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gleefullypolin · 8 months ago

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Bridgerton Season 3 Review

Ok I sat on it for 24 hours. Watched the episodes about 4 times through...I won't say how many times I've watched the carriage scene because it is an obscene amount of times! So we'll skip that. Either way I'm more focused on the fact I LOVED so much that I don't hate much. in fact why oh why is everyone so focused on parts they hate? I love what we were given in 4 episodes. I wish we could have 22 episodes, but alas we were not so I will cherish what I have. But I guess that's not what I'm here to talk about.

I'll start with the part that EVERYONE seems focused on...

Things I didn't like. (cause damn is anyone ever happy anymore?)

Too many subplots! damn...it was all over the place for a while. While I like the Mondrich's I tired of them quickly. It felt like there was too much of it. And I just didn't need to keep going back to it. Yes you're in society, no you don't want to be. Ok I get it.

Split season - I hate this format. I thought it would be good to have a break in between and I’m cursing it because it ruins the flow and I don’t ever want to do this again! Part 2 YOU MUST MAKE HASTE

But yes that's all I hated.....I said there wasn't a lot. Because I truly didn't hate this season!

Things I didn’t love or hate

Fran – I haven’t read her book so I was taken by her story with John. They were sweet. It took me a moment to get into what was going on. I loved her scene with Pen. I like that she was nervous and unsure where to go or what to do and that John was a serene moment for her. It seems sweet but again…a subplot that felt like it was taking up too much time in this season that needed its own season to ruminate on.

Ben – color me still confused on what they are doing with Ben’s story. I am still waiting for them to figure it out. I love Ben, I love his sweet nature and his giddiness but I am still not sure what they are trying to do with him and again, wasn’t sure what was going on.

Debling – Ok so why is he here. Well quite simply because I didn’t hate him. He wasn’t awful. He was very nice and lovely to Pen. I was very happy when she finally told him she didn’t like grass. That line alone was adorable. But the part I didn’t love was in the pieces where he was going away for 3 years, and he expected her to be there to take care of his home and yet have no other attachments, and no love. He quite clearly told her he had no space for love. He had many other things and was a busy man, so love was not really on his agenda. Yet he expected her to remove that from her life and have no attachments. I am happy he released her because he knew she had an attachment already and couldn’t be a woman with none, but I thought that was pretty harsh to expect a lonely woman. So to me Colin was right, he was too particular.

Things I thought worked well!

Sending Kate and Anthony on Honeymoon – I get it. Everyone wants to see them, but I felt they needed to go because the space was already crowded enough with everyone else’s stories, so to set up the season, something needed to go.

Surprisingly Cressida and Eloise – It gave some depth to Cressida I wasn’t expecting. I still hate her, do NOT get me wrong. It gave depth and I felt sorry for her but damn she’s still gross and not my cup of tea. She’s still out to get Pen at every turn and she’s quick to be evil regardless of knowing better. Evil parents be damned, I don’t care for her. I did looove how she turned the gossip piece on El when she wasn’t the one who spoiled the news about Pen/Colin and it was actually El who did it. I thought that was a great learning moment for El.

The Brothel scenes – I KNOW I KNOW! Shoot me, tar me, boil me. Whatever, fandom curse on me. I thought they worked and were needed. I felt they did a great job with Colin and showing that he went away to become this society man or what society expected of him. His façade that he pushed and portrayed demanded him to play this part and he played it well. And it ate at him. And the two scenes could not have been more different if they had tried. It was a turning point, the breaking point in his armor and they did a great job with it.

Cocky Colin/Colin with his Buddies Scene - I know many hated this Colin, but I love this facade he played with because it wasn't our Colin and we were supposed to see that, because we didn't get our Colin until he was with Pen more. That was the whole damn point. But I truly loved the scene with Colin and the assholes at the bar. Where he so clearly called them out and realized that the whole charade was simply that and what was the entire point, because he couldn't find it anymore. Kudos to Luke, it was a great scene and the period was added when he shunned them at the Queen's ball.

Violet/Colin Staircase Moment – Really great moment between mother and son. The whole time I kept saying, damn is anyone going to notice that Colin is spiraling. Mom is really focused on her daughter, but no one seems to notice that Colin is a mess. Colin points out to El that Pen has no father to guide her, well neither does Colin! Another point of showing that Pen really is his anchor and without that he is adrift. But this scene was beautifully done as she finally called out to him and sent him in the right direction.

Colin’s change after the kiss – This was really before Debling was in the picture. He was really there following her like a lost puppy from the start, but any suitor he was very interested in how she felt about them but his interest started to change after the kiss. The scene under the tree was very nervous energy, very off his Axis from what we had scene from his bravado in any other scene so far and this was from ONE KISS. He was Colin again.

Eloise – Oh how I was so back and forth with my tears between Pen and El and Colin. My God my heartstrings. I was angry then sad then torn. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in episode 5. Am I angry, excited, freaking terrified at what is coming next. Probably all of the above. But they really played with our emotions and I’m just not sure how I feel yet so more to come on this.

Things I adored!!

Chaos Colin – Bribing a maid for alone time at night, sneaking off with head nods at balls, meeting under the shade of a tree, sneaking off to the drawing room to set up a pretend ball, flirting with your bestie at the market while recounting your first meeting, chasing after her everywhere she goes, eye fucking her in front of the entire ballroom while trying to get your damn thoughts to catch up, fucking interrupting a goddamn dance to tell her not to marry someone, chasing a carriage down in the middle of the Queens ball to make sure she didn’t get married, ravaging her like the Queen she was in the carriage, and then damn proposing like a madman! I mean….I’ll take that every day!

Penelope Fucking Featherington You Queen– Our pining came from the Bridgerton side this year, not Penelope. For most of this season, she stood her ground, she had her purpose and she went for her plan and stuck to it. She has been in love with Colin Bridgerton since she graced our screen and he was staring her down like a madman and she stayed her course. You go girl!

The Featheringtons– Most of my fun came from their scenes. I could have peed myself when they asked what got inserted. But their scenes were hilarious, and I truly enjoyed the comedy they added. I am anxiously awaiting the Colin/Portia scene in Part 2 because Mama has got hers coming. I was up and down with her and ready to beat her by end of episode 4. I cannot wait to see where this goes.

The Carriage Scene – Did you really think it would not be on here? Because hot holy damn. Nicola winning the battle to touch his hair was so important because Pen did in the book, and it set off fireworks. Did you see the way he watched her like he was marveling at her reaction. Like it was air just to see what he was doing to her. I mean if you’ve read the book you know he likes that and it’s something he quite enjoys, well show Colin enjoys it too, that and biting her lip. But the laughing after…that’s where I live now. That was Pen and Colin and everything I wanted to see. It was perfection! And his face after, his resolve to marry her, Luke put that all out there in 5 seconds, you could see him walk through that decision in his head and then the line was delivered masterfully and here we are now needing to sit for a month to wait to see what fresh hell and heaven await.

And I AM READY FOR IT!

#polin #bridgerton s3 #bridgerton spoilers

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thatsmytrunks · 1 year ago

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Fred's Games of the Year 2023 List

This year I kept a list of every game I played

Games I finished in 2024

Super Mario 64

This was the year I got back into speedrunning Super Mario 64. I went to a local brewery with some friends and saw they had a Nintendo 64 hooked up with a copy of Super Mario 64, so I told my friends I could beat it in under 30 minutes. With some beer in me, it took around 35. I decided to take some time this year to get that under 30, and I succeeded. It was fun to get back to playing on original hardware, and I even set up a whole streaming station using an old PVM.

