#for context i watched season 9 10 and 11 first

[negansmiith]

guess who's FINALLY watched season 7 of the walking dead!!! it only took 8 years ahahahahahahahahahahaha (i was one of the people who stopped watching after season 6 </3 sdfghj)

my verdict is: absence makes the heart grow fonder. and after the shit that's being released these days (like 8 episode seasons), i actually really enjoyed a lot of this season. the slow pace is pretty refreshing. there were some bits that dragged on. but i can't overstate how much i hate the monstrosity of a mop on jadis...... it made me lose my mind when i watched the ones who live without context so imagine the horror i had when she showed up in season 7........ AND SOMEHOW HER HAIR WAS WORSE????? but anyways moving on.... there's just something about this show man. i'll love it forever. it's my emotional support show fr

[fandomconsumesme]

Rambling as to make sense of DTAMHD, tw ed and klinsky reference, this is horrifically long but i promise i'm going somewhere with it

I gotta say, watching it the first time I was fairly disappointed (The acting and episode were great, just wasn't sure how I felt about it as a finale) But having spent time to process, i would say this does its job as a Dennis catharsis episode, particularly symbolically

Starting off, Dennis has been almost scarily normal this season, or about as normal as Dennis can be (catfishing your roommate into using xl anal beads), not creeping on women, not getting fed up with the gang all the time, working with them in a familial manner again. Shockingly, it seems he's doing pretty good, and growing into himself

Like at the beginning of the episode, he's actually going to a doctor and apparently everything looks normal. Either this doctor immediately needs to be disbarred, or Dennis has been doing better taking care of himself, an unheard of concept

4. Dennis has a desperate fear of getting old, willing to do anything to prove himself still valuable, something to be desired, both connected to his childhood abuse by Mrs. klinsky, a way of rationalizing that it was okay because Dennis is special, just more developed, and his tenuous relationship with his mother where he was the golden boy, but emotionally separated from her due to drug abuse.

5. Dennis' mind scenario thing starts right after the title sequence i think, and we pretty much immediately get his interpretation of the gang and how he sees them.

6. Charlie is childlike, confused over the concept of sea level, and Dennis has an almost patronizing view of him, not understanding how he's this way if they are so similar

7. Frank brings up the family style cooking, the point of the pressure cooker, but dennis and the gang are in two different places, and the only reason they called was the sea level thing. Dennis sees the gang as a family, but feels like an outsider

8. Dee is reasonable and kind, backing Dennis up, supporting his decision for a mental health day, but seems to lack understanding as to why Dennis is doing this, a fundamental disconnect

9. Mac is always in view, all of him, the focus of the call. Dennis stays watching him, even though he says nothing particularly relevant in the scene. The whole of him appearing also has interesting implications of Dennis knowing who mac is, but he can only get a picture of the other members of the gang for a few seconds at a time. Mac is his constant.

10. To continue that thread, the other members are always yanking the phone towards them, stopping Dennis from being able to interact with him, but Dennis always knows where he is.

11. Frank is an asshole, diminishing Dennis' problems, acting like they don't exist, and as a much smarter person noted here, dennis' watch starts beeping the moment he starts talking.

12. Mac is also patient, cautious of Dennis' boundaries and doing exactly what he has to to make dennis feel safe.

13. Dennis is insistent on it being his mental health day and none of them participating, but as becomes evident later, the day is miserable BECAUSE they aren't there to back him up and support him. Dennis tries to stay away because they make things complicated, but they make things complicated by causing him to have big feelings.

15. He also gets repeatedly annoyed by very little things, like downloading an app or not getting the precise tea he wanted, but then calms by blaming it on the system (system seems like such a familiar word in the context of dennis and his thoughts... I wonder what it could be referencing lol) So all of those little inconveniences that stop Dennis from doing what he wants, can in fact be attributed to the system. Not only does he acknowledge it's the system, but also that he isn't the only victim, that others suffer because of it.

16. The tsuma blares the song when he opens the door in the parking lot, and he's so focused on stifling it that he doesn't notice he's just made a mistake that will hurt him in the long run.

17. On the French dip, dee once again works in conjunction to Dennis, encouraging them not to eat it. Charlie is afraid of Dennis' wrath, but Mac wants for Dennis to come home and be happy. Mac tries to reassure dennis.

18. Overall an aggravating phone call, but the moment he turns it off there are almost reactionary consequences, a police car pulling him over.

19. Dennis comes up with his own metaphors for what he's going through in his mind, likening himself to a pressure cooker.

20. He also has Dee and Mac decide not to call because they want him to have a successful mental health day and respect his boundaries, but frank continues to belittle

21. Along the lines of 16, "Dennis' true self is the tsuma" theory, he goes into a fit of rage when he can't communicate with his car. Dennis is comfortable in the car, but when he exits he puts on a mask, and now can't get back in.

22. The true DENNIS System,

D-Deliver me from this as in get me out of having to demonstrate value

E-Engage with human as in wanting a real connection rather than a physical one

N-Nancy(boy)/Neighbor/Nightmare/Never ending as in repeatedly nurturing dependence in a way that hurts him with the wrong people

N-NIGHTMARE/Never gonna help me as in even worse than the first n, and him knowing that it only hurts to neglect emotionally

I-Is this real as in the potential of something real with inspire hope

S- Somebody help me as in him wanting to escape the system

23. By my reckoning there are 3 people the ceo could symbolize, those being Frank, mac, or Dennis as a mask.

a. Frank because he is so oblivious, able to live a live of lounging at the beach, but it was his actions and neglect which have led to Dennis being trapped in his own prison. The frank is an older figure, and it makes sense for the diamond to be derived from his heart as he is his offspring in a sense. Dennis is reclaiming his sense of free will, taking back control so he can live a life that isn't predestined by his upbringing. The hand on the chest is trying to make frank understand, dennis still gets the pleasure of violent retribution though.

b. Mac is the one orchestrating the pressure cooking of the diamonds, explains the extreme homoeroticism of the scene. The systems have been created to protect himself from mac, mac is allowed to lounge because he has found peace with himself (MFHP) Dennis wants that for himself, and receives it from mac. Mac reaches out first, at the encouragement of dennis, but is pushed away so dennis can show his appreciation, upon which mac looks shocked. They clearly understand and have sympathy for one another. A love song is playing, and dennis takes mac's purest essence for himself, showing how intertwined they are. Mac is left unhurt because it was about the gesture, not the carnage.

C. Dennis as a mask, or what Dennis has made himself into to survive, lounges because he has been given control over the inner dennis. He has created all of the systems, and tsuma is his, made into a form that he can control for his own benefit. Dennis is his own worst enemy, and seeks to deconstruct this unfeeling being in order to find himself. He has a touching moment with himself, where mask dennis realizes that it is necessary that true dennis come to power. explains the homoeroticism because of narcissism, and ultimately true dennis decides the most humane thing he can do is leave behind mask dennis, killing him gently and taking his heart, condensing it into a diamond that symbolizes his innate goodness and incorporating it into true dennis.

I personally think it's a mixture of all three, but regardless this IS Dennis' catharsis. The motifs are there (crying, a powerful body of water) and dennis takes back control, actively choosing to be better. it's different, but it's still there.

24. In the end, when it's all revealed to be a glimpse into Dennis' mind and he's lowered his blood pressure, it's not because he's won per say. before the title, Dennis was keying up for some kind of angry meltdown, but he takes a moment and thinks better. i wouldn't say Dennis has had just one catharsis, but a million little ones in his mind since the season started, a million little choices to be kinder, more patient, better. He calms down and has found at least a temporary solution to his problem (The kratom doesn't hurt either) dennis has gotten so much better with interacting with others this season tbh, and to continue that to an extent would stop him from being the dennis we all know and love, sleazy and manipulative. And what he loves, what he knows will help him, is to be with the gang, his family. And he makes the choice to go to them too.

Remember, there is a structure. It will be fulfilled. (And if it isn't, at least we have FVR and Tends Bar)

[monstermoviedean]

hey loving your commentary. I wanted to get your opinion on something about cas as a careful watcher. because as almost equally as frustrating I find him, I pity cas. I think I have a slightly more generous interpretation of Cas's intentions than you tho. I think each time he's landed in this situation he's genuinely shocked that he did it again and each time it's worse because each time he thought he tried harder. But I watched the show in a blur not taking notes or anything so that might just be a hc I'm projecting onto the story. Even if that's the case I genuinely have a lot of sympathy for how hard it must be for him to adjust his manner of being and so I was patient with this being a reoccurring problem. Maybe it's because Misha Collin's got so good at looks of painful regret as the seasons went on. Is this your first time watching or is this a rewatch for you? I'm curious what you think about cas and cas and dean during season 15.

i do want to be clear - i love cas. i have a ton of sympathy for cas. i am feeling particularly frustrated with cas right now in a way that i haven't at other points in the series, specifically because of the surrounding context. and i'm struggling between feelings of "cas never learns his lesson and everyone else pays" and "the writers don't allow cas to learn this lesson and keep falling back on the same plot point." (under the cut because it got long)

my context: in short, i watched seasons 1-7 back in the day, watched 8-10 live, watched 15x18 shortly after it aired and 15x19-15x20 live, and am now watching seasons 11-15 in full for the first time. but i know the big plot points and have seen quite a bit of discussion around the episodes i haven't seen. specifically i've seen a lot of discussion about how every negative thing that happens between dean and cas is dean's fault, which is generally something i don't agree with. so in part i'm coming in hot because i'm reacting to the difference between that interpretation and what i'm seeing on my screen.

and back to the show context: i'm feeling frustrated because i know where this is going in season 15. i know dean and cas are going to fight, dean will apologize and take almost the entirety of the blame for the hurt between them, and then cas will die sacrificing himself for dean, sealing his fate as "the guy who makes big sacrifices for everyone else and doesn't tell them." and i'm feeling frustrated that this jack situation is happening in part because cas made the empty deal and didn't tell dean or sam, and because cas knew about jack and felix and tried to "fix" it himself without telling anyone. (his plan for fixing it is also so indirect as to almost be laughable, but that's a different rant)

dean is being harsh in 14x18. no doubt. it's awful to watch. i can also understand where he's coming from, especially because 1) cas keeps doing this and 2) when dean tried to do something similar to what cas just did (execute the ma'lak box plan alone), everyone, including cas, eviscerated him for it. and while i don't think cas intends for things to go awry, and he does the "lone wolf" thing out of a desire to protect others, i think he does recognize what he's doing. he intentionally chooses to keep lone-wolfing, even when it has gone wrong before, and even when others (especially dean) have begged him to stop doing this and just tell them what's going on. secretly working with crowley re: the alphas and purgatory in season 6, running away with the angel tablet in season 8, working with metatron, building an angel army in season 9, running off with kelly and the colt in season 12. it's a lot. and this was kind of my last straw.

tl;dr this all just hit at the same time and compounded. i think/hope i'm usually nicer to cas. i do have a ton of sympathy for him but i find myself frustrated that he makes the same choices (even when people ask him not to) and is surprised by the same results.

[fictionz]

The top 31 spookiest Star Trek episodes (according to the Internet)

It's spooky season and I'm also a Star Trek nerd and a list nerd, so here we go!

I asked in a Star Trek discord, ran a bunch of searches, and assigned a point each time an episode was listed among the scariest/creepiest in Star Trek. The episodes are ranked from least to most spooky, so watch in this order if you want to build up to the spookiest stuff. I cut off the list at 31, one episode for each day in October.

So without further ado...

