatest Trek scenes ever. There is NO WAY that I can ever be convinced that Spock and McCoy did NOT plan on pulling this stunt. McCoy knows that Kirk is a stubborn ass and likely wouldn't listen to him, so giving Spock his log entry and Spock baiting Kirk into giving himself the order? Perfection.

Not that Kirk gets a relaxing time... well for the most part. The guy gets annoyed by an old Academy bully (twice), his best friend gets 'killed', and one bad illusion pops up after the other. Even when he's on break he can't catch a break. At least he gets to imagine an old crush of his cause he gets distracted by flowers? Hooray? Okay, that was kinda cute how he was all 'where the Hell is Sulu... oh hey, a flower!'. Never change Jim. Plus he gets to beat the shit out of Finnegan and get his shirt ripped... again. IDK why he even bothers with a shirt, it's just gonna get ripped to shreds.

Though as much as I love Jim here, McCoy is the highlight for me. Yes I realize that this being me that's not saying much, but every scene of his is pure gold. There's the whole Alice in Wonderland scene, then him calling Jim to tell him that he's possibly lost his mind ever so calmly. His flirting with Barrows is cute as is him encouraging her to play princess if she wants to. IDK, he's just kind of endearingly adorable in this one? Mind you he also seemed to have forgotten his brain cells considering he decided to not get out of the way of the knight and got stabbed for his troubles. I blame the rabbit, it broke his brain. But yeah he's so lucky the caretaker managed to fix him. Look, we often see McCoy all grumpy and dealing with everyone's problems, seeing him all relaxed is a nice change of pace!

Not much to say about Spock outside the 'trick Kirk into Shore Leave' scene. I kind of wish we had Jim and Bones yank him into it with them cause Vulcan or not he needs to have at least one. But I supposed that wasn't meant to be. I almost feel like he could have been kept on the ship the whole episode and it wouldn't have really hanged much, but I guess since Nimoy has a Starring credit and is the popular one they gotta include him. Also at the end when the Chorus Girl goes up to him and he seems to have no idea how to react, poor guy. No wonder he prefers to stay on the ship XD

There are so many good moments. Sulu and his glee for guns, Barrows in the princess dress, McCoy and Barrows flirting, it's 40 minutes of ridiculousness and I love it. It's nice to see these characters able to let loose and have fun since thus far it's not a side we've gotten to see much of... well at least by choice. We even got a bit of a feelsy scene when McCoy got 'killed'. Kirk looks like he's on the verge of crying and sounds about ready to beat the shit out of the caretaker until McCoy pops back up alive and well. Even Spock is at a loss and this is around the time that their relationship becomes more argumentative. But that scene aside it's a fun episode.

So a planet where whatever you think of can be created... why did anyone think that this was a good idea? Why did no one think of having a sign or a greeter or something to inform anyone who showed up how the planet worked? Why did they wait so long to clear everything up? Did no one think 'hey maybe this is a bad idea since someone could think up so and so and get someone hurt or worst'. IDC if they have machines that can bring someone back from the verge of death, that won't do shit if someone is legit dead (I refuse to believe that McCoy was dead-dead, none of these people checked his pulse properly and I'll die on that hill.). I have SO many questions on why NO ONE thought through any of this. Maybe the Enterprise crew ended up being the trial run... that's not a bad theory actually. That is now my headcanon!

Not sure if Kirk letting everyone go on the planet was a wise move at the end, but ah well. He gets to have his time with his old crush and actually gets the break that Spock and McCoy wanted him to take. Kind of nice to see him all relaxed considering how tense he was at the start. OH the massage scene! How could I forget the massage scene at the start? Now most everyone knows I'm not a Spirk shipper... but that scene and a few during the climax sure have plenty fo context even I can't ignore haha.