Super Mario 64 CoOp

sm64ex-coop is a branched modification of the Super Mario 64 decompilation project that allows you to use online netplay to play Super Mario 64 with friends, cooperatively. It’s a blast, and every time I played it with a different group of friends, we’d play until we got to 16 stars, and then I’d inevitably try to beat the game there. Totally worth looking into as it’s real easy to get up and running.

Destiny 2: Lightfall

Lightfall’s campaign is a wild low point for the franchise. After last year’s Witch Queen campaign knocked it completely out of the park, and where Season of the Seraph left the world narratively, hopes and expectations for Lightfall were in the stratsophere.

Lightfall was fun but the narrative was a trash fire. I’ve spent 8 years up to this point playing Destiny, getting invested in the characters and world, and Destiny’s world is coming to a fever pitch in the opening of Lightfall, with the biggest bad knocking on our door. But Lightfall treats this situation, which has earned the severity of its weight and the right to be taken seriously over these last 8 years, as an 80’s action comedy with montages and quips all throughout. Couple this with the introduction of The Veil without any explanation of what it is or why it’s important with the ending that we have failed, and you get a recipe that makes your playerbase so soured that it’s no wonder they missed 45% of their projections.

All of this is sad to see, but at the same time, Destiny’s in the best state it’s ever been. The core loop is still a blast, grinding has been minimized, and they’ve streamlined a little more of the onboarding process for new players by bringing back some of the previously vaulted campaign missions with some slight tweaks to make them fresh.

All told, I’m still excited for The Final Shape next year. The future of Destiny has yet to be written.

Chaos;Head NoaH

Chaos;Head NoaH is another entry in the Science Adventure series, which I have a lot of love for since playing Steins;Gate. I wish I’d played Chaos;Head NoaH before playing Chaos;Child, but that’s not how they released in the west. I think that really soured my time with the game since I knew a lot of what was going on behind the scenes. I don’t have a lot to say about NoaH, but it was pretty alright.

myhouse.wad

I can’t say too much about myhouse.wad without spoiling myhouse.wad. It’s a small experience built off of Doom II that does some really creative things in that engine. If you haven’t heard about it, grab gzDoom and Doom II and go download the game from this forum thread.

There’s so many videos of the game and about the game out there, but I would really encourage you to play it for yourself first. I think the absolute best way to play myhouse.wad is over a Discord call while some friends who have already played it watch you experience it. It’s a really wonderful communal experience.

Vampire Survivors (100%)

Vampire Survivors kicks ass, y’all. I 100%’d it early in the year, and was excited to do so again when it released on Nintendo Switch. Not a lot more to say about the game than what has been said by many before, but it’s a wonderful way to make time disappear while the numbers get bigger.

Mother 3

I’ve talked a lot about Mother 3 this year, but more importantly, I finally finished it. It’s a very difficult game that has a story that is warm and sad, and is absolutely inspirational. Here’s my thoughts from when I finished it:

I finally finished my years-in-the-making playthrough of MOTHER 3 last night. I usually gush about the games that I love and have tons to say, but I don't really have much to talk about after having finished this one.

The game's a masterpiece, tells a great story, has so many wonderful moments, is wildly huge and varied, and has a hell of a surprise at the 11th hour. I'd recommend it to most anyone, though with the caveat that I think the game's incredibly challenging. Maybe throw on a cheat or two for a couple of the very hard encounters.

I started this attempted (and successful!) playthrough in the beginning of 2022, after finally having finished EarthBound. I got to the end of Chapter 3 and set it down. A few months later, I lost my mom to lung cancer. I'm still messed up from it, which I think is pretty normal. When I started up Chapter 4 earlier this month, I got hit like a sack of bricks. The game had a time skip between the chapters, where I'd taken a break. The main character for the chapter, Lucas, is reminded of his mother constantly, with occasional flashbacks to the times when she was alive. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I almost put the game back down, but ultimately I'm really glad I didn't.

One last, unexpected thing. Finishing MOTHER 3 has given me a different context for other works I've enjoyed, almost like learning a new language for appreciating them. For example, Undertale and Deltarune have some references that completely flew over my head before, and now I fully get them, and get to appreciate them all over again.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom might be the perfect adventure game. I’ve never had a game that has made me want to explore it so thoroughly, creating small quests for myself to go and climb this thing, go map that thing, go craft this ridiculous machine, etc etc. It is without question the best Zelda game ever made, and I loved it in its entirety. That story was so affecting, and the ending was incredibly satisfying. I only wish it ran at a smooth framerate at a higher resolution. Maybe on the next release of Nintendo Hardware.

OFF

Toby Fox asked me, “did you ever play OFF?”

I said “No, should I?”

He said “Yeah probably.”

So over the course of the week, sketches scribbled across sticky notes and scratch paper, I played the 2008 French RPG Maker horror game, OFF. It was an incredibly satisfying experience to beat the game without guides. I’ve had the horrifying soundtrack on my phone ever since and listen to it any time I want to be put in a very weird mood. I’d recommend playing it, and there’s a free English translation, so grab that.

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is the only game in memory that I’ve played a demo, then went to the store and immediately picked up the game. I was so blown away by the game’s bombastic visuals and presentation that I just wanted to see more and more of it. The combat was so much fun, Ben Starr’s voice for Clive was so sonically soothing, and the story had just enough curiosity to it to drive me to buy my first $70 video game at retail price.

The joy of that game continued for the first 2/3rds, then the sheen fell all the way off. The fetch quests became boring, the story became convoluted, and at some point I just wished it would be over. And when it was, I was so throroughly unsatisfied with its conclusion that it soured the previous 60 hours.

I’ll revisit FFXVI some day if they put out some satisfying story DLC with a PC port, but for now I’m going to look at it as the game that almost had something to say.

If you have played the game, I’d really recommend listing to this episode of Abnormal Mapping with Austin Walker, as he put into words all the feelings I had and so much more.

Sonic Origins Plus

For years I’ve asked for Sonic 1/2/3K/CD on modern platforms in the Retro Engine, and finally we have that. After the Plus expansion and the last round of bug fixes, I think Sonic Origins Plus is now the best Official way to play these games. I played through all four games 100% while on my trip to Japan in July this year, halfway through picking up a 6-Button Sega Mega Drive controller from the Nintendo Store (weird times we live in). I’d never gotten all the time stones in Sonic CD, but thanks to the retry function they added and the removal of lives, that game became a delight to wander and explore. It’s a shame they don’t give you an option to disable the timer, which is the only problem left with Sonic CD’s focus on discovery.

If you can pick up Sonic Origins Plus for less than $30, I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re on PC or have modified hardware, maybe check out the decompilation projects of Sonic 1 & 2, and Sonic CD, and download Sonic 3 AIR.

Super Mario RPG

Weirdly enough, I’ve never finished Super Mario RPG. I’ve been trying to take more time to fill out my video game lexicon and play games that I’d never gotten around to, and this was the year for Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo.

