#does everyone know that despite spongebob having as many season as it does

[lyril]

coining a new term called the Squilliam Effect where a character is so memorable to a show despite only actually being in a few episodes and when you go to check how many appearances they were in as an adult it's like What the fuck i thought they were in way more episodes than this

[glossglamour]

Transcription of the Full Interview Under Cut

Oscar and Felix, Joey and Chandler, SpongeBob and Patrick. Over the years, television has served up some stupendous "bromances." But it wasn't until a woman got between them last season that we realized how big a man crush Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) has on his longtime Princeton-Plainsboro colleague, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard). The deeply awkward triangle between House, Wilson and Wilson's girlfriend, Amber (Anne Dudek), unleashed so many sloppy emotions, there was no choice but to kill poor Amber off.

That dying scene, which closed Season 4, was one of Hour's most poignant moments. But because the brilliant curmudgeon had a tangential role in her death, it also sent ripples into this season. House is wracked with guilt. Wilson, still in mourning, wants nothing to do with him. House seems desperate to get his only real friend back, and he's even been fishing pathetically for replacements in other colleagues and the potential Hose spin-off private-eye character, Lucas (Michael Weston).

But as Wilson prepared to leave House's side forever in this season's opening episodes, the chemistry between the doctors remained as charged as any two straight guys could allow it to be. So charged, in fact, we needed to stop by the set to let Laurie and Leonard talk out their feelings about their characters and each other—man-to-man-to-magazine, as it were. On October 14, the death of House's father causes him more angst—and we'll learn how our boys first met. We begin with the foremost question on every House fan's mind.

Gentlemen, can this bromance be saved?

Leonard: [Groans loudly] Is everyone obsessed with homosexuality?

Wait, we weren't suggesting…

Laurie: No, no, let's talk about it. Wilson and House have an unusual relationship so you have to explore all angles. It's not simple buddy- dom. House and Wilson clearly care about each other and even House has joked about it [House once blurted to former girlfriend Stacy (Sela Ward) that being gay would explain a lot about bis own behavior: "No girlfriend, always with Wilson, the obsession with sneakers…."] But, no, I don't think they're….

Leonard: Thank you. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Laurie: I think House and Wilson are closer to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. What was that relationship, after all? Was it a marriage? They weren't just two guys on horses. They couldn't live without each other, that's for sure.

Leonard: I agree. Or look at Cesar Millan and Daddy.

Laurie: I beg your pardon?

Leonard: You know, the Dog Whisperer guy and his pit bull. They have a special bond.

But the question was….

Leonard: Oh, yes, our bromance, can it be saved?

Laurie: To be serious for a moment, I think House is embracing the bromance, actually.

Leonard: Can you be serious and still use the word bromance?

Laurie: Yes, because what we're seeing this season is how vulnerable House really is. I think it's fascinating to watch House pursuing Wilson. He needs him, and I suppose he's revealed himself more than ever this year precisely because he's so needy. Despite House's vaunted independence and grumbled disdain for humanity, we're seeing that he's a man with real human emotion.

What exactly is the need that Wilson satisfies in House?

Leonard: Why do all your questions sound vaguely dirty?

Laurie: Let me answer the question. One thing House needs Wilson for is vanity. He needs someone to laugh at his jokes. If a tree falls in the forest and Wilson doesn't hear it, does it make a noise? House needs an audience as much as he needs patients for his clinical skills. And I should point out, the jokes aren't simple comic relief. They're quite profound. House's ability to find humor in the absurd, whether it's during an influenza outbreak, let's say, or in the privacy of his own mind, helps House cope with the daily traffic of human misery that runs through the hospital. And he needs Wilson to be the foil for those thoughts.

Leonard: It's sort of the way Hawkeye and Trapper John used to work on M*A*S*H. Hawkeye was more audacious, but he needed the grounded one, Trapper, to be fully understood.

Laurie: Wilson and House are also equals the way those characters were.

Leonard: Exactly. Wilson's the one person in House's life who doesn't have any power over him or whom he doesn't have power over. He didn't hire Wilson. Wilson didn't hire House. There's a freedom in that which is essential to telling the story. It's a relationship chosen by House, not by employment.

Laurie: And I must pay a compliment here to Robert.

Leonard: Oh, no, you mustn't. OK, go ahead.

Laurie: Robert exudes an almost invisible aura of wit, intelli- gence and kindness, but also has that necessary streak of sar- casm, and that's what makes this show work. I was watching a scene with Robert and Lisa Edelstein recently and thought, these are the two actors I most want to watch on television.

Leonard: Wow. I'm touched.

Laurie: In fact, and Robert may fight me on this one, but I believe this show is at heart about Wilson, not House.

Leonard: I object, your Honor!

Laurie: It's Wilson's view of the world that lets the viewer in. It's his levelheaded narration, as it were, that provides a backbone for the show. As in the Sherlock Holmes stories, where Watson was writing about "my brilliant friend" or "my brilliant, annoying friend," it's the same thing. House is the acerbic outsider. It's Wilson who runs the place. At some point when I go, "I'm out," the show will indeed become Wilson's.

Does that mean Wilson isn't leaving the show anytime soon, even though he's resigning from the hospital?

Laurie: Did I just give something away? Oh, dear. I hope not. Leonard: I wasn't going to stop you.

Robert, here's your chance to return the compliment. What does Hugh bring to this role?

Leonard: It's funny. I read stories like these where actors talk about each other, and I always think, "Pffff. That person's lying." So nobody's going to believe me when I say this, but I believe Hugh is House. And frankly, as an actor, I don't believe anyone. I watch actors on shows like Law & Order…

Laurie: Careful, Robert, careful….

Leonard: What?! I love Law & Order. It's one of the only shows I watch! But as an actor I don't believe those are lawyers. I know they're remembering lines. "Did the district attorney ever return the, uh, subpoenas?" Aha! You forgot the word "subpoena" for a second! And they act like they're being "human," but really they just had an actor's mind fart. Hugh's the opposite. When this man gets going, Dr. House is suddenly alive. He may be scowling but he's alive. And let's not even talk about the fact that Hugh's a Brit doing the part with an American accent. He's got a true gift. I feel like I'm working with Carroll O'Connor.

Laurie: My God, this is turning into a bromance.

Where's this friendship headed this season?

Leonard: Certainly Amber's death has changed things between them and will continue to affect that relationship. My favorite moment of any House episode was in the scene on the bus last season with House and Amber. He's telling her in that dream moment that he doesn't want to get off the bus because he doesn't want Wilson to hate him. To me, that's the most naked House has been in five years. He's like a 7-year-old at that point. I found it really touching. I like that we're seeing this new side to House.

Laurie: I do think if House and Wilson are able to get through this period, their bond will be stronger than ever. There's a line coming up that sums up where they're at. I won't give too much away, but House characterizes their relationship with a phrase and Wilson repeats it: "Still not boring."

Which means?

Laurie: It's a rather male way of saying, "We have something special. Whatever else may happen, what we have is never dull."

Leonard: Are you getting misty-eyed, Hugh?

Laurie: [Sniffling] No. No! Never.

Are you guys friends in real life? For instance, Robert, have you been to Hugh's house?

Leonard: Yes.

[Awkward silence.]

Leonard: How can you possibly follow up on that question?

Laurie: Do you want to know how long he stayed?

Leonard: All I remember is there were scented candles and Hugh came out in a robe.

Laurie: That's a lie!

Leonard: Hey, I was just trying to make it sound, you know, bromantic.

So apparently the version of the "Isn't It Bromantic" interview that gets passed around isn't the full thing

So after seeing a tumblr post I can't find, about two and half hours of intensive internet digging, and one purchase from a sketchy second-hand site late (full story under the cut, I promise it's interesting, but also long), I got the physical magazine and scanned it

So here you go: the full "Isn't It Bromantic?" TV guide interview with Robert Sean Leonard and Hugh Laurie

Feel free to repost wherever you want- I want people to be able to find the full thing

SO, as for how I found it:

I saw this tumblr post forever ago that I can't find anymore because tumblr is just Like That with a cropped screenshot of an interview with Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard. In the interview, they're asked about the "bromance" between their two characters. Leonard makes an annoyed comment about how "everyone [is] obsessed with homosexuality", followed by the interview apologizing and Laurie immediately jumping in with, "No, no, let's talk about it. Wilson and House have an unusual relationship so you have to explore…" and the screenshot cuts off there. Cue funny comment from the OP about the interaction, roll credits.

Except, as these things tend to do, it ended up becoming a bit of a brain worm, and I wanted to find it again. But I couldn't find the tumblr post. I looked absolutely everywhere, and in the process of looking everywhere, I found what I thought was the original interview- a blog post with the full quote from the actor. I didn't think too much about it, I figured it was just a short quote given to a popular blog in 2008. There's a magazine cover above it, but I don't think too much about it, because I'm focusing on the quotes in the article instead of the rest of it.

So I send screenshots to a couple friends to make jokes, and it probably should have died there.

However, late at night I end up thinking about that interview again, because of course I did. I start to think about how it's weirdly formatted for, what I assumed at first reading, was just an entertainment news blog reaching out for comment and getting a response. So I pull up the screenshots of the article (because weirdly enough, the old-ass blog only loads on mobile) and look at it again.

This is when I realize that this isn't an original piece from a blog interviewing these two after reaching out for comment. This is a blog post quoting and commenting on a full interview from a magazine, which I had originally thought had just been the inspiration for the piece.

So naturally, I go looking for the magazine.

Luckily, the name of the magazine is displayed on the cover, and so is the title of its main piece. This should be easy to find, right?

Wrong.

This is an interview in a physical magazine. From 2008. October 13th, 2008, to be exact.

I know this exact date because searching the article title and magazine name leads me to an archive on the TV Guide website.

Of covers.

And nothing but covers.

I spend like forty-five minutes searching everywhere I can think of on the web. Internet Archive, the TV Guide website, any search result that comes up when I search any combination of the words "House" "Interview" "Bromantic" "Bromance" "TV Guide" "Archive" etc. Over and over, all that's coming up are that original blog post and the cover from the official gallery.

The only things I could find online were:

The cover and date of the issue on the TV Guide website

The original blog post that was screenshotted in the original tumblr post

Another blog post that had a much shorter version of the quote, references something Leonard says from later in the article, and makes a comment on the nature of his reaction to the term "bromance"

An entry on Leonard's IMDB page's "interview" list mentioning it in title only

And:

5. A single listing for the issue on what seemed to be a second-hand site that looked like it hadn't had its UI updated since the mid 2000's, with a listing with no date or additional information besides what issue it is.

This is the only listing anywhere. I checked every other second-hand site I could think of, and then some that only came up through google searches. There's not a single listing for that issue on any of them. There were plenty of listings of TV guide magazines, including one that seemed promising because it included issues from that year, but it was missing all of October.

It seemed like the only listing for this issue on the entire internet was this one copy on this one obscure website. For all I know, this was listed in 2008 and abandoned, and just never got marked inactive. It could also be a complete scam.

A few quick google searches show that that website seemed to be legit, albeit a bit loose on quality control (which makes sense, this website seemed like the kind of thing you'd have to use the Way Back Machine to access). It also had an option to pay via PayPal, which meant I could file a chargeback if need be.

It was $11.50 when you include shipping.

So at about half past midnight, I bought the listing.

Naturally, about an hour later, I manage to actually find a scan of the interview. I had to follow a link in the comments of a post on FanPop, taking me to an old wordpress blog, and I'm sitting in front of the damn interview at last.

But something doesn't make sense. Why would their cover story only be two pages of text that aren't even full pages, and why would it cut off so strangely? There was no concluding sentence or paragraph, even though it started with a fairly long lead-in. It also led right up to the edge of the page, which felt like there should be more to it. There were more images in the interview than text, and the fact that there are so many of them and they clearly did a whole photoshoot indicated that they had them on hand for a while. The silly string one, for instance, I imagine probably had to require a couple takes, which means cleaning off Wilson's hair and face, adjusting makeup, etc. for it. Meanwhile, the conversation itself seems like it could have taken ten minutes total. I could have been totally wrong and that was where the article ended, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more.

So I hold tight. A couple days pass with no update, and then the PayPal purchase gets updated with a tracking number. Promising, but it could still be a scam. Whether or not I get the actual magazine becomes a source of anxiety for the next week.

Until today, when I get told it was delivered. And when I opened the envelope it was sent in: there it was.

When I tell you I was happy stimming in my bedroom just holding the damn issue in my own hands... And then opening it and finding out that I was right, there was a missing page... I was elated. I still am, just typing this.

So I spent half an hour getting my scanner to work, and I give you the above issues.

Like I said above, feel free to repost however and wherever you want. I want all this to mean something.

In the meantime, I have two more House-themed TV Guide magazines coming to try and get articles from.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Lila Rossi: I’d Say She’s a Good Villain, but Then I’d Be Lying (300 Follower Special)

Deception and cunning are easily two of the most important traits an antagonist could have. It shows that even if they don't have the strength to overcome obstacles, their wit is more than enough. This kind of trait is why characters like Lex Luthor, David Xanatos, and Princess Azula are so beloved, simply because of how intelligent they can be as villains and pose a real threat to the heroes.

It's clear that the Miraculous Ladybug writers want Lila to be seen as this, but the writing seriously fails to back that claim up.

Easily one of the most controversial characters in Miraculous Ladybug is Lila, mainly for the writing surrounding her. But there was a time where she was actually more of an ambiguous character, mainly for the lack of screentime she had until Season 3. But unfortunately, the more appearances she's had have painted a very poor portrait of an antagonist.

Lila's Tragic and Sympathetic Motivation for Hating Ladybug

Lila's first appearance was at the tail end of Season 1, “Volpina”. She was a new transfer student from Italy, and quickly made friends with a lot of her classmates for the lies she told, including being friends with Ladybug (which Alya blindly believed without doing any research like any excellent journalist). But because of how close she was getting to Adrien, Marinette, in a rare act of selfishness, transforms into Ladybug just to chew out Lila for lying about knowing her, humiliating her in front of Adrien. And this is the only motivation we get for what Lila does afterwards.

I'm not saying that it's wrong for Lila to get upset at Ladybug for doing this, and I like the moment of weakness Marinette has, but this is literally the only explanation we get for Lila deciding to side with Hawkmoth, a literal terrorist. As much as I hated the way the arc turned out, I could still understand Chloe siding with Hawkmoth, as it was clear that Hawkmoth was manipulating her and taking advantage of her ego. Lila? Ladybug's mean to her one time, and that inspires her to conspire with a complete stranger who brainwashes people to attack the city, which endangers innocent people and causes God knows how much in collateral damage if not for Miraculous Ladybug fixing everything.

I just don't get how a single negative interaction with someone is enough to conspire with a literal supervillain. Even in Season 3, when Marinette and Lila truly became enemies, it was because she risked exposing all the lies she told, which could damage her reputation. Sure, it's petty, but it makes sense for Lila to want to keep up the illusion. If she was simply an antagonist to Marinette in her civilian life like Chloe was before “Miracle Queen” , I'd be fine with that, but the writers clearly want her to be seen as on the same level of evil as Hawkmoth. I'll get into why that doesn't work later on.

Why Lila is an Excellent Liar

In my Master Fu analysis, I had pointed out that despite all the flaws he had, the narrative insisted on portraying him as an incredibly wise mentor. The same problem applies for Lila as well. We're supposed to see Lila as an expert manipulator and liar, but her lies are insultingly obvious. She always claims to be friends with celebrities and does all these awesome things, and in an age where we can have almost any question answered thanks to the internet, nobody ever stops to question her.

It's even more frustrating when you hear Lila talk about saving Jagged Stone's cat, when Jagged Stone is established to be very fond of Marinette (evidentially more than his own daughter), and nobody ever points that out. I think if Lila's lies were more stories about her travels around the world than outright lies about real people, it could have worked. It'd still be hard to believe, but it's something.

But this is a problem with writing shows aimed at children. As much as we hate writers who need to spell out things to kids, sometimes, they just don't understand some of the media they consume. Seriously, I never got this joke in SpongeBob as a kid, and I can't believe Nickelodeon actually approved this.

So the dilemma when writing a show with children in mind is finding that sweet spot between assuming your audience can figure it out, but not being too vague in your details. It's even harder when you need to find a way to convey the fact that someone is lying without being too obvious. Unfortunately, the show clearly fails to do that

Okay, this is going to sound like an incredibly weird thing to cite, and I only know about it because I used to know someone who was a huge fan of the franchise, but the movie Monster High: Friday Night Frights does a better job of subtly explaining to the audience that a character is lying. Please, just hear me out.

The movie follows the main characters competing in their high school's roller derby for the season after everyone on the usual team gets injured, and the championship match is against another school whose team tends to cheat to win matches. How they manage to do this without getting caught is anyone's guess. While the main characters are practicing, their coach, Clawd, notices a spy for the enemy team taking video of them to study their moves. In response, he calls over one of the athletes, Operetta, to chew her out for her showboating attitude. In reality, he's alerting her to the spy. Only using facial expressions, he clues her, and by extension, the audience, in on the fact that they know what the opposing team is trying to do.

