#honestly everyone in this last sequence did a good job

[cattatoir]

I mean honestly I love how Derek Jacobi portrayed metatron bc like it’s a master manipulation by Angel standards but by human standards (and probably Crowley’s) like he’s just really barely repressed menace and like…rage? disgust? Sure he waits til Aziraphale turns around to glare at Crowley but he’s not even looking or talking at Aziraphale with anything actually friendly

[silverwarewolf]

DUNGEON MESHI EPISODE 24 THOUGHTS

Oh, I had asked to see what the party's thoughts regarding the changeling situation were, especially when it came to their lifespans, but I didn't think it would turn out like this!

GOOD FUCKING JOB, CHILCHUCK. YOU'VE TRAUMATIZED MARCILLE EVEN FURTHER. Oh but I do so love the horrors of this situation of theirs. Marcille babygirl I would like to hug you and have a nice chat.

Anywya, on we go to think about Falin and any solutions that might help us here. Which is great! I love how much foreshadowing there is (in terms of what I've been vaguely told about the manga).

Laios Touden's problem solving skills, everyone.

That's honestly the SICKEST weapon design, I'm so on board with you Laios. This could be Kensuke's Halloween makeover. BUT DONT JUST TAKE THOSE MUSHROOMS WITH YOU OH MY GOD

... was this the opening sequence foreshadowing everyone was freaking out about? was that it? (don't actually tell me, though. if it was it, say yes. if it wasn't, don't say anything)

no comment here I just love them.

I just will never get used to elfshi's hands being Like That. But it's also kinda nice to see him and Izutsumi working along so nicely! Like, don't even get me started on how Izu is presented as the pickiest eater of the party (Marcille has been dethroned severely) and usually you'd see that presented as a Hassle, but here in DM, Senshi doesn't even bat an eye. He knows and respects Izutsumi's tastes and preferences and works his meals out around it! That's such a based thing for him to do. <3

This is a renaissance painting. (I love it when they adapt Ryoko Kui's visual gags and I LOVE when she does zoomed in faces like this. Truly one of the artists ever)

I did not have "Laios gets Pissed On" on my bingo card but every day I grow more and more convinced that the animators KNOW what they're doing and - OH MY GOD IS THAT SENSHI'S DWUSSY. ELFSHI ALTERNATIVE TO PANTY SHOT.

Ah, yes, Izutsumi sprawls all over them when sleeping, we been knew, again it's a little unexpected to see it front and center but I guess it works to demonstrate them returning to - THAT WAS LAIOS??? AND CHILCHUCK IS JUST LIFTING HIS LEG LIKE THAT?? OKAY THEN. SURE.

(and then there's a few more seconds of laiosfoot and laios bedhead)

BUT HEY THEY'RE BACK TO NORMAL

1) Yep, they're back to normal.

2) Laios I love you and I love Gothsuke but someone needs to be careful about biohazards and it's not going to be you.

3) Add this to the "Marcille Donato gets threateningly close to you in three steps" folder.

4) Truly only they can match each other's freak. When the NECROMANCER is telling you not to do something, don't do it! I know last time you smuggled a "normal" sword, it turned out to be useful, but I'm sure that's not the case here!

5) Poor Laios tho. I'll learn to blacksmith just to give you a cool sword. <3

I'm so glad they kept this. One of the silliest touden siblings moments. 10/10 no notes. Also, Falin is never beating the blunt force trauma allegations.

IS THAT CHILCHUCK'S WIFE. ARE YOU - MA'AM. HELLO?

"Why aren't you a twink like I thought you'd be?!" gets adapted! (I'm pretty sure that's the scene meant to be here, anyways)

I get it, girl.

Oh dear, they're going to eat Falin. And SENSHI was the one to suggest it! For a guy who was just fighting the doubts of accidental cannibalism a week ago, you're taking bold steps forward.

(I do love how it mirrors Laios' kindness back then, in truth. Even if it's an idea so shocking and dire at first, it comes from a place of reason and logic and love)

Marcille "I said I wanted to eat her OUT, not eat HER" Donato Izutsumi "That's going to taste gross as fuck" Izutsumi Chilchuck "If it brings her back..." Tims Laios Touden, the man with a thousand things on his head right now, two of which I reckon are "I don't want to eat my sister" and "Dragon-Chicken... what might it taste like?"

Yes, well. Valid as your concerns are, Laios, because how the fuck would five people eat THAT much meat, you can't just ramble on about what dishes you're going to make out of your sister.

(...I get it, though. I mean if you're going to eat, might as well make it good, right? I know no one wants to grill one of Faligon's ribs but I'll go ahead and say it would be worse to tell them to eat her raw)

FUCK! we DID lose those scenes about the twin bell that toshiro kept!! forever sad about that.

oh my godddd they're going back into the dungeonnn we're going to reunite with themmm

I know they're really fucking competent, I mean, Namari and Toshiro are already described as pretty formidable warriors (and we've seen it), and Kabru is... admittedly much more geared to fight humans but he's a decent fighter either way. And a good leader!

Speaking of, where the fuck is everyone else.

I know they're meant to be scary (and I suppose they are! If we have the reference that, firstly, marcille is an excellent spellcaster so these elves could be just as good in their own areas of expertise, yes?, and secondly, the canaries are Well Known)

... plus, Namari, Toshiro and Kabru are wary of them. Namari, Toshiro and Kabru are wary of them.

BUT damn it Lycion, I need to- (gets dragged off stage)

Anyway, while we wait for the next season (WHICH HAS BEEN GREENLIT! WOHOO!), have these wonderful images of chicken falin being a cathedral painting (...if cathedrals ever added dragons, i guess) and my beloveds, who have finally returned!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Japan is Winning on Kisses & Other Alternate Realities

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - It would be great if we got the alternative romance with dead Kram from Tai’s perspective (JBL style.) Still I like this show. It’s a little bit like I Feel You Linger in the Air only with a love triangle. And while I'm not a fan of triangles as a general rule, I don’t mind it here because the set up is clever. Wayu and  ao are fun sides too. It sure is moving very quickly, which I like. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. But that’s normal for me with this kind of Thai drama. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 4 of 8 - They are extremely sappy boyfriends. I love that mom has a secret gf. Could we please have more of them? The love triangle sides are ridiculous, but I do like that it’s all out in the open. I also like they are actually addressing the complicated parental dynamics of owning a sex club. Honestly, I think Khem should have to be a host too. Learn him the right way, girl!

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - It’s good, I like the fallout and them actually having to deal with crazy fans and past relationships. They’re so good at communicating it’s kind of a pleasure to watch them suffer through external pressures, because I have faith that they can make it through.

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 6 of 8 - They are such cute puppy dads and so clearly meant to be together, the fact that they aren’t is just frustrating. The fight thing was stupid. And not a whole lot happened... plus singing. I’m getting fatigued with this one. 

1000 Years Old ep 7 of 12 - Did I miss something happening, or did nothing happen? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 6 - It’s so boring, there’s so much guitar playing, and it got weirdly voyeuristic (in a very much not sexy way). I’m totally out. DNF

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) ep 3 of 6 - I can’t tell if this is trying to be a BL Romancing the Stone, or a BL Hangover, or both. The problem with situational comedy is it must be both situational and comedic, not just option one. The problem with calling something BL, is that it must be BL. This show got 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. DNF 

Honestly, it's the HANDS with these two. They do beautiful beautiful things with their hands. If you're one of those hands-obsessed BLabies you should be watching LIBTSTA!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 6 of 11 - So the worst finally happened. The mountain of pain has fallen down upon us. And now, hopefully in the second half things get better for our boys. But what a rough ride. Normally, this is not my style of BL, but everyone is doing such a gorgeous job with it, I can’t fault it… except that it hurts. The red thread symbolism was elegantly done. I’d like to hope we get a reunion in the next one, but knowing this style of series they’re gonna draw it out. There's gonna be a more pain first.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Those fuck me puppy dog eyes were perfectly executed. I would not have been able to resist either. Gosh they are so damn cute. This is a great show.

Jazz for Two (Korea Gaga/grey) eps 1-2 of 8 - This comes from the Shoulder to Cry On team so I'm scared, but this one is all actors* not idols so maybe they'll be braver. Boy howdy does it have a fantastic opening sequence. Also the lead is fucking adorable. Mr Broody McBroodypants is cute too. Korea sure loves “pretty but broken.” On the JBL end of the spectrum, is everyone in love with their siblings? That’s weird. The dining room scene was painful. All in all, it's good, I'm intrigued. Let's see how you go little show.

