#honestly? been thinking about this scene since i watched this episode lmao

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 18: Mike's Bedroom Scene . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Everyone knows this scene, everyone here LOVES this scene (or they better love it). It's so ripe for analysis in every single way, not even just for byler, but for things that happen later on in the season. I think shots like this are extremely thought out. They chose a wide angle shot to show you Mike's bedroom for a reason. They also showed you this bedroom right after seeing El's, to show the contrast between their two lives and how they view each other.

I've already talked about this contrast between their two rooms and the fact that Mike has nothing from El in his room in this post.

1. Rainbow Letter + Closet

I want to talk about something else before the glaringly obvious queer coding first: and that is the fact that El has her own stationary specific for writing Mike's notes, while it is canon that Mike just writes his letters to El on some scrap pieces of paper, showing the unequal amounts they are putting into their relationship:

Anyways, back to El's letter to Mike having literal rainbows on it. For El, this is some clear foreshadowing for her being in the rainbow room, and we can all agree on that right?

So if we can agree on that, then I think we should agree that it could also be true this is queer coding for Mike. It's the first thing you see in this scene, even before you see a shot of Mike himself. Also the fact that the next shot of the scene is Mike next to the open closet with the light on, kind of implies or foreshadows his story being tied to queerness for the rest of the season.

Having the light on in the closet is also to draw your attention toward it. I've talked before about how often in film it is to use light to mean truth, meaning this would imply that being in the closet is the truth that Mike is hiding, since a lot of this scene is taken up by the fact El's lying to him. So what does he have to hide? The set designers utilise light in this scene very carefully, which I will touch on in the later sections <3

2. Posters

This is such a famous piece of evidence that I feel like I don't really need to say anything here lmaooo, like we can see in multiple different shots that instead of having posters of literally anything else on his walls, he has posters of men. Specifically buff men (or a dragon if u wanna be pedantic guys).

This seems so on the nose that it has to be queer coding, just like the scene where Mike goes to the wrestling gym while on his search for a DND replacement for Lucas, and stuff like this has been used on many different queer coded characaters in media for a long time.

I've heard people argue that there is also a girl character in the Conan the Barbarian poster, but honestly, if you watch the film you would know why this is not a great thing to say or equate women to lmao... Basically this film does not shy away from the fact that men in this time period treated women like property so I'd be careful saying that.

If you want to go past talking about the fact this CtB poster is just a poster of a buff man, I'd say that it could symbolise Mike's need to be normal and fit into the "male role" in society that we saw in S3. To be honest, if I saw a guy with this poster, I'd.....run, girl RUN

So anyways, not only is there one poster of a buff guy, there is another. The one on the left is a poster designed by Rick Ruhman, whose other posters can be seen in the show, like in Reefer Rick's house. Buff dragon poster you'll always be famous <3

This is two instances already of Mike being associated with buff men, um, and to be honest that should be enough, but it's funny that there are two other instances of this happening in the show. Another is literally in episode 1 of S4, where Mike goes to the wrestling gym, and another is when he mentions Superman in relation to El for some reason, rather than calling her 'Supergirl' like Argyle does 10000 times.

This is a pattern, everyone. And can be compared to the fact that other male characters who were around the same age as him have posters of women surrounding them in different scenes.

In Steve's room: he was 17

In Lucas's scene with the other basketball guys: he is same age as Mike

3. His Noticeboard

thanks to @runninguplenorahills for this very good photo haha

First of all, want to establish that the lamp is placed next to this notice board on purpose, in order to draw your attention towards it, just like his closet earlier on (and later, you shall see). So you are meant to view this notice board as having little hints on it.

And there are! Not just towards his queerness. and they are pretty much confirmed to be foreshadowing for some of the plot points in S4, so other stuff in his room could also be foreshadowing , but for his queerness too.

These Garbage Pail Kids cards clearly foreshadow some events of S4. I think Heavin Steven may have something to do with Steve literally biting the head off of a demobat, which makes sense, or it could be about him randomly pouring his heart out to Nancy in the caravan. Evil Eddie obviously foreshadows that everyone thinks Eddie is the head of an evil cult and has murdered a woman, which is what's happening in the card. Live Mike is either a reference to Eddie playing his guitar later on, or it could be a reference to Mike's monologue where there are many lightning strikes at the most interesting times... Finally, Mad Max's card shows a brain being outside someone's head, foreshadowing her mind visiting Vecna's mindscape and her being braindead by the end of the season.

Also on his notice board are:

Escape Fun City: reference to California

Pizza Sticker: foreshadowing his time in the surfer boy pizza van and the pizza place.

Will's Drawings: obviously showing that he places more care in Will's drawings than El's letters which I talk about on one of my previous posts. He also still has Will's drawings in his basement.

So how is this byler evidence? Well, I really think this proves just how much thought and care went into making Mike's room foreshadow some later plot points, because the audience can hardly see what's going on here, but it still foreshadows stuff. This leads me onto....

4. The One Way Sign ;)

This one is a classic, and if you don't know this already, then I guess you must be new here hello

I just want you guys to think for a second about the intentionality of this. And I want you to imagine people setting up his room for filming. Because it wasn't just created out of nowhere, people genuinely thought about each decision. Imagine this just being written off as a coincidence, because let's lay out some facts here:

A light has been set up in Mike's closet

That light has been pointed so that it is a beam towards Mike

The closet door has been opened for no practical reason

A one way sign has been ordered, put on the wall in this specific spot.

A one way sign does not foreshadow any other plot points in S4.

I am baffled when I talk to people and they don't think this type of stuff is intentional. It's a blink and you miss it hint, yes, but those types of hints are supposed to be subtle so that when you look back on them, they make a lot of sense.

Overall, this shot of Mike's room is the perfect introduction to his character this season and makes the most sense. There is no other way that he could have been introduced in S4, in my opinion. It's subtlety is only for people who care enough to look, but it heavily queercodes him nonetheless. Just because they're small, doesn't mean they are insignificant.

[beingfacetious]

Okay. Yeah, all right, uh... Yeah. Okay. Chefs, listen up. Let's look alive, yeah? I'm gonna plug everybody in, all right? Let's hustle. Let's listen to the sound of my voice and the sound of Richie's. We're gonna do this, yeah?

[amiizuki]

watched the pilot storyboards, albeit only 3/4 of it, and I like how the pilot made Luz seem more like an outcast eccentric weirdo, which is what she's supposed to be, rather than an ignorant asshole who is borderline terrorist

instead of her waltzing into school with dozens of spiders, snakes and fireworks, that she all planned to use INSIDE the building with a smile on her face and not a care in the world, here she instead only brings one snake to school and that's it. a snake that stays with her and her only, doesn't bite anyone, and whom she also later sets free OUTSIDE school. sure, she mentions that Azura is going to "explode out of the snake's stomach", but I heavily doubt it meant that, if the teacher hadn't stopped her, she was gonna pull out a big pack of fireworks, like the ones she had in the show, stuff them inside the snake's mouth and blow it up, especially considering she called the snake "friend" and seemed to treat it like an actual living being, instead of a book report prop, since she had a bag of food for it in her locker.

honestly they should've kept this scene in the 1st episode, at least partially.

like, the start of the episode would play out the same as in the pilot, except Amity isn't here and doesn't stand up for her, so Luz just quietly sits down at her desk in embarrassment and maybe pets the snake while looking upset or something. it then continues the same, up until she opens her locker.

(by the way, I feel like this scene would work better to show the audience that Luz is a nerd, by looking at all those things in the locker, that are usually considered as either nerdy, childish or both, rather than having Luz herself just tell us that she likes to do nerdy things)

in the pilot, that's where Amity walks by and Luz tries to talk with her, but since she wouldn't be able to be here in the actual show, instead Luz would hear an announcement from the principal that he needs her to go to his office. cut to her sitting in the office with her mom already there, and then it generally plays out the same way it did in the 1st ep – the principal says that Luz's been disrupting classes often and have been making her classmates weirded out and disturbed by her antics, which also simultaneously lead to her having no friends. no spiders in class and fireworks inside building – only her acting overly eccentric and weird, to the point where she might accidentally ignore some of the social norms, like with that book report in the pilot and the school play in the show. then the principal mentions today's geometry class that Luz interrupted and says that this was the final straw – not only because something like that happened however many times before, but also because this time she brought a live snake to class, and while it didn't bite anyone (unlike in the show, where her snakes bit MULTIPLE people, and Luz was just like "oops, guess that's where the backup snakes went haha lmao"), it was still a very dangerous thing to do. Camila would react to it in surprise and ask "Mija, where in the world did you even get a snake?" or something like that, with Luz just kinda awkwardly shrugging in response, while looking down at the floor. after that, the principal offers for her to go to a summer camp, to "get her head out of the clouds", and everything else plays out the same way it did in the actual 1st episode.

if it was like that, then, once again, it would actually make Luz look like just an eccentric nerd, who doesn't actively try to harm or disturb anyone, and just does things that she thinks are cool or fun. sure, she might come off as a bit ignorant, with her occasionally ignoring classes and social cues, but it would be just because she's too passionate about the things she likes and gets so much into them, that she might forget the real world in the process.

but uh... the 1st episode Luz isn't exactly that

letting dozens of small spiders inside class, while not giving a shit about people who are scared of those is not cool or fun.

letting however many snakes roam free and bite everyone, while, again, not giving a shit about them being bit is not cool or fun.

and, fucking hell, setting off fireworks inside the school without a second thought is NOT cool or fun

so yeah, that's all I've got

also I wish the "Why would anyone throw it away?" moment with Eda was somehow kept in the show, because it's honestly beautiful and I love it. I don't know how they'd be able to pull it off in the actual show, since Amity was never able to go to Human Realm there and thus Luz wouldn't be able to make that drawing of them, but oh well, it's good that we're able to see this scene at least in the storyboard form.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

aww yeah ep 20 GOOD

I guess I do (very casual, broadstroke) episode commentaries now, halfway through the show lmao. Spoilers below!!

