#comedic gag =/= dumb

[supersoftly]

Yeah, uh are we reading two different series or are we just cherry picking? C'mon now.

Spy x family is pretty funny but I really don't like that both of the female MCs are dumb as rocks whereas the guy is portrayed as a genius

[classicanalyzer]

What If Season 3 - What If... the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier? Thoughts

"Now, think. Think back. What's the first thing you see?" Alexei Shostakov

"I see... I see... I see Coney Island." The Winter Soldier

"See! You are somebody. You are the Great Coney Island hero. And the Red Guardian is proud to fight next to you." Alexei Shostakov

Episode 3 was so peak. Alexei is so fun! I really wish we got a movie, a show, or something with him because he's such a fun character. His dynamic with Bucky is also pretty fun. We got so much lore about the assassination of Howard and Maria Stark. This is the last episode written by A.C. Bradley, and man I'm going to miss her writing and work in What If. Also, this episode was supposed to be in S2 (footage of it can be seen in S2's title sequences and the S2 finale fanfare) but was swapped out for the Corpsman Nebula episode which was supposed to be in S3.

Alexei's character in this episode is really great. He may be really enthusiastic about his belief in Communism and the Soviet Union, but it's clear he genuinely wants to do good. I really like how he isn't as dumb as he looks and how he sees the good and best in people. Someone also pointed out how since this is 1991, the USSR is on the verge of collapse, and Alexei thinks they will overthrow the US which shows how he was kept in the dark by his bosses about the USSR's deteriorating situation. Even Alexei realizes after he knows Dreykov and the Red Room are working with Capitalists that those at the top never truly cared about the ideals of the USSR as he did. I also find it funny that the What If situation possibly came that, What If Alexei stole the file of the Winter Soldier's assignment lmao. David Harbour was amazing casting for Alexei in the Black Widow movie and this episode continues to prove why it was perfect casting.

I really love how Dreykov and the Red Room knew about and was connected to HYDRA and the Winter Soldier. It makes me wonder if the Red Room's Sky Fortress was a HYDRA collaboration and the Red Room simply cut their ties with HYDRA after the Winter Soldier movie. While this doesn't fix my feelings about the Red Room's Sky Fortress, someone pointed out how HYDRA most likely covered up the Sky Fortress from SHIELD. This makes so much more sense than if the Sky Fortress was simply able to hide for so long because it was simply good at "hiding" lmao. I also liked how it pays off a fact from S2 Episode 2, Bucky as the Winter Soldier was used by the USSR. That's some great multiversal continuity there haha. I love the Red Room presence in this episode with Dreykov and the Red Room Task Force soldiers. Also, Antonia Dreykov being in the picture is pretty sad and dark given what happened to her and how Dreykov never truly cared about his own daughter.

I love to see Bill Foster in this episode and I love his suit from S2 Episode 2. It's just really nice to see Bill Foster as the hero Goliath since we never saw him in action before in the movies. Ranger Morales was also a fun new side-character for this episode.

The montage of Alexei and Bucky heading to the United States was perfect and funny with the major differences in their purpose and tone. When that Winter Soldier theme kicks in, I got the chills. I like that Alexei does have his morals, even if he says it's to spread Communism and the revolution, it shows how he doesn't tolerate the work HYDRA is doing. It's really funny seeing Alexei quip during his fight with Bucky that Bucky just resorts to biting him.

I laughed when Bucky and Alexei both agreed to go off the cliff, even Uatu was surprised. These two super soldier idiots really make for a funny team once Bucky loosens up a bit. The Russian music in this episode is both epic and funny given how it's used. I also love the comedic gag of Alexei trying his best to get Bucky to stop resorting to killing as the first solution to every problem.

Bucky legit has a mental crisis when he realizes he failed for the first time. I love the arc where Bucky even if for this mission broke out of the programming and realizes HYDRA never cared for them. The scene with him remembering Coney Island is so heartwarming given how he and Steve hung out at Coney Island. Likewise seeing him reject Dreykov’s kill order on Alexei was heartwarming to see. I also love how he listened to Alexei's advice of using his metal arm to block the bullets when Stane tried to kill them. Their friendship (they’re basically siblings in this episode) truly is one of the most heartwarming things to see how Alexei managed to bring the good out of the Winter Soldier and both of them considering themselves friends. Sebastian Stan's voice performance went a long way from him phoning it in back in Episode 1. Also “Technique!” haha.

"He's right, though. About the Red Room, Dreykov..." Alexei Shostakov

"Dreykov's a pig. All of them are. But not you. You are a good man." The Winter Soldier/Coney Island Hero

The Rook being Obadiah Stane was a surprise to me. It didn't register that was him until near his death and the end credits confirmed my suspicions. I was really surprised but yet also not surprised that Obadiah told the Russians (and therefore by extension HYDRA) about Howard's recreation of the super soldier serum. God, seeing Obadiah talk about how "amazing" Capitalism makes me sick, and glad to see him fall out of the window after Bucky threw Alexei's shield at him. Hopefully, with Howard and Maria Stark alive along with Stane's death, Tony's life will be a lot less messed up and has less daddy issues.

I really hope Vasily Karpov dies in Las Vegas that's one less HYDRA personal in this universe. Also, I hope when Bucky was being brainwashed that this time, it was less successful than the previous moments, thanks to Alexei's influence. Plus, thanks to Alexei disavowing the Red Room and his nation, the Siberian Winter Soldiers will never occur!

Also hell yes, Alexei gets to be a part of the Avengers and Captain America knows him!

Episode 3 is truly a peak episode and showcases a dynamic ripe with story and character exploration. It'll be very interesting to see how Thunderbolts will show the two interact. This episode uses its characters amazingly well.

Note: Someone pointed out that so far, each episode has a tiny person interact with someone or something much taller (Sam with Gamma Apex Bruce, Kingo with Celestial Agatha, and now Alexei and Bucky with Goliath). I wonder what Episode 4 will do to continue this streak haha.

"Fighting for survival. For acceptance. Fighting to be somebody. But in the end, the fight is never the point. It's your friendships that change the course of history. Even when they end." Uatu

[petrifiedperi-au]

HELLO. WOULD YOU LIKE A WRITING SNIPPET? Of COURSE you would! I've had this thing sitting in Google Docs for over a month and I'm not sure when I'll finish it, so here's a snippet of one of my favorite moments! >:]

BATTLE OF THE BIG WAND SPOILERS + MAGICAL BACKUP STUFF! Tread w/ caution if you're sensitive to vomiting, please! I may post another snippet later if anyone wants... :3c

[AU info here!]

Another, fresh set of rainbows pours onto the already flooded-floor. Dev's eyes grow wide as he snaps his gaze in the fairy's direction; they're more than a good few feet away, and, yet, it suddenly feels like he's way too close. He places a hand over his mouth and gags; their face is smothered in colors as their magic seeps out through their eyes and streams down like tears. An incoherent sound bubbles out of Peri's throat as they watch their Godkid through blurred vision, and they gasp, "Deeeeevvvvvvvvv!!!"