This soon leads to Operetta pretending to tell the enemy team about their secret plan for the championship match, which was really an attempt to outsmart them to gain the advantage in the final stretch. The brilliance of this is how the audience is informed of this with no dialogue, and there's no scene afterwards spelling it out for those who don't get it. It manages to convey deception without being too obvious that Clawd and Operetta are being deceitful.

I think if there were more subtle hints to show the audience Lila was lying, she would be seen in a better light. As it is, Lila's lies are just pathetic, and it's ridiculous that everyone believes her. Which leads me to...

Lila, the Master Manipulator

I once read a Star Trek: Voyager fanfic that poked fun at the series by claiming that the reason a lot of the dumber episodes like “Threshold” and “Twisted” happened was because one of the crew members was an alien who unintentionally produced mood altering pheromones, with Captain Janeway actually realizing they were all high because of said pheromones, while two of the unaffected crew members were wondering what the hell they were doing before they found out the cause. Why do I bring this up? Sometimes, it feels like Lila is an unintentional parallel to the alien in that story.

Like so many characters, it's clear the show desperately wants the audience to view Lila in a certain way, but her actions do very little to actually back up that claim. When she's not using lies to tell stories about so many famous people she knows like her uncle who works for Nintendo, Lila is using strategies to manipulate everyone that are so obviously deceptive, the Thermians could pick up on them. Everyone and their mother knows how ridiculous a lot of what Lila does in episodes like “Chameleon” and “Ladybug” are, and I've talked about them before, so I'll try to be quick.

First off, as someone who had access to accommodations through high school and has had assistance in college so far, there is no way in hell that Ms. Bustier should take Lila's tinnitus at face value in “Chameleon”. If a student has a disability that could interfere with the education process, physical or developmental, not only does the school have to evaluate their performance, and determine if they're eligible for an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, but her teachers would have to be notified in the first place. As her primary educator, Ms. Bustier would be part of the team to oversee Lila's IEP and determine what accommodations she needs to help her learn better with her tinnitus and arthritis. But because the writers don't know what Google is, they just ignore it,  assume that Lila can just say she has a disability, and have everyone believe it. Even when Eric Cartman pretended to be disabled to compete in the Special Olympics, he put in more effort to look the part, even if he looked like a caricature.

Then there's the fact that that in “Chameleon”, everyone just believes Lila when she says Marinette stole her grandmother's necklace when not only is said necklace from the Agreste line of jewelry, but Alya, who is Rena Rouge, can't pick up on the fact that it's a fake. All she does to justify these lies is come up with a sob story about how nobody believes her, yet nobody ever tries to defend Marinette except Alya one time, and it was after she got expelled.

Or what about in “Oni-Chan”, where Lila thinks having Kagami kill Ladybug while claiming she'll back away from Adrien is a good idea? Let's say Oni-Chan does kill Ladybug or at least take away her Miraculous, what then? We know Lila wouldn't go through with this promise, and as soon as Kagami sees her harassing Adrien, she'll be ripe for akumatization again. Overall, not a great plan.

And yet somehow, this last example is what made her worthy enough to become one of Hawkmoth's most trusted agents. I'm just going to say it: Lila is not a good fit for the power of illusion. Whenever she's Volpina or Chameleon, she always goes out of her way to make a big show instead of being subtle with her deceptions. “Chameleon” is the worst offender, as even though Lila gets the power to shapeshift into someone else, instead of being discreet and cornering people into kissing them and gaining their appearance, she just runs around to get Ladybug's attention instead of being subtle. Even Felix had the bright idea to pretend to be Adrien to catch Ladybug off guard. How do you lose to something that happened in “Felix”?

Despite all of these screw-ups, we're still supposed to see her as this master of deception worthy of allying with Hawkmoth in both his supervillain and civilian form, when really, she's a terrible liar on the schoolyard and on the battlefield.

Why Lila is an Important Character

In the grand scheme of things, Lila just isn't as important of a character that the show loves to parade her around as. She's nothing more than a plot device used to raise the stakes in an episode, given how much reality seems to bend over just to accommodate for her lies. Even when the show alludes to her being part of bigger things, like her deal with Adrien, or her rivalry with Marinette, they don't even go anywhere.

She just feels pointless when you remember Astruc's brilliant idea to force Chloe into being the final Akuma for the season while Lila isn't even mentioned once. She only really makes appearances whenever the writers feel like it, which is why it’s hard to take her seriously. Why should I take this character seriously as a threat if the writers refuse to take her seriously as a threat? Why build Lila up as a big threat and not give her a major role in the finale? Why even include her in the show in the first place when you could show Chloe being more manipulative to fill in the plots Lila plays a big part in?

As of the time I am writing this analysis, four episodes of Season 4 have aired, three of them have been about lies or deception, and Lila hasn't been mentioned at all. It honestly seems like she won't appear unless the writers need a easy way to drive up the conflict, so they can justify it by saying that Lila's “superpower” of lying is more powerful than the common sense of everyone else.

I'm sorry this post was shorter than the last one, but compared to Master Fu, there's not that much to say about Lila that I haven't already said. Even the show barely gives her any attention, so it's hard for me to really find a lot to talk about.

[medea10]

My Review of Kaguya-sama: Love is War - Season Two

Season One Review Here.

Here we go again! Those crazy kids, will they ever confess their feelings for each other?

HISTORY: Love is war! The first one to admit love is seen as weak and is thus deemed the loser in this fight. That reigns true in the minds of student body president Miyuki Shirogane and student body vice president Kaguya Shinomiya. Both of them are mad for one another, they just won’t admit it. So, Miyuki and Kaguya play mind games with one another to see if they can make the other crumble. In a war with many wins and losses, who will be the first one to admit their feelings for the other?

SEASON TWO: While the mind games are still happening, it seems like they’re going towards a cuter case (at least when it comes to Kaguya). Yes, she still covers her tracks so she comes out looking cool as a cucumber, but inside she’s a mess. We start the season off with Kaguya wanting to celebrate Miyuki’s birthday. It’s just that Miyuki is stubborn about celebrating his own birthday or even receiving gifts (due to his upbringing). And then we add a few more road-blocks to this story with the addition of new members of the student body.

Then we end this memorable era of the student council as new members are set to take place with an election. Despite the sad atmosphere with remembering all the fun stuff that occurred last season, everyone will be coming back to their old positions for the upcoming school year. I mean, this was the third episode! It would be a real cock-tease if everyone left their positions this early in the season.

NEW CHARACTER: Let’s enter the Student Council Election arc! With the disbanding of the previous student council, it’s time for the students to choose their next president, vice president, etc. Miyuki was skeptical about continuing his reign as president, but he’s going to run for a second term. While Miyuki is still popular, a first-year student is ready to take him down. In comes Miko Iino! She’s seen as a sticler for the rules. Even when she’s in the student council, she doesn’t waste time scolding every member (except Chika) about minor imperfections. Here’s what you might recognize her from.

*Miko is played by Miyu Tomita (known for Crim on Interspecies Reviewers)

LICENSING: This anime is licensed by Aniplex of America (just like season one) and is EXCLUSIVELY streamed only on FUNimation. I wouldn’t be so pissy about this if sites like Crunchyroll and Hulu hadn’t already streamed the first season from the start, but FUNimation and Sony want to keep the series all to themselves. The company’s a monster!

THE DUB: Holy crap, the unthinkable has happened and FUNimation has scrounged up an English dub to this series. But only for this season! What the shit is going on? Is it like when Crunchyroll and FUNimation shared the anime Free! for a while? Why is it only this season that’s being dubbed? Well anyways, if you’ve read my thoughts on season one, you’ll know that I had “strong” feelings towards this getting a dub. Meaning, the narrator had to be voiced by R. Bruce Elliott! Well…they did voice the narrator with someone from Space Dandy. I just didn’t expect it to be voiced by Space Dandy himself! In short, Ian Sinclair is voicing the narrator and I am okay with this. He’s no R. Bruce Elliott, but Ian Sinclair is friggin’ awesome. I actually think the dub is really good from what I’ve heard so far. There’s only a few episodes available at this date and time, but make your own decisions here. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

ENGLISH CAST: *Kaguya is played by Alexis Tipton (known for Honey on Space Dandy, Lala on To Love Ru, Iris on Fire Force, Mizuki on Baka and Test, Aoba on Keijo!!!!!!!!, Hana on Prison School, and Saya on Blood-C)

*Miyuki is played by Aaron Dismuke (known for Al on FMA, Hiro on Fruits Basket, Kakeru on Fruits Basket 2019, Van on Escaflowne [redub], Marx on Black Clover, and You on Deadman Wonderland)

*Chika is played by Jad Saxton (known for Charla on Fairy Tail, Hana on Fruits Basket 2019, Koneko on High School DxD, Dorothy on Black Clover, Tamaki on Fire Force, Megumi on Food Wars, and Chika on Love Live Sunshine)

*Ishigami is played by Austin Tindle (known for Accelerator on Index/Railgun, Kaneki on Tokyo Ghoul, Karma on Assassination Classroom, Marco on Attack on Titan, Natsuo on Domestic Girlfriend, and Sunakawa on My Love Story)

SHIPPING PART II: Ooh boy, we’ve got some extra cute moments between Kaguya and Miyuki this season. From Kaguya giving a slice of cake to Miyuki for his birthday to the star-gazing moment where Miyuki grabs Kaguya and things get a little too close for comfort, this season was getting a little hot and heavy! Although, we didn’t get another moment with sick Kaguya this season! And it becomes increasingly clear to both characters that it’s getting harder and harder to put up that façade in front of one another. In the case of Kaguya, she ends up going to the emergency room only to learn that her “heart condition” is just the love for the president.

Even though we don’t get any kind of love confession this season, we do get some choice moments like Kaguya becoming friends with Miyuki on LINE, Kaguya’s run-in with Miyuki’s father, and of course that awkward position in a locked room between the two star-crossed lovers. You know what I’m talking about, the misunderstanding position. Literally every high school anime has this happen at one point!

MUSIC: So…no cute ending theme like Chika’s from last season? Crabapples!

Aside from that, the first time I heard DADDY, DADDY DO, I was a little skeptical on the visuals they chose to match the music. Thankfully, that only lasted for two episodes at the most and the rest of the time I’m dancing around to this catchy theme.

And while I’m on the subject of music, has anyone else noticed the amount of 80s music references that was shown throughout the season? Maybe I’m just stuck on that episode where Kaguya is trying to vogue like Madonna.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Underwear and man-whores! So much misunderstanding it was too much for me to contain my laughs.

ENDING: The last couple of episodes revolve around the school sport’s festival. Surprisingly, we get a fair amount of time dedicated to long-time holdout Ishigami. He ended up doing something quite surprising by joining the cheer squad and was willing to participate by dressing in drag for a skit. I find Ishigami made a cute girl. Then, we get some cute Miyuki x Kaguya shenanigans when Miyuki’s father visits the sports festival.

So the episode before the second season finale, we get a full episode dedicated to Ishigami. In episodes prior to this one, we were getting a taste of what’s up with our favorite gamer. There was talk of Ishigami being a violent psychopath in middle school with the way the faceless rumormill has been talking. Apparently when Ishigami was in middle school, he would frequently talk to this girl in his class. But then this girl gets a boyfriend! That wouldn’t bug Ishigami until he overheard that boyfriend cheating on this girl. It does get worse with what this scumbag tries to do. And that’s when Ishigami beat the crap out of him!

Unfortunately for Ishigami, his class and the girl walked in when he was pummeling the shit out of this dude. And so the truth gets warped! Especially when dude starts lying by saying Ishigami did this because he was jealous of their relationship. Because of the altercation, Ishigami was suspended from school for a time, had to see a councilor, and was forced to write a letter of apology to the jerk he beat up. That last one, he was unable to do so. If you were in his shoes, you wouldn’t write an apology letter either, you’d write a note that simply says...

“Go to hell, Dumbass”!

Amazingly, those are the exact words Miyuki told Ishigami to say to that jerk. Miyuki was the first person to open up to Ishigami after this incident. Despite the harsh time Ishigami had in middle school, after starting high school he learned who his real friends are, both from the student council and the cheer squad. I really should state that I was happy to see Ishigami get an episode revolved around him. He was introduced only half-way into season one and felt like he didn’t make that big of an impact with me. Ishigami this season stood out a lot more and I was very satisfied with the results.

Now in the final episode, Kaguya lost something dear to her. Her phone! Let me explain. She was given a flip-phone when she was 5 years old to only be used for emergencies. Kaguya really didn’t use her camera until she was in the student council and these photos are pretty special to her. So imagine her shock and horror when it falls off the school building and being told that she can’t retrieve her photos. Just as well, she had an obsolete flip-phone. Even me, with my retro media collection, I don’t own one of those! But now that Kaguya has joined the rest of society with a brand-new smart phone, she was able to join LINE and all of her friends shared with her the photos they took during those special moments Kaguya thought were going to be lost to her forever.

In the final segment, it wasn’t really anything romantic-driven. It was just another game brought on by Chika. Basically they all took turns blowing up a balloon until it pops. Or, an anime version to the Spongebob Squarepants episode, “Wet Painters” where Patrick blows a giant paint bubble. And leave it to Chika to inadvertently blow up the balloon by doing something you wouldn’t expect. It blew up, blew everyone and the school away while DADDY DADDY DO plays in the background.

We end with Kaguya and Miyuki standing up together and the narrator assuring us that the war of love is not over.

I love this series, I truly do. I just feel like the way these stories were set up, I feel as though the first season should have ended with the 3rd episode of the second season. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the ending to the first season with the firework episode. It’s just that this particular episode gave us the end of the student council, Kaguya actually called Miyuki by his first name, and with Miyuki announcing his candidcy for president again, it opens up for more to look forward to with season two. But that’s just my thought on the matter. I’m sure this was the setup in the manga, but in the 12 episode dynamic with the anime feels weird. And same can be said about having the Ishigami episode right before the season finale. I’m glad this story was told, I just wish it was placed better in the 12 episode anime season setup.

Despite my tiny gripes there, I enjoyed this season very much. There’s definitely been a lot of development between Miyuki and Kaguya this season with some overused tropes and surprising moments no one expected. I can honestly say I didn’t expect Miyuki to take Kaguya by the shoulders as he talks about stars and constellations. Although, I did expect Miyuki to freak the fuck out sometime afterward because he thought he acted like a dork. But we get the main duo get a little closer with certain moments like the star-gazing episode, Miyuki’s birthday, and Miyuki adding Kaguya to LINE. So it once again leaves us on the hopes of a season three. Unfortunately at this date and time, no word on that happening! So maybe I should go on and read one of the 15+ volumes of the manga.

If you would like to watch the second season of Kaguya-sama it seems like the only one that has it available is FUNimation, with the English dub airing once a week. But if you would like to watch the first season, Crunchyroll and Hulu have it available for streaming.

[televisor-reviews]

Everything Of Note I Have To Say About “Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil” Season 4!

As I’m sure you’re aware, the great animated series Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil has recently concluded and I have a ton to say about it... So I made a list!

1. Spoilers...

2. Duh...

3. Before anything, I absolutely loved it! This was the finale this great show really deserved.

4. Let’s start from the beginning: I’ve been watching Star Vs. for a few years now when a good friend of mine recommended it to me. At first I was resistant because the advertising for it at the time was god awful, but luckily I was convinced otherwise and been loving it ever since.

5. The show premiered when I was a teenager, going through all the cliche teen shit. So seeing a show that portrayed the overly dramatic life of a teenager without being one of those stock teen dramas was a good change of pace.

6. In particular, I remember being amazed that it could be so relatable while still being able to have it’s upbeat and fast-paced fantasy/sci-fi action sequences and world while also having a good mixture of mature and juvenile humor. I mean, all of that would seem to work against each other and yet this show made it work in spades.

7. Actually, the way Star Vs. uses it’s fictitious setting to complement its down-to-earth characters while juggling great humor reminds me a lot of a different Disney property: Guardians Of The Galaxy. GOTG, I think, is the perfect film to study if you want to ever write for sci-fi or fantasy because director James Gunn understood that you can have as wild and crazy of a world as you want but you still need to write your characters as genuine as possible. If you don’t, you’ll get something like Avatar (the movie); a film that everyone remembers liking because of the incredible world and even better effects, but no one can name a single character or plot-point. The universe still needs to be grounded by the characters or else it’ll become forgettable and un-relatable. Star Vs., thankfully, does not have this problem. I love the characters, their trials, their tribulations, all because they feel real despite the world in which it takes place.

8. That isn’t to say there isn’t a reason to set a story in a fantastical world or that there isn’t an issue with being too relatable. If anything, the world of the show helps to make it more entertaining, less monotonous, and more unique. Without it, Star Vs. would be another Pretty Little Liars or Zoey 101 or Dawson’s Creek or any other boring teen drama out there. They’re practically identical because they start off too similarly! They all follow around relatively normal teenagers in a relatively normal world with their relatively normal life and god do none of them stand out. So Star Vs. separates itself by still keeping its characters pretty wacky and the universe as crazy as Daron Nefcy’s imagination!