I stand absolutely corrected the lead is a member of NEWKIDD (in my defense I'd never heard of them until Build Up last month). I did recognize him from To My Star because at the time I thought he was too pretty to be only a side character.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 10 fin - Again there was overuse of previous footage and maudlin navel-gazing grief over something we knew was going to happen. So I didn’t really feel much emotional connection to the drama. 7 year time gap.? t was a cute reunion but the moral quandary never really got resolved. I don’t know how to rate this, I’m not sure I will ever watch it again, so that is a big mark against it.

There’s nothing objectively wrong with this BL except how upsetting it is because of the foundational pygmalion story - grown man falls in love with an android who is basically both his slave and, by maturity level, a child. Yet that premise is crystal clear from the get go, so we watch it eyes open. The actors are cute, the romance sweet, the physical chemistry on point (of course, it’s Taiwan) and yet I was left ultimately unsettled by the concept, content, and plot. 7/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - I'm so ready for this to be over, and for Gaga to have something good on. Soon please?

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) - It's too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute verticals, I don't have that kind of TikTok endurance training. Waiting to binge.

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Tangential to the genre

There has been the occasional discussion on this topic here in this little corner of tumblr so I thought there might be a few intersted in this podcast: AmericanThaiGuy Ron Weaver on the Complicated Issue of Racism in Thailand (The Bangkok Podcast)

Thailand passed its Marriage Equality bill through the lower house. It's expected to pass the high house and get signed by the King, but that hasn't quite happened yet.

And MaxTul dropped a photo shoot.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

3/31 The Next Prince (Thai ????) 12 eps - trailer. ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE. (Apparently this is just the pilot, not the start of the actual show, see comments.)

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast. Dual languages.

Hum, trash-watch-a-licious?

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube iQIYI) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

4/11 Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan ????) 10 eps - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why, they fall in love along the way. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake.

4/11 Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea ????) 4 eps - SooHyuk is only just surviving and reunites with YoonDae, an old friend. They end up living together. One of the leads is played by Choco of Choco Milk Shake.

4/18 At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de (Japan Gaga - may not be global) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn.

Seriously? You're killing me with these titles, boys.

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks well complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner) and Best, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Just these two, in my head, rent free. Thanks Japan!

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy. (With so many tags when does a weekly tumblr post become a newsletter? That is this week's philosophical question...)

[plusultraetc]

I'm having a normal time which is why I literally teared up during the first ten minutes of You're Next bc I am so proud of that kid :')

movie spoilers under the read more!!

DEKU HAD AN ALL MIGHT MOMENT. That was honestly all I could think when he stopped that trio of villains at the beginning like it was nothing. That whole sequence was so well done and I was sitting there with tears in my eyes and a huge stupid grin on my face like I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. I saw the movie with a friend who is familiar but not at all caught up with the series and I think talking about MHA with her and having her perspective so fresh in my mind made me kind of emotional about how far these characters have come.

I'M SO PROUD OF ALL OF THEM ACTUALLY. 1-A killed it in this movie. Keeping up that hopeful, heroic spirit on patrols. Prioritizing comforting & rescuing people over confronting villains. Seamless teamwork. The kids are alright!!!

Bakugou was so funny in this, we were genuinely wheezing laughing every time he spoke. Also he and Todoroki 🤝 'destroy everything,' guys PLEASE.

Midoriya was lowkey a mess in this movie but in a fun & funny way. He and Giulio were an enjoyable duo even though I found Giulio's characterization a little wobbly throughout (I still really liked him, and not just because his cybernetic eye was SICK. I was and am and forever will be OBSESSED.)

EVERYONE had a long-lost relative in this movie. Shinsou. Kirishima. Aizawa (x3). Nomu. Everyone. This is our Italian relative family reunion academia. That being said NEW SHINSOU BACKSTORY JUST DROPPED FOR ME SPECIFICALLY.

MIRIOOO!!! I did not know he was in this, when I tell you I clapped (I remembered at the very last moment that I was in a movie theater and it was the softest clap you've ever heard in your life). Hawks said he sent a hero into the fortress and I went from ?? to :D so fast.

Aizawa was not in this movie (though Mirko was, preserving the all-important Nine Lives timeline even though I am... kind of confused about when this takes place in canon) but he was there in spirit & ✨thematic relevance✨ Once again we have a character with a nullification quirk whose job it is to stay close to a character with a dangerous, uncontrollable quirk. I definitely will be chewing on some of the ideas Giulio & Anna raised but for now, if I had a nickel for every time a character with a nullification quirk lost an eye and a leg...

Todoroki's dream. Listen. Listen. The second Touya spoke I grabbed my friend's arm and just kind of clung there like a miserable little barnacle. And SHOUJI'S DREAM. Such a brief flicker of a scene and yet it knocked the wind out of me.

But my favorite dream sequence was Midoriya's. Baby Izuku!! All Might!! YOICHI!!! When the vestiges showed up immediately to snap him out of it?? You can never and I mean NEVER brainwash this haunted ass quirk!!

UNEXPECTED BIRD BROS SCENE. Hawks was in this movie way more than I expected (my Hawks cardi summoned him obv) and I was delighted, but then we get a super quick Tokoyami team up?? Truly blessed, tysm.

The pros in general,,, So many cameos by so many faves, including Mt. Lady, Ryukyu, Mirko, AND VLAD. HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING BUT I CHEERED. Vlad babe you literally just have to show up and I will be thrilled.

I really enjoyed how thoughtful certain elements of the movie were. Just little things--I knew from the second I saw Anna's flowers to look out for a rose on Dark Might's suit when he ditched the cape; the little nod to 1-A having a lot of experience with cancelling quirks; OFA and Giulio's cybernetics being disconnected from Deborah's quirk. A lot of things felt very underexplained, but I liked these little inclusions.

Overall both Dark Might's quirk and his motivations were incredibly underbaked to me, but honestly I didn't even mind bc I was having such a good time. I will let so much slide in the name of fun and this movie was so fun. 100% recommend.

I had a couple of other notes but this is already So Long. Anyway I needed this movie so much & could absolutely see myself rewatching it in the future, thank u You're Next

[idoltime]

Idol Time’s Second Episode featuring ATLAS’ Sim Haedam (@svtlas), aired on March 22nd, 2024 with the shows returning and permanent host, Everlast’s Cody. Once again, the video earned quick attention and was trending #3 for weeks after its initial release which was a big success for show itself.

Cody appears on screen immediately after the intro is played and the bright Idol Time logo is shown, and similar to last episode, queue cards in one hand and mic in the other, with an overstretched smile replacing the previous blank expression he wore.

“Hi, and welcome back to Idol Time! The only interview show you need to tune in for and quite possibly the best show you’ve ever seen. Obviously hosted by me, Cody!”

“I’d just like to thank everyone for the support on the first episode, like, if I didn’t feel famous before, I really feel it now and all that funny stuff. Now, let’s introduce the second guest of our show ATLAS’ Haedam!”

Cody lets a dramatic pause pass before signalling for Haedam to enter the room. He does so with a small smile and raises both his hands to wave excitedly as he walks towards his seat.

“Hello! As you already know, my name is Haedam and I am the maknae of the seventeen subunit ATLAS and formerly a member of X1!” They both clap at Haedam’s introduction before Cody raises the mic to his mouth. “Welcome, Haedam. Anything you’d like the viewers to know about you?” He questions.

“Uhm…I like playing the guitar sometimes, baking, and hanging out with my members. Oh, and I’m really interested in building legos! I also have type one diabetes, I don’t think that's been mentioned before but I’m super excited to be here! I love interviews and stuff!”

Cody smiles in response to Haedam’s energy and flips over to the next queue card for the next set of questions.

“You’ve told both me and the viewers you were a former X1 member, so how was the survival show experience for you?” Haedam sighs, looking a little uneasy at the mention of the topic.

He swallows, visibly uncomfortable, whilst he finds his words. "It was fun....overall i think? but there were definitely parts that were really awful. They focused more about our performances and stuff than anything else. if we were sick... it didn't matter. It sucked. I don't think I would do it again."

Cody silently nods in agreement, knowing exactly how Haedam felt at the time.

“Personally, I think all future survival shows should be banned, period. But nobody’s gonna listen to me anyways, guys, trust me when I say they are not all that fun. Anyways, how’d it feel to place 3rd out of all those people? That’s a pretty high rank.”

Haedam’s face softens at the slight change in topic, seemingly quite proud of himself. "It felt really good! I was so proud of myself! Of course like, it would've been cool to be first but like, I'm grateful to have made it at all."

He grins. “I was honestly so surprised, it felt unreal to know that I had done a good enough job to make it through to the end.”

