#i fucking hate that 2021 is already 2020 part 2

[golbrocklovely]

I'm disgusted that elton had to choose today to address the comments made by a certain faction of the sam and colby fandom. It's shit that he is getting death threats, but the timing is absolute ass. He could've chosen any day to do this if it's so frequent. Reeks of trying to ruin their moment. Just my 2 cents.

this is from yesterday. sorry for the delayed response.

idk if elton chose yesterday, when snc hit 10 mil, purposefully or coincidentally. it's interesting since he's been making comments about the hate he's been getting for a while now, but waited until yesterday to post proof of it.

i know i'm gonna have a surprisingly unpopular opinion about this but…. he's kinda right.

look, i don't like elton whatsoever. i've been the leader of the 'elton's-a-geriatric-loser' campaign since he started up his shit with snc in 2021 - back when ppl didn't even hate elton yet. and i get it, he's annoying. he loves to stir up drama. but like… sending him hate is not the move. it is SO EASY to block him and move on. i literally got into this argument with someone else who was like 'yeah, but when i forget about him, someone else brings him up' and it's like… okay??? that doesn't mean he deserves death threats.

the main issue is why ppl are sending him those types of messages. a lot of fans hate him for shit that did not happen, like the colby/self-harm thing. that didn't happen, so hating him for it is fucking dumb. or fans are hating on him for the pranks he pulled even tho snc signed off on them. snc literally did the killing best friend prank. they were part of the "worse prank of all time" and you think elton being a bit aggressive with some of his pranks is bad?? i just don't get it.

you want to dislike elton for constantly shit talking snc? sure. do that. you want to dislike him for the pettiness he's pulled since 2021? okay. you want to dislike him for the rape joke he made in 2020 and then tried to argue with fans that he didn't "actually" joke about rape when he did? yeah, that's valid. do you want to dislike him for not even sending well wishes to colby when he announced he had cancer? that's a good reason too. dislike him for copying snc? if you believe he is, that's fine. but even with ALL of that, there is still no reason to send him death threats.

literally block him and move on and let him fade into oblivion. he's already winning that race on his own.

(none of this was directed at you specifically, anon. i'm just saying in general my opinion on that matter.)

[orchidsangel]

okay okay okay ima have to explain a loooot then 😭😭 BIG SPOILER ALERT THO!!!!! (don’t put this in the jason tags or anything just in case bestie)

so first about this current hook up, i literally get you 100% i’m not a big fan of most jason ships like he’s most of the times written so ooc to fit in (also does not belong with anyone but me but that’s besides the point). overall there’s literally nothing going on with that girl (the comic is called red hood: the hill btw), they met minutes prior at jason’s housewarming party, they flirted like 2 lines, and in this preview they’re making out while jason’s best friend is in danger (so it’s basically not gonna end up being good for jason anyway),,, based on the sollicitations for the next issues of this mini comic, it’s mainly gonna be focused on jason’s and his best friend’s vigilantism activities, so like i said: big doubts on this hook up turning out to be anything more, and to further point out this, in the first issue of this mini, jason is clear that he does not plan to stay in that part of gotham and he’s just here to visit his friend and help. now i just want to let you know that based on the this mini’s writer’s latest interview, it sounds like he doesn’t know jason’s character very well, and plans to just make him another case of making him question all his morals for the sake of his relationship with bruce. so i’m not particularly hyped much for the rest of this story but we’ll just have to see.

now for artemis, and here’s when things get a bit messy, i already mentioned that this mini is set to be 3 years ago, and that’s because this is actually a direct follow up to the red hood and the outlaws comic. after joker war ended and the outlaws split up, red hood was supposed to continue solo and he got a new writer (the one currently writing this mini) who introduced brand new characters for him. why is it coming out now? well first of all, it was cancelled back in 2020 because dc had this big alternate universe event scheduled for the first months of 2021: future state. they basically put on hold allllll the comics that were on the main timeline. and so this comic (which at that time was called red hood issue #51 and #52) was put to a hold. after this event ended, practically all the comics were picked up again or new ones were made, except this one. why? well because it’s dc and if there’s one thing you should know about dc is that they absolutely hate jason todd at their worst, and at their best they just don’t care about him and shove him here and there. so that’s what happened, he was shoved into a batfamily event (as always) where his relationship with bruce was once again the topic and ended horribly for him (sparing the details because i chose to ignore most of this shit they put him through). and after that, a new comic came, and another one, and that “red hood” solo comic was completely forgotten about and left as an open arc with no closer. so i’m guessing that the writer had kept some pressure on dc to continue his story and was granted a 6 mini series to get it over with. so here we are now, getting this mini story that has happened right after jason and artemis fucked and decided to both take their own separate ways (they haven’t been together nor interacted in canon since 2020, yet they’re still the most popular jason ship 😭), and currently artemis is under the wonder woman editorial and had a little cameo in batman the brave and the bold, other than that we don’t see of her much :((( (yes, jason is hooking with this new girl literally days/weeks after he did with artemis with whom he had a lonnnng situationship 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 idk what to say i swear)

now to conclude this, if jason 3 years ago was hooking up with a stranger in his new apartments, where is he now? well he’s in main gotham with the batfamily, his last appearance was the gotham war (horrible horrible horrible event that served no purpose and just completely destroyed his character for no reason) where he basically got lobotomized by bruce so that everytime he gets a rush of adrenaline he gets so scared that he can’t do shit, and then he was “fixed” by joker toxin,,, and beast world (he was an adorable wolf yes it sounds really weird but he was adorable so that’s all that matters), the last look of him in the main canon is in batman #145 which came out earlier this week and he’s well, a punching bag as usual, no one but the batfam with him, still horrible characterization but that’s nothing new, dc does not care about jason enough to actually give him anything that’s good or anyone that will actually put effort into his story so we just have to take what we have and twist it into our own little thing ig,,,, this was a lonnnnng explanation but it was just to put everything into context sorry😭 some fans. got overly excited with the previews which ig good for them and everything but yeah she’s not his gf back then (so far) and certainly not currently,, anyway mwah much love and i love your writing 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

i read this ENTIRE thing the minute you sent it in nonnie i just got distracted by my mom and forgot to respond.

ig jason’s in his slut era, i guess he’s feeling a little whore-ish lately. good on him for rebounding after artemis (my eyes twitching and i’m on the floor sobbing)

thank u for this rundown of everything going on bc i haven’t gotten around to reading that outlaws run yet or gotham war. even tho i knew what happened in gotham war bc it was all over tumblr and. oh my god. WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO HIM 😭😭😭😭 just so sick like they’re genuinely out to get him it’s so nasty. free my man!!!!

it’s so crazy that dc treats him like this bc there’s so much they can do with his character and they just…choose not to? it’s so weird to me bc if his story was in my hands it would be so epic.

i’m so glad you enjoy my writing, sorry i haven’t been putting anything out tho 😖 i hope to start again soon!

[cant-get-no-worse]

https://www.tumblr.com/cant-get-no-worse/732991722584440832/we-should-sell-pedri-while-we-can-still-get-money i'm aware that it's a controversial stance and everyone will think i'm wack but he's one of the few players we have that we can get a profit from by selling.

it's not his fault he was overworked as a teenager but it IS a fact that he's injured often and that he takes months at a time to recover. he's fantastic when he's there but im worried that he can't be there for us most of the time when we need him

this isn't hate towards him btw just expressing a personal opinion

Not at all! On the contrary, I find it interesting and healthy to be able to talk about such topics, more so that I completely understand where you're coming from, since I've got the same worries.

To expend briefly on what you've mentionned (overworked part), I found quite interesting the declarations of Pau Torres' (player for Spanish NT).

Essentially, Torres explains that after the Euro 2021 (june - july 2021), during the Olympics (july - august 2021), the Spanish NT didn't had an adapted alimentation that high-level athletes should have. Thrown into this, you have to consider Pedri's situation : at 18, he :

he's already a regular starter for the first team and is so since he was 17 ;

during the 2020 - 2021 season, he's the player having disputed the most match, ahead of Leo Messi, Frenkie de Jong or Alba ;

he's the second youngest player to get to 50 games (18 yr 5 mths), second only to Bojan.