9. Even by a storytelling perspective, this makes more sense because there is objectively more that can be done! By the end of Zoey 101, Zoey and her lame crew basically did everything they could do without jumping the shark too much. In comparison, there are countless adventures Marco and Star could go on even past the series finale.

10. And because the number of future adventures are countless, part of the tragedy of the show ending is that we (the audience) don’t get to experience them alongside these characters we’ve learned to love so much. Keeping that door open leaves a much longer lasting impression on the audience, as apposed to the ending of Zoey 101 in which... wait, what happened again? I don’t remember. Anyways!

11. I love the comedy in this show! From the very beginning, the humor was very lighthearted and yet mature because it had to be. It had to have a tinge of maturity to it because the target audience isn’t little kids like it would be for a show like My Little Pony or SpongeBob. Star Vs., with it’s doomsday atmosphere and constant teen drama, was definitely geared more towards older children/preteens. The ones more likely to watch a show like Gravity Falls or Rick And Morty and this audience will not tolerate childish humor. They can appreciate it sprinkled in here and there but if used too much, they’re taste will sour. This is because as they are maturing to to start maturing into adulthood, there is the natural need to separate from childish things with the added childishness of wanting to totally separate from it. That’s why on The Loud House, a punchline could literally be poop and why that is not something you’d see very often on Star Vs.

12. With that said, the show still needed the humor to be incredibly lighthearted because otherwise this show would be so depressing! The worlds in which these characters live in and know are constantly changing, evolving, and almost blowing up. For Christ sake, many important characters die in this finale! The only one who died in Gravity Falls was the villain and in this, the villain isn’t even one of them! Seeing Marco and Star still be able to crack jokes to one another and making each other laugh keeps spirits high. God knows Hekapoo can’t do that now!

13. Speaking of Marco and Star, I have been a hardcore Starco defender from the very beginning despite the show constantly trying to convince me otherwise! There are so many perfect pairings in this cast that any one of them could’ve worked if Nefcy were top change her mind. If it ended with Star x Tom or Marco x Janna or Star x Janna or Marco x Hekapoo or Marco x Tom or Marco x Kelly it would’ve worked perfectly well.

14. But lets not kid ourselves, it was always going to end with Marco x Star. Their relationship and chemistry is unmatched, they might be the only couple in existence to say a joint line like “With or without magic, we were always meant to be together,” work and come off as not only sincere but true. I don’t even believe in the whole “soul mate” mumbo-jumbo, but I’d be damned if they are not that!

15. I audibly squealed in delight when they finally got together. It was like the build-up of four season culminated in one scene.

16. Though it wouldn’t really surprise me if I was alone in this assessment because I am a sucker for a good romantic movie. I saw La La Land in theaters, I cried at Love, Simon, I actually really love Love Actually. And though I do think Star Vs. pulled off relationships better than most, take my opinion with a grain of salt because the build-up itself was a little grating.

17. I have a huge issue with “will-they, won’t-they” stories! It’s the same issue I had with The Office and Friends and The Big Bang Theory and Sailor Moon and That ‘70s Show and every other show that has this dumb trope! Of course they’ll get together because otherwise I wasted several hours of my life wondering about it! Star Vs. isn’t as bad about this as most others but it’s still there and it’s still annoying.

18. It does this better than most because of three main components: it’s relatively short, we get plenty of Star and Marco being all lovey-dovey with each other once they do get together, and they do have genuine chemistry together. They have so much chemistry that Star’s ex literally told Marco that they were clearly into each other. If only they could’ve avoided the trope.

19. Okay, this next point is a little personal but it did effect my feelings towards this show’s finale so I think it’s kind of important that I mention it. Around the time the Star Vs. was ending, I was just entering my first real relationship and around the time I watched this finale, we lasted long enough that we could start taking the relationship a little bit more seriously. Now before anyone says anything: everything’s going great (she actually made me my header) and I am absolutely still in a honeymoon phase with her. But I think you could imagine how a lovesick teen just entering a serious relationship would be effected by this show that ended with lovesick teens so in love that they’d happily sacrifice themselves for the other.

20. I may or may not have also been high while watching this and that may or may not have effected my viewing experience. Don’t be a narc!

21. I love what this last season did with Ludo. Push away the fact that they somehow keep talking Alan Tudyk into these rolls he clearly does need to do and yet still does a great job at it (did you know he was King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph? Why? Why did he do that? Why is he so good in it? This guy’s casting decisions are so weird). The character of Ludo was a generic comic relief villain (see Doofenshmirtz) but was usually fine if only because he made for a good contrast and was way more interesting compared to Toffee (played by Michael C. Hall, another actor who does not need this job). But season four made Ludo a million times more interesting by showing his obsession with the wand exactly what it is: and unhealthy obsession that he needs to get over. And I like where he’s left by the end, clearly still not doing too great but is making strides to get better. As someone who has known many addicts in my life, this hit home a little.

22. Actually, I think a large part of season four was specifically meant to fix the first two mediocre seasons. Just look at my new favorite episode of the series: Britta’s Tacos. In this episode, Star and Marco find themselves back on Earth after a year of being on Mewni and catching up with all of their friends and seeing what’s changed. Watching this episode, I was reminded that as good as the first couple of seasons were, the latter half of the series was a ton better! The characters, character arcs, stories, everything, everything was better once they went up to Mewni. So seeing them go back to Earth and challenging the writers with rewriting their past characters to be more interesting showed just how much the series has improved. Could you imagine characters as uninteresting as those nerds I don’t even remember the names of being introduced in the much more interesting latter seasons? I couldn’t! So I appreciate that they went back and made sure every character in this show was interesting... except for Toffee, he still sucks.

23. And of course, the character that improved the most, hands down was absolutely Jackie Lynn Thomas! She was as bland and boring as a love interest got and that bothered me from the very beginning. How is it that in a show this imaginative and unique they still felt it necessary to use this tired cliche. So bringing her back, the writers had to do something to make her more interesting and it was apparently really easy. All they had to do was keep the character herself basically the same but now she’s a lesbian. And somehow, just adding that one extra layer made her feel so different, so interesting, so complete. I think that’s what it was, she just felt like an incomplete plot point and giving her a girlfriend completely separates herself from being important to the plot and adds that extra layer to make her seem more finished as a character.

24. I’m actually really surprised by this recent trend of LGBTQ+ characters in kids cartoons. You’d think that of all mediums, kids cartoons would be the last to fully integrate a controversial minority but they’ve been some of the first. Steven Universe really started this trend but I feel like The Loud House was the first to show and say it outright. Star Vs. doesn’t do it that well (and I’m willing to bet that was because of higher-ups over at Disney) but I appreciate the sentiment anyways. They never call Jackie and her girlfriend a couple or show them kissing, the most they do is have them hold hands and though I guess that’s enough, I wish they were able to go further. Whatever, I already wrote about why this representation in kids media is important, go read that.

25. For a while, Star was my favorite character in this show. I just have a real soft-spot for upbeat female badasses (and I am very happy this has become more of a trope recently), I think Janna might’ve taken the throne. It’s not that Star stopped being interesting or anything like that, I just really love Janna and her “Jannanigans”. Plus, I do really like the “cute girl who’s into weird shit” trope too. She’s not my favorite version of this trope (see Raven from 2003′s Teen Titans), but she was always a delight whenever she was on screen.

26. Tom is probably the most obvious example of “boring character was made interesting” that the show has. In the beginning, he was the standard bad boy archetype but, over time, was given more personality and started working off the other characters much better. Sure, he and Star worked great with each other as to be expected, but I think the real standout relationship he had was with Marco. I have never seen bromance as strong as what those two have. Their little musical number at Queen Moon’s cornonation turned talent contest might have been the greatest piece of animation ever made (change my mind). And this I know people agree with me, I cannot exaggerate just how much literally everyone I have ever spoken to loves Marco and Tom. It just works so strangely, it has to come off as genuine.

27. I think the series was supposed to go on for another season. I say this because Kelly was too good of a character to waste like they did! She was a great character with tons of personality and amazing chemistry with Marco that was seemingly building up to something... only to drop the ball at the end. She isn’t given much to do, she doesn’t have a final scene with Marco, she isn’t even given a good ending. The most we got was Ponyhead theorizing what her life would be like just to cheer up Star. If that was all they were going to do with Kelly, that’s just a waste of perfectly good build-up.

28. It’s very strange how on the nose these metaphors in the show got at times while still seeming perfect. I guess it had to be on the nose so that the younger audience could catch on to them but I’m not sure what the’ll do with the knowledge that magic=nuclear power. Also, the monsters kind of changed metaphors, originally they were clearly meant to be Native American stand-ins but later on they kind of changed into African American stand-ins. Not that they’re histories (in America) are all that different but it was a noticeable switch. It’s not like Zootopia where any given animal could represent any number of races depending on the scene in question, this was definitely what Star Vs. was going for and I’m not sure if it totally worked. It didn’t NOT work, I guess.

29. I actually don’t like the whole “blowing up the magic” thing. It was something Star made up in a temper tantrum and goes totally against the theme. The whole time, the show was going on about how important integration is and how “separate but equal” doesn’t work and whatnot. So destroying the only way they know how to travel through different dimensions seems contrary to that point. I get that drastic times need drastic measures but I get the feeling that in a theoretical season five, Star and Marco would work to bring back the magic. Or maybe find a more scientific way to travel through dimensions... like some kind of portal gun. We already know this takes place in the same multiverse as Rick And Morty, it’s not that crazy an idea.

30. Another reason I think there was originally going to be another season is because the whole “Mewmans are humans” thing that came right out of nowhere! I mean, it makes total sense and I’m totally down with this plot point but it seems like that would be a much bigger deal than the characters make it out to be. My god, they don’t even let Marco finish explaining this. How the hell did that cave painting get to Earth if they didn’t run into Glossaryck until they got to Mewni! Explanation please!

31. I wish destroying the magic didn’t also mean killing off Glossaryck and Hekapoo. I don’t really care about any of the other characters literally made out of magic, but those two are just so likable and such fan favorites, it’s just a shame to see them go. Though I do really like that they’re reaction to the whole thing seems to just be a mild shrug. I get the idea that since they’ve lived for millennia which would make them more okay with dying. It’s easier to live a full life if you can’t die.

32. I like how Mina’s story ends: defeated and yet still refusing it. Her whole speech about having good ideas really says something, like these issues will never be fully defeated because everyone thinks that they’re right. It’s a bit more of a bittersweet moral than “bad always loses because they’re bad” but is an important lesson that I think kids need to learn. Especially in this political climate. Good god, just end me!

33. Holy shit, I’m up to 33! My Wakfu one only made it up to 25 and I am nowhere close to done yet!

34. A psychotic part of me really wishes the finale had Star and Marco die in each other’s arms in the Magic Dimension. It’d be the ultimate show of love as they’re sacrificing each other for one another and be the ultimate ending. I mean, what more is there to care about after the main two characters are dead? It’d be very bittersweet and much more emotionally taxing on the audience but it’d also be more classic. Like Romeo and Juliet or Bonnie and Clyde, they’re love was just too strong for this world.

35. With that said, that part of me is absolutely wrong! Having their dimensions merge was clearly what the series was building up to with it’s hopeful tone, the power of love being a big theme, the message of integration, and (of course) the promise they made to Meteora and Hispanic Meteora. It seems so obvious in hindsight and yet I still didn’t see it coming, I guess that’s a sign of a really good plot twist.

36. My god, everyone is such a dick to Queen Moon. Like let her be in love you jackasses. I had such a hard time liking anyone who worked against her (which is why I really like that Hekapoo had reservations on both sides the whole time) and this includes Ex-Queen Moon. I really can’t grasp my mind as to why she thought this was a good idea, it clearly wasn’t from the very beginning. Maybe if the show gave her time to explain herself I’d be singing a different tune but she never really does and I have a hard time forgiving her even after her apology.

37. This is just a reminder that Starco is best ship. Repeat, Starco is still best ship.

38. The ending reminds me of Titanic. I mean, two young lovebirds meeting each other, growing closer, and falling in love all the while a looming threat of destruction and death is above them. The epic scale of their problem being brought down to earth by the almost normal love story happening in the midst of it all. Their ever ready willingness to sacrifice everything for each other. Their world forcing them to cling to each other for protection. The grand scale of everything around them making their love seem grander than it would be without it. Yeah, there are more and probably better examples I could turn to for comparison (Romeo And Juliet, Les Miserables, Spartacus) but Titanic was the first one to come to mind and I’m sure my subconsciousness has a good reason for that.

39. I continue to have problems with this finale but I get the sense that I’m nitpicking because this was still an amazing end to a great show. When I think about this ending, the first word that comes to mind is deserves. This is the ending that the story deserves, that the characters (minus Kelly) deserves, that the show itself deserves. It really is a fantastic finale and I’m so grateful that I got to experience it.

40.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 2X22 - And Straight On ‘Til Morning

Despite all the mourning from the last episode, we’re gonna go straight on ‘til we finish off this season.

...Wanted to make my last pun of the season classy. Now you know what to do.

Press Release The inhabitants of Storybrooke brace themselves for the end when Greg and Tamara detonate the trigger Regina had placed within the curse, with the annihilation of the town and its residents imminent; and Mr. Gold mourns the loss of his son, Bae/Neal. Meanwhile, back in Neverland of the past, Hook discovers his connection to a young Bae after he rescues him from the sea and soon realizes that the Lost Boys are in hot pursuit of the boy. General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness Past I really struggled with how I felt about the past segment. Something about this flashback has always rubbed me the wrong way (Or at least, as much as the two times I’ve watched it can do) and I spent the lesser part of two days wondering why. And I think I finally figured it out.

The actions and broad strokes of this storyline are great, as is admittedly much of the dialogue. I like the bond that forms between Killian and Bae and I like how Killian’s framed. The dialogue is for the most part pretty good and I love all the time we get to spend on the Jolly Roger. However, the thematically heavy lines like “being alone” and “caring only about yourself” are honestly so distracting because Killian’s is blatantly committing revenge on Milah’s behalf and he has a whole crew with him.

Now on one hand, I get it. Especially given Killian’s decision at the end of the flashback, one can argue that Killian’s revenge and the decisions stemming from it are more for his sake than Milah’s. It’s similar to what Regina was doing with Snow and her subjects, where she claimed that after she killed Snow, she’d show them love. On the other hand, as I said before, it’s honestly so distracting and I feel like if the above were the case, there would’ve been more to paint it that way.

Okay, so now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, just remember: The segment is good, but dialogue choices like that separate good from great. The drama between Killian and Bae is one of the most important parts of Killian’s redemption and their bonding provides serious insight into who Killian is as a character.  Present First off, I love the way Neal’s “death” was handled. First, let’s talk about the acting. Robert Carlyle continues to be flawless. He shows how Rumple’s overcome with sadness and regret immediately upon hearing the news. Second, I love how he’s paralleled against Henry. While Henry has his mother to lean on and hold (A great if not tragic Swan Believer moment in and of itself), despite being told the news by two people, Rumple’s in the shot where he first takes it in alone and only comforted from a distance. Third, it gets Rumple questioning his own philosophy and is one of the biggest cases of “all magic has a price” being turned on him. It’s nothing short of a spiral and the way he pulls everyone down with him fits the character so well.

I got so many Spongebob Musical feels as I was thinking about the main story here. XD I’m going to explain it when I get to arcs, but I think that the main story does a good job bringing together Emma, Regina, Henry, Snow, and David’s stories. Every emotion here hits and the main story, which seemed to rightly get the most focus, was handled well.

Keep that in mind when I go off here.

”I did it [Kill Cora] because it was easy. It was a mistake.” FUCK THAT NOISE! NO! IT WASN’T EASY! IT WAS ACTUALLY BOTH DIFFICULT IN EXECUTION AND IN ITS AFTER EFFECTS! It was cruel, sure. And I get the guilt, but honestly, it was Cora (An uncontrollable monster) or Rumple (Someone who had been persuaded to do good in the past and could in the future AND had two morality pets to keep him on the straight and narrow). Fuck the noise where this was a wrong decision and that GOD this is the last instance where Snow says something like that! “There were other paths -- harder paths.” AND THEY WOULD’VE RESULTED IN MASS MURDERS ALL AROUND. FUCK! The ONLY good thing about that shitty flashback in “The Cricket Game” was that you supposedly learned that this idea was bullshit and you just threw that idea out like a dirty diaper! FUCK THIS SET OF LINES! It’s especially infuriating because it comes in the middle of a GREAT Snow scene where her optimism and leadership are so well shown!