I love how much this game did to tell a warm story with such expressive characters with the hardware of the era. It’s amazing just how many sprites they used and the way they made them act. Keeping Mario as a silent protagonist who has to tell stories to people through miming it out is so charming.

The battle system is fun and satisfying, the characters are hilarious, the music is wonderful, and best of all, it’s short. I’m excited to give the Nintendo Switch version a run through next year.

Anonymous;Code

Anonymous;Code is, as the semicolon gives it away, another game in the SciAdv series, this one being the latest at the time of publication. It follows a hacker who discovers they have the ability to literally save and load the world, enabling an incredibly fascinating method of time travel. There’s not a ton I can say about the game without giving too much away, but it’s a real 10/10 and the shortest visual novel I think I’ve ever played, clocking in my 100% playthrough at about 17 hours. It’s also a visual treat with their implementation of Live2D. If you’ve never played a SciAdv game I’d certainly recommend the original Steins;Gate first, but this game stands on its own beautifully.

The Police Mystery

The Police Mystery is a thinly veiled fetish game about giant women. It’s not good but it sure was fun to play with Xalavier Nelson Jr on stream. Wouldn’t recommend playing it or watching it. I probably shouldn’t even bring it up.

Also there’s no mystery.

Muv-Luv Extra, Muv-Luv Unlimited, & Muv-Luv Alternative

I started playing Muv-Luv on a whim and fell down a rabbit hole and I think I want out.

Muv-Luv Extra is a pretty rout Dating Sim about a jerk of a main character who has a bunch of girls fawning over him for some reason. I got multiple endings at the recommendation of various forums before continuing, and at the time I was confused as to why anyone would ever recommend this game.

Muv-Luv Unlimited starts on the same day that Extra starts, but when the player leaves their bedroom, they discover the world has been ravaged by Aliens that invaded the Earth 28 years prior, while retaining all memories of their previous life. Almost all of the same characters are there, but now they’re soldiers at a UN base that was formerly the school Extra took place. It’s a hell of a twist and I liked it. I have to spoil it to talk about Unlimited, so suffice to say that at the end of the game, Humanity loses.

Muv-Luv Alternative starts on the same day in the same war torn world, but the player character remembers most of what took place in both Extra and Unlimited. While events all start the same, things start to go very differently. It’s a pretty good twist with some really great moments but there are two unforgiveable things the game does to characters that make it impossible to recommend to anyone.

I’m now watching the Anime Adaptation of Alternative and I hate this ride and I want off. But also to detox, I’m playing Muv-Luv Photon Melodies, which is a happy ending to all of it. Again, can’t recommend it. Don’t go down this rabbit hole.

Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars is the game I’ve wanted forever by the people who I wanted to make it, but half baked. It’s a classic style 2D Sonic game with absolutely phenomenal 3D graphics, treating the original Sonic designs with love and respect, and the gameplay feels almost exactly like the Sega Genesis games I grew up with. Unfortunately, half of the music is atrocious, some of the levels are frustrating and boring, some have mechanics that make them terribly unfun, and some of the bosses are infuriating. The final boss of the main game sapped away almost all good will I had for the game. Some day I’ll finish it and see the true ending, but I might wait for more fan mods to fix some of the odds and ends to make it more enjoyable.

I think that if Naoto Oshima and his team at Arzest got a chance to make another game in this vein, it could be a huge success. This really felt like it was most of the way there.

Risk of Rain Returns

The Bancast’s game of the year all years returns with a gorgeous coat of new paint, all sorts of lessons learned from Risk of Rain 2, and functional netcode. Risk of Rain is my favorite roguelike in which you defeat enemies, get gold and xp, find chests to get augmenting items, and then loop the game over and over again while it gets more and more challening.

Lethal Company

Lethal Company has become the new favorite game to play with all sorts of friend groups, taking the spot that something like Among Us was in 2020/2021. It’s a simple scavenging and resource management game that you play with friends, but the fun lies in proximity voice chat for communications, and the horrible realization that you’re not alone. The hilarity and fear that comes out of this game every session is some of the most fun I’ve had with video games.

Like a Dragon Gaiden

Like a Dragon Gaiden is Yakuza 7b. While I technically didn’t finish the game until January 3rd of 2024, I’m including it on this list.

Yakuza 6 ended with (spoilers) Kazuma Kiryu sacrificing himself for his loved ones. But of course, he didn’t die, because no one in Yakuza games are ever truly dead. Instead, Kiryu has gone into hiding, working for a big mysterious government organization to keep their secret safe, and to keep his loved ones safer. I initially thought it was time to give Kiryu the rest he deserved and let Ichiban and other new characters carry this series forward, but after finishing Gaiden I am relieved and surprised with how much I agree with the move to bring Kiryu back. Upon finishing the game I very excitedly started trying to figure out where to pre-order Like a Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth.

Games I Played in 2023

Bujingai The Forsaken City

A weird and enjoyable 3D Action game for the PlayStation 2 featuring Gackt. It’s worth emulating.

Crab Champions

It’s risk of rain with crabs and really fast movement. I’ll come back to it sometime.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

I wish I finished this game, but them deciding to make a murder mystery game about Sonic the Hedgehog and giving it to a team with a lot of love and respect for the genre was such a cool move.

Like a Dragon: Ishin

I can’t believe they gave Yakuza Ishin, a 2014 PS3 Yakuza spin-off game about feudal Japan, a full remake in 2023. I have not finished the game solely because other things grabbed my attention, but everything about the game was great and I look forward to going back to it.

Lost Judgment

The Judgment series got PC ports last year, and I finally got around to finishing Judgment and had an unsurprisingly fantastic time with it. Lost Judgment’s story dragged a bit too much, and I put it down for a bit. I’ve heard that it gets to be pretty amazing, so I’ll pick it back up very soon.

Picross E9

Picross E9 is a Picross game for the 3DS that never got released in the west, and thank goodness someone made a fan translation. I love Picross.

Celeste

I only touched Celeste on a live stream for a bit, but it was an incredibly valuable experience. That game has such great fluidity to it, and I learned that it wasn’t just a single screen platformer like I thought it was. I’ll probably go back to it sometime.

Lies of P

Lies of P, or Piss Fibs as one of my friends called it, is too fucking hard and I’m never going back. I’m a fake gamer and I don’t care what anyone says about me.

Titanfall 2 Northstar

I only played a few nights of Titanfall 2 Northstar with some friends, but man, Titanfall 2 is good as hell. They should make another one of those.

Super Mario Wonder

Super Mario Wonder came out the same week as Sonic Superstars, and I seem to have maybe focused on the wrong game that week. Wonder is a hell of a game filled with creativity and originality. I’ll go back to it at some point.

Cocoon

Cocoon is good as hell and is probably a game of the year contender, but I didn’t have the time for it when it droppped. I will go back this year. Jeppe Carlsen made THOTH. Dude doesn’t know how to make a bad video game.

Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is easily one of the most impressive video games ever made. I put about 18 hours into the game and enjoyed getting to know other characters, do some particularly ridiculous Tabletop RPG shenanigans, and had a pretty good time. But the world didn’t grab me and I just wasn’t that into the story. Maybe I’ll try again sometime.