“How’d it feel when X1 disbanded, was it a big moment for you?” Cody asks.

Haedam’s eyes fixate themselves on the pattern of the floor as he talks, "Woah. I mean, I cried a lot. It was really scary because I didn't do anything wrong and it felt like I was being punished. I made a lot of friends in x1 and it hurt to have them taken away from me."

The room goes silent for a little, with Cody fumbling around with the order of the queue cards until he finally gets them in the correct sequence.

“It must’ve been a tough time for you to deal with, especially since X1 was your first group but you were given a second chance as a seventeen sub-unit. How did it feel when you knew ATLAS would be debuting?”

"I was so happy to have another chance. but i was so scared about it. I had a lot of anxiety because I felt like I had some type of curse, and that maybe my new group would disband suddenly too because I was in it. I love my group members, they reassured me a lot and helped me feel better about it."

“That's great, I’m glad you’re having a better time with ATLAS. But rumour has it, you were rigged into the X1 lineup, is that true?”

Haedam’s face contorts to one of shock, horrified that anyone would ever think that about him.

"I really wasn't rigged in, guys. I promise I have the papers here."

Now, Cody looks around, surprised at Haedam’s last few words.

“Wait—How did you even manage to get something like that?” Haedam shrugs, laughing it off.

“Don’t worry too much about it. I asked for these after X1 disbanded because I felt like it was maybe my fault but it wasn't....if anything maybe I was ranked lower than I should have been."

Cody laughs along with him, “Okay, fair enough. Any scandals you want to talk about?”

“Other than the X1 scandals people don't really make a lot of bad news that trend about me? at least ones that i want to address. So, thank you?"

“You’re lucky,” Cody responds and Haedam lets out a small hum. “Before we end the interview, any extra things you need to say or any upcoming projects?”

Haedam grasps onto his mic. “I wanna say hi to my old X1 members if they're listening! Hi guys! I miss you all! and hi to my hyungs because they're definitely watching! It's supposed to be a secret...but we may or may not have a comeback coming soon. You guys didn't hear it from me though."

Cody’s face brightens, “Well, it is comeback season. Now, some final words for the viewers of this episode?”

Haedam waves frantically and quickly thinks before answering.

“Bye everyone! Thank you so much for listening to me! Please keep tuning into idol time because it's really cool! Have a great day!"

Cody copies Haedam’s wave as they wave in sync, “I couldn’t have said it better myself, see you next episode!” The video cuts to the bright blue logo before fading out into darkness once more.

[trutrustories]

Just some thoughts I have, immediately after viewing ep 6.

spoilers! oh my god, oh my god! I´m honestly relieved! Can you believe it??? I´m SO GLAD endindg didn´t ruin the show! Quite the opposite, actually! I think that with the context of this ending, they actually made season 1 much BETTER. which is like... complete surprise for me! What the hell???? I seriously didn´t expect that! AT ALL! 🤯 It was funny, It was clever, it was epic, and absolutely heartbreaking 🥺😭 Ouroboros, Casey, Timely, and Sylvie... they all survived, and can live they lives however they choose! O. B. making the sequel of his bestseller is the best thing ever! And he has friends now!!! My precious boy!!! Good for him! He deserves it! And Loki and Mobius both survived as well THANK GOD!!!! And they still remember each other! (I was prepared for much worse scenarios, to be honest.)

Anyway, I´m sucker, for bitter sweet endings. So I´m FINE. ....except I´m not.

Because It´s so fucking tragic at the same time!!! God, what a love story! (what isn´t denied is allowed, so... ) they ended it with two of them, alone. Mobius isn´t actually getting back to his boys, because they already have Don. But he didn´t want to stay at TVA because Loki is not there anymore.

Last few shots are Mobius, just standing there, watching life he can´t have and for the first time he is free to wonder around the world on his own. he´s able to WASTE HIS TIME now. And then we see right after Loki, stuck on his throne, alone. And it is implied that he was able to hear Mobius (or see him, even!) And he looks lonely, but also happy for his man!!! GOSH. I was crying like a baby. whole sequence from that scene in a theatre room right until the end! And that freaking music!!! I only have one complaint, and that being: we should see Mobius actually enjoy some JETSKI! Or even better: last shots should have been Mobius happily steering a jet ski on the open sea (wind in the hair and all) AND then Loki on his throne with a smile on his face (because he´s watching him). Last thing: there is actually so much potential, after this finale. If not for actual Marvel project, then for fanfiction writers and for imagination. They left so much room for the good stuff! 😍 For example:

Mobius struggling to addapt to normal life on a timeline. And then he somehow finds out, Loki can see him/ hear him. And he will starts talking to him. And because Loki is so alone and unable to go anywhere, this starts to be his source of fun. Something that makes him happy. And he finds way, to talk to Mobius back somehow... or

Loki will find out that he can travel to his past selfs without having to leave his throne. He stays there, but his mind can travel to his body at any point before.

I am actually mad, I have no time to write fanfics right know (but hey, my english is totally tragic and terrible, so it´s probably a good thing 😅)

Anyway. I feel sad, and also happy. And inspired and satisfied. And I´m still sobbing. All at once! It was beautiful, and I enjoyed every second of it! Can´t remember last time marvel actually managed to do that to me.

*standing ovation* I applaud to creators, actors and everyone involved. You guys did a fenomenal job! (at least that is how I see it)

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[spaceorphan18]

Umbrella Academy Thoughts

So. I did end up finishing Season 4 last night.

I need to preface this with -- I actually really do love this show. The first season of it is still one of my favorite TV stories. I love the characters. I love the sibling dynamics. I love superhero element - where the powers feel fresh or interesting spins on old things. Five and Klaus are just everything.

I didn't love love Seasons 2 or 3, but they were solidly good.

But they could have left things be after Season 3. They could have left well enough alone. Because Season 4, man. What???

Okay, onto spoilery things.

I will say, I really love the concepts and ideas the season had. The strange alien goo stuff wiping everything out while enhancing powers? Sure, fine. The train station that went to different time lines -- inspired, loved that. Even the idea behind the ending -- I could get behind if done correctly.

They had six episodes to tell a really compelling story and just... didn't. Most of it was a waste of time, a bunch of it didn't make sense, and some of it was just plain stupid, and it really breaks my heart that a show that was so, so, so brilliant when it started descended into this mess.

One thing I did like was Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally as the two cult leaders. They were fantastically cast, and did a great job even when the scripts descended into nonsense. I wish they had a stronger ending, but great choice in the casting department.

I have to wonder - the first episode is pretty solid, and I actually like the idea of their lives kind of sucking in their happily ever after era, which thematically makes sense when they wrap around to being erased. Another great idea. But I wonder -- did they get the note that it'd be six episodes after they started writing? But there's a definite shift after the first couple episodes that started to feel like both they were trying to cram in too much to the episodes and that there wasn't enough plot to really make an interesting story. The pacing was incredibly weird.

So... let's talk about the rest of the characters, shall we?

Luther -- I honestly loved his characterization in this season. He was great! He also had really nothing to do, and the whole thing at the CIA's office was a waste of time. Why did we need that sequence, especially when it took up an entire episode?

Diego -- I feel like they made him a little too much of a loser? I also kind of missed his banter with the other siblings. He just felt like a shell, which was intentional, but never got any redemption? Which -- like, if you're going to erase the characters, and this goes for everyone, give them some kind of satisfying growth or ending before they're gone.

Allison -- I'm amused that everyone just kinda let it go (honestly, I don't even remember what she did do, I only watched Season 3 once, but I remember it was bad) but I am glad she got to not be the bad guy this season. Finally. She had some nice moments. Again, didn't really do much ultimately.

Klaus -- my god, the biggest waste of time during the whole season. I love where they started him. But why did he get the stupid subplot of him being a medium? Why did we go there? It's like they needed him out of the way, and buried in a box. You can see the -- how do we get there of it all. But none of it was needed. And it's clear they had no actual idea of how to get him into the main plot. Because he does nothing. And it just... breaks my heart because I love his character so much.

Five -- *sigh* Five is my /favorite/ character, and just... what?? The biggest BIGGEST wasted opportunity was not having more shenanigans related to the train station. Could you imagine if he brought everyone and they all had to timeline jump? It would have been so cool! The concept was brilliant and amazing and just... what?? I did love the diner of Fives. That was inspired and a taste of what i really wanted. But instead they waste all that opportunity on a love triangle. And I get that maybe they were going for Five having character growth of thinking about more than himself? Kind of? But then they missed idea of their whole character who spent three seasons trying to save EVERYONE and not himself, I just... I can't with it. I can't.