Finally, What’s interesting to me is how Killian immediately dismisses Emma’s speech about being alone and being part of something by asking “Why are you really doing this?” Bae, being dead and Henry no longer having a father, is the spark that becomes the flame of his redemption. I’m with @sab031794 with the idea that Bae is definitely his turning point, while Emma’s words further the point, something he appreciates. Insights - Stream of Consciousness -Was there ever a concrete answer as to who drew the Milah drawing? Was it Killian? Milah herself? Like one of the people at theme park who paints people? -SMEE!! So by this point, is Smee Killian’s first mate or is he still just a regular crew member? Also, got to hand it to Smee for his faith in Killian. Smee’s a scared dude, so to see him with so much resolve in his voice as he tells Killian that they’ll avenge Milah, it’s so much bigger of a moment! -I didn’t realize how closely this episode borders on child trafficking until now! Dark. -I’ll never quite be over the way Bae’s eyes pop when he tells someone what happened to his father. Powerful! -It’s great seeing Killian piece together the puzzle that’s this new boy and immediately making a plan upon realizing just who he is. -It’s so creepy seeing how having only Lacey to depend on as a morality chain can corrupt Rumple so much. Hurting Henry to save himself at the very least was a point he was torn on when he first found Neal and learned the truth about his and Henry’s relation. But as he sees Henry on the swing, he’s so close to giving in and killing Henry. (Okay, someone write a dark ass fic where this happens. Henry dies and Emma goes crazy trying to figure out if his death was an accident or not. Can you IMAGINE the final confrontation there?!) Also, I refuse to believe it’s a coincidence that it’s David that snaps him out of it. Sheep Bros to the rescue! -Colin acts that last scene in the mine so freakin’ well! Like, less than three minutes later, that’s gonna turn out to be horseshit, but he sells that so believably! -I will say, while I don’t like a lot of platitudes this season, I’m cool with Henry’s “work together” schtick. -David, that was an amazing punch! XD -WHAT AN EXCELLENT REGAL BELIEVER SCENE! Once again, Regina apologizes to Henry and it’s very sincere. She’s not blaming anyone and is saying that it’s she who failed to live up to his standards. And Henry’s reaction does not absolve her, but lets her know that he loves her. THAT is GOOD! -”The things we do for our children.” This is kind of a weird line. -I love how it’s so obvious that this Pan is “him” and they are doing every backflip to make this a killer twist. -Oh My God! Felix is trying to be so menacing and it is just the HAMMIEST thing ever! XD I love it! It’s not appropriate at all to the mood they’re setting, but fuck it! I love it! -Grumpy, that is the best cup I have ever seen! I can’t even blame you for taking it back for Sneezy (And then maybe channel your inner-Stealthy and take it for yourself)! -I’ve been trying to do a count of the number of men in KIllian’s crew. So far, I’ve seen at most six pirates (Killian and Smee included). Does anyone have a better count? -Left is port, right is starboard. I don’t know why, but I always forget it. Hopefully, Captain Hook will be able to help me remember! -It’s interesting to me how Killian, even when he was just using Bae, used a real and vulnerable part of his life to relate to him. It’s great insight into Killian’s life and a subtle nudge in the direction of Killian coming to care for Bae even before the truly touching moment on the scene hits. -I do have to wonder, why does Killian want to live so badly? During “The Outsider,” Killian was more than willing to die so that he could return to Milah, but he wouldn’t have even killed Rumple then (though one could argue that he’d at least leave a black mark on Rumple and Belle’s relationship). Here, he’d be killing Rumple and there’s no sign he care about saving anyone else. -”I’m not your mate.” Give it a season, Davey! -Emma and Regina work brilliantly together here. There’s such a softness to Regina sacrifice and the way Emma tries to fight against what looks to be the inevitable. It’s a great testament to their dynamic. -Wow! The CG for the destruction of Storybrooke is awful! XD -Farewell, Lacey. I hardly knew ye. -Snow, that is not all of Storybrooke. That’s not even a quarter of Storybrooke. There should be a giant ass crowd of people, not just your besties! -The moment when Bae is told the truth of his mother by Killian is so powerful! There’s so much rage, passion, and love, all of it left on on the floor in the scene. -”I’ll track them down in Hell if I have to.” Granted it’s not regarding the same character, but give it a few seasons, Emma! -”There’s no way. I spent a lifetime trying to cross worlds to find my son.” Hindsight makes that line utterly hysterical! -Rumple! Let Belle help! Get some other stooge to cast the protection spell! Belle’s such a good tracker! -Why is this goodbye making me flashforward to Belle’s death?! *bawls* -GOLDEN HOOK WORKING TOGETHER!!! That look they exchange as they understand the map’s destination! YES! I’M FILLED WITH THE POWER OF YESSSSSS! Arcs - How are These Storylines Progressing? Regina’s Redemption - Regina’s redemption was handled masterfully in this episode. The focus of it was put on Henry. As the inevitability of the end hits her, all she can and does focus on is keeping Henry alive. But that’s not all. Her acceptance of ehr bad reputation being her own fault goes a long way towards washing away the exasperation from the last few episodes away. Her sacrifice works on every level, reinfusing sympathy into Regina without it feeling out of character because of the sharp focus on Henry. Rumple’s Redemption - So like usual, Rumple takes one step back and one step forward, and I felt that it mostly worked. I say mostly because I don’t really get how Lacey attempting to use Bae’s shawl is the turning point for Rumple using the memory potion on Lacey. It’s not like Lacey used the shawl maliciously and she even apologized for it. Was it so she could help him grieve? If so, I wish it came across better. That said, I like the effect that Lacey has been corrupting Rumple, but he realizes that he both needs Belle in her real state and that his thoughts of murdering Henry are awful and need to be shunted. At the same time, he’s not willing to lend a finger to help with the end of the world. Killian’s Redemption - What’s interesting to me is how early on in this episode, Killian is pointed at for not believing in something by Tamara, and when he does turn, Killian himself is one of the most belief-heavy people on the show! Additionally, in the flashback, Killian is so belief-heavy, believing that he can get his revenge on the Dark One and later that he and Bae can fill the empty holes in their hearts. But aside from that, Killian’s turn around is actually pretty simply set up for a sympathetic character. First, it comes through in the decision to go to the heroes to help stop the diamond, knowing they’re more effective. Second, it’s of course the decision to turn his ship around. It represents Killian’s decision to start caring again, allowing himself in a way to be reborn. Emma Accepting Her Parents - “Mom...Dad…” ...Do I even need to say any more? ...Well, apart from the fact that it’s a great closing out of the arc in the beginning of the season, it’s also a PHENOMENAL setup for the events of Season 3. Greg and Tamara - Greg and Tamara kind of get stupid in this finale upon revealing that they don’t know who runs the home office and all the deflectation that takes place when Killian questions them. Really? A group of people who supposedly value science over magic wouldn’t ask who their boss is? Favorite Dynamic Emma and Regina - Emma and Regina are amazing to watch. The episode doesn’t pretend that they’re friends or even that they like each other all that much, but that their bond over Henry is powerful enough that they can overcome those facts and at least start in that direction. For the first time, I feel these two come together as real mothers. They act in Henry’s best interests and that includes saving the other, being honest to Henry, and portraying the other in a good light. Darker Elements (TW: Mention of Child Trafficking) I’ve seen it be said that Killian’s decision to abandon Baelfire was the most evil moment of his life. While I’m not sure how much I believe that, I must point out how this is as close to child trafficking as OUAT can ever get without outright saying it, and that is fucking dark. While trying to examine my own feelings on the issue, I think in terms of the show, because of the fantastical distance of the child trafficking being conducted in an equally fantastical way by a pirate with a hook for a hand and a set of children in cloaks putting a boy in a dinghy to take him to Peter Pan, it’s different than other instances of Darker Elements that I’ve already touched on. If a woman is assaulted or someone is raped by deception, the resonance with the treatment of women and the realities of sexual assault, especially in our modern political climate, makes it difficult to cloud with fantastical elements. And I’m not saying trafficking isn’t, but it’s not something a large portion of OUAT’s audience sees on a constant basis.

Writer A&E are as usual in charge of the finale, and honestly, while well delivered, I expected better. So much of the dialogue works, and that makes the fact that some of the crucial dialogue doesn’t hurt so badly. I feel like they were trying to make square pegs fit in round holes when they talk about things like Killian choosing to be alone and how kiling Cora was easy and and how Rumple decides to turn back Belle because Lacey accidentally used Bae’s shawl as a napkin. it almost overshadows the genuinely good dialogue in other places and I feel like with another draft, those problems would either be minimized or non existent. It pains me how this episode reminds me in a lot of respects more of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” (My current least favorite episode of the series) than some of their better episodes like “Broken.” Rating 8/10. I’ve been torn on ratings before, but never quite like this. So much of the Season 2 finale does work, but it does have failings and they chip away. However, I’ve gone on about some of the dialogue choices enough. Let’s talk about the good stuff. This episode is a good culmination point for so many of the arcs started and presents a good jumping off point for them to be furthered in the next season. It’s entertaining to watch emotionally resonates where it counts. It’s dark, but optimistic and has that Once-y feel! Flip My Ship - Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness” Swan Fire - We get to see some pretty sad and yet hopeful Swan Fire stuff. Emma is barely able to mourn Neal’s loss, but when she tells Henry and Killian the truth, you really feel the grief she’s going through. And then Neal’s alive! Swan Queen - It was so great seeing Emma and Regina working together! You really feel for the emotional bond they’ve formed as they fight off the diamond and it’s gotta be said that there’s a serious weight to the fact that the two of them together managed to fight off something that neither thought possible. Captain Swan - I feel like Emma and Killian really get their deserved start here. Emma not only tries to get her bean back, but tries to invite him to the hero squad with as much effort as she can given all else on her plate. And while it initially doesn’t work, Emma’s speech does find its resonance with Killian through remembering of his love for Bae. Rumbelle - My thoughts on how Rumple decided to use the potion aside, the moment where Belle comes back and they kiss is beautiful and heartwarming, as is their goodbye at the docks. Grumpy Beauty - Grumpy went out of his way as they were all gonna die to get another memory potion to restore Belle! That is so cute!!! I love this ship!!! There’s also such a real feeling of sacrifice as Rumple sees Belle off before his trip to Neverland. ()()()()()()()()() Oh My God! Season 2 is completed!!! Well, sort of! Like last season, I’m going to do my overview where I talk about everything from the quality of the season itself to the best dynamics to who was the best writer! I hope you’ll join me for it because it’s gonna be a lot of fun!

Thank you all for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales! Couldn’t have done it without you!

See you next time!

Season 2 Tally (194/220) Writer Tally for Season 2: Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis: (58/60)* Jane Espenson (44/50)* Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (40/50)* David Goodman (24/30)* Robert Hull (24/30)* Christine Boylan (26/30)* Kalinda Vazquez (28/30)* Daniel Thomsen (18/20)* * Indicates that their work for the season is complete Operation Rewatch Archives

[theaterdisneynerdsunite]

Tony Awards Thoughts

So it looks like, at least for now, the CBS website lets you watch it for free (at least in the US). Here are my thoughts using those time stamps (be warned I have a long running commentary)

0:23 Oh is this going to be a parody of her playing the piano on last year’s Tony’s

1:05 How has neither one of them won anything? I mean I get if they said neither one of them one a Tony cause I mean, they both did shows that one time…but anything?

1:18 Is there anything more Broadway than saying the same rehearsed thing at the same time and pretending it was just part of the banter? Oh theater tropes I love you

1:36 That’s always been something that bothered me, people assume that just because something didn’t win the Tony doesn’t mean its not a great show, and the show that wins might not even be the best one that season (you know who you are). I love the Tony’s but its an award show, people don’t stop watching tv shows and movies or listening to artists that didn’t win or weren’t nominated, it makes me sad that so many shows close post Tony’s just because they weren’t the big winner. Anyways…

1:53 THEY CELEBRATED THE LOSERS LIKE ME, these A list celebrities that are totally not losers are soooo relatable ;)

2:40 A few years ago Something Rotten did what I thought was a brilliant advertising campaign listing amazing shows that lost the Tonys like them, so the fact that it was put into song gave me a fond flashback. See? SEE??? Oh it feels so good to be vindicated on tv

3:49 “If you make art at all your a part of the cure” :)

4:10 THEY HAD THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS BE THE ONES IN THE OPENING NUMBER RATHER THAN THE LEADS THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY. If only my high school self could have seen this she would have felt so much better

6:42 I didn’t see any of the plays this year but I heard the most about Angels in America this season so not surprised. Looks interesting

7:45 Happy Pride Month

8:40 Bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked would actually be a pretty good diction warmup

14:10 Kinda surprised that they didn’t pick Rather Be Me or Apex Predator considering those are the really marketed songs. “Where We Belong” seems a lot like “Status Quo” from High School Musical. I mean you’ll get that about high school clicks in the lunch room with a blond queen bee but like, even the dance moves felt similar, and the lunch tray dancing, even the giant cat decal. But like, it's not as catchy? I didn’t expect them to win anything tonight but I really don’t think they’ll win anything now? Is that mean? Just cause it feels like it was supposed to be a high energy number and it didn’t have that energy I thought it would. Also come on, just cause you want the girls to be shallow and dumb doesn’t mean the lyrics have to be that cringey. This feels like a less good version of if Legally Blonde and High School Musical had a baby (I absolutely love Legally Blonde that was not intended to be an insult to either show).

15:00 Is it me or did Amy Schumer look like she wanted to say something but Rachel Bloom kept talking. But it didn’t really have any joke setup or serve as a good segway for commentary, what could she have wanted to say?

15:35 Later on I’m going to see if I can find the award speeches that didn’t get televised. most of the world doesn’t get broadway they get regional theater, I wanted to hear what they had to say

15:45 Nick Scandalious feels like a cartoon name you’d see in an Onion article about the Me Too movement. His face even looks like the generic celebrity that had a TMZ scandal five years ago. I thought I read it wrong at first lol

16:40 I was cracking up they know their brand so well. The air quotes on emotional, perfect!

17:10 Mini Sara and Josh are so cute!

17:50 Ok I missed the reference, what is the giant bird lady from?

18:10 oh

20:57 celebrity child picture counter: #3 Amy Schumer. Also guess which year the musical described as “a comedy about class and sexism” is from? Yup it’s My Fair Lady, the audience laughed like I did in that sort of this is funny but also sad kinda way

26:00 This was so overacted and hammy and one day I aspire to that level of loud printed robes. Coincidentally my name is also spelled like Eliza but my voice is not nearly that good. Also does it count as drag if they are clearly men in dresses with some comical makeup or is there another name for it when they aren’t actually trying to look feminine?

26:18 The twitter usernames were too small to see on my screen who were the twitter pictures of?

26:30 See above comment

27:00 What show did Billy Joel work on? Also Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Josh Groban maybe my mom will finally enjoy theater

29:12 Oh my gosh that picture of Titus Burgess is amazing as is that suit. And that intro is so Titus its great

30:07 Renee Fleming we’ve got the Opera world here too? It’s so many famous musicians from outside broadway on broadway, think of all the crossovers

32:50: Yes spongebob get Josh Groban to sing more thank you for your service. Ok I’m not a huge fan of spongebob but they have to win for sound design that guy is on overload

33:27 Lol it explains so much why the songs sound disjointed cause they got a billion people to write them. Also lol I was waiting for that joke

33:50 Also what I thought would happen would be a medley that way Spongebob who really is the driving energy of the show and Squidward played by the Broadway darling would both have a song. This wasn’t how I expected them to do it, but I was sort of right so I’ll count it. I’m not really a fan of Spongebob the musical (I’ve listened to it twice once when it first came out and once during Tony Season. I’m not one of the people who hate it off the sheer premise and won’t give it a chance, but I just thought it was meh and not worth having the most nominations.) But Squidward’s song is very me, not in terms of melody cause that is I find most of the melodies to be rather generic but the lyrics are 100% me trying to convince myself. Also all I will be thinking about for the rest of the will be what tap dancing must feel like its gotta feel weird how long do you think he spent practicing it with and without the extra legs. Or it might be nightmare fuel with the sea anemone contributing to it, who knows? Probably both,

38:07 still don’t know whose handles those are

38:28 ^^^

38:40 Ok when I saw the outfits I was expecting a Chorus Line Parody, but this Sia parody fits this every genre but musical theater theme of this Broadway season

39:20 Eight times a week, and all the subsequent puns

40:28 Can I just say I love this return to singing interludes over awkward award show banter?

41:44 I saw the Bands Visit a few month’s back and I still don’t know how to describe it. Normally I would guess it would be the second fiddle of the Tony’s but considering the “purists” it’ll probably win most of the awards

44:16 With all the previous reaction shots you knew it had to be Nathan Lane. I always forget how well spoken he is because of his typical roles but he is really well spoken and sincere rather than trying to wise crack and it was so sweet. It made me smile

47:43 His face saying “blow high” has got to be a gif right?

51:45 The entirety of the Carousel number was me thinking if I had a higher sex drive this would totally make me thirsty. They also used very creative ways to physically embody the shape and workings of a ship but then again I’m admittedly biased. Listen to that number you know their vocal prowess was not why they picked it

52:12 I mean, I know that crew gets less attention than cast and plays less attention than musicals but I would watch the full version stop cutting out the speeches. C’mon I love costumes

53:04 I know your joking but that hurts

53:19 yes #4 famous kid photo Uzo Aduba

55:49 Ari'el Stachel’s speech is made all the more poignant when you realize everyone else in his category were white. Despite this season’s commerciality you actually do have shows and casts with Asian leads and African American leads and Latin American leads and Middle Eastern leads somewhere between the sea of shows like Spongebob and Frozen. Show these shows some love, prove that Hamilton wasn’t the anomaly but the rule

56:55 They brought the Parkland teacher for the theater education award! Fitting 65 students into a high school teacher’s office for hours to protect them is not easy, she saved lives that day

58:17 I thought #5 Matthew Morrison was a girl in his child pic

58:40 They went to Parkland?!