Wow, kind of surprised I managed to make the review this long. I figured I wouldn't have a lot to talk about given the nature of the episode... and I was wrong. But this episode is plain fun. The first time I watched it, I think that I was so taken aback despite knowing that this was one of the weirder episodes that I was unsure of how to feel. Three years later, I can now safely say that it was a delight! The characters are fantastic, the plot is chaotic in the best way, and the cheapness only adds to the fun. You don't always need fancy sets or a million-dollar budget to make a good episode, and this is a really good example of saving on budget but still making something enjoyable. It's not my favorite cause I like me my feelsy plots, but I still had a fun time revisiting this. I highly recommend this one especially if you need something to lift your spirits, it sure lifted mine~

Original Rating: 2.5/5 Rewatch Rating: 7/10

[My TOS Reviews]

[TOS S1 Reviews]

[Previous Review] / [Next Review]

[pilotheather]

random, unasked-for take #342914.

ive seen some ppl say Rogue was the first episode to "feel like" a (good) quintessential 2005+ era DW episode, despite ironically being written by new writers - except i honestly don't think it's ironic at all. as counterintuitive as it might sound, i think the fresh perspectives are necessary to try and capture that very specific vibe.

put together, rtd & moffat have written 70~ episodes of doctor who. even disregarding burnout, i just feel like... having written so many episodes for so long, you do sort of just get stuck in your own work. not necessarily even in a bad way. it can produce good work if you continue to push yourself.but in doing so, there's this tendency to start to deconstruct the medium youre working with.

its like random comparison here. those epicurious, 3 levels of food videos. so often i see ppl say "oh the level 2 chef's work is so much better. a simple, well-executed meal is so much more enjoyable than something overly elaborate." which isnt a controversial take really. but sometimes for, like, the chef themselves... if theyve literally made a traditional dish and made it a million times over, for their own development and passion, experimentation can be necessary to continue. and also if they understand each of tehe core components far too well, its hard not to start taking different unconventional approaches. thats sort of the nature of it.

and im not saying rtd & moffat have completely mastered the standard dw episode. but i feel like a lot of the episodes this season (and this is also partially to blame for the slashed episode count) have been what would be considered the more Unconventional episode of the seasonin seasons past.

so yes now new writers come in, and they dont have that burnout, or that over-awareness of the shows mechanics and so its like yep. we can get a solid meat and potatoes dw episode. the sort people would be like "this is well-executed and more enjoyable than the previous ones."

[unpopularly-opinionated]

Finished the One Piece Live Action and overall I'd give it an 8/10. Most of the actors are great at portraying their roles, and despite a few small (and two not so small) criticisms I had with the show, overall it still felt like One Piece, albeit a different version of it.

I sincerely hope they do a season two, despite my criticisms. I think they could easily do the Alabasta arc, even in just eight episodes, though I'd hope for more.

Logue Town

Reverse Mountain / Crocus / Laboon

Whiskey Peak

& 5. Skip Little Garden and go straight to Drum Island

6. , 7., & 8. Alabasta

Would be so awesome if they did that.

Spoilers below where I go in-depth about my criticisms, mainly for my own benefit.

Starting with the biggest criticism I had, I think it was genuinely a mistake for them to cut the Don Krieg fight because of how it really makes both Sanji deciding to join the crew, and Nami's iconic "Luffy, help me" scene kind of fall flat.

It messes up Sanji joining the crew because, without it there's really no reason for Sanji to even consider joining his crew. At that point, Luffy was just this random wannabe pirate captain who had been forced into becoming a dishwasher for the Baratie, and whose crew consisted of a half-dead swordsman, a liar, and a thief who betrayed them. Not to mention, said-wannabe pirate captain just had his ass handed to him and was looking to presumably get his ass handed to him again by the same guy while presumably going after a woman who stated clearly that she wanted nothing to do with them anymore. What about that screams: "Ah yes, I should quit my sure thing of a life and job to go hangout with these all-powerful, super intelligent, upstanding people!"

It also just sort of lessens the Nami moment later on because at that point she has no reason to even hope Luffy can beat Arlong, and literally every reason to believe he can't given that she'd literally just seen him lose to Arlong at the Baratie. Instead of it being an inspiration of hope at her lowest point, it became this pathetic last-ditch effort to beg for help from someone who she has every reason to believe can't help her.

This isn't to say that scene wasn't done well, for what it's worth. I thought Nami did a good job of recreating the scene pretty well honestly. It was just the setup to that moment that I had an issue with.