"Oh my God," Dev gags, again, voice squeaking, "what the freak is WRONG with you?!" A low groan from his stomach causes him to clutch it with his free hand; bile builds up in the back of his throat, and he bites his lip to keep himself from gagging a third time at the sight. It's beyond sickening— it's vile— repulsive—

"Deeevvvv, I got you some LACK-TOES free pizza!" Peri's wings twitch in sync with their legs as they kick them in the air, and their words slur together as they wheeze, "since it's not against Da Rules..."

"I don't CARE about the STUPID RULES—!" He moves his hand away from his mouth as he yells, which is followed by immediate regret as he breaks into a coughing fit of his own. Peri stares up at him, eyeballs big and wide, as he continues, "they're DUMB!" Shakiness fills his tone, and he takes a step back, unable to look away as rainbows ooze out of their ears, "and YOU'RE dumb! Because ALL you do is FOLLOW THEM!"

"I goottttaaaa, kiiidddddd," Peri replies deliriously, rolling onto their side and reaching their hand out to him. Whatever response they're about to form next gets cut off as they cough, however; they whine in pain and fall back onto their stomach with a disturbingly comedic squeak. Dev flinches and covers his eyes, chest burning with a heavy sense of guilt, dread, and… disgust. Thoughts scatter through his mind like bugs— millions of them— and he trembles as his hot, heavy breaths pick up a bit of pace. Of COURSE, leave it up to the FAIRIES to have the most disgusting deaths possible—

A choked sob rips through the kid's throat as his voice breaks; "WELL, MAYBE I WISH THE RULES JUST DIDN'T FREAKING EXIST! BECAUSE THEY'RE CLEARLY KILLING YOU!!!"

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

What I think is annoying with how critics are handled in universe they are painted as straw men, and that is SO bad when you are trying to prove your point in an argument. Instead of trying to see the other side, and look at your OWN argument with a critical eye, and trying to see the other side's point. Or they get "called out" for what they're doing or it's a comedic moment. Like, Monoma could have been an excellent character. Monoma calling out 1A's shit, and getting them to rethink their stances is an interesting idea. Like, what if one of them has a not so great moral idea, and Monoma calls that out. He can still act weird, but just to paint Monoma as basically 1B's strawman against Bakugo critics and just dumbshit he sees around him is just wow. Like when Kendo was telling Dekusquad a vantage point that 1B could have used to one up 1A, dude was literally right???????????????????? It's like those fan comics of character A defending character B while the one in the wrong is portrayed via a speech bubble or gray humanoid thing. But it's just in canon format. God, it's so annoying. Why do people only get called out via characters Horikoshi likes?

Oh 100% agree with this. Rather than actually try to engage with the arguments/criticisms the other side has, he loves painting them as straw-men and belittling them.

One big example is that furry fat cat guy who mentions that it’s over for Endeavor when Dabi revealed what he’s done. The dude’s drawn to be such a caricature of a stereotypical loser that we’re not supposed to take what he says seriously.

Neito’s another example. When he criticizes Katsuki he’s always painted in such an exaggerated light when doing so to the point no one’s supposed to take him seriously, and is always proven to be “wrong” despite being right in his dislike for Katsuki.

The journalists and civilians who criticize the heroes and U.A are seen as pests, vultures, ignorant, and people who believe/dish out straw-man accusations. As a journalist, this offends me. Yeah, there are journalists/companies that are vultures looking to push one side of the story, but to treat a profession that’s not only saved lives but uncovered corruption with such sustain makes the “good guy” look worse in comparison. In addition, despite Hori trying to paint them as in the wrong, all these journalists were asking the right questions and all the civilians had very rational thoughts about the heroes who’ve failed them. Rather than acknowledge these points, Hori has Shota or whoever’s his mouthpiece of the chapter make them look like idiots… even though it backfires and anyone with half a braincell can tell Hori’s arguments collapse when even slightly challenged.

When Rikido and Fumikage harp on Katsuki for not changing, it’s treated as a “haha funny” moment rather than an actual callout.

The prison guard who questions AFO about something and tells the man to actually give him an answer instead of the typical “AFO knows everything” is also treated as a gag despite that being a good criticism of AFO as a villain.

In conclusion, rather than meaningfully engaging with the arguments against his themes and story, Hori relies on painting critics as straw-men and cartoonishly stupid people to make a point. This would be fine if he was pointing out how dumb racists are or something along those lines, but when trying to convince us that the your side is right, this strat fails spectacularly against anyone with somewhat of a brain.

[dafukdidiwatch]

Since we are still blogging, sure! I'll give it a go on why this series is fantastic

TL;DR: Monster Men and Monster Fucking, Clever and Zany world building and science doing, heartfelt natural romance, multiple complex antagonists, and it's Just Really Funny

First, Jaegars exist. They are all cheerful and happy-go-lucky monster men that murder with a smile and passion. They are also silly, loyal, and really funny to read as the comedic minions vs their stoic bosses. They are wild, rambunctious, and will die in the line of fire because it is their duty and they love violence.

I am listing out Jaegers first because they were the Only reason I continued reading this comic and I have no regrets

Second, fantastic world building and science shennanigans. We live in a world where mad scientist geniusus are the norm. And anyone that has mad genius level intelligence are called Sparks. And they all have the weirdest and narrow niches to just explode their sciences on. So you have Idiot Savants all around with wacky Dr. Seuss Machines just trying to defend, kill, or do random shit as they see fit. Like I am reading currently Mad Scientist Woman obsessed with Rats. Her pets and children. She made them giant and poison resistant. She taught them to do a play. She loves them like children. Another crazy spark guy is just obsessed with pies and making pie throwing machines and mood changing pie recipes. No containing the madness!

Third, an Actual Legitimate Romance. I started reading this comic before I got into my dumb-but-no-really romance book genres. So I was really apprehensive about reading romance in comics, especially with the love triangle angles of it or multiple leads. So I just wasn't sure. But here, we see our lead Agatha slowly turn from an unsure clumsy assistant into a science wielding powerhouse that doesn't put up with shit. And during that, because of that, we see the slow burn build up of why and how she fell in love with Gil and Tarvek, and how they became friends/lovers/rivals. How they all care for each other even while trying to be science and the art just shows it well

Fourth, multi-layered antagonists. You think we have a Big Bad? Yeah we do, but we actually have two. Barron Klaus Von Wolfenbach who is ruling with an iron first trying to maintain the peace and is effectively an antagonist who is against our main character Agatha because her legacy and heritage threatens the stability he established. He is not a villain, but 100% an antagonist who is willing to do ANYTHING to keep the world safe.

Not forgetting our gals here, Lucrezia Moonfish. She is the defacto Big Bad. World Domination. Trying to take over earth and dimensions and possible space wherever the hell she's currently at. She is ruthless, evil, sciencey, does what she wants when she wants. She is trying to sacrifice her daughter to herself to bring herself power that's how terrible she is. We love to see a woman villain taking charge because she can.

Also did I say that her and Klaus fucked? Because they totally fucked.

Finally, this comic is just really funny. Like, just Truly Really Funny. Lots one one line jokes. Lots of running gags. Lots of physical comedic, dark humor, sight gags, deadpan humor, background jokes. Anything and everything is fair game. And it's legitimately funny. When you laugh you actually laugh. It really is a breath of fresh air to see my favorites just be funny in any scenario.