59:35 OMG they’re performing!?!

1:00:10 Seasons of Love is the Perfect song for this, they sound so good too!

1:01:18 Girl has an amazing voice! Dang to get up there in front of all of these famous performers on live TV after the media has already hounded them and putting yourself out there is courageous

1:02:45 I can’t see the handles

1:03:11 Will they be able to top NPH’s Tony magic trick though??? Probably not but let’s see

1:03:31 So cheesy but tbh if I had a Harry Potter wand I’d be even cheesier

1:03:46 Was that line improved or was the tech delay intentional?

1:04:22 C’mon Squidward already pulled the same “trick” you have ensemble block the audience pov while someone enters from the back. Didn’t even come close to topping NPH

1:04:43 Little Patti Lupone I can’t believe she allowed them to include her picture of lil’ Patti

1:05:04 I just wanted to include Patti’s line about a “deep appreciation for outspoken women” cause I actually said “you go girl” out loud

1:05:35 Yeah, fun fact, Tony wasn’t a man but was actually short for Antoinette. They referenced it multiple times before, including earlier tonight, but it was stated most explicitly here

1:06:35 Is that a young or modern Claire Danes, I can’t tell

1:07:39 Also it’s really cool that an older woman won something, I feel like the stage gives more roles for older woman that other acting industries, also if people argue that she was political she served political office. Also how cool is it that apparently people were there from every recognized country?

1:09:27 so that’s how they do Sven, I knew Olaf was supposed to be an Avenue Q style puppet but the way they move Sven is really cool (it’s the technique they used on things like War Horse, I don’t know if it’s considered costuming or puppetry or what the official name is)

1:10:20 Anna looks exactly as I pictured her, and they changed a few minor lyrics for it to fit the stage

1:10:44 There are so many quick changes tonight

1:11:22 Elsa did not look like what I imagined her to be, but the costumes are on point

1:12:00 The chorus versions of these songs have beautiful harmony, but Olaf shouldn’t be there yet right? Isn’t he “born” in Let it Go

1:12:47 Alright I’ve been waiting to see how they’ll do the snow effects!

1:14:00 They got out of building the castle by already having it built at the beginning of the song, which is smart technically but I wanted to see how they do it, unless it’s one of those things that’s a surprise for when you see it live.

1:14:25 Never call it “Daddy’s Day” ever again. Never.

1:14:46 I can’t see the handles

1:14:59 How could you not show Chita Rivera’s lifetime achievement? I’ve been lucky enough to see her in more than one show and she is incredible.

1:15:13 And you also cut out Andrew Lloyd Webber’s?? You made the wrong cuts Broadway

1:15:25 It looks like they’re going to show a tribute I’m excited!!!

1:17:42 Two things: Andrew Lloyd Webber has written a weird collection of musicals, like when you see clips of them back to back you realize just how weird of a collection it is, and Josh Groban needs to be the next Phantom

1:18:08 That exchange was so physically awkward they haven’t even started talking yet and I feel the cringe

1:19:18 Is “I swore I’d never do something like that” shade against the La La Land debacle? In 2018? Or am I reading too much into it

1:19:21 I saw the Band’s Visit but I also saw Once on this Island and I thought that one would win Direction for sure but I guess I was wrong

1:22:36 I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it’s a weird read, but I haven’t seen it live so maybe it’s directed brilliantly, who knows? Who else thinks its a weird read?

1:23:56 He’s getting the Tony audience to sing his boyfriend "Happy Birthday" instead of giving a speech and that is both adorably sweet and such a power move. Also a rare occasion of Happy Birthday being sung on key

1:25:10 They’re having DEH perform? You cut out people who actually were awarded tonight for people who already were featured on the Tony’s last year? And that song is a weird choice for a In Memoriam considering that show doesn’t really…respect the deceased. Weird

1:28:17 Give the tech more time in the limelight! You cut out Chita and Webber’s speeches for a weird tribute and you have weird stunts with tech like the magic thing yet cut out all their stage time. I know this is standard Tony procedure but it is something I will comment on every year until it changes

1:29:20 That move for “work hard for the money mom” line was uncomfortable

1:30:30 They really do sound like the original singer

1:31:53 So that’s how the performers follow the conductor. They have a huge teleprompter-like screen in the back of the audience

1:32:52 This cast seems specifically tailored to gather different subsections of internet geeks and I will not tell you which categories I fall into

1:33:18 I never knew “the Jimmy’s” were a thing when I was in high school

1:34:54 THOSE are the great themes of Harry Potter? Really?

1:36:10 Aww look at little Cinderella

1:36:34 How are they going to build that stage for the Tonys? They built a river inside the theater for it before!

1:37:00 Well it makes sense that they’d only include part of the set, you can’t really recreate an entire building. Yes I’m so glad they included Mama Will Provide. That song is like the definition of a Tony performance song. Why did they include the Daniel bit, that was so awkward and broke up the flow

1:40:40 If anyone would be chill with the goat it’s Nathan Lane. Yup, there a live goat at the Tony Awards

1:41:21 Don’t joke about that

1:41:41 Are you going to cut out every technical award

1:42:32 Too relatable

1:43:16 Is this that song from Chorus Line in real life

1:44:10 English Major life

1:46:03 The angel from Angels in America is so Extra TM

1:46:54 That Tony Kushner line was forced

1:47:18 Awkward segway but REMEMBER TO VOTE

1:47:38 That Judy Garland line ties in perfectly with the Happy Birthday to the gay couple

1:48:04 That reaction to the word “money” is me. And also is a gif right?

Am I so much of a Tony nerd that I both knew and was shocked that the accountants weren’t the normal ones from Ernst and Young but instead were from Grant Thorton. Why do I remember what company normally tallies the Tony votes? Why did they change companies? Why do I care so much? But seriously what happened

1:49:00 That phrase just sounded so odd, just the way it was said “my television Daddy-O Tony Shalhoub”

1:53:15 I don’t have the accent and I’m about as white as white can be, but I really want to perform this song somewhere at some point. I have family in this area even though I don’t look like I would but and I just connect to it. The melody is gorgeous and the chorus reminds me of the lullabies of when I was very little.

1:54:15 Every time the young photos come up it puts a small smile on my face

1:54:37 Good on them for putting their money where their mouth is. They actually helped fund arts programs in places where they were cut

1:55:05 I wonder what the rest of the scenic guy’s speech for Spongebob was because this tiny clip seemed so passionate (and just has such an interesting aesthetic). Gosh darn it Tonys stop pretending the only backstage people that count are the directors and producers, you have all these other people who put in so much hard work yet you consistently ignore them. Even orchestrations, choreography and score?? Orchestrations, choreography and score are crucial for musicals to exist as unique entities from plays. You make jokes about people sitting through 5 hour plays but I would gladly sit through a five hour award show if you just included the technical awards.

1:57:10 me trying to open anything ever

1:57:14 Yes! I was so worried they would go with the super old school ones that get constant revivals. I mean, they picked the show that had “1000 pounds of sand, a 100 gallons of water, a goat and 2 chickens into his theater” when you have safer, more conventional bets. Everyone kept sleeping on Once on this Island this Tony season to talk about their feelings about the Spongebob’s and Mean Girl’s of the world but this is such a good show. Maybe this’ll get this show the love it deserves.

1:59:30 what did Robert DeNiro say on the recording the sound cut out. Did the mic cut out did he say something inappropriate, I’ve been avoiding Tony news what happened?

1:59:55 It’s got more than just a big cast, dancing, and a history lesson. You know that applies to, idk like 60% of famous Broadway musicals lol

2:00:06 when someone gives that pregnant of a pause you gotta wonder what the story is there

2:00:27 Truth

2:00:40 “Jersey Boy” that’s such a good one liner, actually, it might sound sarcastic online but that was a funny one liner in context

2:03:00 Is Bruce Springsteen really going to just do spoken word poetry the whole time? Also I don’t know why but this makes me think of Fun Home

2:06:05 Oh he’s going to sing after all. Though that story is about as Americana Fourth of July as anything I’ve ever heard on the Tony Awards ever and that’s saying something

2:07:39: who are these people?

2:08:00 Didn’t Kristin Chenowitz and Alan Cumming do this exact same shtick when they hosted, what 2 years ago? And there’s was much bigger I mean really go big like that Glinda the Good dress or go home.

2:08:23 Was there really no punch line? Also aww baby Kelli O’Hara is precious

2:09:07 The actor’s name sounds like his character’s name and I enjoy that

2:09:39 Well these actors are very different from each other

2:11:28 I am a sucker for genuine sincerity and that combined with some of the earlier moments like the Parkland moment brought me close to tears

2:12:45 Look at this award shows actual diversity, and not just using one show for diversity and nominating a bunch of actors you have 3 out of 6 female leads be people of color and none of them are a “token” and they all support each other. Hailey Kilgore is so young and such a good actress and I wanted her to win so much but she seemed so excited for the person who did win and they all seem happy at the result you don’t have any of that polite loser face they are all genuinely supportive and this makes me happy. I’m happy, look at those smiles I’m smiling, I love it when they show women supporting each other.

12:14:06 “my stupid little heart with so much joy” is me watching these people tonight.

12:14:27 Still can’t identify these people

12:15:00 Josh Groban’s reaction to Bernadette Peter’s name is me. Honestly Josh Groban is killing the potential gif game tonight

I’m sorry I just can’t take this description of them as “empowering stories” seriously when half of your nominations are Spongebob and Mean Girls

2:16:10 Tonight the Band’s Visit really swept. Honestly some seasons shows don’t win any awards that deserved it and other seasons shows that (while still deserving) probably wouldn’t have won win and it’s all kind of arbitrary, but I’m glad out of this batch it won, it was really the only show out of the four that would have gotten the Tony Award ticket sales boost and it got it.

2:17:35 “Music gives people hope and makes borders disappear”

2:19:08 yes another Josh Groan duet!

2:19:25 I love Miss Peters too

2:20:44 This number made me smile, this whole night made me smile. I was worried I would get frustrated by the night with Spongebob and Frozen and Mean Girls and all the potential for it to be a cynical snark fest or a capitalist money grabber spectacular. There are about 10 billion ways I saw myself not liking this year’s Tony Awards before it started and not only am I relieved that I was wrong about the mood of the night but I am elated. I love me some deadpan humor and some snark but you rarely see one of these nights just wholly be genuine and not tongue and cheek and it was such a breath of fresh air. Even the hokey bits like the stupid magic jokes and banter or weaker songs like that Mean Girls number, because everything was in such a kindhearted atmosphere, didn’t feel as bad as they otherwise would have.

[fly-pow-bye]

Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Bubbles The Blue”

Written by: Haley Mancini

Written and Storyboarded by: Caitlin Vanarsdale, Angela Zhang

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

No Eiffel 65 jokes here. Or Lord of the Rings.

This episode deals with a serious topic. While I had this interpretation since I first watched this episode, one of the head writers outright said it on their Twitter.

But anyway, here's a dolphin running into a wall. It is not that indicative of the rest of the episode.

Blossom: (with no sarcasm) Dolphins are sooo smart!

The joke is that animals are stupid. Buttercup gets into an argument with Blossom over whether or not dolphins can speak Spanish. Blossom and Buttercup decide to go to the animal expert: Bubbles. This may be a reference to Bubbles' ability to talk to animals, which I can appreciate. Also forgotten: this scene.

Just like the title says, Bubbles is blue. Not just in a "crying a lot" kind of way, but in a "lying in bed, circles under eyes, permanent frown" kind of way. Buttercup makes the assumption that she must be having a staring contest with the ceiling, but Bubbles corrects her and says that she's just sad today. The very thought of any emotion that isn't considered "bubbly" makes them shocked.

As in, "make another silly face inspired by those silly storyboards" shocked. At this point, it's just the show's style to have these faces. It does give PPG 2016 a style not a lot of cartoons have, but I would say there is a reason for that. They ask Bubbles various questions to why she's so sad. Is she tired? No. Is she bored? No. Is she hungry? No.

To be more specific, Buttercup pulls out a living chicken and a blowtorch. See, since Bubbles is too busy moping throughout the entirety of this episode, Buttercup gets to take over the job of doing the "so random" jokes. I didn't think this one was that bad, but I prefer the line that comes right after this.

Blossom: Are you sad because you keep thinking about your place in society, as the eyes of everyone looking to you for guidance begins to weigh heavily on your young soul, only to realize you were just one of the many leaves bending to the will of the wind in a never-ending race with the cruel mistress that is time, an illusionistic prison created by man, shackling us all to the dream we call life?

If you needed a signature quote for some social media site that still uses them, here's the best attempt at one I've seen out of this show. Bubbles just answers no to this, while Buttercup's jaw is dropped. One of the few subtle jokes with Buttercup, as I can now appreciate. Eventually, they get scared. Not because Bubbles has a serious medical condition I did not think this show was capable of portraying...

...but because the Professor randomly pops up out of nowhere. He's here to show off his "soundless slippers". The episode grinds to a halt so they can show an informerical. Does it have anything to do with the plot? Will it actually amount to anything? Is it even funny? Much like the Powerpuff Girls' questions, the answer is no.

Before the Professor can contribute to the actual plot, the hotline-cellphone rings. I am glad to say this season uses the cellphone often enough that I can count episodes that actually use it on two hands rather than one.

We cut to what should have been the opening scene for this episode: a giant armadillo having anger issues threatening Townsville. This comes complete with helicopters trying to stop him; I'm actually kind of surprised Townsville even bothers with funding for that. Well, maybe they have some reason now considering the Powerpuff Girls' success rate with monster punches, but still. Blossom and Buttercup show up to give him the old punch that needs to be covered up with a hit flash. The Harmadillo rolls up into a ball, and they get an idea seemingly pulled straight out of the original.

They then play catch with the rolled up armadillo. The original would have had them use a telephone pole and a baseball mitt sign, which would be more creative, but they have aura powers now. Buttercup uses a baseball bat aura, because you can use that as a weapon. Blossom uses a pillow aura, because they still have to stick with Blossom's theme of "things you can find at HomeGoods and/or Office Depot".

They call out to Bubbles to join in on the fun, but she’s still on the ground, still sad. Blossom and Buttercup wonder why she can still be not bubbly if Bubbles is her name, because how dare she have any other emotions! To be fair to them, this is no ordinary sadness, as we'll soon see.

We go into a musical segment, where Blossom and Buttercup try to woo that “sadness” with her favorite things. Blossom shows her Octi, a tea party, and other cute things…

...while Buttercup shows gross things like lint from a laundromat. I'll give them credit for the use of stock images this time; it enhances the contrast between the sensible items and the one from the new wacky girl.

This also plays into a theme with the episode. Both of them don't understand Bubbles' sadness, and try to use their own ways to try to "cure" it. What they do is not too far off from examples of what not to do when trying to help someone with depression. This doesn't seem out of character to me, because this could show their inexperience. I mean, they are just little kids, after all.

With the mindset of a little kid, their next assumption is that someone did this to her. Buttercup goes to Discount Jojo's place, and punches him right out of the shower. This scene reminds me that I could be watching Telephonies instead. Jojo does interrupt his lines to remind the viewer that while it's not his fault, he does think it would be a great idea. There's no foreshadowing here, it's just for the viewer to know that Jojo is still a villain, despite everything else.

Blossom also uses the idea that someone did this to Bubbles, but does it in a different way. She falls a little more into the example that these symptoms must be the result of something personal, which it is not.

Specifically, Blossom thinks it is her own fault as she gives her apology letter after apology letter, despite Bubbles outright telling her that she didn't do anything. This "I'm sorry for remaking the bed" one is the only one we actually see; either that one was the only idea they could think of, or they wasted all of their talent on the wacky Buttercup jokes.

Speaking of which, Buttercup then shows up with a happy ray gun. Thankfully, it doesn't work like the happy rays from the dancing lobsters from Painbow, it just puts a silly costume on whoever it shoots. Essentially, it's an attempt to try to hide the problem, and it doesn't work.

In an unrelated note, Blossom asks her where she got the ray gun in the first place, and we cutaway to a scene where Buttercup threatens Discount Jojo with a knuckle sandwich. This is far beyond "rascal" and more into "Him possession". In fact, how come Discount Jojo was the first villain they thought of when it comes to playing with people's emotions? It could have been Him, or Alle...yeah, maybe it was Jojo.

The Puffs in the wrong continue to ramble to Bubbles until they get interrupted by that running gag of the soundless slippers. We finally get to see the payoff to that, and it is just as great as the gag was.

Buttercup: (zaps the slippers) No.

Professor: Aww! My slippers!