Bai Jiu BETRAYAL?

Wen Xiao WANTED?

Zhuo Yichen DETECTIVE-ING?

Ying Lei BACK?

*crowd cheers*

The dots are connecting like crazy with the big bad's whole inner core crusade and also with the simultaneous demon case like I did not recognize Ao Yin as the demon Li Lun first released eight years ago but oooh do I enjoy that minor payoff.

Love the repeated use of the demonic-spell-restraining sigils now that we've been introduced to them though I wonder why the Bureau doesn't ever seem to make use of them. Maybe they don't deal with enough powerful demons to need to paint those in their own (very empty) dungeon? Or perhaps just plot convenience. (edit: someone has pointed out the Bureau indeed uses them!! I'm just blind <3)

Anyway I kind of wish in the Chongwu Camp dungeon PSJ fought a little bc she's so cool in action and their bailing was a little abrupt, but it makes sense that they'd have an immediate getaway plan. Also this is an ep 19 comment but that line Mr. 3-Face Mask delivered about PSJ being fated to always be betrayed by her little brother(s) HURT. So good.

Back to the Bureau, I do love me a good framing, and I'm also happy to get a tiny bit of the episodic demon-murder-case style back. WX was v clever to hide out in Situ Mansion, and (small detail but) I appreciate that the others catch her up on the Bai Jiu thing onscreen. As an aside, I also like that the actress for WX got to be double-casted even just briefly. Seeing some of the actors get to play around with portraying various extremes in characterization and costuming is a ton of fun.

And then yay Bai Jiu backstory at last~! It's crazy how much that blood moon fucked up everyone's lives eight years ago huh.

Everything ZYC says to him is on point (and honestly, ZYC is really quite adept at comforting others, he just sucks utter ass at it when it's his fault and he has to apologize lmaooo) but of course my favorite scene in the whole episode is as follows:

The very slight shine in the waterline, the bittersweet smile/grimace as, deliberately or not, ZYC's words indirectly echo everything about the circumstances between the two of them right now??? Whew. They did that for me specifically.

Anyway, this was a good one to chew on for me, packed with plot movement enough that I didn't feel unsatisfied with just one episode. I'm glad that so far it seems like the release schedule bears in mind what episodes should be watched in pairs for maximum effect (eps 16/17, 18/19 specifically) and which ones are okay to stand alone for the day, but I also don't want to speak too soon haha. We'll see how ep 21 fares.

Also since this is a ZYC stan account (lmao) I have some obligatory ZYC thoughts that I haven't managed to fit anywhere else. I've been meaning to comment on this for a while now and was reminded by this episode: I love the fact that ZYC actually smiles quite often. I think it's a bit surprising every time he does because he so easily fits the archetype of stoic broody action hero, but it really is just an archetype he's fit himself into, and it's never clearer than when they flash back to smiley baby!ZYC (how freely and purely he used to give those smiles away...).

On the other side of this is also how caustic and biting he can be with his words, whether sarcastically or otherwise, and how clearly his face telegraphs his emotions in general. I love that he actually emotes quite a lot and isn't cold and unaffected in the least, just pouty frowny and awkward.

The last piece to this for me is probably his age (which I very much appreciated being established super early on) and how convincingly TJR portrays him as young and inexperienced and extremely earnest. He's so sincere in everything he does that it really doesn't take much to move him, which also (imo) makes his arc less overdone.

We all know from the start what direction his development will likely go, how he'll learn he's mistaken about ZYZ and how he'll grow to have a more nuanced view of the world as he creates more bonds with others. But he's so emotional and emotionally aware that it doesn't really take much push and pull to get him there. And actually, it's not untread ground to him—he is moreso thawing, in part returning to the open-hearted nature that he had to very abruptly shutter away rather than fundamentally changing as a person. I think to me, that makes his character more compelling to watch because his cynicism about the world is perhaps the least sincere thing about him. It's entirely learned, and not by choice. Relatable.

[animeomegas]

Hey Amy! I hope you've been doing alright and recovering well ❤ I've been watching Naruto and there's this episode in part 1 where team guy and team 8 plus Naruto are given the task to guide the kids from the academy on an expedition outside of the village.

So each team member is assigned a group of three kids. Now get this, in one of the scenes, Neji is explaining to his kids how to find North since their campuses were malfunctioning and after he's done talking these babies all nod enthusiastically but wait for it! They start blushing too 😭 these little kids are smitten with Neji in 0.2 seconds. I bet they're thinking "What a competent and extremely gorgeous ninja you are." I don't even blame those babies because same. I too would fall head over heels in love with Neji within seconds.

Hello! I'm about to rip off my own arms and throw them directly into the sun, but other than that, I'm good!

Awwww, that is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!! Neji is extraordinarily pretty but unfortunately for the ninja of Konoha, he is also extremely mean. But an adult Neji is above being mean to children, so I suppose he develops an army of pint sized simps lmao

I'm just imagining them going back to school the next day to trade stories about Neji and giggle uproariously with each other. Wouldn't it be funny if they found out how the second branch of the Hyuuga are treated and decided it was a new class project to overthrow the Hyuuga clan for Neji’s honour? I imagine they would be incredibly annoying but it's not like the clan can use politics against a bunch of unaffiliated children, and I doubt the Hokage would step in so… XD

And honestly, I would also be head over heels for Neji in 0.2 seconds and willing to dedicate my life to him 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[darylscigarettesmoke]

Notes for 2x05

just watched the episode and…. Spoilers/Thoughts below. Beware.

- I just can’t stand how Daryl talks in this season. His tone is always so flat, so casual almost, so nonchalant. Especially with Carol. His voice’s always been soft and warm, now it’s like you can’t get through to him. He talks like nobody’s home. I miss his flagship-show voice. The flagship-show Daryl would never come along and flatout ask if someone has “the hots” for another person. I don’t interpret that as him being “jealous” of Ash, it just striked me as kinda disrespectful He’s icecold.

- Daryl is now canonically shit with a rubik’s cube and honestly I can relate.

- “She loved you. She told me.” With all due respect Laurent, but shut the hell up. Read the room. Daryl’s silence after Laurents babbling is hard to read again. I need subtitles for this man, and this man only. Even though I can’t speak any french word anymore besides the basics, I understand this language better than what is going on with Daryl. He looks guilty in this scene. And broken. But of course he doesn’t answer Laurent. Doesn’t say “me too.” Laurent is sweet and means well, but it’s so frustrating to watch how everyone’s putting a bee into Daryl’s bonnet since season 1 😩

- “I should stay here and you should go back to where you belong. That’s what you always wanted” - yes please. Laurent is happy in France, feels at peace??? Goddamn Daryl can’t catch a break and I am catching feelings again. Laurent the sweet boy just told Daryl off LMAO

- I don’t understand why Laurent/Isabell talk with a british accent I mean I’m german I have no clue about accents but I know a french one when I hear it

- the same old sophia barn flashback scene is getting old and pretentious sorry carol

- “and now you’re replaying every decision, thinking about what you could’ve done differently” aaaaand the old survivor’s guilt is back. We’ve seen that before. “It’s a pretty long list” Daryl says and yes it is - and they put Isabelle on top. Like he doesn’t have so many other death’s weighing heavy on him. My poor baby boy. It’s not your fault.

- Daryl in the night club I am OVULATING again. GODDAMN this man has me wrapped around his thick ass finger goodbye and ofc they’re singing lady marmelade LOL voulez vous coucher avec moi? Non, mais avec Monsieur Daryl

- laurent should find another dad in codron they even speak the same language

- they found daryl’s audio recorder laying around … just like that? Where are we, in a soap opera?

- lousang is just a far cry villain at this point and nobody can convince me otherwise

- Daryl leaves Carol alone a lot in this episode. She feels so unimportant idk

- “Everybody I love is gone, fucking except for you!” Ring a bell? Yeah, they fucking pulled an Ellie from The Last of Us again. I’m so tired. So, so tired.

- Ash calls Carol out and it’s great and he’s so right, Manish acts his soul out

- yup I think Ash is gonna be the next dad for Laurent

anyway heres a pic from my chubby babycat to calm the nerves 🩷

[kattythingz]

Golden Snake Boy, racer edition!!! You KNOW Mei!Ed would adore racing just as much as Mei does, if not more. He had that suit personally commissioned. His bike is his baby. RIP Ling for wrecking it lmao

Speaking of Ling. Promised scene/context under the cut! :D

Basic episode context: There’s a city-wide race event and Mei’s super excited about it; she’s been practicing for it for months. MK joins the race too out of MC-typical overconfidence, and, tl;dr, his inexperience causes him and Mei to crash and Mei gets rightfully pissed at him.

NOW! I don’t think Ling would join for the same reasons; he’d be more than happy to just watch Ed from the sidelines. But he hears that Envy (DBK) is joining the race in disguise, and Ling just knows Ed will ditch enjoying the race in favor of handling Envy. Which Ling doesn’t want him to do. Ed deserves this happiness!

No, Ling will join the race himself to handle Envy, and Ed will hopefully be none the wiser.

He’s off to a bad start already when Ed asks him annoyedly what he’s doing in the runner-ups, and Ling lies about wanting to try his hand at racing. Ed grows increasingly more annoyed as Ling keeps picking beef with some “random” racer that causes chaos all around them on the track, until it all leads to Ed and Ling crashing.

Ling emerges from the ruins of the vehicles, immediately worried about Ed first. He’s relieved when Ed bursts out of the wreckage with a loud curse, and thankfully unharmed.