God there's so much more I want to go off on, because trust me, I was there, I had to get a nudge to put my foot in the door on this comic. But it is worth it trust me.

[lolotheparagon]

I always thought it troubling how Lisa always was portrayed as the golden child who had her parents respect and attention, had interesting emotional episodes about her hobbies and how they relate to her relationships with others (Lisa the Drama Queen, Lisa the Vegetarian, Lisa the Greek) growing up to have a successful career in every alternate future episode the Simpsons has had so far (Lisa’s Wedding, Bart to the Future and Future-Drama, Holidays Passed) whereas Bart was always portrayed as the black sheep of the family who’s got no unique talents outside of causing mischief, his relationships with others is nowhere near as focussed on as much as Lisa’s since most of his episodes are either him falling in love with some girl or doing something stupid and facing the consequences. And future episodes always portray him growing up to be either a depressed loser or a divorced man struggling to connect with his own children. There even times where the show was just cruel to Bart for no reason. Like there was a whole episode where the city of Springfield villified poor Bart cos he lost a baseball game. Not to mention there was a 20 year long running gag of Homer strangling Bart for comedic effect.

I think his fame of being a rebel kid from the 90s has really affected his characterisation, even to this day. People forget this but back in the 90s, Bartmania was everywhere. People thought Bart’s devil may care attitude and one liners was peak comedy but because of this, the writers realised that he should always be this rebel who’s book dumb but still had a good heart cos that’s what people wanted to see. Which is fine, but that doesn’t give that much dimension to a main character. And that’s gonna get old really fast. And it did.

He became flanderised and almost turned into the show’s second biggest butt monkey next to Homer. Homer’s antics and him getting his comeuppance is funny cos he’s a grown man with the mindset of a bratty child and that is something that will never stop being funny. But Bart is a kid who may not excel at schoolwork and likes to cause trouble but he is a legit good kid with a good heart.

And the show mostly treats him like the butt of a joke or constantly remarks that he’s never gonna amount to anything in the future.

Even in episodes where he develops new hobbies that would be ideal things to expand with his character are dropped quickly whereas Lisa gets a whole episode about Buddhism and that is implemented throughout the show whereas Bart gets one episode about him taking up drumming as a hobby and the show is like poof gone. Like has no one noticed that Bart got a LOT of episodes of him caring for animals? Why don’t we have an episode where he wants to be a vet or wants to work in a zoo part time but ends up in a crappy cleaning job and makes friends with a beluga whale or something.

I just think Bart gets way too much negative attention and is severely underdeveloped for a main character in a 30 long sitcom show

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Mask (1994)

If you were born in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, you idolized Jim Carrey at some point. In second grade, my class received an assignment to write a biography on our favorite Canadian sports athlete. I didn’t have one so I asked the teacher if I could do mine on Jim Carrey (he was born in Ontario). Four of my classmates asked the same thing. Carrey’s big break was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective but that film has aged so dreadfully its finale is unwatchable – even if you keep in mind it was made 30 years ago. A much better way to indulge your nostalgia for the comedian is to revisit Dumb and Dumber or today's movie: The Mask.

Insecure bank teller Stanley Ipkiss (Carey) finds a magical mask in the Edge City river. After putting it on, the mask transforms him into a green-faced, zoot suit-wearing extrapolation of his inner self. With his newfound powers and confidence, Ipkiss gets even with those who’ve wronged him and romances Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz), the beautiful singer at the exclusive Coco Bongo club. In the process, he crosses paths with gangster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene).   There have been several attempts to make a live-action Looney Tunes film, none as successful at bringing the series’ violent slapstick sense of humor to life as The Mask (and with Coyote vs. Acme being shelved by David Zaslav, that won't change anytime soon). Putting on the mask does more than alter Ipkiss’ appearance and give him the confidence to say and do what he’s always wanted to; it allows him to pull giant mallets out of thin air, survive explosions, re-inflate himself after being flattened, move so fast he looks like a spinning tornado, etc. Jim Carrey excels at playing loud, outlandish catchphrase-spewing characters, making this superhero origin story (the film is based on the Dark Horse comic by Mike Richardson) the perfect vehicle for him. He also fares quite well as lovable loser Stanley Ipkiss. He has great chemistry with the most memorable character in the film: Ipkiss’ dog, Milo. As far as movie pets go, there aren’t many who have as much personality as this adorable, occasionally aggressive, mischievous and deceptively smart (for a dog) Jack Russell Terrier. The pooch may not have a character arc, but its multiple gags build upon each other and Milo plays a critical part in the story.    If you expected me to name Cameron Diaz as the co-star with whom Carrey has the best rapport, I’m getting to her now. The two actors have chemistry but they don't quite sizzle like they should. Or maybe it’s that Diaz (in her film debut) is so stunning that a part of you dismisses any sparks between them – she should be with you. After donning the mask, Stanley howls like the wolf in 1943's “Red Hot Riding Hood” while he watches her perform at the Coco Bongo. You’ll be right there along with him. Seeing her, you remember the first time you saw Marilyn Monroe. All you can say is “Wow!”, which makes you all the more grateful to see that she can keep up with the dance numbers and comedic sequences. As a memorable aspect of the film, she’s got stiff competition between Carrey, the dog and the special effects but she nonetheless stands out.    The Mask is a pretty standard superhero story that’s elevated by its willingness to go all the way with its cartoon motif, the unforgettable one-liners and memorable characters. On top of everyone previously mentioned, there’s Lieutenant Mitch Kellaway (Peter Riegert), the police officer who suspects Ipkiss – even though no ordinary man could pull off the moves he pulls -, his dopey partner Detective Doyle (Jim Doughan) and several big scenes that will stick with you long after the film is gone. Partially because they are funny but also because they showcase the film’s use of music, dance and cartoon logic.    Special effects can often date a picture. Even if those are still (mostly) convincing, jokes that haven’t aged well can make you regret you ever hit "play". The Mask makes extensive use of special effects. They still hold up. When it comes to the jokes, the film does it right. There is a point where a mask-wearing Ipkiss starts turning into a Pepe Le Pew type… but the fact that he’s too much and that his overly aggressive would-be romantic gestures make Tina uncomfortable are both acknowledged and part of the gag.

I must’ve seen The Mask over a dozen times as a kid (mostly in French and on VHS) but that was years ago. I thought I only remembered the broad strokes but nearly everything came flooding back as soon as I started watching. Part of that I can attribute to repetition but also to the fact that this comedy is packed with memorable scenes, lines and characters. It holds up. (October 5, 2024)

[beanghostprincess]

Idk if mingot-studios was being serious about their “all that for a guy with a clown nose”-ish comment under ur heartfelt post but that rly adds another layer of angst to buggy as a character,, cuz like he cant be taken seriously because of his nose and he will always be seen as a joke and that thought even hurts me cuz like damn.