Beyond that, I had an issue with Sanji overall, but this is again connected to the fact that they cut the Don Krieg fight. Honestly, while I thought the Syrup Village was easily more enjoyable in live action than it was in the anime, I really wish they'd cut that arc down to just one episode and given Baratie the time it deserved to be what it needed to be. I know they had a lot to cram into just 8 episodes, but I really don't think they did the best of jobs deciding what was worth keeping and what was worth tossing.

Of course, I have to assume this was mainly due to budget and effects, hence why they also decided to cut out easily the best character in Arlong Park (probably hard to depict an 6-armed octopusman), Hatchan, who I would argue is far more important as a comedic relief character than one might expect, but I digress. His role in Arlong Park really helps relieve some of the tension, reminding everyone that this is supposed to be a goofy pirate show and not always some ultra serious, depressing drama series.

Other than all that, the show was great I thought. You really have to open your mind a bit and not be such a stickler to the source material, as I often find myself being. I really hope they do a season two though. I can see it being somewhat feasible for them to do an Alabasta Saga next. 1 ep for Logue Town, 1 for Reverse Mountain/Crocus, 1 for Whiskey Peak, skip Little Garden since ultimately it's not super important and just have Nami get sick some other way, 2 eps for Drum Island, and then I think Alabasta itself probably deserves 3 episodes so we can maybe see at least a couple of the fights.

I'd love to see Zoro solo the Millions, and especially his fight against Mr. 1 since I think that's a pivotal power-scaling moment for him when he cuts steel for the first time. Of course, you can't have Alabasta without Bon Clay, so seeing him and Sanji fight would be good. And then obviously, Luffy vs. Crocodile. I'm not sure where Nami, Usopp and Chopper would fit in, since I'm trying to think of how you'd keep this budget-friendly, and having them all fight their actual opponents I think would just be too much (especially Usopp & Chopper vs. Ms. Merry Christmas & Mr. 4).

[heretherebedork]

I feel like Korean BL don’t pick up with the public, I mean there was some, that I can literally count with one hand but unfortunately it’s not enough with how many K-BL came out. I absolutely hate to say it, but I don’t believe it’s because of any homophobic feeling, even though I know some productions companies said it was hard to find sponsors because of the genre, I think it’s due to the reasons BL got popular in the first place which is it’s insanely tropey, the age of the actors and the pretty privilege. Don’t get me wrong the Korean actors are good looking but unfortunately I think they suffer from ageism and not fitting the pretty boy look. K-BL has been mostly 30+ years old men in kitchen or office, there hasn’t been any use of tropes and also we have to include the fact the format of the BL (8 episodes of 15 minutes) is not enough. Of course, I enjoy the fact that each country is different and don’t want them to look all similar however Japan, Taiwan and Thailand know what sell, something I feel like Korea does not. I don’t know but the future of K-BL does not look bright at the moment and it’s truly sad because Semantic Error proved that a BL can become massively successful if done correctly.

So, there are a lot of things going into this. And a lot of details and behind the scene things and cultural things I don't know. I know @absolutebl has talked more about this and so have several creators including Strongberry.

And there is definitely a huge issue with getting the sponsors and the money to make BL in Korea because it's queer. It's a hugely cultural thing that I cannot comment on because I only know the most basic and surface level details and believe the people saying it's almost impossible to do so in their culture and their society.

Plenty of the K-BLs are filled with both BL and K-Drama tropes! Filled to the brim with them, honestly, and they're enjoyable for that. They might be set in different times or settings but the tropes themselves are fairly common. No, they're not university or high school set but that isn't a requirement for the BL tropes. Some don't use them but those are more queer shows than BL shows in the end.

The format is due to the budget. And it's worked in some shows and failed in others.

Honestly, considering the increase towards the end of the year, I agree with @absolutebl's analysis that they're going to stick with the short format but keep on making these. And I enjoy a lot of them. Honestly, the end of this year was a very interesting wave of Korean BL for me that's lead me to wonder about the production and if anything changed.