Ben -- I'm fine with the Ben stuff, mostly. He was the main plot, it worked until the end when it dissolved into stupidity and shit monsters.

Victor -- At least he got to be part of the main plot in a meaningful way. I did like he and Hargreeves teaming up. It was one aspect that did work for me. I've always felt they never gave Elliot Page enough to do, when he's one of the stronger actors, but at least he didn't get the worst things to do.

Lila -- Oh my god. back to the love triangle stuff. I don't mind her, or the fact that she and Diego had a shitty life. It's fine. But the love triangle was so uninspired. So felt like I've seen this kind of thing a hundred times before. It was so terrible that they needed to waste their time on it. Why? What did any of these characters do to deserve it? It's like, the show, every time it diverged from interesting sci-fi concepts and attempted human drama just kind of failed. And it's sad.

Jennifer -- I... still have so many questions. How did the anti-marigold stuff get into her in the first place? Why was she in a squid? Just... what??

Regi and his Wife -- They've always been so vague about them. I wish they had explained just a little bit more. Just have a little more context and I think it would have gone a long way. The characters just didn't ask enough questions of them, and the story felt thin and unrealized as a result.

Okay... The ending...

When you get to the point in your story where you're CGI'ing a giant shit monster, don't you think it's time you're probably done, done? Like if you are doing this creatively? You've run out of ideas and you're just scrapping the bottom of the barrel. It's just... kind of sad. Everything about it is sad.

As for being erased, I don't actually hate the concept, but man do I hate the execution.

There was a way that could have been incredibly narratively satisfying. You erase them, and then go back to the beginning, and the kids get to live and grow up on their own. Then for the last sequence (loved that they brought I think I'm alone now) you have seven strangers pass each other in the park not knowing each other. And that would have been fantastic, you know? A way for the characters to live on and still uphold the ending.

But what we got? It just felt... so muddled? Like -- how is Claire's kid alive when she never existed? Same with Diego and Lila's kids? I don't understand it!! And the cameos were cute -- but why not bring back everyone? I just don't think it makes a whole lot of sense the way it plays out.

The entire season needed a rewrite, better editing, stronger character focus, and it would have been brilliant. Because the ideas are there. The concepts of this season are great. But maybe they ran out of time? Maybe Netflix switched things on them last second? Or maybe the powers that be aren't that great at their jobs?

Idk, idk. I don't blame the actors (or the crew) they did what they could to salvage the messy, messy script choices.

But I think what makes me the saddest is that it's such a botched ending, this show, that really was so good in the beginning, will end up being forgotten by time because of its ending. In ten years, people will probably forget this show ever existed because we've all moved on not wanting to go back to it.

What a disappointment.

[ars-matron]

The Tarot Sequence Reread

Nothing has given me brain rot in a long while like the Tarot Sequence by K D Edwards has. And since I just finished reading all the supplemental stuff right when my hold for The Last Sun came back up I thought I would do something I have only done once before-and in a much less flattering way for a book I hated-and live blog my reread.

There's just so much in this series I need to pay closer attention to. And usually I would go on here and read some metas, but there is literally nothing!! The only things in the tags for this series is people wishing there were more people reading it, a handful of very wonderful fanarts, and an account of the decline of a discord that evidently used to exist for it. So, maybe this will encourage some people to read the books too.

Because there are some heavy topics in this series anytime I talk about such topics I will tag for them, but if they don't come up in the chapters I'm reviewing, I won't. So if you have certain things back listed you might not see all my posts on it. Anyone who is reading along and is curious about it can DM me.

NOW! Predictions and things I want to pay attention to under the cut for spoiler reasons.

The Tower. At the end of the prologue of the first book my thoughts were, " So we trust NO ONE!!" Except Queenie, because why would Rune and Brand live with her if she was evil? Then the children showed up and I had to trust them, they were too young to be part of the, whole thing, plus they are so cute. You have to trust them. And then Addam came along, and of course we trust him, he's an Addam, he's a giant dancing teddy bear and I love him! So I read the whole series (that's out so far) expecting we would find out the Tower was an evil guy, that he had had something to do with the fall of the Sun Throne. Honestly by the end of the third book I didn't think that any longer, and I was starting to before that after finding out he was also Qunn's godfather because!!! There is no way Qunn wouldn't have seen if the Tower revealed he had been a part of all that. (I'm still asking myself HOW exactly he or Mayan wouldn't have noticed an astral projection listening device being installed in Rune's room at their freaking tower that is super locked down! But then it happened for two other locations that were supposed to be super warded and protected my other companions too. So maybe it isn't his fault. I do think he might blame himself, I do think that some of his stand-offishness might also be guilt for not being able to stop the attack on the Sun Throne to start with. We will see...) I'm going to go into this read through with the assumption he is just lonely and sad and not a bad guy.

QUEENIE!!!! Because, WHO THE FUCK IS QUEENIE!? I was already suspicious because every time someone asks Rune and Brand where she came from, or how long she's been with them, they say "She's been with us forever." Every time! It reeks of mind fuckery. Then Eidolon and the epilogue that wasn't came along. Current theory is that she is the Empress, and also that she's probably Rune's mother. I would be willing to bet she was the woman at the end of the third book who spoke up to the river after everyone else. Edwards did a good job of making her disappear in the background, but I'm gonna be hunting for every mention of her and how she acts around everyone.

Ciaran, just because I love him and at first also suspected him of evil deeds. But he's just your gay vodka uncle and he loves all his adopted family so much and I just want to keep a closer on him at the start of the series.

Kellum. We only see him once in the second book, but he's mentioned in Eidolon by the Fool (Or Queenie pretending to be the Fool, again I'm not sure, there's Queenie interference for sure) And he was in one of the supplemental novellas. I think he will be making a bigger appearance in the next book.

Quinn's prophecies. I'll probably make a list of those for a separate master post.

Tallas. The Atlantean soul mates. This is a MAJOR spoiler. Rune says that Brand and he formed a talla bond the night of the attack. That it was what brought Brand out of the geas and got them to safety. The bond was gone when he woke up in the hospital and he's spent this whole time thinking he's somehow broken their talla bond. Something definitely happened between him and Addam in the Westlands, and I don't think Addam was wrong in assuming it was the budding of a talla bond. Because something sort of bond-like is also there now after the Hourglass Throne, after he used his bond with Brand to get him and Addam back to their time. My theory here is that they might be each other tallas, all three of them. Together. We know that it doesn't have to be a sexual relationship, though I don't think Addam would mind that one bit. Everything is pointing to the three of them being tied together somehow, and my theory is mostly that, before they were together together, no one talla bond could form and take precedence over the other. Now that they are together all the time, going on missions, living together, they have more opportunities for a bond to fully form and take hold. Assuming it involves all three of them.

And with that, I'm going to go read!

[kursed-arcana]

Sailor Moon Cosmos Review

“We’re all lonely stars searching for companionship.

Each and everyone of us carries a star deep within our hearts”

Like most fans I’ve been waiting for most of my life for Sailor moon to get a proper adaptation, and like the rest of crystal, this is not it. Just like eternal, this suffers from the worst flaws of crystal, amplified by a ridiculously short run time. Again instead of prioritizing manga content we are plagued by cheap senseless fanservice and references to the past series. There are few meaningful additions to the story which honestly is a travesty considering how vague parts of the ending are even in manga form. For a franchise as popular worldwide as Sailor moon to be done such a disservice, what does that mean for the future of anime as a whole?

Let’s start with some surface level criticism. We get cheap and lazy references to the old anime like Mamo’s clothing in the airport scene, the outer guardians finally get their final attacks animated only to be done the disservice of changing them into energy balls like the the old anime and crystal did for their initial attacks, and while I was prepared to complain about the iconic transformation sequences and attack animations cutting into the shockingly short runtime, the anime actually plaid those moments on double time (praise Neo Queen Serenity, we need the runtime for everything else). However back to criticism. Instead of Sailor Venus’s love and galaxia shock being animated with the stars and galaxy beads from the manga we get the same generic stock animation. Toei has once again proved they don’t know how to handle this cash cow of a franchise beyond cheap lazy tricks to appeal to basic nostalgia. Toei I promise you, it’s worth putting in some effort. If you used your collective intelligence you’d realize you could have sold proplicas of the new attack. But hey what do I know, I mean you couldn’t even be bothered to animate that the inner guardians now have physical objects for their weapons like the outer cast. God forbid we reinstate more of the world building you scrapped in eternal. Let’s just let Toei continue to pop out proplicas mainly for the 90s version of everything.