Like u said Oda already presented buggy in 1082 as a more serious and tragic character and the ppl who read the manga understood it and changed their view on buggy in 180 (me included, cemented him in my top 10),,

but then toei, more focused on action and emotions to certain characters, chose to animate it as something comedic,, cuz?? Cuz they still see him as a gag character ig? Ig they dont rly expect to see anything from him, which is kinda dumb cuz oda already made him emperor and is on the spread abt getting the onepiece, like this is why i only read the manga lol

Welcome to my rant! I love ur shuggy/buggy/sanuso takes btw pls post more abt them if u have the time❤️ tysm!!

I believe they were serious cuz they've already reblogged some stuff of mine (and some mutual's posts too) sending hate and... Seems pretty genuine to me.

And yeah! Within the manga too, Buggy is never taken seriously for both his fruit and his appearance. And that makes A LOT of sense for his character and the way he behaves, so it doesn't bother me that people treat him badly there. It IS unfair and it does hurt me but chapter 1082 made readers change their opinions on him, the same way I think some characters in the manga will too.

Toei, though? They didn't get the hint....... At all......

And thanks!!!!!!! That's so sweet 💖💖💖 I haven't been able to post lately cause I'm writing my own book (well- I'm in the process at least) and waiting to start working at a library. BUUUUUUT I WILL post more about my sillies soon 💖💖💖💖

[spiderman616]

vs battle discussion with archie sonic is so toxic because people will take some random gag comic and be like erm actually sonic moves at 1009483929389 times the speed of light. ITS A FUCKING JOKE DUMB SHIT IF THAT WAS SERIOUSLY HIS REGULAR SPEED HE WOULD USE IT FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN A COMEDIC MOMENT.

[cherryxblossxms]

It is PURELY because he's involved so much in the story for once, but I'm playing the Bakerlon event in Tears of Themis and having so many thoughts about William Lewis. So help me god.

[Minors do NOT interact!!!!! Afab reader]

He's so dumb when he interacts with people. Like I'm sure he makes a good lawyer. But for anywhere else thats not in the courtroom, he's so oblivious and arrogant when he talks to people normally lmao. He'd make for good hate fuck material, or at least a very very tense session. 👀

I'm just imagining the arguing gets to an all time high outside of the courtroom, until you just have to kiss him to shut him up. Despite his confident appearance in his job, he's a total wet paper towel otherwise, and especially once you take the initiative, he's practically melting in your arms. It's almost hilarious how quickly he gets hard, and he's red from the tip of his ears down to his neck.

If you really want to torture him, you just have to grind your thigh against his crotch or maybe ride his thigh, or both, and he's a breathy, whimpering mess. It's really no surprise when he cums in mere minutes, making a giant wet stain in his pants. He's already overstimulated and you've barely touched him. That overconfident attitude he has is completely gone by now.

Luckily, he's a young, spry man, and he's hard again within minutes. Any thoughts he was capable of before, are finished by the time you're sitting on his cock. His sanity is gone as you ride him like a toy, all he can do is babble about how good you feel, how sensitive he is, how he's already going to cum again.

Just like usual, he's nonstop talking, begging you— for what, he doesn't know. He's not even sure himself if he's begging to cum, or begging you to stop, his whole body trembling from how sensitive he's become. You might have to gag him to shut him up, but he's completely pliant under your touch.

And when you cum while riding him, he's thanking you endlessly. Even if he hasn't cum yet— which you're honestly not sure how he didn't explode early on or now while your cunt is milking him— and even if you're not planning to let him cum again and his cock is twitching like mad, he's still thanking you. But if you decide to have mercy on him and either ride him to completion or jerk him off afterwards, he gives out the loudest, most depraved moan you've ever heard before cumming buckets.

It's almost comedic how quickly he'll try to scramble out of there, not that his knees are properly working or that he's worked out how to cover up his cum stain from earlier. He'll try to act like he wasn't affected, but truly, the whole experience has put your opinions of each other into new light. Don't be surprised if he comes knocking at your door in search of a little more from you.

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

ofmd s2e3 rewatch where i pause to jot down my thoughts and other random shit

squeezing this one in riiiiight before the next two eps drop lol. anyway these posts are about me processing these episodes and if you want to read them then that's cool too. but fair warning this is gonna be a fucking mess.

s2e1, s2e2, s2e3, s2e4, s2e5, s2e6, s2e7, s2e8

show opens on zheng leading a raid and INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH. this might be the first time we've seen a raid where like. the background music is kinda moody. and what's odd is that it has like the same level of comedically over-the-top violence and characters just having a casual conversation as like, the e5 cold open. but there's sad piano and strings doing tremolo in the background. i have no idea what this means.

god. zheng is so fucking hot.

i love olu's "no, no, sorry, bruv." and the FACE HE MAKES AFTER!!! so good

olu's a feminist

ZHENG IS SO FUCKING HOT

~champers?~ stede you are such a dork. i need to pinch ur cheeks.

yeah fuck the english!!

zheng saying "everyone's cracking down on the little guy" makes me wonder if the show is gonna do anything abt how the end of the golden age of piracy was like. a year off. which i only know from reading a few fics where the authors incorporated that into the plot. and there was the one trailer where we see zheng in jackie's bar while stede's giving everyone a speech so yknow what that might be where all this is going. big pirate battle at the end of the season, right?

another thing ive been wondering abt tho is just how much is this show gonna completely fuck with history. because like. is zheng yi sao gonna conquer the fucking caribbean. are we just going completely off the rails re: historical accuracy and inventing entire major historical events?? like crocs and pinocchio and pirates from different historical periods all existing at the same time and in the same place is one thing but if the characters like. overthrow england. then ofmd just straight-up exists in an alternate timeline at that point.

stede "the gentleman pirate kills with kindness" bonnet being so impressed with zheng is so cute to me tho

fhsjkgdhfushl oh my god when zheng snaps her fingers and stede hurries to refill drinks the other captain guy grins and flashes finger guns at stede and this is SO fucking funny to me

zheng being like "noooo it's stupid teehee" tucking her hair behind her ears ALSO very funny to me

whose job was it to make the letter N out of caviar for the title card in this episode bc it looks fantastic. got little serifs and everything

stede taking his towel duties VERY seriously and just. dropping them on zheng's desk for no reason. even olu is like "stede what the fuck are you doing"

obsessed with the running gag of stede being like "i always say that!" and other characters being like "no you fucking dont"

stede having zero impulse control and seeing the abacus and just being like "hey what the hell is this thing" and shaking it around. me too, king.

i wont lie tho part of me wonders if stede like. going overboard with towel duty and messing shit up is on purpose. like is he playing dumb so zheng lets her guard down just in case he needs her to think he's completely helpless?? bc at the end of the episode he does get one over on her and i assume it's partly bc she underestimated him. or am i just reading too much into it lol.

but idk it's weird that olu's like "ok stede zheng is busy" and stede's just like "im gonna shake this thing now teehee"

WAIT ALSO backtracking a bit. why were stede and olu shadowing zheng at the beginning of the episode. i mean olu i get, it's bc she has a crush on him (who can blame her) but what's the in-universe justification for zheng being like "yeah alright white boy u can come too"

stede's gay little run out of the room. GO GET YOUR MAN!!!!

awww the crew all look so sad at how messed up the ship is :( THAT'S THEIR HOME!!!