Annoying thing happens constantly, Buttercup makes it go bye bye, joke over. It is better than nothing, which is how most of the running gags seem to end in this show, so at least I could give it that.

Blossom starts complaining to the Professor about her sad sister, and even pulls out the “she’s only doing this for attention” line. Unlike Buttercup's antics, Blossom's terrible reasoning of someone suffering from depression is realistic. Honestly, it shows that she is just as terrible as the new wacky girl when dealing with this. Who can possibly do something good with this?

Ultimately, it's the older and wiser that ends up being the voice of reason in this. This episode features a sadly rare occurence that the Professor actually acting like the respectful father figure he should be, being the voice of reason to his children. Even the soundless slippers gag plays into the "inventor" angle they have been, which is far closer to his character in the original than the "out of touch Sitcom Dad" I am far too familiar with.

Unfortunately, Blossom and Buttercup aren't there to witness this, as they are too busy with the Harmadillo again. Having been fed up about his constant whining, they decide that the best way to deal with him is to have Blossom tie him up in an aura net. Maybe it's a hammock, I don't know. They then make a combined aura of a stapler with a knife attached to the end. Considering we can't even show someone getting punched in this series unless its the girls getting punched, someone has to stop them.

It just so happens to be Bubbles, having her spirits slightly lifted from "not doing anything" by what is implied to be a speech from the father figure. Because the Harmadillo is having some emotional issues of his own, they are able to bond with each other. It may seem like this was a missed opportunity for the "talking to animals" power, but it would have done more harm than good.

Because Buttercup can't let a touching scene be, she starts to panic over the disease spreading. She then makes a chainsaw aura, persumably to cut both the armadillo and her own sister into little bits. I stand corrected: there is a worse way to deal with depression than telling them they're only doing it for attention. Blossom stops her, and tells her that maybe the real problem is that they decided not to listen to her. What an understatement.

This episode almost ends with this shot, which is a very good way to end an episode about feelings. It’s a quiet moment of them looking at the ocean. Before this episode, PPG 2016 seemingly had no clue on how to end an episode with a calm moment. Unfortunately, this episode does not disprove that.

Buttercup: I’m bored, what are we looking at?

(Blossom punches Buttercup into the water)

A deserved punishment, sure, but it was completely unnecessary. We can only hope the oceans also acts as holy water.

Does the title fit?

The title works as a pun; Bubbles happens to be the blue one, and she’s feeling blue.

How does it stack up?

I knew we were going to get some sort of "special episode" on a serious topic, and even the original can fail at such episodes. In the case of this episode, Bubbles The Blue actually handles the topic rather well, far better than I would ever expect out of this show.

There are problems that prevent this from being among the absolute least worst episodes; the episode had a tendency to repeat itself, the soundless slippers gag never amounted to anything, and Buttercup's antics are disturbing at worst and unnecessary at best.

Despite that, this episode goes in directions few reboot episodes do, and I have to commend it for that.

Next, I don't think Mary Poppins could fix this reboot's problems.

← Derby Dollies ☆ Deb O’Nair →

[belizedeservesbetter]

A Very Pretty Carousel But Also a Pretty Tame One

I liked it well enough, I suppose

I don’t know. It was fine I guess. 

The more I think about this production the less I like it, and that’s coming from someone who left the theatre thinking “Okay that was good” but now I’m so lukewarm about it. 

I’m so used to good revivals reinventing the material and elevating the original production. Once on This Island, Travesties, Falsettos, Angels in America immediately come to mind, among many others. But then there are revivals, like this one, that are so painfully “meh” that it kind of hurts. Jack O’Brien does absolutely nothing with it. The direction is boring and barely there. There’s no heart in this production. It feels stale and solely there to turn the producers an easy profit. 

It is very pretty though. 

The set is downright gorgeous. All the backdrops are stunningly beautiful. The costumes are absolutely lovely, with the exception of the Heavenly Friends in their glittery Jesus Christ Superstar Live handmedowns. 

The dancing was stunning and Justin Peck is obviously an amazing choreographer but it sat in the area between too much choreo or too little. The dance numbers were long (sometimes almost too long) and lovely, but there were too long of stretches of time between them. The show either needed more or less and it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. 

All the singing is beautiful, especially Jessie Mueller (where I also remembered just how small of a role Julie Jordan is), Joshua Henry, and Renee Fleming (who isn’t a great actor, to my disappointment). All the songs are beautiful, but I wish the orchestrations were just a bit more powerful. I felt like all the orchestrations were on the verge of being big and booming and powerful, but they fell a little flat. 

Seeing this production reminded me how good of a book this musical has. It really is one of the better books in a musical I’ve seen, and it’s always a good reminder that there are good books of a musical still out there, especially since I’ve seen so many bad ones lately. This one still hits and hits hard, and I’m glad people get to see it. All of the Starkeeper scenes are excellently written and I’m glad I got to see it live in the amazing hands of John Douglas Thompson. 

That isn’t to say I’d recommend this production, however. 

Like I said before, the direction is boring. But that’s just scraping the surface. 

Carousel is a musical about desire and pure attraction, but there doesn’t seem to be any here. Carousel is supposed to be filled with sexual attraction between Julie and Billy, and Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry have absolutely none. There is no chemistry at all between them, and, in a musical literally about chemistry, it’s jarring and off-putting. I can’t for one reason see why Julie likes him so much in this production. And vice versa. Both awkwardly stand around each other, barely even touching. 

It’s almost like everyone in the show was afraid to go for it. This is a PG Carousel when it should at least be a PG-13 version. 

Renee Fleming, despite her beautiful voice, isn’t good in this. Everything kind of happens around her. People dance around her. People hand her things. People lead her to different parts of the stage. She hasn’t put in the work for the role and Jack O’Brien didn’t seem to get her to try. 

Likewise, Brittany Pollack, despite being a great dancer, can’t act. She was not a good Louise because she’s a dancer and not an actress and it showed. It really showed. 

I realize I haven’t talked much about Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry, the two leads in the show, and I think it’s because they weren’t that memorable. Both were perfectly fine, but I was looking for a little more. Julie Jordan kind of disappears for most of act two, and really only has one or two songs in Act One. Joshua Henry is a great singer and is good in the role, but doesn’t bring anything new or dazzling to Billy. I expect both will probably be recognized during the Tony noms but I don’t expect, or want, a win from either of them. 

I remember before the season started everyone was saying that Joshua Henry would be a lock for best leading actor in a musical this year but I have to say I’m disappointed that he won’t be. He’s a great actor and great singer and I have no doubt in my mind that he will win a Tony someday. But not this year. Unrelated but I’m casting in my vote for Ethan Slater, who took the character of literally Spongebob Squarepants and made something incredible and dazzling with it. 

I will say though that Lindsay Mendez and John Douglas Thompson were both incredible. Her Carrie and his Starkeeper stole the whole show. They were both wonderful in every way and if you really want to see this show, see it for them. 

It’s sad to see The Imperial Theatre back in its original configuration. I suppose every time I go in there now I’ll remember just how beautiful and incredible and groundbreaking The Great Comet of 1812 was, and how utterly unremarkable Carousel is now. 

[mostlikelytofangirl]

Boueibu

Hey, thank you

How I entered/learned about the said game/show/movie/etc of that fandom

I saw I couple of promo pics on my dash that seemed hilarious and cute. When I read that it was a magical boys show I knew I had to check that out if only for the promise of gay. I started watching when ep 2 was already out and both, heros and villains, where so entertaining to watch that I kept on going thinking it was something fun to pass time.

I was so wrong.

Fave character

Akoya Gero. Words cannot explain how much I love this fabulous cupcake and, despite how minimal his participation in S2 was, all canons combined I think he has had some great development from the jerk bitch to the dramatic sweetheart that actually gets things done.

He is closely followed by Ibushi and Kinshirou on my list tho.

Least fave character

The twins. I had many moments in which I thought I could like them, and hell, I did try to like them. But the thing is… there’s not much to them. For all the screen time they got, real and sustantional development for them never happened. Even their sobbackstory of bullying is unoriginal for the show. 

Without Gora, they have no motivation nor reason, even the insinuation of their tragic idol life was unimportant compared to their obsession with this man. They are assholes and ok, yeah, I can like an asshole. But even that got taken from them with that rushed, half-baked redemption. They never showed regret and really, what was their reason to want to be friends with the gang again? They couldn’t care less about the DC (and the feeling is mutual), and they don’t even know who the hell the SC are (again, mutual).

Not to mention their individual personalities are just salty and slightly-less-salty.

OTP(s)

Akorima!! I’m trash and I’ll gladly go to Hell and stay there for this ship. It’s just the right combo of personalities and subtlety for me and I will stop here or this post is going to be way longer than it already is.

Pairing that everyone likes but I don’t get

I wouldn’t say “everyone” likes, but Beppuyumo. I can understand the “they can be good for each other”, but not as it is right now. Because at no point the twins have said that they no longer hate Yumoto and tbh I’d be disappointed on this boy if he just wanted to be bffs with them after all their unapologetic crap. That’s Spongebob levels of naïveté.

My notp is Akoio actually (because that I can’t see happening in a thousand years, unlike the first one), but I hardly see anything of that anymore, so even further away from Everyone Likes.

Fave thing about the fandom

Just how good it is at keeping it welcoming for everybody. Yes, it’s not perfect nor completely drama-free, but everybody does their best to be nice to each other.

The most despised thing

Only the fact that it never got its former glory back after S2, so it is just as small and quiet as it was during the in-between seasons time.

If there is something I would change from said game/show/movie/etc., what would it be

Season Two. Way too many things to name them all here, but basically development for the boys. All the boys. 

[where-fading-princesses-live]

I hate to say it but as it gets closer to the deadline, and all these other new shows for the 2017 Broadway season are getting announced BUT SpongeBob, I have this really gut feeling they’re not going to get squeezed in before the April cut off, therefore not allowing eligibility for the Tonys.

I hate to put that negative energy out there and Tonys aren’t everything but I would have really liked to see SpongeBob get a chance, despite what people think of it. Even if it does make the deadline, it’s prolly just gonna be this year’s TUCK EVERLASTING...you know, good stand alone show on its own but compared to the other shows, not the strongest contender and therefore mostly likely not going to get many noms (or any). Not expecting it to win of course, but would like to see at least be nom for sets and maybe even costumes (although David Zinn will most likely snatch a nom for Amelie, who knows?). I KNOW for a fact it’s not the strongest show, but it’s certainly not the worst one either and as much as I love Great Comet, Amelie and Dear Evan Hansen, I do enjoy SpongeBob IMMENSELY even if it is the weaker show in comparison, but it’s the most fun show this year if not the best, tbh. I’m not going to pretend like it’s the world’s greatest musical because obviously it isn’t but it IS great, and it’s entertaining, and it DOES have a beautiful message at its core. It’s not stuffed full of hot air like SHREK or MONTY PYTHON...great in their own way if you just want a show for shits and giggles, but aren’t really relevant. SpongeBob didn’t even intend to be, but it is relevant. Not HAMILTON relevant but they’re not trying to go out of their way and be the next HAMILTON, they just have a not so preachy political story they want to tell in a quiet, subtle way that aren’t doing it on purpose to make headlines or get a pat on the back (cuz they aren’t), they do it cuz they want to, and they tell it well.

Point being, SpongeBob’s all ready to go, the cast album’s done, they’re planning to release it as soon as they have a final Broadway date...the problem is they don’t have a theatre and everyday I check the updated list of upcoming shows on Playbill it’s still pushed down with all the other 2018 shows despite its 2017 target opening which worries me. Like come the fuck on, even Amelie and Anastasia which aren’t even on Broadway yet have theatres, just give SpongeBob a chance and announce it already! I honestly feel like they’re doing it on purpose. Even SHREK had a chance and it wasn’t nearly as well received. With the last of the 2016 shows closing I’m not sure why theatres aren’t being freed up or getting booked to everyone but this show. 

[paragon-yoshi]

My feelings on the Pokemon Anime!

Taken from my DeviantArt journal.

Long ago, I asked various people on what is so great about the Pokemon anime. The main one with Ash as the (never dying/quitting) protagonist. I enjoyed it as a kid for some time. But as I grew up, I learned to hate it. It's such a nonsensical mess... And yet people love it to bits, for some incomprehensible reason. In fact, if there were to be a movie scene to describe, how incomprehensible this is to me... The "Ass Movie" scene from Idiocracy would be a perfect fit. (Go look it up yourself. It shouldn't be hard to find on YouTube. ;) ) With everyone loving it, but me as the only one who can't believe the people around myself. So I tried to understand, why people like it so much. Because I seriously can't understand how grown up people can enjoy such a trippy, random mess of events. Especially Pokemon-Fans, considering the Anime is a very poor representation of the Pokemon-games... So I asked around... It's been a while, since then. But the people I asked seem to agree with some of the criticism the anime receives. But they don't mind it too much. The good things the anime has is enough for them to enjoy. Or they find Ash an interesting character to follow, despite how much the writers decide to misuse him... Or it is about the better look at the world of Pokemon and the Pokemon themselves... Or to see what other forms of competitions are there in the Pokemon-World, outside of battles. I still don't agree with most of them. But if they can enjoy it, then all is good. But sadly, I can't! Despite liking the main games, I have a lot of problems with the Pokemon-Series in general. The main anime is at the top of my list! I have a VERY harsh opinion of the Pokemon Anime. One that I will share with you now. If you are sensitive about stuff like this, then you better stop reading now. You have been warned... To be fair, not everything about the anime is terrible. It does have some good things going for it. The aforementioned better look on the world, seeing what wild Pokemon do outside of battling and seeing other forms of competition, like sled races and such.

So basicly a mix of expanding upon the world seen in the games, Pokemon Wildlife Documentary and action-packed battling.