He’s not so relieved when Ed whirls on him next in a rage.

Ed explodes, demanding why Ling pulled this shit and of all the stupid fucking things he’d expected from Ling, this—bullshit, wasn’t it! What was he thinking, getting in Ed’s way like that? Doesn’t he—?

Ed falters.

Doesn’t he know how much this race means to him?

Ling is devastated, at the genuine hurt that laces Ed’s expression and tone. 

He hastens to explain himself, that he joined to stop Envy and keep them out of Ed’s way, because he wanted Ed to enjoy the race without needing to deal with them!

Ed snaps that he can fucking multi-task, and Ling splutters back that, yes, he knows that, but Ed shouldn’t need to every time! He already does so much for Ling and protects him so often. He just... wanted to return the favor, for once.

Figures he’s not very good at it, though. Just like with his powers that he can’t control.

At those words, finally—Ed softens.¹

“I’m sorry, Ed,” Ling says thickly, kicking stray metal chips from the wreckage of Ed’s bike. Each clink of the pieces bouncing away chips at his growing shame. He swallows. “I know it won’t fix your bike. Or your months of hard work. But I—I truly didn’t—”

“You idiot.”

He stops at the unexpectedly soft words from Ed.

“Ed?” Ling looks up hopefully.

His heart skips a beat when his best friend’s gaze finds him kindly. And this… this, too, like Ed’s earlier anger is familiar. Achingly so.

“Of all the things I might’ve wanted you to repay…” Ed sighs. “You couldn’t get this worked up about paying back all the food bills you’ve dropped on me or something?”

“What?” 

Ling jolts when Ed’s eyes steel spontaneously, and he’s stepping into Ling’s space. “I don’t protect you for favors, dumbass.” Ed jabs a flesh finger at Ling’s chest. “I protect you because I want to, because you’re my best friend! That isn’t something I ever need you to repay! Honestly!”

Oh, Ling thinks—because he really oughtn’t be surprised by this.

And yet, still, again: Oh.

“And since when have I ever needed protecting, anyway?” Ed continues, exasperated. “You know I can kick your ass any day of the week if I want. That green freak is nothing in comparison.”

“I still wanted to try,” Ling mumbles, and Ed rolls his eyes.

“And I appreciate it��—and how awful it is that Ling knows Ed means that, vexation aside—“but, seriously, Yao. You know what you’re good at, and it’s not racing.”

Ling will never stop wondering, at times like this: how effortlessly Ed lifts the entire atmosphere whenever he pleases.

This is a losing battle, isn’t it?

He can’t help his endeared laugh, further warmed by Ed’s current expression.

“You’re right,” Ling says with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know what I was thinking either, in hindsight.”

Ed smiles too, at that.² “Sounds like you weren’t at all.”

“That’s about right,” Ling laughs.

This au has a fic! :D

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Happy Birthday David Dastmalchian 🎂🎉🎁🎈

To celebrate, I'm stealing borrowing from my friend's @polkadotjohnson amazing idea of making a Top 10 Loved/Hottest roles of his, with an honourable mention for both~ Here's 30 of my most adored characters of his with little snippets for each, it's a looooong read, and if anyone else wants to make their own, here's a tierlist I made for this exact purpose 💗💗💗

10.

💘 Love of my Life - Dr Fearless

My cringefail boyfriend, I love every single headcanon I hear about him. He was so damn cute even before I fell in love, and now every time I see him I start giggling and kicking my feet lol 😚 I adore how much fun DD has with him, and honestly I’m gunna dress as a vampire for Halloween this year /)w(\ been like 20+ years but I really really wanna do it!

🔥 Hottest Role - Whistling Marauder (Bird Box)

Mother of mercy. We rewatched the whole movie just for him, so naturally he shows up near the end and then died ;w; but that outfit, holy hell. Oh my god. I’m such a sucker for bad boys and this guy is going around forcing people to stare at this eldrich being that’ll destroy you or drive you mad. And he looks goddamn great while doing it. Gunna attach myself to the chain on his jeans. Okay I’m normal again, what a way to start off the list lmao

❣️ Honourable Mention - Luke (Singled Out)

Douchebag. Shitty brother who’s also great if only to save his own ass. Thief. Pure idiot. Irresistible. I knew the moment I saw the clips on youtube that he would so be my type, and seeing the full pilot only proved that. Dude picked a burger over getting his sister, he would treat me so wrong half the time, but then he’d make me waffles and it’d be all better 😊

9.

💘 Love of my Life - The Writer (Making Love)

This one breaks my heart so much. I’ve been in a relationship like this before, and I really want to save him from his. He’s beautiful, he’s talented, his outfit is hot as hell with all the rings and bracelets and necklaces, not to mention the undone shirt buttons, he’s got the emo bangs, he is the complete package for me. The only reason he isn’t higher is because I fell for many others first. I almost never watched this one because my brain was going haywire trying to imagine what kinda scenes I’d find in something with a title like that, and sure enough my face was so red the entire time since I watched with headphones and it starts with him whispering right in my ear, like him asking, ‘Do you love me?’ nearly made me cry, I love him so much. If I could bring specifically him to life I would love the hell outta him until he stopped needing such a painful, self-destructive fake love with the Woman QwQ

❣️ Honourable Mention - Nick (Love is an Elevator)

This one is just a silly little guy /)w(\ right from the start he’s so adorable, I would melt if anything even close to his interaction happened to me, and him just swooning and saying she was beautiful before bailing in tears is so me-coded TwT I would love to go out on a date with him!

🔥 Hottest Role - Abra Kadabra (The Flash)

Abra was so tricky to place because I love him, but as soon as I remembered his buckle outfit from his second episode I knew he had to go under Hot. Like, again, I’m so weak. I love his attitude, I love how he just wants that applause for his showmanship, his ‘powers’ are cool as hell, and DD has the wand in his home now and I think that’s so damn cool 😊 The reveal with him wanting to bring back his alternate timeline family was so sweet I almost cried, and he definitely didn’t deserve to be killed out so instantly right after his redemption. Not even a fan/watcher of the show, but in my head I’m having Flash warn him about it since he’s from the future, so he’s fine now 😌

8.

💘 Love of my Life - James Lewis (Teacher)

James was also incredibly difficult to place because I love him so much ;w; The entire movie I was rooting for him, guy did nothing wrong in the face of what was going on around him, and granted he did take things too far, but… villains are hot 😳 so I won through that entire movie. And he lived! And kept getting to teach! I remember I pointed at the screen when he was putting books away cause that’s my job lol I felt truly close to him in that short moment 😂 Anyway, Arabella didn’t deserve him, like she wasn't into it from the moment they met, every single time he talked she would do this 😬 guy was going through hell and was very clearly in a bad place all around, I can’t fault him for drunkenly saying the wrong thing if it were me, even if it did really hurt me. Gunna give him a new wedding ring to put on when he gets outta prison.

❣️ Honourable Mention - Hector (Premature)

He’s so cute!!! I may be weak for villains, but I adore his sweeter roles as well, I’m so glad I got to see him. If I moved to a new city and he was my neighbour I’d know I’d be okay, because honestly he needs to be my roommate like yesterday. A chef who’s afraid to cook because of OCD, I’m sure he’d be able to help me with my own cooking from a safe distance, and I already have some practice as my sibling has OCD and is very strict about how her food is handled, so I’ll have come full circle. I just need to make him more okay with cuddles first…

🔥 Hottest Role - Denham (A Killer of Men)

Denham was another one that was hard to place, because that axe twirls makes me insane, but with what little screentime he gets it all evens out. Another great villain, he’s just senseless violence in a bloody wedding dress and he works it. Love the look, love the vibe, if the world ended and the whole gang was coming at me I’d be honoured if he was the one who got me (I swear I’m not that deranged lmao just thirsty)

7.

💘 Love of my Life - Simon Lynch (Almost Human)

Even now I feel like Simon should be higher, especially since I’ve written my fic about him as well as my deep dive. I’ve said it before but my heart really went out to him, the deep dive says way more than I can fit it here, which probably means he should be higher lol so give that (and maybe the fic too 👉👈😌) a read if you haven’t already, all my love for him went into both.

❣️ Honourable Mention - James Harris (The Employer)

Another adorable character, the bar flashbacks had me blushing every time. We all knew it’d be him, but I’m so glad he pulled through at the end. I want this one to be happy, especially after everything he went through. Absolutely cutiepie, gunna be the one to pay for his dinner after he gets home 😊

🔥 Hottest Role - Dwight Pollard (Gotham)

Since I go into all of his roles blind, I had no idea what to expect for this one, but from the start I was hooked. Having him be a crazed cult leader with the biggest, most feral smile and laugh ever stole my heart the things I would let this man do to me sakndskjds I liveblogged his eps to a friend of mine who’s seen Gotham and has been trying to get me to watch it for ages cause I love DC, so she was thrilled as I sat here screaming about everything leading up to his ending :’D I’ve gotten some encouragement to write him, so when I do it’s gunna be so insane I’ll have to tag the hell outta it lmao (btw making these gifs nearly killed me oh my god I need him)

6.

💘 Love of my Life - Joshua Whitmore (Cass)

All the pain I went through trying to get this movie was worth it because it all led to him. I love him, I adore him, I’m so incredibly glad that so many others got to see him and love him too thanks to my trials and tribulations. DD’s only artist role, I got to connect with him on a personal level not shared with the others, and my desire to make sure he’s safe and taken care of is so strong that I wrote 26k about him, they’re two of my most favourite things I’ve ever written. I’ve thrown the ending of the movie out and completely placed it with my own, which can be found in my fics, and until Hugh Schulze DMs me personally and tells me what his vision was, that’s what I’m sticking with forever. So rest easy, he’s free from New York and buyers and dealers and the street and he’s safe and happy and painting again ;w;

❣️ Honourable Mention - Thomas Schiff (The Dark Knight)

The OG, a lot of people’s first roles of his, including mine. I remember seeing this movie in theaters when it came out so that means I saw him up there, on the big screen, and something about him stuck around in my brain until I finally realized my love QwQ Even if he isn’t as fleshed out in my mind to make the actual list, I still needed to include him in some way, I hope he got placed somewhere that wasn't Arkham after Batman stepped in.