I KNEW THE GNOSSIENNE NO. 5 WAS GONNA KILL ME WHEN IT SHOWED UP IN S2 BUT THIS WAS TOO FUCKING MUCH. THE WAY IT TRAILS OFF AND WE JUST HEAR THE WIND ECHOING. FUCKINGGGGG CLAWING AT MY EYES

i love that there's knife stuck in the painting guy's dick. stupid gags like that never get old. also if that was izzy it's extra funny like what the fuck did he even do that for

also have we ever actually seen the outside of the door to stede's cabin like this before??? we saw those dutch guys get chased down this hallway but idk about. the door.

the crew is too busy feasting on raw bird like they're extras in a zombie film to hear stede calling for ed. love that.

the two people that the camera focuses on individually are jim and izzy. makes sense bc these are the characters who i think are gonna have the most important shit going on re: the fact that they all tried to kill ed.

stede's painfully awkward smile after "um... hi." i mean honestly tho what the fuck else do you say to walking in on this

oh shit jim was totally about to tell stede what happened tho. and then archie interrupted with "oh shit, you're stede?????"

this must be so fucking funny from archie's perspective tho. must've heard so much abt this guy and now she finally gets to meet the main character of the story she stumbled into about a third of the way through. and he's kinda just some blond guy.

stede sounds so defensive too tho when archie's like "i thought you'd be taller, charismatic, muscly" bc god that's exactly what he thinks he should be. i mean ok stede is charismatic in a very unique way but his whole e1 fantasy of having a beard and being all macho and badass was just putting all his insecurities on blast. and now archie is like "this is the guy blackbeard was so fucked up over?? really????"

shoutout to archie saying "got tired" when theyre all saying ed retired

also why was wee john in this shot. like not even just in the shot he's just sitting RIGHT behind stede listening to the whole thing. he doesn't have a single line.

stede rolling his eyes and ignoring izzy is so good. yes king dont take the bait

oh ok wee john was there so that we can see frenchie go over to him and give him a fist bump in the background while stede walks away to stare off into the distance

eddie on tha beach

piggie!

cave! remember when we were all like "CAVE KISS???? ARE THEY GONNA KISS IN THE CAVE??????" it would be funny if this is it for the cave. just off in the distance for one shot. cant actually tell if this is the cave they were posting pictures of last fall tho and idrc enough to try and figure it out

pig's name is ruthie. ed why did your subconscious name the pig ruthie.

why did ed's subconscious make hornigold tell him "open up for the cargo ship" ed your daddy issues are fucking insane

hornigold fully like rubs ed's chest for a second there. kinda a weird choice there.

"last time i saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me" man what is it with these pirates and forced autocannibalism, huh? i think getting flayed would hurt more but skin's probably easier to eat than toes so idk which i'd prefer. no i dont know why im pondering this either

smthng abt how this is ed hallucinating this whole bit where hornigold pinches his nose and force-feeds him soup is so funny to me. it's a metaphor for ed dragging himself kicking and screaming to therapy.

frenchie telling fang to stfu scjgdfchjxgk

fucking incredible line delivery from joel fry through the whole "it's quite hot, im burnin up here! should we go and get some coolin' bevvies?" bit. love it.

uhh line break

also bro auntie is dead-on about the guilt. i dont blame the crew at all for what they did but this + the whole bird-eating sequence bro. they all liked ed. they cared abt him. other than archie, they all knew him as a pretty cool person. like BRO im gonna have to make another post abt this but the trauma of like, someone you liked becoming so suicidal that he puts you in increasingly miserable situations hoping you'll snap and kill him and he keeps escalating it until you have no choice but to kill him for your own safety. but you know he was a funny and chill person before this. and you know he only did this bc he wanted to die. dude this shit is fucking heavy.

anyway cut to jimolu lol

bro what IS going on in towels. i love how stede just passes around towels for smelling. is this something people have done literally ever or is this just so we can have chloroform towels at the end of the episode

sorry i know in the last post i was sort of squinting at the bit where olu forgot how to pronounce china but the was he mispronounces eucalyptus is just so satisfying to hear i cant even be mad abt it

awwwwgh u can tell jim was scared to tell olu abt kissing archie

lmaoooo when jim says "i saw her boobs" olu's head WHIPS around and he's like "oh??" all wide-eyed dbhjgkhdfyjsk

naw im sorry this is cute. this is a cute tealoranges scene. yes it's jim telling olu abt how they hooked up with someone else but bro i LOVE relationships with this kind of comfortable discussion abt sex and abt relationships in general. i mean there's a lot more for them to talk about still but in a worse show this wouldve been a whole screaming match. instead we got jim saying "you're kinda the best friend i tell everything to" and joking about boobs and UGH. it's so cute!!!!

it's also so fucking funny tho. "i saw her boobs" "oh?? okay, nice" "both of them" "nope, too much" WHY IS THAT WHERE HE DRAWS THE LINE HFKHSGJKFKKJFHK

also when did jim see archie's boobs tho. like ok realistically they've seen each other in varying stages of undress just bc it's not that big of a ship and there's only so much privacy. but the funnier answer is that after ed kicked them out of the secret room and a few minutes later a gunshot went off (who did the rest of the crew think pulled the trigger, i wonder) and they think izzy's dead probably. and then jim and archie decided this was a good time to hook up.

wait i forgot abt the nebulous amount of time between the mutiny and stede walking in on them all eating a dead bird. who fucking knows how much time that was tho. but they could've hooked up then i guess

GNOSSIENNE NO. 5 PART 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. IM SOBBING.

the song gets to play out more in this scene and ohhhh baby i missed this piano piece. also stede looks more annoyed than upset. he's just casually yoinking things out of the wall. and then he sees the ones on the ceiling and is like "really, ed?"

i think i said this in the tags of a gifset but izzy says "don't cry, bonnet" when stede's back is to him and i just think it's funny bc stede literally wasnt crying. he just looked kinda pissed off. izzy continues to not understand ed or stede even a little bit.

also i love how the music changes by just playing a minor chord and then there's like a spooky echo and then. no more background music.

i just realized izzy's crutch is literally just a mop he's holding upside down. this is funny to me for some reason

"he was a wild dog and we dealt with him like one" izzy hands racism moments

why does izzy even lie about this. why does he say "no i could never do that" when literally he did. he looked right at ed's face as jim hit it with a fucking cannonball. like. what fucking purpose does lying about this even serve. in what way does that benefit izzy. idgi

also ive heard that apparently ppl think he did this to spare stede or something but 1. why would he not want to specifically torture stede as much as possible 2. this is literally not sparing stede bc stede would spend the rest of his life scouring the entire caribbean hoping to find the island where they dropped ed.