Logiart Grimoire

Logiart Grimoire is an early access Picross game from Jupiter, the folks who have made all of the good Picross games. There’s an overarching storyline that is mostly uninteresting and a little bit of light puzzle work before you get to do a Picross puzzle, but it’s a Steam release of Picross from the folks who made Picross. You can’t go wrong with it.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (Steam)

The kind folks at Activision Blizard King Xbox sent me a review code for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 on Steam, and I’m delighted to share that 2020’s game of the year is still just as good in 2023 on a platform that everyone uses.

Call of Duty MW3 2023

The kind folks at Activision Blizard King Xbox sent me a review code for 2023’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on PC and it wasn’t very fun. I really liked the part of the game that everyone else hated where you’re in big open area places taken from Warzone where you do a couple of nonsense missions. The game looks as expensive as always.

Street Fighter VI

I excitedly purchased Street Fighter VI the same way I pick up every hot new fighting game: with the knowledge that I’m not gonna spend that much time with it. I really enjoyed creating a character and the World Warrior mode as it was the right amount of silly for me. I never got around to playing any multiplayer, but maybe when a character pack goes on sale I’ll grab that and play with some friends.

Armored Core VI

Armored Core VI sure is good, huh? I had a real good time customizing the hell out of a gorgeous looking mech. I played a bunch of levels, beat a few bosses, and had a blast. Not enough to finish the game, but enough to say “Yeah this game sure is good, huh.”

Live Service Games of 2023

Halo MCC

2023 was the year that Halo The Master Chief Collection was finally completed. Only took 9 years, but now there’s a masterpiece collection of Halo games available on XBox and PC with a huge collection of improvements and mod tools for a thriving community to build new and exciting experiences to be played over Steam.

Halo Infinite

I played a lot of Halo Infinite in 2023. Forge really saved this game in a big way, from new levels for matchmaking, new mini games for custom games, and into Forgeable AI allowing for unique Firefight experiences and fully custom campaign style levels. The seasonal model finally works, and the mini seasons they started doing at the end of the year have been super fun too. I find that it’s never hard to get into a game, and I frequently see my friends still playing. Halo’s back, baby.

Fortnite

I’m still so surprised by how much fun I’ve been having with Fortnite. I’ve been buying and completing most of the season passes, buying characters like John Cena and dances like Gangnam Style, and playing both incredibly sweatily and equally ridiculously. Fornite’s become a great space to jump in, find a thing to do for a bit, either alone or with some of my friends, and just have a good time.

Lego Fortnite

Lego Fortnite kinda came out of nowhere, but I’ve really enjoyed this very pretty free to play Valheim knock off. It’s still pretty early days, but I’m having fun with it.

Team Fortress 2

I played Team Fortress 2 with a bunch of friends when Valve put out the surprise update, and I was really struck by how good TF2 still is in 2023. There’s some rough edges, but that game has aged like wine.

Counter-Strike 2

Speaking of surprise Valve updates, Counter-Strike 2 has been a delight. I’ve had a small group of friends who like to play a few matches a week, and having to take my gameplay seriously in CS2 has actually demonstrably made me better at other First Person Shooters. Sure half of the games we play are ruined by an absolute idiot of a rando or devastated by cheaters on the other team, but the half of games that aren’t feel fantastic. It’s wild how good CS2 is.

And now, my ranking of 2024's games:

10.) Sonic Superstars

9.) Final Fantasy XVI

8.) Sonic Origins Plus

7.) Anonymous;Code

6.) Like a Dragon Gaiden

5.) Lethal Company

4.) Counter-Strike 2

3.) myhouse.wad

2.) Risk of Rain Returns

1.) Tears of the Kingdom

#gameoftheyear

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ncisfranchise-source · 1 year ago

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With Part 1 of its freshman finale, NCIS: Sydney uncorked quite the callback, by revealing that the “pregnant” woman who nearly got Mackey, Evie, Blue and dozens of others suffocated to death in an old bunker was in fact the blonde spy who eluded capture at the end of the series’ pilot.

Yet while it might seem as if Special Agent Mackey (Olivia Swann), Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey (Todd Lasance) et al now have the upper hand, the abduction of JD’s son Jack, in Part 2 of the finale (airing Tuesday at 8/7c on CBS), will thoroughly and harrowingly complicate matters. TVLine spoke with Lasance about JD’s imminent dilemma, Season 2’s “big finish” and his hopes for any possible Season 2.

TVLINE | I have been enjoying the show, and the first part of the finale was gangbusters. TODD LASANCE |��Oh, thanks, brother. Honestly, and I don’t want to be biased, but I think [the finale] is going to be my favorite episode. And here’s a bit of an interesting note: one of my audition scenes was from the final episode. We had a couple of scenes from the first episode, but then some of the big, heavy, emotional stuff was in my audition scene before I even got the role. It was interesting to see how they had plotted that and where that scene ended up fitting in.

TVLINE | Looking ahead to Part 2 of the finale, what kind of a prisoner is Georgina’s “Ana Niemus” going to be? Oh, she’s not going to be a very compliant prisoner — that’s for sure. What I love about what Georgina did is there’s something under the surface that you know is unsettling. In the final shot of Episode 7 and the opening elements of Episode 8, you’re like, “Something’s not quite right here.” The team can sense it, as well. And when I played it as the actor, there��s an unsettling element for JD. When he’s watching her, you can see behind his eyes that he’s like, “Something’s not adding up.”

The payoff is huge in this episode. Even if, say, you haven’t watched NCIS ever in your life or never seen any of this season, this episode is such an amazing piece of what we did and what the showrunner and the writers and the directors did, as well. The tone of this show within NCIS is usually a lot more lighthearted and fun, so to delve into this kind of emotional realm was super exciting.

TVLINE | Talk about the personal element for JD that’s teased in the promos, involving Jack’s abduction. Being a father myself — I have a daughter who’s 7, and we had our son while I was shooting [Season 1] — there was a lot going on for me, personally. What I love is where JD crosses the line between the badge and what’s right as far as law enforcement, and what it is to be a father and family man. It makes the audience question themselves: “What would you do? What would you sacrifice for the ones you love, whether it’s a brother, sister, son, daughter, best friend…? What would the lengths be that you’d go to, to protect them, to save them?�� All while knowing you took that oath as a law enforcement member, and the obligations that go with that. But every decision that JD makes — and a lot of things do cross the line — I personally would also have done, too.

TVLINE | Without spoiling anything, what kind of a cliffhanger will this finale leave us with? Are lives in jeopardy, or is going to be like, “I can’t believe what I just saw/heard”? It’s everything. Lives are in jeopardy. “I can’t believe what I’ve just seen.” The enemy is revealed on such a larger scale than what I think people realize.

TVLINE | Morgan O’Neill, the showrunner, is from Sydney, but I’m wondering if for you as a fellow Australian, did the dialogue and slang always pass muster? Were you ever like, “I wouldn’t quite say this”? Or did you ever add in a little Australian flavor? Adding is the biggest thing. Morgan’s writing has been phenomenal, and we also have separate writers who write each episode or a block of episodes. What’s been exciting for me, as an actor, is allowing to trust myself, but also Morgan trusting me with the improvisation that I add to a lot of the scenes, particularly with comedy. I like to see what I can get away with on-camera, and they tend to keep most of it in.

To add to the question that you’ve asked, the writers and Morgan actually start writing for you. They see the dynamic that you’re starting to bring, the little nuances, the comedy. Same with with Sean [Sagar as DeShawn]. He is funny, man, and we’ve got a great brotherhood in real life. Because of the improvisation that we bring as actors, they’re starting to write a bit more toward that. If we have series (seasons) onward from this, it’ll get even more nuanced, and that chemistry and characters will build even more.