And if it were only that, I would probably enjoy it. But sadly, it has a lot of terrible things, ruining all the good stuff for me. So much, that I hate it, regardless of the things it did correct! The trippy, random things. Such as Jessie, James and Meowth constantly attacking the party with "Dr. Robotnik" machines. Them always getting blasted, giant Pokemon mimicing Godzilla, Mecha-Pokemon, men with boobs, etc. etc. This is the primary reason, why I think the story writers must be on a drug-trip, on their jobs. I can't explain why else, people would put this in a Pokemon-related thing and think of it as a good idea. It's not funny... It's CRINGEWORTHY! And more importantly, THIS ISN'T POKEMON!!! Pokemon isn't fighting Dr. Robotnik/Dr. Wily machines over and over again... Or fighting mechs in general... Or Pokemon pulling a Godzilla, growing massive and destroying entire cities... There are too much of these stupid things happening in the anime. Far more than I can count or remember... But I know one thing: THEY ARE STUPID AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH POKEMON!! It doesn't tell a good story or develops the main character well. Story-writing and character development is something I expect from every sort of storytelling, including animes. A good story and characters that grow, learn and develop over time, make a story compelling. But the anime story-writers completely fail at this! It is obvious to me now, that storytelling and character development was never a factor in the making of this anime. It's all about the cash-in and advertisement. Which is exactly why it's so bad! And the thing that makes it most obvious to me, that they don't really care about developing Ash as a character... Is the fact that they always push the "Reset Button" at the end of every reason, completely negating everything Ash has learned and making him start all over again in a different region. The most infuriating thing to most people, as I have seen. And I completely agree with the anger (though personally, I think there is an offense far worse than this one.). And I kinda feel sorry for Ash. I don't really see him as a bad character. Throughout most seasons, I think he had a cool design and in the anime he actually did some badass-things! It's a shame the story-writers never decided to make use of his full potential and instead use him as a cash-cow. Milking him for everything he is worth, instead of giving him closure and a strong ending. He has suffered the same fate as characters like "SpongeBob". SpongeBob was a great series and he himself a really likable character. Then the creator ran out of ideas and wanted to end the series. But SpongeBob was too much of financial success to Nickelodeon... They didn't want to lose their primary cash-cow! So they artifically extended the series, without the creator's blessing. The result was a massive loss in story and character quality. SpongeBob heavily deteriorated as a character, as a result! And a similar thing happened to Ash. He is a cash-cow and not a true character, like a should be! One thing about making a good character, is to know when to end his/her story! Every story has an end! So giving a character a fitting end and closure, and maybe passing the torch to the next main character, is something vital to making a good character. There are a lot of anime-series who do this right and have great characters as a result! Such as "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" or even "Digimon". (Seriously, give the Rival-Monsters a chance! Their anime-series are FAR BETTER than the Pokemon anime will ever be!) Now you have Plot-Armor... Now you don't! The powers of Ash and his Pokemon are so inconsistent... One episode he can take down the Gym Leaders with ease, or even stand toe to toe with LEGENDARY POKEMON! While in another episode he loses to someone with the stupidest of excuses! And as the series went on, they decided to come up with the most ridiculous excuses to make Ash lose and keep him around. Such as creating a random, uninteresting character with a FULL LEGENDARY TEAM!! HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?!?!? But yeah, this stupid thing adds to the point of "Bad storytelling". The anime-writers are unwilling to have any other main characters Seriously, if they gave Ash closure in the Gen 1 season and started featuring the other seasons with a main character of their own, it'd be a much better anime. Such as an anime-version of "Gold" as the main protagonist of Gen 2, May as the main character of Gen 3, etc. And speaking of May, I have to ask one thing: Why are Pokemon Anime-makers in general so against the idea of a female lead?! Seriously in every Pokemon-anime in existence (not just the Ash-Anime!), it's always the male character featured. And the female counterpart is either not featured at all or is put in a much lesser role, than she should be. Ever since Crystal, we could pick our gender. Given that, is it really so bad for a female character to be the main character for once?! The anime doesn't represent the games well at all. For instance there are so many "Canonical Errors" in this anime-series! The most annoying thing is "Pokemon saying their own names". While in actuality they are supposed to make roars and noises, similar to real-life animals! Ok, in the game-canon there are SOME Pokemon, that do this. Such as Pikachu! But most Pokemon are supposed to make grunts, cries and roars. Not to mention Pokemon constantly saying their own names IS ABSOLUTE TORTURE TO LISTEN TO! Seriously, it's one of these things that give me the idea of forcing a running drill through my ears! And it is one of the reasons, why Pikachu is my least favourite Pokemon in the series! But then there are also a lot of other things: In-game characters being totally different in the anime, story-differences, etc etc. Basicly the anime not trying to capture the games. To be fair, in some of these instances, the changes were actually good. And it felt more like the anime "taking artistic liberties", rather than failing at completely capturing the games. But most of the changes are bad, rather than good. Prime example: The entirety of the Black/White season! With Team Plasma mind controlling Pokemon, rather than trying to liberate them. It was a story-change so bad, that the Pokemon Company finally had the balls to FIRE the story-writers. (Good riddance. They belong to rehab anyways...) Too bad the new ones aren't that much better... I'm not against changes in the story. But they should be well thought out and add to the experience, rather than taking away from it. But more often than not, the changes were absolutely terrible. And the few good ones don't exactly help it. Especially with the absolute worst offense the anime has done, in my opinion... Character Bastardization and the "Fan Character Curse" This is where I get really angry at the anime! Great characters from the games, that either not exist at all in the anime (such as Krys, Brendan or Wally!) or WORSE, are heavily bastardized. The best example of character bastardization happening in the anime, is May! An unpopular opinion perhaps. But May from the original Ruby and Sapphire is one my favourite characters in the series. In the Player-Role, she is the badass-trainer you can expect her to be. And in the Rival-Role, I found her to be lovable, yet slightly tomboyish and capable. Not to mention she had a cool design in the GBA-originals! She really looked like a brave adventurer. And to this day, she has my favourite design of any Player-Character in the series. (Screw the naysayers, I love her!) Which is why I find it so infuriating, how much the anime destroyed her character! In the anime, she basicly dislikes Pokemon and only takes on the trainer-route for travelling. Not to mention she is A FREAKING WUSS in the anime! She gets scared of every little thing happening. And is absolutely terrible as a trainer! Basicly the exact opposite, as she is in the games! And ultimately she was demoted to being Ash's tag-along, when she easily could've been the main character herself! I will come back to that later... And they did it to other characters as well. Such as Dawn or Serena! Who also easily could've been the main characters, but took on a much lesser role, that didn't do them justice at all! Or Maylene, who was first depicted as being absolutely useless as a Gym Leader, only growing capable under Ash's guidance. Or Korrina, who couldn't control Mega Evolution and was rather weak, when compared to the games, where she is the successor of her grandfather, who passed on the knowledge of Mega Evolution and passed it on to you. And considering that both Maylene and Korrina were my favourite Gym Leaders in the respective Gens, it breaks my heart to see them bastardized like this. And then they make terrible OCs like Max from the Gen 3. Did anyone even like this arrogant, obnoxious little piece of sh**?! And most of these bastardizations seem to happen, to give Ash more of a presence. This is where the "Fan Character Curse" part comes into play. For those of you who don't know: The "Fan Character Curse" is a phenomenon among fan-created works, mostly FanFictions. Where said fanworks feature canon characters, but make them weak or otherwise bastardize them, in order to promote their own Fan Characters. And as a result, completely negates the achievements and strength of the official characters, in said fanwork. This may be a phenomenon happening in fan-works most of the time. But Ash Ketchum is the prime example that even official characters can be guilty of this! Because seriously, the exact same thing is happening here! Many of the in-game characters are bastardized and/or are given a much less important role than they deserve, just to promote Ash! Which is why the anime feels like a badly written FanFiction most of the time! In honestly don't have anything else to say to this. There are other strange things about the anime, such as Ash constantly having human sidekicks (including two Gym Leaders in both Gen 1 and 2!). Why does he need them again...? And considering you always travel alone in the games, at least as far as humans are concerned, it just feels strange. But this isn't really bad, just strange. In any case, this is the end of my long essay. Summary So basicly, the anime doesn't fail completely. Expanding the world, seeing the Pokemon Wild Life, more competitions outside battling and action-packed Pokemon battles, are the things it does correctly! But the Canonical Errors, bad storytelling and character development, the random BS happening and the bastardization of characters from the games, is what makes it so unbearable! In my opinion it does far more things wrong, than correct! So for me "Pokemon Origins" remains as the only good Pokemon Anime series. It may be short and cut out a lot of criticial plot-points, to cram everything from Pokemon Red and Blue into 4 episodes. But what it did deliver, didn't disappoint at all! We saw Red starting out as a weakling, but he grew as a character, became champion and even caught Mewtwo in the end. These 4 episodes of Origins succeed, where 1000+ episodes of Pokemon Main Anime fail horribly! And I recently watched "Digimon Adventures 1 and 2" again. Since I had fond memories of them as well. And unlike the Pokemon Main Anime, they still hold up today. Simply because the Digimon-Anime takes their characters seriously. They grow and develop as characters and actually are given closure and a fitting end. It tells a good story, rather than being a 30 minutes advertisement. Seriously, I recommend the Digimon Anime series. They handle their characters so much better. So please give the Rival-Monsters a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised. And that is all I'm saying today. See ya! :D

[scrawnydutchman]

Top 10 favorite Youtubers/online entertainers

The internet has amassed a whole new generation of entertainment unforeseeable by previous decades. Nowadays the average joe can go from an untrained, self taught sketch artist to a mass recognized celebrity that regularly touches the hearts of millions of fans who check in on youtube everyday to see their latest content. Of course just like every medium of entertainment you get some stinkers who exploit some sort of algorithm in place or shoot to the top for content theft or straight up harassment of people in public, but we’re not gonna pay attention to that because frankly the internet is pretty negative by itself. This list is going to be comprised of my top 10 favorite online entertainers!

Now, let me set some ground rules before I go into this list; this list order is NOT NECESSARILY in order of objective quality. It’s more governed by how early I discovered these creators, how long I’ve been fans of their content, how regularly I check in on their channels, how often I rewatch their stuff, what kind of impact they had on me when I first discovered them, etc etc. Pretty well everybody featured on this list has a youtube channel and earned their claim to fame through there but that doesn’t mean they aren’t featured elsewhere as well. Also, being that I am an animator and overall Animation enthusiast (check out my youtube channel @TomboTime for my cartoons and follow me on twitter @Tomjvank) A few of these entries are very animation specific or at least benefit the animation community in some way. I’m not apologizing for this bias as I truely think Animation is the greatest art medium in the world, but just keep that in mind as we go through. Also, you can bet your ass I’ll be leaving links to their channels so you can check them out and subscribe if they sound interesting. Enough jibber jabber, let’s get started!

#10. Epic Rap Battles of History

You know this list is going to be good when we kick things off with the exceptionally talented comedic rap duo of Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD. One of the most highly viewed series of videos in the history of Youtube and rightfully so. An extraordinarily clever idea about pitting two historical and/or culturally important characters against each other executed beautifully through great costumes and props, progressively higher and higher production value and hilarious and clever lyrics written by the duo as well as collaborative recurring artists like Zach Sherwin and Dan Bull. These guys are great rappers, great lyricists, wonderful actors, great directors and overall just charming guys who you can tell put every fiber of their being into this wonderful series of comedic gold. They top themselves every season in production value and creative lyricism, and while not EVERY line of theirs is a winner and often times their videos can have something about them that doesn’t feel right, they are still undeniably some of the best entertainers around for whom I have nothing but respect for. Oh and uh, if you guys are reading this Peter and Lloyd, I humbly request that you guys do Robin Williams vs. George Carlin if you plan on making another season. It would make my life.

Here’s the link to their channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/ERB

and here’s a link to my all time favorite ERB video: Steven Spielberg vs. Alfred Hitchcock. I’m a tad biased being a film buff, but I love this video for it’s amazing constantly changing themes, great lyrics referencing the immense history of every director involved, a hilarious ending sequence and the INTENSE attention to detail when they pay homage to each of these directors by imitating their most frequently used camera angles and tricks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wYtG7aQTHA

#9. Jontron

The “Ech” man. The often imitated but never duplicated OG not-so-grump, Jon Jafari. Rather recently breaking the 3 million subscriber mark on his youtube channel (congratulations Jon). Jontron is well known for his excellent line delivery, deadpan expression, facetious demeanor and just shear wit represented in his stature and his video editing. He critiques video games as well as terrible movies, but let’s be honest; that’s not the real reason why we watch him. The real reason we watch him is because we just can’t wait to see what unpredictable response he’s going to have to whatever media he has put up for mockery. Jontron goes in unforeseeable directions with his humor all the time and it makes every video of his refreshing and new. And it never gets stale; his routine only gets better with him. I think he’s funnier now then he’s ever been before. I was heartbroken when he left the Game Grumps as all other fans at the time were, but I’m so glad he went in the creative direction that he did.

Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/JonTronShow

My favorite video of his would have to be his review of Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf. Particularly the moment where he gets bottles thrown at his head in slow motion and then immediately forgets what joke he was building up to. The guy is a champ who will do anything for a joke and goddam if it doesn’t make me squeal with laughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2zAR8vbfIw&t=389s

#8. ItsJustSomeRandomGuy

You remember those old Mac/PC commericals? Y’know the ones with the whole “Hi I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” bit? Well what if you took that premise, you replace the computer brands with Marvel and DC comics, and then you have one talented voice acting man deliver it using action figures? This is one of those premises you didn’t even know you wanted until it was explained to you. This channel has been entertaining viewers such as myself since 2007, near the dawn of Youtube, but unfortunately has suffered a lot of undeserved flack along the way. For one, now that the formatting of Youtube has changed quite a bit this channels old videos don’t fit the entire screen anymore and poor Micheal Agrusso has been trying to fix it for a while. For another, this HORRIBLY underrated channel only has a little over 170,000 subscribers despite it being one of the oldest channels around. If you want witty banter between iconic superheroes roasting each other over their cinematic releases, with dozens of unique and different characters expertly portrayed by just one man, as well as stunningly compelling storylines executed through use of action figures and an old camcorder, this channel is for you. Even with the incorrect video formatting on the older stuff I guarantee it’s a good time.

Link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ItsJustSomeRandomGuy

Not necessarily my favorite vid of his EVER but CERTAINLY a good place to start, check out his vid he made back when the latest releases were Watchmen and X-men Origins: Wolverine. All you need to know is that the guy completely NAILS his delivery as everyone’s favorite Merc with the Mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1R5PhReY5k

#7. The Rubber Onion

Here’s our first animation related entry and our first entertainers to broadcast themselves in the Podcast format. A couple of animators (Stephen Brooks and Rob Yulfo) shooting the shit and talking about life making cartoons and watching cartoons, as well as getting some titular guests from the industry including Tomm Moore, director of my favorite movie Song of the Sea , Don Bluth, creator of such classics as Secret of NIMH and and The Land Before Time, as well as a guest coming up later in this list (foreshadowing), these guys not only make stellar podcast hosts that ooze with charisma themselves but they also have very compelling chemistry with each other that’s entertaining to listen to. Chemistry between people is something I’m always really drawn to and has impacted a lot of my choices on this list. Now these guys have the smallest channel on the list with just under 6000 subscribers, so trust me when I say these guys deserve all the love they can get. As always, here’s a link to their channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/rubberonion

And if you got 3 hours to kill, why not listen to their hilarious halloween special where they go over some “animation horror stories” with many of their guests from 2016? It’s a roller coaster of emotions, some are hilarious, some are uncomfortable, and some you might wanna skip if you’re squeamish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ-GPtusFOI

#6. HotDiggedyDemon

First animator on our list and one I have no shame in saying is quite possibly the most talented and exceptional on the site of Youtube! You can tell that creator Max Gilardi LOVES cartoons, not just by his medium of choice but by the familiar tones they carry from some of the most classic tv shows and movies that ever aired. He’s got stills that remind me of those close-up grossout gags from Spongebob, he’s got some wild off model expressions like Ren and Stimpy, he has dark and gritty off the wall humor that feels like Invader Zim amped up to eleven and he has thick linework and character design that remind me of all the great Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network greats. The man can do it all and always puts in a tremendous amount of attention to detail to all his work that does NOT go unappreciated. The man is just shy of a million subscribers on his channel which, for independent animators in this day and age is quite impressive. I say that because due to a change in the Youtube promotion algorithm animators are unfortunately handicapped as a result of not being able to produce long form content and a daily basis and therefore can’t compete with Let’s Players and vloggers, despite undeniably being some of the most talented creators on the site. Luckily, Max had the clever idea of producing “Brain Dump”, a weekly series of movie and tv show reviews he puts together while integrating both 2d and 3d animation alike to keep every episode as appealing to look at as any of his cartoons, which are also packed with witty dialogue and dark gritty implications. It’s propelling his steady climb to a million subs and I say more power to him!

link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/hotdiggedydemon

By far my favorite video of his is “The Greatest Idea ever!” Not necessarily his most well animated (in fact it’s very crude in comparison to his newer stuff), this is a toon close to my heart that is ALL in the delivery. It has a hilarious premise, great buildup, a nice sense of suspense and a hilarious payoff. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAr-6VliDBU

#5. TeamFourStar

Y’know, Dragonball is cool and everything, I’m not denying that, but . . . what if we took the most well known attributes of every character, amplified them to a million and integrated hella witty dialogue throughout the whole thing? That’s what you get when you see TeamFourStar’s brilliantly hilarious abridged series of Dragonball Z. These phenomenally skilled voice actors of Takahata101, Kaiserneko, Lanipator and other guest stars are some of the most comedically brilliant people around on the internet. Fight me on this, I dare you. Every episode of their abridged series (including the movie specials, ESPECIALLY the movie specials) are jam packed with effective line after effective line after effective line. They pump out more hilarious material then an entire room of SNL writers, it’s unfathomable. Usually creators track records have blemishes here and there, it sort of comes naturally for creative people, but I can’t think of a single TeamFourStar vid I ever watched that wasn’t just jam packed with great jokes. By the way, their Hellsing Abridged series is hella funny too, but is significantly cruder and off colour in comparison. they more then deserve their fanbase of over 2 million subscribers.

Link to their channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TeamFourStar

My favorite special of theirs has to be their movie special of Super Android 13. Friend and fellow youtuber  of TFS Lyle Mcdouchebag put it best in saying it’s “Pound for pound the funniest video TFS has ever done”. Also this episode guest stars the also greatly talented Mick Lauer, better known as RicePirate as Android 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH3X2U9t2P0&t=3s

#4. Jacksfilms

Jack Douglass is an exceptionally hard working man. Reading thousands of comments for his daily series YIAY, coming up with original content every week like PMS and YGS, and on some occasions spending days on end editing together huge collaboration videos. It’s a wonder how he pulls it off, but man does it ever deliver. He pretty much always has a clever method on hand for making the current algorithm work for him, and what’s more I appreciate him giving support to Animators along the way, particularly RageNineteen with whom he frequently collabs with. Also he’s made some of the most on point and hilarious satire on the site. It’s just too bad his fiancee (congrats Jack) is funnier them him (sick burn). It took him some time to build up his channel to 2 million subs but I’m glad he finally got what he deserves and then some.

Link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jacksfilms

For a video to check out I GREATLY recommend YGS 100. It’s an hour long of youtuber collaborations (chances are your favorite is featured) reading some of the worst grammar the internet has to offer. It’s the video Jack put the most love, sweat and tears into and it’s a great waste of your time. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEmPk7uAQ34&t=70s

#3. Game Grumps

Once upon a time in 2012 an unexpected coupling of internet entertainers happened. Arin “Egoraptor” Hanson and Jon “Jontron” Jafari. I was well aware of who each of them were at the time but had no idea they were even aware of each others existence, and so naturally I had to check out how they worked together as a duo. They complimented each other greatly with off the wall humor and giggly antics that made you feel like you were right there with him playing some Goof Troop. Eventually Jon decided to leave to pursue his own creative goals in New York and was replaced by the lovable, charming and downright hilarious Dan Avidan (more commonly known as Danny Sexbang), the one half of Ninja Sex Party. What followed was over 3 years of hilariousness, down to earth moments between the two that resulted in some of the hardest moments I’ve ever laughed in my life. They’ve been quickly evolving with all sorts of spinoff shows as well as guest stars (one of which is a later entry in this list) and amassing over 3 million subscribers and countless sold out shows across the states and bits of Canada. They have exceptional improv talent and a charm that keeps them going. Not to mention they are a frequent employer of talented animators whom they get to animate some of their most hilarious moments, which I highly commend them for. Anything that gives talented people work is okay in my book (well . . maybe not anything, but GG certainly).