🔥 Hottest Role - Cam (Relaxer)

I will never watch Relaxer again. Couldn’t even do it while I was making his scenepack cause so many horrible things happen to Abbie I couldn’t take it. But Cam, oh my god, I need this man. Someday I wanna write this huge fic about the reader trying to date him, and there’s no redemption. He’s still terrible at the end. But that’s what we all love about him, how shitty he is and how the potential is there for him to make us all worse. He sucks, but in the best way, and I kinda need him to maybe bully me please 😳 (making that first gif nearly made me blackout why is he doing pushups)

5.

💘 Love of my Life - Bob Taylor (Prisoners)

When I started adding names to my list of men I loved, Bob wasn't even on it at first I think, despite liking him in the movie. Then I saw more with him and added him to crushes. Now I’m fully in love with him, and he breaks my heart every single day. He was hurting for so long, even when we were watching I couldn’t place the blame on him while the rest of my family were convinced just like Loki that he was the one, but no matter what I couldn’t. The second I saw his sweet smile I told them there was no way it was him, and sure enough I was right. Another character who didn’t deserve what happened to him, I’ve been slowly helping him with my headcanons, but in my personal queue I have a fic planned for him and he will have no more sad days when I do 😭 I also have a bunny plush I’d had for years, my dad bought it for me and it’s been sitting on my bed ever since, and when I’m sad I hold it and pretend Bob gave it to me, it’s honestly got me through some much needed therapy because if he could go about his day with that kind of trauma then I could be brave and call about my own mental health :’)

❣️ Honourable Mention - Lonny Crane (The Belko Experiment)

This one’s a bit of a double whammy, cause I love him, but the switch to violence had me staring 👀 Either way, he didn’t deserve his death, but since it is a killing game type movie he was doomed from the start, at least his seemed instant 🥺 Someday I’ll write a fixit for him too, it was just too much for him back to back to back, he really didn’t deserve his final moments to have him as a villain even though I would really love to be lifted up like that aklskjdskds okay I’m normal again

🔥 Hottest Role - Ray Watkins (The Rookie)

Have you seen this man? No really, have you seen him? The twirl, the shirt lifting on his hips, the cold but also fun villainy, the nonchalance to mask the cruelness underneath. I need him. This one is not a Want, he is a Need and I need him. I hope that he gets to come back in the future to fully wrap up his plot along with the cop’s plot, pleasepleaseplease, otherwise I will die unsatisfied.

4.

💘 Love of my Life - Kurt Goreshter (Ant-Man 1-2)

I believe he might’ve been the second role I’d ever seen, but only after I really got into the MCU after Endgame. I skipped Ant-Man in my original watches, since I was mostly just into the Avengers and Cap (mainly Bucky lol) in general, but when I finally did a full marathon I really enjoyed the first movie. Cannot remember my feelings for him now since it’s been about 4 years, but I do know when I went back to rewatch in March I fell the second I saw him 🥰 the hair, the accent, the outfit AGAIN, and those hand tattoos, this is another Perfect Man. My crush on him is incredibly strong, it told me that yeah I was really starting to fall for DD (at that point I’d just seen Demeter a few times, and then Oppenheimer on accident) and it officially kicked off my marathon that eventually led me to my collection I have today. 

❣️ Honourable Mention - Lester Billings (The Boogeyman)

My family actually watched this without me way before my crush began, so when I saw he was in it I just had to finally sit down and watch it myself. Cue me hurriedly typing to my sibling when he showed up lol this man is SAD! He’s so beautiful and sad, I just wanna make a new family with him (I would be a parent for him, that’s the extent of my love) so he can be happy again. I love the backstory I made up for him way more than the original story, sorry Stephen King but you made him awful and I don’t want that one. I’m gunna save this man and he WILL smile again, that’s a Ray Guarantee.

🔥 Hottest Role - The Vampire (Cora)

Now, to start, this one falls prey to Very Bad Writing Choices. I will not deny that. Like, even with the allegory of the whole thing (that I did not see cause I just saw a short vampire story honestly) it's very much Not Good. But that’s why I’m removing him from the short and keeping him. In fact, go read polkadotjohnson’s fics on him, they’re fantastic and I adore how she wrote him. I someday wish to do my own, because otherwise everyone who can’t look past the Very Bad Writing Choices are getting straight up robbed of this one. Those double fangs need to introduce themselves to my neck pronto, you see what I’m saying? He’s so goddamn hot, DD needs to play a very serious vampire role again so everyone can see the Vision, he wants to do it, I need to win the lottery so I can fund this movie myself, that’s my new life’s goal.

3.

💘 Love of my Life - Jack Delroy (Late Night With the Devil)

The first movie I saw in theaters after my crush began! My friend saw him in a tweet about it and linked me to it so I thought it was already out, but I ended up having to wait two weeks and it nearly killed me ;w; I went in completely blind, which is good cause the trailer spoils so many great shots unfortunately, and the entire time I was swooning. Like, I usually whisper to my sibling during movies if we have comments, we’re very talkative at home when we watch stuff, but this time I was just sitting there staring with hearts in my eyes without pause. I’m in love with this man, plain and simple, I’m so glad I was able to get to see it since it didn’t come to the theater closest, we had to drive an hour away and when dad joked about me paying for the tickets since I was the one who wanted to see it, I did in a heartbeat. I wanted to see it again, but it was only there a couple weeks, so by the time I was able to go it was gone and I’m still upset about it. I’d sell my soul for this man, I love writing for him so much, I’m so glad my crush on Wojchek bloomed just in time for me to see this.

❣️ Honourable Mention - Hank (Virgin Alexander)

I avoided this one at first because the trailer was making me cringe and I was going crazy over what kinda sexy awkward role he’d have in it, but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. I think the movie is actually cute, despite some stuff still making me cringe, and Hank is literally the most perfect boyfriend. If he showed up randomly in my life I would date him in a second, hands down. He’s so shaped like a friend, I know I’d always have fun with him even when we’re not Having Fun, and that’s all you can ever ask for in a relationship 😊

🔥 Hottest Role - Breck Montanari (Double Black)

Okay first of all I gave him that last name. Second of all, I wrote 70k about this man and I am so in love with him that I own him now. I’ve taken him from Sara Woomer, he’s mine now. He has a full past, gave him a future and a partner, there’s no way I couldn’t have fallen in love with him. Unfortunately that fic will never be shared as it’s private, but know that, again, until Sara Woomer DMs me personally and shares everything else about this world, this is my new canon for him. And the cult. And the entire area where he lives. And several of the members. And the new Double Black who was such a chill dude that I made my bff love him too. This is my secret legacy. He only lost out to my #2 because there’s no way he couldn’t be my #2.

2.

💘 Love of my Life - Wojchek (The Last Voyage of the Demeter)

The reason I finally learned his name QwQ I went into this movie blind, dad really wanted to see it and I love horror so I went with him, and the second I saw him I said, ‘Oh that guy! I know that guy!’ since by then I’d seen Kurt and Abner a few years earlier and vaguely remembered him. I spent the whole movie then dreading his end thanks to the opening lines, and I’m pretty sure I quietly yelled at the screen when he fell and then got got after praying he’d be okay TwT After Abner, he’s the first DD role I ever shipped with, and when my crush officially restarted I ended up writing my entire plot for him and Addy that night before bed. I love him so much, he’s my jolly sailor bold who stole my heart by crying over the thought of having to lose his home. He’ll forever own a special place in my heart because of all this, I can’t imagine anyone else taking this spot.

🔥 Hottest Role - Murdoc (MacGyver 2016)

Murdoc was the first TV role of his I checked out after I saw as many movies as I could that interested me (mostly all the ones on Prime sans a couple, my collection was very very small by then) and the moment I saw him be mentioned I was ready to go. The Alice in Wonderland vague text, running and then getting shocked before falling two floors, showing up with that hair, I was not prepared for everything else they were about to throw at me. Murdoc is one of my most favourite characters now, he’s so much fun, I adore everything about him, I’ve only edited with him twice and written him once, but I need to do both so much more! This one is hot as fuck, he’s adorable, he loves his son, he’s got tools, he’s utterly sadistic, he’s a silly little guy. This is another Perfect Man, I cannot wait to decide on his plot with Addy because there’s too many fun possibilities I honestly might just make multiple.

❣️ Honourable Mention - Willy Cunningham (The Domestics)

Now… you might all be thinking… why the hell is this guy a #2 honourable mention in the face of all the others… and the answer is… I’m a freak 😀 I’ll never say, but my eyes were opened to him, and my god, I will literally never be the same. I just need him and that insanely feral energy okay, lemme have this.

1.

💘 Love of my Life - Abner Krill (The Suicide Squad)

The love that started it all, I think I fell for him the moment he walked outta his cell and got teased. The love I feel for him goes so deep, it only compares to one other, and whenever I work on my plot for him and Addy I always get choked up. The ultimate one who didn’t deserve what he got, I actually refused to watch the movie again after he died, straight up did not watch until my marathon started, and as soon as I saw him in that cell it all came back. I instantly fell back in love with him, and thus his Addy plot has the most love put into it to make sure he’s happy and safe. I thought that maybe there’d be another to win my heart as my marathon grew, but nope he’s still there sharing it with my other #1, and seeing him can instantly bring a smile to my face no matter how I’m feeling. 