TVLINE | Do you have anything on your wish list for any possible Season 2? Like, do you want to know the results of the ladies’ Kiss-Marry-Kill game? [Laughs] That’d be great. I’d love to know that one.

Obviously, I want [the finale’s big reveal] to come to fruition and we work all that stuff out, but I also want to get into action sequences again. I want to get into some shootouts, car chases, some big-scale action things, because that’s what NCIS is known for.

I also want to explore the family dynamic side of things. This is a dream series for me because I get to play with the comedy, with that cheeky “ribbing each other” element, and also be the straight cop/leader, and then I get to go with the emotional element of the relationship with the son and my ex-wife and the breakdown of that relationship. The sky’s the limit for us.

TVLINE | As we speak, we’re still waiting on any Season 2 news. What’s the best time of year to be shooting in Sydney? Isn’t it, like, 108 degrees for you all right now? Look, I’m not going to lie. Where we are — I live in the Gold Coast — it is hot today, but it’s always hot and humid up here. I love it because it’s so tropical. I think mid-year is usually fairly controlled because it’s sort of winter, but our winter isn’t like Georgia’s or anything. It’s not, like, snowing in Sydney, so we can still get the beautiful days!

#ncis sydney #interview

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libraryinthecountry · 2 years ago

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★ Have you watched any of Shadow and Bone Season 2 yet? Who is your favorite Grishaverse character? I was going to start on Friday, but we haven’t had the chance to yet. (Don’t spoil me!) I am excited to watch it though—I really loved Seige and Storm, and Nikolai is my favorite #Grishaverase character. I am excited to see him brought to life! ★ HASHTAGS // #bookstack #leighbardugo #shelfiesunday #stacksaturday #sixofcrows #kingofscars #thedarkling #kazbrekker #nikolailantsov #alinastarkov #ShadowAndBone #Grishaverse #Netflix #Bookstagram #ReadingCommunity #homelibrary #fantasybooks #readingnook #bookish #fiercereads https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp_DairSXQw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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im-no-jedi · 2 years ago

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my final predictions (and desires) for TBB season 2 finale

whelp. it’s finally time. wish I could say I’m handling this well, but I very much am not haha. feels like yesterday we were watching Spoils/Ruins of War (and it definitely blows my mind remembering they premiered back in January), and here we are, finally at The Summit/Plan 99. AKA the only episodes not screened to anyone outside of the production team 😰

I’m gonna be real, so far this season has gone in directions that I could’ve only dreamed of. it doesn’t feel real tbh. I say in the most affectionate and complimentary way possible that this season feels straight out of a fanfic (there’s even been plot points and elements from my own fic series that have already happened ROFL). everything feels like it’s going in a certain direction.

and I think we’re in for a pleasant surprise.

up until this point, we’ve seen TBB go through multiple struggles, all the way back to Aftermath, when the boys had to endure Order 66. they went on the run from the Empire. they lost Crosshair. they had no source of income (until meeting Cid). they lost Kamino (and almost died in the process). Omega was put in extreme danger on many different occasions. Echo left the team. and they never found a place to call home outside of the Marauder.

Pabu was a turning point for them. they literally had everything they ever wanted placed gently into their laps. it’s almost too perfect.

there’s only one problem.

the family is incomplete.

Crosshair was the first to go. then Echo. and even though the rest seem to want to stay together on Pabu, would they really? Tech has a love interest now. Wrecker has more things to do on Pabu than ever before. even Omega has a new friend outside of her brothers now. and Hunter... well he can finally chill for more than two seconds, heaven knows that poor man must have shoulders tighter than a rusted screw 😝

the point is, they’re beginning to separate. and let me be very clear that I think this is a good thing. it’s good for families, no matter how close they are, to do their own things outside of everyone else. my own family is as close as can be, and it’s been hard for us to separate at times (it’s actually something we’ve only implemented into our lives in the past few years). but it’s healthy and something I encourage all families to do.

but that’s not the point here. because even though Echo choosing to leave was something the others approved of, clearly it’s had repercussions.

and I would argue that we’ve been seeing those repercussions since the very beginning.

anyone remember back in TCW when Clone Force 99 was introduced as having a 100% success rating? it was even restated again in Aftermath, when Wrecker makes another notch on the wall of their barracks.

now, how has their track record been since leaving the Empire? I think it was made pretty clear at the beginning of season 2, and again in Entombed, that their missions have been less than successful. and yes, it could be accredited to the fact that they don’t have the same provisions that the Republic gave them. but I think it goes deeper than that.

what’s the (1) thing they lost that they haven’t gotten back yet? the (1) thing they had during TCW that was lost the moment they left the Empire.

Crosshair.

let’s go back to the end of season 1 real quick. did anyone else literally jump out of their seat and cheer like someone at a sports game when the five boys were fighting off those droids? you know, the only time since Aftermath that the full TBB theme started playing? yeah. that scene was done in direct juxtaposition to the fight against the same exact droids shown in Aftermath. it was done to show us what we’ve known since first seeing them in TCW.

they work best together.

they need each other.

I shouldn’t even have to speak on Crosshair’s behalf here. we’ve seen his journey, we know he’s finally realized he made a mistake. and he’s even resigned himself to a life of torture in an effort to keep his family safe (oh my poor heart 😭💔). some people think he’s going to sacrifice himself to save everyone in the end, but someone already wrote up a post about that (which I 100% agree with) that should dispel any of those thoughts.

so therein lies my top prediction for the end of this season. they’ve gotten the message from Crosshair. they know there are other Clones on Mount Tantiss. so the main goal for the end of this season is going to be them going to Tantiss and rescuing the Clones imprisoned there, including Crosshair. I would even argue that TBB’s personal main goal will be rescuing Crosshair above all else.

now several things are going to happen in the process of this. since the Empire is looking for Omega to use against Nala Se, her getting captured has to happen at some point. several people think this is going to happen near the very end, during Plan 99. but I have a different thought.

due to several screenshots from The Summit being posted on official social media, we have a slight idea of certain events. and this shot here is what interests me the most.

this looks like they’re trying to escape. Tech and Echo are in the back looking at something (maybe trying to get something working?), while Wrecker and Hunter are at the door looking at Omega, who is in front and has her bow out. notice that although Wrecker and Hunter are holding weapons, they don’t have them pointed out like Omega does. it looks like they’re trying to tell Omega to come back with them.