What’s good? The nostalgia of course. That’s literally the most effort they put into this. I’ve been endlessly obsessed with the opening animations since they got added to YouTube last year and they are still flawlessly done. The new vocals are fantastic and the visuals do an excellent job of foreshadowing the plot. The best part of oppening one is the future fading away in front of Chibiusa, and opening two’s highlight is of course the Sailor Galaxia and Kakyuu moment, as well as the galaxy cauldron being shown in the beginning.

Their fantastic visuals show toei knows what fans love, and yet why did they put so little effort into adapting the content itself? It’s honestly just as fascinating as it is rage enducing. For a series as world renowned, and with a company created by Takeuchi to protect it how could things be done so lazily? It’s 2024, this fandom has survived and thrived for over 3 decades, we jump at all content and all merch. Do better Toei, we may be simps, but we want effort.

With the preamble done, let’s dive in

Questions and uncertainties have plagued the fandom since the manga ended decades ago. Do we learn more about Sailor Cosmos and her war against Chaos? No time for that. Do we learn the fates of Usagi’s family and our beloved feline friends? Thank Neo Queen Serenity yes. Do we get an additional glimpse into the future to see for certain if Chibiusa ever reunites with Helios after their promise? Lol of course not. That would be ground breaking amd meaningful and we have to save time for what was originally cheap filler tin the 90s, the Iconic transformations and stock footage attacks that were done so lazily for the movie.

At the very least between all the cuts I get to see my beloved Asanuma one last time. He may have suffered having his scenes cut in early seasons but it’s refreshing to see him one last time. For those who don’t remember him, he is Mamo’s underclassmen, a boy with a crush on Mako and one of the few civilians trusted with their secret. A true shame that like most civilian side characters he fell out of focus as the plot got heavier and thicker with supernatural threats. It was my hope this movie would resolve some of the dropped plotlines of the series like Mako x Asanuma, but alas no time for that or any reveals for the side cast. But think of how nice it would have been for Mamo to actually be shown interacting with guy friends instead of the girls the whole time. Asanuma was truly a delight and good ally for him.

Now I need to give credit where credit is due. Despite the cuts and break neck pace, it expanded on several thing people have complained about for years. Naru is shown for the first time since the infinity arc and we thankfully know she went to high-school with the girls and see her eating with Usagi, Haruka and Michirru. Honestly no notes on that. We get the Starlights putting up a fight before they die unlike the manga where they’re attacked while unconscious. Now Toei, I’m giving you praise for this, but you ruined it by not giving them and Kakyuu a proper send off at the end. They earned it, they fought hard to bring peace and deserved to receive a proper goodbye before disappearing back to their home planet.

We also get a rather awkward (yet also refreshing) scene where Usagi returns home at the end and see Shingo for the first time in years! Even better, we get confirmation her whole family and the cats survived / got revived. Now the edgy subset of the fandom can finally shut up and accept reality, cause Cosmos knows the rest of us are tired of those inane questions popping up monthly. We needed more of this, the story is designed to be expanded on in adaptations, not have content skipped. And it’s nice to see Shoujo Queen Takeuchi sensei managed to get some brief complaints people have had resolved. Now let the next reboot do better Queen, your fandom needs you!

Let’s keep the praise going, the character models are even more perfect then they were in eternal. Sailor Cosmos is especially gorgeous. And we even are treated to a new character design, we get a proper look at Sailor Chaos for the first time ever! And Takeuchi slayed it with the medusa inspiration for her. Let’s talk transformation sequences next. The starlights get underwhelming references to their old sequences, Cosmos and chibi chibi get scraps, Kakyuu faired slightly better then the starlights but nothing spectacular. Sailor Quartet? Nothing at all. Sailor moon herself though got more then one transformation. The first referenced stars, even used the locket and the second one is absolutely brilliant. It’s full of references to past 90s ones. My favorite part by far is the feathers making her skirt like the S transformation with the heart. But guess who finally got the solid gold treatment transformation wise? My girl Chibiusa. It’s flawless. Cute and feminine and 100% her. We even get a new adorable emblem (Maybe locket). A+ work. 100% makes up for her only having a short one in the 90s (with the exception of the movie), a horrible one in crystal 2 and 3z and the same joined sequence in eternal as supers. This was worth the wait, too bad Saturn didn’t get that effort for her transformation in eternal. We waited 30 years and got scraps with that one.

Now the songs are on point. I praise the new oppening and endings elsewhere, but the new version of the 3 lights song (search for your love) is also excellent. And what’s more, we get the adorable marriage song to close the series, and a phenomenal new piece in moon flower. A beautiful song written as if Sailor moon is singing it to chibi chibi. It captured the theme of the movie and conveys it beautifully.

At its core, this story arc is about stripping away everything that gives Usagi her strength and seeing what happens when she is forced into an unthinkable despair. Her love, friends, family, her child and the promised future our all mercilessly destroyed in front of her eyes. But what is on the other side of despair? For Usagi, it’s still hope and compassion. She does not give into despair, she rises above her losses and overcomes her pain, showing mercy to her enemies and accepting that her actions may not be the best path forward for the world, but having faith that she can overcome any obstacle. Sailor Cosmos, her future self, the guardian who failed to stop chaos and lost hope, even has her passion reignited, she takes Usagi’s strength and accepts that she wasn’t wrong to make the choice she did. With this newfound resolve, she decides to continue her never ending war against Chaos, no matter the pain it brings her.

I think it’s important to point out that Cosmos and Chaos are the 2 states of the universe in Greek mythology. Chaos is the absence of life in the universe, a state of void and indistinguishable matter, while Cosmos is the presence of order in the universe or the universe itself. While Sailor Galaxia strived to be the strongest sailor in the Galaxy these two primordial forces of good and evil are the real deal. I encourage casual fans to look up various names you may not recognize so you can truly appreciate the lore. Some members of the Shadow Galactic Empire are also references to the mythologies that helped inspire this beloved series.

Lets talk about the end. We see a beautiful moment in time, the wedding day for Usagi and Mamo, as well as the day that Chibiusa is conceived. We end with her gaining everything she desired and close on this bittersweet ending with a closing monologue by Mamo. His words hang over visuals of their past and present meetings, as well as their future together. A truly flawless moment thatreally hammers home that this is the end while also setting up Sailor Moon’s future as Sailor Comos. Mamo can see visions of the future, his closing monologue about her living on beyond everyone else’s lifespan is a fact that we see with Sailor Cosmos.” Sailor Moon you will without a doubt live on forever. You are the most beautiful star and you will shine brightly until the end of time.” A bittersweet prophecy to close our beloved series.

10/10 would still recommend. When you wait most of your life to see some of your favorite moments on screen, you’re sadly forced to take what you can get and enjoy the ride despite the faults. I still recommend this train wreck of a movie to any Sailor moon fan who treasures the manga’s impeccable and breathtaking story, and for those who have never read it, please no the content is far superior in manga form. The story still moves at a fast pace. But it’s slow as hell compared to the movies. The characters, dialogue and world building is phenomenal in manga form, you can get so much out of each panel and it’s a shame that once again, instead of expanding on the fantastic lore, we’re plagued with an adaptation the cuts content. Each chapter of the manga is packed with dialogue and content because it was designed to move rapidly, so the anime which was always just a short ways behind, would have a lot to work with. I encourage you all to imagine what we could have had if crystal and the movies that followed were given adequate runtime, to not only fully adapt the content of each chapter, but expand on it in meaningful ways. While the first season of crystal did toy with this idea, it didn’t implement it well and wasn’t given enough runtime to do it without cuts and several meandering questionable changes. It’s a shame instead of improving from there we just got worse, cutting just as much content and barely adding scraps, even in the grand finale.

Hopefully in the future we are given a truly excellent reboot of the main series that doesn’t start off as a cheap cash grab and end as a decent yet disappointing adaptation overall. However in the meantime, I’ll settle for an adaptation of the iconic Prequel that started it all Codename Sailor V, or even a season adapting the collection of side stories. Get on it Toei, you know you want more of our money.

Stray notes for those who want more

The body horror is censored as expected. So the deaths are less impactful

Sadly Chibi Moon and the Sailor quartet get minimal screen time just like in the manga. While their 2 iconic attacks are shown, they’re done in a minimalistic way with very little fanfare. They are cute like the girls but should have been so much more considering these are their joint attacks and they only ones we will see from them. Like at least make pink ladies freezing kiss pink. Amazoness arrow was actually really cute and really them though.

Sailor Lethe and Sailor Mnemosyne get a slightly more detailed flashback where we see their plants fully.

