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razberryyum · 5 years ago

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The Untamed and The Living Dead movie Thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven’t watched the movie, it’s best not to proceed cuz you will be spoiled.

OR, if you have already watched the movie and love it completely, AND you stan Yu Bin and will not put up with any criticism about his performance, it’s also best not to proceed cuz you’ll most likely be annoyed/upset with me. Let’s just agree to disagree right now and move on with our separate happy lives.

Overall Rating for The Living Dead: 3 Lil Apples out of 10

Yeah, I know that’s pretty harsh…I waffled between 3, 4 and 5, but I had to settle on a 3 in the end because I don’t think I’ll ever rewatch this movie and there were just so many problems I had with it, that I realized I can’t say I liked the movie much at all.

Before I go on, let me first address the big white elephant in the room: no, WangXian does NOT cameo in The Living Dead nor are they even mentioned in any capacity that would assure us they are still together and happy in the movie’s timeline. At one point Wen Ning does mention them in the same sentence, but only in relationship to himself (that they saved him) and the past. For those of us desperate for confirmation of WangXian happily ever afterness in the world of CQL (“us” meaning me only most likely), we get no assurance whatsover. This is especially disappointing since the movie apparently take place years later after the events of The Untamed so it’s really sad that we have no idea if they are together. Of course in the world of the novel, we know they are absolutely together, happily married, everydaying everyday, but it would’ve been nice if we were given some tiny morsel of comfort for WangXian of The Untamed.

Not only does Lan Zhan not make an appearance, he’s only mentioned by Wen Ning once, as I indicated above. As for Wei Ying, he’s mentioned a few times and he kiiiiinda makes a cameo…but honestly, I wish they didn’t even attempt that cameo cuz it was so bad. It’s basically the backview of some extra dressed as Wei Ying and dubbed over by someone else that’s not Lu Zhixing-laoshi. Or if it is, the dub was so bad that it didn’t even sound like him anymore.

That’s actually one of my main problems with the movie: the dubbing or sound mixing just sucked. Every time there was dialogue it sounded very obviously that it was on a different track. I didn’t even feel like the characters were saying the words because their voices sounded detached from them. Whereas in The Untamed, I sometimes would completely forget that with the exception of Nie Huaisang, everyone’s line reads were performed by voice actor because the voices were blended so well within the scenes. I don’t know the technical terms of all this dubbing stuff so hopefully I’m making some sense.

Another big problem was the CGI. Holy crap was it bad. It was so bad at no point was I able to immerse myself into the action scenes…I didn’t feel anyone was in danger because they were being attacked by a bunch of obvious and bad CGI. One of the worse scenes that they showed THREE times was when the sister (Xiao Qing) being burned up in CGI flames. First of all her acting was horrendous (why was she covering her ears while she’s being burned alive??) and then the fake fire just made me groan out loud. I didn’t even want to look it was so embarrassingly bad.

I’m trying to figure out when they shot this movie…in order for them to be able to release the movie so soon after the show, the filming had to overlap with The Untamed’s filming, right? So I guess budget was still tight, probably even tighter than the main show, since CQL probably didn’t start actually seeing the money it made from ads, etc until towards the end. Either way, it feels like they didn’t put much money into this movie, especially not the effects. And if I’m going to be honest, I think they probably just had their second…nay…probably third unit direct it. Or at least, they had their third unit decide on some of the casting cuz some of the performances were…OOF. One thing I really appreciated about The Untamed is that even with most of the background actors, there was hardly a glaringly bad performance. I’ve said before the worse really was the actor who played Wen Ruohan, which is a shame cuz he’s more than an extra, but overall all the performances by the supporting characters ranged from decent to strong with hardly a weak link. Here, in this movie, I would say most of the performances from the new cast members were very mediocre. In fact, the only truly consistently good performances from beginning to end was Zheng Fanxing (Sizhui) and that cute little girl in the beginning:

I was kind of sad when she got killed off cuz she was adorable and definitely a MUCH better actor that the dude who played her older brother…at no point was I remotely convinced he was scared so on the other hand I was happy he died. But I thought she was going to burn to death or something because it didn’t seem like a good idea to have her hide in a wooden cupboard with a lite stove…that was so stupid and weird. Btw, what the hell was with that cat screeching sound effect?? Sounded like someone was throwing a cat, but like WHY?

As for the three new players introduced for this movie—Gao Han as Xiao Yi, Wang Yifei as Xiao Qing and He Longlong as Zhou Zishu—I’ve never seen their work before, and nothing about their performances in this movie makes me interested in what they will do in the future. To be fair, Gao Han tried…you can totally tell he was trying REALLY hard in some of his scenes, but for the most part, he either overacted or strangely enough, underacted. He was just really inconsistent. I know Zhou Zishu was supposed to be a red herring so the fact that he started out looking sketchy AF was supposed to be a ruse since our narrator was entirely untrustworthy, but even in the context of that false narration, he was really bad. As for the sister played by Wang Yifei…just look at her performance as she’s being burned up again.

By the way, I’m gonna say this now: if Wei Ying and Lan Zhan don’t even get to share a fucking real hug between them throughout the entirety of The Untamed, then I don’t think some generally unimportant-in-the-greater-scheme-of-things couple should be allowed to freaking KISS in anything related to the world of CQL.

I understand it’s all about the censorship, etc etc, but if any hetero couple deserved to share an onscreen kiss, it would’ve been Shijie and Jin Zixuan, and since even they were deprived of that, then these two nobodies should not have been granted this privilege. Seriously, fuck whoever decided to stick that moment in the movie. That’s just fucking unfair and really annoyed me. There better not be any more of that kind of nonsense in the Nie brothers‘ movie.

The last I’ll say about performances is that sadly, I felt as if there was something off about Yu Bin’s. I totally understand that this is a different Wen Ning than the one we saw in the show—he’s older, more mature, since God knows how many years have passed already—so I don’t mind that he’s more serious. But at the same time, he was just so uneven that I couldn’t get behind his performance at all. He was always one key off, if that makes any sense, so it almost felt like someone else was playing Wen Ning entirely, someone who is completely unfamiliar with that character. And his work in the…whatever fuck that place was…Yin Metal purgatory?? (and for those who are familiar with Guardian, that place was giving me bad flashbacks to Dixing)…was kind of cringey overall.

I wanted to love seeing Wen Ning be a badass wise uncle, so I actually feel really sad that I couldn’t enjoy his performance in general. However, what I absolutely did enjoy was seeing uncle and nephew bonding and working together…

…just wish those moments weren’t marred by all that bad CGI.

Wen Ning’s new look gave me pause though: not that I didn’t appreciate the whole metal look, but I kind of couldn’t figure out why Wen Ning added the chains back to his ensemble when he got rid of them back in The Untamed already.

I mean, if the black veins on his neck don’t attract attention, walking around wearing heavy, clangy chains sure would probably alarm people as well, I think.

Last thing on Wen Ning: again, not that I didn’t appreciate his newfound ability to hulk out, but yikes, that whole effect was ruined by yet again bad CGI AND a really goofy score. Sounded like something they “borrowed” from Naruto.

Except for that one piece of music, I did like the score for the rest of the movie, especially in the opening credits since it definitely evoked a sense of creepiness. The images in the credits were good too. I can easily imagine that being the OP creds to a horror anthology.

As for the story, I was fine with it. I liked that they related the family to Nightless City because apparently they are the ones who helped make Nightless City nightless? Here I thought it was the surrounding lava but I guess there were lanterns lighting the place up that I just somehow missed completely. I liked the plot twist with Xiao Yi and his “sister”…although I did guess there was some incesty thing going on in the beginning…just didn’t think I would be right and wrong at the same time. I thought they would relate their relationship back to Wen Ning and Wen Qing somehow, considering the sisters shared the same name…this was before the “incest” part was confirmed of course…but they never really did so having Wen Qing share the same name as Xiao Qing felt like an oddity in the end. It’s also odd how they used the same phonetically sounding last name of “Xiao” since of course I immediately thought of Xiao Zhan (different characters). Like, couldn’t they come up with completely different names? Overall, the plot wasn’t bad, as mysteries go, at first I couldn’t figure out why the Yin Metal all of a sudden had all these new powers and why the metal wielder, Zhou Zishu, would become a ghost puppet himself, but with the plot twist, all of that was explained so I was fine with it. The last shot of “Xiao Yi” in the Yin Metal purgatory made me guffaw; yeah, that didn’t look suggestive AT ALL.

The Living Dead actually makes me look forward even more to the next movie, The Fatal Journey. I’m hoping that since it’s potentially about the Nie brother’s past and Jin Guangyao, that perhaps there will be less need for CGI as it will focus more on just dialogue and story-telling. Not to mention, again, apologies to Yu Bin fans, but those three actors are generally stronger performers, so with them at the helm, I’m expecting/hoping for greater things.

Since I’ve been mostly negative, I wanted to leave on at least one positive note: Sizhui is still an adorable puppy. His dads, wherever they are, whatever they’re doing during the movie, must be so proud of him.

#The Untamed #陈情令 #CQL #The Living Dead movie #Wen Ning #Lan Sizhui #Mo Dao Zu Shi #魔道祖师 #WangXian

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madam-o · 5 years ago

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Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" (alternative title: "Families With Money Are The Fucking Worst") - a nearly non-spoilery review

I was expecting many things from this movie, but what I was not expecting was to be so stunned by the performances given by Daniel Craig and Jamie Lee Curtis. JLC was nearly unrecognizable as Linda Drysdale, and that was accomplished almost entirely through her acting. She's hard and severe and her voice is just...like stone. The cigarettes Linda chain-smokes must taste of bitterness and disappointment. Daniel Craig again reveals in himself a man who can do so much more than play the Scary Stoic Badass lead. His "famous detective" character, Benoit Blanc (dear lord that name), is both a subversion and eccentric epitome of the trope. You love him, you laugh at him, you want to wrap him in a blanket and hug him. He's sweet. I never, ever thought I'd say that about any character played by Daniel Craig.

And I don't usually think much of Don Johnson's talents but Rian Johnson even got a great chunk of acting out of him (nuff said really). I wish Riki Lindhome had been given more to do here other than drink martinis because she's amazing and funny, but I guess that's what they have deleted scenes for.

On the more expected side of things, Chris Evans looks overjoyed and excited to be able to play someone as deeply flawed and morally questionable as Ransom. He's still hot and magnetic af, of course. Christopher Plummer as Harlan Thrombey: oh my god how I love thee, let me count the ways. Always an exquisitely perfect performance from this charming man. Toni Colette plays Joni and is just so very Toni Colette here: she's a woman trying to maintain her image as an attractive forty-something who's a successful entrepreneur while also being very shallow and California Goop-y...and completely failing at it. You don't even buy her air-headed, glued-to-her-social-media act. She just feels ravenously desperate.

Michael Shannon plays Walt Thrombey who is just awful...awful and pitiable. He needs so much and deserves so little, but it feels like his role as leech in life might not be entirely of his own making. He's been crushed beneath his father's talent and fame.

There's two teen characters who dont have much to do but still stand out. Jacob Thrombey (Jaeden Lieberher Martell) is memorable for being an alt-right troll character who actually almost never says a thing during the whole movie. He spouts no toxic opinions that we can hear, but his silent, angry fixation on his phone screen speaks volumes. Meg Thrombey (Katherine Langford) on the other hand talks a lot and unfortunately has other things in common with her mom, Joni. It's hard to say how much of her is actually herself and how much is what her family expects her to be.

Ana de Armas memorably played the holographic AI Joi in Bladerunner 2049, but this feels like her breakout role here. Marta is the heart and soul of the film and the piece of driftwood we cling to in this stormy sea of familial acrimony and resentment. So much of the empathy in the film comes from the focus on her amazing, emotional eyes.

Harlan's all-too-appropriate, mystery writer home is a perfect blend of the sets from Sleuth (Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, 1973) and Deathtrap (Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, 1982), filled with creepy animated figures and both real and costume weaponry, all of which ironically becomes beside the point...almost. But honestly, the house is a character in itself and deserves an Oscar for Best Production Design.

An ironic twist of the narrative turns the mystery into a darkly humorous portrait of a very unhappy group of people whose main problem is that they can't escape each other's horrible presence. The movie is suspenseful and funny while maintaining a surprising vein of deep sadness in its center. It's a love letter to sleuth stories that transforms into a tragicomedy of sorts, and the take away moral to the tale seems to be "the best way to survive is to not be a shitty person".

I give an A rating to this fun, surprising little gem.

#chris evans #daniel craig #rian johnson #knives out #ransom drysdale

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al-norton · 5 years ago

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i need to hear it all about cotton candy grandpa. AND vincent nightray if you feel like it

Grandpa it is, then!

favorite thing about them

I really like his character arc! I’m not sure why, but the whole “physically destroying your body in pursuit of a goal”-thing really resonates with me. Also... the sheer audacity of Break behaving as he does?? I mean, he’s not really fooling anyone (anyone important, at least). Anyone who knows their ass from their elbow know that Break is dangerous af. So he puts on an elaborate clown-on-lsd act, eats only sugar and wears his coat on his elbows just to have fun and make everyone around him uncomfortable. Truly a grandpa-icon

least favorite thing about them

Well, I really hated it when he killed Fang. But still, pretty much everything bout his character makes sense to me

favorite line

“Don’t try to excuse yourself by saying you're doing it for someone else's sake“

brOTP

Break & Sheryl are a badass power couple of FRIENDS. Also, Break&Gil? Sweet as honey

OTP

soft Break/Reim. They’re just so good...

nOTP

Break/Sharon, not even because of age difference or iffy power dynamics, but he treats her like a child, it’s so eh

random headcanon

Being an awesome swordsman and a mysterious albino, Break becomes a crush of half the Pandora as soon as he joins their ranks, much to confusion of the other half, including Break himself. You could see him at lunch, shoving entire fistfuls of candy into his mouth, surrounded by people - half of them grossed out, the other half awwwing quietly to the horrible sound of crunching caramel. Every child in Nightray family, at one point or the other, was part of the awwwing half.

unpopular opinion

See the problem with this point is what even is the popular opinion anymore. the fandom’s been dead for 10 years

song i associate with them

I don’t actually have the songs that fit his character of situation perfectly, but here are some that fit him later in the manga

Woodkid - Wasteland (it kinda sounds most fitting for his relationship with Shelly, but really most of his relationships fit this also)

The National - Runaway (tired fighter in the series end)

favorite picture of them

What can I say, I’m a bitch for vulnerability

Now, Vincent:

favorite thing about them

Honestly, I still love this boi in all his problematic glory. He’s just so relatable, I mean, who didn’t at some point of their life want to restart the universe and erase their own existence after they did a stupid??

On more serious note, his character was a great exploration of childhood trauma and darker consequences of abuse - I mean, it’s still portraited as sexy in Mochizuki’s style, but I like how he isn’t treated purely as a villain or purely as a victim.

least favorite thing about them

Vincent's storyline has this weird gender angle to it. Like, in his chilhood women were always cruel to him (his mother, Alice, most notable Miranda), and later it evolved into pretty intense misogyny. It kinda makes sense, but it was never explicitly resolved, and just. hangs there still.

Also I can’t exactly say I agree with Jun’s decision to shift climax of his arc from acceptance by Gil to acceptance by Ada? I guess when he still pursued his goal even after making up with Gilbert was supposed to show us that his motivation was really just selfish desire to not exist. And I get that Ada is the sweetest girl, I would also feel blessed and cured of all sin if she hugged me. Buuuut in kinda brings the whole “cure the abuser with kindness”-thing to the table, and I really don’t appreciate it. Why the fuck did it even work, c’mon

favorite line

“If everything becomes weird…… then I’m normal, right?”

(he doesn’t say any smart things but relatability charts are high)

brOTP

Vincent & Gibert (who knew!)

Also Vincent & Noise, I don’t ship them romantically, but their friendship could be good shit.

OTP

It’s really hard to ship him with anyone. Vince needs therapy, not a date

nOTP

Vince/Echo, Vince/Noise?? It’s really creepy

random headcanon

He specifically manufactured “not fully in control of the Dormouse”-myth to get his beauty sleep, since he can’t get a full night plotting with Bakervilles

Also he’s gayyyy. His disgust with women it at least partially borne out of need to perform heterosexuality, and his, uh, complex feelings for his brother are result of hard repressing. He probably convinced himself that a brotherly love between men is the highest, purest form of love, and any attraction he might feel to his gender is purely aesthetic(tm), but it turns into wayyy too much projecting.

unpopular opinion

Vince and Ada..... brotp (would be, if he’d ever spoke to her)

song i associate with them

Sufjan Stevens - John My Beloved (it’s kind of more on his relatioship with Gil, but this relationship IS hella central to Vince’s character, so)

favorite picture of them

#norton's talking tag #pandora hearts #it took way too much time to wright all this down...#loved every second of it #also it made me think really hard about Break/Vincent so I have some thoughts on that too now thanks #freckled-knights #fandom opinions

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toddykun · 6 years ago

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Complete Set of 110 Reasons To Live Special Edition With Extra But Not Enough Gay RightsTM And Extra LongTM Too Because The Three Caballeros Deserve It:

THAT MUSIC AT THE START!

Donald’s ‘Party Fowl’ waist bag

Webby’s excited rambling!

All the lady birds in that town were ridiculously pretty?? (makes sense since the giant carnivorous flower wanted to lure people to eat them so A+)

Dewey documenting his adventures with the help of his lil bro. BondingTM

“OH BOY! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MY PALS!”

Huey, my boy, asking the real questions

“Please, not everything has to be a dark family secret!” *Donald proceeds to say he has a dark family secret* Huey: :D Louie: >:(

DONALD’S FOND SMILE WHEN HE WAS THINKING ABOUT JOSÉ AND PANCHITO BEFORE TELLING THE BOYS HE WAS IN THE THREE CABALLEROS!!!!

‘Kids Confused At Adult Reminiscing About Their Cool Past That They Know Nothing About’ trope

DONALD’S ‘FUCKING EXCUSE ME?’ FACE WHEN SCROOGE STARTED BADMOUTHING THE THREE CABALLEROS!

college band!

They played in Scrooge’s garage, fucking with Scrooge’s sleep, something with what I agree wholeheartedly since he fucks with other ppl’s sleep with his bagpipes lmao can he get more scottish? probably

Donald canonically plays the double bass and the accordion!!! (he also plays the guitar, the piano, the flute, etc, in comics and other animated media. Musical GeniusTM)

Huey and Louie’faces when they discover their uncle plays the accordion lmao

“I was so awesome...” with such a nostalgic feeling, baby, you still are! appreciate yourself, we love you!

Donald applying sunscreen on himself? Pure.

“Agh! You’re fine as is! A family man, a boat owner!”

JOSÉ JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE AND PLAYING HIS UMBRELLA!!!

HIS!!!!UMBRELLA!!!!HIS!!!!MAGIC!!!!!HIS SMOOTH ENTRANCE!!!!

*mysterious guitar starts playing*

PANCHITO APPEARING FROM THE SHADOWS AND MAKING A DRAMATIC, ROMANTIC AND TELENOVELESQUE ENTRANCE?? HOW MUCH TIME HE NEEDED TO WAIT THERE TO DO THAT?? ADORKABLE

That little blink in Panchito’s eye lmao Anime Rival ComingTM

those little gay fireworks when josé and panchito got together!

those little ‘ajá!’s from both of them!

DONALD’S FACE AGAIN!!! HE’S SO HAPPY!!!!

“DONAL’!!!!!!!!!!”

José and Donald’s weird hopping hug? lovely

Panchito clapping while they’re at it lmao

José tossing Donald to Panchito

Three Way Handshake!

“SQUAWK, CROW, QUACK! I’VE GOT YOUR BACK!”

that little tail shake the caballeros do in their secret handshake

“SECRET HANDSHAKE! COOL!” *louie proceeds to lick his big bro’s hand whe he tries to do the handshake like the lil bro he is*

panchito’s super excited handshakes that leave people jumping

“JAJÁ, ¡SALUDOS, AMIGOS!”

“OS PATINHOS!”

José and Panchito seeing the triplets as eggs

HAPPY DONALD DUCK

Donald juggled the eggs...

that creepy but nice guacamaya in the background

..DONALD JUGGLED THE EGGS AND HE DROPPED ONE!!!

And that’s how Donald went from Cool UncleTM to Overprotective Best DadTM lmao

big bro and lil bro agreement that middle bro was the one dropped lmao

José’s smooth moves while he’s talking wiTH HIS UMBRELLA

Panchito throwing his phone and doing a hip move to put it again in the holster

“YOUR UNCLE WAS THE COOL ONE!!!!”

Donald’s blushing and his nervous smile

José and Panchito expecting that the Cool OneTM of the three caballeros is the Most Successful and ImpressiveTM of the three, like that’s how it's supposed to be lmao These BiconsTM

PANCHITO’S FACE AT THAT MOMENT!

Huey being actually helpful with Donald’s anxiety attack

Scrooge saying one of his I’m Genuinely Trying To Be Helpful In My Own Unique Way That Ends Hurting More Than HelpingTM and Donald like ‘nah, cant deal with your bullshit rn’ face

“Uncle Donald, you’re very successful! You raise three boys and are rich in love! Isn’t that the true measure of success?” U TELL THEM, HUEY

“Lie? Perfect!” nod to one of donald’s flaws that we have actually seen in other media, he can be really mischievous and conniving when he wants to, be it for a good reason or not.

Yet again, we have confirmation that ‘the smarter than the smarties’ is actually incredibly easy to manipulate with his ego and cheapness by the Duck Family but also THIS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD NOD ABOUT THE GLOMGOLD’S BET SINCE THIS TIME SCROOGE HAS AN ACTUAL REASON TO NOT LOSE ANY MONEY

Huey hugging Donald and Donald’s little thumb up? blessed

José and Panchito laughing with each other? bLeSsEd

THE WHOLE ‘SCROOGE IS OLD’ SCENE

Team UncleTM everyone, these idiots are two of the smartest ducks in the world, yes, even if u don’t believe it

José’s admiration for Donald! hello? beautiful

Webby and Huey and Portuguese? BLESSED

JOSÉ SAYING “OH, YOU HAVE TO TRY IT” VERY SOFTLY AND SMOOTH WHILE TOUCHING DONALD’S HAND

THESE TWO EXPECT SO MUCH FROM DONALD BECAUSE HE WAS THE BEST OF THE THREE IN THEIR EYES. I. AM. DYING.

DONALD REALLY WANTS TO MEET HIS EXPECTATIONS AND IMPRESS THEM

PASTELES!

*battle of whistling inconspicuously appears* “OK, WE CAN’T ALL DO THIS!”

PANCHITO AND JOSÉ ACTUALLY BLOWING THEIR COVER TO THE AUDIENCE WITH ALL THE WHISTLING LMAO

*hand battle with Team Uncle appears* “EXCUSE ME”

*donald hits huey by accident while trying to get the wallet* *Huey helps him anyways and even bites Scrooge* Well, now I know who is his favorite uncle

WEBBY EXCITED!

THE THREE CABALLEROS’S THEME PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND WHILE THEY REMINISCED THEIR BAND DAYS

EVERY TIME THEY REENACTED PART OF THE SONG’S CHOREOGRAPHY FROM THE MOVIE

THEY!!!!!MADE!!!MUSIC!!!AND!!!DANCED!!!!OUT!!!OF!!!NOWHERE!!!AND!!!STARTED!!!TO!!!BE!!!THEIR!!!OLDSELVES!!!!!AGAIN!!!!

PANCHITO CAN PLAY JOSÉ’S UMBRELLA (AND DONALD CAN TOO PROBABLY)

Panchito’s face when realized he hit Donald by accident and knowing he was going to get mad, only for José to happy him up with some dance. cuties

HIS HAT HAS BEEN AN ACCORDION ALL THIS TIME!?

“Look at how happy Uncle Donald is! You can‘t put a price on that smile!” This boy loves his uncle so much!!!

“It’s only for the weekend...” “YOU’RE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER?”

THEY HAD A WAGON!!!!!??? (or i misheard?)

Panchito twirling his phones like he would do with his guns lmao

Panchito and José’s always moving around together

Team Uncle’s Actually Fighting (and we’re reminded of the bet yet again)

“HEY, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?”

Huey, The Voice Of ReasonTM

“NO WAY, I NEED THIS!” mischievous and egoistic Donald making a comeback, like hello old flaws, let’s see how you shine here.

The fact that they actually addressed that Donald’s bad luck sometimes really comes from his actual bad traits is freaking great.

*sings badly* “Perfect!”

The reminder that even if Donald is a little stubborn and egotistical at times, his kids come first and he will give up his dreams for them. Duty comes first for him, always.

Donald’s actually The Voice of ReasonTM and the bravest between the Three Caballeros, now we know why he is The Cool OneTM of the three

SCROOGE ACTUALLY FUCKING UP HIS BACK LIKE THE OLD MAN HE ACTUALLY IS

Donald tells the truth, not only because he has to protect his family and his friends for being eaten by a giant carnivorous plant lmao but because his friends thought he didn’t love or need them anymore because he was “rich” now. Love and Protection are his main traits and he knows his friends thinking he isn't as cool as they thought and putting down all their dreams will worth it if it means protecting them.

José and Panchito, who always look up to Donald more than anyone and know that he’s the one that actually got the guts to tell the truth, end telling the truth too because Donald shows his good traits again.

AGAIN, THESE THREE ONLY WANTED TO IMPRESS EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY ARE ONES OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN EACH OTHER’S LIFE AND PATHS AND BEING A FUCKED UP ADULT WHEN YOU WERE SURE THE COOLEST PEOPLE OF YOUR LIFE WERE COMPLETELY SUCCESSFUL IS ACTUALLY SCARY AF AND YOU WANTED THEM TO BE PROUD OF YOU AS MUCH AS YOU ARE OF THEM

Donald is the only that didn’t run or looked scared when he saw the flower, he seemed only surprised AND THEN HE SAW RED WHEN HE SAW HIS KIDS IN DANGER LIKE HELLO? DAD DUCK TO THE RESCUE!!!

These three smiles before fighting like they did in acapulco!!!

THE THREE CABALLEROS’S THEME SONG!!!! WITH THEY FIGHTING LIKE THE BADASSES THEY ARE!!!

are we really sure they were only a college band??? because they fought like....u know......like they were something more. They Could Have Done A Lot Of Things While Being A Band Too HMMMM

Donald having a good ass aim with his double bass

NO ONE CAN SIMPLY CARRY A DOUBLE BASS CUZ THAT SHIT IS HEAVY AS FUCK AND LIFT IT AND THEN USE IT AS A MACE LIKE IT IS NOTHING, BUT DONALD DID!!!! THE STRONGEST BOY!!!!

JOSÉ USING HIS UMBRELLA LIKE A SWORD!!!

“WHO SAY SO?” “WE SAY SO!”

‘Fighting Actually Cured The Old Man’s Back’ trope

DONALD’S SOLO!!!

“WE SAY ‘AY CARAMBA’!”

THEY DID THAT IN ACAPULCO TOO!!!!??? LIKE HELLO? BADASSES

The Pig Tourists clapping at them because they deserved that and more honestly

THEY BROUGHT A BURRO WITH THEM!!!

SCROOGE DESTROYING PANCHITO’S GUITAR LMAO

That “I’m so sorry” with the Old Man’s voice

The episode dealt in a subtle way with the actual ever-present fear of being an adult and the expectations from others that we have to carry, society expects everyone to be on equal ground to be a successful and settled down adult that can handle their responsibilities alone and not be a failure in the system, the fear of not being free anymore or the fear of not having the right to fuck up anymore, and the sadness and anxiety that comes when you can’t meet those expectations or can’t be the adult that you wanted to be, like woah, these guys are in their mid-thirties, scared and with minimum-wage jobs, that can’t barely handle their real lives but they still found the way to be happy around them, they just needed to be honest to those they love the most and accept life with their ups and downs. Talking About Getting RealTM AND HELLO? They only needed each other to be reminded that they are just normal adults even if they’re not successful and completely responsible and they sometimes fuck up in this uncertain life and that’s okay? and that they can actually still be fun-loving guys even if they’re adults now, like hello? great I gotta be honest when I saw the ep i didn’t like it but when i cooled down my head and saw it a second time to analyze and as An Adult In The MakingTM, It hit me hard the real fear these ppl were facing during the comedy and the lying, they loved each other and they only needed to be honest to understand that love isn’t conditioned by how successful you are. A+ ep, would watch it again.

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animebw · 6 years ago

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Binge-Watching: Cardcaptor Sakura, Day 5, Episodes 26-28

In which there really is no going back, as the character relationships and greater plot both develop in some interesting ways. Also, I don’t care what anyone says, Meiling is still adorable.

The Mysterious Ms. Mizuki

Friend or foe? That is the question posed before Ms. Mizuki, the mysterious substitute teacher who was watching outside Sakura’s house at the end of last session. And as of this moment, the answer is unclear. She has a habit of suddenly showing up behind people who are talking about her, which is pretty much the prime symptom of Not Good Things to Come. Still, though, she saved Meiling when she was trapped by that nasty Maze card, and even gave the card to Sakura after she defeated it. Yet she also was eagerly watching as the Return card fell from the sky, not doing anything to stop it from dragging Sakura into the past.

All I’m sure about is that she probably has some kind of future vision. She starts to tell Sakura something, then cuts herself off, saying that she’ll realize it for herself in time. And she was even in a relationship with Toya back in the day (who’d have freaking guessed?), yet she broke it off when she went to study abroad, seeming to know exactly how the two of them were going to chance as people. And considering how... nervous both Toya and his dad still seem to be about her return, I’m wondering if there’s still something we don’t know about their interactions in the past. It’s clear she knows both about Toya’s sixth sense and Sakura’s role as Cardcaptor, yet she also seems content to just watch from the sidelines and see how things play out. She’s a mystery wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a conundrum. What does she want? Whose side is she on? What does she know about the coming catastrophe? Why does she refer to the moon as Yue, like it’s a living presence (maybe she just really likes Avatar? I mean, I know this show came out before Avatar, but Mizuki can see into the future... just saying)?

What started out as a simple show about a girl battling a series of merchandisable monsters is turning into a dark, sinister epic with a massive mythos just beyond our comprehension. I cannot wait to see how it unspools.

Two Ships Cross in the Harbor

And in the meantime, the show has time to casually throw out one of my favorite Cardcaptor scenes so far; Li and Sakura discussing their mutual attraction to Yukito. Seriously, in a medium where romance so often just hovers in the background without ever being addressed until the final few episodes, the mere fact that these nine-year-olds are able to actually talk about their romantic rivalry makes them more mature than, like, half of all anime protagonists. And it’s just really freaking sweet, both of them respecting each other’s feelings but not sure how to square that very significant hurdle. Heck, Sakura even acknowledges how dumb it is to be in love with a guy who’s almost double their age, even if she still feels attracted to him! How’s that for thoughtful character writing?

And this moment of connection leads to Li pulling out all the stops to save Sakura from Return, pulling out the freaking Time card as a hail-mary pass to get her back. Something has clearly changed between them; they’re not just wary rivals or occasional allies anymore. They’re genuinely starting to care about each other. And if Li’s furious blush following Sakura hugging him is any indication, we might have a new ship blooming from the fallout. Color me excited AF to watch it unfold.

Odds and Ends

-Yeah, Toya definitely knows more than he’s letting on.

-Woah, that warped perspective was creepy.

-Look I get how some people could find Meiling annoying but watching her actually try to make this obviously doomed ship happen is really freaking adorable okay

-Oh god we’re back to the non-euclidean bullshit

-”Then, I’ll just turn around.” pfft

-”I’ll happily eat them for you!” Meiling is me

-It always comes back to the Tokyo Tower dream, doesn’t it?

-Sakura is me around hot oil. That shit hurts if it spatters on you.

-”Dad made them.” “Then I’m sure they’re safe.” TOYA YOU BUTT

-”Studying hard, I see.” Hey now, Dad, living stuffed animals are the best study pals and you know it.

Man, how does this show just keep getting better? Not that I’m complaining, of course. See you all next time!

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #sakura kinomoto #cardcaptor sakura #kerberos

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novadreii · 7 years ago

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The Ancient Magus' Bride: A Review

Big spoilers ahead.

I’m not often compelled to write full-length reviews on series that I watch, but this one elicited an interesting response from me. I don’t think I’ve ever negatively changed my mind about an anime halfway through. If I like something from the start, I usually like it all the way through to the end. If I loathe something from the start, I try to determine if there’s room for development/improvement before continuing. And I’ve seen a good amount of shows turn it around.

But TAMG was really a strange experience for me. Everything pointed towards this being a quality show. All the signs were there. And I will commend it on what it did right. This show had gorgeous animation, lovely voice acting, and a breathtaking original soundtrack. As I said, all the signs pointed to this being a winner, maybe the best anime of the last 5 years or so.

But sadly, TAMG is, at its core, a reductive escapist fantasy for young girls.

I know, that is a bold statement. But I have evidence to support my claim! Promise.

We start off the show with Chise being bought by the titular Ancient Mage at a slave auction. It’s okay, though, because she willingly sold herself into slavery. Wait, you can do that? I guess. Anyway. This show’s big selling point is Chise’s growth from a sad girl with nothing to live for to...well, someone who is not that way. And it’s a relatable backstory for a main character. So far, so good.

But the rest of plot fails to sufficiently develop the rest of the world, lore, and characters in a way that makes Chise’s development interesting enough. Side characters are given at most one (1) episode of backstory before being utterly forgotten for the entire rest of the series. Plot points that you think will eventually loop back for an interesting game of Raise the Stakes just kind of wander out to sea and never come back (aka Chise’s family...um...her dad and brother are still out there!). The lore of the fairies and magic is just kind of there and never properly explored or utilized. Chise is supposedly there to learn magic from Elias as her teacher, yet we don’t really ever see him instructing her in the theory of it, or her magical skills progressing. All we’re really told is that Chise is both incredibly strong and weak as shit as the same time. Makes sense.

Elias’ origin is completely ignored, even that could have been an amazing addition to the story as it’s so shrouded in mystery and intrigue and often hinted at by several characters. So, at about the rough halfway point of the series, I had all these loose ends and unexplored areas of the story in my head that I was really excited about, but they never materialized in the second half. The main “villain” in the show was kind of sad and easily defeated.

The second cour of the show was focused almost exclusively on what is, in my opinion, the most mundane, cloying, and dull part of the story: the relationship between Elias and Chise. Yep, sorry friends. I don’t find these two even remotely well suited to each other in any capacity, least of all romantic. Try picturing them together when Elias is in human form; that creeps me out more than his usual form. From the very beginning, I have disliked Elias. I find him boring. Oh boohoo, you’ve been wandering around Earth for hundreds of years and still haven’t figured out what “sad” “happy” “jealous” and “angry” feel like? Are you stupid as well as inexperienced, or just willfully ignorant? Because he managed to study and become proficient in the art of magecraft, but never could figure out why watching Titanic made his eyes leak? How many times do we have to watch Elias clutch his heart and say, “Is this what _______ feels like?” Just shut up. I find it hard to believe that in between all the magic and failed cooking lessons with Lindel, they never talked about how they felt in the hundreds of years that Lindel was taking care of him? *Dr. Phil voice* Really now?

Elias’ cluelessness about basic human emotions is the basis for about 99% of the personal conflicts/drama in the story, and it gets tiresome and feels cheap. Why does anime love to center on characters who don’t know how to feel? Does it give them more agency to act like a dick? Do young girls swoon after men who don’t really care about anything? Elias is frustrating, because we never get to see him break through that monotonous “teach me how to feel” crap, except for when he’s having a rage tantrum. But we never see him buckle down and really unload on how he’s feeling in an open and communicative way. He’s very selective with what he shares, and when he does it’s because Chise is prodding him to do it.

What I found essentially disappointing about this story is how everything in it was just there to further the drama between Chise and Elias without actually furthering the story itself. Everything Elias does to Chise, from how he constantly touches/grabs/picks her up without her permission, how he looms over her menacingly in his monster form when he’s jealous, how he calls her diminutive pet names, irritates me. Chise is a child who has nothing; of course she is going to gravitate to someone who offers her the only thing she wanted: a place to call home. What’s his excuse? He is the one in the position of power, and does he ever use it to his advantage.

How many times do we witness Elias withholding information from Chise, policing her, acting shady, throwing a giant temper tantrum, and being generally creepy and possessive? The anime is masterful in that it succeeds in writing it all off as romantic and cute, because “Elias doesn’t know what emotions he’s feeling! It’s cause he must love her LOL” Again, this was a lame excuse so that Elias could have license to be an asshole. All they needed was a cool/handsome/monstrous character design and a smooth af voice actor to make it all okay. But it isn’t. Chise did not, and still doesn’t have the agency to choose differently.

And I almost fell for it too; that’s how good it is. Because it ropes you in with great production value. I admit that instinctively I am just a dumb ape who will go gaga over anything shiny and pretty. And this anime certainly is those things, but it doesn’t capitalize on the amazing potential it set up from its very beginning, choosing instead to focus on relationship drama between two people who really should not be involved romantically at all.

I ask this: would it have detracted from the story at all for them to have had an adoptive parent and child relationship, to which both characters’ age, experience, and power dynamic was a lot better suited? Would it have been less meaningful? Why did they have to be set up as husband and wife from the get go? What was the point, other than to provide a weak and frankly disturbing plot point? If parent/child is a no-go, how about we make the female main character older than 20 years old for once? Even that would have been preferable.

I did read the manga, and the author tries to dance around the issue by once again using Elias’ inexplicable lack of emotional intelligence as an excuse. He doesn’t know what a bride is, he doesn’t understand the concept of marriage, he means it innocently etc. Okay, BUT, Chise, the rest of the characters, the author of the manga himself, the readers, and literally everyone else understands exactly what marriage is and what it implies. That is the connection the author intends us to make with all the symbolism and mushy dialogue between the two of them (as well as other characters’ observations about them both). It doesn’t matter how ambiguous the author is being about something; if it’s there, it’s there. Let’s call the spade a spade.

So the story revolves primarily around the romantic development between an indisputably adult male who also holds all the resources/power, and an emotionally broken child who can’t refuse. TAMG did not develop the rest of its story enough to distract me from this point, and I was just never able to look past it. It was glaring at me with each episode I watched.

Sure, Chise gets mad sometimes, and Elias eventually comes around from pouting when he realizes he could lose her. He eventually offers a monotone apology and all is right as rain. Chise eventually develops into the Needlessly Self-Sacrificing Main Character that anime relies on just a touch too heavily. It feels disingenuous and not at all relatable. It’s tiresome.

Towards the end, Chise gets some resolution from an old painful memory during an arc where she finally breaks free of Elias so she can act of her own accord for once. Which I really liked. But then she just ran home, forgave Elias a little too easily for all his bullshit, and ended up “marrying” him (again, everything is shrouded in an infuriating layer of ambiguity because nobody wants to call it what it is, but alllllll the right symbolism is there, we can figure it out ffs). That came completely out of left field for me and solidified my hunch that this is meant to be a teen fantasy and little else: leaving everything behind only to be saved, controlled by, and obsessed over by an ominous, rich, handsome, and overbearing man who just won’t keep his hands to himself.

There’s so much more I wanted to know about, and I get that you can’t fit everything into 24 episodes. But people like Silky, Ruth, Renfred, and Alice were utterly forgotten about even though they had solid, developed stories in the beginning of the anime. It’s like they hooked me in and left me hanging; the whole time I was waiting for MORE from those characters. For Silky to say even one word or to have more of a relationship with Chise other than hugging her dramatically from time to time, for Chise and Ruth to have another mage/familiar moment (or even arc). Things like that would have added so much more depth and significance to the story than even one more minute of Elias and Chise awkwardly and needlessly cuddling (or sleeping in bed together....honestly, wtf).

So in conclusion (am I writing a thesis or something?), The Ancient Magus’ Bride felt something like a betrayal. It drew me in with the promise of a gorgeous and heartfelt story, only to focus on what I thought was an inappropriate and forced relationship. I’m sure 16-year-old me would have eaten all of this up like a six-course meal. It’s a Japanese twist on Twilight (therefore also reminiscent of the even worse Fifty Shades franchise). As I get older and automatically tend think a lot more critically about why I like or dislike things, something like this isn’t going to cut it for me. It pulled at the heartstrings with emotive music and pretty visuals, but left me wanting so much more. I don’t want the media I consume to make me feel like I should like it; I just want to.

To any teen girls who adore this anime, I’m not telling you what to personally like/dislike. But I do hope you’ll think about why you do, and contemplate the fact that just because something is wrapped up in pretty packaging, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmless. Love doesn’t have to mean being dominated, stalked, policed, or controlled. And you don’t have to be married before you’re 20 or it’s game over. Healthy relationships are balanced, with an equal flow of power, love, and trust between parties involved. They can happen at 17, 45, or never, and that’s all okay. My fear is that this anime will reinforce the exact opposite message with its audience, in a manner that is honestly kind of insidious. It was so well-made, the tone and ambiance they created is so lovely that the harmful messages will just fly over your head; like they almost did to me.

Or...just enjoy it without a second thought and leave me to my over-analyzing. I do admit I look very closely at things, but I don’t know any other way to be.

TLDR; A lot of style, not a whole lot of substance. 4.5/10

#review #the ancient magus bride #mahoutsukai no yome #beware if you liked the series you may not want to read this lol #diary of nova #i'm not even trying to be a contrarian or anything #this has been my genuine emotional and critical response and honestly i'm a bit sad #i really wanted to love it

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thesignsdaily · 8 years ago

Conversation

the signs as people from my university

Aries: That girl who loves partying and socializing with people, she's a fangirl of so many buffed-up singers and she's so pretty. She's kinda judgmental and she's homophobic but she follows so many gay people and likes their posts and nobody in my generation really understands why. She can be really impulsive sometimes and she hates classes but she's a good friend and a funny person

Taurus: That girl who is always late, she has social anxiety and she's silent af. Grades are not her forte'. She tries to socialize very hard and everyone is annoyed by the fact that she tries to discuss things that she really doesn't know shit about. She is afraid of some professors, she is christian af and she is kinda lost, but she's a good girl who believes in the supernatural and she always invites us to coffee at her place

Gemini: The girl who loves spending time with people, she always loves to discuss about every topic, she knows so much about many things, she's doing great with her grades and she's among the top 5 students in the entire generation. Also, she has PERFECT, sonorous American accent and everybody loves it. She always initiates coffee gatherings but nobody really comes because she's not that much of a leader and her voice is so soft so nobody could really hear when she's talking. She's also a passionate gamer AND in the same time she finds time to maintain her grades and social life

Cancer: That (jock) guy who's the tallest one, he's blonde, buffed-up and he's the definition of a straight white boy. He's childish as fuck and he can become very boring sometimes. Once, my colleagues have shooed him out of the cafeteria because he was bothering them. He also tells so many stupid dad-jokes and laughs at his own jokes, flirts with some professors, has been single since forever (not that he's ugly - he's average looking but he's so much boring sometimes because he doesn't have any real friends and he gets excited about people so he doesn't know WHEN to stop). He literally flirts with every single female human being that he can find and he pushes them all away because he's pushy af. He's also introverted and doesn't really know his way with girls

Leo: That girl who's one of the top students in the generation. She's always smiling, she has the best grades, she always tries to present this "perfect" image of herself. She is very intelligent and she loves reading, she gets drunk like every second day but that doesn't stop her from maintaining her perfect grades. She's very successful and she's a good leader, she knows all the fresh gossip and she always sits in the first row with her best university friend. In fact, she and her best uni friend are hated by everyone because they're just so successful and everyone's jealous of them. She also secretly hates everybody and gossips with her best uni friend. She and her friend have tons of screenshots ready to blackmail people if anyone says anything against them lmao. But everyone (every zodiac sign) in this generation pretends we like each other so...

Virgo: That professor who's VERY detail-oriented and she's a big perfectionist but she can't fix her awful handwriting. She's very successful and she has TONS of potential, she literally KNOWS EVERYTHING about her subjects but sometimes she can really drain us physically and emotionally. She gives us tons of assignments and homework and she always gives us lectures on the most difficult courses. Jfc she behaves like we study in Cambridge / Oxford. But don't get me wrong, she's NOT a bad person. She's actually a VERY good person and at the end of each semester she buys us coffee and tea, she talks with us about our experience with the course and she just wants us to learn some things that we should learn, that's why we perceive her as "difficult" and "problematic"

Libra: That girl who loves hugging, has great communication skills and is a social justice warrior. She thinks that she's everyone's friend and she always tries to criticize everyone's opinion, thinking that she'll seem and sound more intelligent. She also listens to rock and metal, she loves children and she smokes a lot, she's very sensitive and she's very friendly. Once, on the Facebook group of the university, she tried to accuse Pisces of something he didn't do and he literally ruined her in front of all those people, that was one of her biggest mistakes she's ever done in uni because she didn't know that that guy can be pretty evil when someone tries to insult/hurt him. The next day in uni she was on the verge of a mental breakdown because that guy really hurt her with his words, making her look stupid and pretentious, and everybody stopped talking to that guy for like, a month or two

Scorpio: That girl who's late in class 90% of the time, and those 10% she's not present in class. She is very quiet and she doesn't show particular interest in anything. She doesn't have a taste in fashion and style, unlike most Scorpios that I know. She just wants to go home all the time and nobody knows what she's doing in her life, she's so mysterious and she's not a good teamworker because she doesn't really care about her grades

Sagittarius: That girl who can't stop talking and she's always arguing with someone but we all love her. She's very communicative but she's insecure at the same time. She has tons of likes on Facebook and Instagram. She's a VERY open-minded girl, she hates racism, homophobes, nazi scum and racists. She's a really good friend with Leo and Pisces but Capricorn is her bff and her roommate. She has an excellent taste in fashion, style and music and she has S_L_A_Y_I_N_G eyebrows. I think that she's bi/lesbian but maybe she's closeted. She always hugs Capricorn and gets beaten by Capricorn because Capricorn can't stand people touching her

Capricorn: That girl who loves vintage notebooks, loves taking studyblr photos and uploads them on tubmlr and Instagram, she loves journeys and we haven't heard her talking for THREE GODDAMN YEARS. She is very antisocial and introverted but she has excellent taste for art, film, music and she's like 24/7 on her phone because it's obvious that she can't stand most of us but she's always sweet and supportive when someone approaches her. Sometimes she doesn't want to talk and she just smiles as a response. She's Sagittarius' best friend and roommate and they've became really close friends. She also loves journeys and she's a daydreamer but she's very intelligent. Her grades are not that good, she's not an attention whore and she tries to be "invisible" but she simply can't

Aquarius: That guy with his cockney accent who has insane memory and loves football. He's actually a loner, he's a bit creepy and weird, le loves britpop and indie nd he was one of the best students in the first two years of uni but his grades dropped. He's like, very secretive and he can be pretty arrogant and you just can't sit next to him because he's telling jokes all the time which takes your attention away. He is a loner and once he publicly told us that he used to have cyber sex with his girlfriend because she lived in another country and they've never met in real life (I mean, who tells such things omg Aqua get your shit together). He tries to insult people and he tries to be sarcastic but he can only be sarcastic with the stupid ones. He also thinks that he's a know-it-all and that he's the most intelligent person in the world. He can be really judgmental sometimes and he pushes people away with that

Pisces: That guy who always sits in the first row with his best university friend and is one of the top students in the generation. He's also a model, nerd, gamer, works out and whatnot. He is sweet to everyone and talks to everyone but he can be very sassy at times. He was the one who had a verbal fight with Libra because Libra triggered him and he destroyed her verbally. He's really skinny and dreamy and he has a very deep voice and an excellent taste in fashion and style. His style is kinda dark and he's so aesthetic. He listens to some music that no other people in the world listen to but he also listens to some mainstream music. In fact, he listens to whatever he wants and he doesn't really think about what other people think about him. He tends to roll his eyes a lot and he cares about his physical beauty more than he cares about his love life. He's too egotistic and self-centered and he's extremely picky, which makes him single most of the time.

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surveysonfleek · 7 years ago

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497.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 25

2301. Who is the hottest celebrity you can think of? i honestly don’t have many celeb crushes anymore. 2302. Have you ever been to the following diaries(on opendiary.com)? If yes, what do you think..if no, then based on the name, does it sound interesting to you? Hicks: Shukhevych: Cinderella: Oliver: A tinfoil valentine: Burning River: joebeginswithajay: i hate these questions. 2303. Do you ever get so nervous that you can't even think? opposite actually. i’ll get so nervous that all i’ll do is overthink. 2304. Do you sing when there is no music? not often.

2305. Would you rather cast a spell or say a prayer? say a prayer. don’t wna fuck with the supernatural. 2306. Why does the US dollar bill have a pyramid on it? no idea. 2307. Who was the best political leader in history and why? tbh i don’t have enough knowledge to answer this. 2308. What was the first sex toy you ever used? haha who knows. i’m sure people got creative. 2309. If you hated a book, would you burn it? no. 2310. What are your feelings about pornography? i don’t really watch it. some of it can be really demeaning to women, but as long as all actors are consenting, getting paid well and are safe then whatever. 2311. What are your feelings about people who are against pornogrophy? that’s cool, i respect everyone’s opinion. 2312. If you could dance with anyone in the world right now, who would it be and what song would you dance to? my boyfriend. we’d milly rock hahaha. 2313. What is your favorite flavor of schnapps? butterscotch. 2314. Finish this sentence your own way. There are two types of people in the world... those who do surveys, and those who don’t. 2315. What have you saved since elementary school? a lot of my awards funnily enough. 2316. Have you ever won an award? yes. 2317. Are you more: good or evil? good. wise or foolish? foolish. safe or dangerous? safe. satisfied or envious? envious. honest or decietful? honest. faithful or perfidious? faithful. sane or mad? sane. strong or weak? weak. enigmatic or plain? plain. aggressive or peaceful? in between. brave or timid? timid. humane or cruel? humane. critical or appreciative? appreciative. temperamental or calm? calm. sad or happy? happy. normal or unusual? normal. 2318. How do you feel about Terri Schiavo? who? 2319. Do you feel more connected to the sun or the moon? sun. 2320. Do flaws make people interesting to you? not all of them. 2321. Who is your favorite historical figure? frida kahlo. 2322. White bread or wheat bread? white. 2323. Would you rather never have sex again or have sex once with a walrus? ummm. not sure.. 2324. Would you rather sky dive or deep sea dive? maybe deep sea tbh. i’d hate to do either though. 2325. What is the kinkiest thing you've ever done? done it in public. 2326. What is your favorite pick-up line? i hate pick up lines. 2327. Do you usually do things fast or right? if i know how to do it well, i’ll do it fast. 2328. What will the most common halloween costume be this year? it was eleven this year. 2329. What was it last year? harley quinn. 2330. Is love a choice or something that can't be helped? both. but once you’re in love it’s hard to get out of it. 2331. What is your preferred method of birth control? the pill. 2332. Is there someone you see everyday (or sometimes) that you would like to hug and talk to but you just don't know them well enough? no lol. 2333. Are you or have you ever been in a band? no. 2334. Here are 4 statements about me. Only one of them is true. Which one is it? a. I lost my mind doing drugs. b. I've been arrested before. c. I have 9 cats. <---- this. d. I have a children's book published. 2335. What do you think of the smashing pumpkins? nothing. 2336. Would you wear a thong bathing suit in public? nooo. 2337. Hello I love you won't you tell me your name? no. 2338. If you had to be surgically attached at the hip for two years to either Britney Spears, George W. Bush or an ugly creepy troublesome but nice troll, who would you pick and why? britney because why not. 2339. Let's assume that there is a "meaning of life," a reason for humans to be here on this planet. Would you give up both of your legs and one of your arms if it would mean everyone else would learn the meaning of life? no. the mystery of it is better. 2340. If you could meet God and talk to him for 5 hours, -or- find out whether or not there is intelligent life on other planets and make contact with them, which would you pick and why? (Note: If you meet God, you will never find out if there is intelligent life on other planets, so you can't ask God if aliens exist. Also, you would get no proof that you had talked to him or her. And finally, if God doesn't exist then you don't get to meet him or her!). i’d find out whether or not there’s intelligent life on other planets. i don’t want to choose god and then find out he never existed. 2341. Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, or the Breakfast Club? breakfast club. 2342. Before you read this question, pick a person from your life, any person. (You have to be thinking about someone before you continue!). Would you rather have the ability to watch that person for one hour per day, or would you rather have that person watch you for one hour per day? Who is it and why? (you pick the hour - they don't know that they are being watched - it's like there are invisible TV cameras following them around)? i’d rather watch my boyfriend for an hour a day. i like my privacy. 2343. Would you rather be guaranteed to have your dream job or never be heartbroken? i’d rather take my dream job with the possibility of getting heart broken. 2344. Have you thought about death today? no. 2345. What is your favorite breakfast? a big breakfast. eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes. 2346. What is your favorite classic movie? sound of music. 2347. Gold or silver eyeshadow? gold. 2348. Are you the life of the party? no. 2349. Do you wish you were? no. 2350. Sdrawkcab daer uoy nac? yes. 2351. If you realize that a student at your school or a colleague from your job has plagiarised part of their work from the internet. What do you do? i’d approach them first to discuss it. 2352. What does your computer look like when you aren't looking at it?? idk. 2353. If you aren't looking at it, how do you know it's still there when your back is turned? i wouldn’t know. 2354. If you hit an animal with your car would you get out to try and make sure it was okay? it depends what animal tbh. i’d be wary about getting out if it was a predatory wild animal. 2355. If it was someone's cat (collared with address) would you knock on their door and appologize for hitting the cat? yes. 2356. How do you feel about the people who are teased in high school suing the bullies who teased them for emotional damage? that’s cool. i didn’t know it was a thing. 2357. Do you have an interest in any of the following: guns: explosives: marilyn manson: trench coats: the mafia: death: satanism: nazis: that doom game: none of these. 2358. Do you believe that people live in their own worlds or realities or do you think we all share the same world/reality? i’m sure there’s people out there that live their own reality. 2359. Do you believe that Nazism was a characteristically German thing, or do you think a similar type of government could spring up in any country? not sure. 2360. Is your diary in the internet archive wayback machine (http://www.archive.org/web/web.php)? idk. 2361. When do you get your most peaceful and satisfying sleep? when i’m really tired and it’s dark and quiet af. 2362. What thought gets you out of bed in the morning? if i have something important to do. 2363. Do you get along better with guys or girls (as friends)? it honestly depends on one’s personality. 2364. What does tx81z stand for? no clue. 2365. How many points is the letter Z worth in Scrabble? 8 or 10? i forgot. 2366. In poker, which hand is better: four of a kind or a straight? four of a kind. 2367. What is the official language of Australia? english. 2368. On what continent would you find British Columbia? north america. 2369. Have you been to homestarrunner.com? no. 2370. What promise could you never keep? something that meant life or death. 2371. No cat has 8 tails. Every cat has one tail more than no cat. How many tails does every cat have? one. 2372. What are you a member of? my work’s union lol. 2373. If you and your mate were stranded at sea on a scuba diving trip like in the movie Open Water, how would you survive? fml no idea, best thing to do is keep swimming until we see land. 2374. Do you feel confident that you would know what to do under emergency circumstances? not at all. 2375. Have you ever been stood up? i don’t think so. i’ve been flaked on but i’ve never been somewhere waiting for someone and they never showed. 2376. Use a simile to describe yourself. cbf. 2377. Good. Now use a metaphor. no. 2378. Have you ever had an unusual piercing? nope. 2379. Have you ever experienced culture shock? nope. 2380. Imagine you were trapped in one of the world trade center towers on 9/11/01. Who would you call and what would you say to them in those last few minutes? definitely my mum or dad. 2381. Do you ever go to school or work when you feel like you do not look your best?? yes. 2382. Does doing this effect your whole day? not really. 2383. What was the last movie you watched and what did you learn from it? i forgot. 2384. Do you believe that everyone who doesn't believe in your religion is going to hell? nope. 2385. What is the best thing about winter? cuddling. 2386. Do you ever shovel your neighbor's walk? no lol. 2387. How often do you hold back from saying what you are thinking? half the time. 2388. Have you ever looked back at someone you loved and wondered 'what attracted me to THEM?' haha sometimes. 2389. What do you think of Drew Barrymore? no opinion. i did like her netflix show though. 2390. Name one thing you refuse to ever do. bungee jump. 2391. Name one place you refuse to ever go. north korea. 2392. Do you think people see you more as who you are or what you are? what. 2393. Pick 3 random letters: sex. Now think of the first 3 things that pops into your head that starts with each letter. sex, electricity, xylophone. 2394. Do you dress more revealing or more to cover up? depends. i do both. 2395. What does it take to be a 'real gentleman'? be kind, charming, respectful. 2396. Where would you go if you were going somewhere you don't usually go? the beach lol. 2397. On the first sept 11th anniversary, the new york lottery's winning numbers were 9,1 and 1. Do you believe this is fate, coincidence or a conspiracy/plan? how can there be two 1′s in the lottery? 2398. Have you ever noticed that there is a lie in the middle of the word believe? ha ha ha. 2399. When (and if) people (or animals) go to heaven, do they become angels? i guess we’ll find out. 2400. What is your most important body part? brain.

#survey #surveys #quiz #bored #questions

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captorcorp · 7 years ago

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I BEAT VLR FINALLY I CAN READ SPOILERS

holy SHIT the VLR ending is so confusing

I already know after homestuck that I can’t keep track of timelines to save my life so????

but yeah VLR WAS GOOD AS A WHOLE BUT... THAT ENDING IS SUCH A CLUSTERFUCK OF TIMELINES I??? idk i couldn’t follow it well enough...

I loved VLR’s characters though...

like K...I’m still super confused about him??? cause Kyle was part of the ending and the ending itself was confusing. so the guy we played as at the end wasn’t Kyle, right, just us in Kyle’s body? so we never got to talk to him out of the suit? let me just say though that K’s ending had me thinking up all sorts of theories. K is so good though I still love the kiddie ride scene

Alice almost lost my respect by betraying me in the first AB game but she redeemed herself enough to end up back on my faves list

fuck Dio

Quark is p nice. That story about him getting root beer was really sweet, I wanna draw that

speaking of Tenmyouji... i suspected him from the start. well, more like as soon as he mentioned Akane’s photo. Also looking him up gives instant spoilers on google lmao (just did after finishing, so didn’t get spoiled early)

Luna’s nice. that ending with her was really sad... I want to hug Luna too :(

Clover is Clover. Don’t love her, don’t hate her. She’s p good tho

Sigma and Phi though...

Sigma turning out to be old af makes all of his comments SO CREEPY. I’m sorry but Sigma’s pervness was already weird to start but now add in the age... everyone must have been so uncomfortable

Phi is still a mystery to me. Like I said, ending was confusing. I’ll just accept that shit went down in general somehow.

wasn’t a huge fan of Akane, Junpei, and Sigma being all grown up after knowing them when they were younger. they just seemed so DIFFERENT. probably the shock of seeing clover and alice all young and spry next to them lmao

What was that thing at the end with sending bodies into the past? they said schroedinger’s cat, but I’m still confused about the process...

anyway I liked 999 better I think but VLR is still p dang good, I know I picked apart the ending a bunch for being confusing (to me at least) but as a whole it was GREAT and I played it for like 40 hours straight. no save glitches YEAH BOIIII

a few more comments:

- time for ztd heck yeah (although I’ve heard it’s not as good? idk)

- i hate to say this but... fuck dio but also fuck dio why did they make him so goddamn attractive i hate his guts

- i was going to make a meme with “if two guys were on the moon and one killed the other with a rock would that be fucked up or what” but the kym page for that meme already has the vlr screenshot on it so I’m guessing someone already did lmao

it’s already 4 am my dad is going to wake up soon for work and ive just been gaming all night so adios i hope to dream of zero escape tbh

#kcat talks #virtue's last reward #cerulean plays zero escape #vlr spoilers

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libralita · 7 years ago

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Reread Review!

Title: The Bands of Mourning

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Summary: Now, with The Bands of Mourning, Sanderson continues the story. The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metalminds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

Rating: ★★★★★

Original Review

Review:

Besides Secret History, I’m finished rereading Mistborn! I liked this book a bit more on the second read through. I’ve decided to change the rating from a 4.5 to straight up 5 stars. I know such a big difference but it deserves it! Because I have my knowledge of the cosmere, things made a little more sense so I had a more pleasant experience. This is a reread review so there are spoilers for other books in the cosmere so I recommend reading my original review. I really loved this book and I can’t wait to reread Secret History!

“‘Could you…maybe order a few of the others to befriend me?’ he found himself asking, ashamed of how weak it sounded to say the words.”—Page 23

Wax, my poor child.

“‘I’m sure you did your best,’ Steris said, taking his arm. She was warm, and even trembling. Steris might be reserved, but unlike what some assumed, she wasn’t emotionless.”—Page 42

My cutie.

“‘I’m all right,’ he said to Steris through clenched teeth. ‘But God should have known not to come for me. Particularly not today.’ ‘Your life is…decidedly odd, Lord Waxillium.’ ‘I know,’ he said, moving again, stepping with her beside the last door before they entered the dome. ‘Ready?’ ‘Yes, thank you.’ Was she…teary-eyed? It was an expression of emotion he’d never seen from her. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Forgive me. It’s just…more wonderful than I’d imagined.’”—Page 47

First, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really that strange. Second, Steris is such a sweetie, god I love her.

“‘For being nice. For being willing to subject yourself to, well, me. I understand that it is not a pleasant concept.’ ‘Steris…’ ‘Do not think me self-deprecating, Lord Waxillium,’ she said, sitting up and taking a deep breath, ‘and please do not assume I’m being morose. I am what I am, and I accept it. But I am under no illusions as to how my company is regarded. Thank you. For not making me as other have.’”—Pages 51-52

Steris, stop making my heart hurt. I would love your company.

Oh yeah, this is the book where I want to punch Wayne in the face for the wedding mishap.

“‘Now, what kinda talk is that?’ he demanded. ‘You’ve given up? Is that how the Ascendant Warrior was? Huh?’ ‘No, in fact,’ Marasi said. ‘She walked up to the man she wanted, slapped the book out of his hand, and kissed him.’”—Page 56

Pretty much, yeah.

‘See, there’s how it is!’ ‘Though the Ascendant Warrior also went on and murdered the woman Elend was planning to marry.’”—Page 56

Okay, to be fair Shan was trying to kill Elend in the first place. Also you forgot the part where she did it in her underwear. Or did history conveniently forget about that part?

‘Gruesome,’ Wayne said in an approving tone, then took another swig of sherry. ‘That’s not the half of it,’ Marasi said, leaning back on the counter, hands behind her. ‘You want gruesome? She also supposedly ripped out the Lord Ruler’s insides. I’ve seen it depicted in several illuminated manuscripts.’”—Page 56

That’s is just false, Marasi.

“Tell me, Miss Colms. What do you know about the nature of Investiture and Identity?”—Page 58

Ugh, fuck me. Investiture makes my head hurt.

“‘Image project,’ VenDell said. ‘They call it an evanoscope. By next year these will be commonplace, I should think.’ He paused. ‘Harmony implies that if we find this wondrous, it will really burn our metals when the images start moving.’ ‘Moving?’ Wax said, stepping forward. ‘How would they do that?’ ‘We don’t know,’ MeLaan said with a grimance. ‘He accidentally let it slip, but won’t say anything more.’ ‘How does God,’ Marasi asked, still staring at the image, ‘accidentally let something slip?’”—Page 63

Movies will be great! Sazed is a horrible liar.

Okay so Investiture is the raw power of Allomancy and Feruchemy. So each person has their special Investiture and that’s called “Identity” which is why Feruchemists can only use their metal minds.

“‘What is it about you,’ Wax said, ‘that makes me want to punch you, even when you’re saying something helpful?’ ‘None of us have been able to figure it out,’ MeLaan said, waving for Wayne to toss her a walnut. ‘One of the cosmere’s great mysteries.’”—Page 69

Haha. Also, ugh it’s so creepy how VenDell has Breeze’s hands. Why would Breeze give his hands to VenDell?

What are the Lady Mistborn’s knives and the Lance of the Fountains?

“‘There are four individuals,’ VenDell said, ‘who, to our knowledge, have held the power of Ascension. Rashek, the Survivor, the Ascendant Warrior, and Lord Harmony.’”—Page 70

More foreshadowing.

“‘Four hours?’ Steris said. ‘I need to send for the maids! And the valet! And…’ She raised a hand to her head, looking faint. ‘And I need to make a list.’”—Page 80

Oh Steris.

“He was completely shocked, then, when the page didn’t contain a historical description, but instead anatomy sketches. Along with long descriptions explaining…human reproduction?”—Page 103

Oh god my poor child. This is probably the most relatable scene ever. Like Steris just wanted to know how sex worked and she so worried she won’t be able to do it correct. My poor child, I just want to hug her.

“‘If it eases your mind,’ Wax said as she tucked the book into her suitcase, ‘we won’t need to be…involved with any real frequency, particularly once a child is provided. I don’t imagine your research will be necessary for more than a dozen or so occasions.’ As he said it she wilted, shoulders slumping, head bowing.”—Page 105

Well, that was the wrong thing to say. Steris is horny af and she wants her Wax.

“Wax crossed the train car, then sat next to her, resting his hand on hers. ‘I don’t like this talk from you. Or from me. It’s become a habit for us to pretend this relationship is nothing more than titles and money. But Steris, when Lessie died…’ He choked off, then took a deep breath before continuing. ‘Everyone wanted to talk to me. Speak to me. Blather about how they knew what I was feeling. But you just let me weep. Which was what I needed more than anything. Thank you.’”—Pages 105-106

Aw, I love these two so much.

“Steris’s teeth chattered audible, and he glanced at her as he finished winding, expecting to see her frightened and miserable. Instead, despite being dripping wet, she had a stupid grin on her face, eyes alight with excitement.”—Page 138

Steris, you dork, I love you.

I can’t believe MeLaan and Wayne had sex during the train attack.

“‘’Sides, I didn’t get to stomp none of them, on account of some untimely snogging.’ ‘At least it was a good snogging,’ MeLaan added. Then, to Marasi’s glare, she added, ‘What? It was. Poor guy hadn’t had a proper snog in years. Had a lot of pent-up energy.’ ‘You’re not even human,’ Marasi said. ‘You should be ashamed. Not to mention that you’re six hundred years old.’ ‘I’m young at heart. Really—I copied this one off a sixteen-year-old that I ate a few months back.’”—Page 151

You ever read something and you’re like “God, this is weird. And the fact this all makes sense to me, makes me weird”?

Guys, you’re so mean to Aunt Gin.

“‘She assumes’ Wax said, ‘that our detective style isn’t normally the punchy-punch, stabby-stabby type.’ ‘To be fair,’ Wayne said, ‘it’s usually a more shooty-shooty, whacky-whacky type.’”—Pages 168-169

You all need some rest.

‘Oh, my lord, I know it, I do.’ The beggar laughed. ‘I own the place, technically. Now, regarding those coins for old Hoid, my good lord…’ He pushed his hand forward farther, eyes staring sightlessly.”—Page 173

First, Hoid often pretends to be blind on Scadrial. Second, why were you drinking cologne, Hoid? Or did you just forget you were wearing it? Were you on a hot date or something? Third, Apparently Hoid has been to this estate multiple times. Forth, Hoid!

Where did Hoid get that storming coin? And why give it to Wax?

“‘Is your cousin well?’ ‘Valette? Most certainly. We are all please with her new marriage. I’m sorry your relationship didn’t work out, but the man who courted her after you was dreadful. When titles are part of a union, it’s always unpleasant to see what crawls out from the mists looking for a bone.’”—Page 188

Wax it’s time to punch this man in the face.

“However, as he did, a different woman slid into place and grasped his hand, towing him into the dancing and away from the perimeter. He was so surprised that he let it happen. ‘Excuse me?’ Wax said. ‘No excuses necessary,’ the woman said, ‘I won’t take but a moment of your time.’ She looked to be Terris, judging by her dark skin—though hers was darker than most he’d seen. Her hair was in tight braids, streaked with grey, and her face bore full, luscious lips. She took the lead in the dance, causing him to stumble.”—Page 190

Hello, Khriss!

“Infant mortality on Scadrial is not as bad as some regions, but still shockingly high.”—Khriss, Page 190

Wax, are you going to ask what the heck Scadrial is or at this point in time has Scadrial actually gotten it’s name? Also, why is infant mortality on Scadrial high? I mean I get that they’re in industrial revolution times so it’s not the greatest conditions in the world but Roshar is like…in a giant war.

“She produced a card and handed it toward him. ‘Please experiment with this further and send me word. Thank you. Now, if I can just figure out why there’s no redshift involved in speed bubbles…’”—Page 191

Wait, Khriss gave Wax her card? Bro! Call her! What’s redshift?

“‘To the Roughs,’ Devlin said, dismissive. ‘What’s beyond them, Waxillium? Beyond the deserts? Across the seas? Nobody cares.’”—Page 204

Chocolate.

“‘I know you, lawman,’ Devlin said. ‘And I can tell you, the group you chase, you don’t need to worry about them. They won’t be a danger for decades, perhaps centuries. You’re ignoring the bigger threat.’”—Page 206

So I guess in the next book the Set will not be completely taken care of and they’ll be around in Era 3 and 4. Also, I’m assuming the Devlin is a worldhopper.

“‘Were you ever insecure?’ Marasi asked. ‘Or did you always know what to do? Did you get jealous? Frightened? Angry?’”—Page 211

Ahahaha, yes, Vin was very much insecure, jealous, frightened and angry for a majority of her life. The concept of Marsh not beating Kell was foreign to her.

“…time to show those in Elendel that their tyranny is not only unjust, it is against the will of the Survivor, who died in the name of freedom…”—Lord Severington, Page 219

Yeah, I think Wax should be more concerned with this civil war that’s brewing. Perhaps New Seran is gathering up an army and will attack Elendel.

“Do Your Metal Tools Speak to You? Your neighbors probably don’t want to hear about it. But WE do! Visit 27 Ralen Place. Ask for K or N. Bring the talking metal with you.”—Page 225

I see Khriss and Nazh are looking Nightblood.

“A few more speeches like this one, and Severeington will have the entirety of the Basin whipped into a frenzy. Completely ignoring that Elendel has us outmanned and outgunned.”—Kelesina, Page 232

I guess Elendel does have an army of some sort.

“Wax dropped to the floor with a thump, leveling his gun at the people inside the room. ‘He’s right here.’”—Page 233

A bit overdramatic, wouldn’t you say?

“Steris grabbed him with, he noted, no small amount of eagerness. She really did enjoy this part.”—Page 240

My ship is being prepared to set sail.

“Wax looked down at her as she held to him while trying to stare in every direction at once. He suddenly found something burning in him, like a metal. A protectiveness for this woman in his arms, so full of logic and yet so full of wonder at the same time. And a powerful affection. So he let himself kiss her.”—Page 241

SAIL!

So, it’s all come full circle. Kell started out seeking the legendary atium to become rich beyond anyone’s wildest dreams and now people are search for a secret stash of Kell’s riches.

Wait a minute so you can use a speedbubble if you’re on something big enough and they’ll move with you. So that means when Scadrial invents airplanes, you’ll always want to travel with a Cadmium misting to make the time go by faster.

“‘It takes the metal one is burning,’ Wax said, ‘and somehow…extends it. You saw. It Pushed your metal away, as if a Coinshot were there near you. The cube used Allomancy.’”—Page 256

This is such a great, ‘holy shit’ moment because on the one hand this technology is cool and think of all the ways you could use it. On the other hand, holy shit the bad guys have this tech.

I love how Steris is like, “Wax, I’m crazy but I’m not that crazy”.

“‘I’ve got an idea,’ Marasi said. ‘How crazy is it?’ ‘Less crazy than tossing Wayne off a cliff.’ ‘Not a high bar, but all right. How do we start?’”—Page 273

Those two usually set a low bar in the sanity department.

‘My thigh,’ MeLaan said, twisting the doorknob with a click, then pushing the door open a crack. She nodded, standing up straight. ‘Your…what?’ Marasi asked. ‘You said my head might hold the key,’ MeLaan said, striding into the chamber beyond—a small, surprisingly well-furnished room. ‘It’s actually my thigh, right now. A kandra stores its cognitive system through its entire body, but my memories right now are in a solid metal compartment in my thigh. Safer that way. People aim for the head.’ ‘So what’s in your head?’ ‘Eyes, sensor apparatus,’ MeLaan said. ‘And an emergency canteen.’ ‘You’re kidding.’ ‘Nope,’”—Page 286

I…this book is weird.

“‘Please,’ he whispered, tears in his eyes.”—Page 294

My poor baby.

“‘Great Metallic One,’ the masked man said, glancing at Waxillium, ‘I, of course, wouldn’t dare give orders to one of your stature even if you wear your bare face out at all times. Who am I to judge? Even if you look equally crass as these others—even the cute one—I’m sure you’re not. But, if I may be so bold as to suggest—’ ‘What?’ Waxillium asked. ‘A little Push,’”—Pages 312-313

He is so cute.

“I found no trace of him, and though no one witnessed his fall, a young white-haired man was there and offered to tell me a story. I declined.”—Page 314

That was a mistake.

Allik Neverfar, I’ll need to remember that.

“‘North,’ Wax said, pointing. The little shelf at the front of the vehicle—like the dash of a motorcar—had a compass set into it. ‘If you head west first though, and find the river, we can—’ ‘No.’ Telsin seized Wax by the arm. ‘We need to talk.’”—Page 318

Don’t trust her!

‘The Sovereign was our king from three centuries ago. He told us he was your king first. And your god.’ ‘The Lord Ruler?’ Waxillium said. ‘He died.’ ‘Yes,’ Allik said. ‘He told us that too.’”—Page 325

King? I mean god, I’ll give you that but you didn’t rule over the people, Kell.

“‘I’m sorry, great Wise One,’ Allik said. ‘You are obviously very knowledgeable about this, and know things that none of us would ever think to try. How could we be so foolish as to not realize that we could simply—’ ‘Shut it,’ Waxillium growled.”—Page 328

I love Allik so much, he’s now my child.

“‘Deniers of masks? Like us?’ ‘No, no,’ Alliks said, laughing. ‘You’re just barbarians. The Deniers are really dangerous.’”—Page 329

I’ll add that to the things to be addressed in the future books.

“There were other groups though. One gave a mask to each child, and those only changed once, when they reached adulthood. Allik claimed that these people—called Hunters—even grew into their masks somehow, though Marasi found that difficult to believe.”—Page 332

I’m guessing that’s where that one woman is from that showed up in Words of Radiance.

Leras was Ati’s wife and sister according to the South’s religion.

“What kind of metal explodes if you put it in water?”—Marasi, Page 336

*Quick Google Search* Caesium?

“There are those from my lands who might find your Basin up here…tempting, with no defenses against attack from above.”—Allik, Page 336

Oh great so Elendel will have to deal with a civil war with New Seran and a hostile airships.

“‘Clever, but it won’t work on you.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because we’re in your lands,’ he said. The visitor always has to wear the medallion. It’s filled with Connection, yah? Blank Connection, to no place. But Connection can’t just be connected to nothing, so when you tap it, it reaches out and connects you to the place where you are. Makes your soul think you were raised in this place instead, so your language changes.’”—Page 338

So, it’s like rewriting the soul like in Emperor’s Soul.

“The Lord Ruler was run through with three spears, by the Lord Mistborn’s testimony. ‘Once stabbed by a beggar, for the poverty he brought. Once stabbed by a worker, for the slavery he enforced. Last stabbed by a prince, for the lords he corrupted.’ The spears didn’t hurt him.”—Marasi, Page 347

What?

“He wrapped the big spearhead, which was as large as his palm, with a handkerchief to keep it from freezing his fingers off,”—Page 348

So without that handkerchief Wayne would have the power of the bands of mourning. I don’t think anyone realizes how close the cosmere was to being completely destroyed that day.

“‘I have now been to hell,’ he said. ‘These mountain will rise all the way there for certain.’ ‘You think hell is in the sky?’ Steris asked, standing close to Wax, practically clinging to him.”—Page 349

First of all, aw Steris is staying close to Wax for warmth/comfort. Second, what is your version of hell? Is it like the Christian hell? Tell me!

“Waxillium sought justice. He had an open heart—he’d spared Wayne’s life all those years ago, after all—but in the end, he sough to uphold the law. That was shortsighted. Marasi wanted to create a world where law enforcement wouldn’t be needed. Was that why she was so annoyed with him lately?”—Page 354

That’s an impossible utopian world, Marasi.

Well, Steris, the way to become more useful is probably get a gun of some sort and be able to fire it.

“‘And then,’ Steris said softly, ‘perhaps I came along because of the way it feels…’ Marasi looked sharply back at her sister. ‘Like the whole world has been upended,’ Steris said, looking toward the ceiling. ‘Like the laws of nature and man no longer hold sway. They’re suddenly flexible, like a string given slack. We’re the spheres…I love the idea that I can break out of it all—the expectations, the way I’m regarded, the way I regard myself—and soar. ‘I saw it in his eyes, first. The hunger, that fire. And then I found it in myself. He’s a flame, Waxillium is, and fire can be shared. When I’m out here, when I’m with him, I burn, Marasi. It’s wonderful.’”—Page 356

My heart! That is so beautiful.

“‘You actually love him, don’t you?’ Marasi asked. ‘Well, love is a strong emotion, one that requires careful deliberation to—’ ‘Steris.’ ‘Yes.’”—Page 356

I love Steris and Wax so much.

“He looked at Wax and smiled. ‘Apparently these symbols spell out something the Lord Ruler would have understood.’”—Page 369

What? Survive? The trick is to never stop looking, there’s always another secret? I hate noblemen?

“Wax spun, whipping out his gun. He pointed it not at Edwarn, but at his sister.”—Page 373

Goddammit Telsin.

“Marasi turned to Steris, who was still dazed, eyes wide, still looking at the hole where Waxillium had fallen.”—Page 378

Oh god she thinks Wax is dead.

“Lady Sequence?” Lame.

“Beyond that hung a haze of red. All around, pressing in upon the world. He could feel it choking him, a miasma of dread and destruction.”—Page 393

Trell.

“‘I am sorry,’ Harmony said with a gentle voice, ‘for your pain. I am sorry for what you did, what we had to do. But I am not sorry for making you do what had to be done.’ Wax opened his eyes. ‘And when I hold back, staying my hand from protecting those below,’ Harmony said, ‘I must do it out of trust in what people can do on their own.’ He glanced toward the red haze. ‘And because I have other problems to occupy me.’”—Pages 394-395

This section always gets me for some reason.

“Even the most careful of the Series would be distressed by the prospect of being technologically outmaneuvered.”—Page 400

Suit, Sequence, Set, Series.

“At times this seemed to flicker, and for a moment he saw the radiance inside of each person and thing. It felt as if he might be able to move those too. An awed voice in the back of his mind whispered, They’re all the same. Metal, minds, men, all the same substance….”—Page 406

Interesting.

“‘Rusts!’ she said, looking at it. ‘What is this?’ It was sweet, thick, warm, chocolaty, and wonderful. ‘Choc,’ he said. ‘Sometimes it is a man’s only succor in this frozen, lonely world, yay?’ ‘You drink chocolate?’ ‘Sure. Don’t you?’”—Page 415

The people in the Basin are clearly the barbarians.

Malwish, that’s their name. I need to remember that.

“Aradel grunted. ‘Senate’s had my balls over the fire for two days straight, screaming about war and irresponsible leadership. As if I ever had any influence over you people.’”—Page 428

I love Aradel.

“‘I was wondering, Steris,’ Wax said, ‘fi you’d be willing to be my bride.’ ‘I’ve already agreed—’ ‘Yes, but last time I asked with an expectation of a contract,’ Wax said. ‘it was the lord of a house asking a woman of means for a union. Well, that requests stands, and thank you. But I’m asking again. It’s important to me. Will you be my bride? I want to be married to you. Right now, before the Survivor and that priest. Not because words on a paper say we have to, but because we want to.’ He took her by the hand, and spoke more softly. ‘I’m painfully tired of being alone, Steris. It’s time I admitted that. And you…well, you’re incredible. You truly are.’”—Page 431

This goddamn book keeps on making me cry.

“The Set had Faceless Immortals of its own.”—Page 434

So is Trell or the Set possessing people or is the beggar a kandra-like-being?

“Thank you for your service; it has been accepted. You will be allowed to serve in another Realm.”—The Set’s “Faceless Immortal”, Page 435

So is Suit being transported or killed?

“They’d stayed here in the penthouse through the honeymoon, rather than returning to the mansion.”—Page 435

That’s nice and all but quick question: What’s a moon?

“That arm…That arm. Lined with a network of scars layered atop one another, as if made by scarping the skin time and time again. The haunting word he’d spoke echoed in Wax’s mind. ‘Survive.’”—Page 437

God…I need the next book…

#bands of mourning #brandon sanderson #wax and wayne series #reviewsdaytuesday #reread review #2017 reviews

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cupkayke · 8 years ago

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Cupkayke Rewatches/Liveblogs Boueibu!

Season 1, Episode 3

So I dropped off the face of Tumblr for awhile, sorry guys! I also rewatched the entirety of Yuri on Ice with my boyfriend and he now likes ice skating anime so that took some time lol But I am back JUST IN TIME FOR YUMOTO’S BIRTHDAY OMG HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS CHILD. So, have a liveblog/collection of my stupid thoughts about one of the more ridiculous episodes! Yay!

Also, I apologize in advance- some of this episode’s subtext led to an impromptu dissection of the boys’ sexualities/orientations and there are some brief mentions of unsavory teachers (because what kind of teacher holds a pretty boy contest???) so if any of my terminology/speculation is incorrect or you find any of my discussions potentially triggering or in need of tags PLEASE inbox me and I will tag the post as such/correct any misinformation! I am a literature student- I like to analyze things. Sometimes I get carried away~

I SAW THE PREVIEW IMAGE FOR THIS EP ON CRUNCHYROLL AND IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT ‘HERE WE GO I REMEMBER THIS EPISODE IT’S GONNA BE A TRASH PARADE AND WTF CITY LET’S GO’

Okay- I always wondered about the pretty boy contest… like why? What purpose does it serve? Why are there posters put up in a fucking BATHHOUSE advertising the local boys’ high school’s PRETTY BOY CONTEST. .3 seconds into the episode and it’s ridiculous.

What do you mean ‘weight with the ladies’ c’mon man I have a hard time believing you care ANYTHING about ‘the ladies’ -eyebrow waggle-

He’s doing pirouettes in a towel… okay seriously bro I danced ballet for like 10 years and I never pirouetted in a towel OKAY THAT’S PROBABLY A LIE BUT YOU CAN’T PROVE IT OTHERWISE

"EWWWW TEACHER DICK”

Aww Yumoto. So innocent. So naive. So willing to point out he just saw his teacher’s penis-

...well that’s an odd question. Yumoto why would you ask-

Oh, shew, it’s because you’re not ashamed of bodies! How sweet and innocent and refreshi-

WAIT BACK UP NEVERMIND YUMOTO WTF THAT’S CALLED VOUYERISM

Those are the faces of some senpais that just came to the realization that their kouhai has probably been checking them out.

Well he got dressed fast.

How do you hire someone by accident?

Took the words right out of my mouth, Atsushi.

This is disturbing on several levels. Pedo Principal? -shudders-

FEET SHOULD NOT BEND THAT WAY

GUYS. GUYS. GUYS. AKOYA AS A BALLET DANCER OMG. IMAGINE. HAS THIS BEEN DRAWN? THIS NEEDS TO BE FANART SOMEWHERE. HE’D BE SO PRETTY JUST IMAGINE HIM IN TIGHTS BEING THE PRINCIPAL MALE LEAD IN SWAN LAKE OR FUCK EVEN IN A FUCKING TUTU BECAUSE HE’D BE GORGEOUS IN EITHER ROLE I CAN’T EVEN AWKEJFLASJFASLDJFOSIJFOAJ -Cupkayke Explodes-

Arima speaks truth

Io why do you have an exact copy of the calculator I use at work that’s terrifying.

RYUU YOU ARE LYING YOU GO TO AN ALL BOYS SCHOOL THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 0% WOMEN TRY AGAIN

Io looks so disappointed he can’t talk numbers with Ryuu

THEIR CHEESY CATCHPHRASE AGAIN

Side note I feel like the quirkiness of the school got toned down in later eps but perhaps that’s my faulty memory. Which is why I’m rewatching it lol.

Pretty and savage AF

PINK RIVALRY! I mean seriously, “you can’t seem to take your eyes off of me?” Maybe not even a rivalry but something else ohohohohohoh I’m alone on this ship

Okay this creepy teacher apparently calls all the boys ‘sweet honey’ which is disturbing on its own level but that got cranked up to 11 on the creep scale when he referred to YUMOTO as sweet honey.

Yumoto is a precious cinnamon roll you freak

Paper airplane contest lololol why do I feel like this happened at my school back in the day?

Wombat sounds like a jealous lover lolol

OH BOY! PUNS!

RYUU AND AKOYA TIED FOR THIRD???

HOW DOES AKOYA NOT WIN IN THE LINEUP OF THE SC???

LIKE SERIOUSLY KINSHIROU????

AKOYA IS TEN TIMES PRETTIER!

This school must have a thing for ice princes I s2g

En's boredom is dangerous. I mean... the face says it all.

Ryuu is all “this is NOT up my alley”

A bit slow on the uptake, Yumoto.

Io that’s so sweet... I guess? Well Ryuu seems to think it is- look at his face!

...nevermind. His expression is all “Thanks... I guess...”

Either Yumoto was hoping his senpais would teach him how to be popular with the ladies, or he’s just confused as to what in the hell it is that older boys want. This entire scene is just a clusterfuck of innuendo BUT I’M GONNA OVER ANALYZE IT ANYWAY.

The surface meaning of En and Atsushi’s statements here- or what the audience is supposed to get- is that being popular with girls will only get you so far. It may get you ‘love’ but having a girlfriend means jack squat if you don’t have guy friends (most likely to brag to).

It also could be taken that En at least would rather appreciate women than exert his energy into making them lust after him, which is rather sweet if you think about it.

Atsushi’s point also draws attention to the fact that stereotypical displays of machismo are much more well-received by other men than women- ie outward displays of strength, aggression, bragging about sexual encounters... er- yeah. No need to go on, there.

So. In order to be a well-rounded man, a man needs to be popular/be admired by other men! So you aren’t a lonely loser the rest of your days.

Buuut... because I’m me... LET’S LOOK AT THE SUBTEXT IN RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR SPECULATED SEXUALITIES 8D

En basically says straight up it’s more beneficial to be admired by men. Putting aside the above statements about admiring women... En’s likely gay. Fosho.

And the top screencap of Yumoto, instead of just clarifying his senpai’s intentions, that could mean that he’s more interested in girls. HOWEVER-

With a c: face, Yumoto admits his heart flutters watching rugged young men!

Bi Yumoto anyone? (He also unironically uses the word ‘flicks’ but that’s either a translator thing or another example of a mysterious dialect but ON TOPIC-)

At least within the context of this scene, Yumoto implies he’d be interested in being popular with girls and he is attracted to at very least a certain type of man. Buuut the rest of this episode (which I will get to later) potentially directly contradicts this implication as to Yumoto’s romantic and/or otherwise attraction.

It’s too bad that we don’t get Ryuu or Atsushi’s opinions on the matter- although Ryuu makes his attractions pretty clear just from his character (and then the subtext with Io). Atsushi is a bit of a mystery, for now.

As for Io, we get this exchange-

Le sigh. Io is moneysexual. Anyway...

Wombat so salty- I guess helping Ryuu win a contest is more entertaining than being superheroes.

Me about halfway through this post

En's expressions in this scene are great.

Tho does anyone else now headcanon En as really into athletics when he isn’t being lazy?

Like him really liking competition just fits so well but without a goal he’s just like ‘why bother’

Atsushi sounds so awkward calling him Yufuin

“I can’t just announce him as Enchan that’s weird but I don’t think I’ve ever said his last name ughhhhhhhhh”

Io is NOT playing by the unspoken one urinal in between rule

ALSO I JUST NOTICED YOU CAN SEE THE GUY ON THE LEFT ACTUALLY PEEING WTF

Water go swoosh swoosh

Also their bathrooms are fancy AF

GDI why does Io make the best seduction face

Even tho it’s more predatory here still...

THEY WERE REALLY HEAVY HANDED WITH THE INNUENDO IN S1

The triplets WHY ARE THEIR EYES SO WEIRD

WHAT IS IT WITH THIS SHOW AND SIDE CHARACTERS WITH WEIRD EYES

Ryuu so destructive lol

I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID ABOUT EN BEING ATHLETIC RYUU DOES FUCKING KARATE

Sparkles

Ibushi is still savage AF

I had to giggle and cap his character card because the image of Atsushi doing gigantic jigsaw puzzles was adorable

YOU’RE A TEACHER WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A PRETTY BOY?

LIKE SERIOUSLY WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE VALIDATED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Did he get scorned and that’s why his self esteem is in the toilet???

1579th pretty boy contest??? Damn Pedo Principal is thirsty AF I am still shuddering at the implications

Tho seriously that’s -does math- ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE YEARS OF PRETTY BOY CONTESTS WHAT THE FUCK

And that isn’t taking into account there would probably be a month or two where school isn’t in session on the 27th to have the pretty boy contest. Like December wouldn’t they be on break? And don’t they have a summer holiday at some point?

IT ISN’T JUST ONE PEDO PRINCIPAL IT’S A DYNASTY

EWWWWWWWWW.

YUMOTO AND RYUU BROTHER RELATIONSHIP I FRIENDSHIP IT LOOK RYUU IS BLUSHING

Yumoto knows he’s a lil shit

What the fuck kind of sound effect is swan swan???

I’m suddenly reminded of Kronk doing his own theme music-

Ryuu so salty he wanted to know the winner

Yumoto that writhing mob of students is pretty gross I agree

SO ZUNDAR WANTS THE ENTIRE WORLD TO BE GAY

THAT’S HIS EVIL PLAN TURN EVERYONE GAY

HE SOUNDS LIKE A SHITTY GROSS POLITICIAN

With that shot angle I was just waiting for him to lay a fucking egg but thankfully that didn’t happen

The subtitle is inaccurate- he actually said ‘GIMME HUG’ which is slightly more unsettling.

EN YOU WANT TO MARRY IT WTF

Yumoto still just like c: “I have no idea what’s going on”

I NOW PRESENT TO YOU THE BEST BOUEIBU SCREENCAPS IN THE HISTORY OF SCREENCAPS

ATSUSHI SO GRACEFUL

SO ROMANTIC

EN IS JEALOUS

THEY’RE ALL RIDICULOUS

Speaks for itself

And here is where Yumoto contradicts his earlier implications. Okay. 1) Writers make up your minds, although 2) ...shades of gray here.

Perhaps Kurotori’s feather spell represents sexual love (Eros for all you YOI fans~) and Yumoto is either a) too young/innocent to understand or b) somewhere on the ace spectrum. The others were affected because they are either simply older than Yumoto/past puberty or allosexual to the point where the spell could manipulate their feelings despite their existing attractions whatever those may be.

Yumoto’s earlier comments, then, could be taken to mean simply romantic attraction, even though his wording of his “heart fluttering” thanks to Yakuza men is a bit misleading in that respect. (Disclaimer: I am not on the ace spectrum so perhaps I am misrepresenting/misinterpreting here- please correct me if I have made a mistake in my understanding of asexuality- I definitely do not want to offend anyone! Just analyzing~)

Though to play the other side, En’s comment about marriage, even though he’s under the influence of a spell, also indicates that the spell has romantic components as well as potentially sexual ones. If the spell plays to BOTH- wouldn’t Yumoto be affected as well, based on his earlier assertions?

OR PERHAPS- if it is both, Yumoto is ALSO potentially aromantic and his comments were purely of an aesthetic nature or self projection (that is, he wants to be a dashing Yakuza heartthrob, not necessarily date one). Or he was simply trying to relate to his senpais and was bluffing the entire time.

Damn, this episode can seem REALLY deep if you squint hard enough. Headcanons, abound!

Moving on- WHEN IN DOUBT, HUG THE ENEMY!

Now I’m starting to see some cleverness on the part of the writers- hear me out below- but first- MORE CUDDLES

With this, Yumoto can be read several different ways.

On the surface and probably most importantly, regardless of what Yumoto’s personal attraction/orientation is (if he’s even figured it out at this point), he knows love at its purest form. He loves his brother. He loves his senpais (even though at this point they barely know each other- Yumoto probably latches on quickly). But more importantly, he is so in tune with his own feelings he realizes that self love is at the core of any type of love. That if you aren’t secure in yourself, if you don’t care about yourself on some level, how can anyone else care about you either?

This is another reason why I love Yumoto even though he can get a bit heavy-handed at times and seem like a one-note character; HE ISN’T.

Yumoto is incredibly introspective and even though his senapis make comments about how he just kind of shoves everything together to fit the situation he really does understand the monster-ified characters’ insecurities.

(Which can lead to some sad headcanons about how Yumoto has probably felt all of these things at one point or another... oh no...)

But back to my over-analysis of Yumoto’s orientation- with this... it’s really up to interpretation.

He can be read as a young character who hasn’t figured things out yet, he can be read as interested in romantic relationships of any variety but not necessarily anything else, he can be read as only interested in platonic relationships- anything. And while the inconsistency in his portrayal can be a bit maddening- it’s GREAT headcanon opportunity.

Thus, unless s3 gives Yumoto a canon interest- he’s whatever you think he is. Which is AWESOME! DO YOU SEE WHY I LOVE THIS SMOL CINNAMON ROLL?

Aaaand some closing, not very deep thoughts to wrap up-

SO BLUSHY. MUCH ANGELIC. WOW.

En you’re always tired

Kinchan... why do you want people to grovel at your feet...?

That’s certainly a random question, En- but for shits and giggles; these are their responses if I’m hearing their voices right:

Atsushi - My neck, I guess?

Yumoto - My arms

Ryuu - Armpits

Io - The nape of the neck.

My brain hurts so I have NO idea what these could mean but I highly doubt they’re throwaway lines- SO YOU GUYS TELL ME. Over-analyze what parts they wash first LOL

OKAY WOW THAT WAS LONG AS FUCK AND I GOT TOO DEEP. Again, let me know if I fucked anything up or need to add tags~ And let me know what you think/what your headcanons are/if there’s something from another canon source that could add to this!

I’ll try to get ep 4 up today as well since it took me forever to get back to this but this shit takes longer than I thought. I watch the ep first and take notes, then go back and re-watch and screencap and take more notes, then copy/pasta everything into tumblr and add more thoughts and make it readable. Shew.

#cupkayke rewatches boueibu #cupkaykey rewatches boueibu #boueibu #boueibu meta #binan koukou chikyuu bouei bu love!#binan kōkō chikyū bōei bu love!#binan high school earth defense club love!#Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!#Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!#tw: pedophila mention #kinda?#sexuality discussion

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razberryyum · 5 years ago

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The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 2 (spoilers for everything)

(covers MDZS chaps 6 - 10 and a bit of 13)

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

(a 🐰 is earned every time there is a WangXian scene or even when they’re just thinking of each other)

I always tell people when I’m trying to get them to watch The Untamed that when they get to this particular scene in the second episode, they’ll know if they will be into the show. To me, this is the game-changer moment: you’re either in or out after this. If this scene doesn’t emotionally move you enough to at least continue on with the drama, nothing else will. It is seriously one of the most romantic scenes I have ever seen captured on screen. This was the moment that made me realize not only was I now fully committed to CQL, but that I had also found a new obsession and was ready to devote myself to Mo Dao Zu Shi. After all, something that can lead to the creation of such a beautiful scene MUST hold other invaluable treasures. So into the MDZS rabbit hole I went, happily diving head first.

Even now I’m still amazed that this scene exists in the intact form that it does. I started The Untamed with little to no expectations, especially knowing the restrictions it was under AND having just finished Guardian and experiencing how poor creative decisions can arise due to censorship (or at least, using that as an excuse for their dumb story choices). As I mentioned previously, the first episode was a hard sell since they definitely did not put their best foot forward first, but I liked Xiao Zhan immediately and Wei Wuxian as a character was interesting enough that I wanted to learn more about his past that led to his death and rebirth. The small glimpses we saw of his relationship with Lan Zhan also fascinated me, but then with this second episode, the weak points of the pilot still remained: there was still bad CGI (the statue) and very amateurish technical mistakes (in the recognition scene, at one point, in a close-up shot they’re holding onto each other, but in the next far away backside shot they’re clearly standing apart from each other, only to return to holding each other once again once the camera cuts back to a close-up...whoever the editor is on CQL probably should dunk their head in the toilet every time these editing errors pop up) that made my initial viewing of this episode a frustrating one for most of its runtime. I think I spent most of my initial viewing just distracted, playing on my phone or something, until the big WangXian moment happened and then I was shocked and awed. I know I wasn’t paying close attention that first time because when I rewatched the episode later on, I realized I missed a lot of dialogue and details. I have since revisited this second episode numerous times more, and I do feel bad about how dismissive I was initially. It’s a pretty loaded episode: it has funny, poignant, creepy, mysterious, and cool moments while still feeding us bits of the overarching plot. I definitely have developed an affection for it since my first viewing and it’s become one of my favorite episodes in the series.

Of Pining & other Heart-achy Things

This simple line from Jiang Cheng is enough to make my eyes well up with tears: I can’t help but imagine Lan Zhan traveling around the world for sixteen years, most likely all alone, stopping at different places to play Inquiry, fervently hoping that maybe one day he’ll finally receive an answering chord from Wei Ying, only to be confronted by a deafening silence again and again and again. How utterly sad and disappointed he must have been every time, and yet still, he never gave up and just went to the next location to do the same thing and experience the same heavy disappointment all over again. If that doesn’t make your heart ache, I’m sorry to tell you, your heart is no longer functional.

It’s a detail I don’t remember if the novel covered, but I’m assuming that Lan Zhan was the one to bring Wei Ying’s inventions like the spirit attraction flag and the compass back to Gusu and incorporate them for use in his sect’s normal cultivation practices. I know other people have use his tools as well since that nameless cultivator at the start of the episode was also using the spirit compass, but I feel that with Lan Wangji, he probably purposefully acquired and adapted WWX’s techniques so that every time they’re used, they can serve as a reminder of Wei Ying for him. Though it does make me wonder how Lan Zhan managed to get those approved by his uncle; I can’t imagine Lan Qiren being ok with using anything that was created by the man whom he blames for the corruption of his beloved nephew and model student. Did LWJ just pretend he created them instead? That doesn’t even sound right. Maybe Uncle Lan decided to be merciful and just let Lan Zhan win this one since he was probably obviously miserable after Wei Ying’s death. Yeah, I can buy that scenario, especially since the flag and compass are pretty useful tools.

I wondered did LWJ already suspect “Mo Xuanyu” was Wei Ying before he started playing Wuji on his flute. It’s curious that he happened to be in that part of the forest at that time. I’m guessing his Wei Ying senses were tingled when he heard about Mo Xuanyu’s skills from Sizhui and the boys so that’s why he was hanging around the vicinity just in case MXY reveals his true identity. After waiting 16 years for this reunion, it’s no wonder Lan Zhan had no qualms about holding onto WWX’s wrist in public for much longer than socially appropriate.

I actually get a little emotional every time I rewatch this episode and watch Jin Ling display his mad archery skills because I would always think of how much he takes after his dad. His parents would’ve been so proud to see him all grown up like this; Shijie would’ve been so happy she probably would get teary-eyed as well every time she saw her boy in action. Sure, he’s a spoiled little princess, but he is also a pretty skilled princess with a heart of gold and I just wish they had more time together as a family.

They looked so happy, look at all those smiles. It really makes me so sad that Wei Ying will probably never be able to hug JC like that again, and of course he’ll never be able to hug Shijie period. Great now I want to cry again.

Lan Jingyi Appreciation Section

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this precious boy by name so far, so I wanted to take this opportunity to show him some much deserved love. Lan Jingyi with his resting bitch face and steady stream of snark was really the MVP of this episode. He actually made me laugh out loud a few times...in fact, he almost always makes me laugh as soon as he scrunches up his face like he’s smelling something bad. I recently saw someone mention that he’s really the most un-Lan of the Lans (sorry, I forgot who posted that so I apologies for not giving proper credit) and that is really the perfect description of him. I love this kid as much as I love Sizhui and Jin Ling, and I am also sincerely fascinated by him. I mean, who raised him in the Gusu Lan sect? Cuz I cannot imagine Lan Qiren being the one since Jingyi undoubtedly would’ve had all his snark driven out of him at an early age. Hell, the amount of disciplinary action he probably had to have gone through would’ve probably killed him at a young age. Did he join the sect when he was already fully formed so that’s why he’s still breaking Lan sect rules right and left? He threatened an old man and is like rude to everyone. I don’t know all 3000 rules but I’m pretty sure being mean to the elderly and insulting to supposedly mentally unstable people are probably not allowed. If anything, his disposition would make him more suitable for the Lanling Jin sect and yet he’s with the stuffy Lans. WHY? I could watch a whole spin-off series with just him and the other juniors as long as we get to learn about how he came to be with the Gusu Lan sect. He’s hilarious and adorable, and among the many the reasons why I wish we had more episodes for the present-day arc, one of them is because I wanted to spend more time with the juniors, especially Lan Jingyi, even if it meant the screenwriters would’ve had to go off book and create new scenes for them. It would’ve been well worth it to hear LJY throw more shade at people.

Random Bits of Randomness

It’s kinda crazy how WWX just stood there with his back turned, oblivious to Jin Ling’s attack. If Lan Zhan’s blade hadn’t blocked JL’s sword, that would’ve been the end of our main protagonist. I just thought that was such an odd scene...I would’ve felt just a little better if Wei Ying had at least had a little more awareness that an attack was heading for him and made some attempt to get out of the way.

Ugh, that mask. First of all it’s ugly AF, and secondly it’s so freaking ill-fitting it was distracting. Would’ve been nice if the production team gave him a mask that actually fit his face. I mean, did it HAVE to be THAT damn big? I’m amazed they don’t have bts clips of Xiao Zhan tripping and hurting himself because the stupid mask blocked his vision.

Other than being a brilliant mastermind and Oscar-worthy actor, Nie Huaisang has got to be one of the greatest cultivators if not THE greatest cultivator of all time to be able to conjure up an illusion like that. That thing was doing real damage to people. If it was just a phantom, what the heck was holding up those two cultivators in midair like that? And what kicked Jin Ling around? I know Wei Ying was able to drive people crazy with his flute during his Yiling Patriarch phase, but his handiwork still felt more grounded and reasonable than this.

Questions I still have (please feel free to answer them):

- Who was that old man at the grave? Someone NHS paid to just hang around the graves until the juniors and WWX came by?

- So NHS basically fucked up Yan’s entire family and God knows how many other people just to get WWX to eventually play his flute to lure Wen Ning out from wherever he was hiding?

- How did JGY not know Wen Ning escaped? Or did he just leave those details to Xue Yang so he didn’t really care about what happened to Wen Ning? I’m trying if this was addressed in the book but my mind is coming up empty. I don’t think it was brought up in the show though, or I just completely missed it.

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10

#The Untamed #陈情令 #spoilers #Untamed Rewatch #WangXian #Mo Dao Zu Shi #CQL #MDZS #魔道祖师 #Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Lan Zhan Lan Wangji #Wei Ying Wei Wuxian #Lan Jingyi #Jin Ling #Nie Huaisang #Jiang Yanli #Jin Zixuan #Jin Guangyao

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