After the movie I read the trivia again and my crush on DD himself began, so it’s all thanks to him and Wojchek that I’ve met the people I know today and have created so many things in such a short time. When I hit my lowest low in years I just sat at my desk and held the funko I have of him and just cried it all out, and it honestly helped me get out of that spiral. Thanks to him I now have a Polka-Dot Man collection (still missing one figure and maybe a signed print and poster 👉👈🥰) and if I could get a plushie of him to join the ton I already have I’d buy him in a second. Maybe someday, if I have any courage, I’ll bring my funko or something to a con where DD is attending and get it signed, either him or my other #1, and I’ll cherish it forever.

❣️ Honourable Mention - Jude (Animals)

Like all the others, I went into this movie completely blind. I didn’t know DD wrote it or its significance to him until after it was over and the credits rolled. So the entire time I was watching I was falling in love with him, he was so incredibly my type in the moments he was actually happy that it’s insane, I spent the whole movie just saying how much I would date him in better circumstances. We were sadly betting which one of them was going to die as things just got worse, me and my sibling were watching so miserably, and then we were rewarded with a happy ending despite the bittersweetness. And then the credits rolled, after me repeatedly wondering why he’d accept a role like this after knowing at least about his addiction and it all fell into place. I haven’t been able to watch again so far now that I know a lot of what happened to Jude also happened to him, it breaks my heart too much, but I still love him deep down and I hope he was also able to heal after the credits rolled.

🔥 Hottest Role - Johnson (Reprisal)

Tied for first with Abner as the ultimate love of my life and claiming this one all to himself, Johnson is the Most Perfect Man. Literally, no other DD role can top him in my heart aside from Abner. I honestly almost skipped Reprisal entirely because the promo image on his imdb didn’t grab me (I’m such a fake fan I’m so ashamed of myself), but when I was done with everything else and wanted to see more, I downloaded it without ep9 since he wasn't in it, and started watching. What followed next was me falling so in love with the show that I spent forever trying to get that missing episode back from near dead torrents cause I needed to watch it even though he wasn't in it. Reprisal is my Roman Empire, I am constantly thinking about it and him and Matty, not just for my fic but just because I love it all so fucking much. 

Johnson himself is so fascinating, I’m incredibly in love with him and everything about him, he’s unlike any other role DD has played that there’s a complete disconnect in my mind, he’s just Johnson. He’s so goddamn hot I missed out on literally everything the first round because I was watching him so hard, Matty and Ethan were nonexistent to me and I’m madly in love with Matty now so let that sink in, and when I rewatched it immediately after with my parents it was like I was watching for the first time. I’m loving writing for him (and Matty and Ethan of course) so much that my thoughts go back to him daily, and it almost always includes me being on the verge of tears because of how insanely good this script is and how these boys bring me so much joy while also shattering my heart. 

Making the gif below no joke did make me cry like this show is my greatest weakness right now you guys don't even understand how much it and Johnson mean to me.

I need to edit more for him and them and the show in general, if I had endless money and all the confidence in the world I would truly fund this show single handedly so it can finish the way it was supposed to. I’m so mad at Hulu for giving me the greatest love(s) of my life before taking him away years before I’d ever know him, with no physical media or merch to at least collect to numb the pain. At some point I need to get some promo pics printed out as actual posters, I need this show on my wall so I can always see him.

[translucentshine]

The X-Files Season 2 Rankings!!! Hi I'm still a first-time watcher and I'm finally done with S2, here's my thoughts&ratings:

Episode 1 (Little Green Men) - 7/10: it's been a while but I remember I was hooked

Episode 2 (The Host) - wtf/10: 😭 I liked that we finally saw a ~creature~ on screen but we moved on from this too quickly I fear?? like this was insane???

Episode 3 (Blood) - 5/10: it was okay but in retrospect not very strong of an episode :(

Episode 4 (Sleepless) - 6/10: was scratching my head trying to remember what this episode was about... lmao. But we got introduced to Krycek & the Preacher guy's actor was really compelling.

Episode 5 (Duane Berry) - 10/10: brilliant, I was on the edge of my seattt. really enjoyed this episode. no notes it's too good

Episode 6 (Ascension) - 7/10: I was still hooked but the storyline kinda goes downhill here lmao😭

Episode 7 (3) - 3/10: man I did not care for this episode & did not get the vampire thing BUT the scene of local loserboy mulder hooking up with a rando was kind of a treat. the 3 pts are only for him being hot and pathetic missing scully ♡

Episode 8 (One Breath) - 8/10: I was just glad for Scully to reappear lmao. liked the storyline also and more skinnerrrr🤭

Episode 9 (Firewalker) - 😵‍💫/10: release me from my suffering bc we finally have Scully back... and this is the storyline......... if I watched this show back in the 90s and this was my weekly dosis of my fav show I would be mad. it was okay...... i guess........

Episode 10 (Red Museum) - 9/10: this was the shit fr I loved the vibessss everything

Episode 11 (Excelsis Dei) - 0/10: I was so mad at Mulder for not caring about the rape case & the storyline was ridiculous. Like I would not rewatch this episode. 😭 not even scully's girlbossing could save this.

Episode 12 (Aubrey) - 6/10: I was pretty hooked so I can forgive the fact that the resolution was. kind of ridiculous. work?

Episode 13 (Irresistible) - 7/10: total nightmare fuel. too nasty... but I loved the focus on Scully (even though my girl got traumatised AGAIN.) but omfg.

Episode 14 (Die Hand Die Verletzt) - 2/10: as a german girlie I wanna like this just bc the episode has a german title but um... uh... hm. the writing was really something. yeah.

Episode 15 (Fresh Bones) - ?/10: literally don't remember anything beyond the opening scene for this episode. Surely it can't have been that good?

Episode 16 (Colony) - 7/10: yeah it was pretty good?? I don't remember this one well but I remember liking it. mind u it's only been a few weeks since I watched it. (😐)

Episode 17 (End Game) - hm/10: don't like the fake Samantha stuff it honestly kind of got my nerves. Still enjoyed watching but would I rewatch? hm. HM. (no)

Episode 18 (Fearful Symmetry) - IS THIS FR?/10 this episode was INSANEEE lmao how do you come up with a plot like this 😭😭😭 iconic. probably like a 7/10 BUT WHO CAME UP WITH THIS

Episode 19 (Død Kalm) - 0/10: I'm sorryyy I think a lot of people like this episode? But it took me like 3 days to finish it was just so boring 😭 im sorry this is the only episode where I couldn't even sit through the last 10 Minutes I skipped to the next. I usually never do this. IM SORRY.

Episode 20 (Humbug) - 10/10 I wanted to be a hater because this episode is RIDICULOUS!!!! Ridiculous! But it was so entertaining I enjoyed it way too much lmao. nothing could've prepared me for 1) who the "killer" is 2) THE KILLER GETTING EATEN LMAO... I thought it couldn't get crazier after the zoo animals got kidnapped, impregnated, kidnapped again-

Episode 21 (The Calusari) - ?/10: I need someone who's Romanian to tell me what they thought of this episode. I fear the whole episode kind of depends on that. 🤨

Episode 22 (F. Emasculata) - I don't know how to rate this episode bc I was just really grossed out the whole time.

Episode 23 (Soft Light) - 7/10: I thought this plot idea was really interesting. The actor was great.

Episode 24 (Our Town) - WTFFFFFF😭 I watched this really absentmindedly as background noise so when Mulder opened that closet I WAS TERRIFIED. Rewound the episode and paid proper attention and yep... still terrified. This episode actually freaked me out. Was great. 9/10 easily. but I'm scared.

Episode 25 (Anasazi) - 10/10: Get why so many people love this one. Mulder is perfect. Loved the grandson getting pulled into all this on a random thursday. I also like how up until this point, CSM is written as a possibly multi-faceted character. I know through spoilers he's apparently like super evil later on??(impregnating scully? 😭) and it's just such a waste. oh well! also scully has so much patience mulder would've gotten on my last nerve in this

My ratings on S1 were a lot more consistently positive than on S2. I don't think I had one or more than one 10/10 episodes in S2 but I also didn't have this many I outright disliked. S2 definitely had a lot of ups and downs for me. 😅 I feel like a lot of S2 episodes have this thing where they're all over the place sadly and some story elements just get brought up and not mentioned again etc. (e.g. the girl in Episode 14 claiming she was SAd and impregnated as a child and it's this long upsetting scene and then later on they're like "oh she saw this on TV" and then it's never brought up again??)

but I'm having great fun regardless. 🤭🥰

Sorry for being forgetful about some episodes & not rating them properly, I genuinely have health-related memory issues 🥲

[pumpkinpie59]

rating tmnt love interests for the turtles

under the cut ;)))

leonardo

radical / raven shadowheart - mirage

6/10

-she seems pretty okay, but i can’t tell how old she is.

-she’s only his love interest in a possible future, not in the main timeline, but she freaking dies in that future lol.

-i mean i think it has potential but there’s not much there. they seemed cute for what we got tho.

-prolly my second fav leo love interest but that’s not saying much.

leonardo’s wife - mirage

5/10

-from his side story vision or whatever

-kinda average bc they’re cute but she doesn’t exist :/

lotus blossom - 1987

100000000000000000/10

-idk what to say they’re my otp lmao

-objectively best romantic relationship leonardo has ever had.

-they’re mutually into each other, work off of each other well, even splinter likes lotus so leonardo’s dad approves!!

-only downside is lotus hasn’t been in anything since and i think that’s why i’m so salty that they paired leonardo with april in the new movie (kinda but i’ll get to that).

venus de milo - next mutation

-1000000/10

-what the.