Spookiest episodes of Star Trek*:

TOS 1x05: The Enemy Within

TOS 1x25: The Devil in the Dark

PIC 2x07: Monsters

VOY 2x08: Persistence of Vision

ENT 3x16: Doctor's Orders

DS9 3x26: The Adversary

VOY 4x25: One

VOY 5x18: Course: Oblivion

ENT 2x10: Vanishing Point

VOY 3x12: Macrocosm

VOY 3x18: Darkling

VOY 4x07: Scientific Method

TNG 7x14: Sub Rosa

ENT 2x04: Dead Stop

TNG 3x26: The Best Of Both Worlds, Part I

TOS 1x01: The Man Trap

TNG 7x06: Phantasms

DS9 5x05: The Assignment

DS9 2x14: Whispers

DIS 1x03: Context Is For Kings

TNG 6x21: Frame Of Mind

TNG 7x19: Genesis

TOS 2x14: Wolf in the Fold

VOY 6x25: The Haunting Of Deck Twelve

TOS 2x07: Catspaw

VOY 2x23: The Thaw

TNG 4x17: Night Terrors

TNG 1x25: Conspiracy

ENT 3x05: Impulse

DS9 5x24: Empok Nor

TNG 6x05: Schisms

Shorter list of the the spookiest episode from each of the 11 series:**

TOS 2x07: Catspaw

TAS 1x01: Beyond the Farthest Star

TNG 6x05: Schisms

DS9 5x24: Empok Nor

VOY 2x23: The Thaw

ENT 3x05: Impulse

DIS 1x03: Context Is For Kings

PIC 2x07: Monsters

LD 1x06: Terminal Provocations

PRO 1x12: Let Sleeping Borg Lie

SNW 1x09: All Those Who Wander

Data used to collate these rankings:

Star Trek Discord

https://www.handitv.com/lists/18-eerie-disturbing-and-downright-scary-star-trek-episodes

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-scariest-star-trek-episodes/

https://screenrant.com/most-disturbing-star-trek-episodes-ranked-horrifying/

https://screenrant.com/most-terrifying-star-trek-episodes-halloween/

https://movieweb.com/scariest-star-trek-episodes/

https://screenrant.com/scariest-star-trek-episodes-ranked/

https://gizmodo.com/12-scariest-star-trek-episodes-strange-new-worlds-alien-1849136069

https://aiptcomics.com/2020/10/22/the-ultimate-star-trek-horror-episodes-guide/

https://www.startrek.com/news/9-underrated-spooky-star-trek-episodes

https://gizmodo.com.au/2022/07/the-12-scariest-episodes-of-star-trek/

https://gamerant.com/star-trek-episodes-sci-fi-horror/#enterprise-impulse

https://www.monstercomplex.com/blog/Star-Trek-Scariest-Episodes

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/scariest-star-trek-horror-episodes.html

https://www.slashfilm.com/910821/10-terrifying-star-trek-episodes-to-watch-after-this-weeks-strange-new-worlds/

https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-spooky-halloween-episodes/

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/star-trek-halloween-scary.html

https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/2017/10/26/star-trek-horror-episodes/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8BXCo9XKw4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsvbp9EahI

...

* There was a 12-way tie for the final 8 slots, so the final 8 in the first list are randomly selected from among those 12 episodes.

** PRO did not make an appearance on any of the lists I found, so I selected an episode that felt most appropriate. Other series only had one suggested episode and are in the list by default.

[whywhatswrongwithblue]

DW REWATCH

S1E2 THE END OF THE WORLD

The Doctor takes Rose on her first voyage through time, to the year five billion. The sun is about to expand and swallow the earth. Amongst the alien races gathering to watch, a murderer is at work. Who is controlling the mysterious and deadly spiders?

WHAT was he doing in this scene.

You think you're so impressive. ---I am so impressive baby’s first flirt….

2. You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. i adore this line. Iirc i read somewhere that this episode was made when a lot of negative climate focussed media was coming out and rtd wanted to assure young viewers that there was always hope? Not sure where i saw it but it’s stuck with me

3. Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?-- rose we are literally here so i can trauma dump. Haven’t you heard of healthy coping mechanisms??

4. He's blue RTD my beloved. What an incredibly realistic, human observation—i feel like companions simply do not do this anymore. And they should!

5. Love the bark makeup. It’s so pretty!

6. The air from my lungs….this episode is so good damn it

7. Moxx of Balhoon better known as the CEO of sex. I give you the gift of bodily salivas lucky Rose

8. CASSANDRAAAAA

9. Rose being overwhelmed and running out. I can’t get over the amount of care and detail RTD put into writing her. She really is his baby. Can’t wait to see how he brings her back now (because he will. He will.)

10. Jabe’s device is unable to identify a timelord, probably because the rest of the universe thinks them dead? Although her reaction is very different from that of the Nestene Consciousness (who is implied to have lost quite a bit in the Time War), whereas Jabe doesn’t seem to have any personal connection. I wonder what the other outsider perceptions of the War were!

11. Ahhh Rose being kind to the plumber. I love my girl. LMAO at her realising she just hitched a ride with a complete stranger w/o thinking about it. The metal spiders are very Minority Report.

12. Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask? the WRITING. Just chef’s kiss. Even in this sort of power dynamic, you never ever feel like Rose doesn’t have agency. She’s so smart and capable and fierce. i love her.

13. Gotta love how fast they switch from arguing to flirting. Jiggery-pokery <3

14. I might be late home. and then she comes back a YEAR later JESUS

15. Bad Wolf mention!

16. Hahahah i can’t watch the Jabe scene without thinking of plant sex now, courtesy of Katie

17. I was born on that planet, and so was my mum, and so was my dad. I love how much Rose loves her dad. Like if you’ve never even known a parent, you probably wouldn’t bring them up in a context like this, but the addition implies that Rose thinks of her dad quite a bit, and this is a nice little subtle setup to my favourite episode of the season, Father’s Day

18. The sun filter scene! It’s unexpectedly tense. I remember being really worried the first time I saw it

19. This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe. He invited us. Jack set them up….god that’s so sweet. The fact that he knows that they’re properly together in Pete’s World at this point <3333333 he is Literally Us. Putting his blorbos in Situations.

20. What are you going to do, moisturise me?

21. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. HUHHH?? LMAO

22. I love the turning fan trope, every time it’s in any movie ever, it’s got me on the edge of my seat

23. Everything has its time, and everything dies. OOF. Appreciate Rose still wanting Cassandra to be saved! Something something parallel with how she changed the Doctor so much that he’s willing to give Cassandra a peaceful death in New Earth <3 the power of love, folks.

24. The Earth death scene is beautiful. I remember feeling so sad that everyone just missed it! And the Doctor finally realising that maybe this wasn’t a great first trip for his young companion xD

25. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else.---There's me. What a beautiful moment of intimacy. And such great acting! The Doctor is finally beginning to let her in, and Rose has attached to this stranger so quickly, despite how prickly and condescending he can be. Soulmates <3

Loveee this ending. 10/10 again!

[yourlocalegotisticalqueerishere]

Character ask thingie, a Legend of your choosing but you must answer ALL the questions

This is DERANGED. But I respect it, and I will do it (the questions for this ask game are here, feel free to send an ask in)

I am of course going to pick Zari Tarazi, because why the hell not

1. My first impression of them

I was deeply confused because I first watched Legends out of order and out of context, but I did love her pretty much immediately

2. When I think I truly started to like them (or dislike them)

Immediately

3. A song that reminds me of them

IT GIRL by Aliyah's Interlude

4. How many people I ship them with

Let me count real quick... 3 or 4 (don't ask questions)

5. My favourite ship of them

I really like her and Charlie

6. My least favourite ship of them

Her and John. It's fine I guess, but I'm not that bothered

7. A quote of them that you remember

"I was just doing a runway turn ☺️"

8. Your favourite outfit of them

Yeah I'm not picking, when she looks good, she looks good

9. Your least favourite outfit of them

When she got high in season 7 (real rock bottom for her)

10. Describe the character in one sentence

Icon of all time, but severely down to earth beneath it all

11. What's the first thing you think about when thinking about the character?

How vibrant she is

12. Sexuality hc

I don't think she uses labels, but I don't think she's straight

13. Your favourite friendship they have

Her and Ava will always be so brilliant

14. Best storyline they had

Her moving away from her very vapid persona and becoming more grounded. That or the Speakeasy episode

15. Worst storyline they had

Why did she give up the totem like who asked for that

16. A childhood headcanon

She was really into Scooby Doo before she was famous

17. What do you think their first word was?

Probably Mama

18. How do you think they were as a kid?

Deeply kind

19. The most random ship you've seen people have them with

... No comment ( @sideguitars you will pay for your crimes) (just kidding)

20. A weird headcanon

She reads classic novels in her downtime

21. When do you think they were at their happiest?

When her Z1 and Behrad were all in the timeline at the end of S5 after he came back to life and the world was saved, but before B started like dying and stuff

22. When do you think they were at their lowest?

Right after she found out Behrad died

23. Future headcanon

She does a deep dive into the totems history in her family

24. What do you think is a secret that they have never told anyone?

Probably that she has major stage fright

25. When do you think they acted the most ooc

Giving up the totem at the end of S7 (seriously who asked for this)

26. When do you think they were being "themselves" the most

After Behrad died and her determination to bring him back cancelled out her persona for a while. She was still on her girlboss shit, but she had focus and drive, and no time for bullshit

27. If they could meet a character from another show/movie/etc, who would be the most fun for them to meet?

Daphne Blake. They'd break the slay-ometer

28. The most unnecessary thing they ever did?

Give up the totem (I'm so upset about this, can you tell?)

29. How do you think they would be as a parent?

I don't think that's for her, but if she was one she'd be the parent who says "you can be anything you want to be" and makes it happen

30. The funniest scene they had?

In S5 when z1 is trying to hack the loom and z2 just. Unplugs it. The popping into frame, the pause before she does it, her little fucking smile, the contrast with Z1. Perfection.

[bell-of-indecision]

✨I ranked all the indian stuff I watched in 2023✨

For context, this July I finally gave in to my decade-old urge and dove head first into indian culture. It's been nothing short of phenomenal. The more people I meet, the more foods I try, the more music I listen to, the more Hindi I learn, the more I fall in love with India.

Although I became more of a TV serial person, eventually, I gave in to the movies as well.

So here's everything I watched, ranked from worst to best.

(I'm sorry in advance)

10. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

This movie is useless, I'm so sorry. Somehow, it fooled me into thinking Naina was the main character, then the whole thing became about Bunny and I was so confused, who was I supposed to care about anyway? Can't complain though, Naina is a boring and uncharismatic cliché, I couldn't care less about her, had she disappeared midway into the story, I would've been thankful. Avi, Bunny, and Aditi, on the other hand, are loveable characters that deserved to be in a better movie — especially Aditi, I liked her so much. Too bad the movie seems to be about absolutely nothing. There was a message, I think, but it felt so shallow it didn't even matter to me, there was no actual relevance, no lesson, no impact, nothing. Maybe I'm stupid, but this movie is a drag. And the soundtrack SUCKS, Ilahi is the only good song in it.

2.8/10

9. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

The very first Bollywood movie I've ever watched. I wanted to like it so bad, it makes me sad that I didn't. Is it a comedy? A horror story? A dramatic murder mystery? Somehow, it's all of these and none at the same time, it can't decide on a tone to save its life, not even the humor can decide on what exactly it wants to be (most of it is just bad). The main couple has negative chemistry, their romance is so bland it's almost funny. Ruhan carries the whole movie on his back and is the only character with enough charisma to make me care, I honestly love this guy. His scene where he pretends to be possessed is incredible, and Tabu as Anjulika was great too. The plot twist was really nice, possibly the only good thing about the whole story, but then the movie ends so abruptly and on such a heavy note that it almost made me sick when the upbeat theme song started playing immediately after. This movie could not read the room, everything about it throws me off.

4/10

8. Jab We Met

Aditya is a dream, Geet is kind of a nightmare. I have nothing against characters that are lively, optimistic, and cheery, but they have to be bearable, she was just way too much for me. I loved Aditya's character development, it was fun and endearing to watch. The movie itself is not bad, just overrated. Nagada Nagada slaps though.

6/10

7. War

I wanted to love this movie just as much as it wanted to have a good twist. We both failed. Underestimating the audience's intelligence is one thing, but toying with us and making us feel like fools for the sake of a “big reveal” is something else. And no, it wasn't worth it. It wanted to be surprising, but it was just frustrating, shocking for all the wrong reasons. The action was fire though, no complaints there, and I loved the relationship dynamic between Kabir and Khalid, I would watch 11 seasons of those two going on missions with their team and fighting together, their chemistry is so good, I enjoyed every second of their scenes.

6.4/10

6. Arjun: The Warrior Prince

As a Mahabharat fan, I had hopes, but that's on me. Loved the way the story was presented to the audience, simple but brilliant. Shaheer Sheikh's Brihannala altered my brain chemistry, and I was elated to see her again. The animation was gorgeous, that goes without saying. I just hated how it ended right before the war, right where Arjun has some of his best moments, and hated even more how they practically erased Krishna from the story. At least they made him dark skinned this time.

6.7/10

5. My Name is Khan

Had this been based on a true story, I would've been the biggest fan of this movie to ever exist, I am a sucker for movies based on real life stories. Still, despite the disappointment of finding out this whole thing — as good as it was — was fictional, I see it as a touching, lovely, honest, and relevant story that kept me interested and broadened my horizons. Say whatever you want about allistic actors playing autistic characters, Shah Rukh Khan sold the heck out of this character and I bought it like the big neurodivergent fool that I am. I see a neurodivergent character onscreen, I am immediately on-board and loving them despite all their scripted flaws because “they're just like me fr”. "Marry me", indeed.

7/10

4. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Is it innovative and groundbreaking? No, but it is so much fun. It's deep and honest enough, charismatic and funny enough, it's just good entertainment with a good message. I expected nothing to be honest, either way, the story just kept getting better? The dynamics kept getting deeper and more complex? Wait a minute, this was actually good! I went in for the soundtrack — I'm obssessed with Dhindhora Baje Re — but I stayed for everything else. I laughed out loud many times, I shed some tears, I rooted, man, this movie made me feel actual things! What a lovely surprise.

7.9/10

3. The Railway Men

I went into it with such high hopes. Some of them were met, but part of me was left unsatisfied. As I said before, real stories are my favorite, but the way this show was presented feels too much like fiction. Good fiction, but still. And I know it’s not fiction. I am aware that many creative liberties were taken, and I'm not against them, at all, but the thing is: I could see them, I knew they were there. When I watched HBO’s Chernobyl, I was fully convinced that everything that was presented in the show was reality, exactly how it had happened, and I doubted nothing. I was shocked when they revealed that Ulana Khomyuk was a character created to represent many scientists that were involved in the incident. I had eaten her up, and I still can't believe she wasn't a real person. The Railway Men feels like the opposite of this, most of it feels like a creative liberty, very little reads as a real event, a real interaction, or a real person. I doubted a lot of what I saw, and had to do some research to fully understand what exactly had been real. But like I said, it was still good. I found myself caring deeply for each and every character, no matter how minor, I deeply empathized with their pain, rooted for them, cried with them, cried for them. It's heartbreaking, gut wrenching, revolting, yet it still manages to be inspiring. Why I never learned about Bhopal before watching this show is beyond me, but at any rate, I will be recommending this show to everyone I know.

8.1/10

2. Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva 

I will defend this movie's honor, I don't even care. I loved it so much that I made my mom watch it with me the next day, and she loved it. The dialogue is cringy, yes, unbearably so, some lines make my skin crawl. But COME ON, the plot is great, the concept is creative, the visual effects are wonderful, the soundtrack is divine —Mohan is dreamy— hear me out, I was hooked, on board, immersed, you name it. This movie made me feel so excited, I felt like a 7-year-old watching a super hero movie and wanting to have cool powers just like those, I honestly can't remember the last time a movie made me feel this energetic. Do I understand why Shiva and Isha were so deeply in love despite having met each other a week ago? No, but I was still rooting for them. Do I understand why sometimes people yell out the Astra’s powers in order to activate them like the Power Rangers? No, neither do I vibe with it, but do you think it mattered? The next moments were so freaking cool that I completely forgot what I wanted to complain about. (Oh, and Saurav Gurjar was in it! I gasped so loud when I saw him on screen, and playing a villain no less!) I was genuinely sad when it ended, I would've watched three more hours of that, despite the terribly written lines. I will fight for this movie and forgive every bad line of dialogue if it kills me.

8.7/10

1. Mahabharat (2013)

In case you haven't noticed, I am absolutely obssessed with Mahabharat. Initially, I’d decided to face the 267 episodes of this show because watching stuff in your target language is a good way to learn (also, that Krishna guy was very easy on the eyes, looking at him a bit more surely wouldn't hurt). It took me a few episodes to really get into the story, but once I did, oh boy, I was so hooked on the plot I even forgot about the language (although I did learn some words from it). The thing about this show, other than the freaking superb plot and phenomenal cast, are the characters. They all made me feel something. And that's the thing with characters, I believe, they don't necessarily have to be good or bad, morally speaking, they have to be well-written and entertaining, they have to make you feel things, positive or negative. Shakuni, a villain, was freaking great because of how good he was at being bad. And the good guys, like the Pandavas, weren't just good, that'd be boring, they were also charismatic, unique, funny, inspiring, and sometimes morally grey, which made them even more interesting, even more human. Watching them get in conflict with their morals when things got dark was insane. Even when they messed up —I'm looking at you Dharmraj— I still wanted to see them win. They felt like family, I watched them grow, I felt so close to them that their struggles and victories felt like my own. “My boys”, I call them. Mahabharat is my Roman Empire, man, I could talk about this show for HOURS. Anyway, this became my favorite show of all time and I'm so glad I didn't let the number of episodes scare me away. (And yes, I am still very much in love with Saurabh Raaj’s Krishna, he is probably one of my favorite characters ever, my heart raced when I first saw him and it still does to this day, BYE)

9/10

Oh, this ended up being a Top 10. Nice.

I both thank you and applaud you for reaching the end of this ramble that is ultimately just a result of my obsession with making lists and ranking literally everything. And also my admiration for indian culture.

I would've included Porus and Chandragupta Maurya but I'm not yet finished watching them, but I thought I should say: I am liking them a lot.

What do you people think I should watch next year? Recommendations are welcome!

✨🇮🇳 ✨

[gifmourningu]

Star Twinkle Precure watch guide

A list of episodes that let you know which episodes are less interesting and skippable.

I have to say this season was overall very engaging compared to most other Precure seasons; as a result there's not going to be a lot of skips here. The main issue with this season is episode 36, which I'll discuss under the read more (will contain spoilers).

Plot is bolded. Recommended filler (character development or background -oriented) is italicized. Skippable episodes grouped in block quote.

1 — Cure Star

2 — Cure Milky

3 — Taurus Pen (+ Hikaru/Lala development)

4 — Cure Soleil

5 — Cure Selene

6 — Leo Pen (Lala focus)

7 — Repairing Spaceship 

8 — Libra Pen (Elena & Prunce focus)

9 — Capricorn Pen (Madoka focus)

10 — Villain powerup (Hikaru focus)

11 — New Finisher (Hikaru focus)

12 — The girls make a movie (Lala/Hikaru focus + Comedic)

13 — Lala goes to school (Lala focus, also good context for the next ep)

14 — Scorpio Pen (Elena focus) 

15 — Capricorn Pen + Blue Cat Entrance (Madoka focus)

16 — Madoka’s Archery Finals (Madoka focus) This episode isn’t bad but basically rehashes the same lesson in episode 9 that shows Madoka embracing her friends as her support. Don't worry, she gets a really good episode later.

17 — Virgo Pen (Yuni focus)

18 — Hikaru’s mom the mangaka (Hikaru focus)

19 — Gemini Pen & Planet Rainbow (Yuni focus)

20 — Cure Cosmo

21 — Cure Cosmo part 2 & Aries Pen 

22 — Tanabata & Hikaru’s dad (Hikaru focus)

23 — Fuwa Panic (Yuni + Elena focus)

24 — Aquarius Pen (Madoka + Yuni focus)

25 — Festivities (Yuni + Lala focus)

26 — Pajama Party in Space 

27 — Water Planet (Yuni + Ayewan focus)

28 — Fixing the Rocket (Elena/Madoka focus)

29 — Cancer Pen part 1 (Lala + Madoka focus)

30 — Cancer Pen part 2 (Lala focus)

31 — Pisces Pen (Hikaru focus)

32 — New Finisher

33 — Fuwa wants to be useful 

34 — Elena guides a cactus alien (Elena focus)

35 — Student Council Election (Hikaru focus)

36 — “But Stealing Is Always Bad Even When You Were Stolen From First :(” (Yuni focus) This episode is. Oof. I disagree very much with the politics of it. Check the read more for spoilers and discussion.

37 — Costume Party (Kappard + Lala focus)

38 — Cosmo Twinkle Imagination (Yuni + Ayewan focus)

39 — English Speech Contest (Elena + Tenjo focus)

40 — Milky Twinkle Imagination (Lala + Kappard focus)

41 — Selene Twinkle Imagination (Madoka focus)

42 — Soleil Twinkle Imagination leadup (Elena + Tenjo focus)

43 — Soleil Twinkle Imagination (Elena + Tenjo focus)

44 — Christmas (Covers Elena’s decision for her future + cool fight in the sky)

45 — Star Twinkle Imagination (Hikaru focus)

46 ~ 49 — Finale

Below is reasons for my issues with ep 36: ↓

So this episode unfortunately falls into the pitfalls of false equivalency that we often see in media, namely the idea that if you do something against your oppressors you're as bad as they are. The other issue is that Yuni's whole situation tracks very closely as a metaphor for indigenous survival against colonialism and genocide, which makes this episode even worse. To top it off, we also have a cop character who wants to capture her that is basically posed as morally good because "stealing is bad" is their overall message.

"Stealing is bad" is a moral that you would expect to find in a kid's show for sure, but when paired with the history of genocide it translates terribly.

Recall that:

Yuni's original culture is the only one inhabiting her home planet, which they came to after being chased away from other planets. In other words, they are historically a persecuted minority.

Yuni is the only current survivor of genocide against her planet by colonial forces Notraider (who specifically say they want to take over all planets and milk them for their resources).

The Notraiders (through Ayewan) then stole all of her culture's artifacts and then put them on the black market

The black market is run by the Mafia

Auctions are held for the equivalent of billions of dollars (juu oku in yen), and there are billionaires. Which implies space capitalism and the plundering of other planets in general. Billionaires do not exist without the mass accumulation of wealth, and there are slums mentioned which Yuni donates to.

Yuni's culture's items have been stolen from her people and sold against their will. Yet, for some reason, if she's to steal them back, that's just as bad as the original plundering of her planet. This is simply false equivalence. Hikaru insists that she needs to ask for her items nicely back from the mafia, of all things (if they're the mafia they're in the business of killing people for money. Hikaru, hello?). To further this kids' moral, Yuni is reduced to begging for her culture's item back from the mafia boss, even promising to pay for it. Why should she have to pay for something that he shouldn't even own to begin with? It's just disrespectful on all levels.

Meanwhile, Hikaru, who lives in Japan, is part of a colonialist legacy herself who have similarly stolen land from indigenous people as well as their artifacts. All over the world, in the United States, and in Japan, governments in power have plundered indigenous graves for cultural remains and items and have not returned them despite repeated petitioning from said indigenous groups. Basically, asking nicely in the real world takes forever and forces indigenous groups to jump through 239480 hoops, all the while subjecting them to continuous destruction of their heritage. Yet the violence of them being taken in the first place is never questioned; it is accepted, while indigenous groups are demonized for standing up, trying to protect their lands.

Honestly, this episode was really bad. Its only saving grace is that Yuni says she won't stop traveling to get her items back, though it's unclear if she's planning to ask for them "nicely" back every time. Frankly, she should be allowed to steal them back. The billionaires who paid millions of dollars for the artifacts won't miss the money — the dragon guy sure didn't. Yuni is literally Robin Hood, and she doesn't even amass her own wealth; she takes back her cultural items and donates anything else she takes from rich people to the poor. I'm sorry, but this isn't even morally grey. She's doing everything right. The dog cop character is convinced Yuni needs to be locked up... why? Is this really the best use of the interstellar police forces' time rather than fighting than the Notraiders? It's not like any of them showed up to investigate what happened to Yuni's planet afterwards. She has literally gotten nothing from them and is being demonized for crimes against the market.

Anyway, given that it's a kid's show, at least Yuni's people are restored in the end, and by Ayewan herself as a form of a reparations. Since Ayewan undid everything she did (this would be impossible in real life) and worked to help Yuni's people afterwards, the rest of the Yuni / Ayewan plot gets a pass in my mind (even though that also runs on false equivalence). It's really just this one episode that is a mess because it refuses to deal with the structural oppression that exists and that Yuni is fighting against.

It's a shame, really, since otherwise Star Twinkle is a very solid show whose themes of embracing individuality and difference between people is incredibly powerful. Hikaru herself is great in every other episode other than this one, and wonderfully neurodivergent. So anyway, here's your warning for episode 36. Recommended skip if you don't want to spend your time fuming.

[sylvarantii]

Being a fan of crossovers, this movie was pretty exciting for me to check out. Definitely didn't disappoint!

Lupin the III vs Detective Conan: The Movie is sort of one I wasn't sure how to feel about since I think I've only watched maybe one season of Lupin and it was definitely one of the more "modern" seasons.

That said, while I knew what to expect considering I do at least know the general direction the series takes, I feel it's fair to warn people who aren't familiar with the series to tread lightly.

To sum it up, it's, well, raunchy. There's sex jokes and lots of seeing women in provocative ways (especially Fujiko, my god that woman is the poster girl of extremely sexual women, even in this movie). Tons of cleavage. A bathing scene. It's very adult. Haha.

Which normally isn't a problem, but...I wasn't too fond of the fact Haibara got dragged into it. I just think when you're discussing certain things about the woman body and it's addressed toward a child (regardless of how old she is mentally) it feels a little wrong. Especially with an adult implyingly getting handsy with said child while making said comment.

So just...keep that in mind if you're like me and you're a little put off by it.

The humor of the series was a very good addition to this movie. I really do enjoy some of the gags of the Lupin series and it certainly delivered in this movie.

The characters were all really fun. I think my favorites were Jigan and Inspector Zenigatta.

I love Conan and Jigan's little playful banter of "being father and son". It was very precious.

By the way, there was a tv special before this one (Same name, just doesn't have "the movie" added on in the title). I would highly recommend watching it first as it provides a lot of context for the movie. Not to mention they do bring up some things from the tv special in the movie.

That said, you CAN watch the movie without the context. It's not like it's hard to follow otherwise.

I also want to say that Satou was an absolute delight in this movie. I love how she's willing to admit Lupin was her first childhood crush, but has no issues taking him down. She's hilarious and I just really enjoyed her in this movie. I kind of wish there could've been more of her.

It's rather funny to me as well that you can easily pick out which designer was doing which of the background and side characters. Like, I do think the Lupin series and Detective Conan mesh pretty well, but there are VERY MUCH artistic differences between the two that can be spotted at a glance.

Now before I add this to the rankings, I would like to note I'm not going to add a movie number to it since technically "Dimensional Sniper" is considered the 18th movie. But since this one came out after the last one, I figured I'd watch and write a little something up.

1.) The Raven Chaser (13th Movie)

2.) The Fourteenth Target (2nd Movie)

3.) The Lost Ship in the Sky (14th Movie)

4.) The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1st Movie)

5.) Magician of the Silver Sky (8th Movie)

6.) Captured in Her Eyes (4th Movie)

7.) Crossroad in the Ancient Capital (7th Movie)/Lupin the III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie

8.) Quarter of Silence (15th Movie)

9.) The Phantom of Baker Street (6th Movie)

10.) Countdown to Heaven (5th Movie)

11.) Strategy Above the Depths (9th Movie)

12.) The Private Eyes' Requiem (10th Movie)

13.) Full Score of Fear (12th Movie)

14.) The Eleventh Striker (16th Movie)

15.) The Wizard of the Last Century (3rd Movie)

16.) Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure (11th Movie)

17.) Private Eye in the Distant Sea (17th Movie)

Perhaps it doesn't make a lot of sense, but for some reason, it just feels best to give it tie status with another movie. It could just be laziness on my part so as not to have to fix the numbers, but I kind of feel like this is the way to go.

Especially since it feels almost like an unofficial official part of the Detective Conan Movie saga.

I don't really expect anyone to know what I'm talking about, I already know how confusing I must sound.

Either way, ending notes, great movie! Highly recommend when you just want a fun watch to give you a few laughs

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hello I'm the annie who asked about watching hotd without having watched got. And guess what? I did! I watched s1 and ep 1 of s2 and I loved it so muchhhh. I cannot believe a show like this exists. I'm sure I'm missing some context because I haven't seen got but it's still so good. I could die for alicent and rhaenyra. Their relationship is so beautiful and complex and I'm completely in love. Here are some scenes I really enjoyed and some people i loved and hated:

1) the whole dinner scene in ep8. R and A toasting to eachother and then A being disappointed when R was leaving. That was probably one of my favorite episodes.

2) I loved kind viserys.

3) aemond chasing luke scene. I actually gasped at the end. I was heartbroken but that was some good shit

4) I hate the hand. And I hate christon cole. And I hate that foot fetish guy. I hate most of the men on the show tbh.

5) I love R's kids. Especially luke. I wanted to kill aemond so badly.

6) why is there so much childbirth in this show? Like in the first episode of the time jump when R is giving birth I could literally hear her vagina sounds. And the second was also very horrifying. And when Aemma gave birth- that shit scarred me. I'm never having kids after this.

7) I had no idea I'd love politics so much. But I really do. It's so fucking interesting. I'm obviously team black but I also feel very attached to alicient.

8) at first I was wierded out but at this point I've even stopped to think about the incest. Like they just marry their brother or sister and call them husband and wife? Okay cool.

9) what did you think about 'a son for a son'? I wish it had been aemond instead because I hate that asshole. Fuck aemond.

10) what do you think about R and daemon? I honestly don't completely understand his character. So much shit has happened.

11) it's crazy how much history A and R have and that THAT one night is still something that governs their relationship (atleast for A). I just. I love them. I love their love. I love that I get to see and feel it. When A touched R's hand in that dinner party episode- I felt SO MUCH. I love it when shows/stories make me FEEL. Does that make sense? I just love them so much.

12) A lighting a candle for Luke :'(

I cannot wait to watch the rest of it. It's so good. I don't know if I'll watch GOT or not because it's too long and I'm worried it won't match up to hotd and this style that I've gotten used to.

OMG YOU WATCHED. I AM SO HAPPY.

for those of you who don't know, before coercing people into watching f1, I was coercing people to watch GoT/HoTD. So, this makes me so happy hehe.

Watching this story and hating all the men is such an experience, trust me.

Or not you like Luke the most. My deepest sympathies 😔 the baby deserved so much better.

The show is very graphic about childbirth. I was watching all the murders unblinking and then hid under the blanket during the childbirth scenes lmao.

The whole marrying the brother thing is extremely common among the targaryens because that's how they keep their bloodline pure (which is a tradition that actually existed among many royalities before...)

A son for a son in the show was fucked up. I WANT TO HURL DAEMON FROM A MOUNTAIN. Also, it happens differently in the book. Do read up on it if you're interested!

I loooooved Matt Smith a lot so I was super into Daemon earlier on in season 1 but then he got really annoying really fast. LIKE BRO STOP MAKING THINGS WORSE.

I like Alicent a lot too. But I do not like this new arrangement with Cr*ston Cole. I HATE HIM.

I hope you watched the next episode today! The funeral procession scene was >>>> Also I don't support team green but the way their grief was portrayed, each one so different, was so well done.

BUT. BUTTTTTT. If you liked this and if you loved the politics, you will LOVE game of thrones. I promise. HoTD is good. But it doesn't even come close to GoT. GoT doesn't have as many dragons, BUT YOU WILL LOVE THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERS I PROMISE.

[firawren]

Asks about my OTPs

Pick your top 10 OTPs without reading the questions, then answer the questions after you've made your list

Elizabeth and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Belle and Beast (Beauty and the Beast 1991)

Anne and Wentworth (Persuasion)

Chuck and Sarah (Chuck)

Killian and Emma (Once Upon a Time)

Peeta and Katniss (The Hunger Games)

Stede and Ed (Our Flag Means Death)

Catherine and Henry (Northanger Abbey)

Snow and David (Once Upon a Time)

Leslie and Ben (Parks and Recreation)

Now here are the questions and answers!

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6? – Probably some time during the second book, when they really become a team protecting and comforting each other.

2. Have you ever read a fanfic about 2? – Haha yes, and written many!

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr screen saver? – Nope!

4. If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be? – They kind of are broken up? It's devastating, but I hope season 2 will fix it!

5. Why is 1 so important? – Because they got me into the entire Jane Austen universe, which is one of my main interests and hobbies now.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship? – Mostly serious, but they have their funny moments.

7. Out of all the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry? – Elizabeth and Darcy or Chuck and Sarah.

8. Out of all your ships listed, which ship has the strongest bond? – Probably Peeta and Katniss since they went through such intense trauma together.

9. How many times have you read/watched the 10’s fandom? – 3 times, and I'll do it again.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest? – I don't know what this means. In their canon? Snow and David have been together for over 40 years by the end of the show, I think. In my heart? I've been into Belle and Beast ever since the movie came out over 31 years ago. In fandom? Elizabeth and Darcy have been going strong for over 200 years!

11. How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up? – I suppose they weren't really a couple during the period where Peeta wanted to murder Katniss lol! Plus they were fake dating and fake engaged for most of their relationship, so it's hard to tell what "broken up" means in this sort of context where they're not truly together to begin with.

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8? – 2, because Beast is a literal beast with claws and fangs and crap, and Belle is very smart. 8 are sweet little cuties who would get killed immediately lol!

13. Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason? – They both were kind of in denial about liking each other romantically, but that's not really the same thing. And they kind of broke up right after officially acknowledging they wanted to be together! I guess Stede was hiding his relationship when he went back to Mary.

14. Is 4 still together? – Kind of. The awful series finale makes their future murky.

15. Is 10 canon? – Yep, all of these ships are. I'm basic haha!

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win? – Well Beast is the most dangerous physically, but he wouldn't want to kill anyone. So I'm going with Chuck and Sarah due to their physical training and Sarah's skill and lack of remorse over killing anyone she needs to.

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5’s ship? – Mostly Emma herself haha! I guess Neal and David kind of did, but not really actively/aggressively.

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond? –  I strongly believe in all of them, but Belle and Beast are the most in need of defense because some people see them as toxic, so I'm the most prickly about defending their relationship, I guess.

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr page? – Nope, they're not super popular on Tumblr. I think only 1, 5, and 7 have a strong presence on Tumblr.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all forever, which ship would you sink? – I guess Catherine and Henry just because they could each easily find someone else to love and be happy with and not be forever devastated by their breakup. They're not, like, soulmates, just two cute young people who happened to get thrown together.

Tagging some people if they want to do this: @loonysama, @thefamilybruno, @annaofthenorthernlights, @bad-at-names-and-faces, @thecassadilla, @keeshya6, @bethanydelleman, @thatscarletflycatcher + anyone else! (No pressure to do this as usual!)

[ybcpatrick]

fifteen questions | fifteen people

i was tagged by @nerdangels so thaaaaank you jaime mwahmwah ✌️😚

1. are you named after anyone? my government name is based on my mum's biological father's, alan

2. when was the last time you cried? lmao yesterday. my dad stayed home from work bc he wasn't feeling awesome, so he finished the first season of picard, and despite having so little context, i find myself to be VIOLENTLY emotionally attached to data. so.

3. do you have any kids? i was there when my best friend bought a blahaj shark from ikea, so i'm his father basically.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot? i make a point to speak in riddles at all times, and i learnt how to socialize from hannah montana. so yes!

5. what's the first thing you notice about people? this is going to sound so pretentious, jfc 🫠 SIAKDKSKDJ okay. i have synesthesia, and mine makes me associate colours with people/places/songs/days of the week/fucking everything. so the first thing i notice about people is what colour they feel like. the colours have next-to-no meaning either it's just a pointless built-in vibecheck

6. what is the colour of your eyes? hazel :)

7. scary movies or happy endings? these aren't mutually exclusive! but on the rare occasion where i feel like watching a movie, i'm probably not gonna pick something scary.

8. any special talents? i can solve a rubik's cube in five minutes or less. i'm also weirdly good at wii bowling, but i didn't have a wii growing up? so i have no idea how that happened.

9. where were you born? in an artsy little city, about two hours southwest of toronto.

10. what are your hobbies? drawing, writing, piano, guitar, watching wrestling, reading, collecting toys, playing some video games, the list goes on bc i have adhd but u get me sjfvjekfbj

11. do you have any pets? i have a big, doofy dog named aries, and two cats named bender and lucy ☺️

12. what sports do you play/have you played? i was sooooo good at sports as a kid that i learned to draw. so do with that what you will skdkkskajdksj

13. how tall are you? i'm 5'9"!!

14. favourite subject in school? art and english!!

15. dream job? i'd still like to become an art teacher someday.. but we'll see ;w;

tagging: @heartbreakfeelsogood @celestialtoy @clandestine-rabbit @whimsagoth @fairyprince7 @softnsquishable @ibidflash @septy448 @fangs-frthmmrs @omegalomania @patrickmstump @petewentzisblack1312 @deathchic @saliama @rotmyguts and ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO!!! SAY I TAGGED U I LOVE BEING NOSY

[quartzroolz]

Fuck it Rider run through rankings

welp, this is it. My magnum opus. Back in 2023, I decided it was a great idea to watch through every Heisei kamen rider season and keep this post as a little tribute to my journey. well, that fell apart, because I eventually decided that "oh, 25+ years of karate bugman isn't enough, let shoot for the full 50+". so this is it. my opinions on every season of kamen rider, ever, without exceptions, updated as I finish seasons. Original Description: OK so, I have decided to go through kamen rider from start of heisei to end of heisei, in order. Kuuga to Zi-O. And I already Regret it but here goes a long form attempt at consolidating my feelings on this stupid fucking franchise. Currently Watching: Showa: 1971 (part 2: Nigo) Heisei: Decade Reiwa: Gavv

KAMEN RIDER (1971) EPISODE 1-13

Here it is. the one that started it all. so In part for digestibility (the original kamen rider series is 98 episodes long) and in part because of factors I will doubtless get into, I have made the decision to tackle 1971 as multiple parts. the main reason, aside from aforementioned digestibility, is that 1971 changes a lot over those nearly 100 episodes.

as it stands, episodes 1-13 are the bits of kamen rider which everyone who has watched the original series agree are great. this is because, put simply, its what the show was meant to be. those 13 episodes are the purest version of Shotaro Ishinomoris' vision for the character and the world.

And... yeah its really good. Like its shocking how good the series is off the bat, for something 50 years old at this point. The action is fun and mostly well filmed, and the sometimes herky-jerky techniques employed to sell the super-heroics really work. Its also really violent. like its still a "kids show", I don't think I would be worried about younger people watching it even now, but like... people die pretty frequently and in a few cases quite gruesomely. The extent of how horrific it can be is undercut by the interesting and creative ways by how its chosen to be depicted but like... there are man-eating scorpions in this show that disintegrate people and its legitimately pretty horrific, especially when put into the mindset and context of 1971 in japan.

thematically its on point too. so much of these episodes go to hongo dealing with the loss of humanity in his transformation into a cyborg. its genuinely effective and evocative. the tragedy of hurting a child when he goes to comfort them cannot be overstated.

maybe the one factor I think is potentially lacking is costume design on the Kaijin, but I also acknowledge that we have been spoiled by modern techniques in that regard. for the time, most of them are pretty good and evocative with this designs. only really weak links are in the last couple episodes, especially Tokageron who is so clearly a case of "we need another episode to fill time, heres a half finished costume".

and... yeah, as to why they needed that extra episode and why I am only doing the first 13 episodes here and splitting 1971 into multiple parts. during these first 13 episodes, Hiroshi Fujioka, the actor playing Takeshi Hongo, was doing his own stunts, both in and out of the kamen rider suit. however, during filming for... probably episode 11 but I dont know if there is any conformation on that, a bad motorcycle accident took fujioka out of commission for an extended amount of time. episodes 11, 12 and 13 where completed using a combination of reused footage, and Takeshi Hongo doesnt even appear in person until the closing shots in 12 and 13. behind the scenes, this was taken as an oppertunity to heavily rework the show as well, as Kamen rider had been receiving complaints from parents on the content, which lead to changes in the next batch of episodes, 14-51, and overall the rest of the franchise moving forward.

overall... I mean its got to be a 9/10 on this doesn't it? its the purest, most unrefined version of an IP I love. its the bit that gets remade every time they decide to remake Ichigo. its the bit that The First and Shin draw on the most directly, and its probably the most foundational part of so much of the Henshin hero genre. and most importantly, ITS STILL GOOD. it is still worth watching, still worth checking out.

KUUGA (2000)

kuuga is the best season of Kamen Rider I have seen. Its not my favourite, but its basically as close to "Objectivly perfect" as this dumb bugman franchise gets.

the characters are likable, the plot is well structured, Godai and Ichijou are gay as hell and I love it, The Mystery works really well, the action is well choriagraphed and outright brutal on occasion (y'all who have seen this show know exactly the occasion I am talking about), and it is paced really well.

if I have to compalin about anything, and I probably do, yeah forms are spaced out a bit weird and if your watching in the modern age the gurongi are subtitled which might hurt your experience somewhat (It didnt for me but I can see an argument).

9/10, amazing show.

AGITO (2001)

I would like to give a solemn Apology to the Agito stans: I don't like this show, and I honestly do not get why some people do. Yes, the suits are really cool with all of the mechanical stuff they can do, like Agitos horns or Gills mouth, etc. but as for the actual Plot itself... its painfully slow, the mystery aspect is boring and poorly executed, and the show meanders around for the majority of its run.

Shoichi regains his memories briefly midway through the show, just to basically imediatly lose them again, delaying any actual story progression even further. Ryo Spends 4 episodes (a month IRL time) dead in a river, and once again it really goes no-where.

Now I do like G3. I think its hilarious that the G3 Armour is literally in the wrong show. I like Hikawa (even if hes just Diet coke Ichijo from Kuuga) and I think that actually tying back the story of Agito to Kuuga is cool and something I wish rider would do more.

I also think the show picks up significantly once another Agito is introduced and the plot gets going. problem is at that point the majority of the season is already gone and potentially interesting character arcs and stories are speedran. whats there is good, I just wish it started earlier and lasted long.

3/10. sorry agito stans. glad you like this one, it aint for me.

Ryuki (2002)

Ryuki is the season of all time. its... kind of similar to agito, which is strange because I actually ended up liking this one. I think this works because its the first time Rider did a season where everyone, sans main Character Shinji Kide/Ryuki, is a massive prick, and that works because your going to see all of these characters die on screen so that helps soften the blow.

which is not to say that Ryuki suffers from unlikable characters, even the most detestable characters (exceptions of Gai and Ouja not withstanding) have moments which help humanise them.

pacing wise, yes, it kinda has the agito problem where the main plot happens all in one go right at the start and right at the end and the middle is mostly kinda filler, and I do think that if ryukis time had been used better we could have seen all 13 riders in the actual tv show, rather than relegating Femme, Ryuga and Verde to the Alternate ending movie, but its not a huge deal really.

also, the Mirror monsters almost certainly gave some japanese kids nightmares and I count that as a good thing. Mirror monsters, while their designs can be kinda so-so, are a wonderfully scary concept. Consider how often there are Mirrored or reflective surfaces in your day to day life. the extreme paranoia the concept conjures is wonderful

Final score, 7/10. Ryuki could do a lot better in some places (and was, in seasons like geats and also Dragon Knight or so I hear? IDK not watched dragon knight yet) but for what it is it is more than solid.

Faiz (555) (2003)

Faiz is one of the less talked about entries within the western sphere of the fandom... which is Fair. I think Faiz is an OK season but I did find myself tiring with it. the suits are rad but none of the characters ever really stuck, Powerups are often barely utilised which raises the question of why have them in the first place and like... Yeah IDK it just never really Gel for me.

the ending kind of comes out of no-where as well, plus I think (Spoilers) MURDERING A CHILD FOR SHOCK VALUE at the end is bad writing and was not very fun. Kiba becoming a major villain also felt forced as his fall from grace and redemption happen very quickly just do not feel congruent with his character up to that point.

I think my biggest Faiz Takeaway is the surprise that this is japans favourite season? this kind-of-just-ok entry into a franchise which has far better and more re-watchable entries? this?

(also this is not the fault of faiz but DO NOT FIND YOURSELF READING ORPHENOCHS AS A TRANS ALAGORY, WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE. I acknowledge that this is a me thing, it was almost certainly not what the writters where going for... but Damn Sweaty that aged.)

so its like a... 5/10? that feels right. am I maybe lowballing the ranking for the sake of a "haha kamen rider 555 is a 5 out of 10" joke? maybe but honestly I just did not feel this one.

Blade (2004)

Frankly all I can say is that blade sure is another Early Heisei series. I don't want that to come off as bad or negative, its not meant that way, but once you have watched from agito to here back to back you start to notice how repetitive things feel in terms of pacing and story.

not to say that anything about blade is actually that bad, however, I did end up quite liking this series even if the hostility between its main characters got really grating at times. like seriously guys, can we go 5 episodes without someone being labelled a traitor or evil?

also on negatives, Kenzaki is kind of a wet cloth of a protagonist. Hes not bad, I do like him, but Hes far from the most interesting MC the series has produced. luckily this is made up for with the supporting cast, all of whom are great characters. Tachibana and Hajime especially are compelling secondary Main characters and I did really want to see them happy.

on the subject of happy, the one thing that always has to come up in blade discussion is the ending, which while I pretty imediatly picked up on other ways the characters could have resolved it the second they found out about the whole "the joker cant be the last undead standing" thing (Mutsuki just mcfucking use remote on shima before you defeat the catagory King of diamonds, then you wouldnt have had to go through any of this shit) I do feel that, with how the series plays out, its ultimately the best ending the characters could have hopped for. its not perfect, but it means that everyone gets to live, and despite what I know about the post series novels, I do firmly beleive that, yes, one day Kenzaki would figure out a way to defy their fate.

oh and one other thing. I dont like Chalices design. or, rather, I guess, I do like it but it feels weird to find out that chalice is visually just the catagory ace of hearts undead despite looking nothing like any other Undead in the show. it kinda reaks of contrivance and I dont like it, but honestly its fine all things considered.

7/10. Good show, enjoyable, but god I want early heisei to stop repeating itself.

Hibiki (2005)

Oh Hibiki, I was so torn on how to talk about this fuckass seasons. Because, like... heres the thing. This should be easy. This should have been a 10/10. This season should have been the second coming of kuuga, and for 30 episodes it was... and then it happens.

Hibiki is infamous for its production history, with the entire creative team being fired and replaced around episode 30, with the new team being sent in by toei to make the show "more kamen rider". And thats the problem.

Hibikis first half is brilliant because it breaks so many series rules. Its different, its fresh, its so cool. The tone is so different from anything that came before. Being a rider in this season isn't a great thing, its a job. More than any other season Hibiki is a coming of age story, one where we watch the shows real main character, Tag-along kid Asumu, grow into an adult. The characters are charming and grounded. The world of Hibiki is steaped in a level of fantastical realism which sets it apart from anything else. Fights take place in the Forests and natural areas rather than cities and quarries. Its all just perfectly different enough to be unique

And its great. Its so good. Its near perfect. And then the writers change. and the show gets bad. its gets so bad that for me it tainted the first half of the show. gone is any of the creativity or freshness of the series. Now Hibiki feels like any other rider season. And thats what killed it for me. My response to Hibiki as a whole is driven purely by an emotional response to its last 18 episodes, but its a rough 18, and frankly and 18 I have no desire to ever experience again.

To give the second half its due, the Movie is pretty decent and the final episode actually kinda sticks the series's thematic landing despite the majority of the second half fumbling most aspects. I can believe that it ends how it was always going to, even if characters like Kiriya would not and should not have been there.

If you only watch episodes 1-30 (and the movie fuck it) then Hibiki is an easy 9.5/10. Top Tier season. But that's not Hibiki. Hibiki is the full 48+movie run. and that full run is, to me, and I am sorry to say this, a 1/10. Maybe 1.25 due to sticking the landing on the ending.

Writing about Hibiki makes me sad. I hate this season because I loved this season, and I just hope what comes after can get me past this massive blemish.

Kabuto (2006)

god finding a gif for this one was hard, given I am reliant on the tumblr gifs feature and most people seem to have been simping for the hell twins which like... fair tbh.

Kabuto is a very good season, working pretty heavily on a pure "cool" factor because like... yeah the kabuto riders are kinda inherently cool. cast off, as an idea and an in universe mechanic are amazing and the clock up idea is brilliant. this show, from 2006, made on the budget of, well, a kamen rider season, achieves some stunning speedster action sequences that surpass some higher budget productions (I am looking at the CW flash here, to be clear).

kabutos story is a little slapdash, its kinda all just happens at the end and there's not a huge build up but it also really doesn't matter. the cast is excellent and that carries the show. again, operative word here is "cool" and thats really all that matters.

all of that about it being "cool" said though... I think it suffers in hindsight. I am gonna ignore the potentially problematic aspects of the depiction of the Worms and the Native, "aliens as allegory" being a well documented minefield and to be fair Kabuto never really goes there. no I think the real hindsight problem is Geats. Because frankly for as good as Kabuto is, and it is good, Geats is "Kabuto, But better, and cooler". Its not really fair to look at it that way but like... that is how it feels. then again when it takes 18 years to do better than this I guess that is acheivement.

8/10. Souji Tendo is a Mary Sue (complimentary) and gods Favourite child. and he deserves it.

Den-O (2007)

you know the most frustrating part of watching a highly popular and loved season of TV? when it really is that good.

Den-O is revolutionary. Its lighter, its funnier, its more actively episodic, it more or less sets the tone and style which would later be picked up by W. its defiantly a prototype for that style, and theres still some of the more infuriating aspects of early heisei present here, but overall den-O is the first time I saw aspects of what I like In later kamen rider manifest in early heisei.

and Thats great, because it gives Den-O an identity, unlike Blade or Faiz, because even if I liked those seasons they where so samey. Den-O is fresh, its new, and its all carried by an extended cast of fun side characters.

the taros (and also Seig and Deneb) are great. They are all very simple, almost archetypical characters, but they all bring something fun to the group dynamic. obviously Momotaros is the standout, probably having the most defined Characterisation out of the bunch, but all of them are very enjoyable characters to watch and follow.

RYOTARO IS A GIRLFALIURE. HES GREAT. we need more cringe fail rider protagonists to balance out the borderline Mary sues like Tendo and Ace. but hes also a compelling MC and fun to watch.

the story does bog itself down a little right at the end and I do kinda wonder what was going on with some parts. its not that they are not explained but the ending is maybe a little quick to wrap up. still, theres a decade and a half of postseries to clear that up, which I am eagerly awaiting to watch.

8/10. Ore Sanjou indeed

Kiva (2008)

Kiva, Kiva, Kiva. How I wish you where better. This is probably the show with the most interesting premise I have seen so far. The Main story is set across a 22 year time gap, with one half being set in the past of 1986 and the rest being set in the (then) present of 2009. Thats a really cool idea, and it bolstered by the Castlevania/Gothic horror aesthetic of everything. The Kiva suit is really cool (albeit notoriously heavy, resulting in the need to the final form to debut early), the Fangire as monsters are a really nice concept design wise, Being styled after Stained Glass windows which is such a rad concept. the only problem is that the actual main character SUCKS!

Ok Lemme just step back a bit. Wataru, the Main character of the 2009 section, the Person who is the titular "Kamen Rider Kiva", is fine. pretty likable actually. No the problem is his dad, the main character of 1986, Otoya. Otoya is a creep, Hes a Womaniser, Hes a Perv, He Gaslights 1986's secondary Protagonist Yuri into being in love with him Taming of the shrew style then dumps her for a WOMAN WHO IS ALREADY MARRIED (albeit to a different abusive asshole) and who is also A FANGIRE! I think Otoya might be the most despicable Character Kamen rider has dug up, which would be one thing, but the biggest Issue is that he is a creep and most of the plot is love triangles.

and these repetitive, boring and occasionally creepy (Jirou tries to Assault Yuri at one point, which is ick and also kinda feels out of character, more on that later) Love Triangles never really stop, and drag on, and frankly it was the most tedious watch ever.

no I do like somethings in this show. the Arms Monsters are all fun characters and I really liked Jirou as a character, I thought he was fun for the most part and kinda cool. issue is that, once Otoya gets in range, everyone in this show has a % chance to be corrupted into as much of a creep as he is. Jirou was always Kinda weird about yuri from his intro, but the moment Otoya starts his beef with Jirou the man just falls off and becomes as bad as his opponent.

In general I think the Present cast is stronger than the past one, mostly because no Otoya (apart from that one time)... but also once again, Kiva only knows tedious love triangles so the Wataru V Taiga over Mio arc is long and drawn out and dull. again, this series has one level, and its love triangles, and they all kinda suck.

Despite ALL I have said above, I will say the final arcs are a lot of fun... mostly because of how stupid they get. Time travel is re-introduced, because that will certainly help us clear up our plot, and Wataru goes back in time to Commit self-abortion by making sure his parents never bone, which is frankly a hilarious setup and it leads to some really fun interactions and briefly even makes Otoya borderline likeable, which is then immediatly followed by the final arc where Wataru Gets dripped out of his Goard and there are some really fun action sequences.

if it wasnt as necessary for the story as it is, I would recomend kiva with all of the 1986 sections edited out... but that is a terrible idea as in a lot of way the 1986 story is more of the main story than the 2009 story. with that in mind... its got to be a 4/10, right? I wanted to like it, Kiva has a sick as fuck design... but its not good. its really not good. Fuck Otoya Kurenai. All my Homies Hate Otoya Kurenai

G (2009)

ok wtf do I even say about G? that its shockingly good for a 15 minute special designed to celebrate TV Asahi's 50th anniversary? that its so ridiculous that I burst out multiple times? that I think the idea of the driver is legitimately cool and I kinda wish this was a full series for that alone? That I kinda Love G's Design unironically? that the villain is gonzo nuts and its great?

IDK there isn't really anything to analyze here. Its a short special that has only ever aired like once because of complicated legal stuff with the actors agency. its fun, its fast, if you like kamen rider already theres no real reason not to check it out for the bit, I mean... its good?

like 7/10 but also, again, 15 minute short. that 7 does not mean nearly the same thing it does for a proper series. I know Fuck all about SMAP btw, sorry if you where expecting more.

W (DOUBLE) (2009)

I have like 3 go to series which I use to introduce new people to Rider, and the one I think I personally am Happy re-watching the most is W. Yes, its very episodic. Yes, because of this the background plot ends up getting resolved in 2 episodes ultimately. Yes, Akiko can be really annoying sometimes. Yes. I know its not perfect. I do not care.

W is pure fun. It is one of the funniest seasons the show has to offer, and also one of the most heartfelt. The show can go from sidesplitting comedy to actual serious moments in a heartbeat and it manages this without once experiencing tonal whiplash. the entire cast is likeable, the story is light and not super high stakes but fun, the individual clients that the cast encounter are great, the Music SLAPS (nobody's perfect is an under-rated rider banger IMO, love that song), and the suits are immaculate (even if most of the riders are just W retools).

speaking of other riders, the side content here is A+ too, with the WXDecade movies W portion being a really solid explanation of the backstory and giving us time with the best kamen rider who unfortunately doesn't have more screen time, and Gaia memories of fate is also just a good time, with a good set of villains and some really cool action.

also Phillip and shotaro are just funny. I love Wikipedia and crap sherlock holmes, they are great.

8.5/10. cant give better because it is not perfect but I love it.

OOO (2010)

OOO is a mess. Like, the plot changed 5 times behind the scenes kind of mess. like I hear that during the seasons development and even airing who the final boss was going to be was constantly shifting between Ankh, Date, Maki and the eventually Cut-save-for-one-canonically-questionable-movie Giru. This, like many things, I blame on Decade... because its all Decades fault. However, despite all that... yeah OOO is kinda good innit?

OOO still stands as the, objectively, best execution of the Mix-and-match Rider gimmick. OOO does not have super forms in the traditional sense, everything is just a variation on the base form, and the closest to super forms that you do get, the combos, are not very reliable long term. also, what forms the character has access to change constantly through the series based on what Medal Eiji has, meaning that you never get OOO at their full power. hell the series ends with Eiji with almost no medals, making them (debatably) the weakest they are in the whole series. its a very interesting dynamic and its something I wish would be done more often in rider. (Geats does get close and I applaude that.)

Also... you know, its just well written. I love all of the characters, Ankh is an amazing foil to Eiji, Goto and Date make fun Secondary Riders, Mr Kogami is Amazing and I love that they keep bringing the character back in unrelated media, best part of super hero senkei fight me.

yeah. OOOs good. I wish I could be more analytical with this particular season but I cant. my brain does not allow it. 8/10. great season.

Fourze (2011)

how the fuck do I talk about Fourze? Its a great season, don't get me wrong, but I think its the most uncomplicatedly "good season" I have ever seen. like its just good. its not good in and interesting way, its not good in a way that is worth talking about in any depth, its just Good.

and theres my problem, because I dont like that, I really want to have thoughts on these seasons because otherwise... what am I doing here, wasting my time writing about funny Bugmen on the hellsite. but really, fourze is just good. its got good characters, its got a good story, its got good vibes, its just good in a very uncomplicated way.

my biggest criticism, which isnt even really that much of a criticism, is because the show has to get through 40 astroswitches, a good number either never re-occur during the show or are just kinda weird and pointless in their function outside of their specific focus period. But even then thats so minor because the 40 astroswitches are never really that much of a focus and also, once again, the weird and whacky ones are just fun.

9/10. I wish I could say more, but its fourze

Amazons (season 1) (2016)

it has occurred to me after finishing Geats I should probably include the oddities in this post/run-through because even if they are not "Main seasons" they are certainly worthy of discussion (and also I do intend to include showa here at some point, even if I am not watching it yet. who knows, by the time you are reading it maybe the showa shows are included). they give us a glimpse at ideas and characters which cant be explored normally in rider, and grant potentially interesting re-interpretations of age old characters.

with all that said... I don't really care for Amazons. season 1 specifically, I have not yet finished season 2 and it was removed from amazon prime so there goes one of the few ways to legally enjoy this franchise.

on its own its fine, like I dont think this is a particuarly bad attempt at "kamen rider but adult, violent and edgy" but I do feel that ultimatly thats all that Amazons really has. its unbearable dower and dark and features so few really likeable characters. I get why its so violent, the violence was the defining feature of original Amazon and so of course with an adult re-imagining you lean into that, but it still feels really tryhard, and more than anything, just miserable.

I might come back to this particular entry at some point because Honestly I think season 1 warrants a re-watch from me and maybe I will get it more or care more for what its doing. but all that said, 7/10. its fine. if you want Violent rider this is violent rider. I just dont feel like its that much more than that.

Zero-One (2019)

Zero One was my first season, and its a pretty well loved season by the wider community. its one of my 3 go-to "if you want to get into Kamen Rider, Start here" seasons, and its the one I point too most often when that question comes up because its the most recent, and therefore has the best VFX of any of my go-tos.

so when I say that I fucking hate this season, that might come as a surprise. if I hate it, why do I recomend it?

well its simple really. Zero-One has major, Ground up Writing and stakes issues which makes it, at best, a very frustrating watch.

Death is meaningless. most of the characters who die are AIs who are revived in the very next episode with no cost, and remembering everything that happened to them prior to their death. only 1 character death, in the whole show, Sticks, and thats Wazu (I will be using Izu, Azu and Wazu because Is, As and Was would get confusing), and that episode set is ultimatly kinda unimportant and Wazu's death is forgotten, never to be bought up again.

the ending is a mess, mostly due to covid causing constant changes to the series plans, but those final few episodes are rough and I wish that the series had ended with the Ark as the main Badguy, rather than having Aruto Heelturn and then making Horobi the final boss.

also, and I try not to bring up post-series in this because its broadly unimportant, but zero-ones post season content is utter dogshit. the movie is ok, although reviving Izu not only retroactivly makes the series ending dumber but also effectively means new Izu was murdered and her body was jacked by old izu (WHICH THIS IS NEVER EXPANDED UPON, IT JUST HAPPENS), but what the hell was zero-one Others? yeah, sure, just kill off all of the interesting characters who could have had really interesting post-series stories, Lets character assassinate everyone in this show, and then lets also kill off the secondary rider in the cruellest way possible because fuck you I guess. No I am not over Fuwa, I will never be over Fuwa, but even more so I am not over Ikazuchi and Naki. those two where Criminally underused in the show, but now we will never get a chance to get more time with them. Thanks toei.

with all that having been said... IDK, Zero one is fine. its far from the worst season I have seen, and I do still recomend it as a starting point for the franchise as a whole because its a good "onboarding" point if you will. its about as basic as a rider season can get.

Despite everything I have said: 5/10

Saber (2020)

Saber is also really bad, but kind of in the same way that Fourze is really good. Its bad but I don't really have much to say about it. by all accounts, it would have worked much better as a Sentai season rather than rider given the heavy team focus and a core Red-Yellow-Blue Main trio.

Saber is largely forgettable. its plot meanders around, its characters exist, and its individual story arcs tend to just happen. its not a very interesting series, and I think that really its problem. if it was as bad as it is but in an interesting way, i would probably prefer it because at least I would get that it was trying something, but really the Series is just kind of bland.

However, its not completely pointless. The henshin jingles and standby loops are A+ tier, Special shout-outs going to Slash. Desast, while he does nothing most of the season and his existence is confusing, is a fun character and I am glad he is back in recent media (although I... haven't watched any of it yet, maybe it sucks). and, of course, the Crossover Movie with Zenkaiger is Excellent. you do not have to watch saber, but you owe it to yourself to watch that film. its a wonderful, heartfelt love letter to both franchises and I love it.

but in all... saber kinda bad. I think the biggest example of why is found in Durandal, who is introduced as this big problem... but then the moment Touma figures out his gimmick hes now nothing. while this is the biggest example, its kinda an inherent repeating problem for the whole show.

2/10. not 1 because it has some good aspects... but ultimatly I would rather be angry at a season than bored with it.

Revice (2021)

So its... kinda a catchphrase of mine to say "Revice is fine, y'all are just mean" but also like... I do Get why some people dont like it. the second half can feel strange as compared to the first, Vice is a very Abrasive character to have around for every episode, and a lot of its best aspects are in side content.

but like... man I like revice. I like its themes of Freedom VS saftey, I like how it handles the aspect that being a rider pretty universally sucks for all of its characters. I like how Morally ambiguous the majority of the cast are. I like how no-one is treated as irredeemable, even if some of them are.

and mostly I like Ikki and Vice. this season lives or dies for you based on if you like the two characters at the center of it. all of the awesome suits and interesting villains mean nothing if your main characters are not likeable. and I think these two work. they bounce off of each other well and I really like the sort of broadly unstated fact that vice is all of the parts of Ikki which Ikki rejects. Ikki is humble and selfless to a fault, mostly quite and reserved, while vice is loud and narcissistic and energetic. I think their dynamic works really well.

it also plays into a theme of the season which I really enjoy, the Idea that the characters inner demons are the parts of themselves that they reject and that they ultimately have to come to terms with those parts of themselves. by the end of the series, Ikki is a bit more like vice, and is much more comfortable with the "Vice" parts of himself (even if he doesnt know why because of tragedy and heartbreak). In comparison, the other igurashis have done the same. Sakura is much more comfortable with the parts of herself she considered weak, while not letting that over ride her kung-fu Girlboss attitude. Daiji has come to terms with his Middle-child angst and insecurities. and Genta has come to terms with the mistakes of his youth and is looking to grow past them.

revice is not perfect, its storytelling can be a mess sometimes, its barely a crossover/anniversary season, the last 4 episodes feel more like Vcines than actual episodes of the show... but Damn it Revice meant something to me. this was the first season I watched as it was airing, but even regardless it stands out to me on how well handled this was. I have yet to really dive in on post series and god I hope they dont fuck it up like they did with zero one... but For me, Revice is special.

8/10. Revice is Fine. Y'all are just mean

Geats (2022)

Kamen Rider Geats is... something else. I am writing this literal seconds after finishing the final episode, because I have known what I want to say about this season for a long time but after seeing its ending just... wow.

Put simply: Geats is the first time (as far as I have seen) since Kuuga that the show has reached this level of pure, technical "greatness". Not since Kuuga has the writing been this good, the suits this good, the fights this good. and remember, I consider Kuuga to be the best season this show has done. Geats is that good.

its rich, its deep, its beautifully shot and choreographed, Its characters are layered and interesting. Geats is a tour-de-force in terms of this franchise. I thought revice was going to be a hard act to follow but geats blew it out of the water.

I do want to stress that while I consider Geats to be up there in terms of quality, I don't necessarily enjoy it as much as other seasons. Reminder that Enjoyment and "objective" quality are frequently two different things, but I would be lying if I said that I did not also still love this season.

also Geats says eat the rich. I will not elaborate further but if you have seen the show you know what I mean.

9/10. only losing a point because the disaster arc kind of never went anywhere

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

fuck it this counts. As of Writing this part, I have not actually seen the original 1971 Kamen Rider series. I wholly intend to some day, I just haven't gotten around to it. so please bare in mind that some stuff I have to say about this movie may just be accurate to what that show is like.

now I am going to leave the Pacing of the film alone as far as criticism goes. even though Shin deviates heavily from the source material, it is still trying to adapt the broad strokes and tone of a 90-odd episode TV show from the 70s into under 3 hours. Plus, this is nothing new for the Shin Japan Heros films, Shin Ultraman also suffered from this.

what I will criticize is the fight scenes. Hot take but like... Geats was better. a TV show with a fraction of the budget and half the development time has better fight scenes than the big budget movie. so much of the action, especially in the first half, is weirdly edited and lacks cohesion. this does pick up towards the end, and, yes, I cheered in delight when Takeshi and Ichimonji went sicko mode on the shocker riders. like audible yell of "YEAH!" chear, but again those first few fights are weird and not great to watch.

beyond that honestly pretty major criticism, the film is very good. its kind of melodramatic and dower a lot of the time but given its specifically aiming for the tone of those 14 episodes of 1971, from what I know that's fine, that's how those episodes went. Plus, I am not going to say it isnt effective. I cried, I cheered, a good time was had by all.

This is not my favourite piece of Kamen rider media. honestly I dont know If I will revisit it for a long time. it lacks a lot of what I enjoy in this franchise. that said, this is a phenomenal work. I respect if for what it attempts, and enjoy it regardless of my aversion to the style. 9/10. Kamen rider in its purest, most raw, most uncut form.

Gotchard (2023)

Geats was always going to be a tough act to follow, so when I say that Gotchard is kinda mid in comparison to its predecessors know that I still think its good. Gotchard is, for better and for worse, a lighter season. Its not taking itself too seriously, its here for a good time and it knows that. its perfectly average as a rider season and that's fine.

If there is one thing which Gotchard does excel at, its suit designs. I love Evocative Kaijin and the Malgam are damn evocative. the additional arms, the look of being made out of strips of metal. this of course continues to the main antagonists, the Abyssal kings. this is not to diminish the riders designs, Gotchards use of chrome is striking and Valvarad and Majade are both very solid designs in their own right. I think the only real costume miss is the final big bads design with his fucking HUGE tits, like holy shit Glion calm down

oh yeah, and Majade. the first Girl secondary rider. I wish she did more tbf, Rinne is very important to the story and yet also feels sidelined alot, but she is a historically important character and a big step on the way to a Girl MC for the series.

Aside from that... yeah Gotchard sure is a kamen rider season. big up for its distinction of only introducing secondary riders at roughly the mid-point, it has been a long time since there wasn't 2 riders basically from day one. Also uh... the ending is kinda underwhelming and they very much fridge all of the abyssal sisters with the half-hearted promise of "oh we will revive them in the post series its fine" which is super dumb. Did lachesis really go through all that just to die as part of Spanners character arc? Big cringe.

Gotchard gets a 6 out of 10. pure average, but average is fine and I think that if you want a fun season of kamen rider you cant go wrong with Gotchard.

Gavv Section Coming once Gavv is done and not a second sooner.

[racingliners]

F1 2022 Re-watch: Round 3 - Australia 

So yeah re some previous rambly posts, I subbed to F1 TV because I was kind of tuned out for the bulk of the 2022 season and bc it ended up being Seb’s last season in F1, I wanted to re-watch all of them in full. bc Seb caught covid (😭) I’m starting from Australia!

Since I’m mainly doing this for the laughs I have no idea what I’m doing avwvguhrgug I’ll probably put a lap number before any sarcastic comment for context.

Anyway, onwards! (under a read more bc this will get chatty)

Starting with the F1 intro. noice. (quietly bops)

As I am a religious Channel 4 viewer I just got major whiplash from Will Buxton doing commentary esblhrlbi.

I actually really like Albert Park, it’s not a bad track, dare I say it quite underrated.

Seb in 17th, the AMR22 really was a tractor 😭

Jolyon Palmer?!?!? I forgot he worked for F1 these days.

I’m also really not used to Aus not being the tradional season opener. Does not pass the vibe check.

[Start/Lap 1]: A clean turn 1???? sounds very fake.

A clean first sector???? sounds very fake

My god I can’t believe the grid all had their braincells on the first lap. Astounding.

[Lap 2]: nvm Sainz spun into the gravel. (I very vaguely remember this from C4 Highlights)

Unrelated, Zhou’s helmet design is really pretty.

[Lap 3]: Aston Martin Safety Car!! My beloved!! (The soft spot I now have for them after Seb’s two seasons with AM asdfghjkl)

[Lap 5]: Oh, pitting Lance to run the mandatory compound for 1 lap, then pitting again for hards. That’s clever. (Bernie Collins and Seb shared AM’s braincell lets be real).

I’ve also very suddenly realised that while I’m re-watching all of Seb’s races from 2022 bc it was his last season, there is no guarantee I will see much of Seb. I did not think this through.

I have once again slipped back into the routine of constantly checking for Seb’s name on the leaderboard. (pls don’t ask me how I’m going to cope this year bc I probably won’t)

I’m also humming the jaws theme everytime one car gets close to another.

Still not used to Will Buxton commentary eagheguh Palmer & Sam Collins are great though!!

[Lap 11]: Not Seb going through the gravel and dropping to plum last 😭

[Lap 12]: The McLarens following the Mercs. Merc on Merc powertrain violence

[Lap 13]: “Lots of unforced driver error” It’s because we had such a clean first lap that the racing gods demanded clownery as payment.

Unrelated but I said this to a mate the other day, but I miss glossy car liveries!! The matte ones are fine but shiny liveries just hit different. (Merc please go chrome for 2023 it would be v sexy)

[Lap 16]: Anyway Seb in P16 woo

Kevin mowing the lawn at turns 9 and 10

[Lap 18] Ah Leclerc leading Verstappen by almost 9 seconds. Remember when we had hope for the title fight? (Man watching the season long Ferrari clown show back is going to be fun, and by fun I mean devastating).

Speaking of car liveries, please have less black on the car this year McLaren. It just makes the car look unfinished. The accents of blue are so pretty though.

(I love how this is the most important thing on my mind rn eaugheuigh)

[Lap 22]: Seb thinking about an overtake!!! And the camera cut away!! why???

[Lap 24]: Seb DNF noooooo 😭😭😭😭

(I really should have looked up race results before starting this huh)

Well, zero joy sparked. But I have paid for F1 TV so we carry on through gritted teeth.

The AMR22 was a tractor, but damn it she was a beautiful tractor.

[Lap 25] “Keep getting unlucky with safety cars” Me 🤝 Lewis: Permanently traumatised by the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

“The only time we will see an Aston Martin leading the race this weekend” Will Buxton I will fight you

[Lap 26]: THE FUCK Yuki, Mick do not frighten me like that.

I still keep checking for Seb on the leaderboard even though he’s out. Pain.

Back on livery watch: The blue and pink Alpine my beloved.

[Lap 30] oh we have passed half-distance. yay.

Lewis getting past Nando: ‘Cause I seee sparks flyyyyy’

[Lap 33] Bold of anyone to call Magnussen “Alonso’s rear gunner”

[Lap 35] Cuts to Leclerc in case we forgot about him

[Lap 36] “Is that Ferrari very slow or...?” “No that’s just how it looks” And yet Apollo gave them the gift of prophecy re the second half of the season 😭

Another livery watch update: Alpha Romeo v pretty.

[Lap 39]: Oop Verstappen DNF

Back to livery watch: Red Bull I’m begging you to go back to having a dark metallic blue instead of the matte navy. Keep the bright red tho.

The “Leclerc you’re my red flag”  sign. Bestie that does not mean what you think it means.

[Lap 41]: The midfield once again saving the entertainment value of the race. I fully support Fernando’s rights to go a little bit feral.

Albert Park when the sun starts to go down >>>>>

(Yes a circuit’s aesthetic/surroundings completely plays into whether or not I like it. shh)

[Lap 45]: ...did AM tell Lance that he got a penalty or?????

[Lap 46]: How did I not notice Albon in P7??? pet power! (he still had to stop but whatevs)

[Lap 48] Albon on 46 lap old tyres 😳

I have now learned I’m watching the F1 TV feed and not the global feed (which I’m assuming is Sky F1???) so I’ll need to actually pay attention to what I’m clicking on for the next race 😅

[Lap 49]: It’s taken almost the whole race for Nando to start bitching on the radio iaefbhsebh. At least it feels like a race now (said with the upmost affection for my favourite menace to society)

[Lap 51]: There you go Nando, Pierre got past Lance

also is Alex going to pit at some point???

“I think don’t hit the one [car] painted the same as yours” F1 TV make Sam the lead commentator pls.

“The McLaren is a quick car” words I thought I would never hear

[Lap 54]: Charles 🤝 RBR Seb: Can I go for the fastest lap 👀

I also think it’s bs that you have to finish in the top 10 to get a point for the fastest lap. If you get the fastest lap, you should get the point. Don’t disrespect the non-points finishers like that @FIA 

[Lap 56]: Three laps left and Albon still hasn’t pitted

Williams did you forget about your driver????

Shit I’m emotionally invested in Albon now

Oh man if his tyre fails I will not take it well

[Lap 57]: Don’t cut to Leclerc!!! I need to know if Albon has pitted yet!!!

There he is!!!

[Lap 58] “Are you still awake” Perez @ Williams pit wall

Oh thank fudge Albon pitted

[Lap 58/end] Charles & Ferrari taking a dominant win. doesn’t feel real tbh.

Albon got P10!!!! hell yeah!!!

Charles really did learn from Seb by going for fastest lap despite being told not to vvuuehrfgusrhguh

Rocky name drop!!! Yes I’m still fond of him shhh 

Okay so that race was a bit of a slow burn, ty to the midfield for bringing the bulk of the entertainment. Overall 6 and a half front wings out of 10.

[luvvixu]

i'll just answer them all cuz this has been on my draft for so longggg and if you all still want to know more, just do the number 36 and drop it on the "a penny for your thought" in my profile.

1. my nickname is luwisi (and my name is louise, btw)

2. my birthday just actually passed quietly, and it's on may 27

3. my longest relationship lasted for 1 year and 6 months (this actually happened on 2021-2022)

4. my favorite book is pride and prejudice by jane austen!!

5. im insecure of my weight :((

6. i've got a huge crush on these five male, namely; joshua hong from seventeen, finn wolfhard, jaemin from nct dream, alex turner, and avan jogia

7. OKAY SO I'VE REALLY LOVE THESE FIVE FEMALE CELEBS AND THOSE ARE; cate blanchett, kang hyewon former member of iz*one, gwen apuli from bini, anne hathaway, and giselle from aespa!!

8. my dream job is being a forensic psychologist

9. probably my biggest accomplishment so far is that i entered my dream university

10. my parents actually got my name while my mother is pregnant with me and they were strolling in a cemetery, saw two names and they combined it together—they liked it sm so here i ammmm

11. let's just take the month of may since the june was just starting. my high is that the school year ends with me being on the rank 8 out of 1,043 overall in our school and my low is my birthday.

12. i really want to go to canada and see the aurora borealis

13. to de-stress, i sleep, listen to music, and watch yt

14. i really love youtube, instagram, tiktok, tears of themis, and ofc roblox

15. i would like to describe myself in one sentence is "i need more money"

16. my face card never declines

17. i'm good at academics, specifically literature and writings

18. im bad at all sports but im do good in badminton

19. I ONCE LIED ABOUT MY AGE TO PROTECT MYSELF BUT ITS REAL THIS TIME LMAOAOAOAOAOAOAOAO

20. i've seen this a million times and this never fails to make me laugh, it's a fact that there's a species of fish called the "slippery dick" 💀💀💀

21. my cat knows me the best

22. my most prize possession is my cat—i just pick him on the streets and no thing or anything could replace that dude

23. my longest friendship is 12 years and we're still hanging out till this day.

24. i first feel like an adult when i prioritize the feelings and comfortability of others than mine (that was like when i was on third grade or eight years old)

25. yeahhhh, i once compete on a badminton tournament in our school and won bronze medal

26. i actually feel nothing at this moment

27. def a night owl

28. yes, i do believe in love at first sight

29. my fave lyrics atm is this verse from mind over matter by young the giant — "and when the seasons change, will you stand by me? 'cause I'm a young man built to fall."

30. for me, self-care is having a homeostasis in your body—in which i do not have lolololololololololol (BUT I DO A LOT OF SKIN CARE, HABITS, ROUTINES, AND I AM HAPPY WITH MY HOBBIES)

31. if im describing myself as a singers, then i'll be conan gray, alex turner, and clairo

32. i'm really nervous when someone text or chat me just by my name and without any context, like they would text me "louise" and i was like internally "WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?!?!?!" yeahhhhh, so next time pls text me with context, it will really help me control my anxiety.

33. i have a lot of pet peeves and it will take me a long time to say it—i have anger issues.

34. i have a lot of things that will make me and it will take me a long time to say it—i have a soft heart.

35. im so sorry to say this but my first impression is that if they're annoying, approachable, and gay

Question Game

Are we tired of these yet?

What is your nickname?

When is your birthday?

What was your longest relationship?

What is your favorite book?

What is something you're insecure about?

5 Male celebrity crushes

5 Female celebrity crushes

What is your dream job?

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?

What is a fact about you that nobody would believe?

What were your highs and lows for this last month?

Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

How do you de-stress?

What are your favorite apps besides tumblr?

Describe yourself in one sentence.

What do you think makes you attractive?

What is something you're really good at?

What is something you're really bad at?

A time that you told a lie.

What's a totally random and useless fact that you know?

Who knows you the best?

What is your most prized possession?

What is your longest friendship?

When did you first feel like an adult?

Do you/ Have you played any sports?

How are you feeling right now?

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Favorite song lyrics right now?

What does self care look like for you?

Describe yourself with 3 singers.

What makes you nervous?

What’s a pet peeve you have?

What will always make you cry?

What kind of first impression do you think you make on people?

Free Pass! (Ask any question you want that's not on the list)

[cliffburton]

i'm watching simpsons season 35, and so far:

homer's crossing: 7? 8? solid, somewhat of a callback to other times homer's been in an authority position and it gets to his head, i thought it was funny to have otto start and end an episode, that he-man, conan type of fantasy was good, if you're gonna have him be an addict at LEAST explore his trips. the B&W american flag with an orange stripe instead of a blue isn't lost on me

a mid-childhood night's dream: 10, 11. absolutely. very emotional, i will definitely come back to it since it touches on my current emotions about my cat frankie, about letting go and treasuring the precious moments. i liked the exploration of marge's psyche, it parallels homer's voyage in season 8 but i couldn't exactly compare it, i just think it's neat to have a dive into both homer and marge's mind, granted, homer's more to the psychedelic and marge's to the psychological. i love marge getting the spotlight :') animation and scenery were great, that's how colored outlines are meant to be used! it's marge's mind, it can let the style loosen up a little

mcmansion and wife: 6? 7? a bit meh, but not that bad, the b-plot about lisa cyberbullying nelson to help bart was interesting, not sure if i agree with that role for lisa but it's ok, i guess it's under the "nobody bullies my brother besides me" philosophy. her friendliness/flirtiness with nelson makes it even harder for me to decide... is it in spite of that? or is it under the context that they're familiar enough, and it's not like she's lying about him, she's just posting things that did happen... whatever. gotta love the "nerdo! nerda!" bit. oh yeah and the main plot, very american to me because here people will just build over your property without asking and they're not even neighboring house... anyway

thrist trap, a corporate love story: 8, i don't have much to say because overall i enjoyed it and i would come back to it. i could only nitpick on not having more of burns' perspective, he's not exactly defenseless but i think we needed a bit more of him, give him a monologue excusing his wife's actions with archaic words and far-off connections... and also i think lisa supporting persephone is kinda like the nelson thing, i suppose a passionate 8 yro could is still a bit naive and could buy into that, she's been more skeptic for less but well, perks of having a show go on for so long i suppose...

treehouse of horror XXXV: i'm giving it a 9 mainly for the ei8ht segment, the opening segment about NFTs had its fun, and the homer infection last segment was mostly for the laughs, but Oh My GOD... clever use of the kid characters, and it gave enough intrigue, and remember, bob too is the first... unnecessary to have maggie use the pacifier, it's just eyerolling. besides that, i don't think i've seen this kind of gore in the segments... which is great! when they do lean towards horror horror they get great results, that's why nightmare cafeteria is my favorite classic segment. worth watching just for that.

iron marge: 8, you can tell when they put effort into animating the expressions, unlike some other times where they look sooooooo blanddddddd, i loved how agnes was animated, and the final scene. i love seeing bart and lisa as a team, and i love seeing them with their mom.

i've also watched e14 and e15 but i'm gonna do this chronologically.