Because we went from Very BL, not queer at all, just Boys In Love With Tropes And No Queer Concepts Whatsoever (which is delightful!) to BL But With Queerer Undertones and I love it. Comparing Semantic Error to Roommates of Poongduck 304! Both have plenty of tropes but Semantic Error is a romance completely devoid of any ideas about queerness besides it being two boys while Poongduck touched on his old crush and on the idea that being gay can make you feel like you don't love 'normally'.

Chocked full of tropes, both shows, and both quite good! But, for me? I preferred Poongduck 304. Am I wrong? According to most people, yes. According to me? Nope! I loved Poongduck. It was darling and sweet and trope-y and queer all at the same time.

Part of this, anon, is that I disagree with the idea that they're not trope-y. They might be a bit different in setting but that's just refreshing and enjoyable. But the tropes are everywhere. Floppy drunk, touch my lips, messy eater, secret crush, oh moments, holding hands, sweet hugs, pining boys... there's so much and so many in them and they might look a little different because they're adults but that's half the appeal!

I think the problem with BL in Korea is one that I truly cannot comment on from the view of why they struggle to get money or budget or production (though the production value in most is far higher than Thailand to my understanding. Definitely less sound issues) but I can comment as an international viewer and, for me, the biggest issues tend to be the kdrama tropes because I don't actually watch kdramas and thus don't know them that well not the same way I know BL tropes so they don't always work for me.

But I believe the producers and the companies when they say that they're struggling to get money because the show is queer. I believe that their struggles are what they say because I absolutely assume they know more than I do about their own business.

I also think the Korean boys might be older but they're often prettier. I dunno, though, I have no idea on that, my idea of attractive doesn't always match up to most people's nor would I expect it to.

Anyway.

This is a lot of words to say that I mostly disagree with what you're putting forward but also that my lack of industry knowledge and international cultural difference puts me in a position where I cannot do say any of that with certainty.

[variousqueerthings]

I'm gonna say. that 7b so far is shaping up to be much more enjoyable than 7a, if one takes away the rocky way 7b themes and characters were introduced back in 7a and sees it for itself

there hasn't been a single episode that I've thought was intolerable, and every one of them has given me something -- it does somewhat depend of course on how it all ends, considering clara was still introduced as a mystery before she was a character, but her actual Character episodes? I'm having a good time, honestly

I think back in the day when I was watching I was so exhausted by this time by rocky series arcs, sexist dialogue, lack of emotional depth, I didn't have much goodwill while watching, but this time, taking it episode by episode, I can interact with them without comparing them to the feelings I had for the episodes that came before (that is, unless they're directly interacting with those episodes in some way ofc)

Bells of St John? not so bad on the whole, fun villainy Rings Of Akhaten? some great dialogue and fun world-building Cold War? Soooo enjoyable with about a million heavy hitting actors (strongest episode of s7 so far I'd say) Hide? a somewhat simple, but overall fun, spooky romp

I'm genuinely excited for what comes next (and guess what? NONE of these episodes have the stupid sexist shit that made it so hard for me to get through s5-7a)

anyway, once we're done with s7 + the specials I can finally release my proper ratings + suggestions list that I've been compiling next to it, so that my partner can get the story of this era, but skip the bits that don't work

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Hi!! It's me again 🐸

What are your comic book/book/anime recommendations?

Hello welcome back to my inbox <3

So I don't have much to say in the way of books or comic books sadly. It's been a hot minute since I've read much in the way of novels and short stories, though I've had some recommended to me, so we'll see how those go! I would love to put more words in my eyeballs.

Comic books I've just never really gotten much into outside of manga. Never really had friends that were into them (outside of superhero comics which didn't really interest me too much) and I tend not to involve myself in things on my own that much, it's more fun to have people to talk to about things.

Manga recs

I'll go ahead and spotlight 20th Century Boys. Not only is it unreasonably relatable right now (especially to readers in their upper 20s and above) it's just like, really well told, as a narrative. It's some of Urasawa's best storytelling I think. I'll obviously say to read most of Urasawa's works in general, but if you asked me to pin down one specific manga, 20th Century Boys is it.