Honestly it fills me with rage that eternal movies were such a mediocre adaptation of my favorite arc. The dream arc solves many of the complaints people had about the manga, by expanding the lore around the guardians and highlighting each of them and their pasts. It’s truly a beautiful arc that sets up Cosmos, and despite taking years for it to release, it didn’t receive half the effort that Cosmos received. Cosmos proves that they could have done a beautiful job with eternal despite its ridiculously short runtime and cut content. While Cosmos had slightly more chapters to adapt, it feels like significantly less content was cutz plus it had some brief additions.

One more eternal complaint. They skipped the full backstories of the castles in eternal, but they get one line here by Pluto explaining their origin as gifts from Queen Serenity. It may be included at last, but that doesn’t make them skipping them or the power guardians explanation in eternal less infuriating.

As an English dub watcher, got to point out that they couldn’t even be bother to get Asanuma’s original va back for this. Always nice when they put no effort into consistency. To further illustrate just how lazy some casting choices continue to be even here at the end, They have Amalee play heavy metal Papillion, most likely for the sole reason that her vtuber persona is butterfly themed. If that’s all it takes. To get a role these days then I don’t even know what to say. But good for her.

And with that I’m done. If you want more sassy complaints or praise, feel free to send me a message. I love talking Sailor Moon.

And remember, Sailor moon says "the Moonlight is a messenger of love"

[eriexplosion]

Entering season 2 with Spoils of War!

Honestly I think this is one of the best season openings I've ever seen. The setting is perfect for showing off their animation chops and the upgrade between seasons, bringing everyone into sight with Echo falling flat on their face is hilarious, and it leads into a fun high energy sequence that lets us see the time gap between seasons and just how much Omega in particular has grown. While also introducing us to why everyone is so tired because god are ALL THEIR JOBS LIKE THIS?

Cannot overstate how funny Echo face planting is.

Fucking. Splat.

We went over the plan FIVE TIMES.

Tech turning the ship too sharply and throwing Omega out of it like what did you expect you knew she was out there

Baby girl has gotten SOOOO GOOD WITH HER BOW. I'M PROUD OF HER.

WHY IS OMEGA HANGING OFF THE SHIP?????? Hunter is SO TIRED. He is going to have a fucking heart attack at any moment and he sounds so much more tired than last season already.

"Better late than dead, I always say." Truly I would have done anything this woman said from this point on. Phee is so unspeakably gorgeous and this is still the best line to possibly have Tech come back on, just SAYING.

The faces Wrecker and Omega make at each other on 'this one's too big, this one's too small' are amazing

THIS ONE'S GOT A FACE TATTOO just roasting Hunter with NO provocation, going straight for the giant tattoo on his face. Reasonable, frankly, it's not great for going undercover.

"GOT A NAME BROWN EYES~" I love her.

Wrecker stuttering out 'Yes ma'am' is exactly how I would be around Phee, huge mood.

Echo is the only one besides Tech that she doesn't roast, clear acknowledgement of the fact that Echo is perfect.

Cid leading a mutiny when Hunter doesn't like the war chest plan is fantastic honestly. "We took a vote" and Wrecker can barely even look at him. Sorry Hunter this team has been turned into a democracy you're being overruled. Even Killjoy agreed. Can't tell if Echo is horrified by the name or that they got ratted out.

Cid giving this job is interesting, because the obvious reason is that she wants the money too, but what she tells them is true and comes into play at the end. Eventually the Empire will come out here. If they had succeeded here, they might have split from her completely amicably which is probably what she preferred.

"You can have a future. Isn't that what you're after?" and Hunter looks at Omega I'm WAILING.

Echo has probably rehearsed this speech SEVERAL times. And while neither of them are entirely right (Hunter is right to want to protect Omega, but he's wrong to think that getting away from the Empire is even possible in the circumstances, Echo is right to want to fight the Empire but that doesn't mean they need to throw themselves right into the battle with everything they have) I think that ultimately Echo's POV is the more realistic. And what we've seen in other Star Wars media, and has also been set up in TBB before, is that it doesn't matter what Omega deserves, the world they're in doesn't allow kids to be kids. I'm thinking of Cham in season one saying that he doesn't want Hera to live her whole life fighting like he's had to, where we know damn well that it's exactly what happens - it might not be what they WANT for their kids, but sometimes it's the realities of life. They can't just walk away from that, no matter how much they might want to, not just because of a moral imperative to stand up to the Empire but also because it's just not possible.

Anyway I'm emotional as always over the fact that all Hunter wants is to let Omega have a childhood and that's one thing that I think she will not be able to have.

"Our lives are like this because of Omega" OW OW OW OW Echo WHY did you have to say that her room is RIGHT there.

"We. Should be doing. More." GOD BUT THEY'RE NOT WRONG, THEY'RE NOT, JUST UGH. THIS HURTS.

Omega in her little room with Lula thinking about what she just overheard I'm destroyed.

One of the reasons that the theories that Hunter will die to save the team don't quite work for me is, like Tech, we already know Hunter would die for them. Right here his plan is that if anything bad happens he'll divert their forces entirely by himself, sure he has plans to do that and make it out alive but if he doesn't? He's fine with that, if it gets them out safe. Him sacrificing himself for them isn't any kind of character arc because we're already starting from a point where he'd do that without a second's thought.

Wrecker smoothly scooping Omega into the cargo crate is such an adorable moment.

Even through his helmet the power of Tech's >:T at Wrecker for stunning a guy is powerful enough to be felt.

Shout out to Hunter's gratuitous roll

"How could all of this belong to one person?" that's capitalism Omega

Somehow never noticed Wrecker calling Hunter 'Boss' before oh my god that's adorable.

"Are you sure this hatch will lead into the ship?" "If I am incorrect, we will instantly be sucked out and perish. I am seldom wrong!" I love him, he's so chirpy about it.

"Congratulate yourself after we escape" NO NEVER HE WILL CONGRATULATE HIMSELF RIGHT NOW

The inside of Dooku's palace is soooo gorgeous

Listen if the cargo containers can have thrusters to slow down their descent, I think that the tram cars could have them too, just saying.

"You are correct, I am impressed!" is so cuteeee oh my god.

THE MOST FACE.

God I am cry at Hunter being too boggled to understand how to operate a lift. TECH USUALLY DOES THIS baby it is a TOUCH SCREEN it cannot be that hard what do you mean Tech usually does?

He's so fucking stupid I adore him.

THE S C R E A M

[maester-of-spreadsheets]

Tagged by @vonlipvig and it's come around at a great time because I've actually been finishing media lately. Imagine that.

Last song/piece I listened to: Chor Bazari from Love Aaj Kal. AZAD HOON MAIN TUJHSE! AZAD HAI TU MUJHSE! wait i just noticed that the lyrics are saying "now i'm free from you, now you're free from me" but it's using the most informal 'you.' Which kinda implies they still have a degree of emotional intimacy despite being exes. Despite the whole song being about how they're exes who are handling this reunion super maturely even if they're bemused by it all lol. Interesting.

(also Deepika was still in her awkward rookie actress phase here but I can see the glimmers of the kind of stuff that would go on to make her really good at more naturalistic roles.)

(great now I want to rewatch it even though I remember it being the platonic ideal of a timepass hahah. If only to rewatch the sequence where early on they have a 'we're breaking up!' party because they dont want to do long distance and then later on she calls him from the airport and they have this lighthearted conversation talking about their gripes with one another that they never mentioned in the relationship in order to keep the peace.)

Last book I read: Diavola by Jennifer Thorne. Horror novel about the bisexual disaster black sheep of a family going to a family reunion in Italy and... oops [cocks gun] villa's haunted.

On one hand is it kind of a mess with weird pacing and some dropped plot threads and it has multiple themes that don't quite congeal? Yes.

On the other hand, did it FUCK MAJORLY?? Yep!! Probably my favorite book I've read this year so far. So cathartic.

Last film I watched: Piku, solely to look at several actors' faces and it delivered on that front.

Last TV series: I don't... know? I think it might have been that documentary series about Nickelodeon. And I'm glad survivors got to tell their stories, but like a lot of recent true crime documentaries about systemic crimes I felt like it didn't go deep enough. For every Dan Schneider, there are quite a few people above people him in the corporate ladder who have to sign off on their abuses. But that's all very bleak so let's move on. (Also it turned out I am still not far away enough from The Old Job to really be able to deal with this content.)

Last video game: Pentiment! I was playing a "choose the rudest option" round and was shocked every character hated me.

Last thing I googled: Diavola to remind myself of the author's name.

Last thing I ate: Pasta and broccoli.

Sweet, savory, or spicy: Spicy.

Amount of sleep: As usual I genuinely don't know how much was actual sleep and how much was lying around half awake.

Currently reading: Uhhhh so many things. My Lent resolution to only read things I own and/or have started didn't go too well (but better than I had been before because I actually finished some things.) I'm probably going to try and make an effort to return Emily Wilson's Iliad translation and/or the biography on J. Dilla.

Currently watching: Uhhh does watching the Murder on the Orient Express play all the way through every other night count?

Tagging @onetrueharem @ponydeathisland @amarguerite @invaders-forever @sickfreaksirkay aaaand honestly everyone who wants to do. And doesn't want to YOU LOT ESPECIALLY

[bellybiologist]

September 2024 Patreon Announcements

September rolls around (again)! This month is notable because it's been a bit more than a year since I started streaming again. Time keeps on flying, for better and worse. :V

After the usual announcements, I can go into more detail about How Things Are Going at the end for those who are interested!

=====

September's Poll will be up Shortly! The winning theme is "Crop Tops," and I will go into detail on the poll post.

The Next Sequence has been Decided. It is a David (from Lilo and Stitch) Stuffing sequence! I will attempt to find time to at least start it this month.

Commissions are still Open! Comms are still a bulk of my monthly income, so i'm still accepting submissions, even if you're already on the list! I understand the wait time is long, but all commissioners are free to add to, adjust, or change orders they've already made at any time! Just contact me to discuss it. A new Reward Request Post will be going up! Patrons are free to leave one in there even if you already have one from last month's! July's requests will have expired though! So if those haven't been drawn, you will need to re-suggest them. August's will expire when October rolls around. See this document to see whats on the list, what expired, and what has been done!

===== As always, thanks for the support!

Those are the normal announcements! The following is not particularly important and more just info on how things are going.

=====

I've managed to get all the appliances that needed replacing replaced, (ie. the fridge), but I still got a few months left on the bigger dental bills. The final payments for those are in november, after which, I can focus on paying off the credit card bills that have been piling up, and possibly to have some savings at some point. Others will be done in January, so it'll be a good while before I'm free from those. :V

All patreon fills were made free back in May, and I'm pleased that decision didn't reduce patreon income by a huge amount (roughly 100 bucks monthly, which was in reasonable expectations). It's much easier on me, having a less strict deadline, while giving me less to do in regards to making pieces available and whatnot.

I'm enjoying streaming, and really appreciate those who are keeping me company. Ya'll have been great support~, which has been great at keeping me working more consistently.  As for commissions progress... I'm roughly halfway down the list! Which, honestly, is not saying a whole lot when the list must get longer every month by necessity. We're getting close to passing the 1 year waiting time for some people, which im very sorry for, but I'm still doing my best to keep a steady pace! I'm shooting for 3-4 commissions completed a month. Thanks to everyone whose been patient and supportive.

That said, my aunt is still job hunting. We're hoping she'll have meaningful employment by this month. Not 100% sure about how this month will go, but i guess we'll have to see! I'll have to pick up more slack if things dont go our way. Still no news from the landlord, so im just assuming they are satisfied with our work so far with the apartment.

And that's about it! Thanks for reading if you did!

[rebelwriter99]

Did I anticipate making a post after every episode of the Bad Batch I have watched thus far? No. No I did not.

Was that 25-30mins of my life such a quietly understated emotional rollercoaster that I am literally reeling enough to write this post a good 9hrs after I watched it? Yes. Yes it was.

I was impressed that this time they let Crosshair carry an episode on his own. Season 1 had ‘fun death defying adventure of the week’ energy mixed in with ‘harsh realities of colonialist imperial takeover’ and the tonal shift could be a bit jarring. Honestly, I think it was intentionally so. Crosshairs actions need a foil for context really and in season 1 the only established comparison characters were the batch so it made sense. Sometimes though I wished I could just sit with each set of characters for some extra minutes.

But this time-they went for it. And it was stunning. Contrasting Crosshair, who wants to lead, with Cody, who has vast amounts of experience leading a sizeable chunk of the army, was fantastic. Especially with Cody still mostly in white, with his signature self still evident even if it’s faded, to Crosshair, who is now a black blank slate until he takes off his helmet. For goodness sake the marks around their eyes are even on opposite sides. One carved by war, the other painted by choice. They also have an interesting difference in perspective set up right from the get go.

The two conversations in front of the memorial are to me, Cody feeling Crosshair out, and then having made his mind up. Cody, in my mind, has already decided he’s leaving. I think he’s trying to decide if he should ask Crosshair to come with him or not, and that’s why after he knows Crosshair doesn’t need medical care anymore (he was abandoned for a month?!) he quite rightly assumes he might not fancy being an imperial for much longer. At some point in the conversation, Cody is facing the light of the memorial, and Crosshairs face is in shadow. You know-just in case that light and dark symbolism hasn’t caught onto its job yet. I’m in heaven.

And then the action sequences. God but this whole thing was a punch in the gut. Instinctively you’re rooting for the clones against the droids. Because of course we are! We know the drill! And so do the clones-it was admittedly very very wonderful to just be able to enjoy clones being spectacular for 10minutes. It was like a clone wars run down-even the classic the gunship lasted 5mins cliche was well utilised. We’ve seen this scene a thousand times-and it was so old and so very very new. We’ve never really seen a group of regs operate without a Jedi against droids in a sequence this long before which was really evident when driodika show up and you just about have a heart attack instead of thinking ‘eh they’ll be scrap in a minute’. And Crosshair being fantastically impossible was breathtaking-and then you suddenly couldn’t breathe.

The whole time I had to remind myself ‘no this is the Empire now! They can’t succeed. Otherwise what will happen to all these poor people?’ And then the power of the clone army being trusted by the galaxy to protect everyone becomes evident. If I’m used to seeing these images and thinking ‘go clones! Save the galaxy!’ then how many billions of people on hundreds of worlds would do the same seeing it on galactic news with a bit of imperial spin? The whole sequence just leaves you feeling vaguely ill. You’re desperate for the Clones you care about to survive-but if they do? What will happen to so many others?

Cody was always going to be my favourite when he appeared-because I am an older sibling and he just has that energy so he’s always been my favourite. Whoever wrote him in this episode-I take my hat off to them. Because him and Crosshair are almost indistinguishable when they interact with droids (classic clone-scrap them in spectacular fashion). As soon as you throw an organic in the mix-he’s so himself. And you could see the different experiences of Cody, whose lost a lot of brothers and dives after the injured with little thought to his own safety, and Crosshair, who we know has never lost any of his squad in the most permanent sense of the word. Them and the civilians just took me right back to Ryloth-you can almost see Cody waiting for them to be relieved, to look to him for safety, but instead they’re terrified of him and it doesn’t sit well.

And he NEGOTIATED.

Writers I love you. I love that he succeeded. And I love that he refused to go back on his word. And I love that he left before the consequences of that refusal inevitably catch up with him. (He’s his Jedi’s Commander force bless you sunshine you tried Obi-Wan would be so proud of you.)*

We see the TK troopers becoming an occupying force through Cody’s eyes. To him the TK troopers could be replaced with droids and he’s seen that picture a hundred times before. And instead of arriving on a gunship to fix it, he’s walking onto one to be taken away having enabled it. “It Rhymes” and all. He knows this isn’t his place anymore. He knows he has brothers out there who believe the same as he does. A good number will probably follow after him.

But another memorial scene. And he knows Crosshair won’t be one of them-at least not yet.

I really really hope that we get a finally moment with Crosshair though. That he will be ordered to do something, and it will be a line he won’t cross. And then he will need out. Hopefully. Maybe. I’ll keep my toes crossed.

Also please may we see Cody at least once more. Preferably not dead or imprisoned. Just so we know he’s fine? Please?

* (actually coming back to this 5mins later there must be an “Anakin” *cue deep sigh* moment other than the mandalore arc where this scene actually plays out. Obi-Wan refuses to kill but Anakin does because orders vs Obi-Wan’s preference for diplomacy)

[please forgive the stream of consciousness abuse-this had to go somewhere! And Tumblr is where fandom ramblings tend to land 😅]

[transsexualhamlet]

I’ve never been part of an ask game before and cannot currently remember what any I’ve seen looked like — probably because that information would be useful rn, do I just type the emojis out like this? Can I do multiple? Idk, but uh — thank you for this, I like your questions they’re really nice, and also here

💔👁️🏛️👋

Thank you again, sorry if I’m doing it wrong, or if this was for a specific group of people and I missed that (I’m just gonna stop typing now, bye ^^ thanks again)

No worries at all! Ask games are for anyone who wants to participate. If you want to receive asks about these as well as asking them, all you have to do is reblog the post so people know you're interested.

tma ask game !!

💔- I have already answered this one, but my answer as to which fear would create the most datable avatars I would say either the vast or the buried, depending on if you prefer heights or small spaces. They don't have any traits that would immediately make them immediately unbearable and I sort of see the romance in both. Maybe I am a little bonkers but yk...

👋- What characters that don't meet in canon would you like to see interact?

Obviously Jon and Gerry did technically meet, but not while Gerry was alive. I've seen people say this before of course but it's such a shame, I think they could have been a really good really supportive duo for each other.

In seriousness though, Alice and Tim. This is the answer for me, because the problem is neither Tim nor Alice have anyone in the office that can match their freak to the slightest. My god they would have gotten on so well. They would have been insufferably catty besties, why do they have to live in different universes...

🏛️- How do you think you would fare as the Archivist?

I honestly think I'm more qualified for the position than Jon, at least I have job, volunteer, and college experience with libraries and archival. However the problem is that it has very little bearing on the actual job because your actual job is trying not to die hardcore all the time.

I think I would make... similar decisions to Jon for the most part, other than not being as much of an asshole to Martin. Jon's not much less of a wimp than me, so at least I wouldn't do *worse* physically. However because of the fact that I am largely tiny and powerless, I would... hesitate a lot less to take on avatarhood, because to me the moral quandry just goes out the window when the other option is "people are trying to kill me and everyone else painfully". So what if I get a little nosy. Admittedly I would also think it's cool as fuck.

👁️- Do you have any experiences you'd like to make a statement about?

I've had several low-key encounters that have baffled me over time, and if I had to place them into TMA categories most of them would have been spiral aligned, but the one that comes to mind first is... weird?

This was back last year, either during Thanksgiving or Winter break, I was out on a walk in the woods with my brother on a vacation up north and we kept hearing these extremely faint repeating strings of circus like music. I know, I know, however this occured before I had listened to TMA or had any associations with circus music. Looking back on it, though, if I had to correlate it, it felt almost more in tune with music related to the slaughter than the stranger. But so at first, only I could hear it and my brother was like... you're crazy, and then it sort of trickled away after a little bit and I was like yeah I must have just imagined it because we were in the MIDDLE of the WOODS. But then it came back again and it was the exact same like, four measure sequence but slightly different? That time my brother did hear it, but it disappeared again. We continued to walk quite a ways thru the woods on the path we had already planned on going, and we forgot about it for a while, but eventually it came back, no easier or harder to hear despite the fact that we were quite far away from where we had originally heard it. It came back a couple more times, always just slightly fucking Wrong in a really weird way, never exactly the same but never part of any like, real conceivable song, just a string of notes that most definitely came from instruments and not natural phenomena, and as soon as we left the woods we didn't hear it again. The only thing we could think it might have been was like, the college band practicing, since we were like... kind of closeish to a state school campus, but it was during a holiday when college was most definitely not in session, and the only part of campus we were even remotely close to was the science and medical sector which would obviously not have a band practicing, not to mention outside and loud enough to be heard a mile away. Even if for some reason there was a band practicing there, there were unreasonably long periods of silence in between the repeating music (I know how band practices go, they don't sound like that) and neither does it explain why the music couldn't be tracked to any location and sounded the same nearly a mile apart.

Not terribly *frightening*, really, especially since I was not alone and it was like, 4 PM, so it wouldn't make very good Archivist food, but certainly something that I keep thinking about.

Thank you for asking again!!

[safekeeperscosm]

sooo.. erhm.. the monkey king yeah? haahahhaaahaahh...

this movie is so cringe. it's a typical plot with a ""twist"" """villain""" that's very fast paced

AND I LOVE IT.

not how the way the movie progresses exactly but what's in it!! I could do without a couple songs, some dialogue & scene choices, but for every 5th eyeroll I laughed out loud. it's absurd.

there's a sick af 2D sequence that goes on longer than you'd think and it completely blew my mind. that made the whole movie for me idc it was the best thing ever

I was especially really surprised with the way they handled trying to cope with crippling loneliness and even gave monkey self awareness for his situation???? that was refreshing it stunned me. and the last scene with original character girl child lin while I don't think was really earned, did touch/break my heart so good job movie

the final scene was also so hyped it has such a perfect setup for a sequel series show that I can only dream it to be in 2D but man it's been 9 months oh god I've been obsessed with this for that long.............

I am embarrassed that this finally got me into jttw (as it Was there growing up I just didn't care too much, not even kfp got me close) and I appreciate the movie more for what it is and how they adapted it. I was really questioning the fact that monkey was progressively getting.. not Evil but definitely questionable, and the way monkey gets defeated I just knew it was straight from the book cause that was so classic storytelling but I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PISSING ON BUDDHA'S MIDDLE FINGER THING that was awesome

which reminds me, not a single fart joke which is a W the bar is that low

dragon king honestly stole the show but I just really enjoyed everyone from the one-off demons to the immortal ones, they have such gorgeous designs!!

I want to give stick his own post cause the fact that he has a personality and PRONOUNS baffled me. I love him. he wants to play the guitar...

okay I think that's everything I'll just add to this later if I do think of something!!!!!!!!

[storm-driver]

if i may ask. thoughts on the trollhunters movie

how did they do voltron a second time

under the cut for spoiler discussion

I don't think it's the worst "finale" we could've gotten, but it's verily lackluster, considering how great the ending for og Trollhunters was.

I think the worst part is arguably the 'Unbecoming' part during the last 10 minutes, especially since Jim had finally gotten his amulet back and was REALLY ready to throw down again, just like the good old days.

The original series already showed us that Jim not being the Trollhunter wasn't destiny, so it sorta feels like a kick in the teeth for Jim to casually pass it on to Toby. I would want to think the implication is that Jim is going to bear the burden of knowing there was a worse outcome in the other timeline. But that still feels just as bad.

The idea is that the ENTIRE journey we all just went on was null and void. Did it happen? Yes, because Jim remembers by the end and he's going to use that knowledge to make this second shot better. But it feels so cheap at the end of the day.

It was like they wanted to write a little more tragedy into the show, but knew that they needed to give it a big send-off that would leave fans with some decent closure. Unfortunately, the closure comes in the form of having to accept that the massive journey you just went on has been forgotten.

Now, if this had branched into some mega version of "Unbecoming," where Jim has to face the consequences of his actions, I don't think that'd be a bad idea. But it ain't where the series ended, and thus, I don't like to consider the movie when I think about the series as a whole.

Besides the ending, I don't think the whole movie was bad. I thought the opening sequence with tryna get Nari to safety was cool and beautifully animated. There were a few scenes throughout the whole movie that I thought were fuckin dope, like the scene where Jim gets the amulet back while he's gonna fight Belroc. That whole sequence was very hype and it honestly felt earned.

The animation quality for the movie as a whole is immaculate. Nothing looks out of place as far as the original series goes, it just looks like they got a higher budget for the movie and told the animation team to go nuts. Again, it's gorgeous and I'm glad I watched it for the animation alone.

I have always had my faves and dislikes in the voice cast of ToA. Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten past the loss of Anton Yelchin for Jim. His new VA does a splendid job in his memory, but part of why I loved Jim so much in the original series was that passion from the late Anton. Of course, that's nothing that can be fixed. I have no issue with Jim's voice as it is, I just mourn what we've lost. Everyone else in the main cast does a great job, and I have a soft spot for Douxie especially. He was a beautiful addition to the franchise as a whole.

Besides that, I wouldn't want to rag on the movie fulltime besides saying the Steve and Aja sideplot was someone's disguised fetish, so I'm not commenting on that at all. I also thought Aja and Krel's presence in the movie was very weak, considering how fun a sideseries 3Below had been. The Varvatos mech was cool, even if it was just another Pacific Rim. Wish they'd been in the movie more as leading protags.

I'll write down one last thing: I thought the ending of Wizards ended kinda weak, considering how long it'd been since we saw Troll-Jim, and I personally would've loved to see more of that version of him before it got swept away in plot resolution. So not getting to see that side of him for the movie felt like a semi-loss. I don't mind that he got saved. Just that it was too soon and we could've seen more of that troll-ish side like we saw in the original series.

Overall opinion? Very poor quality close to the whole franchise. Not a terrible movie as a standalone. Good animation, bad writing choices. I don't personally think of it as canon, or accept it as a proper ending.

I can't think of much else to say, but if you wanted my opinion on anything I didn't say here, totally okay to respond or reblog with further discussion! The series as a whole means a lot to me and I enjoy talking about it, even if we do a little nitpicking.