I’m going to propose that this is where she gets taken. Omega has placed herself in this vulnerable position in an effort to protect her brothers. up until now, they’ve been the ones protecting her. she’s felt like a burden to them (as she admitted to Echo). and we’ve been shown (and told) that she’s now gotten to a level of skill that can at least put her in a more equal place with her brothers.

so I think she’s going to take after her dad big brother and pull a self-sacrifice here so that the boys can get away. she’ll be taken to Tantiss, and the boys will have to rescue her, along with Crosshair and the other Clones.

this is what Plan 99 will be.

in other words, Plan 99 is going to be about getting the band back together.

and due to some implications from Michelle Ang herself, I believe whatever happens on Tantiss is going to be what gets TBB to join Echo in rescuing other Clones going forward.

now, I’ve been very open about how much I do not want TBB to have anything to do with the Rebellion. I’ve been wanting them to have a Pabu type life since the very beginning. but much like the rest of the characters, my eyes have been opened to the truth of the matter. the Clones need help. and I’m ok with that.

there’s no denying my personal feelings about the Clones as characters. for many years, they’ve arguably been my favorite aspect of SW, period. only Darth Vader himself beats them out in terms of how much I love them LOL. so to have this very specific plot point of “the Clones need help” versus the Rebellion’s “the Empire needs to be taken down” is what makes the difference for me. I don’t want them to fight the Empire. but I will be a-ok if they decide to join Rex and Echo in helping to save other Clones.

also! this sets up a good story for the rest of the series! they even have a super safe and private island paradise to bring rescued Clones to if they need to! 👀

so yeah, tl;dr the season finale is going to be about TBB planning to rescue Crosshair and the other Clones from Mount Tantiss, Omega getting captured in the process, and the entire group realizing they can do more and decide to help rescue more Clones going forward. also, Pabu becomes a safe haven for them to return to whenever they need it, as well as a place to bring Clone refugees to. that’s all the stuff I’m positive is going to happen anyway.

there’s one other thing that I think is going to happen, but it’s honestly more so a desire than a certainty. I’ve talked about it before and even made several posts about it. but I really, really, REALLY believe the Clone X project is secretly the beginnings of the Death Trooper program. and I think TBB are going to be the templates for it. again, this is more so a desire than anything else! and I’m more certain about the Clone X aspect of it at least. but... wouldn’t it be cool if TBB were what the Death Troopers were based off of?? tell me I’m not the only one who thinks so 🤩😂

alright, ok, last thing I’m gonna say before ending this ridiculously long post.

I only have (1) thing that I absolutely do NOT want to happen. and it should be pretty obvious.

NOBODY. DIES.

I get it y’all. we’ve been traumatized by literally every other SW related thing out there. but also, I think this show could (and should) be the one instance where everyone makes it out alive. that’s literally the whole point of what they’re heading towards. that’s what we’ve already seen with Howzer and Gregor and even TBB themselves (so far).

I think we need to take the Kiners words literally.

“Everything is gonna be ok” 💙

#the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #tbb season 2 #THIS IS STUPIDLY LONG I'M SORRY #but I have a lot of thoughts ok sldkfjgfdlks #I'm scared but I'm remaining positive #I'm trusting Jen and Brad to give us a good and satisfying story #I also have constant butterflies in my stomach but I digress haha #star warz #tbb spoilers

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adrift-in-thyme · 1 year ago

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Hi trin! So I got two questions for you:

1, I was rereading day 11 (my gosh it's one of my favorites agahshdjdjdhsba) and realized it hasent had a continuation yet? I get it if your busy so I'm not like demanding it or anything but like...is Legend ok?

2, for the past few weeks I've been seeing these posts on an anime called Fulliest Alchemy? (Sorry if I got that wrong) I am sorry to inform you that I have no idea what that is but I am incredibly interested. Could you tell me like, the theme or where I could watch it? Google ain't spoil-free

Hope you have a good day!

Hi!!

I’m so glad you like Day 11!!! It’s honestly one of my personal faves. I had a lot of fun writing it lol.

Don’t worry, you’ll find out what becomes of poor Legend ;) I’m planning to continue it on Day 30! (…Which is almost here and I can’t believe it 😅)

Oh yeah! So, the anime is called Fullmetal Alchemist and basically it’s about these two brothers who perform a forbidden act to try and bring their deceased mother back. It backfires, costing them both dearly, and the plot revolves around them trying to regain what they’ve lost. But during their quest many secrets come to light, challenging their resolve and giving them a bit more than they bargained for.

There are two versions of the anime. The earliest one from 2003 goes off on its own plot (which continued in the movie Conquerer of Shamballa) after a certain point because the manga wasn’t finished back then. Some fans liked the direction it went, others didn’t. I can’t give you my opinion cause I haven’t watched that one. The one I did watch (which was AWESOME) is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It more faithfully adapts the manga, including staying true to its ending.

You can watch Brotherhood on either Hulu (that’s where I watched it) or Crunchyroll (you’ll need to either sign up for a free trial or pay for a subscription to see the entire season). Other places could have it, but these are just the ones I know about. If you want to check out the 2003 show I’m honestly not sure what streaming services have that one.

Anyway, thanks for asking! I hope you have a good day too! <3

#sorry for the infodump about fma lol #I hope you enjoy it if you do watch it!#it’s very very good #I’m not even that big of an anime fan and I loved it #asks #trin answers

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a-humble-bagel · 1 year ago

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tagged by @padchai (tyty :] ) (also sorry i didnt do this earlier, i started a draft and then forgot about it by accident) Tag six (6) people you’d like to get to know better!

last song: free by florence and the machine! i just love this song so much it perfectly describes how i feel about my anxiety (aside from the line about medication), and aaaaah i just love florence and the machine so much and i’m gonna stop now otherwise im gonna keep gushing about florence’s music for like an essay-long post :]

currently reading: currently rereading gideon the ninth, and it’s actually making sense now?? i haven’t read nona the ninth yet (i have it on hold at my local library) so i decided to reread gideon the ninth (which i’ve only read once before) and i makes sense now?? i’m not confused?? but anyways if you like hot butch women, sci-fi, necromancers, weirdness, and a lot of confusion, you should read gideon the ninth (and then maybe reread it so it makes sense)

currently watching: good omens season 2! i just finished episode 4 and i love it so much! tumblr did spoil some of the ending for me, but honestly i don’t mind. i love this season so far, even though i wish it would focus on the main plot a bit more but that’s just me, and i love how everything seems more vibrant and colourful and how it’s focusing on relationships!

current obsession: uhhhh good question. nothing right now but i have a feeling it’s going to be good omens season 2. i have something written down as my obsession in my description but i forget what it is

ok now i need to think of 6 people to tag

@dovessoiscanon @theagent1 @uphorik8 @ineffabletheaterkid @supportlesbians @sammz-is-sam

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m00nys-world · 17 days ago

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IWTV SPOILERSSS!!!!!

Oh, and let me address this because I’ve seen some negative comments on my other post:

1. I haven’t watched the last episode of season 2 yet, so please take that into consideration while reading this and don’t spoil it for me.