RANDOM fucking idea tho but what if they did maroon him but it was on the island from 1x02. that wouldve been great for ed probably. get therapy from the old guy. have some coconut rum drink. chill out. oh well instead they shoved ed into a secret closet and left him there to die from a traumatic head injury.

hornigold calling ed "bro" was such a dead giveaway for me that this was a dream sequence or whatever. like from trailers and stuff i had already figured that this guy was hornigold and that he was probably a ghost or something but i think i mightve been questioning it a little bit at this point. but yeah anyway ed says "bro" and while obviously we dont know exactly what hornigold was like, he didnt sound like the kind of guy to say "bro"

i do love how hornigold's like "you worried you're insane?" and ed's just like "yeah a little bit!"

hornighost: you gotta move on or blow your brains out. or... we can make some soup. ed: yeah let's do soup.

wait stede told zheng that they marooned ed. and then zheng is like "well it's at least mutiny-adjacent" like no im pretty sure that's literally just a regular mutiny

bro rubio qian is so good at making faces

i love how ed's like "you ever thought about selling these shoes?" like who the fuck is hornigold going to sell them to. where does ed think they are.

OUGH RETURN OF ED'S HAIR ALL UP IN A BUN!!!!

ough... return of ed's trauma :(

ughughghuhguhughughgffffff every time i hear ed's voice in the bathtub scene i want to cryyyyy SOMEONE HUG THIS MAN I SWEAR TO GOD

also hornigold's mouth definitely moves in this shot where ed climbs off his body lol

hnnng... ed arm

oughuhgu and a strand of the wig came out of the bun WHY IS HE SO PRETTYYYYYYYYY

i cant believe for months i had my fingers crossed for the "person A thinks person B is dead" trope with ed hearing about the fuckery but instead i got it THE OTHER WAY AROUND. AAAAAAAAAAAHH

yo is hornigold wearing like. a flag. idk why i just noticed this but there's like a giant metal rung with rope tied through it holding his whole robe-ish situation together. is that a flag

very random thought but i love how tv shows just cut back and forth btwn plots and one plot might basically be one conversation but every time we cut back theyre in a different setting and we dont see how they got there. like the cut from stede walking in on the crew eating a bird to all of them back on zheng's ship eating soup. and now we went from ed yelling "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON" at hornighost's hut and now they're on a beach talking abt what the fuck is going on. why did they go there. who knows. doesnt matter.

ed is so fucking stressed abt being in the gravy basket. poor man is nervously playing with the big stick and trying so hard not to lose his cool.

damn he threw that stick really far tho. good arm.

im sorry but it's SO fucking funny how zheng is trying to seduce olu in this scene and she's like "whats the status of your boatmance is it... ongoing?" *unsheathes sword* like girl that's not seduction that's a full-on threat. i mean it's still hot dgmw but it's unclear what exactly you're going for here

YES STEDEY-BOY

loving the jaunty little escape music

archie and jim holding haaands

stede: you always say you have perfect aim black pete: ive never said that roach: you always say that lucius, throwing his beloved boyfriend under the bus: you said it today

buttons is so fucking loud fhjkhgyejkthfjkhg. ngl i relate tho

obsessed with the noise button makes when he slides across to the Revenge

and they use tea towels to slide over!! god stede really made the most out of his time in towels

~~

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE how olu is the one sitting on the desk with his legs dangling and kicking during this makeout session

also obsessed with how theoretically olu could've seduced zheng out of killing the crew and it's possible that none of this was necessary

wait i literally just realized that they stole the wheel not just so that zheng couldn't follow them but bc the Revenge didnt have one lol

ugh ed's tits look so good what the hell

ed in his head instantly associates the phrase "calico jack" with someone going "WHOOHOO" at the top of their lungs

oughu FUCK i did not fucking realize this but ed is taking hornigold's presence here as confirmation that he's not loveable. earlier hornighost said "you're afraid you're unlovable" but then when he's on the cliff and he's like "you brought me here because you hate yourself" ed is like "im not loveable." ohhhhhh fuck

and then hornigold is like "and you're afraid to do anything about it. but im not" and then throws the rock off the cliff. this is the shittiest part of ed's brain calling him a pussy for not killing himself and telling him he deserves to die. fuuuuuuuuck me.

oh boy okay. ed got yanked off the cliff. stede is heading into the secret room. idk if i even have anything to say about the mermaid sequence like i cant believe this shit is real. fuck. this is a fever dream. they really just... wrote this. filmed it. put rhys darby in a fish tail. FUCK

ok the two things i have to say about this. first: the fucking flashback montage in this sequence makes me stop breathing like every single fucking time. secondly: when theyre face-to-face in ed's mermaid fantasy there's a split second where ed sort of jolts forward a tiny tiny tiny half of an inch. and i have no idea if it's intentional. but it makes me think of how in the "you wear fine things well" scene ed TOTALLY STEPS IN THINKING STEDE'S ABOUT TO KISS HIM.

WRITTEN BY ALYSSA LANE AND ALEX SHERMAN. SHOUTOUT TO THOSE GUYS.

[mrcarmenile]

okay HI

MY THOUGHTS ON THE FINALE!!

HAZBIN HOTEL FINALE SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

holy fucking god do i have words to say

here’s some INCREDIBLY unorganized thoughts:

alastor losing his filter temporarily made my heart DROP dude. also is it just me or did he lose his accent too? like it just kind of sounded like amir to me lmao

angel with his “charlie said to live tonight however we wanted” JUMPSCARED ME and then when he said “so pour me a fresh one” i was like Oh

adam said some real knee slappers this episode i was laughing so hard. “SUCK MY HOLY LIGHT FUCKERS” “chill lute. fuck” “wow i didn’t see this giant fucking shield in front of me YOU DUMB BITCH NO SHIT” are my favorites

the whole “now i’m going to fuck you” gag had me ROLLING (angel’s little 🤨 and valentino’s “well this just got interesting” got me dude)

ALSO LUCIFER FUCKED EVE????? HUH?????

vox screaming at the tv also had me choking from laughter, especially the “NOOO FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!! PUSSY!!!” (that is absolutely me yelling at the tv ur not alone vox 🙏)

the “these fucking angels won’t stop coming” “HA!” scene was weirdly cute and i love it

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT EVERYONE’S OUTFITS???? CHARLIE’S DRESS WAS FUCKING ADORABLE AND VAGGIE’S SUIT THING WAS BADASS AND ANGEL SERVED CUNT WITH THAT LOOK AND DON’T GET ME STARTED WITH CHERRI BOMB so many halloween costumes to choose from man

also lucifer’s hot

alastor and niffty was the cutest thing i love them so much why are they wholesome ☹️☹️ “i dub thee - king roach!!” and the little crown 🥺

LMAO THE SIR PENTIOUS AND CHERRI BOMB KISS WAS EPIC AND COMEDIC AS FUCK (“that was kinda hot..” had me rolling)

the last song nearly had me crying like i SCREECHED when lucifer started singing to the tune of happy day in hell and the fucking vox and val duet???? and velvette filming them dancing??? the vees are terrible fucking people why was that scene wholesome LET ME HATE THEM STOP GIVING VILLAINS DEPTH AND EMOTIONS AND REAL BONDS PLEASEEEE (/nsrs obviously well written villains are peak but I WANNA HATE THEM SO BAD) also alastor’s part gave me fr chills like. “great alastor, altruist, died for his friends” THE WAY AMIR TALAI SANG THAT LIKE HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF SNAPPING. ROUND OF FUCKING APPLAUSE. and the new hotel looks fucking fire i can’t wait to see the interior!!!