Link to their channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9CuvdOVfMPvKCiwdGKL3cQ

If you want a dosage of everything great about the grumps, watch this first part of their Wind Waker playthrough. Wind Waker is one of their best examples of just how goddam funny they are so I can’t recommend it enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjShcaf9jOY

#2. Super Best Friends Play

I just love everything about these guys. I love their chemistry. I love how ernest they are. I love how smart they are. I love how witty they are. I love Matt’s derailing one liners and his perpetual Simpsons references. I love Pat and his proneness to anger as well as his deadpan delivery. I love Woolie and his exceptional knowledge on gaming and insightful commentary on what makes a game or movie interesting. And I love Liam (who will be missed) and his sudden but explosive wit that leaves the rest of the room dying with laughter. These guys are everything I love about the Game Grumps, only they’ve been around for way longer (and I’ve been a fan off them way longer) and they tackle way more then just games. They do entertaining podcasts, streams, and their skits are delightfully awkward. They’re just immensely charming dudes who did the premise of a comedic gaming duo before the Grumps made it cool. Plus they give talented animators frequent work, most notably 2snacks. They promote independent games and developers and often times play huge parts in their success (like Shovel Night, T.E.C 3001 and Skullgirls). They may have less then a million subscribers, but make no mistake: they are absolutely the hypest gameplay on youtube (also they’re the whole reason I say “hype”).

Link to their channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSw1tcher

My favorite video of theirs is their bloopers/outtakes of Punch-out (a blooper reel of another video they released on Machinima). I can’t help but get caught up in their giggly attitude and, quite honestly, the jokes they come up with here are way funnier then anything they put in the official release (but the official release is still really funny).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOwQXNxcRRM

before we get to number one, here are some honorable mentions: Ten Second Songs, Peanutbuttergamer, The Rageaholic, The Nostalgia Critic, JelloApocalypse, Rooster Teeth, Ninja Sex Party, Egoraptor.

#1. Harry Partridge

All of my entries are people who have greatly entertained me over the years, but only one has impacted my life in a way I would never undo. Here we have the man who inspired me to take up animation as a career and to whom I owe for everything I know and all the success I’ve had thus far; Harry Partridge. Harry Partridge is a masterful 2d hand drawn animator with stunning angles, fluid character motion, great lighting, theater like poses that read so incredibly well and sort of a disney afternoon or 80s ninja turtles-esque charm with a dark adult twist. I’ve always admired his work and immense skill not just in animating, but in directing, writing, music and voice acting. He’s a jack of all trades and always has high value in everything he does, even if he doesn’t update nearly as frequently as he would like. His online animation tutorial series “Happy Harry’s Hu-Ha 2 How To’s” , is tremendously helpful in that it allowed me to see for myself how truly easy and accessible animation is for someone like me in a very humorous way. I have the utmost respect for this guy, and when he complimented my demo reel on twitter I fanboyed like you wouldn’t believe.

anyway, here’s a link to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HarryPartridge

and here’s a link to my favorite cartoon of his, “Irving the Socially Awkward Bee”. It’s definitely not his best in animation quality or sound or anything like that; it’s very crude. But much like HotdiggedyDemon’s “The Greatest Idea Ever!“ it’s all in the execution. It’s a hilarious joke that makes me bust a gut every time I see that poorly drawn bee gently float on screen. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m353UIbP5cU

so there you have it. My top 10 favorite online entertainers. I hope you enjoyed it, either because some of your favorites made the list or because you want to get into some great new content. I promise all of these channels are worth a look.

[survivormyanmar-blog]

Ep. #4 - “No King Reins Forever” - Linus

The contestants were given their next challenge which is the Selfie Scavenger Hunt and were advised they are playing for INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY.  Both tribes went to work (some members trying harder than others) to find the items on the list.  When it came down to it Brett won by a landslide for the fans and Ashley won slightly over Amanda for the favorites.  Amanda immediately regretted not using her challenge advantage this round which would have got her the win.  With Tribal looming, the Fans were calm and all agreed to take out the inactive and unpredictable player in Carlos.  Meanwhile on the Favorites Tribe,  the majority alliance of Jay, Steffen, Ashley, Ting Ting, and Tommy were trying to decide whehter to take out Gaston or Sam.  The majority seemed to want to take out Sam but with Tommy’s refusal to accept that decision the vote was changed to Gaston.  Gaston’s social prowess was almost enough to save him but he may have been too social for his own good and was voted out 7-2 with Amanda being the only one to vote with him..

Additional Thoughts - 12/5/16 So the morning after the paintball competition, I had a thought. Now I promise, swear beyond all reason that my performance in the paintball challenge was not an attempt to throw the challenge. I shot at TING TING, a player sitting out of the challenge because I had pre-loaded a shot at STEFFEN, he ended up shooting before me, so I changed my shot, but with the flurry of paintballs coming, I panicked and had to think of a name, any name, and the only one I could think of was TING TING! It was a mess! What a waste! And then I was taken out early for failing to dodge the 3rd of a series of 3 bullets. After the challenge was over, we were very proud of KEEGAN and LINUS but also talking a lot about how threatening CHRISTIAN was (as well as TOMMY and STEFFEN to lesser extents) for being Favorites that lasted so long in the challenge. And then it struck me–it can benefit you to suck at some challenges when the opposition has eyes on your performance. I look very non-threatening right now. Even though CARLOS screwed me by calling me the leader, I had by far the worst performance in the paintball challenge by shooting people that weren’t there and being taken out in the first 30 minutes. For this upcoming challenge, I am going to give it my best because I want to keep immunity out of the hands on CARLOS and LEAH. I fucked up so bad last time that if I were to win this one, it wouldn’t do much to erase how I did last time. Plus it’d be nice to have won something before my inevitable vote off from the game. Gotta leave with some accomplishment, right? Meanwhile, I advised both KEEGAN and LINUS, two individuals who I like and want around that it might be in their best interest to divebomb the challenge. If KEEGAN or LINUS were to crush it, they’d make even larger targets for themselves in the favorite’s eyes. I know that’d be good for me in the short-term to have two big threats ahead of me, but I need KEEGAN in this game. He keeps me sane, he’s very similar to me, and even if I were to be betrayed by KEEGAN, I’d vote for him to win. LINUS I want around too. If we swapped, I’d much rather push whoever survives between CARLOS, LEAH, and even NEHE to be bait for the Favorites. In other news, NEHE continues to show ineptitude and a lack of social grace. He’s developed a bond with LEAH for no reason. He’s showing paranoia about LINUS and his friendship with ADRIAN for no reason. He’s prioritizing all of the wrong things and he keeps alluding to wanting to shake things up for the sake of keeping things interesting. I can’t have that kind of loose cannon around, but I can’t do anything about it until we swap (if we swap) because going after NEHE would spook other players in my alliance such as KRYSTEN. I’m full on ready to replace NEHE with LINUS, but it’s not smart for me to do so yet. I talked the situation out with KEEGAN to use him as a sounding board and he agreed with me. We have to keep NEHE in line.

anyway I’d say that my chances at winning the challenge are slim, but I have some time to work back in with the tribe. I’m not panicked just yet.

I don’t know what it is about having individual immunity challenges while the tribe phase is still in tact, but it does highlight and pinpoints those who will be threats to me down the line. Meaning…. I gotta slit their throats before they can sense it coming >:)

https://youtu.be/UFze2L1xfPo Sorry its long and kinda boring just had to say the things I planned on saying but obvi it was with less enthusiasm then when i thought it 2 days ago

anyway things are super quiet right now in terms of game. I was trying to get something out of Steffen but he didn’t give me a lot. Maybe tomorrow we’re just gonna scramble all damn day which is fine with me. HOWEVER, I am going to try to get a picture of a cave. stay tuned.

I’ve been pretty much bed-ridden because I’m so damn sick the past twenty four hours, so I know I’m not going to get immunity and won’t be safe at tribal council. Hopefully my alliance stays solid another vote and we can get out either Gaston or Christian, otherwise I’m definitely nervous.

Well.  I’m feeling comfortable this round.  I don’t think I’ll win the challenge, but I truly think The Official Five will stick together again for this vote.  We need to enter any kind of swap or merge with numbers so that a Fan can have a chance of winning.

I hate owens. all owen. the freaking guy ran away from me like what the heck. but anyways LOVE ASHLEY! like thanks for winning immunity you’re great and you the bomb.com. but yeah cool about to be a cave bitch again time to have fun…

So I lost immunity like obviously. Surprised at the many of people who went to the cave. Truly would love to get a chance to find something in their that may help my game. As I stated before I hate easy votes but Carlos made ti so easy not doing the challenge and all. He is going home tomorrow night just gotta lay low and let everyone do their thing.

So I won the scavenger hunt and got immunity for this round! It is pretty great, I am excited to just sit back and relax for the first time like ever. I just have to watch and make sure certain people don’t get brought up to go home. I really just started talking to Gaston and I really like him, he really just wants to be a part of something so I am going to try and utilize that without using him as just another vote. Down the line I am thinking of maybe bringing him into an alliance with someone else I really trust, like Steffen or Tommy or something, depending on the circumstances of course. Bit thank god I have emus living around here. And I even got to spend some much needed time with the sweetest beagle on the planet. Soooo I am content.

Oh and the names Owen and Trevor mUsT NoT FREAKING EXIST IN MAINE. LITERALLY NO WALMART OR ANY PLACE I WALKED INTO HAD EMPLOYEES NAMED TREVOR AND OWEN. KXKDHDISJD

Oh also that damn hot air balloon. I live in Maine. It is December. How could you have wanted this from me?

Brett won the scavenger hunt immunity for our tribe, which is great. The official fives goal is to vote out Carlos and him getting a strike in the challenge makes it even easier for us. However, Nehe has been saying things that are starting to raise some questions between Brett and myself. Such as wanting things to be more exciting and questioning whether a vote will be easy despite us having the majority. He seems to be wanting this to be more grandiose than it has been. I don’t think it’s something to address right away but going forward I need to keep a close on eye him and make a move before he can.

So it seems like we might be saving Gaston this vote and voting out Sam instead, which I have some mixed feelings about. It’s not that I have anything against Gaston, but Sam and I are friends and have known each other for a while now, so I’m definitely going to feel guilty as hell about it. I already do and we haven’t even done it. On the other hand, I know Sam. I’ve hosted him and I drafted him in his first main season. I know how he plays. In the long term, it just isn’t realistic to play with him. If I’m using this second chance to win - and God knows I am - then I’m going to have to vote him out sooner or later. And with Sam, it should probably be sooner because I know he would do the same to me and won’t hold it against me. I hope he’ll appreciate the move. If you’re reading this, Sam, I’m sorry.

OKAY I HATE MYSELF SO SO MUCH IF I HAD USED MY ADVANTAGE I LITERALLY WOULD HAVE FUCKING WON I SPENT THE ENTIRE DAY FINDING SHIT UGH ANYWAYSSSS So Jay was talking to me and said she thinks we’re gonna swap to three tribes and that we need to get a big threat out like Gaston or Sam  and i was like: http://i.imgur.com/GUdWvEp.png I can’t have Gaston leave right now he’s like my rock. I know he’s smart, I know he could be a threat in the future but i’d literally cry if he left right now. He’s the only person who FULLY talks game with me that I believe (cause lord knows i dont fully trust Jay) and as much as I love Steffen to death he likes to sugar coat things and  beat around the bush and it makes me wary. SOOOOOOO Jay continued on saying that Ashley had actually suggested Sam so I ran with the Sam idea to get the heat off Gaston and Jay said she agreed. and just as a confirmation Steffen told me a bit later that Jay was also telling him Sam was the plan. So i’m hoping this STAYS THE PLAN. If it backfires or changes and i lose someone i need ill literally cry. Oh i also started talking to Ashley quite a bit. Shes a ton of fun I like her.   OMG AND GASTON SAID HE’S PLAYING UP THE UPSET CARD TO JAY ABOUT THE VOTE LAST WEEK AND TELLING HER HOW NO ONE TALKS TO HIM MEANWHILE ME AND HIM ARE CHILLING LIKE SPONGEBOB AND PATRICK https://i.imgur.com/8s8HN5C.gif?noredirect I found that funny but no one else probably will lmfaoo anyways im gonna leave it at that! Wooo

You know that time where everyone just tells you what the vote is, and you have little to no idea who the recipient of the vote is….. yeah…. that’s me this voting cycle.

So, I’ve been busy these past few days so I guess it’s time for a confessional. First off the cave. When I was at the cave I found a flashlight and a body of water. As luck should have it, Keegan just so happened to get some swimming gear and found a dark corridor, so if I get back to the cave Im def going to take the path he did. For the challenge I fucked up because I had no time, but maybe thats good with the swap being on everybody’s mind right now since doing well here might make me look like a threat. Everything Im hearing atm is that Carlos is going home, so cool beans on that if it worked. Im a bit sketched out though because Brett told me that I’d “probably be getting my signature one vote”! Like, gee, thanks man, Im glad you have my back when it comes to trying to keep votes off of me. I know it doesn’t really matter since like, Carlos probs doesn’t have the idol, but still. Whatever, Brett may be king for now, but no king reigns forever. Others haven’t even spoken to me about the vote, so it could possibly be me tonight, but I don’t think it will be since I’ve been pushing that I want to keep our original tribe strong at the merge. Although I say that I want the tribe strong, I’ve finally decided fuck it, I play the hero stick to the alliance guy every single game, Im ready to be a villain if these people can’t even pretend like Im in the loop. This stems back to my last 2 games I’ve played too I think where I really saw first hand that no good deed goes unpunished. So if I can’t be good and win, let me be evil. I have 0 loyalty to any of these people besides maybe Drew. I’ve gotta try and play this careful though because I really have no idea how to be villainous since it’s usually just not in me haha. I’m gonna keep up the friendly persona now obviously because Im not a moron. It’s like that quote from Hamlet “One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”

Day 9 So I know I told KEEGAN and LINUS to calm down with the challenge strength only to completely dominate at the challenge myself when I knew the Favorites would take notice, but I’m pretty sure I’m on their radar already and my performance in the paintball competition will probably still be at the forefront of their minds. I just REALLY wanted one individual win before I get eliminated. We’re one fan down if we head into a swap on Day 10, so I figured I’d swing for the fences in regards to the challenge. It was a lot of embarrassing fun competing in that scavenger hunt. There’s nothing more humbling than asking a Target employee where you can find Crocs–easily the low point of my life. I haven’t stepped into an American Eagle since my junior year of high school. I haven’t been to a Chili’s in 10 years at least. I knew that I would have access to most of the things on the list because I work in a hotel with hundreds of employees with nametags, I have access to all of the retail Los Angeles and Orange County has to offer, I have a car, and I don’t need my mother’s permission to leave the house after 8 p.m. I knew I had this in the bag. What I didn’t anticipate is that I’d even blow the Favorites out of the water, too. That’s a bit scary. But I’m pretty sure this is the only challenge that I’ll be skilled at, so oh well! Tonight’s vote is also a slam dunk, but it’s the most difficult trigger to pull. CARLOS is one of the people I have bonded with the most and very early on, but his inactivity and unavailability has been grating on the tribe, myself included. He can be in my squad whenever, wherever, but his function in my game is basically over. I would much much much rather eliminate LEAH, someone who has been insecure and useless to me since the beginning–my doubts about her are WELL-documented, but I’m not going to waste my social capital trying to keep CARLOS in the game. If I did, it would just prove to everyone that I am trying to be leader. If we don’t swap tomorrow, LEAH is the new target. NEHE will have to deal with that. But hopefully if we don’t swap, we can pull out a win and tie things up.

Jay and Steffen are saying the vote is flipping back to Gaston and im so MAAAAAD ugh this game sucks PLEASE lord gimme a tribe swap

I have to get on a flight and I won’t be available until right after votes are casted. I really hope Leah goes home. This is the first time I have even remotely suggest a name and I simply hope it doesn’t backfire.

Either tonight it’s Gaston or Sam going, I think. For some reason I have a feeling there’s got to be AT LEAST one other alliance out there so I’m preparing for the worst. I don’t want it to be me so of course I’m gonna say I heard my name when I didn’t so people will be less likely to “blindside” me if they think I’m suspicious of something being up. If nobody is plotting on getting me out what’s the worst it can do? I’m basically just trying to survive until I’m a part of a new tribe, and make new connections while keeping my old ones intact so I have options come  a merge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5YAns620Qo

okay so steffen and i have both said nothing to gaston and like he HAS to know it’s him. but we don’t know what to say because i’m not trying to be RUDE?! so we’re just mulling over it idk i need to study for my pchem final or i might die