-that scene was painful to watch holy cow.

-“we’re just a mutant guy and a mutant girl” *lip bite* -> she just wanted a family bro 😭

carmen - archie

?/10

-all i know is that it’s from a possible future and the wiki says they’re implied to be interested in each other but i don’t trust the wiki so i’m skeptical

-also it’s weird for leonardo to date his pupil

koya - idw

-1/10

-*explodes*

-bruh they have no chemistry and he literally crippled her and she hates him for it.

-this only exists for the bad future and i’ll stand by that.

karai - 2012

-1000000000000000/10

-it’s worse than venus bc they both have splinter’s genetics. they are blood related.

-also they’re cousins too.

-“tHeY’rE nOt rLLy reLaTed” okay even if they weren’t blood related, it’s still weird as hell to crush on an adopted or step sibling/cousin. family is family regardless. and in a kids show especially; tmnt shouldn’t be telling kids it’s okay to crush on your adopted/step sibling/cousin!!!!

-karai led leonardo on.

-it sucks bc if you drop the flirting and crush completely, leonardo and karai’s dynamic is really good for both their characters!! new girl in town is legit one of my fav episodes just for how it portrays leo’s conflict with himself as a brother and as a leader. and he and karai’s dynamic is very interesting as friends and/or siblings or cousins.

april o’neil - mutant mayhem

5/10

-i mean it’s just okay imo.

-leo’s crush is adorable and i like their dynamic a lot.

-i just don’t think april is into him romantically. but their friendship is great.

-i honestly want leonardo to move on and let them be good friends. but i don’t want it to be drawn out and excruciating.

-also i want lotus in a sequel or the tv show 😭

raphael

mona lisa - 1987

9/10

-okay so. if i’m being completely honest, in the show they’re not really romantic. she’s a bit flirty but their dynamic is mostly platonic. which isn’t a bad thing!

-i think as a romantic pairing, they wouldn’t get together for a long time, but i do like them as a couple.

-it’s one of those pairings where i like them as both a romantic couple and as best friends and they work for both equally!

-they’re funny i like them.

venus de milo - next mutation

-1000000/10

-oh yeah raphael liked her too …

-blegh.

umeko / ninjara - archie

2/10

-i’ll be real i do not care about ninjara.

-they broke up so it doesn’t even matter.

mezcaal - archie

6/10

-raphael’s wife from a possible future.

-they’re adorable. shout out to archie raphael for being the only turtle to canonically get married.

-he gives her head pats :3

joi reynard - 2003

8/10

-he asked her out how sweet :3

-i wish joi showed up more i would’ve loved to see them interact more

alopex - idw

3/10

-GIRL GET OUT OF THERE HES NOT GOOD FOR YOU

-she was tWELVE when they met

-he was sIXTEEN

-what the HECK.

-also he was so moody toward her several times ugh

y’gythgba / mona lisa - 2012

10/10

-there we go. the best raphael romance.

-idk they’re cute.

-my only issue is that their first episode together is badly paced and i just wish they had more episodes together. but that’s the issue with 2012 in general not just them specifically.

donatello

jhanna - mirage

9/10

-literally the same as 03 except not as much interaction between them, however, donatello did look much more smitten in mirage?? ig???

-but yeah i love jhannatello :3333333

irma - 1987

2/10

-does this. count?

-idk i only included it bc irma kinda flirts with him more than the others and they end up being closer friends compared to the other turtles.

-yeah no i really don’t think this should. be shipped gjdjfj

-she’s an adult. tho it is weird that she flirted with him but ig the writers forgot the implications 😭

-i could see ppl making her a love interest in a version where she’s a teenager too but otherwise noooooooo

-i like their friendship tho they’re funny.

((((also shout out to next mutation donatello for not flirting with his sister so i don’t have to include her lol))))

jhanna - 2003

10/10

-my belovedssssss

-idc that it’s only implied I LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC

-i ship them so hard.

-they have more screentime together in 03 which is why i like it more than mirage.

-also they slept side by side so obviously it’s canon duhhh

renet - 2003

6/10

-included cause some ppl think they were a thing

-they’re cute ngl

-i think maybe they were into each other for a bit but it didn’t work out bc time travel romances don’t work

april o’neil - 2003

2/10

-donatello kinda had a crush on her but thank God it didn’t go anywhere.

-yeah no thanks lol.

-love their friendship tho they bestiessss

mona lisa - idw

1/10

-why is mona a jerk in idw smh

-i’ve already talked about this but yeah i do not like their situationship at all.

-give him jhanna i’m begging fjdjfjdk

april o’neil - 2012

9/10

-yES I RANKED THEM THAT HIGH SHUT UP

-only turtle x april ship i like; otherwise i’m a jhannatello stan

-keep in mind i only rlly “ship” them in season 4 onwards

-season 1 to 3 was their messy phase and they needed to grow up before they got together

-they were totally dating in season 5 fIGHT ME

-they’re idiots and i love them

bigfoot - 2012

-1/10

-fjdkdkskfjskkdjdksdj

-thanks to my sister for making me add this

-yeah what the.

tbh i don’t count batgirl hhh

michelangelo

princess seri - mirage

1/10

-what in the soap opera—

-no bc she seduced him, had his babies, sent him to jail, and left him there when he called out for help; he was justified to hate her

-the way this plotpoint gets dropped and never mentioned again LMAO

-mikey is the only turtle with canon kids 💀

kala - 1987

10/10

-the best michelangelo ship bite me

-THEYRE SO PURE

-the way he looked after her when they first met 😭

-their cute flirting fjskfjdkdk

-i love them

buffy shellhammer - 1987

4/10

-she’s annoying but she’s capable of handling herself so i like her lol

-but michelangelo liking her was super random and was only there bc the episode was a copy of the transformers g1 episode where powerglide falls for a human girl. i’m not joking both episodes were written by david wise and have the same plotpoints.

-“main flame” my butt michelangelo

-maybe he crushed on her bc kala being in an alternate dimension and near impossible to contact made him feel like it was never gonna work or something … that’s so sad omigosh

-leonardo of all ppl telling him it wouldn’t work bc she’s a human is hilarious tho. like boy lotus blossom is into you too and you know this lmao

mitsu - 3rd 90s movie

3/10

-i haven’t seen this movie, but i don’t like time travel romances.

venus de milo - next mutation

-1000000/10

-pls end me

sara hill / horridus - image

3/10

-… tbh i don’t like hook-up dynamics … it’s not romantic to me …

-also idc if a character is curvy but the girls in image comics are drawn so badly like they have no spine,,, just boobs and butt 💀

princess trib - idw

9/10

-finally a good mikey ship

-THEYRE ADORABLE

-the purest idw couple fr

-they’re just sweet to each other and encouraging and gahhhh

-mikey wanted to show her his manga collection to impress her and i think that’s funny

-it is kinda weird that trib is based on tribble from 1987,,, aka the neutrino baby … but whatever lol

renet - 2012

7/10

-i mean y’know whatever they’re cute

-it’s still a time travel romance which is … mehhh for me

-like it’s sad bc i don’t see it working out unless renet quits her timestress job …

shinigami - 2012

4/10

-pls they’re just friends.

-there’s no reason to make the turtles crush on every single girl character in the show 😭

april o’neil - bayverse movies

2/10

-end my suffering.

-making april pretend to think it’s funny was also cringe. like make her tell him to stop pls.

lemme know if i missed one ….

[im-out-of-it]

part 17 of season 2, episode 14 continued “the fair folk”

200. wow I didn’t see that coming! the dude Alec and Raphael have had bad vibes of is actually bad! wow how could that be? I’m so shocked! the dude who randomly showed up and saved Izzy and when a prince of hell appears is up to no good!!!!!! how could that be? (I hope everyone knows how sarcastic I’m being)

201. I was reading through the contents of this episode and people thought it was jace here and fuck I wish it was. I hoped so many times that Sebastian would kill him off for good. let the worthless fucker die already lmaooo

202. let me make sure I didn’t forget anything PAUSE I probably posted these but look at our angels 🥹

203. I’m actually proud of myself- I remember everything!!!!!

204. let’s wrap it up so what I like about this episode- Alec is finally in charge. I love seeing how confident he is and how much he wants to change everything up. it’s refreshing to see a shadowhunter leader who isn’t afraid of taking risks and actually wants to help downworlders.

Magnus- even though it surprises Magnus that Alec wants him there as a warlock, I love seeing their bond and watching them attempt to be professional. seeing Magnus start to talk about his trauma is beautiful to witness. Raphael and Magnus is 10/10. I love watching their father and son relationship. Alec and Magnus are top tier and my favorite part of this episode. there isn’t anything toxic about them and they are always growing. watching Magnus watch Alec in shadowhunter mode and how proud he is of Alec is everything. I just love how proud and supportive they are of one another

believe it or not- I do like the lightly flirty scenes with Simon and jace. I think if the writers were bold and brave enough to cut out clace and change it up, this relationship could have been interesting

also a big fan of Izzy and Raphael and sad they didn’t continue that. that also could have been interesting to develop

Maryse and her growth is wonderful to see. her growth could have started back on 2x08 and I slightly do agree but it feels it starts more now. her growth with Alec seems like it’s behind the scenes but it’s nice to see her bond with Izzy. a mother daughter relationship can be fragile and Maryse put so much pain and pressure on Izzy. it’s great to see that being addressed

205. what I don’t like- obviously the clace shit. that didn’t need to happen. all the incest book fans can go home for all I care. I don’t like how it’s developed. seelies are known for manipulating and twisting but when you see clary start to see jace more as she did in season one, the development itself doesn’t feel at its potential. they find out they aren’t related a couple episodes ago and they don’t bond but randomly now they share a kiss? I don’t see any chemistry with them. it’s not there.