2. Please don’t spread hate in my comment section—just scroll if you disagree.

Ok, but now I don’t know who to believe after they showed that scene of how Claudia was turned. I’m confused because if Louis lied about how Claudia was turned and about how the fight between him and Lestat happened, what else did he lie about? Clearly, Louis is not a narrator we can trust.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #iwtv louis #louis de pointe du lac #claudia iwtv #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire armand #the vampire lestat #the vampire claudia #the vampire louis #claudia de pointe du lac #daniel molloy #claudia x madeleine

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ocean-anchored · 2 years ago

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Dear Future Self... June 13, 2023

I’ve been procrastinating hard. I don’t know why, it’s not like life hasn’t been good, I think I’ve just been on a high and go go go the last several months that I don’t spend too much time sitting and thinking. Allowing myself to fully feel out my thoughts, to process or anything. I have these quick thoughts that come in and pass through. I think of things that I want to make note of and write for my update but it’s like a sentence, it’s not an emotion. It’s not deep, it’s just as though I’m writing out an event or something that happened rather than the emotion behind how I felt. Anywhoo. Vegas won tonight! I watched the game and they absolutely destroyed. What an amazing team and season, they totally deserved it and I’m so stoked for them. Work has been going well. It’s been slow and not busy with Danny’s side, I haven’t been working too much honestly but I’m trying to now with some extra time to accumulate hours and keep the income. I paid my taxes for last year which was just under $3K which wasn’t too bad. I created a Business Number today and now have to figure out how to get a GST number next. Work with Ed has been great still. Learning a lot and things are always changing which keeps me on my toes. The direction is endless, there’s so many ways and routes and channels he’s going but I still thoroughly enjoy it and am really blessed to be working for him. I want to spend a little more time in listening and understanding the things he’s teaching. Our last friday training lunch was about Self, Other and Context as well as the OD/Work Culture ring he designed about where to fit in, internally or externally. Understanding more on looking at Self, Other and Context to become a better assistant to him and relieve more from his plate. Everything else is going pretty good. Still had been spending a lot of time (most my nights) with Zack. I’m trying to remember the last update I gave.. I don’t know if I really did one much. Amber and Naythan met Zack two weeks ago and then Amber & I went to Jeremiahs for his birthday cocktail night which was fun. Met Daniel another australian that was hilarious. Gray’s birthday party was that sunday which I can’t believe he’s going to be 2 soon. He’s growing up so fast, I made a 2 shape out of cupcakes in a race car track theme which turned out well. Went to the driving range with Abigail last week to practice more golf, Nova turned 5 last Thursday as well. I can’t believe it, she’s my whole world. I spoiled her but she deserved it. Zack was gone that night to Sask, went paddleboarding with Amanda which was nice. It’s been good to spend time with her. We’ve been talking about going to Silverwood theme park. I really want to but part of me also doesn’t, idk why. Zack will probably be gone then anyways because his work is picking up so I won’t see him as much but I just don’t want to have to arrange and pay for Nova care, and even though she said they would “pay” for the hotel etc I don’t want to feel that burden and like I owe them. I know they wouldn’t ever make me feel that way but idk, feels too hard with my work schedule being gone 3 days and having to work nights to catch up. We’ll see, haven’t fully made a decision yet. Last weekend Zack & I helped Amber & Naythan rip down their fence, we also had Senior’s pizza which was absolutely delicious. Saw the new spiderman movie with Steven, amanda and Cloude which was really good. I’ve been getting this weird reaction or allergy to something I’m still trying to source out. I had thought it was syasilic acid face oil but I backed off that, then I thought it was my mascara, now I’m thinking its the SPF bb cream so I stopped using that. Frustrating but the last day has been a bit better and my eyes aren’t fully burning anymore. I haven’t been eating very good lately, nor have I been watching my spendings either. I also just bought a portable cooler humidifier cause its been brutally hot lately and almost unbearable to sleep. Zack and I have just been going out too much, enjoying time together. We’ve spent a lot of time together but we’re at the comfortable point of not feeling like we have to entertain each other, just want to be in the presence of the other which is nice. He really does love me and I can tell. It’s really cute how he can get jealous though, reminds me how much he cares. I still fully trust him. He’s never given me any reason or any red flag to not trust him... like legit he’s so honest and is basically me in a man with values and the importance of honesty and communication etc. Like we’ve had two instances so far with miscommunication. One was when he (oh my side tangent of how I really hate that he got back into smoking.. hope that one dies out soon. we both know he can quit but yuck) had bought cigars for us before canmore and I had made a joke which turned out to not be funny I later realized, about how he should have a lighter for all his cigarettes. He didn’t like that one and I didn’t realize thats what it was about because it was an honest joke and I wasn’t mad. He was silent on that walk, I definitely knew and felt we were off. Came back home and had tried to get him to talked. I remember the feeling, I felt gross. It was literally 2 weeks into us seeing each other just before we went to canmore and I felt miserable, I really thought he hit a switch of not wanting to be with me or something, he was so distant. I finally got him to talk cause we went outside (I get it that he felt uncomfortable with Bob in the other room & wanted privacy) and then we easily just talked about it that it was a trigger and he thought I was mad at him for some reason and my “joke” wasn’t funny which we so easily communicated after to clear things up. It was actually right after that.. I remember exactly, we were about to walk back inside and he hugged me and said he was worried about his past, he was worried that I would think of him differently and hold something against him in a way? I said “who you were before I met you is a past version of yourself, I’ve fallen for who you are today, who you are right now” and he looked at me and said I love you. Precious. Ill remember that moment forever. Anyways, second “miscommunication” was a few weeks after that (I make it sound like its far a part but we’ve literally only been together for like 6-7 weeks. A month and like a week or whatever). He was going to come over, he was super tired from work an said it would be a little bit and I said to let me know & that I was going to Newcastle to watch the Knights game till he was ready to come. Anyways, turned out that he kept pushing coming over and then said he was too tired, we didn’t really go to bed the best way, neither of us slept much and when we talked about it the day after he thought that was me saying that I wanted the night away from him by going to the pub, he didn’t know i went alone haha, but he thought I went with Cody and wanted time away from him as well as being anxious about work and stressed. We talked it through just as easy. Past that there’s been no communication issues. He’s just straight up. It’s honestly so different than Richardt.. or even anyone for that matter. Like the other week when he was away and I stayed up super late for his facetime but he never did, I admit i sent a slightly passive aggressive text at 3am when I woke up and his morning text was saying he thought I fell asleep because he called me and I didn’t answer. He even showed me after that he did try to call so idk why it didn’t come through then and he made a point that he’ll text next time. I didnt even have to ask that which is stupid and basic but just really refreshing how honest he is and how much he does try and put in effort. Hes been gone since yesterday morning and he’s made efforts to text and facetime me. He won’t be back till friday or saturday I think which sucks man. I miss him a lot. He always makes me feel so damn special though. Tells me every day how pretty I am and makes me feel like I’m the only one. He’s so easy to talk to. Like easy to feel that he can be that best friend, that kind of relationship you always want. He always makes me laugh, we have such a playful side but we still have serious conversations. Ive met a few of his friends and his coworker now. It’s actually funny how many people have told him how lucky he is to have me and how he needs to hold onto me. Like legit there must be at least 10-12 people so far, half being total strangers that we’ve talked to that have told him that, which is great for me lol. Solidifies my confidence. Man I miss him so much and it’s been not even 48 hours. Sure there’s some things that I wish like his craving for smoking again and hes very aware of how much he drinks and how much is too much but I know he enjoys drinking, I’ve enjoyed it too and I always enjoy our time out, though I’m thankful for how aware he is about all of that. Like honestly his self awareness with most things is just so attractive. It’s so refreshing and really makes for that extra layer of relationship. He hit it off with Amber and Naythan so well too, which I knew because he’s just like Naythan but it’s funny how much he talks around them which is great. We’re so on point with goals and our future too which just keeps making me question or wondering if what he’s saying is true. How much he wants to travel which is such a big part of who I am and what I desire. How important family is but understanding all aspects of what having kids entails. Like with Travis all he cared or said was he wanted kids and a family. Even when we just barley were getting by on bills and life, no savings, nothing that would support or create a healthy life and future for kids, nor even any regard for understanding the intensity and responsibility of having kids. More of the “lets just have them and figure it out” sense but Zack is so different, obviously because he has a daughter of his own so that’s a massive understanding but to be on the same page of understanding is just so nice. And his love for Nova just warms my heart, its almost like he loves her as much as I do, but he also has made comments about how he can see how much I love her and care for her which is nice. He does notice the details and the little things. Again such a huge difference especially from Richardt. Like what Zack knows about me and who I am and what I’ve come from is literal night and day to Richardt, who I was seeing for friggin what, almost 5 months? I’ve been seeing Zack for just over a month and he knows me 100x better and deeper and has put in 100x more effort. He lives in Airdrie and yet still makes continuous points to ensure that we’re both equal and that I’m still doing things I want to do, he’s always asking me what I want. Anyways, I’m getting tired and I need to text Zack to tell him how much I miss him now before bed. I do keep saying but I wanted to get better at writing and not missing all the little things. Writing more emotion in my posts of reflecting. I know I posted a note a few weeks ago probably before my last update which was from that night of when I went to Newcastle and Zack didn’t end up coming over and our miscommunication and it’s still good to write that out. I was in fear and I was feeling so vulnerable and it’s ok. What’s different from that versus what and how I used to write these posts about Richardt or even Travis was the mere fact that what I was writing was red flags. I was silently acknowledging the issues and hoping that they would resolve over time rather than seeing it was a flag that hey this isn’t a good thing and won’t necessarily change. Whereas with Zack it’s my fear of loosing him and being vulnerable and hurt again. I don’t actually believe he would hurt me and I trust him 100. More to come... as well as getting back into shadow work... also really want to pick that back up again. Catch ya in a week.. or two.