Another manga I would recommend reading is Blue Period. It has an anime, but the anime only covers a very small part of the series and doesn't do it justice at all. Blue Period is a beautiful celebration of art and artists and what it means not to know your place in that world and it's so, so good for people who consider themselves creatives. Also it has some really fun character designs.

Lastly for manga I'll recommend Ajin! I can't think of another manga that I've read that has the same kind of glow up in its visual style. The first couple volumes aren't much to look at, but there's a very quick and noticeable uptick in quality that's very impressive to look at. It's worth checking out just for the artwork honestly.

Anime recs

It was really hard to pare down just a couple I think are exceptionally worth checking out, but I've tried to hit some of the best and most enjoyable series, at least for me. I've pared it down to five.

Mushi-Shi is perhaps my favourite anime overall, ever. It doesn't have a single episode or story beat I dislike, and it's got some of the most beautiful background work and soundtracks in anime, and some very smart, mature writing. It's episodic and easy to pick up at a random episode.

Mob Psycho 100 is one I feel like most folk already know of, but I'll put it on this list anyway because it's another near-perfect anime and has the benefit of being newer so it's especially shiny and has impressive animation to go with a very well told story.

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is a must watch and I wish people didn't judge it for the visual style! It's not a pretty show to watch but it's not meant to be. I would say it has a similar message to Monster with respect to being a bit of a social commentary, but it's a lot more cynical. The message of hope is there, but the world of Kaiji is much grittier and more ruthless. Squid Game wishes it had what Kaiji has.

Eureka Seven is my oldest, fondest love in anime. When I say no OST matches what eureka seven has I am being completely serious; literally nothing can match the sound that anime has. Also it's just an absolutely fantastic story about rebellion against an authoritarian government, fighting to protect the environment, has some of the most compelling romances in all of anime, and it just happens to be packaged in a mecha anime skin. It isn't what I would call a mecha anime, it just happens to involve big mech suits.

Ping Pong: The Animation is a mind blowing experience. It's a bit weird for a sports anime in that it doesn't feel like one. I can't say exactly why, because it does still follow a lot of the classic sports anime story beats, it just also throws in some unexpected narrative beats that make it especially unique. You're really watching Ping Pong for the actual animation, though. Trust me.

I have a lot more anime I could list honestly, there are a ton of really good ones that I didn't put on here, but these would be the top 5 I think people definitely need to check out.

[hyuccubus]

15 Tags 15 mutuals

Tagged again by @toribookworm22, which makes me very happy 😊

I don't have a lot of mutuals to tag, though 😶 I'm always looking to change that, I try to follow back, although I have been slacking in searching a little bit.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Funny story abut that, honestly. My father wanted to name me after himself. That would have made my name Teddy, which I would absolutely hate. My mother, whom he was divorcing at the time, hated it as well, and they argued back and forth until my uncle got a book of names from the hospital gift shop and they landed on my previous name, which I still don't have a problem with but is hardly what I'd consider feminine. The surname I use, Allen, is my middle name, which I did inherit from him. I might drop that, too, though, I've been processing a lot of feelings about my dad I couldn't fully come to terms with until he died about two years ago.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Hard? About a week or two ago. Earlier today I teared up during an emotional moment in a Ted Lasso episode. Great show, btw

3. Do you have kids?

Yes, I have one seven year old son. He's a wonderful little guy, and despite my trans-femme identity, I'm proud to be his father for now

4. Do you use sarcasm?

Speaking of having kids, I can say I use it far too much, because he's only just now getting when I'm being sarcastic.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Typically it's their hair or their fashion sense. I have trouble with eye contact, and I like finding something to compliment about someone that was a choice they made, like their nails or their shoes, that sort of thing.

6. What's your eye color?

Very, very blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. I love scary stories and video games, but scary movies rev up my anxiety too much. I think it's the music, honestly, good sound design makes all the difference, and in video games I still feel in control.

8. Any special talents?

I am very, very, very good at Guitar Hero/Rock Band. 99% likely I am better than everyone else you know. Proof

9. Where were you born?

Louisville, Kentucky, where I've also lived in or near for all of my life.

10. What are your hobbies?

Apart from writing, I spend just about all of my time playing video games. I suppose a more specific thread of that is that I really enjoy emulating video games on their native hardware, which has nothing to do with being pretty poor and not being able to afford retro games that are becoming a speculative market, combined with anxieties about the limited lifespan of physical media. I get a lot of enjoyment out of tinkering with my PS3 or Wii U and making it do something the original creators never intended. The ingenuity of the gaming community never ceases to amaze me.

11. Have you any pets?

Yes, one cat named Piers.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I was pretty much forced in playing soccer for around 11 years or so. I really like tennis and I'd love to get into more extreme sports like BMX or skateboarding, although given that I'm going to be 30 this year, that'll need to be sooner rather than later 😆

13. How tall are you?

5' 7"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Drama, I'd say. I really like the stage, although I've never had the courage to join any kind of production once I left school. Could be fun if I had the opportunity!

15. Dream job?

Writing for video games, maybe for an indie studio. I don't have much faith in any of the big companies right now

I'll tag @daisywords, since my other new follower already got one from Tori 😋

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (24/03/24)

like I said last week lotsa stuff ending this one so lots of yappin this time around, also a new series but summertime render's author which was p nice

also tons of s2 announcements right away which is wild to see

green - new series/new to me blue - finale/completed

Anime

Chained Soldier Ep12 (Finale)

well that certainly was something huh like I said in ep 1 I've known about the manga for years and years and have wanted to read it but just never got around to it, I would've been a lot better off if I did tho the anime did just the bare minimum. the animation wasn't ever anywhere near impressive and the art always looked weird like there was some weird filter over it for some reason. the voice cast slapped tho and the music wasn't half bad either but there's no reason to watch the anime when the manga exists, not just cause the art is way better but especially because they didn't announce or even tease a s2 so it's a safe bet that only with the bare bones animation this was just a quick way to promote the manga and not an attempt to make an adaptation. it's a shame but oh well, I've seen much worse and the great seiyuu line up made it pretty enjoyable despite the lack of any good action will certainly be reading the manga in the future so they succeeded in their goal, tho I was already gonna do it before the anime even existed so did they really 🤔

EDIT: the day after I wrote this they released a little teaser announcing s2 will be coming eventually™ so fuck me I guess

Sasaki and Peeps Ep12 (Finale)

the finale just ends like any regular episode would end??? HUH I guess that means s2 confirmed? but it's still very very weird but anyway, I liked it, it was a fresh take on isekai and it reminded me a lot of maoyuu with all it's economical and political talk (this is a good thing). otherwise it wasn't that impressive, animation and art were alright, tho a lot better than some stuff I saw this season (like chained or rings) and the music despite not that memorable was pretty enjoyable. one of the best parts was the sugita yuuki duo for the main characters for sure. I first watched this on a whim cause of a clip I saw of the voice yuuki uses in this and that one hilarious post about the credits of the first episode but it was worth it

EDIT: today (sunday) the s2 got announced which wasn't that surprising considering the first thing I said here but still

Undead Unluck Ep24 (Finale)

a great adaptation through and through, it certainly got the love it deserves. the shaft staff coming in and sprinkling that recognizable style through the show was very unexpected, but it fit UU surprisingly well and it also served to give it a different vibe from the manga. the only weird choice was cutting out the mob characters from a billion scenes. also some scenes just didn't hit as hard as in the manga like the fist bump from this episode, that I've been looking forward to since ep 1 but it was still pretty good looking forward to future seasons (LOVE spring arc so please) so I just hope they keep the same studio/staff and don't pull a OPM and ruin future seasons

Frieren Ep28 (Finale)

you think this is the one I'd talk about the most but funnily enough it won't be. don't really got much to say about it because just one word is enough to describe it: perfect easily AOTY for last year and also one of the best of all time and that's not even exaggeration or recency bias it really is THAT good it's crazy that this is just the director's second time directing, with the first being bocchi. really bright future ahead of him and someone to keep an eye on in the future I only hope that we get a proper S2 and not a movie like studios seem so keen on doing recently

Tales of Wedding Rings Ep12 (Finale)

honestly not much to say about this, cause all I said about chained soldier is directly appliable for this as well so just read that again and pretend I'm talking about this lol TL;DR: you're better off reading the manga really shocked it got a s2 announced right away like the other but I guess that's what you can do when you keep production values this low