the end of the last song nearly brought me to tears it was such a perfect ending note

SPEAAAAKING OF SONGS. HOOLY SHIT. THE MORE THAN ANYTHING REPRISE??? shit made me shed a tear like. AND THE KISS???? finally we get the goddamn lesbians god bless 🙏🙏🙏

also can i just say vox and val making out with tongue at the end for 0.5 seconds SENT ME. i was caught so off guard that i laughed until i choked dude like that shit fr got me

“how’s mercy taste ya little bitch” is officially one of my favorite hazbin quotes cuz the way jeremy jordan said it was fucking hilarious

oh and the battle scenes were fucking crazy i can see where half the budget went lmfao the fight scenes ATE

also wtf lilith was in heaven this whole time? just chilling? idk what to think or say about thing honestly

and if lucifer fucked eve is she in hell too???? is SHE the one who has alastor on a leash?? what is her relation to lilith??? are they working together or are they enemies or is eve pretending to be lilith or do they have nothing to do with each other??? why did lilith leave hell??? why did they let her leave hell??? what did lute mean by “your deal is done”???? i need answers bro

ALSO I WONDER WHERE EVERYTHING’S GONNA GO NOW THAT PENTIOUS PROVED SOULS CAN BE REDEEMED. now that they’ve proved it is the main plot going to be actually redeeming people? or is heaven gonna hide it from them??? can angel dust be redeemed when valentino owns his soul??? does angel dust truly WANT to be redeemed? once they know that you have to die to be redeemed are they gonna be able to take that risk?? now that i think of it wtf will be the main focus of season 2?? we know the vees play a big role so maybe they’ll try to prevent souls from leaving (maybe valentino will make it really hard for angel to leave and that’ll be a big part?) idk i got a lot of questions man

and it seems like they’re setting alastor up to be the main villain at the end. it seems although his mysterious deal isn’t allowing him to unleash his full power, so when he’s free of the deal i can only imagine how feral he could go. (my guess is that he uses the favor charlie promised to help release him from the deal and then charlie regrets it later when he goes crazy)

anyways all in all the finale is crazy good and i will NOT be getting over it any time soon and i am not ready to wait another few years 🥲

[justin-chapmanswers]

Hello! Hope you’re having a swagalicious time of day! Just wanted to ask what’s you’re writing process when coming up with funny little jokes/gags? When inspiration strikes from some random scenario that pops in my head I usually tend to write it down in some notes app, essentially saving it for later. Do comedic ideas just pop up when in the process of writing for a particular setting, or do you try to incorporate previous unused joke ideas into your work? Also what’s your favourite type of snack? (hopefully something better than oatmeal raisin), personally I like popcorn , it’s got an onomatopoeia in it and a vegetable at the same time! Pretty crazy stuff!

Very swagalicious!

I'd say the majority of the jokes I've written were in the writing process, as I was going. I think there's something really special about trusting that you'll find the humor in what you're writing as you go.

First that comes to mind is in s3e10, the first Indefinite rejoin episode. I block out some space ahead of time in an outline for reintroducing the former contestants with a few goals regarding what I'd like to re-establish about them, their relationships, and their scenario on the island. The Sinkers are a united/supportive front, Cabby is cold with them, Goo invites himself into Cabby's world, the've been waiting for news for a while and are confused, etc etc. MePhone's not there yet, the competition hasn't started, I just need to find a vehicle to explore this.

While writing out the convo about what the contestants guess will happen next, I happen to think it's funny to have Blueberry hope for "an explosion." Then I make myself chuckle at the thought of Walkie Talkie bringing that to the next level by actually doing a countdown. I tell myself it's stupid, aaaand run with it anyway, to see how it plays. And then I end up finding that's a neat way to show the contestants actually display the exact goals I mentioned earlier, via comedic stress. Lifering and Tea Kettle have a strong rapport and game-plan that they rope Blueberry into, Blueberry is defeatist about it all, Cabby is skeptical and cements herself in her isolation, and Goo tries to make a connection- all elements that come back later in the episode. Nothing crazy on a story-telling level, but that's the mindset. Once-written, the scene made me laugh, and I ended up sticking with the scene after it was written.

On the flip side, sometimes I go through a whole sequence like this, realize that my direction for conveying the info for the scene is not fun like it was intended to be, aaaand I just scrap the scene and start over. If you hear that "writing is re-writing," a lot of it relates back to this initial idea I mentioned that writing is a process. There's a thousand ways to convey the idea you want to get across. Sometimes it's worth seeing if you can write a scene with the same starting and ending points, but with a more-enjoyable middle to get you there. Maybe you'll like it more, maybe you won't.

Back to the original question, once in a blue moon I'll have a joke in my head ahead-of-time. In s3e6 there's a short scene basically devoted to the silly joke about Silver not knowing what a penny is. It's dumb, but I felt determined to get it in there. Or sometimes it's something more broad, like s3e4's "You are Cordially Invited" scene transitions, that can be funny but are also jumping-off points. Such as using that transition after a while of being away from it to cut off Inner-Flame-Candle mid-explanation and not letting Silver hear the answer to his Inner-Flame question. A little funny, a little sad.

...

Aaaaaaaaand chocolate. Any kind of chocolate that I'm not allergic to is the best snack. There's never enough of it.

[five-one-two-station]

You know, there's a long established dynamic of a very *particular* genre of Those Dudes backslapping each other about women being humorless, just because so many of them are too dumb to recognize hyperbole or sarcasm from a woman.

So they just don't know when women are joking because they're dense enough to take any wildly overblown/comically exaggerated statements at face value. This confusion then becomes proof to them that women are both irrational and joyless, and they disappear up their own asses in an ouroboros of ignorance.

All of which is to say that the ham-for-brains'ed dumbasses who keep trying to start a thing about duuuhh the lesbians don't really know what Signalis or survival horror is duuuhhhh they think it's just light yuri duuuh do not deserve your time and attention. They don't deserve any time and attention.

99.9% of the stuff about being "tricked" into Signalis by the fan art is essentially a comedic injoke, and the rest is neutral, incidental observation. This is or should be *incredibly* obvious to anyone inside the fandom, anybody even passingly familiar with the story.

The unique appeal of the game itself is in the construction of an intense central love story in equally intense horror mechanics, themes and visuals. And these things are inextricable - anybody who tries to play down the love story side doesn't get Signalis, and those people seem far more numerous than their opposites.

The gore and intense grimdark of the story and setting is what creates an appetite for a light relief in fanwork as dessert - and it's why the jokes about it being a romcom work - but let's be real. All of the most popular creators in the fandom regularly incorporate extreme gore into their stuff, including their most romantic stuff, if not focussing on it primarily. (And other creators are no less entitled to do their own thing regardless of what elements they enjoy leaning on. You don't have to justify any of this shit to bad faith dweebs)

Fans of the game are not the ones missing the blatantly obvious here. Even forgetting the games descriptions and explicit warnings, it would be effectively impossible not to realize Signalis was bloody or sad just based on any random sample of fanwork.