I think what annoys me the most about this is that since jace found out he wasn’t related to Clary, it was basically open season for clary. like Alec said before you think you’ll get her just like that????? I do think that jace thinks clary would take him back within a second. he thinks because she kissed him at the court that she will dump Simon for him asap. I don’t mind cocky behavior but never on guys like jace. (Or will for any book fans) (honestly do book fans read my shit?) (I’d imagine they would stay clear of me lmao)

I feel for Simon the most here because he genuinely loves clary. but I really hate clary trying to rush Simon into talking and then almost being a hypocrite and telling jace no. you realize you need space from jace so think how Simon feels. I hate that jace is almost acting like they’ll get together asap. maybe clary does love Simon but I don’t believe she really loves him. as a friend? perhaps but not as a serious committed partner. they aren’t good together. Clary doesn’t understand Simon and almost their whole relationship is on clary’s terms and it’s about her. the only thing that finally wasn’t about clary was Simon refusing to give her his dna

I can’t stand romantic relationships where it’s not half and half. I don’t want to watch a relationship where its always based on one persons terms while the other has to settle. I feel like if she stayed with Simon longer or if it were maybe developed better, maybe clary could have gotten some development for her character. but what I think she really needs is to be alone and take time to process her grief and actually attempt to be a better person. the more she’s with Jace, the more she resorts to being selfish and toxic

also I know we should hate Sebastian but I love him. he is conniving but he’s also intelligent. I love absolutely love villains I can relate to. (TVD has the best villains) I need someone I can root for. and while yes he is evil, he was abandoned while jace got a better life. fuck I’d be mad too. I’m not saying I would turn into Sebastian but I can understand his reasonings. and Will Tudor is so handsome and pretty to look at. AND THAT ACCENT!!!!!!

so I would probably rate this episode a 7.5. THANK FUCK FOR MALEC IZZY RAPHAEL FOR MAKING IT BETTER

205 is the number, and that’s it for episode 14. I didn’t expect it to be long, I’m really trying to cut back but whatever. thank you for joining Malec is being professional and jace is creepy and we hate him discussion post. I’m so psyched for the next one. we finally get to see Magnus and some of his childhood!!!!! I love to see Alec being worried about him. honestly I can’t remember what else happens but I’m only really here for Malec. so I’ll see y’all soon 🥹

[zalrb]

PLL 2x02 Review - As Per Anon Request

"And WHY is Melissa answering him?" "I mean is she?" Can you not see the text history?? It's the 2010s, we know how texts works now.

Someone is probably going to have remind me that Jason is Alison's brother.

And Spencer's half brother or something? Is that right?

"He's worried about you" does he pay child support?? You were stealing shit because you refused to downsize, Hanna's mom.

Emily's mom: Leave your phone downstairs so I can regulate who you're calling.

Also Emily's mom: *leaves Emily's bedroom without taking her phone so Emily can just call Spencer*

"omggg how are we going to talk at school??" Aria's mom is the only one who is actually at the school and she doesn't know her daughter is being groomed by her colleague, you can do whatever you want at school, wdym.

Aria needs to stop wearing big earrings.

THEY ARE SO BORING.

"Don't you read the papers or listen to the news?" "No." MONA. The actress commits to the bit. I respect it.

Aria, why are you telling Mona all this?

LMAO is this Toby's hero hair??

Ngl, it's a step up. His season 1 hair was a MESS.

Just let Claire do her regular accent, please.

Samara, how old are you? Why aren't you at college?

They have the most chemistry, though.

Bro, do you pay child support or alimony?

GET OUT OF HERE. I like how the music is dramatic to show how unhinged Jason is but when he throws the newspaper it lands on the ground in front of the dog instead of him actually hitting the dog with the newspaper, and not that we had to see the newspaper hit the dog but they could've cut away so it looked like he hit the dog with it.

The issue with PLL is a lot of the dialogue is rehashing things we already know, like why do I have to hear AGAIN about what's going on with Spencer and the police just because she's talking to Jason. Give me NEW information.

Jesus christ, the scout would be at her house or at a restaurant.

Like, Emily would not be explaining this to her mother herself, the scout would be having this conversation with her.

Toby, I swear to God, you can inflect.

Aria, it's been over an hour. LEAVE. You shouldn't even BE there in the first place.

I do think it's funny that Aria was all Spencer you're the Queen of Time or Master of Time or whatever and Spencer never answered Aria's question, she just sees Toby and is like gotta go. Another show would've had her drop her Time Wisdom before hanging up. But not this one. You're on your own, Aria.

"I'm sorry it seems that way." LOL at least they got deadbeat dads right.

Seriously, Ezria or whatever they're called are boring AF.

Claire's accent is struggggggggling.

Sophomore English ... sophomore high school English or college?

I ship no one on this show more than Mona and Hanna honestly.

No, I don't *ship* ship them, it's just they're fun.

LOL gotta love Spencer and her rationality. "You should've told me he was texting her." "Why? What would you have done?" "I would've done something." "WHAT?" "... ... I don't know." Mmhmm. And she knew it.

Why aren't you two comfortable with each other yet? You fell asleep on his lap, Spencer. Girl, sit next to him.

Aria's shoes are RIDICULOUS.

Well, it was Aria's turn to be attacked.

"The fact that A can just break into our houses??" And none of you have security cameras. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway since A is a supernatural entity.

She's going to forge the letter obviously but he would just talk to her parents.

Stop using the classroom time to talk to your underage girlfriend through code, Ezra.

"Always read, have a good life!" Shut UP.

Is this the stupid rain kiss scene?

No, but it's a parking lot kiss. Outside the school. Which is ... SHE IS SIXTEEN.

And also NOTHING. N O T H I N G about them, morality and ethics and general ick factor aside, merits a slow-mo jump kiss. THEY DO NOTHING. THEY WHINE. THEY ARE SO BORING.

My link froze so I won't see this episode's epilogue, though I never really watch those anyway.

[bunthebreadboy]

so i’ve been on my atla bs once again, and while rewatching today i got the lovely thought that azula reminded me of a specific kpop idol and spiraled from there. so. here’s my personal list of kpop idols as atla characters!!

these are mostly based on vibes and/or visuals. by no means do i mean to make idols i think are similar to the show’s antagonists out to be bad people!!! i will give an explanation behind my thoughts as well.

also disclaimer, i know next to nothing about boy groups, so please spare me lol

anyways

seungkwan (seventeen) as aang

- once again, i know nothing about boy groups

- i did however watch the devil’s plan (amazing show by the way, it’s on netflix) and the positive but still very determined vibe seungkwan brought to the show reminded me of aang

- also, this selfie of him reminds me of the one scene with aang in the flower crown

jihyo (twice/soloist) as katara

- extremely hard workers who trained for years to get to where they are now

- have natural leadership abilities and are total mom friends

- would cuss someone out if they were very annoyed

- thanks to jeongyeon and her water bottles, jihyo is actually a pro waterbender already (jeongyeon is pakku but without the misogyny. the entire pakku/katara fight is just a compilation every single concert encore where jeong and jihyo bicker)

chan (skz) as sokka

- this honestly just felt right

- every time i see a clip of chan on a live i end up laughing

- i have also heard from stays that skz would collapse without chan and i very much think the same of sokka since he’s the ideas guy

- also aussie sokka lmao

hyunjin (loossemble) as toph

- competitive level 1000000 (please watch one episode of loossemble assemble and tell me i’m wrong)

- would do something out of spite but is also very protective of friends

- cannot be left alone without causing hazards

- theft (“stealing can be fun” -hyunjin)

- chaos reincarnate when younger, calmer (a bit) when older

- toph would also wear that shirt and pretend she didn’t know what it said even though sokka told her

heejin (artms/soloist) as suki

- i mostly thought of this because heejin and hyunjin are former loona members and good friends. which would make the scene where suki saves toph from drowning even funnier imo

- but also have you SEEN this woman’s muscles??? i have full confidence that heejin could handle her own in a fight

- every sapphic i know who’s seen atla had a crush on suki growing up and every sapphic loona stan i’ve met (which is most loona stans) has had a crush on heejin

- heejin’s lore in loonaverse is basically being a god and i personally equate that to suki

- also, they’re dorks

siyeon (dreamcatcher) as azula

- LITERALLY THE REASON I THOUGHT OF THIS POST (specifically vision era hello???) LOOK AT HER

- siyeon is at the scene of the crime like 90% of the time something chaotic happens in dreamcatcher so i can fully imagine her cosplaying azula and running around with sparklers or something

- she’s also very good at looking evil in mvs so i think she could play azula

- that scene in the deja vu music video right before the last chorus when fire shoots up from behind her? she’s literally a firebender

seonghwa (ateez) as zuko

- i know absolutely NOTHING about ateez aside from a couple of their title tracks but this man looks so much like siyeon i couldn’t resist

- idk i just feel like they’d be good at being the fire disaster siblings

- he also looks like he’d eat up the “the scar is not on the wrong side” line for some reason???

- was probably an angsty teenager at some point

miyeon (gidle) as ty lee

- nobody can out femme either of these two

- cute extroverts who could also be deadly (like imagine x-file miyeon during boiling rock)

- i feel like ty lee would LOVE doing dance challenges with anyone and everyone

bibi (soloist) as mai

- i am fully aware that bibi isn’t an idol but i couldn’t resist

- she just gives the mai vibes honestly. you know that trope where the guard asks the character to hand over all of their weapons and just stands there and stares as said character pulls out knives from everywhere? that is both bibi and mai

- bibi is also the queen of every concept so i fully believe she could probably play the entire cast of atla in a chaotic one-woman show

anyways i hope you enjoyed my chaos rambling and i kind of want to do this with other shows so if you liked this please leave me recommendations!

[lastoneout]

Okay I'm finally sitting down to properly watch the PJO series so here's an episode-by-episode live blog I guess. (Fair warning, I haven't read the books since I was a teenager, I am a smidge of an apologist for the films, and my favorite adaptation so far has been the musical.)

Episode One:

All of the actors are doing a really good job, I especially like Sally.

The costume design for both the monsters and the humans is pretty killer. I want Percy's sweater.

I also love the little seaside cabin and want to live there!!!

This is such a mild gripe BUT as someone with dyslexia I wish there was a better way to visually depict it without like, doing the swapping letters thing cuz that's just not what it's actually like at all.

Gabe maybe feels a little too funny. Like I'm supposed to hate him and think it's justified that he deserves to be turned into stone at the end, this version of him is really.....toned down, and his banter with Percy and Sally was fun to watch. I should hate him, but really he just came across as unpleasant. Less abusive asshole and more "old married couple who share interests but can't communicate without shouting" you know?

Loved Grover's little "I'm 24 actually" lmao that was great.

Not a fan of Percy immediately recognizing the Minotaur within a millisecond of it appearing before the audience even got a good look at it. Like, I just sat there thinking "how can he even see it?" rather than feeling scared of a big monster barreling at them.

The action is uh....fine? Feels a little lackluster. Or kinda....divorced from the rest of the show weirdly?? Idk it makes me feel like I'm watching a movie of a movie if that makes sense?? But we'll see where they go with it. (I know banter during a fight isn't realistic and people make fun of Marvel for it, but like...it helps to have at least a little talking. We don't wanna be Man of Steel.)

I feel like there's been a few "slightly out of sync ADR" moments but they weren't too distracting.

Pacing into Sally saying goodbye felt a little long, kinda took the shock of her dying out of the scene, but the actress REALLY sold all the emotional beats so I'll forgive it.

I LOVE the credits sequence!!! Reminds me of the designs on that one box set of the books in a really cool way.

Episode Two:

Oh yes the ugly ass neon orange shirts are here bless!

FUCK YES THAT'S DIONYSUS BAYBEEE!! My ONLY note is that he def could have turned up the energy a little, but that's probably just bcs I love how loud and unpleasant he is in the musical and I also know how unhinged this actor can be.

Chiron is such a delight <3

I like the cabins too, way better than how I imagined them as a kid reading the books lol

Oh, I can see why the new fans fell for Luke so hard.

Grover assuming a human being squished would be like an old banana is very funny. Felt very book-humor in a good way.

Clarisse!!

Oh damn actual disabled half-bloods, very cool!

Minor but I can't actually tell what Percy did wrong with the bow? Weird editing I guess.

Aside from that I actually love a good "fuck up" montage, I honestly wish it were a little longer.

Probably doesn't matter but I don't get having them burn the food after they've started eating? I thought that was a before you sit down type thing.

Percy burning the blue candy to try to talk to his mom was sweet tho T_T

"real friends" hahahaha.....yeah.......about Luke.......

yay! hazing!

Oh I love Annabeth already >:D

Thalia.....is pronounced differently than I thought....?

(I'm sorry I'm too much of a fan of 'Tree on the Hill' for this exposition dump. That shit hits harder when coming from Grover.)

Percy giving Annabeth the "actually I suck and my self esteem is riding on this so like pls don't ask me to do anything hard T_T" talk is just, so good lmao

ofc he doesn't know what's going on Annabeth you didn't tell him anything

Okay the action is a lot better when it's between the actual characters and doesn't involve a 3D monster, though I still had trouble following all the hits Percy was taking.

Oooh I can see why people did so much art of Percy being claimed that was a good shot.

FUCK YEAH TELL HIM YOU'RE SALLY JACKSON'S SON

(I hope they kept the Oracle in the attic...)

Okay I have to go do some things and then I'll be back for more!

[gffa]

for the character ask game! dick grayson: 5, 16, 25

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? Lmao please don't ask me this question, because I have zero musical taste--and I don't mean I have bad musical taste, I mean I have no taste whatsoever, I barely listen to music, and I have no funny suggestions! (Mostly because I don't care for most of the ~jokes~ about his physical body.) 16. What's your least favorite ship for this character? Fandom has made it extremely hard to like a lot of other Dick ships because literally half the fandom can't stop tearing down Dick/Babs to build up their ship, which means there's nothing there for me to like, all it does is make me think there's not much there, if the only content to come up with is ranting about another ship. Nobody's obligated to like Dick/Babs, nobody's even obligated to not rant about it, I know where my scroll button is, but also all it does is push me further away from the ship that was supposedly being sold in that post, because it seems like an unfun place to be. But my actual least favorite ship for Dick is probably Bruce/Dick because it's so close to what I want out of that relationship, except also a thousand miles away from it! Honestly, one of my oldest friends is a Bruce/Dick shipper and the overlap we have of views on the characters is probably like 85%, we just diverge on how that plays out and we both feel extremely strongly about how we dislike the other path, but that we respect the other person being on it. We both are really into the fucked up entanglement of the characters, the mirroring aspect they have of each other, the belief that the other is the pure version of who they're meant to be, the frustration of how much they love the other while also being mad at them for the distance between them, the co-dependent disaster relationship, etc. All of that is the same for both of us, we just diverge on the context for it. Which is fine in our friendship, we meet in the middle, but there have been times when I feel like the ship would be so delicious for me, because it would tunnel vision in on those aspects I like, but the thought of them so much as even smooching makes me look like I bit into a lemon. How dare fandom almost give me what I want and then take it away from me!!!! Like, I don't actually care that it exists as a ship, fiction is not in a 1:1 relationship with reality and I think a lot of us get blinded by how modern comics go hard on the father & son aspect, which I am into and think is fair to evolve them into, but that wasn't always true and it's not like Bruce/Dick came out of nowhere. It just denies me personally what I want and therefore it it is The Worst For Me Personally And Thus Jail For DC Fandom For One Thousand Years!!!! 25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now? Dick Grayson is my longest running Blorbo, like that guy invented Blorboism for me, before I ever had such a name for the concept. Dick Grayson has been my One True Character for 20+ years, nobody has ever unseated him, not Anakin, not Obi-Wan, not Thor, not Usagi, not Duo, not Tezuka, NONE OF THEM that I've lost my mind about. Dick Grayson came on the scene for me when I first watched B:TAS and hit my tiny little baby brain with his daddy issues on display and excellent Nightwing design in later episodes and the push-and-pull relationship with Babs and my fannish life has never been the same since. "That it. That's him. That's the one. That's the character I'm going to obsess over for the rest of my life." I must have said when I first saw him and I HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN WRONG YET.

[thatgirlonstage]

It's been so long since I thought about 07-Ghost and then you resurrect in the year of our lord 2024. I might have to reread it, it's been *so long*

LISTEN

I PLAYED

MYSELF

IN THE STUPIDEST

WAY

POSSIBLE

I’m doing a fandom fic alphabet bingo thing, right, except that now 9-1-1 is in the mix bc I was frothing at the mouth to turn Evan Buckley into a mermaid and I’m gonna be annoyed if I get all the letters and then there’s just an annoying 9 hanging out at the start so now it has to be alphanumerical and I straight up don’t think I have seen or read something for every NUMBER, especially going strictly on “it has to start with the numeral and Ao3 has to sort it that way.” (Eg: Re:Zero doesn’t count for 0, it counts for “R”)

So I am literally just like. Clicking around at random into ao3 categories to see what other fics already exist for certain numbers in case they might be shows I can watch to solve this problem I’ve created for myself. And I google 07-Ghost and get told “this is a sci-fi/fantasy show about a boy with amnesia” and I’m like cool, that sounds reasonably like my shit, I’ll check it out, but honestly if zero is a number I have to leave off that’s okay, I can live with that. I need to emphasize I had never in my life heard of this show. I knew nothing about it going in except what I’ve just said.

I watch the first episode and I’m like cool this seems reasonably like my shit, also, that homoeroticism with Mikage tho 👀 as long as they keep doing that it’s definitely at least worth sticking around for lmao

(At this interlude I DID see the cover of the first volume and get told what magazine it was published in so I was clued in that Certain Things Were Happening On Purpose, but still, yknow, whether or not the flavors are gonna click was still up in the air.)

I watched several more episodes.

And it ate

my damn

brain.

I don’t know if I can pinpoint the moment that first Got me but I can tell you that the moment it went from “oh no I’m obsessed” to “o h n o” was the fucking,,,,, underwater prison scene, because he SMILED and I perished and I’ll never be okay again. (I’m legally obliged to note that I fucking wept at Mikage’s death but it did have to be Frau who carried me over the line of “I am enjoying this anime” to “I need the rest of this story Fucking Immediately”)

SO THAT BY THE TIME I REACHED THE END OF THE ANIME I ALREADY KNEW I WAS GONNA HAVE TO GO BUY THE MANGA BECAUSE I NEED. TO READ THE REST OF IT.

BUT THE DAMN THING IS OUT OF PRINT

Some of the volumes are still reasonably easy to find but SOME OF THEM ARE NOT and I’ve just spent WEEKS intermittently trawling secondhand book sites waiting for someone to post vol 4 at a reasonable price because for weeks the only copies that have been available are posted for five hundred american dollars

(Thank you random eBay user who posted it for an actual normal human price to pay for a book the other night I owe you my fucking life)

(“Just read the scanlations” I’ve heard they’re not great? No idea if that’s just detritus rumors from old fandom wars or what but still, I do wanna have the physical volumes anyway)

So anyway. Hi. Hello. I’m fucking delighted to discover you know this show. Can I come scream at you about Teito and his boyfriends? They’re in love and it’s ruining my life.

Points at Evan Buckley. Somehow this is all your fault.