Blue Exorcist: Izumo Arc Ep12 (Finale)

it's a shame how the adaptation is, s1 was really good, s2 dipped a bit but was still good but this one was p weak. it just coasted along and didn't take any risks. not a crumb of sakuga in all 12 of these episodes, but at least it looked a lot better than some of those shows I talked about above at a baseline also they already announced another season is coming, without waiting 6 years this time, with more news coming out for it tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. tho considering it'll prob be the same level of quality as this one, there's really no reason to get your hopes up. I'm looking forward to catching up with the manga in the near future tho, last time I read I was in vol 18 so got a decent bit to go through

Dungeon Meshi Ep12

yknow considering the amount of times I've seen that one panel of barefoot marcille starting the ressurection spell and how people talk about it, I thought the scene would be a lot darker and intense but it wasn't. good episode tho, lots of cute moments not just of farcille but also with the siblings. the cliffhanger was really good too, would've been a great end cour one tho the show isn't even taking a break but anyway, looking forward to hearing hayamin be a part of the main cast 🙏

Manga

Ghost Fixers Ch1

this is a new series by the summertime render, which I haven't either read nor watched but have heard many things about, so I was thought I should give it a shot and hey that was p good, went in completely blind without knowing anything about it and I enjoyed it quite a bit. the art is not as good as the colour page but it wasn't bad by any means and there was a lot of shots with cool composition and neat panel ideas it also did a good job of setting up the universe and teasing how things work without explaining too much yet. the characters and their banter were pretty fun too. I'll be looking forward to this 👍 tho I do gotta go back to summertime some day for sure

Blue Box Ch142

GREAT chapter, but it was also great cause of the whole build up of the match in the last few chaps. I already knew this was gonna be the outcome since chinatsu lost and haryu is a third year and the third year losing to their protegee and "passing on the torch" is the trope still miura did a great job keeping it tense and making you want to root for both players, she's a great author

[twogravesinsomecemetery]

Lol I'm going to take you up on venting about MSIV because if that didn't leave me feeling like I fell right off a cliff?? The show just... ended. The closure was definitely in the church conversations, but the dock scene just felt so abrupt and now the show feels unfinished.

I get that they stopped the pandemic by killing CSM but it seems like a wasted storyline too? And what was the point of finding William when he was supposed to be the cure for Mulder - I didn't think he was the start of the virus. Just that CSM wanted to take him with him. So did the virus happen like O'Malley was saying or is he going to be more of a conspiracy nut? Do we just get to ignore MSIII now?

Speaking of, I'm one of those people who staunchly believe that Mulder is William's father. CSM might've messed around with science and genomes and DNA but otherwise, no.

And what about Skinner??????? Scully wants to go check on him for all of 2 seconds and then he's forgotten about entirely. And sure Mulder and Scully had stuff going on, but???

Overall I really did enjoy seasons 10 and 11? I thought most of the episodes were a good continuation of the show, and just updated to what current TV looks like instead of the 90s. And it had some of my favourite episodes. I just have such a hard time keeping up with the myth-arc but I had that issue in the first 9 seasons anyway. The main thing was that Mulder and Scully were there for each other and solving cases.

(Also, it took me so many rewatches to really love The Angels Take Manhattan. I hated it at first, but I now find it to be a good wrap up for Amy and Rory - they ended up together and she chose him fully and completely in the end. And The Doctor being so focused on his own pain that he ignores River's is out of character except that Amy basically died and that I get, things are messy when there's grief, and River holds hers back for The Doctor like the badass she is.)

Either way, now I have to revisit my favourite episodes (MOTW for sure) starting back with season 1. Thanks again for the positivity! I'm glad I watched the revival.

Hey :) Sorry I took a couple days to get back to this, it was a bit hectic with the txf 30th anniversary week 😂

I’m glad you came back here to vent !!! As a certified revival enjoyer, I know exactly how you feel and totally get what you mean. The closure in Nothing Lasts Forever is immaculate but then MSIV just kinda feels like it… stops? I don’t think they ever intended to make it feel unfinished, and personally my interpretation has always been that we just don’t need to see anything else. Obviously, things happened after that moment on the dock, e.g. they probably went back to find Skinner (who may or may not be dead, rip???) and dealt with the consequences of that revelation, but it’s… nothing that we’re not expecting to happen. It’s nothing that we need to witness. We know that Mulder and Scully are going to be free of the syndicate and raise their second child and live happily ever after etc. etc. because it’s literally their only option, and the only way it could ever conclude.

And as far as the virus goes, most people pretty much ignore everything that happens in the My Struggle episodes because of the conspiracy theories and the CSM insanity so you can pretty much pick and choose what stuff you want to keep as canon and overlook everything else. I know that doesn’t sound ideal, but it helps make it more enjoyable. I mean, how many people take Mulder’s brain disease in season 8 to be canon? Like… literally nobody. 😂 Also pretty much everyone considers Mulder to be William’s father, even though it might make it canonically more angsty and/or interesting if Scully believes otherwise at the end. 

Honestly, I really love the revival for how new it is. I think it would’ve been a mistake on their part to try and recreate the 90s, even if some of the AI stuff in s11 is a bit on the nose. As long as Mulder and Scully are there solving cases and we get some sweet MSR moments then I’m here for it. And I'm always happy to spread some revival positivity!! <3

[lollytea]

Lolly. As a fellow Willow enthusiast (ASIAS and Labyrinth Hunters are some of my all time fav episodes) and Gus enjoyer, do you think they'll still get to play a role?

I sure hope so, but due to time constraints they played very little into the narrative in the first episode and while I cherish all moments we got with them, I am honestly a bit saddened by that? Gus at least got some extended interactions with Hunter but Willow barely got in more than 2 or 3 sentences.

Idk i just really hope we'll see some more of the two in the next two specials but I am admittedly sceptical (like I am not even sure the Grimwalker elephant in the room will have the time to be adressed)

It's hard to say for certain. I definitely believed they'd have more relevance in Thanks to Them then they ended up having but I'm optimistic nonetheless. I was wondering lately if it was even necessary to have Willow and Gus get trapped in the Human Realm with the other characters at all since they didn't really add anything to the plot. (Not that I didn't enjoy seeing them. Immensely. I will feast off this content for months.)

But then I remember how this season was unfairly shortened and I'm a little more understanding. I think there was a lot more planned for them character-wise but a lot of stuff had to be cut for time.

I think, considering the series is coming to a close, the crew will be kind enough to give every prominent character a proper send off. And though Willow and Gus were admittedly sidelined a good bit during patches of this series, I think episodes such as ASIAS and LR are hopeful reminders that they haven't been forgotten by the narrative. They were major players in this show from episode 3.

I'm not good at predictions. I haven't a fucking clue what's going to happen in For the Future. I don't even know where the kids are gonna end up on the other side of that portal.

But I do have one hope.

I don't believe the grimwalker reveal will be forgotten altogether. I don't think they'd remind all of us this secret existed in Luz and Hunter's bathroom scene if it wasn't going to go anywhere. Time is precious in these specials, after all. They have a lot to establish. And considering the hints that Gus already knows, and Willow seemed shocked and confused when Luz blurted it out, I definitely believe that Hunter, Gus and Willow will get their friendship moment. Cuz like. They know now. But just like Luz and Amity, they need a moment to ask why Hunter kept it from them.

But anyway my main hope for the episode is that Luz and Hunter, the main insperable duo of the first special, split for Special 2 to take care of their own respective business. Luz has to find Eda and King and all that business while Hunter is out for blood. He also needs answers. He needs to learn the truth about Caleb and Evelyn. And I'm hoping that Willow and Gus will be his companions in this subplot. After all, they nearly lost him once. I don't think they're letting him out of their sight again. If there's one thing Willow and Gus seemed determined to do, it's keep Hunter safe.

(Also it might have just been a joke but Willow's last line "We'll be back once we get some revenge :)" or something similar. Now I KNOW Belos is Hunter's target so I like to think she has every intention of making ending his life her business too.)