Please just stop indulging those patronizing assholes, and please don't let fandom creators feel like they owe anybody some atonement or apology for "tricking" anyone. These doofuses can't - or won't - grasp very obvious fandom memes and tongue in cheek gags if there's a chance to take a cheap shot at the folks they associate with it. Don't waste the energy or amplify their misunderstandings and misrepresentations by engaging with them.

They don't get it. It's not your job to spell it out for them, and inflating it into ~discourse is a great way to exhaust and discourage creators from bothering to touch the game anymore.

[popculturebuffet]

For part 2 of that Community ask, favorite episode for the main characters outside the initial Study Group with Chang, Dean, Duncan, Hickey, Frankie, and Elroy?

Chang: Chang's a tough one as as Ken Jong is a great comedic actor.. but they did some weird stuff with him. He was fine for seasons 2 and 3 and hit and miss in season 1, but afterwords they kinda.. had no idea what to do with this guy and wasted a talented performer, with ice cub head being the only thing I can think of his past season 3. Best Chang episode is the one where he gets fired, mostly for him taking a bat to jeff's car and it makring the transition from the sometimes overly cruel spanish teacher to mess.

Dean: Something Dean Pun! Jim Rash is a delight and it's no wonder they upped his role, weird obession with jeff, and apperances as the show went. He's the best. Best they eventually eased off on the stalking jeff gag as it hasn't aged well but otherwise it's a powerhouse performance with a lot of choices. But I gotta go with the obvious one: JESUS WEPT! from season 6. I have a soft spot for that season as you've seen as I watched it on yahoo when it came out originally and it has two now all time faviorite actors, in large part thanks to ducktales for paget). But while there are good dean episodes this one really get sto the core of the guy: His need to feel impressive, his doing so in the dumbest ways possible, and his tendecy to get cared away. And I will NEVER get tired of Jim Rash growling JESUSSS WEPT!.

Duncan: His name his duncan and he's here to sya he's gotta rap big in a rapping way he's got a real big penis and he drinks lots of tea. Duncan was a solid character, mostly helped by his constant lack of fucks given and being played by what would become one of my faviorite comedians, John Oliver. I mean that drunken bit of rapping lives free in my head. (As does his karmic punch to the head from Chang. ). He was a great presence in season 1 and decent in season 2... then vanished for most of the series as John Oliver had other stuff to do.. then came back.. then left again because it was his destiny. I do want to say the season 1 finale.. as a moment that's peak duncan. As an episode though the one from season 5 where he has an elaborate scheme to sleep with britta works. It shows him at his lowest, trying to do something horrible.. and then what little good is left in him not taking advantage of her and helping her. Had Oliver not gone on to make one of the best tv shows of all time, we could've seen omre but alas, fate had other better plans.

Hickey: I got nothing. Jonathan Banks is a good actor. He did his best. But HIckey never quite fit into the study group/save greendale comittee. I wouldnt mind seeing him in the movie, but he just didn't quite fit in the show. Granted that's because I want everyone who isn't chevy back for at least a cameo.. speaking of which.

Frankie: Frankie was a great addition. I do wish they did more with her, as we never really got to know her as a person and she liked it that way, but Paget Brewster was fantastic and added fresh energy to the show as the only adult in the room. That kind of role easily could've been thankless on a show this wacky and written or acted wrong, could've got old fast. Instead frankie was a needed calm in the storm. She needed to grow too, realizing greendale is just a clusterfuck you can't change and to roll with it and is at her best doing that , playing abed as the only person outside his schitck. She and Jim rash also made a great double act with her best episode being the advertising one. Her speech to him calling him so dumb while trying to comfort him is comic gold. Brewster was a welcomea ddition to the study group and I hope they give her a cameo in the movie at the very least.

Elroy: And upping the ante the other addition Elroy was also not given enough time to bake, but I feel they still got their money's worth for one of the greatest actors of all time. I already loved keith david, so Elroy was an easy sell for me. But my god did he eat. From his first epiosde to his last David proved he was the national treasure he is, nicely slotting into the old man slott but like Hickey before him, not being the same as pierece. He had pierce's elderly uncle vibes but instead of your conspiracy loving 4th divorce uncle he's your fun give no fucks second divorce uncle. Pairing his silky voice with rediuclous lines and fun antics keith david really was made for this show and if he's not in the movie because they want to get back to THE CORE it's a damn shame. As for best episode.. that's easy. The easiest choice out of all of these: the wedding episode. Elory's addiction to encouraging white people is such a community concept and David sells it perfectly, with all the satire inherent. And of course we got THAT'S A MAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO MARRY HIS OWN COUSIN!

Side note I just remembered... something I wanted since Ducktales began that sadly didn't come to past was for all the main cast of community, or at least the bulk to guest star. Sadly we only got Yvette, Jim, Pagett , Keith and of course Danny. Apparently getting every member of that cast wasn't a priority for them. But we got some good ones. Also would've loved to see Jenny Slate both because I love her in anything and for obvious ben schwartz shaped reasons.

[ultraericthered]

Unpopular Opinion Re: Konosuba

I've seen it said of KonoSuba that when it fires on all cylinders of entertainment, it's peak comedy, but when it's not, it's just cringe. Like, VERY very cringe. Having watched the show, I'd have to agree. However, I believe KonoSuba to be a rare breed of satirical and raunchy comedy show that's so dumb it's brilliant AND "just dumb".

The majority of the time, even when KonoSuba is being cringe, it's well-meaning cringe. I don't think it has ever at any point had the deliberate intention of "incel-pandering" or dabbling in alt-right sexual politics for comedy. Kazuma, the MC, is an explicit Anti-Role Model in what a hopeless loser and skeevy, morally hypocritical little creep he is, and more than half the jokes in the show will come directly at his expense. He's not an incel wish fulfillment power fantasy like Rudeus Greyrat, neither is he heavily flawed in a way that is tailor-made for character development like Subaru Natsuki; he is the Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist through and through. What KonoSuba is always trying to specialize in doing is to take all the stupid stuff about the isekai genre that the majority of isekai series' parade around thinking is NOT stupid and play them up in ways that are unironically stupid, in ways the show is well aware are stupid. To provocatively say to all the viewers "hey, if you're enjoying this dumb stuff but feel you can't admit to enjoying in public without being justifiably judged by everyone around you because it is so trashy, tasteless and stupid as to be embarrassing, then you might want to hold all those other isekai anime to the same standard 'cause they are shamelessly just as trashy, tasteless and stupid without any ounce of self-awareness to really embrace and run with that dumbness for black comedy purposes like we do." And that intent for their comedic set-ups and payoff gags is one I can respect. It's just that some of the humor lands, some of it doesn't, as it often goes in comedic works.

And yes, there are plenty of works out there that are willingly, gleefully stupid garbage displays NOT out of any oversights but by design, due to calculated choice and intent by the creatives. There exists a type of stupid that can only be brought about by the creatives being smart about it, paradoxical as that may seem. Which, again, is par the course for comedic works. So if anyone thinks to trash KonoSuba on the grounds of being "too dumb, distasteful and even offensive" to be "proper good humor", I'd hit them with this nugget: