#he��s SO unhinged in this episode it’s incredible Tumblr posts

[gyllenhaalstories]

some presumed innocent word vomit <3

i wouldn't have survived these episodes without daphne @sizzlingcloudmentality 💖thank you for watching it with me, i had the absolute best time. i love you so much. this was absolutely insane, this was incredible. how are we supposed to wait for a whole week? i need rusty now!

THE FUCKING SEX SCENES? this is literal porn THE V LINE THE ASS THE GRUNTS THE THIGHS THE HANDS THE ASS THE EVERYTHING OH MY GOD THIS IS STRAIGHT UP PORN

dad!jake my beloved dad!jake i love you

omg rusty 🥺🥺🥺

RUSTY BEING THE FATHER???????????? BYE OH MY GOD i did not see this coming and he is such an IDIOT oh my fucking god

rusty is so pathetic he is so awful what a fucking loser who didn't have the balls to ask his wife to choke him a little and put a finger up his ass. BARBARA WOULD HAVE DONE IT

barbara is mommy rusty has mommy kink and i have mommy issues. dangerous.

SCREAMING WITH AND WITHOUT THE S

raymond. i love you raymond please don't die you're so old this is too much your heart is fragile pls check your blood pressure.

THE GLASSES THE GLASSES SO MUCH GLASSES OH MY GOD GLASSES

the bracelet the jewellery they're making that man sparkle sparkle I AM ENJOYING EVERY SECOND OF IT

i hate nico with a burning passion just shut the fuck up

i thought i liked tommy but he's just hot i hate him too

i hate carolyn she's shady as fuck i don't like her

can he fuck ME on the floor of his office instead??? ANYWHERE ANYTIME

oh my god the grunts

rusty 🥺

the angry outbursts!!! the crying!!! he is absolutely unhinged!!!

the vein acting. OOF.

the glasses in his collar in his shirt the glasses hanging by a button the glasses

rusty thinks he can 🥺 i'm sorry 🥺 his way through everything. he could with me. CHOOSE ME PICK ME LOVE ME STALK ME FUCK ME.

jake did this serious project so he could have fun in movies like road house so everyone who complained he should only and strictly do serious stuff better let him have all the silly little fun he wants after this. HE IS DELIVERING.

the andy barber & rusty sabich parallels write themselves these man are just two peas in a pod of lawless lawyers defending jacob i love you presumed innocent i love you

[universallydestinytaco]

💖 >:3

(For the askbox game)

@sometimes-sleeby-octopus

Now I would list off my favorite episode in this particular answer BUT I wanna wait until I have seen ever S2 episode before that because I have a hunch that either one of the last three episodes to go is gonna wind up being my favorite of the entire series because this already-impressive and addictive show has vastly improved since it came back....with that said, I can list off my favorite S1 episode, or at least three contenders for the title.

While the "Whodunnit" plot is a tale as old as time and has been in numerous animated works for decades, I can safely say that "Who Violently Murdered Simon S. Salty?" might be my favorite take on this trope because not only does it avoid playing this plot straight like others, there's a couple of fun twists so the payoff/punchline to the mystery is legitimately hilarious, also I love how the episode showcases Pim and Charlie's dynamic so well here with how they approach the situation and how well they bounce off of each other with Pim being the sensitive and caring one while Charlie is the trying to present himself as the more gruff and business-like of the two while also coming across as a bit of a goofball, also that cute bit at the end satisfied this obvious Charpim shipper. But what happens when you get an episode where it's one without the other and will it work as well as the boys bouncing off of each other? Well...

"A Silly Halloween Episode" is a spooky fun romp where Pim being the wholesome and lighthearted character stars by himself in the dark side of the forest on a dark and stormy night while being targeted by a mysterious force. Why this works so well is that even though Pim is not playing off of Charlie's cynical disposition, instead he is juxtaposed to this uncanny Silent Hill/Blair Witch aesthetic and is clearly terrified while trying to keep it upbeat. I like how it feels like a Courage the Cowardly Dog episode or that Mickey Mouse short with the Mad Scientist. The beginning setting up the episode's ending is also a clever punchline. Now that we covered a SF episode with Pim as the focus and Charlie out of the picture, the last episode of S1 I will cover is the opposite.

"Charlie Dies And Doesn't Come Back" is actually the first episode of this show I watched from beginning to end. Long story short: Believe it or not, there was a time before 2022 where I hated Smiling Friends, because I tried to watch the pilot and initially wasn't impressed for reasons I'll get into when I feel like expressing in another in-depth editorial, another reason for my bias was because at that period I was just more invested in serious adult cartoons like Final Space and Primal. But then I considered giving the show another chance once I saw thumbnails on YouTube of nothing but glowing reviews for this show so I figured I'd give it a second chance in the future...coincidentally I did give it a chance when I was lucky enough to catch the [AS] 2022 April Fools Day broadcast on YouTube and I was not only impressed I was grinning like a fool the entire time and I was still chuckling about it the next day, I just had to bingewatch the rest of the show. What makes this episode work is like the last ep I covered: instead of Pim having a solo episode with a dark tone, Charlie stars in an episode bouncing off a more comedic-toned episode instead of bouncing off of Pim and the episode is even better after seeing the rest of the show because after witnessing Charlie trying to look more stoic than he really is for most of this chaotic show his pokerface is dropped once he makes it clear how freaked out by his unhinged violent environment. The climax-leading-to-the-ending is also incredibly sweet not just for Pim and Charlie's reunion but in retrospect this is because it would turn out to be one of the last voice performances of comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried before his passing in mere days after I saw the episode it made the climax when the character he voices even more of a pleasant surprise, what a way to cap off a carrier...

I know, big shocker I used to hate this show before it came out when it ended up becoming my biggest non-Anime obsession at the moment, but it's not the only shocking opinion I have regarding this show as I have two yellow hearts to answer with a bombshell to reveal for each.

[socra-time]

Naruto Episode Comments, Ep 21-30

Ep 21:

-wow Gaara is tiny

-Gaara and Sasuke are immediately having an edgelord-off bc of course they are

-Iruka is such a worried dad

-I love Kakashi so much

-I love how Lee talks, it’s so earnest

-I also like Tenten’s voice

Ep 22:

-Lee is so fucking goofy I love him

-also I didn’t know Lee had a giant crush on Sakura

-I do like Sasuke but him getting his shit rocked by Lee was really satisfying

-GAI I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

-Gai’s voice is exactly what I thought it would be and I love it

-I need a spinoff about Team Gai and I need it NOW (yes I know the Rock Lee spinoff exists and I WILL be watching it)

-Gai’s stupid poses are incredible

Ep 23:

-aw Kakashi is so proud of his squad😭

-“Akimichi, more like Aki-munchy” is CRAZY

-Akamaru is so CUTEEEEEE

-anyways Naruto is such a fucking hater to all the other rookies

-I can’t get over Kiba casually walking around with a puppy on his head

-Shino is so drippy. Also his voice wasn’t what I expected

-unrelated to anything in the episode but the sand siblings have such cool designs

Ep 24:

-“I don’t know where the others are sitting!” Naruto says, sitting two rows ahead of Sakura

-shoutout to Sakura for being the only one actually smart enough to take the test without cheating

-respectfully how the FUCK did Tenten not get caught cheating. I can get past Ino and Neji not getting caught (since even though their powers are pretty obvious, they only have to cheat once or twice to get the info they need)- but fucking TENTEN????

-Kiba’s cheating method is potentially okay-ish, since only he seems to be able to understand Akamaru so it may just seem like the dog making little noises instead of passing him answers, but he really shouldn’t have even been allowed to have Akamaru with him in the first place

-also Shino had the best cheating method out of the Konoha kids hands down

Ep 25:

-Kurenai is so pretty and also I like her voice

-I like that Sakura was going to quit the test in order to force Naruto to fail with her and thus prevent him from potentially losing his chance at his dream, you could really tell she does care about him deep down

-aw Ibiki is actually kinda chill, I like him

-I also already like Anko, she has unhinged energy

Ep 27:

-Naruto continues to be a gremlin

-“Survival. What a drag.” So real Shikamaru

-I’m torn between being annoyed that Ino and Sakura are fighting over a boy and being highly entertained by their pettiness

-Hinata sweetie Naruto does NOT give a shit about you right now

-Team 10’s dynamic is really just Ino wrangling Shikamaru and Choji

-Shikamaru is so scrawny-looking lmao

-Akamaru looks so holdable<3

-so like Kiba, Shino, and Hinata totally killed those guys right??? Congrats to them for being the first rookies to kill someone lol

Ep 28:

-okay Sasuke kick-launching a kunai was badass

-I could do without all the tongue shit thank you very much

-I’m glad that even though Sasuke is the cool rival character he’s still allowed to feel fear and desperation, it’s humanizing and reminds you that he’s still a kid (a kid that also happens to have God eyes and shoots fire but yknow a kid nonetheless)

-Naruto getting digested by a snake was not on my bingo card of things that would happen in this arc

-Sasuke stabbing himself was metal as hell

-Jesus fucking Christ snake lady (who I’m assuming is Orochimaru based on what I know about him) is terrifying

Ep 29:

-Naruto really has no sense of self-preservation

-seeing Sasuke so shaken-up is very off-putting but also makes Orochimaru feel like a properly intense threat

-oh so Sasuke is like legit traumatized

-also Sakura was yelling at Sasuke to fight, but she also wasn’t fighting so that was pretty hypocritical lmao

Ep 30:

-I like that Sasuke says the episode title instead of Naruto for this episode

-the animation is popping OFF

-Sasuke continues to be badass and also completely willing to roast someone alive

-EW OROCHIMARU FUCKING BIT SASUKE WTF

-yeah I need Orochimaru gone ASAP

-I noticed that the symbol on Orochimaru’s headband changed to the Sound symbol, which was a cool detail

-respectfully I’m gonna need Sakura to start being more useful to the team. Can this pleeeease be her chance to step up

-I wonder if Anko’s snake shit and Orochimaru’s snake shit are related, since he was apparently her sensei

-Sasuke really cannot catch a fuckin break in this show

[matbaynton]

tagged by @baynton thank you!! 💙

8 shows to get to know me better

1. BBC GHOSTS

copying nat here to say that this is also where the mat obsession started 😈 my friend hallie (who i will also be tagging to do this obviously) got me into it and i cannot thank them enough for giving me the brainrot! i've watched this show.... idk how many times now i'm constantly rewatching it but i still laugh (and/or cry) every time. don't think i needed to know how absolutely FERAL and UNHINGED and RABID i was capable of being, i swear i was normal before i saw thomas thorne. i WAS, and no one can disprove that so just believe me ���� he is my sopping wet babygirl pathetic chewtoy and i love him.... so much..... and i want to d*e on the button house property and become a ghost more than anything in the whole world. anyway this show is fantastic and it changed my life and there isn't a single bad main character!

2. STRANGER THINGS

not sure if it's because i watched this show the year it came out (and on the night before/night of my 18th birthday, so it ended up being the best birthday i've had in years which is. still true lmao) but it continues to hold such a special place in my heart, and i can't truly explain why. gonna be honest seeing that winona ryder was in it immediately made me want to watch (and i love joyce byers + jopper a normal amount) i'm also really into horror and gross shit and this show really delivers on that sometimes, it's fantastic 🫡

3. THE OWL HOUSE

i don't think i can talk about this show for too long without crying lmao, but for a silly starter: THERE IS SO MUCH GOD DAMN FUCKING PURPLE IN THIS SHOW IT IS VERY PLEASING TO MY EYEBALLS!!!!! i'm a huge blubbering baby when it comes to the found family trope and this show has that! not to mention the incredible lgbt+ rep that truly shocked me to my core. i've also never related to a fictional character more than luz noceda, it's almost unsettling. still haven't watched the finale because i'm in denial about it being over and fuck disney channel for cancelling it.

4. DOCTOR WHO

besides glee and pretty little liars (that i'm surprisingly not putting on this list for reasons) this was one of the first real tv shows i've gotten into. my friend and i stumbled upon it on netflix (back in the ancient times of the early 2010's) she wasn't into it AT ALL but when i went home i immediately started watching the rest of it. i love all of the doctors/companions/eras in so many different ways, and every time i rewatch this show it feels like home <3

5. YONDERLAND

99% of the characters in this show are complete dumbasses and i'm truly here for it,. also seeing mat as so many different freaky sexy characters fixed me made me worse. HOWEVER.... the felt puppets still strike fear into my heart, i've gotten somewhat used to it but i still want to scream and poop my pants whenever i see them.

6. COMMUNITY

as we've established i'm a fan of the found family trope (even the FUCKED UP PROBABLY MENTALLY BAD FOR EACH OTHER kind of found family) besides how funny this show is (and how much i love troy and abed AND WANT WHAT THEY HAVE MORE THAN ANYTHING) it was also the first time i interpreted autism portrayed in a somewhat better way than i had ever seen before on television (of course abed being autistic isn't technically canon, hence "interpreted") but i really appreciated it and the fact that he IS canonically the most mentally stable in the group is incredible and i love it. will NEVER forgive them for making a felt puppet episode though, it haunts my nightmares.

7. SANTA CLARITA DIET

drew barrymore plays a zombie milf and timothy olyphant plays her hot husband who helps her kill shitty people to eat. wtf else do i need to say? it's a masterpiece and i wake up every day hating netflix for cancelling it

8. TOO MANY SPIRITS

YEAH THIS IS A SHOW! I'M COUNTING IT AS A SHOW! i knew i was going to put at least one watcher show on this list because i love these idiots so dearly. i chose too many spirits because the amount of times i've almost (😐) pissed myself from laughter watching these morons get drunk and tell stupid stories is TOO MANY..... spirits! like the name of the show! too many! too many times 🤡 anyway

tagging (no pressure to do it!) @larryrickard @reysorigins @softdavidrose @karura @captainsjack @jugheadscrowns @bejeweledantihero @hannamarins

[hydrangeawise]

Oof, El Cazador de la Bruja EP24 was rough.

More than anything, it was also tragic, and man. One thing after another though: I adore how protective Ricardo is of the girls. It was a relief to see that, while he was hired to watch over Nadie and Ellis, that contract was the extent of his interactions with Glasses Guy. I was worried for a bit that he was sort of spying on them for Glasses Guy, but thankfully that turned out not to be the case! (Did we basically start chanting for Ricardo to shoot Glasses Guy to pieces as soon as he pulled the gun on him? Yes.) It really bothers me how self-assured and confident Glasses Guy is, like he's not the most unhinged man. His interactions with Camera Guy made my skin crawl, like ungh! This whole thing about "I'm basically your god, I gave you everything and you will proceed the way I want you to" is seriously unsettling and upsetting to watch, it is no wonder that Camera Guy was unstable as fuck. (Honestly, that whole scene in the clouds or whatever with Glasses Guy eating and Camera Guy's new look? So creepy, so incredibly creepy!)

I enjoyed how Blue-eyes was reuinted with her ladies, and how they brought helpful information with them. I was worried that the passing man from the title would turn out to be Ricardo, basically the whole time (and: so many warm feeling for Nadie 'paying' Ricardo to stay safe and get back to them!). SO MUCH TERROR FOR WHEN LIRIO WENT WANDERING OFF IN SEARCH OF HIM THOUGH! I was already imagining horror scenes of Lirio getting caught up in the fight! The end was - well, like I said, kind of tragic. L.A. coming back to himself after seeing the little doll he made of Ellis' hair dissolve was something, and I don't know how to express it. After seeing the flashback on his first impressions of Ellis, it's almost outrageous how proud(?) Glasses Guy was being the one who gave L.A. the capacity to feel. Like, no, he didn't do shit actually. That was L.A.'s own all along. Lirio serving as a vision of Ellis during his last moments was a neat throwback to that one earlier episode where Ellis pretended to be the mafia boss' dead daughter before he died.

I do have some more thoughts on Blue-eyes's remark that Lirio also changed during her time of watching Nadie and Ellis, but first and foremost, I am once again SO WORRIED that Nadie cut off Blue-eyes like that and decided that they would go on without the others!! I mean, sounds familiar doesn't it? Sounds like what Ellis did when she hurt Nadie, doesn't it?? Especially with the preview of the coming episode!

[lerr-writes-fic]

8 Shows To Get To Know Me

thanks for tagging me @stephmcx!! I'm always so surprised when people tag me in these things 🥹🥹

8 of my favorite shows are M*A*S*H, Twin Peaks, Dynasty, Seven Deadly Sins, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Witcher, Hawaii Five-0, and Gorl World YouTube Drama

you can read my unhinged ramblings below the cut ♥️♥️

M*A*S*H: this show was my absolute favorite in high school, and it took me so long to watch because I had to rely on re-runs. If I was lucky, I would catch 2 episodes Monday-Thursday and 1-2 episodes on Saturday 12-2am. The series finale completely destroyed me to the point that I have a hard time finishing any TV show these days.

Twin Peaks: yet another show where the then series finale really stuck with me until we got The Return finale which also really stuck with me. Special Agent Dale Cooper remains one of my all-time favorite characters. His optimism and work ethic are inspirational.

Dynasty: y'all haven't lived until you watch an 80's soap opera. The drama and wardrobe are phenomenal. Some of the craziest shit I've ever seen was in Dynasty season 2 and 3. The plot points to get to this clip... incredible.

Seven Deadly Sins: this is the first anime I really got into, and it changed my life. Ban was my first husbando, and the rest is history. The series finally ended in two parts last year, and I kinda wish the second part never happened. It's sad that the series was dropped from the original animation studio, so later seasons do not have great animation. It's a fun ride! Just don't want the second half of the last season.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: a lot of my favorite shows have endings that just rocked my world, and boy howdy is Evangelion one of them. At the end of the anime, I was very hopeful, but I was devastated after finishing End of Evangelion. Two endings that are supposed to be the same but different. I am Shinji. Shinji is me. I first watched this show in 2019 and then rewatched in 2021, and it hit different in the midst of a pandemic and after the Texas 2021 Winter Storm. Excited to rewatch again this year!

The Witcher: while I prefer the video games now, the show is so good that I ended up binging the first season in 1 day with a friend of mine and then I bought Witcher 3 on my PS4 the next day. The rest is history. I love Geralt of Rivia so much. He is my special traumatized old man with a praise kink who has seen some shit boy.

Hawaii Five-0: this is not a show, it is a gay fever dream. I started watching this show while visiting my grandmother last year because she had crime show re-runs on constantly, and I always hoped that Hawaii Five-0 would come on. I am continually amazed by how close Steve and Danny are that I sometimes don't believe it's a real show. How did they get away with it all and still not make McDanno canon? They lived together, went to couple's counseling, shared the same bed, cuddled on the couch, DANNY TOLD STEVE TO PICK A BASE. gay gay homosexual gay.

Gorl World YouTube Drama: I fell into Gorl World about 2 years ago, boy howdy I can't stop watching. I don't enjoy reality television, but I sure as fuck am down to watch hours uponhours of coverage on everything that goes down with Foodie Beauty, ALR, Nikocado Avocado, and others. FB in particular bc her life is so buckwild that it can't be real. i miss the nashie era. long live Queen BBJ ♥️♥️

[blundergato]

alright, i finished frieren, after the block of 6 or so episodes that comprises the first magic exam, it picks up again. those episodes were a f**kin chore to get through though.

the maze dungeon was a fun test to watch, but i still think there were WAY too many characters introduced who i just dont care about.

there were a couple of standouts, like the old dude with a beard who acted as a grandfather to the...uhh...kung fu mage (who was an absolutely nothing character)??

the two girls, the red head and the silver haired one, seemed so out of place to me. one of them had magic that was controlling water, so she was pretty much worthless for almost EVERY appearance she made because most of the environments had no water whatsoever. also the way her arc ends is pretty goofy. she didnt seem very well thought through. also her outfit was the most ridiculous one

ubel is a fun concept for a character, but her clothing took me out every time. she looks like shes obsessed with death note and she does not fit in at all. when it comes to her personality, shes my type of character though; unhinged, violent, psychopath. i also liked the way her eyes were drawn.

the silver haired guy that looks like a gacha game character. he was...okay. like there was potential there, but his design was so goofy, almost as ridiculous as the red headed hotpants girl.

everyone else was superfluous though and i struggle to remember them and there was entirely too much time wasted on them.

that entire last batch of 10 episodes or so just felt too different and in a way i personally did not like. it started to introduce new magic systems that i dont think had even been mentioned up until that point and this annoying shonen battle style power dynamic. i think it just made things feel way more generic.

also, stark legit just...almost completely disappears from those last 10 episodes which just feels bad because hes such a good character and they spent so much time on his relationship with fern and frieren. but they had to get their obligatory magic battle arc in there so stark had no choice but to be sidelined i guess.

all in all...it was good. the first 16-17 episodes are like S-tier in my mind. just incredible character exploration due to a small, limited cast. everything after that was kind of a mess which i didnt like nearly as much, though it had its moments (like the final exam with serie).

final thought; one or more of the animators of this show definitely have a thing for feet. awful.

[handcalfieetherington]

Invader Zim, I feel like I should come up with a more meaningful introduction but I’m lacking ideas in that area so I’ll just start.

running from 2001 to 2006 Invader Zim followers the titular character himself Zim, and his defective Robot assistant Gir, being seeming sent there to invade eath when in fact it was just a ruse to get rid of zim and ensure he wouldn’t get in the way of the Irken empire anymore (The name of his species)

Stylistically Invader Zim is honestly wonderful, one of the best looking shows of the 2000′s period of cartoons personally, design wise, the show prefers to go for these very lean but angular designs with more block and sharp proportions in there head and hands, which tends to compliment how expressive the characters are, specifically Zim himself who’s bombastic expressions match his vain unhinged megalomanic personality

similar compliments could be applied to other characters in the show, whether in expressions or body language the cast of Invader Zim exude incredible amount of personality 

One thing to take note of with the general plot of invader Zim is that in spite of all his flaws Zim when he can put his mind to it is incredibly and fully capable of being a competent threat to earth, his akilis heel though is that he’s so blinded by arrogance and hyper focuses on minuscule threats that he usually fails before he even gets started, and that made me think, what if such fatal flaws were applied to the villains of my own project, what if the lizard people invading earth of my project had the same character flaws that despite having all the needed rescources and planning prowess to effortlessly take over, but there arrogance and strange fixations serve as there achilles heel 

as well as that perhaps I could borrow aspects and take inspiration from the stylisitc choices from the show, specfically maybe take the idea of the leaders of the Irken race are design wise the tallest of the bunch and have them tower over there troops 

Zim (no date) Invader ZIM Wiki. Available at: https://zim.fandom.com/wiki/Zim#Undisguised_ (Accessed: March 28, 2023).

"invader zim" theme song (HQ) | episode opening credits | nick animation (2016) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgX2cu9N6_8 (Accessed: March 28, 2023).

[doodles-and-memes]

Reasons why Mugman starting a war in Hell against the Devil is very likely to happen and makes so much sense :

Well, Elder Kettle is litterally a war veteran. No doubt this badass old man told the stories of his biggest exploits to his grandkids, alongside his brothers in arms. This could inspire Mugman to do the same [if he finds himself allies/friends] and to elaborate some strategies.

Remember when Mugsy had stage fright and couldn't talk to an assembly in season 1a ? In Charmed and Dangerous, our brave boy stood up for Chalice in front of a crowd, and not ANY crowd : an angry mob ! Which is intimidating. I feel this amazing and HUGE step forward in his character development has been overlooked, and he should really be proud of himself. Then, the prison inmates are proofs he is good at making himself unlikely friends/ appreciated. Now that he has more confidence, it would be really funny to see him take the lead and give a passionate battle speech to motivate his troops of demons... Only for us to realize he is repeating word for word a speech he heard from Elder Kettle's stories because what he says is off topic. OR he could also go full-on cliché LOTR epic battle speech, like the dramatic kid he is : "Arise now, arise demons ! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises !".

Mugman is overall batshit crazy, just like his adoptive grandpa. It warms my heart to see they have so much in common 🥺 [No wonder he is his favorite boy lol]

See how he fought a giant monster crab ten times his size and how good he was with a sword ? My man fears no big guys, he has battle skills that command respect AND SERIOUSLY WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE SCENE ???? 'That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen'

A corrupted/vile Mugman = a 100 times more savage Mugman. The Devil simply is too soft and kind by his standards, so he'll just be like "Wow, he sucks. I'mma dethrone this loser and show him what hell truly is 👁👄👁"

You know who else is a bit nuts and thrives for chaos ? Cuphead. This dish has an obsession with rockets, gunpowder and dynamites. Does this inclination also comes from Elder Kettle ? The little guy is a confirmed arsonist when you think about it. He set an entire forest on fire with the pitchfork, and his brother's help, just for fun. Kettle, KEEP THAT FLAMETHROWER AWAY ! One can imagine that Cuphead will be furious at the Devil for kidnapping Mugman and will try to end this man's career. Whether Mugsy is turned into a demon with a thirst of power or stays his normal self, I'm sure those two would find common interests to team up and destroy the underworld to the point of making the Devil cry. Together, their craziness combined, and potentially still in possession of the pitchfork, they are unstoppable. This would lead to a ridiculously heartwarming reconciliation between the two brothers, surrounded by explosions and screams. A bit like the Ribby and Croaks episode when you think about it.

I think that's it.

Bonus: Vile/Corrupted Mugman victimizing the Devil be like

Based on @weirdgirl92 's post. I LOVE her idea

[actingwithportals]

Since we’re talking about the deplorable Portal movie again, I’m gonna drop my two cents into why this bothers me particularly, on a personal level, in what a Portal movie might do to the story. (Buckle in, this is a long post.)

(Also, for anyone who doesn’t know the “Portal Movie” has been in production hell for literal years and it feels pretty unlikely it will escape that anytime soon, if the movie does eventually get made at all, so this is a mostly theoretical discussion but one I think is important nonetheless.)

(Also also I’m going under the assumption of a Portal movie following the characters and story we already know from the games as opposed to giving us new characters and plot and just centering it around the concept of Portal. This is also theoretical and isn’t confirmed that that’s how an actual Portal movie would go.)

So, I think the objective biggest concern to have with what could possibly go grossly wrong with a Portal movie is the Hollywood need to whitewash characters of color, aka Chell in this instance. Plus how they might handle her muteness, how they would handle her as a woman protagonist, how they would handle GLaDOS as a woman antagonist, and the overall themes of Portal that ultimately centers around these two women characters who both experienced abuse, either from each other or from Aperture itself. But there are people who are more informed to speak on those issues than I am, so I’m gonna leave that to them and talk about something that I’ve got the experience to discuss instead.

My boy Doug Rattmann. (note: I’m schizophrenic.)

In the event of a Portal movie that follows the main storyline of the game(s), Rattmann isn’t likely to be a character we actually see (outside of potential flashbacks), but his presence would be made known because his presence and influence in Aperture are both very integral to the story and Chell’s ultimate success. It’s very likely he would get brought up, even if just by showing us his murals and referencing who he was in life and the role he played as an Aperture employee, and as the only person to survive GLaDOS’s attack that put the facility into the position Chell wakes to find it in.

And I don’t trust like that. I don’t trust that filmmakers with the motivation of fame and financial gain will take a character like Rattmann - a schizophrenic who throughout most of his relevance to the main story is unmedicated and in the midst of a very severe psychotic episode - and treat him with care and respect and sympathy.

We see how movies treat mentally ill people, especially those of us with “scary” illnesses like schizophrenia. We see how we’re constantly reduced to being “crazy and unhinged and morally dubious because the voices in our heads tell us to hurt people”. We see how we’re used as jokes, as villains, as “pathetic” fodder to get killed off for shallow sympathy and shock value, and you know what? I don’t anticipate Rattmann would get a much more nuanced approach from a JJ Abrams film than... that. It’s hard for me to imagine he would be presented to the audience as anything much more than the “crazy ps*cho” who survived because of his paranoia (because “a broken clock is still right two times a day”) and wrote some funny iconic line on the walls in his madness such as “the cake is a lie”. That’s what I fear we’d get, because I know that’s how most of the world sees us. Because that’s how people see me when they learn I’m schizophrenic.

The Lab Rat comic did something that’s rarely seen in a lot of mainstream media I think. It gave us a schizophrenic protagonist who we as the readers got to see both in a successful career - medicated and well and seemingly having an average life despite where he worked - and in the midst of what was a very frightening psychotic episode, because medication was not available to him and he had no other option but to let things progress to that point. And he was Still a hero. He was Still sympathetic. He was Still treated with respect and as someone we were meant to root for and connect with. His humanity wasn’t taken from him, and in fact it shone through clearly. Because psychotic people are still people even when we’re experiencing psychosis.

And, you know, let alone the fact that the comic didn’t drop him into the trope of becoming a violent or otherwise “evil” person when he was unmedicated. He retained the same morals he had when he was medicated - the paranoia didn’t take that away from him. I like to think that my paranoia doesn’t take that away from me too.

I just.. I don’t feel good at the thought of something so beautifully done, something that we almost never get, being reduced to bad tropes for the sake of suspense and theatrics and a good buck. I mean, it might not happen; I might just be critical and overthinking. But it usually does, and I’m usually not. There’s endless evidence in media to support this pattern, and I think it’s a valid concern to have.

I don’t think people can’t be excited about a Portal movie - I know that I would be over the moon if a Portal movie came out that did the source material justice. But people are going to have concerns due to the fact that many things in these games were done with a lot of nuance and care, and it’s hard to believe something like this could be repeated, especially when copied over to a new medium. I mean, as it was recently pointed out to me even Valve themselves dropped the ball by lightening Chell’s character model between P1 and P2. The source material itself still does have its faults despite its successes, so who’s to say people can’t be worried that a movie would do something equally egregious or worse?

Portal means a lot to me. It has for many years and it will continue to mean a lot to me for a long time to come. The validation I found in Rattmann’s character at the exact moment in my life when I needed it most is not something that just happens any day. So I’m going to be critical, I’m going to be skeptical. I’m happy for people who are excited, but please don’t tell me or others that we shouldn’t be concerned.

I’ve got this one really incredible schizophrenic rep that Portal Lab Rat gave us. I’m allowed to fear that getting taken away.

[outerrangesource]

TVLINE | The relationship between Billy and Autumn in these last two episodes sure is something special! How would you describe their relationship, and does Autumn actually care about him or is she just manipulating him? IMOGEN POOTS | I think what initially begins is a sort of acquiring of a disciple when it comes to Billy. [But] in my heart, I feel she really starts to fall for him. He’s game and she respects that. I think she’s probably a deeply lonely person and she probably has a pretty good time hanging out with him. It’s sort of — and I’ve got to be careful how I say this [Laughs] — but it reminds me of my best friend. We’ve not gotten up to anything they get up to, but I enjoy that kind of underground, freaky friendship where you’re both just down to explore weird goblin caves and get into strange scenarios, you know? I really love that friendship and that energy, and it was something I actually am quite familiar with, so I really loved it.

TVLINE | Their kissing scenes are so awkward, and you and Noah [Reid] both commit 100 percent. How were those scenes written in the scripts? I think it was like, “a long string of saliva is bridged between their mouths,” something that was so funny and extreme. And it was cool because they lived up to it while filming. We tried many different types of materials and fluids to get that kind of texture and at one point, we even had K-Y jelly on our tongues… in the deep, noontime New Mexico heat, in a parking lot trying to stay conscious while your electrolytes are just sprinting out of your bloodstream. Trying to get that right was very amusing and memorable.

TVLINE | The scene from Episode 7 where Autumn pumps herself up in the mirror was powerful stuff. She seems totally unhinged in that moment. What does that say about her, and what did you do to prepare to get into that mindset? We did that one crazy early in the morning. It felt really necessary for the character to have something like that. Something deeper in her, not responding to something outside. And I think that reflects a lot of who Autumn is. She was such a blank canvas for other people’s opinions and thoughts. I think that’s quite a dangerous place to operate from. So the fact that she chooses that as her mantra… I felt it came out of her like she’s been going over it and over it and over it again and again. It’s something she probably says to herself under her breath a lot. It felt right to get close to almost like a beat poetry rhythm, that sort of Allen Ginsberg-esque, relentless engine of dialogue, where it just comes out of you. It really revved me up. I felt the raw nerves while doing that.

TVLINE | In the finale, Royal and Autumn find themselves in a true Western standoff. Why do they both feel the need to take each other out? I guess I have the question of: Can Autumn actually die? Can anyone actually die? There’s something about that shootout that almost feels like a video game. It’s just for s–ts and giggles because what about the future and the past, and all of that? That’s why there was a sense of “woo-hoo!” to the whole thing. The stakes felt kind of floppy. She wants to take him out because he’s standing in the way of what she wants. Of course, Autumn and Royal complement each other throughout the series. There’s a lot of Royal in Autumn, and Autumn in Royal, untapped. You can go into deep metaphor about all of that, but she’s going to try to take him out, in that present moment at least.

TVLINE | I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about your experience working with Josh Brolin. You both have some incredibly intense scenes together in the finale and throughout the season. I love Josh. He was wonderful to work with. He really wanted everyone in the cast to feel great, and he went out of his way to do that. I remember early on we were all doing costume fittings, Lewis [Pullman], Noah [Reid], Isabel [Arraiza] and I were having lunch in this little room, and Josh came in and sat down. Everyone went quiet because it felt like, “Whoa! Josh is here!” But he doesn’t want that at all. He wants everyone to have fun and he really broke down some boundaries there. He’s a big goofball, but he takes it all very seriously, and he really believes in this project and this cast. I adored working with him. That’s what makes it so great and makes the hours worth it because you’re spending time with people who are really happy to be there. He still loves what he does. I’ve worked with and know of actors who certainly don’t feel that way. He’s very grateful. Yeah, I’m a big fan of his. He is intense, but in those scenes, you want that to act with. You want that tennis match. It has to be intense.

TVLINE | How far in advance did you know the big twist — that your character was actually the grown up version of Amy? I didn’t know when I signed on. I signed on say, the August before we began shooting in January, but then [producer] Zev [Borow] and [creator] Brian [Watkins] told me a few days before we started shooting. It was sort of strange because I was hanging out with Tom [Pelphrey, who plays Perry Abbott], he’s a little older but we’re the same generation or whatever, and then it’s like, “Oh s–t, Tom’s my dad?” [Laughs] It was funny having that weird banner in the works. But yeah, I didn’t know that bit of information until just before we started shooting.

TVLINE | In terms of the show’s symbolism and Easter eggs — from the buffalo with the arrows in its side, to the bears, the symbol and the disappearing mountain — does Brian ever clue you in on what any of that means, or are you just as in the dark as we are? I have some of my own making of what those things are. Especially in terms of the animals and the parallels of the myths of the American west, and the myth of America in general. But in terms of Brian’s revealing, no. It almost felt disrespectful to ask. I know that sounds stupid. It would’ve been almost a lazy question to want to understand every single beat and fleeting Easter egg and symbol. I also feel like, and this might frustrate people, but when a musician comes out with an album, people say “Oh, is this about this?” A musician has the luxury of being able to say, “I don’t know. What do you think it’s about?” So perhaps the show is doing something in that vein as well.

TVLINE | Yes! I love that. Now, in terms of a potential Season 2, have there been any talks about what might happen should the story continue? I certainly know what would happen because obviously things in Season 1 have been set up to be furthered in a later season. But I think with a show like this, because it felt so original, you kind of don’t envision… there’s a world in which Outer Range goes for five seasons and a world in which it doesn’t go more than one, because it’s its own beast in that way. I can see it working this way, just as a kind of a one and done. But the impression that I get is that people are really hoping it goes again, and there have certainly been whispers of that, just in the sense of its potential and how it seems to have hit a nerve with some audiences.

[thecriticalbuck]

Series Review - Peacemaker

Peacemaker is an HBO Max series set in the DC Extended Universe. Directed by James Gunn and starring John Cena as the titular character, this series follows the events of Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker is tasked with a new violent mission after escaping death from the Corto Maltese mission. Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee round out the cast as Peacemaker’s unwilling teammates, while Robert Patrick plays his vile and racist father, Auggie Smith.

In the last few years, streaming services have exploded with a number of superhero projects; Disney+ hosts the Marvel shows WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and Hawkeye, while DC has had success with shows like Titans, Doom Patrol, and Harley Quinn. And out of all the superhero series I have seen thus far, this season of Peacemaker has been my absolute favorite. Gunn delivers a roudy, unapologetically vulgar comedy that somehow delivers a truly emotional character arc for Cena’s Peacemaker.

John Cena is a wrestler/actor for whom I have been rooting for years, and I am so happy to see him get a huge role in Peacemaker. He takes this lesser known character from the heel-turn villain he was in The Suicide Squad and bring a juvenile vulnerability to the character in his own series. Peacemaker is shown to be a violent man-child with no sense of a social filter; however, as the series progresses, you get to understand just how his traumatic upbringing affected him to his adulthood. In many ways, you still find Peacemaker obnoxious and vile, but you pity him as well. Cena absolutely owns this role and I hope he gets to keep playing it.

All of his teammates play incredibly well with Cena’s character, and most of the humor comes from how Peacemaker interacts with the more straight-laced and less theatric government agents he must work with. However, Freddie Stroma as Vigilante is the exact opposite: he is all the violence of Peacemaker with none of the regret or sadness. Vigilante is an actual psychopath who you cannot help but find lovable, even in the face of his cruel actions and his childish personality. He is a total scene stealer in every moment he is present.

As far as antagonists go, a couple actors take the role of the lead villain to satisfactory results. However, Robert Patrick as the secondary villain is the memorable baddie of the season. Auggie Smith is one of the most outright vile characters to be portrayed in a superhero adaptation, and the subtle history of his character, a white supremacist vigilante called the White Dragon, makes him all the more ominous and threatening. Patrick is amazing in anything he does, and this is no exception.

The series as a whole is very well paced; no episode feels overstuffed or devoid of development. Peacemaker gets the largest share of screentime and development as we see the villain slowly humanized. Danielle Brooks’ Adebayo is the next most important character, a newbie agent with little to no experience in the field who struggles with the moral gray of secret operations. Her and Peacemaker’s friendship becomes the emotional center of the show, and I found myself enthralled in their relationship as it faces its own trials and tribulations. The plot itself, despite being wholly original from the comics to my understanding, is deeply rooted in the tropes of superhero fiction. The one criticism to be held here would be that the main villains of Peacemaker feel very similar to the final baddie of The Suicide Squad, both in origin and in their unique abilities. I think enough is different that it doesn’t the show’s quality, but it can feel derivative if you had just watched the previous film.

There is something to be said as well about Gunn’s stylistic choices as a writer and director. Peacemaker is James Gunn unhinged, both in terms of humor and in violence. Much of the series feels like his previous works Slither and Super, even more so that The Suicide Squad. And while Gunn has certainly matured emotionally as a storyteller, which is evident in the series, the dialogue and action can be a turn off for some. In other words, if The Suicide Squad wasn’t your thing, this isn’t going to win you over.

With that said, Peacemaker was an absurdly good time that managed to integrate truly heartfelt moments into a silly, bombastic and vulgar character. Gunn continues a victory lap with Peacemaker, and I am excited to see what could come next from this director and this character.

9.5/10

[1-800-googleimagesearch]

thoughts on the bcs 6B premiere!! spoilers under the cut. like major spoilers its not hiding anything

so holy shit .

this post is rlly just for me! idc if someone else reads it this is so i can discuss somewhere public without spoiling someone

so first off the music was genuinely perfect for every. single. scene. kim driving to gus' house was so good, every scene with lalo had music that suited him so well which is something the show has always been good at, the song when they bury howards body was... such a perfect piece to encapsulate the feelings his death evokes. its beautiful but it also has that touch of somberness to really show just how tragic it is we lost him. plus they buried him with his fuckign MURDERER.. THE WAY they were laying together was so interesting..idk if it was intentional but i loved how they looked

lalo was so intimidating and showed his smarts in this episode like always but fuck. he made possibly his first ever mistake in his ENTIRE run on the show which is incredible! lalo has been so calculated up until his final scene and thats so fitting for him. one smalllllll mistake lead to his demise

speaking of his demise. i loved his death scene. also super fitting

i feel kinda fucked up considering hes responsible for like all my fav characters deaths (even nachos to an extent) but im so sad to see lalo go. im one of those ppl who always hoped he would survive in the end lol. i really really loved his death. i saw someone call it boring but tbh i think there wasnt a better way to send him off. in silence, in the dark, choking on his own blood and with a shit eating grin on his face. he was smug even as he was bested by someone for the smallest mistake on his part. i think some part of him was proud of gus. he recognizes hes won this. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALLLLL

oh and the spotlight on his shoes. for all the girlies who love his dumb fucking shoes YOU GOT FAN SERVICE

love how the episode took place all in one night! also everyone on this GOD DAMN CAST AND CREW better get their well deserved emmys.

i feel like i have more to say but idk.

lalos vlog channel is fucking amazing

i liked how when jimmy knocks the chair over him and howard are in a yin and yang position. theres both good and evil in the both of them, its just that each leans more towards another.

love how lyle was singing a los pollos hermanos version of la cucaracha after lalos death scene! amazing way to both call back to LALO calling jimmy a cockroach and to remind us that jimmy survives every single thing that comes his way, somehow. love mike using his "thats all i know" lie for the first time. love that kim and jimmys twisted fucking lie abt howard currently using cocaine is now going to haunt them for life. they have to paint his final moments as an unhinged addict who killed himself shortly after harrassing them for Totally Doing Nothing Officer!!!! /s they are fucked up and they can never and SHOULD never forgive themselves.

not fully sure who will take that villain role now! first it was the kettlemans, then nacho in a WAY (but we always had sympathy imo) then hector, then lalo and now... who next? maybe its that new character theyve talked abt but its gonna be hard to fill lalos turquoise shoes.

starting to think the south wall was a red herring! maybe it isnt but thats my thoughts because lalo put so much emphasis on it and now hes gone. dead without the one question he couldnt answer lingering in his mind. he saw the lab and still didnt know what the south wall was for. maybe it really is for nothing.

itll be so fucked to watch brba now and know theyre walking over the rotted corpses of lalo and howard, people who will be lost to time and soon forgotten by the masses. i think the final plotline will be watching hhm collapse without its h and m

okay i think thats all my thoughts. have a wonderful night friends!

[leamy-world]

Some afterthoughts on The Devil Judge (spoilers for all the drama!)

Hello everyone! I hope you’re doing well!!

I wanted to write my thoughts after the finale aired because ep. 13-14 made me a mess and were too nerve-wracking! After these two episodes, i only wanted the week to go by fast to see how the finale unfolded (but at the same time, this drama entertained me sm i didn’t want it to end haha).

Watching this drama each week and reading your reactions and thoughts made me enjoy it even more, i’m glad i came back on tumblr! It was a really nice ride (more like an emotional rollercoaster haha)! It motivated me to write my thoughts and analyses on fictions i watched in the future, especially My Mister and Beyond Evil!! I forgot how much fun it was to do that and putting my thoughts into words gave me a little closure to my watch haha

These are just some afterthoughts & personal interpretations i had and were maybe probably already discussed, but i couldn’t get them out of my head haha

See you around and take care!!!

THE CAST. It left a strong impression on me and i can’t see other actors playing their respective roles!

—   Yohan portrayed by Ji Sung … i have no words, this devil judge left me speechless! His character, to his Devilish Smile (and hollow laugh in front of CKH and his son, or Gaon), his variating voice intonations (like damn, he’s a living ASMR like Lee Sung Kyung), his held back emotions and touch-starved and even desperate touches when it came to Elijah and Gaon, to his rage and unhinged moments! 

I winced seeing him contort in pain when Sunah revealed Elijah accidentally lit the church fire, and the two times he hugged Elijah totally destroyed me. His last scene with Gaon showed how gazes & micro-expressions alone could convey unspoken words as strongly. I’m weak for these kinds of scenes, My Mister for example did it and killed me haha

For this post, i rewatched some scenes and damn, Elijah and Yohan’s support of Gaon after Soohyun’s death was really emotional …

(They had no business in making Gaon have this kind of dream, those german scissors left a ... strong impression on him haha)

—   Kim Min Jung’s depiction of Sunah’s was hauntingly beautiful, a femme fatale who kept a broken child deep inside (and at the same time surfacing on her manners and personality) and a strong businesswoman. It’s a fascinating character i loved hating as a villain but still sympathized with. The scene where she murdered the former foundation’s president sent me chills down my spine (i still have her shot of her, sitting at his bureau and manipulating his speech video)! 

The melancholy slipping through her facade when she visited the mansion the first time in a while, as well as her devastation in front of the President’s scheme, by the young girl’s bed at the hospital were memorable. The tension between her and Yohan was incredible: they both managed to keep a very disturbing but enthralling aura, tangled with nostalgia at the same time each time they met.

(Looking at her reflection is a recurring pattern for Sunah’s character, i found this shot above interesting, divided in the two ends of the mirror, as if her self can’t be found on the other side anymore)  

—   This was the first time i saw a drama with Jin Young and i really loved his playing! Never thought I’d say one day i enjoyed someone’s tears and rage on screen, but his crying scenes stuck with me, especially in the prison yard and the last episode (he deserves therapy after all he went through, really) … And his letter to Elijah … (i’m glad nobody harshly revealed the truth to her, i’m really glad!)

I loved to see how his gaze evolved through this journey with Yohan. His endearment to Soohyun, Elijah and Yohan was very precious ;; Even though Yohan was the one who was first seen feeling lonely, Gaon’s loneliness since his parents’ death slipped through his seemingly fine world, i found that interesting! (And on a lighter note, i’ll always remember the truth behind Mrs. Ji’s cooking, Gaon’s epic reaction, and the pure comedy she gets to own a healthy food shop thanks to Yohan!!) 

I also enjoyed his supportive friendship with Jinjoo!!

—   Park Gyu Young’s acting was also on point! It’s really too bad she didn’t get more screen time because i wanted to know more about Soohyun!! I felt robbed haha, because when TDJ began airing, they introduced her as one of the ‘main’ characters of this story ;; The scene when she was on CKH’s suicide scene really left a mark on me + when she was confronting Yohan, especially after she took Elijah out!

—   Elijah. Just Elijah, our best girl!!! Apparently it’s one of Jeon Chae Eun’s first roles, she did so well!! Along with Ji Sung and Jin Young, she gave a whole new definition to the Domestic Scenes, i swear. These scenes will keep a special place in my heart for a long time! Her adorable smile and cheekiness were a refresher in this show!

(They could change TDJ’s concept in a second season and make us a domestic slice of life series, i wouldn’t mind AT ALL! Take my money!!)

Seeing her complicated relationship with her uncle unfold before us deeply moved me. The complete loneliness she silently depicted moving to her bed in the wheelchair, after Gaon left the mansion was heart-wrenching. And also the scenes after Soohyun’s death, hurting with Yohan seeing Gaon’s pain (the way she spoke her worry for the two of them, Yohan couldn’t let the words out properly to Gaon).

—   CKH’s character, played by Jang Young Nam, was amazing. Her acting already shattered me when i watched Nobody Knows! Her cold gaze, her harsh tone, she was badass i have to admit! 

The narcissistic rage was well depicted in her character, and even though i get where many’s opinions on her death come from (i share it too sometimes, but i feel it more for Sunah), i found this final decision fitting to the character, especially if you look how she treated her own son (each hold felt like a grip from rage eg. in ep. 3, as she maybe felt her son was the cause of her demise).

(HUGE SPOILERS FOR BEYOND EVIL BELOW!!!!) 

She reminded me of HKH’s ending: seeing his path to success was crushed with no way out of it except death on his own accord (in his eyes, because it was his absolute life aim, every single being, to his own wife and son, and means, even bending the justice independence, were his expendable ways to pave his path), HJW’s father was set on suicide before his son barged in. 

(Funnily enough, the filming spot for CKH’s house is the same for HKH’s house haha)

—   And also … Lawyer don’t-worry-i’ll-get-you-out-on-probation Ko deserves a round of applause for the best lawyer he is hahaha

THE STORY’S DEVELOPMENTS (AND SCRIPT). I feel like this story could very well have been developed on 20+ episodes! Even if i know some scenes in a script are sometimes (bound to be) cut in the drama, TDJ’s script leaks make me feel there was SO much more to be told, and so much more to explain some plot events in the airing drama!

Because the story was ambitious, both character and plot(twists which give you whiplash)-driven (and also the filming context with the pandemic), i feel like some choices were made.

The lines of thought about justice and the drama’s attempts at its ‘true’ definition are not lost on me. It was really interesting!

On a side note (there will be many, bear with me haha), the symbolic behind the app’s name, DIKE, which i’m pretty sure (correct me if i’m wrong, i only have some very rough basics in korean haha) is the korean romanization of Nikè, or in ancient greek Νίκη, the greek divinity of Victory ( ‘ㄴ’ in korean sounds like an ’n’ but its pronounciation is more abrupt/brisker, to the point of what could be sounding to ears like a ‘d’).

Nikè is most of the time represented as an attribute to other greek divinities who also embody the victory eg. Zeus or Athena, thus seen as a bestower of victory (in any domain, be it war, games = interestingly enough, the live court is set in a colosseum-like room, arts, …)  to the humanity on behalf of these gods (Nikè sometimes stands in her palm as an attribute of Athena, like the owl or the helmet). But sometimes Nikè was also revered an independent protective divinity.

Nikè is represented as a winged divinity in a long robe, flying above the victorious, assisting the humans in their works/challenges eg. handing them a laurel crown as a sign of victory, or a helmet, etc. Its mostly known representation is the Winged Victory of Samothrace (or The Nike of Samothrace) sculpture in the Louvre. The brand Nike also used it in its logo.

It calls back to Yohan’s line: « I make sure i win before the game starts », and in fact, since the beginning, unbeknownst to everybody witnessing the trials and participating to them, the app was his way to win. It foreshadows the ending of the story, Yohan finally taking down the foundation. It also adds to his god/devil image: he assumes the role of the intermediary/abyss of the « gods » (the Justice), taking in all the hubris of the society in order to bring the justice (well, guess we could say it put some hold to the cycle of the powerful culminating to chaos?) back, in some sort of catharsis through DIKE.

It might be a stretch, but Nikè’s winged representation could be found on Gaon’s tattoo (at first to me, it looked like a phoenix/winged angel, which symbolizes a ‘reincarnation’/new beginning for Yohan finding peace, a second chance to his past and Elijah thanks to Gaon & Gaon finding a new world even if his first crumbled ie. his parents and Soohyun’s death and professor Min’s betrayal).

(The whole virus plot by the end of the story made me feel a little uncomfortable given the actual context and the conspiracy theories that are spreading, but it wasn’t used carelessly and served the commentary of the powerful and how far they would go, i think? That said, a fiction, especially a dystopia like this, stays a fiction but when they used it, it gave me a forced laugh haha)

Now, if someone gets to translate some script bits, i’m really looking forward to:

K’s backstory!!!!!

Isaac and Yohan’s past!!!!

More about Elijah!!

Where’s the cat???

What was the script saying for Gaon and Yohan’s confrontation in ep. 12? When Yohan faced the window, waking up from a nightmare after Gaon left?

ABOUT SOOHYUN’S BACKSTORY. (Now, this will get long, i’m sorry but i needed to let my thoughts out haha) The drama introduced her as one of the four main characters with Gaon, Yohan and Sunah. I had so many expectations for her character! Especially from the three scenes we got of her:

➔ In the first episode, we see her save a young girl in the street from two men, looking up at the poster « A safe Korea will be realized from now on. »: it was a great introduction to the blatant lie of the ‘safe’ dystopian world that was being created in the story. It also showed how Soohyun felt in front of this insecure world. A side note, but seeing her hug the young girl like that reminded me the hugs she gave Gaon: she wanted to protect him from this unjust world with all her might (especially the scene in the restaurant where she hugs him). ➔ Her two confrontations with Juk Chang! ➔ Her dilemma and emotional turmoil when she erases Gaon’s presence in CKH’s office.

She was portrayed in the story as Gaon’s pillar since his parents’ tragic death and his moral compass. She’s the lawful citizen, despite feeling helpless to the world’s changes, who hopes it could be saved as long as the rule of law is preserved by everyone, and this begins by respecting it themselves. 

But she was not standing around and i kind of regret this was not shown more in the story: she kept doing her best in the « system », fighting from the inside the injustice hoping the little changes could make a difference someday. Because she couldn’t take Yohan’s path, in no way: the system/the law must be respected for it to be sustained. And i’m glad they addressed this point in the drama: Yohan chose to take on the role nobody wanted or even dared to assume, knowing fully well he became a criminal the second he began his plans (just as lawyer Ko said he was no longer a lawyer once he sided with him). 

This must not be glorified, nor vilified. As he said, it was a choice he decided to make. She mirrors his choices to some extent and i would have loved to see more of their interactions or her thoughts about that! And how she worked through the system to change things, her vision of the justice. They showed us the flashback of her career choice in high school, and it could have been interesting to learn more about her! 

A backstory about her saving the youth and meeting Sunah by accident would have been very interesting (given Sunah knew all about her since the beginning and ordered to kill her). Their meeting wouldn’t have foreshadowed Sunah’s plans, quite the opposite, and it would have given more ‘substance’ to her plans. We were robbed of this relationship haha! 

And of course, seeing her side with Yohan & Gaon for a short while (because seeing her team up with them all along the way could’ve been a little ooc) would have been dope. Her arresting Juk Chang while the two of them stop the gang was the closest thing we had to their teamwork ;;

Among the drama’s main focuses (the self-pity of the powerful and the never-ending cycle of their greed, the power displays it ensues which come in many forms in the system’s game), the conception of justice was developed all along the drama. It would have been really interesting to see whether Soohyun’s conception of justice could have changed in her own way!

And professor Min’s potential manipulation of Soohyun!!! Some scenes on their interactions could have been nice to see and explain why she focused solely on Yohan, the only side of the whole story she knew! Her reporting to the professor about her investigation (and him feeling she got too close to the truth) would have made sense because, as she saw Gaon growing apart from her as he was getting closer to the Kangs (especially since she saw him interact with Elijah when they invited her to the café, like Sunah saw how Gaon fit in their family at the dinner scene), she would’ve wanted to protect him without him knowing because she knew it’d have hurt him. It could have paralleled Gaon’s reports on Yohan to the professor at the beginning of the drama. And that could have explained (aside from the whole love triangle dynamics they had) her reluctance to tell Gaon Yohan was the one who told her his whereabouts when he was in danger in ep. 13 ; this scene also was one of the only moments addressing the lack of communication in their relationship. Seeing her feeling confused over Yohan could have been interesting!

(This also got me wondering whether in the script, Yohan’s injury was ever addressed.)

Also, i’m curious about her family, if the script mentions something about them: did they know Gaon?

About the loveline between Gaon and Soohyun: while the friendship could have stayed as is (it already felt pretty genuine in my opinion and strong friendships also deserve to be portrayed in stories), i’m convinced this drama wanted to set Gaon as the center of a subtext love & morality triangle between Soohyun and Yohan (and K and Sunah on Yohan’s part). I think i would’ve appreciated Gaon and Soohyun’s loveline so much more if they developed it more! And it had to develop in the very same episode she died: apart from the confession and kiss scene (i’m curious about the scene’s description in the script), the flashback of their moments, seen from Gaon’s pov, came just right in to ‘explain’ it! 

Of course it wasn’t the main focus of the story and there was already so much happening, but their new relationship development and her death almost had no impact on me even if it was set as a turning point for Gaon (and K for Yohan, as a cement to their respective decision to fight the system and how they would do it), and it made me really really sad! Of course it was a plot device (and i now wonder what would’ve happened if she or K wasn’t dead), but if it was bound to happen, the emotional impact was lessened!

Jinjoo’s character development and her relationship with Sunah happened really really fast, and i wonder how the script describes it!

Sunah’s involvement with the juvenile care center!!!  Her scene at the hospital left me really sad.

(Also, on the love plot, Gaon and Yohan jealousy bits weren’t used later as an expression of their envy towards the other’s status/life/etc. and were actually directed to people outside ie. Sunah/K/Soohyun in the plot, which makes me think they really wanted to set it as a love triangle!)

ABOUT SUNAH’S DEATH. I feel really really conflicted on this point. Her story was a parallel to CKH (and of course Yohan, i’ll talk about it below): two women — coming from totally opposite backgrounds — climbing their way up by their own means in this power circle. And despite all their accomplishments unnoticed (because they were the ones seeing through their plans while the others were mainly seen tearing each other into pieces), they could still be ruthlessly ejected from this world any day, part of it because they were belittled as women all the same, and chose to end her life on her own accord, still having agency over it. 

As someone else pointed it out, it also acts as a « poetic » retribution for her murder of Soohyun and K. BUT her exiting the scene in some other way staying alive could have contrasted with CKH’s suicide (especially since she overthrew the president who was the only one on her side getting in her way and even killed him in the end). Especially in a show that deals about how the justice can be carried out!

Of course, Yohan and Sunah were a foil to each other in their respective fights and traumatic past: the drama showed us how having someone to reach out to and protect (Elijah, Isaac and Gaon to Yohan ; Soohyun, Yohan and Elijah to Gaon) can become a driving force. Sunah, despite thinking this could be a weakness, also longed for companionship (from Yohan mainly, but also from Jaehee), and had no one to stop her crossing the line and preserve her from herself and the world. At least someone hearing her story, staying by her side and trying to understand her. 

Each time she said ‘can you be a little nicer to me?’ to Yohan made me feel for her (and also that one call with Jaehee), it was the only cries of loneliness she silently let out!

On a totally random note, i would have loved to see her interact more with Gaon (especially by the end of ep. 15, when Yohan was arrested)!

The story gladly didn’t end Yohan’s traumatic past and growth in death, but what about Sunah? In any case, Sunah was a really good and complex character, i enjoyed her character!

What about Jaehee? How did she react to Sunah’s death???

What about CKH’s family after her death???

I would have loved to hear more about Sunah’s plans as well! Scenes where she would play with Gaon for example (in Yohan’s presence or not, like at the photoshoot)! 

(This comment above foreshadowed, along with the dinner scene in ep. 11, she used him all along!)

Her involvement behind the scenes was only exposed in ep. 15 but i wanted to know more about her (motivations aside from her focus on Yohan, what did she plan to do before finding out a look-alike to Isaac, ...)! Given the elements in the plot, i get the idea she planned this whole business with the foundation first to reach the top and wanted to bring Yohan up with her (eg. leading the foundation or becoming the president) or down without her along the way, because she wanted his companionship. Maybe the script expands on it more? Did she really believe in the Dream Home project? Because as we saw her speech in the juvenile care center and her strong reaction to the youth being harmed in these schemes, i believe she kinda wanted to protect them as the best revenge on her past, because nobody could do it for her?  

THE ENDING SCENE. The ending was pretty good and didn’t give us an all-out tragedy, so i’m really glad! I still can’t believe Gaon was ready to blow his life away once he learnt Yohan’s death AND wanted to die with him (falsely) realizing Yohan wouldn’t change his mind, dead set on his decision (no pun intended!). And Yohan’s reaction to this ............... Now, their last scene is left to the viewers’ interpretation, but it felt to me like a new beginning to Yohan and Gaon’s relationship! As it was already said by many people on tumblr, Yohan wasn’t sure if Gaon would still be by his side despite it all, and he didn’t expect Gaon to feel this way. They’ll definitely meet again, it’s a promise of more in the future (especially Yohan’s nod, on the verge of tears and Gaon’s two relieved/endeared smiles, full of forgiveness). Gaon will join his new world once he’s done or they’ll come back to him once Elijah’s recovered.

And this game of hide and seek/hunt reflected their relationship development: Yohan felt unattainable at first, but he chased after him in the maze that was his devilish game, symbolized by the crowd, chasing him motivated by his suspicion, curiosity, anger and hate, disbelief and disappointment, empathy, worry, affection, desperation and love, until he finally reached him and they understood each other among all the crowd, living metaphorically in the same time, facing each other on the same (ground) level.

(A scene in the first episode, Gaon seeing a maze of Yohan’s reflections, maybe symbolizing he could not see through his facade in the beginning, being an enigma to him at first sight ; the choice of the reflections in the mirrors through the drama is interesting and reflects the story: depending on the angles, a story can hold as many meanings as there are points of view, the complete image surfacing once everybody’s story is told)

(Just like how, in ep. 4, Yohan shows Gaon the wicked system right under their noses, Gaon’s enraged and confused gaze directed right at Yohan after they all block his view by clinking glasses ; Yohan hoped he would understand what lies beneath but Gaon understands it fully through his own past in ep. 7-8)

(The crowd is cleared from their/our view in the final scene, leaving the two of them facing each other without any obstacle/reflection on their path)

Gaon kept Yohan’s watch all the time even in moments of doubt, sorrow and rage (the best PPL in drama history so far haha), Yohan finally got to Gaon and entered his world as Soohyun did, reaching out when he needed it the most, to stop him doing something he would regret deeply. It was symbolized by the scar he got on his left hand from preventing Gaon from stabbing him (that’s also why he caresses his scar in a bittersweet way, lost in thoughts, reminding him of their last meeting).

As @i-guess-it-rains said + according to the BTS’ editing (it passed off as a joke but i can’t erase it from my brain now haha),  the way the scene where Yohan defused Gaon’s bomb was framed looked at the same time like Yohan was also carefully handling Gaon’s heart (the bomb countdown clock radiating a red glow on his chest), on the verge of exploding. Now i have The Nights lyrics in my head haha (« My heart is going back to you, i just don’t know »)

On another note, i realized that in ep. 12, after Gaon left, he’s seen trying to call Soohyun in order to reach for her since their last confrontation, but right before, his finger glides over his contact, hesitating on Yohan’s contact before choosing to call Soohyun.

While in ep. 8, he only reaches out to Soohyun after his breakdown in the prison yard (without thinking to call Yohan because he was in the core of his doubts and pain at that time and needed space to reflect on all the events):

And it parallels to Sunah attempting to reach out to Jaehee in her loneliness at the top, hesitating before deciding to call her.

Now i hope TDJ will be on Netflix! It’d be very nice to get to watch the drama in high quality and have more people to see it!

I heard it got a webtoon adaptation so i also look forward to it once it will be translated!

A SECOND SEASON? When i first saw the ending, i thought it got wrapped up nicely and didn’t « need » another season, but it also left some parts open and laid out a new background for further developments (the system repeats itself but in another form, Yohan leaves the scene with his signature smile, maybe up to something else again, saying metaphorically or irl to Gaon he’ll come back if he doesn’t do well), kinda like Stranger/Forest of Secrets s1 or The Guest ending (the corruption doesn’t end there). I also heard it got high viewing rates in SK, so maybe it will be taken into account? And well, i’ll miss the cast so i would welcome the idea haha

THE SOUNDTRACK. The whole OST was stellar (and their titles are on point really!)! Getting to hear it without voices or noise over and with my headphones on made me realize it was even more beautiful! Because I Have You, Warmth That Melts Loneliness and If Only… are the end of me (especially If Only aaaaaaa)! Don’t get me started on Enemy of Truth’s title to the OST playing for the church fire because it’s devastating ;;;

If Only’s title … It leaves us filling in the blank space, the dots to Gaon’s thoughts when he learns about Yohan’s past and how it impacts him to this day.

The 4 songs were amazing (there’s also Different from the Outside but i still didn’t get its lyrics). Tempest was definitely etched in my mind as TDJ’s main theme haha And The Nights was my favorite!  

➔ Tempest was Yohan’s iconic theme and depicted his lonely path to revenge after the tragic events in his life, and his (fated) encounter with Gaon, how deeply it will change him in this journey in ways he didn’t expect. It perfectly introduces (with Chet Faker and Flume’s Drop the game) and concludes the drama!

➔ What you gonna do was THE revenge epic song making everyone revel in the ‘bad guys’ despair and Yohan’s badass moves! 

➔ The Nights felt like it was both Yohan and Gaon’s theme and Gaon’s sorrow after Soohyun’s death: at first i thought it was only Yohan’s, but his revenge and the last episodes proved me wrong! The song’s lyrics mirrored themselves (‘my/your night shines on you/me’), as if a complete understanding between Yohan and Gaon was found on their dark road. Yohan’s night shines on Gaon: Yohan’s broken past and all his misunderstood or hidden sides, his dedication to Elijah. Yohan’s rage (almost wrath since the biblical and god symbolism are there haha) and desire to take the inique system down waked Gaon’s own rage, buried deep inside, and made him move forward too. Gaon’s night shines on Yohan: all the time he spent with the Kangs, Gaon’s deep empathy and understanding, helping him reconnect with his niece, their dinners at night, his rage exploding when the truth about his parents was revealed, his desperation on the last two episodes (in ep. 15, seeing Gaon’s realization everything was a lie and Yohan was innocent, and in ep. 16, Gaon wanting to die by his side). Gaon’s night also shined on Soohyun, who wanted to protect him with all she got each time she saw him crumbling down.

There was still light on their dark road (which looks like a callback to Nightmare’s lyrics, « Save me from myself / Save me from this darkness that has lost its light »).

➔ Nightmare felt like it was Yohan and Sunah’s theme. When it last played when Sunah’s death happened on screen, it left me speechless (and if i remember correctly, the ‘save me from myself’ bit was played right when she shot herself … o u c h)!

[squireofgeekdom]

also speaking of being weird and feral about star trek i went to check the menagerie transcript for something ... and also i’ve had two memory alpha pages open for weeks... anyway i’m still feral about this episode so if you want to witness me being Very Unhinged and speculating flagrantly on the (im)probable occurrence of makeouts and sucking of dicks on alien planets and/or in starfleet storage closets and alternate timelines and somehow just a weird unnecessary incoherent rambling contrarian... here you go

so the menagerie takes place towards the start of year 3 of the enterprise’s 5 year mission, so spock’s been serving with kirk as captain for three years. 

- for reference, year 3 of spock’s service on the enterprise with pike as captain was around the events of s2 of discovery (spock started serving on the enterprise in 2254 -- the same year as the events of the cage on talos iv -- and the events of season 2 of discovery are in 2257) so kirk in year 3 is like ‘my first officer would never lie (except would he? maybe?)’ and pike in year 3 is like ‘my science officer would never murder people and your video evidence is wrong, im taking my ship on the run about it’ step. the fuck. up. kirk. 

okay okay so what was i actually checking in the transcript was this

MENDEZ: You ever met Chris Pike?

KIRK: When he was promoted to Fleet Captain.

MENDEZ: About your age. Big, handsome man, vital, active.

KIRK: I took over the Enterprise from him. Spock served with him for several years.

SPOCK: Eleven years, four months, five days.

okay, so a lot of things about this

first of all, pike’s age makes no damn sense. from his wiki:

“Pike was said to be "about [Kirk's] age" as of 2267 in "The Menagerie, Part I", which suggested a birth date around the late 2220s or early 2230s, however, it was later indicated in Star Trek: Discovery that he was already in the Academy by the early 2220s.A biography of Pike was included on the Star Trek movie app. According to that source, he was born in 2205, to Charles and Willa Pike, and spent part of his childhood living on the planet Elysium.“

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ nope. not gonna even try there. 

timelines are good when i like them and they’re funny otherwise im just not going to try

second of all, mendez’s third thing on pike is ‘handsome’ like. okay. good that we got your take on that. incredible

third, I know spock knowing how long he served under pike down to the day is a ‘spock is very precise guy with facts and figures’ but also. im emotional about it. e l e v e n  y e a r s and he knows it down to the day. 

okay okay so the actual point here is ‘You ever met Chris Pike?’ ‘When he was promoted to Fleet Captain.’ 

so kirk is basically implying that he only met Pike at his promotion ceremony. which. I think snw should happily ignore off the cuff one lines in s2 and beyond if it lets them tell fun stories, which i think it will. but I also think it’s entirely fair to say that kirk is just semi-bullshitting / giving the short instance of the most recent time he met pike, just based on the moment after

When he’s in the room with pike, mendez refers to him as captain pike when introducing the others (and spock also refers to him as captain pike) 

kirk, however, immediately refers to him as chris. which - yes, kirk refers to mendez by his first name, jose, even though he’s his superior officer, and mendez refers to him as jim, but the vibe i get from that is that they know each other prior to this, and not just meeting at a formal promotion. kirk doesn’t normally go around immediately first naming officers - and he refers to him as captain pike when talking to others, but this is a personal interaction. 

KIRK: Chris, if there's anything I can do for you. 

that’s right off the bat. I would take that as the implication that they know each other better than just having met at a promotional meeting. And that’s consistent with the rest of the episode, where he tends to be taking pike seriously and consistently asking for his input, and also using his first name when he’s talking directly to him, but usually not when he’s talking to others, which is an interesting distinction

(sidenote ‘MENDEZ: He went in bringing out all those kids that were still alive.’ I take that as pike not bing in the site of the engineering failure, but *going in* and I have some feelings about that)

what was i saying? oh yeah anyway 1) kirk indicates he’s met pike in passing 2) he actually knows pike personally and is being weird about saying that and then 3) they’ve definitely made out 

could they just have a good working friendship? yeah! of course! we love that here! but hey a) i told yall there was flagrant speculation about makeouts and b) listen i know it’s an alternate future timeline but at the end of the s1 finale, out of Several Normal Sitting Places kirk chooses to perch on the *footstool* like he’s right about to jump on pike’s lap at the first opportunity and im i just?? supposed to?? Ignore that? here?? in my unhinged ramblings about a star trek episode that contains the footage of another, horny star trek episode? absolutely not

anyway the rest of the episode

“MENDEZ: You have something to report, Miss Piper?

PIPER: Oh, yes, sir. I'm afraid our investigation turned up very little, Commodore. There is, of course, Mister Spock's years of service with Captain Pike. Indications of his extreme loyalty to this former commander.”

hey im very fine and normal about this being the thing that comes up in, yknow, a brief investigation into what’s going on. what the hell is in the files that that’s the conclusion you draw from looking at it for a few minutes. cool cool cool i hope the snw writers are continuing to have Fun with That 

(thank you, personally, from the bottom of my heart for every moment of utter Ride Or Die these two have in discovery and snw)

Anyway anyway anyway

i’ve already mentioned the absolutely unhinged part of this episode that is showing the entirety of the cage in all its horny glory 

just

you know

the cage 

the telepathic talosians, who want to breed a servile race of humans, tapping into the subconscious of chris pike to try to create illusory scenarios to get him to fuck vina and then keep fucking her forthwith. and failing but, just. yknow. extended illustration of kinks and preferences.

perfectly normal thing to show at a starfleet hearing. definitely. definitely a normal thing to spock to pull up as evidence that has to be shown. checks out. sure that happens at lots of starfleet hearings.

yes obviously they just wanted to show their unaired pilot but hey sensible doylist explanations isnt what you’re here for youre here for unhinged nonsense

so was this the talosian’s idea? yes. obviously. they live for drama. they accepted that they weren’t going to be able to rebuild their society by breeding a new servile race and just decided fuck it, we’re going to make popcorn and watch the most messy drama we can. these are the people who had spock and michael ‘pay’ for fixing spock’s brain with painful dramatic childhood memory. 

they were definitely like ‘yes let’s not show a short simplified version to illustrate the nature of our technology and that pike knows us, let’s make sure we show the horny version’

and spock was like ‘yeah okay this is a fine thing to show onscreen for me, captain pike aka the guy it happened to, my current captain kirk, an illusion of a starfleet commodore, and some poor starfleet ensign transcribing the hearing who’s having a weird fuckin day. this is a perfect delaying tactic to make sure we get to talos iv’ 

there’s no way this isn’t weird but it’s slightly -slightly- less weird if you assume that most of the people watching this have seen pike in a more *cough* intimate context than just trying to have sex with him

yeah im saying they’ve both fucked pike prior to this point and im also saying that hey, putting on a viewing of the kink tape is, yknow, a logical thing to do if you’re intending to encourage all of you fuck again when you’re on the surface of the holographic fuck planet

thank you for coming to my unhinged ted talk. welcome the talos iv fuckparty into your hearts. 

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

5 9 12 for the mmni ask game? Thanks!

5. favourite quote(s)?

i am honestly not good at remembering quotes. someone will be like "oh my favourite quote is ____" and i'll be like "yeahh that's a good one", but apart from that, i just. do not remember. they have to be spoken to me. so there's plenty i like, i just can't remember. but since i recently rewatched primary cape crusader, i've had "my time lord" rotating in my head, so that'll be my answer for now.

9. favourite actor from mmni?

oh nooo i can't choose :( obviously they're all incredible, but i think as an answer i'll have to say josh, just because he brings unhinged energy every single time.

12. which episode did you see first?

i tried to start watching lasers and quasars, because it was the first, but got stuck at the very beginning, after all the intro stuff. then it started up with the second run, and i watched over the henge, and enjoyed it, so then i was able to watch the first run. so long answer short, my first one was over the henge.