#dear future self #dearfutureself #life update #monthly update #ZP

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summerspn · 2 years ago

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Arrested Development

(Series)

Very minor spoilers- no plots mentioned…

I finally finished the series!

When the show first aired I saw a couple episodes but due to my hectic life I didn’t watch more than that. I always thought it was really funny though.

All the characters amuse me but my favourites were/are Gob & Michael.

I’ve meant to watch the series when it came on Netflix for years but I apparently completely forgot about it.

Recently I came across it so I binged the whole series.

As expected I found it hilarious!

For those that aren’t aware, the series aired originally on tv (Fox station). And the network does what it always does and cancelled a great series too soon. It aired on tv from 2002-2006.

Then Netflix picked it up years later from 2018-2019.

I appreciate the commitment of the actors, cast & crew. 99% of the original cast returned & there were a ton of cameos.

I think they did a decent job overall of the second half. I liked some of the meta jokes & the show was still amusing.

However, the second half was very different:

1. There was way too much recapping. In the first hand that aired on tv there was some but it was more like a quick few seconds at the start or a randomly thrown in reminder of what happened previously. Ie) when Michael says he won’t come back the voiceover says something like ‘he did come back as he always does’ and threw in a 5 second clip.

In the continuation it’s like a full minute or so of recap at the beginning of each episode. That actually started to get on my nerves.

2. The episode length is slightly shorter. I think most episodes in the first 3 seasons were between 25-27 minutes with a couple being around 30. In the second half of the series each episode is about 21 minutes… including the recap at the beginning. I think it did influence the quality of the episodes a little.

3. I feel like the writers had no idea what to do with the second half of the series. Though, it also felt like some of the actors were coming and going a lot so maybe the writers just had a hard time working with their schedules? In any case, the writing wasn’t as good. Still entertaining though, it just felt different.

4. It may sound stupid and an overreaction but I hated what they did to one of the characters in the final episode. It made me cringe & sort of slink into my seat. I felt cheated & little uncomfortable. It was clearly done to get a reaction but at the same time, that is not the reaction they should’ve gone for… it changed the entire tone if the series.

5. The lack of character development I think was a disservice. I get it’s supposed to be ‘arrested development’ but the series could’ve ended with some development. While I wouldn’t expect a full 180 of its characters, I think the lack of growth had me bored. I think Michael, George Michael & Gob had the most growth which is one of the reasons I liked most of their storylines in the continuation. The other characters had me a little bored.

Though having a secondary character like Barry Zuckerkorn being the same old ridiculous person actually worked because he wasn’t a main character.

I was a little bummed that Liza Minnelli wasn’t in the continuation but the show did a good job of still trying to include her.

I don’t want to spoil anything for people who haven’t watched yet but I’ll just say that the storyline for Lindsey was really short & went in a weird direction.

Tobias was always weird but I had hoped for him to get a clue by the end. He didn’t.

Buster, sometimes amusing & sometimes just awkward. I don’t even know what to say.

George & Oscar, I was pretty indifferent to them in the second half.

Lucille Bluth, while she was still in character I just didn’t like that of all things to do with her, they chose that? It felt like a waste of talent. Not terrible just not good either.

Maeby - sorry but I thought her storyline was really bad. In the first part of the series I thought her character had an amusing glib attitude & sass. The continuation just had me wondering how her storylines made it past the brainstorming stage. I’m glad the actress returned but it was just…so weird.

George Michael - I’m glad we got see him in a different element & changing up the dynamic a little. But somehow it felt like things were dragging a little plot wise. I think they could’ve had the 2 seasons in 1 then a separate plot for the final season.

Michael - I also feel like they could’ve condensed things into 1 season for him then write another plot for season 5. As always he was amusing. I like that one of his major flaws is that he doesn’t listen to his son while also trying to be a great dad. So everything felt pretty in character. For the most part. But there was still more they could’ve given Jason Bateman to work with.

He’s a great actor with a lot of range so it sort of felt like waste.

Gob - though ridiculous I like most if what they did with his character except I think the finale should’ve just pushed his platonic friendship a little more. And yes because I feel bad for fictional characters I did want to see him better his relationship with a certain family member…

Now I gotta say it…what is with all the incest?

Seriously. The first season, I thought the crush was funny. But it ended quickly and just felt icky.

Then it’s brought up over and over again. Then another character flirts with a relative… actually a new character does this with a relative as well in the continuation. A few one off jokes here and there too.

And they bring in Jason Bateman’s sister Justine for an episode & characters make implications about them… she does some flirting too. Thank god (spoiler) they don’t get physical. But seriously I was already cringing in that episode.

Then, all the mother-son comments in the continuation. Maybe it’s just me but felt like a different tone compared to the first half of the series.

The writers could’ve come up with better jokes instead. The constant incestuous comments just felt lazy after awhile, not to mention they stopped being funny.

All of that said, the series is amusing & fun…if you skip the finale. Tbh that episode kind of ruined the series for me.

But again I do appreciate the actors, crew etc came back to try to finish the series properly.

It is worth a watch.

Since there’s too many actors to go in depth on their other work I’ll just mention my two favourites & you can check IMDB fir the rest:

Jason Bateman (who plays Michael) , is amazing in the series Ozark, and is amusing in Game Night (2018), Office Christmas Party (2016), Horrible Bosses 1 & 2 (2011 & 2014) etc . He’s supposed to be in the Clue reboot so I’m excited to see what he does with that.

Will Arnett (who plays Gob Bluth), honestly I haven’t seen a lot of what he’s been in yet but so far I like him in everything. He was really funny in Murderville (2022), Blades of Glory (2006), and Up All Night (2011-2012) which I thought was hilarious.

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