So you have, in the start of the 2021-2022 season, a 18 year old used to death by both his club and his national selection.

What Torres explains is that he (Torres), upon returning to Villarreal after the eventful 2021 summer (2 international tournaments, and a weak alimentation during the latest) , his coach (Emery) refused to get him back in the first group, despite Torres' insistance, arguing that he needed mandatory rest after coming back from such long international duty.

Meanwhile, guess what happens to young, juvene Pedri upon returning ? He gets one week after the Olympics, before being merrily trusted back onto the pitch because of his essentiality to the first team. Getting out of a 60+ games season, following up on a national duty and getting only one week to rest, as a 18 years old, is insanity. His injuries' history checks:

He made his debut for Barcelona in 2020. No injuries whatsoever during this 2020 - 2021 period : they only start coming on September 2021 and hardly stop.

So, with all that in mind, here's my lukewarm take : it's easy to fall on him for his supposed weakness of constitution (some players are prone to this and we know it). However, I do think that this is a 20 year old who put his health in danger during a whole ass season for both his club and national team and that he isn't prone to anything when given the time.

Imo with the recruitment we've had and players like Fermin coming up, we should let Pedri fall back into his rythm at his own pace, let him all the time he needs to recover, in other words use him mindfully. Of course Fermin isn't him but we did a stupendous match in El Clasico without him and I do think that we could work out smth like that. Alimentation and strength training in the gym are of course important but the way he's used by the club and recovery time even more so.

I do agree with you on a certain level tho; I think this 2023 - 2024 season is crucial toward this issue. If the injuries don't stay at bay then yeah, we got a Dembele/Bojan/Umtiti case, that 2020/2021 season most likely fucked him up entirely (cause in the end, that's what really is being discussed here: whether he can fully recover and go back to his previous form or if it's already too late). With our financial problems, a sale should be seriously considered, soon so that his value doesn't completely lessens — hence the whole 2023-2024 importance in my eyes. That's why for now I'm not too worried, just really curious and hopeful as to how this season will go. Hoping the coaching of Xavi, Pedri's own preparation, Fermin's development and the dynamics of the team pay off.

[hiding-in-my-room-alone]

2020 was a dumpster fire

so i kept a running log of the insanity that was 2020

Austrailia on fire

Trump is impeached

WWIII

Kobe dead

Gender can be "X" on New Hampshire driver's license

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stop living in UK (lowkey leaving royal family)

Global pandemic

protesters against social distancing

grim reaper florida lawyer

trump tells people to drink bleach and they actually do it

Michigan governor has death threats bc stay at home order

Trump advertises for Goya bc CEO said masks are bad

Aliens are R E A L

Kim Jong Un almost dies

faked to weed out the haters

Murder hornets

solved with mimosas

LA exploded and is on fire

PizzaGate: Chuck E Cheese masquerades fake as Pasqually's Pizza to get delivery orders

PaRaLLeL || u n i v e r s e

US Astronauts to space from US soil!!! 1st since 2011, 1st manned launch from SpaceX

Protests and Riots because police violence #BLM in all 50 states and internationally

Trump calls white armed protestors "nice people" and unarmed black protestors "thugs"

White House lights off for the first time in history

Trump has peaceful protestors tear gassed and shot at so he can have a photo OP at a church he doesnt go to with a book he doesnt believe in (the Bible)

Amish and Witches protest

Anonymous comes out of the shadows

Autonomous zone (SCAD) in Portland

Secret police stealing people on the streets of Portland

Oil Spill in Artic Circle in Russia

Trump attempts to repeal LGBTQ+ healthcare protections

SCOTUS upholds anti discrimination laws for LGBTQ+ in the workforce

SCOTUS upholds DACA

SCOTUS repeals reqs for insurance to guarantee birth control coverage

Kanye runs for president 2020

Says Harriet Tubman didn't actually free any slaves

Plague²: BUBONIC PLAGUE SQUIRRELS (colorado)

Witchtok witches curse the moon (&the fae) and all the other witches panic

Spooky Cheeto hires COVID doctor who says meds are Alien DNA against Jesus and sex demons cause reproductive health problems

Trump uses 4 tons of weights to compare himself to Biden (weight in truck = burden = biden; weight floating above truck = freedom = trump)

Downtown Beirut explodes, can be felt and heard from over 30 miles away

NASA launches a new Mars Rover

Murder Hornets return

China mails us mystery seeds

Entire northeast loses power for over a week

NC has wild fires, tornados, a hurricane, and an earthquake in the span of a week

Annabelle escApED

Fire tornado in California

Blackout across all of Iowa

Internet explorer permanently retired, never to be used again

Entire west coast is on fire bc gender reveal party

Lebanon dealing with fires just weeks after explosions that devastated the country

RBG died

Forced sterilization of detained women by a Georgia physician who isn't board certified (FUCK ICE)

TRUMP HAS COVID

People plan to kidnap Michigan's governor and start a coup/civil war

North Dakota elects man who died of corona to congress

PUTIN IS STEPPING DOWN

Destiel is c a n n o n

BIDEN IS ELECTED I REPEAT THE SPOOKY JACKOLANTER FROM HELL HAS BEEN  S M A S H E D

FIRST FEMALE POC VICE PRESIDENT

Brain eating bacteria in water supply in texas

Traveling mysterious obelisk????

Utah, Romania, and more

Cracked the Zodiac Killer's 340 cipher

Hungarian anti gay politician caught at all male orgy

Australia has a massive mango go missing and travel across the country?

Multiple world leaders are involved w SPN?

misha Collins fucked bill clinton ?

lmk if i missed anything which i probably missed a lot

[beauty-and-passion]

What Eurovision 2021 taught us

1. That a nice, enjoyable show was possible (even if 4 presenters are still too much)

Of course nothing can beat Love Love Peace Peace (even if Ja Ja Ding Dong does its best), but this year's intermissions were very enjoyable.

We expected something flashy and over the top because hey, The Netherlands. Sex, drugs, gays and all that jazz.

But instead Covid surprised us. And then The Netherlands surprised us even more, by making a very enjoyable show, despite the restrictions. My personal favourites were:

The water intermission of the first semi-final. I loved the mixed feelings, how water is both scary and respected, for being such a powerful, unstoppable force.

The rooftop concerts during the final. Social distancing? Sure, no problem, let's make the past winners sing on top of some roofs all over Rotterdam. That was pure genius, I loved it so much.

On the other hand, the presenters were basically all useless. We could've had just two of them instead of four. But hey, at least they weren't as cringy as the three scary ukranians from 2017 or the useless four ladies from Portugal. The true highlights of the show were the intermissions, the guests and especially the songs themselves and this is perfectly good for me.

________________________

2. That we can live in a world without boring ass ballads

I’ve never been so proud of the Eurovision public, especially during the second semifinal: that evening was PACKED with ballads. Boring ballad after boring ballad, with just a couple more funny songs in between.

The ballads were all left behind. Even the two Amen. And I love the irony we chose El Diablo and the finnish band for the final, but no Amen. No saints allowed, only the norwegian angel. As it always should be.

And so we had the best final I've seen since I started following Eurovision in 2014. Catchy songs, dance songs, upbeat songs. And power ballads. Yes, ballads can still have a place, but only if they're good.

Because yes, Switzerland and France were good. Very good. Just not as good as the ones the public wanted.

________________________

3. That we want Eurovision, not Englishvision

Every year, the same message blasts from all Europeans: send a song in your native language. This show is supposed to make other people from Europe (and the rest of the world) to know more about your own country, to enjoy its rhythm and to listen to something we don't usually hear. So why waste this huge opportunity, to bring a generic song in English?

Because the English song wins. Because we all understand English, so English has more chances.

Flash news: GUESS WHO WON THIS YEAR. No, it’s not the generic English song.

The public has been crystal clear, the final poll is even clearer: the top five includes an italian song, an ukraine song, two french songs and only one english song. We want different styles and rhythms, we want to listen to Europe.

So I want to give my full thank you to:

Albania: amazing song, great voice, wonderful language. Do it again.

Serbia: these ladies are fantastic, their song is great and they sang it in their language so I love them

Switzerland: thank you for leaving English to the side to give us some good french

Spain: the song wasn't as good as Universo, but it was in sexy spanish, so thank you for using it almost every year

Danemark: the song was terrible, but it was in your language and this alone deserves everything

France: I know we all make fun of you for being France, but your language is perfect for songs, so thank you for always using it

Ukraine: take note, Ukraine, because Europe is madly in love with your language and your rhythm

Italy: our language is beautiful, so thank you for delivering every year

While my biggest biases go to:

Greece: a generic pop song with no balkan rhythm and no greek either? An absolute shame, greek should always be used for songs.

Russia: russian language is very melodious and yes, we got something this year, but what about bringing a full russian song? We want it!

Germany: I may sound crazy, but I honestly think german language is good for songs. It's not like the mediterranean languages, but it still works. So please, do not be scared and show what you can do with it!

Scandinavian countries: why do you never want to bring your own language? Do it, don't be scared! Yes, Sweden, I'm talking with you: you still never tried to bring something in swedish, so do it.

________________________

4. That we don't want Americans to play with us

For reasons we still have to understand, Flo Rida was competing this year. And he was competing for San Marino, the smallest European country.

I'm pretty sure they took some time to explain to him what was going on, where he was, where San Marino is, wtf was happening, why there were sexy italians and ukranian witches and a norwegian angel and loads of beautiful women everywhere.

And I loved how we all send memes about this, about ahahah why is Flo Rida here, what if San Marino wins where would they host Eurovision, all while enjoying an actual catchy song.

And then, in the end, Flo Rida basically disappeared. Who remembers Flo Rida, when we got Ukraine, Italy, Finland, Iceland, and the UK? And Germany being wholesome? And the love story between Norway and Azerbaijan? We collectively forgot about him and I think it's very sexy from Europe to just say "nope" and push America away, even if for just one week.

And this isn't the first time: we basically showed Madonna in a corner in 2019, thanks to Mans, Eleni, Verka and Conchita. Once again, Europeans knows what they want: we don't want Americans. Australia can because they're like that little brother we took under our wing for no reason and now it's part of us. But not Americans.

The rest of the year is all yours, but one week is ours.

________________________

5. That we can lose like bosses

This year, the voting results have been absolutely insane and FOUR COUNTRIES got zero points from the public, while the UK got both zero points from the public AND the jury.

Don't get me wrong, the song was bad. And yes, Brexit played a role in this. And yes, hating England is Europe’s favourite sport.

But can we please all take a moment and appreciate how James Newman reacted? The public gave him a round of applause and he celebrated this achievement like a boss.

And he had all the reasons! He achieved something incredible, he unlocked something that this new voting system was supposed to never lead to. But he did it. So hats off to you, my boy: My Last Breath was better.

Germany is also used to the bottom of the chart, but this year I really thought Jendrik could have a chance to achieve a higher position. The song was funny, carefree, lively, the hand costume was the kind of trash we need and the message was nice as well. But he still got 3 points.

Despite that, Jendrik celebrated like a maniac and seeing his this happy made me happy as well. I really wish him the best.

________________________

6. That FUCK YOU JURY

Again, same message every year: the jury vote should be eliminated. It's a fucking farce and their votes have nothing to do with what the public want.

The jury focuses on the voices, except when they don't, and clearly giving points to your neighbours is because you like the song, not because they're your neighbours.

I usually make fun of Greece and Cyprus showing eternal love to each other, by giving 12 points to each other every year, but this time, it sounded even more stupid than usual. It really looked like a farce. Why should we see this farce? Why can't we just choose what the public wants? So at least we would blame ourselves for our shitty musical tastes.

Even if I'm pretty sure we all have great musical tastes. Let's not forget that in 2019 the public's winner was Norway, with a song that mixed english, a catchy rhythm and an amazing part in yoik language. Arcade is good as well, but we cannot deny the norwegian entry was a lot more interesting.

And this year, the public's taste was flawless:

Look at this beauty: italian glam rock, ukranian techno folk, french powerful ballad, finnish hard rock and whatever that thing was with Iceland.

There's variety, there's everything for everyone. And there are native languages. Italian, Ukranian, and French on top three, followed by English.

Moral of the story: the public is great and the jury should be abolished forever.

________________________

7. That Ukranian technofolk is all we needed in our lives

I didn’t see enough love for Go_A, so as italian, I think it's my sworn duty to give my appreciation to them and their amazing entry, because this band is awesome and Shum is currently on top of the Spotify top 50 - as it should be, because everyone should listen to it and join this slavic rave party.

I already liked their entry for 2020, Solovey. But I also liked My Last Breath from the UK and Universo from Spain. And this year they brought two of the worst songs. So I was very wary of Go_A.

But Shum is an absolute blast. Katerina Pavlenko's voice is unique and the song is even more, because based on ukranian folklore and traditional dances to summon the spirit of spring. They managed to teach something to all Europe in a three minute song and I think that’s incredibly sexy of them.

And so, I searched for other songs and OMG, I don’t know how it’s possible, but they are all great. Rano-Ranenko, Zhalmenina, Tanula, they all are perfect and I’m in love with this band.

And if all of this is not enough, THEY DID A COVER OF DANCING LASHA TUMBAI. The most iconic Eurovision song, sang by our god Verka. And this is the coolest, most badass cover ever in the whole universe. Please listen to it HERE everyone needs to hear this.

So thank you, Ukraine, for giving us Go_A. We all had a small empty place in our hearts and this place has ben perfectly filled by them.

And yif you think you don’t need ukranian technofolk, is only because you still haven’t listened to it. Please listen and enjoy Shum. You’re welcome.

________________________

8. That rock and roll never dies (and Italy’s well deserved victory)

The last time Italy won was in 19-fucking-90. 31 years ago. I was just born.

And now, they finally won again. And what a song! Despite being italian, I've never listened to Maneskin before, but oh damn, this song is good. Not all their songs are, but this one is. And also Morirò da re.

Their show was perfect as well. This post is really eye-opening about how well they put on their show. The use of the stage, the movements, everything has been part of a great performance, even their clothes. Damiano's voice never faltered, despite having an entire continent watching him. They handled the stage like bosses, despite being only in their twenties. And they gave us some good fucking rock.

And so the public said a loud "FUCK YOU" to the jury and chose its winners. The sassy, sexy italians.

And yes, I know that there has been a lot of petty polemics because those youngsters are having drugs!1!! as if they were a bunch of idiots who used drugs on international TV, with their manager sitting next to them.

Of course it was a pointless accusation and honestly I don't care if some people are sore losers. The drug results were negative anyway, what a shocker.

What we should truly think about is how strong the Maneskin's bladders are, because they spent the whole evening of the final drinking the entire alcohol supply of the Eurovision and, at the end, they were still happy and cool. Hats off to you, you sexy people.

This man is just iconic, why did I miss him before.

Also, have some more Maneskin. You know, as a treat.

________________________

9. That solidarity and wholesomeness are the biggest winners

It's just beautiful to see these nice people, from all over Europe, bonding, having fun, taking photos together and being friends.

The true winner of this, is probably Norway: Tix wanted to have a good time and he had a good time. The video of him vibing with Ukraine and Germany while listening Hard Rock Hallelujah is the best (HERE). His love story with Efendi from Azerbaijan is even better (please, check the video on his youtube channel, it's hilarious). I don't like his song, but he's a great guy and deserves everything.

The italian and finnish rock relationship is also great. Maneskin and Dark Sides found each other, considering they were the only two rock bands in the competition, so mutual appreciation was inevitable.

But Damiano is also a man of culture and he appreciates Ukraine's entry. And Ukraine appreciates both Finland and Italy. Is this what world peace looks like? Because I love it.

________________________

10. That Italians will be Europe's clowns again (and you're all allowed to make fun of us)

Beware, Europe: we Italians are messy and chaotic, our presenters don’t know a single word in English, we are homoerotic AND homophobic at the same time, our musical competitions are so fucking sloooow... let’s say next year’s Eurovision is going to be interesting.

And yes, you’re allowed to make fun of us. We don’t care, we won, so we deserve to be Europe’s clowns once again.

And I don’t know who the presenters will be (my bets are on everyone’s favourites: Fiorello, Amadeus and Malgioglio), I don’t know how we will ridicule ourselves once again, I don’t know where will we find the money to put on the show, I don’t know how ungodly long it will be... but I know that Mans Zelmerlow will be part of it. This man loves Eurovision just like all of us, so I can already see him packing his suitcase and planning his flight to Italy. Come to us, Mans, we will wait for you. We actually need an English presenter, so if you have nothing else to do...

[booksanimeandtea]

Imma be hated for this but I stopped caring months ago so

T43ehyung is a snake. and a lying bitch. there is a plan as to why he keeps mentioning Jk, jk here, jk there...he does NOT mention anyone else, and certainly not jimin. think about it, once we got taejin (lots of fs during concerts), vhope (really they did spend lots of time together, eating out, giving e/o gifts) and of course we were sold the vmin are soulmates shit, maybe they were, I doubt they still are, wooga squad are his real friends. they have never mentioned e/o outside of work. we also got some joon x v during dynamite era, again fanservice during dynamite performance but that was that. then suddenly (or not so suddenly, certainly soop and hybe had a huge part in tk becoming close again) but again more strongly since 2021 we started getting a looot of tk content and t4e being all over jk...if you think I forgot about soop2 well you are gravely mistaken, I didn't. that cringe kitchen scene? forcing jk to cook for him and then hugging him? to then showing us him cooking some breakfast for jimin? like bitch??? that infamous vminkook live where he actually asked the staff to bring him jk (he ASKED THE STAFF I repeat) and then jm appears and afterwards jk too, and you all have to watch v watching jk all the fucking time, no wonder tkks said jm was the thirdwheel...and then harry styles concert where ofc as soon as he saw hobi was filming them, he had to hug jk and sway while singing, in no other pictures I've seen they were THAT close...then we also got a lot of tk fanservice during the different US concerts, US exactly, not korea, US! why? who knows, and jk was happily complying too mind you...to then all the anon has listed (I also have to add how he ruined new years eve in 2020 by posting a tk selca, act like he was the second owner of Bam, implied a tk subunit for Christmas that everyone was sure of it, Chuseok live 2022 where he did everything he could to be all over jk, like he kept on leaning on him and jk kept leaning away LOL)

there are lots of reasons and not only (possibly) him wanting to hide till he can that he's dating Jennie, a rival for Army, from a rival band and company...nope, what he wants to hide is that he's straight as a ruler, and not on the rainbow side, tbh he never hinted that he's gay or queer, rather he has made homophobic remarks on different occasions and towards jm, but he is so good in fanservicing fans that fans believe he's gay, even more than people who are so much queercoded! he's like HS in this sense...they were in a group, women shipped him in a delusional way with another band member while he was/is dating women and built a career over this...V needs tkks, needs jk, needs fake ot7 armys, he doesn't care about the mess he creates, he doesn't give 2 fucks about the hate others receives because of him, hate that we know they know, he think about himself, he's scared of fans losing interest in him, you see he's not that talented, he's not a good dancer, he is an ambassador yes but what his impact for celine? have you seen big news outlets or even little talk about him? no, exactly.

he needs all of this. he won't let it go soon, he'll keeps doing this and I hope to be wrong, but it can get worse too...and it already is...the worst part of this is...why jk has not noticed this..or if he did, why he doesn't say shit! that's what hurts the most...

tbh they are boring together when on live or on screen, people only scream about their faces (debatable, I think handsomeness resides in soemthing more than pretty, bitch-resting faces tbh) they are the most overrated ship ever. like even taegi are more entertaining to watch...

The End.

it’s interesting seeing taekookers talk about how “taehyung is exposing his relationship with jungkook” yet if you look at it all written it, it’s actually extremely weird, all of this comes from him within the last year, and i’m sure there is things forgotten, if this was jimin doing this to jungkook he would be torn to pieces, the fanservice narratives would be spread every single second, especially with how one sided it is

april 2022:

- talks about a “trip” he took with jungkook but then shuts up as soon as jungkook arrives

- as soon as jimin sat on floor during vhopekookmin live, grabbed jk and pulled him close to him

may 2022:

- festa video, grabbed his leg and grabbed him to pull his close to him

june 2022:

- did live saying would get tattoo with jungkook

- uploaded a fake tattoo minutes after jungkook posted his real one

- posted photo of jungkook on his story during a music show recording

october:

- busan live, as soon as jimin touched him, he grabbed him and put his arm round him

november:

- live saying he was going to game with jungkook

- next day at airport said he was going to be coming with jungkook(?)

january:

- 4 minute live and mentioned jungkook

- another live, said he was gaming with jungkook

february:

- made jungkook do a instagram live with him

- did a live randomly name dropping jungkook

march:

- live stream randomly mentioning jungkook

- comments on jungkooks post randomly minutes after the jikook interaction about ramyun

april:

- car live mentions doing karaoke with jungkook

- starts a live randomly in jungkooks house seconds before leaving

- live where he mentions jungkook randomly, says he told him a song, mentions him about 10 times

- another live randomly mentions jungkook after the premiere

may:

- posts random tk selfie 3 weeks after the premiere

The most interesting part is the increase with how often it has happened since all the Taennie leak, meanwhile they continue to wear the clothes from the leaks, and post even more photos showing things from the photos which we haven’t seen before, meanwhile he at the same time is feeding Taekookers even more.

This is all just going to end up negatively on him, because one day he is going to have to reveal he is a heterosexual man.

[nhkamira]

MY ANIME WATCHLIST FOR WINTER 2021☃️❄️✨

Finally got some time to do this. Winter is here and we got a marvelous season ahead! Here is my watchlist for this season + the ongoing series i’ll be watching. I already watch every episode that came out, but I’ll do a proper first impression in different posts.

Horimiya (堀さんと宮村くん) I can’t believe this one is finally getting an adaption TT. Yes I’m part of the manga readers group, and I’m really really excited! CloverWorks is in charge and so far they have shown an amazing work! just look at that poster. Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Romance.

Dr.Stone: Stone Wars (ドクターストーン ) If you haven’t seen season 1, go and do yourself a favor. Been waiting for this so bad, season two is finally here, and hopefully is going to be even better than season 1. As a women of science this story really gets me excited. TMS Entertainment is working again with this series so im expecting the same amazing job. Genres: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Shounen.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (弱キャラ友崎くん) This one looks interesting in a weird way, i was really excited that this season got more than one romance anime, so im looking forward to this one. Project No.9 is the studio in charge, their anime has never been that iconic or memorable, hopefully this is a different situation. Genres: Drama, Romance, School

Kemono Jihen (怪物事変) Honestly i saw the poster and thought “this probably going to be a really good but underrated one”, the sypnosis catch me right away and im really curious about the mc. the studio working on this is Ajia-Do, they brought us the marvelous Kakushigoto last year so i have high expectations. Genres: Action, Mystery, Demons.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon’s Judgement (七つの大罪 憤怒の審判) I love Nanatsu so bad, i hated the way they animated last season. Studio Deen normally does a great work but damn, las season was awful. I REALLY hope they do the proper work this anime deserves. This arc is so amazing to be ruined like the previous one.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～) As one may say, there isn’t a good season without the typical Isekai story. But this one seems to be like everything good from an average Iskeai. The trailer gave me the thoughts that this probably would be the surprise of the season + the studio working on this one is Studio Bind which is apparently new since i couldn’t find any previous work. Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Magic.

Wonder Egg Priority (ワンダーエッグ・プライオリティ) Oh this one looks so beautiful. CloverWorks did such an amazing work with the design an animation. It looks like a movie. Sypnosis didn’t makes sense and was kind of confusing but I got excited and i can’t wait to see more. Genres: Psychological, Drama, Fantasy.

Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World Season 2 Part 2 (Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活) Man, I love Subaru so much, Re is amazing everyone should watch it. Its seems this part is really important for Subaru’s development, and it would probably get really fucked up as always. WhiteFox keeps working on this amazing story. I can’t wait to see everything that’s going to happen, because last season was really good but so crazy and hard. Genres: Psychological, Thriller, Drama, Fantasy.

BEASTARS 2期 This series is back and I’m dying of excitement, i really don’t know whats going to happen, and what new challenges Legoshi would have to confront but everything tells me is going to be amazing + Orange is bringing again the best CGI work on an anime ever. If you haven’t watch season 2 go and do it you won’t regret it! Genres: Slice of Life, Psychological, Drama

The Promised Neverland Season (約束のネバーランド) I’m really dying of excitement this season. FINALLY Yakusoku is back and with nothing more that worries and uncertainty for me. My kids are back and out of the farm and I’m really nervous to see whats going to happen next. Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller.

Ongoing series from last season I’ll be continuing watching:

Jujutsu Kaisen Next arc is reallyyyyyy good.

Shingeki no Kyojin My slowly death till the end, manga ending got a date now and I really don’t know how this is going to end.

Digimon Adventure 2020 nostalgic and all time favorite.

Black Clover This arc looks insane and animation looks so good in that latest episodes, please keep it like that TT

One Piece I still need to catch up but always one of the best things to watch.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, I’ve always love this series, though i still prefer the old animation, I loved this remake, everything is making more sense now (maybe because I’m older🤣) and explanations feels less confunsing + horror is amazing.

[tabbyjack]

fuck spotify but it gave me stats on my most listened to albums and from that i have curated my winter 2021-22 album recs, aka, the music i have used to not fall over and wilt from lack of music this winter! in no particular order:

things fall apart (1999) by the roots - have been listening to this nonstop whenever i go on walks and the lyricism is genius but of course we know that it's the roots. still though HIGHLY recommend this for days when you want to listen to music as its own activity cause lord knows it's got enough material and feeling behind it to occupy you for the entire length of the album

xoa (2014) by anaïs mitchell - other top walking music! from front to back this one has provided ideal vibes for me as i experience actual real freezing winter for the first time. anaïs mitchell does it for me in extreme summer OR winter temperatures it turns out? i'm not going to provide favorite tracks from all of these but if you only listen to one song because of this whole post let it be cosmic american by anaïs mitchell. please.

the good life (2018) by sammy rae and the friends - study music that soothes me like a large animal. i only started listening to sammy rae like a week ago TOPS but i like her! the voice! the mix!! the vibes!!! the HORN LINES

what could be better (2020) by the happy fits - my lifeline. my beauty. my one and only. when i feel bad in the morning i shuffle the happy fits discography and it fills me with as yet undiscovered levels of Do The Thing. i currently love and adore this band and i may well always

stunt (1998) by the barenaked ladies - i grew up listening to the barenaked ladies. i did already know they were good. however the fact that almost everyone else i know who got into bnl did so at the age i am now was lost on me until approximately last december when i listened to stunt again finally and it cracked me open like an EGG

wide open spaces (1998) by the chicks - music for when you are j! you are just! when you are JUST. i may be outing myself as someone who has intense and inarticulable feelings about country music but i have really intense and inarticulable feelings about this country music

fatou (2011) by fatoumata diawara - okay so i had never heard of fatoumata diawara until i read about her in a music listicle so i know nothing about her or her body of work. that said? fatou is one of my most often on-repeat albums when i'm listening to music for the joy of it and not just to focus. reminds me that sun exists when i'm stuck in "feels like 2°" type of weather

yesterday's tomorrow (2015) by phony ppl - one of my friends recced me this over winter break and good LORD. the hooks in these songs the emotion behind it. the VIBES. this is music to sink into like a soft chair

bought to rot (2018) by laura jane grace and the devouring mothers - i found this one through the track "i hate chicago" which, halfway through, declares "alright, christ, you caught me, this is just another divorce song," and if that doesn't tell you it's good i don't know what does. if you liked against me! but don't really like anything that hardcore anymore i have GREAT news: this is for YOU

self care (2018) by we are the union - i know i've recced this exact album before but i am begging the mutuals to listen to we are the union. this is one i have on cd and it is THE album for yanking myself up by the belt back into being a functional person. HIGHLY recommend if you are stuck in a slump and don't want to be Happy Again yet but still want to get your shit somewhat more together

now comes the part in the post where i would in some way indicate why i did this, such as by reminding people about an upcoming bandcamp friday or by tagging other people and turning it into a game. but i literally just wanted to talk about music. if you also want to talk about music you should do this! what have you been listening to i wanna know!!

[aftgficrec]

HII i cant believe ur open again,

right so could u rec any fics with andrew being really dramatic infront of the foxes

thank you!!!

Andrew’s whole persona is the strong silent type, but he definitely dabbles in drama. - A

From previous recs...

protective/possessive Andrew here

Andrew stabs himself here

oblivious andreil here

‘Coffee & Lies’ (since updated) here

‘Too fast to breathe’ here

‘Andreil Massages Turned War…’ here

‘Not boyfriends’ and ‘Fool for You’ here

‘Calling All My Lovelies’ here

‘Halloween couples costumes’ and ‘The Food Chronicles: #2’ here

‘i’ll crawl home to him’ here

‘Never Fall Asleep Around Someone With A Marker’ here

‘Fighting Heavy Shoulders’ here

‘Too Gay to Function’ here

‘can i get a kiss (can you make it last forever)’ here

‘The PDA Challenge’ here

‘Andrew Minyard vs. The World’ here

‘he is the words that i can't find’ here

‘How to Lose an Enemy in Ten Steps’ here

‘Palmetto Academy Host Club’ series ‘Part 2: The Perfect Confection’ here

the foxhole - coffee shop au series by jaylocked [Rated T, 2 Complete Works, Updated 2016]

Part 1: sky blue sky [3790 Words] 

Neil collects the cup a moment later, almost absently, as he thinks back to the nightmare that had started his day. He takes a sip, planning to turn away, and is almost assaulted by the sheer quantity of sugar in his drink. Who knew coffee could taste that sweet? It’s disgusting.

Neil looks back to Andrew, who is once more leveling a blank gaze at him, hazel eyes deeply unimpressed. Neil quirks an eyebrow, confused. It’s definitely not worth it to say anything. After all, it’s been engrained in him not to draw attention to himself, to order whatever is blandest and least interesting, to get in and out best he can.

He can feel the weight of Andrew’s gaze on his back as he leaves the cafe, but he tries to ignore it.

Part 2: start a war [3213 Words]

Andrew pretends that it’s out of spite that he pours a ridiculous amount of sugar into the drink. He pretends that he’s not disappointed at the lack of reaction when the boy merely raises an eyebrow at Andrew before leaving the shop. He pretends that he doesn’t think about the mystery boy later, trying to decode his careful movements and haunted eyes.

(He’s never been good at pretending, no matter how unreadable the rest of the world finds him.)

The Seduction of Neil Josten by irmakkockan [Rated M, 9104 Words, Incomplete, Updated March 2021]

“Jesus Christ, Andrew. Why are you so obsessed with this guy, anyway?”

Andrew tried give Allison a look that could only be interpreted as ‘stop being so stupid’ but considering that her question was already stupid, perhaps the meaning was lost on her. Andrew couldn’t be sure. So, he glared some more, just in case.

“Well? Are you going to just look at me and not answer? Wait. Are you flirting with me right now? Is this ‘the look’?” Allison asked with a self-satisfied grin on her face.

Andrew gave up. There was no reasoning with idiots. He just had to explain everything. “Because I hate him. Because he’s getting under my skin. No one gets under my skin, Allison. I must deal with the nuisance before it becomes interesting.”

“I think it’s already interesting, Andrew.” Allison said.

Or

Andrew and Neil are coworkers and Andrew wants to kill Neil only ninety percent of the time. He is also most definitely a gay disaster and he just needs to get Neil out of his system. Allison decides to make things even more interesting.

The Notebook (but make it gay and violent) by Strvn4attntn [Rated T, 6384 Words, Incomplete, Updated March 2021]

Andrew Minyard is pretty settled in his life until a rich boy from out of town comes into the picture.

Something About The Sunshine by bazerella [Not Rated (we say T), 19022 Words, Complete, 2020]

“Oh, fuck.”

“Ow.” Andrew raised his hand up to his head. He didn’t feel any blood so that had to be a good sign. He looked up to meet the culprit who probably concussed him.

There was no blood but Andrew was definitely hallucinating.

“Hey,” Andrew said. “You’re--”

“Sh!” Neil Josten just fucking shushed him. “Here let me help you.”

tw: vomit, tw: implied/referenced abuse

Art

he is beauty, he is grace, he will stab you in the face art by @veeveedrawz

fake exes art by @broship-addict

Goth Andrew art by @detrinity

deadliest investment edit by @adamronans

“is this a robbery in progress?” comic by @danzeebee

[popculturebuffet]

One Year Anniversary: Top 12 Ducktales Episodes!

Happy anniversary all you happy people! Yes it was one year ago today I started reviewing animation and it’s been a ride to be sure. I’d always WANTED to be a reviewer: I love going on and on about stuff I love, really digging into it and picking it apart... but I could never get started. I tried youtube but I didn’t have the money for the equipment nor a proper shooting space to record, so my efforts.. were not great. And while I TRIED text reviews, my own looming pile of self hatred meant every attempt I made was shot down when it got hard as me not being good enough. 

But one year ago I finally got past that. I’d already been reviewing a bit, doing invididual issues of comics... but got way in over my head trying to do the current line of X-Men comics as it came out, and wisely bowed out of that. But that left a gap: I had nothing to cover week to week and with a demanding new job, I drifted into just doing in charcter chats, little fan fictions script styles. Not bad work, I should do some more at some point and I even got a comissoin once in a while, but nothing I could really live on and not what I wanted to do with my life. 

Enter Ducktales. I’d always WANTED to review the show.. and when the double premire happened, I decided fuck it, and put up my thoughts. And then decided.. hey maybe I can do this every week.. and slowly.. my work evolved, getting better and better, getting more and more likes. I picked up Amphibia when that came by week to week.

And eventually.. this went from a hobby, if one I was passionate about to a career. Not a largely paying one, as only one person was really intrested in paying me for it, friend of the blog and our fincial backer @weirdkev27, but .. it’s money and i’m now making about 30 dollars a month due to a comination of comissions and patreon. Other contributers are always welcome mind you, my patreon is here if your curious and comissions are 5 dollars an episode, but i’ts just nice to have money coming in. To have gone from simply WANTING to review things and make a living off it.. to simply doing it. 

And it’s been one hell of a year.. and not just because 2020 felt like hell or 2021 began with a full on insurrection. I feel like i’ve acomplished a lot in the year i’ve been doing this: I finished what I started with Ducktales season 3, getting better and better as I went. And I didn’t stop there with ducks: I started covering what brought me to Ducks in the first place, the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, and while that retrospective has slid a bit on the schedule, I intend to get it back on track this month. I reviewed a bunch of Darkwing Duck episodes leading up to the Just Us Justice Ducks.. chronologically anyway. The actual airing order reads like someone took 50 issues of a comic, made it rain with them, then just started reading whatever ones they picked up randomly. I also covered some of Duck Master Carl Barks work with the classics Night on Bear Mountain, A Christmas for Shacktown and Back to the Klondike, with more to come. 

And the Duck didn’t stop at just reviews I did on my own: Kev comissioned two MASSIVE retrospectives from me: My first for him was Ride of the Three Caballleros where in just a few short months I covered the boys entire televisied careers together from the movie, to house of mouse, to mickey and the roadster racers, to ducktales (again) and finishing with the wonderful Legend of the Three Caballeros. It has probably the worst Daisy imaginable, but otherwise is really excellent and i’m glad I finally watched it. I also covered Don Rosa’s two stories with the boys as part of it. It was a fun ride and I enjoyed every minute of it... okay most of them again Three Cabs Daisy is the worst. And once that finished Kev started up another idea: Shadow Into Light: a look at Lena’s character arc from start to finish that has gone on to be my most popular series on this blog, and that finishes next week. And there’s more to come as after that there’s a short breather with a look at Lilo and Stitch’s crossover episodes.. folllowed by me looking at all three of season 2′s ducktales arcs. And I fully intend to have covered every episode of the series by this time next year, so stay tuned. 

Outside of ducks though I didn’t slow down. I restarted my Tom Lucitor retrospective, covering what i feel to be one of Star Vs’ two best characters, tied with eclipsa, and my personal faviorite as he redeemeed himself, found love and I bitched a lot about the horrible directions the series took and probabably will more as that’s still not done yet. I did what I always wanted to do and started looks at some of my faviorite comics ever, starting with Life and Times and adding in New X-Men and Scott PIlgrim. I also threw in the awesome comic Blacksad. I did pride month for the first time and not only came out publicly, but also did two whole arcs i’m proud of with The Saluna episodes of Loud house and the rednid episodes of OK KO, and generally just had myself a good old fashioned time as an out bi man reviewing childrens cartoons. 

I started Season 2 of amphibia with it’s lows of an endlesss road trip and highs of adding Marcy to the cast and giving us more of the silky voiced keith david. And finally Patreon wise Kev’s taken me on a hell o fa journey: In addition to the restrospectives i’ve covered some additional darkwing duck, and a simpsons homage to the duck comics... but also got a bit weird and obscure with detours like the lost animnaics sucessor Histeria, the apocalyptic comedy where Santa dosen’t know how doors work Whoops! and the adventures of Santa’s bratty teen daughter jingle belle. In short.. it’s been a long year but damn has it been fun and there’s more to come. I’d like to thank all of you for reading, thank my Patreons Kev and Emma for supporting me, and thank my family for doing the same.  So with that out of the way, I figured the best way to celebrate was to do something i’ve been wanting to do for a long time, something honoring the show that gave me this calling in the first place. And with Season 3 sadly being the last, and enough weeks having passed for me to digest it between the finale and today, I could think of nothing better than my top 12 episodes of Ducktales.

Ducktales is one of the best cartoons of the 2010′s. Brilliantly taking EVERYTHING that had come before, the comics, the original cartoon and every bit of duck media period to craft a masterful, unique and wonderful reboot. It was funny, it was insane, and it had damn good character arcs. By the end every member of the main cast along with major supporting cast members like Fenton, Drake and especially Lena, had changed and signifigantly at that. The show was everything I could’ve dreamed of and more and I miss it terribly, hoping DIsney will do a revivial movie at some point. For now though, Frank and Matt’s run on ducktales, as they called it and I do too since i’m a massive comic book nerd, it’s time to look back on my favorite tales of ducks. So grab your sharks, your number one dimes and your friendship cakes with clear gay undertones and join me under the cut as I celebrate one of my faviorite shows and my anniversary in the best way possible. 

12. House of the Lucky Gander! 

 So as i’ve gone on about before and no doubt will again, Donald kinda got the short end of the stick in season 1. While Frank and Matt had good story intentions, keeping Donald away from adventure since he had no interest in it, in practice it meant a beloved Disney Icon who they and disney HEAVILY promoted as part of the series and whose being here this go round was a big draw for fans of the comics.... was only in a quarter of the season and only got TWO plots centered around him in 23 episodes, with only one being the main plot of the episode. The PIlot and Finale both centered around the family more as a whole if your curious how I counted those so while he got plenty of focus in both, it’s still not a day in the limelight sort of thing. 

But unusually for Donald, he lucked out as his one big starring role for Season 1 was both one of my faviorites and one of Season 1′s most inventive outings.  A lot of the episodes enegy comes from a one two punch of a great guest star and one of the series best settings. The guest star is of course everyone’s faviorite overly lucky himbo Gladstone Gander. The show adapted the prick perfectly: The original Gladstone from the comics.. was the worst asshole imaginable, utterly insufferable. And for a villian, and Donald’s rival, that’s all well and good.. but his super luck meant he RARELY , if ever, suffered any consequences for being just...

The 87 series simply made him nicer, while Going Quackers simply removed his luck. No adaptation really got how to make this fucker work.. until this one. Here Frank split the diffrence: Gladstone is still smug.. but he’s no longer actively malicious. While he is an insensitive prick to Donald in this one, unlike the comics he’s not constantly bragging about his luck or how great he is or actively BAITING Donald to fight with him or trying to ruin his relationship or a million other reasons he sucks and I hate him.

This version by contrast... is generous. He’s not the most empathetic, because he doesn’t get how life works, but he does share the riches of the casnio with everyone and in a cameo appearance in “Treasure of the Found Lamp” gladly offers his nephews some diamonds. He’s got a nice surface level charm to him that makes you understand why people like him.. but it’s also clear ther’es nothing UNDER that of value, making you equally understand why Scrooge and Donald hate him. Gladstone in this reboot is a perfect example of why we need reboots or new adaptations in the first place: Because sometimes the original got something wrong or something can be done much better by the new writers. 

He’s perfectly paired with the setting: The House of Lucky Fortune, a mystical casino with an East Asian astatic based in the country of Macaw and provides two great plots. Donald’s really highlights his character: His understandable jealousy at gladstone earning the boys love through nothing while he struggles to make a living for them, and how he feels like a looser and like Gladstone is simply showing that off instead of just not knowing what empathy is. Having Louie be the one to bond with Gladstone was also just pitch pefefct, as is showing some depth for the boy by having himr ealize his hero is an asshole and be the one to help donald in the end. 

The other plot is just pure joy though and is where the setting REALLY shines: Scrooge and the rest of the kids try to leave.. but can’t find the exit. This is where the creative part comes in: The Casino simply morphs to keep people trapped, and caters to them, giving them whatever they want to keep them trapped. In the cases of the kids it’s all hilarious and adorably in character: Huey becomes entranced by a fancy water show, in one of his best bits of the season, Dewey gets a pet tiger who sadly did not come home with him and Webby gets to live the dream we’ve all had of stuffing her face directly in a choclate fountain. Scrooge’s escape is likewise clever: He simply prepares to get a room.. then books it as the check in desk is ALWAYS near the front. 

We then find out Gladston’es trapped get the whole mystical contest with absolutely gorgeous animation, i’ll talk about it in full some time but this episode is just a treat to watch, has a great arc for donald and had some memorable gags. I can’t help but smile when I watch it. 

11. The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!  As I mentioned before i’m a superhero nerd so naturally Fenton was one of my faviorite parts of the show. Frank and Matt were just damn good at crafting superhero stories, and like gladstone improved fenton turning him from an awkward donald stand in to an awkward peter parker-esque science nerd who just wants to be a good person and the best hero he can be. He got into science not just because he thinks it’s neat, but because he honestly wants to help people and you can’t help but foot for him whenever he pops up. Lin Manuel Miranda is a large reason for that, bringing his incomparable a-game to the character. While we sadly didn’t get a ton of gizmoduck focused episodes, the fatct we got AS MANY as we did and that Lin didn’t drop out for a minute even with his busy schedule was a miracle and I’m acknowledging that. 

As for why this one, I feel it builds brilliantly on the previous Fentoncentric episode Who Is Gizmoduck?! which just BARELY didn’t make this list and uses the fact we haven’t seen fenton in a while as both a plot point and to move some things forward without having to spend screentime they clearly didn’t have. By having Fenton be just burnt out on superheroics it finds a way to both explain where he’s been, he’s been busy with his new job, and give us an interesting angle to the old “superhero is tired of the life” thing. He never once complains about saving people or stuff... it’s just like any job it gets tiring after a while. As someone who has his dream job but has struggled with it from time to time, I vastly relate. 

Though while I love my boy and Lin is game as always, the episodes real MVP is my other boy Huey. The episode has moved Huey up from being simply Fenton’s fanboy to being his best friend, and adorable as hell relationship. The two clearly respect and appricate each other and Huey is looking out for his buddy the whole episode. His love of love is also just really cute. Added in the mix is Webby, who in one of my faviorite gags of the series, finds out Fenton is  Gizmoduck because Huey is incredibly and insanely blatant with his unecessary coverup. But she of course is game to help while Fenton is trying to play it casual. We also just get a waterfall of great gags as everyone overdoes it wingmanning for fenton: Huey sets up an itallian bistro and tries to purposfully create a lady and the tramp situation, and sings opera (With Manny on acordian), the wonderfully 80′s suit from Fenton’s dad his mom gives him to wear, and Launchpad, who gives us a tremendous list of his exes, and plays my favorite song of the series: It’s a Date, a micheal mcdonnel riff. 

This episode also wisely ups Mark’s Beaks game as Fenton’s arch enemy, still keeping him hilaroius, with the guy acting like a bored teenager and guzzling so much nanite jucie he turns into a hulk, as well as said hulk mode leading to a ton of great gags from kidnapping the children (”I got your kids.. are they your kids? I don’t know how this family works), to “take that coach dad” to eating a pie with tins and all and wondering about said tins. But he’s an actual threat now, taking on fenton in one hell of a fight, and having an utterly transcendent scene where he hacks his way past gyro’s security while dancing.. and dabbing because of course he does. It’s a fun, well done character piece that’s mostly here for i’ts laugh but Fenton’s struggle with Gizmo overtaking his life, and finding out someone he truly hit it off iwth only wanted him for that.. it’s really good stuff and Lin’s delivery after Fenton finds out, the pure pain and betryal in his voice, is just excellent. Also that opera scene is poetry. 

10. Quack Pack!

One of the episodes that started my career naturally landed here. Not for that reason though: Quack Pack is a fun riff on sitcoms, specifically the tgif ones of the 90′s that Disney Afternoon Kids no doubt also watched, the kinds Disney Channel still makes today, and most importanly the kind the Disney Afternoon itself made like Goof Troop and well... Quack Pack. 

Riffs on sitcoms are nothing new and the last year has been FULL of them. 2020 gave us this episode, Beef House and the wonderful “The Perfect House” episode of Close Enough, and this year gave us WandaVision, my second favorite MCU project so far, right behind Black Panther, which used the sitcom deconstruction to create one hell of a character study. 

So you’d think with a year having passed and this concept happening as an entire mini series would dull this one.. but no. it’s still damn funny, having fun at the cliches while, again like WandaVision, having one of the main cast be responsible by accident but go along with it. The episode pivots from glorious affectionate parody of cheesy sitcoms, to that plus horrifying “Humans”, and a character piece for Donald. This brings Donald’s hatred and fed up ness with adventure to a head revealing his fondest wish is just to have a normal life and not loose anyone again. 

It takes one of his best friends to snap him out of it. Look Goofy is my second faviorite of the sensational seven, an episode with him was already an easy sell for me.. but the episode uses him really well. First for laughs as he’s gentically dispositioned to be a perfect sitcom neighbor.. but also for heart. With his family preoccupied and a bit hurt, i’ts Goofy who cuts to the heart of the issue, pointing out NO ONE is normal and even his normal domestic life raising Max, who we see go to prom with roxanne eeeeee, has all sorts of chaos. Normal is what you make of it and pining for some ideal that will never happen was just tearing donald apart piece by piece and by letting go of that.. he finally begins to grow as a person throughout the season. It’s also a great thematic tie in to the season’s overall plot with Bradford and what Makes donald, despite also disliking the chaos his family gets into, different. Donald accepted it and grew as a person.. Bradford clung to his hate and it ate him alive. Or turned him into a non-sapient kind of vulture. Before I close this part out Jaleel White is also excellent and I wish eh’d get back into voice acting. He’s so freaking good at it. Seriously man i’d love to see him and ben in a sonic property together as a mythology gag. Same with Jims cummings and carey. Just think about it whoever owns the sonic movies.. think about it. 

9. The Last Adventure!

Look I knew this was coming, you knew this was coming. But it had to be on here. The Last Adventure is not perfect: The lack of a build up episode like the previous two finales had really hurt this one: even at about 70 minutes, it still feels rushed in places and Huey, one of hte main characters of the season, dosen’t feel like he has a full payoff to his character like Dewey and Louie got. 

But despite those flaws.. this episode is just a damn good ending. Almost everyone gets a big moment paying off their character arc, everyone in the party that comes to rescue webby and huey, along with the two themselves, gets a moment to show off, and everything comes together to give us one last epic sendoff. There’s just moment stacked on moment stacked on moment from Launchpads heroic second wind and donning of the gizmoduck armor, to Webby’s tearful confrontation with Beakley, to Huey using the greatest adventure of all line to foil bradford in one of the most deligfhully nuts moments of the series, I could go on for days with just how triumphant this finale felt. While it left a lot of doors open.. that feels like part of the design. It’s the end of the fight with FOWL.. but our heroes will never stop adventuring, never stop going and never stop being in our hearts and the curtain call at the end is now my faviorite bit of end credits ever, perfectly giving the main cast and friends one last chance to take a bow in their own unique ways. I will always miss this show but I will never be disapointed by the note it went out on. 

8. The 87 Cent Solution!

Look some episodes are show stoppers, some are heartfelt tearjerkers, some are all this and more.. and some episodes are just clever and hilarious. The 87 Solution is the second funniest episode of Ducktales with me and my go to episode when watching the show. It’s just pure fun and with a clever premise: Scrooge notices 87 cents have gone missing, and already coming down with a cold, goes mad with paranoia as the kids slowly don face masks, something that has become even eeerier given everything, one by one realizing he needs to stop. 

While David Tennant is an EXCELLENT dramatic actor, his comedy timing is really something that shoudln’t be ignored and i’ts on full display here as his performance gets more and more deranged, to thep oint he thinks an 8th dimensional imp is repsonsible. He nicely balances the disturbing side of Scrooge’s paranoia, his distancing from his family, with plenty of great gags about it too, the standout being when he offers 2 million dollars to whoever took the money like he’s publicly appeasing kidnappers. It’s fucking brilliant. 

But while David is awesome as ever what really, truly makes the episode is my boy, one of my faviorite characters on the show if not my single faviriote FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD. Keith Ferguson is ALWAYS a dream as the character but this is his best performance by far. Part of this is the addition of Zan Owlson, Kev who I mentioned earlier’s faviorite Ducktales character. She’s not only throughly likeable in her own right, but provides the one thing Flinty was missing; a straight man.. or woman in this case. Scrooge wasn’t TERRIBLE in the roll, but can easily step away from his shit or foil it. Owlson has to put up with Glomgold’s nonsense while desperatly trying to stop him from undoing all her hard work with sheer force of jackass. The two jut play off each other brilliantly, Glomgold not getting sh’es not his employee but his equal and Owlson constnatly snarking at him. 

And of course both things hit their peak in the climax with the family staging a fake funeral (Though no one told donald it was fake), and we get the funniest scene in the entire fucking show as Glomgold burts in in a white suit, money shades and full dance number to “All I Do Is Win’, which when first watching this I was convinced the song was somehow accidnetly on in the background but nope. They got it after using it in the test phase and the scene is better for it. Glomgold twerking on Scrooge’s casket, trying to get on it to dance, and having to be placated like ac hild is the icing on this very rich cake

And the reveal scene is also gold as Glomgold gets into a YEARLONG staring contest with a baby, fails to steal more than the 87 cents and, in my faviorite touch, put on an imp costume just to make scrooge seem crazier... then keeps the damn thing on the rest of the time for no explicable reason. The episode is the show at it’s comedic peak while giving Glomgold a chance to be a genuine threat and that’s Glomgood. 

7. Let’s Get Dangerous!

Frank’s Rebooted Version of Darkwing Duck is probably his greatest achivment with the show. While this show is a team effort, something I slowly realized as I reviewed the show, it’s very clear from the way he talks, how well he knows the show and how much effort was put into porting Darkwing into the reboot that this was his baby. While redefining ducktales for the 2010′s was clearly a huge dream of his... doing the same for the master of suprise was an even bigger goal. And as a huge fan of superheroes i’ve seen my fair share of half assed takes on laired and complex characters. The XCU alone is one giant grab bag of missed opportunities for me. 

So i’ts no exageration when I tell you Frank.. nailed it. In one of the most brilliant moves i’ve seen for a superhero work Frank worked his love of the show into the reboot.. by having Darkwing have been a show, one Launchpad loved.. and so did Drake, who was inspried by the show to become an inspriation himself and while his attempt to do that through a zack snydery reboot failed, Launchpad encouraged him to do it for real. Drake was still himself, but the meta aspect and the toning down of some of darkwing’s more obnoxious traits that didn’t work in a universe that, while patently rediciulous still took it’s characters seriously, he made a BETTER version of the character.

This is where all that comes to it’s peak, and hoppefully convinced Disney to let Frank , and possibly matt, run the reboot. And no, even if Point Grey is producing that dosen’t stop that: Thanks to Invincible i’ve now realized that Seth and his friend Evan producing the show dosen’t mean it’ll be RAN by them, nor unrelated to this. It just means their helping make it and if anything given how lush and gorgeous invincible’s animation is, it’s a VERY good sign their helping out with it if it’s true. 

But wether this versoin continues or not, Frank gave it his best shot. Part of his diffrent angle is having Drake as a rookie here and as such here we see him truly struggle: he’s had his origin, he ahs the cape, he has the gadgets (in a brilliant turn thanks to fenton, who he actually likes... but is so far the ONLY person to not get he’s Gizmoduck), and the city.. but no crime to fight and no real idea how to go about his lifelong dream. The events of the episode slowly shape him: WHile he already had the spirit for darkwing, never giving up, looking good in a cape etc, this episode gives him the heart the same way it gave his original it: With Gosalyn. Dimantopolis and Beatriz just play off each other perfectly, as the two go from neimies to slowly bonding as Drake realizes this kid needs him and that he needs to fight for more than just filing the ohle inside, and goes to hell and back to help her get her grandpa back, with one of the best moments of the episode to me being when Launchpad helps her realize how hard he’s been working at it, an exausted drake refusing to acccept that he can’t get her grandpa back because he promised. He grows from simply trying to live the dream.. to surpassing the original. We also see more from Launchpad, who grows into his new family and helps push his boyfriend and newa dopted daughter in the right directions. The episode really evolves these characters from the simple disney afternoon versions, who while awesome were made into fully fleshed out characters. Gosalyn still has her edge but now has a hard lesson to learn about doing the right thing, forced to give up someone she loves for the greater good but finding a new family in the process. 

Part of what makes the episode work though as while it is funcitonally one big darkwing duck reboot pilot that’s awesome, heartrending and a joy to watch... it’s still a ducktales episode in parts without either part hurting each other. Huey plays a vital role, figuring the ramrod is too good to be true.. and discovering just how it is, then when captured, slowly unravling why Bradford’s there and being at least in part responsible for outing him as a FOWL agent. While this is largely Drakes story the rest of the cast is still vital to it: Scrooge trusting in huey, Louie serving as his logical counter and Dewey meanwhile bonding with team darkwing and helping Gosalyn, knowing exactly where she’s been and providing a nice foil. The episode is just one long and impressive love letter to the original show while creating it’s own thing and that’s really this reboot in a nutshell. It also has some of the best fights of the series, with the first fight between darkwing and bulba, where our hero, unlike his original counterpart, easily troucnes bulba using his speed and skill, is the standout. 

6. Woo-Ooo!

I covered this one recently so I won’t go on for too long.. but I will say I hold this one up as the gold standard for first episodes. In one hour, hell even in jus the first half we get a sense of the whole cast, the tone of the show, and the world we’ve been thrust into. It gets all the table setting out of the way by weaving it into a compelling story of Scrooge getting back in the game, finding a reason to get back to what he does best in those he loves most and setting up the season long arc effortlessly in the process. The worst I can say about the episode is it sets the bar a bit high for Season 1 and a lot of the first half really struggled to reach these heights. This episode is a masterwork and the perfect showcase for what the series would be at it’s height. 

5. Moonvasion!

Speaking of Golden Standards, Moonvasion is one of the best season finale’s i’ve seen. it’s not THE best.. but that’s a really high bar to clear and that spots currently taken in my heart by “The Crossroads of Destiny” from Avatar the Last Airbender. But while not the best of it’s kind, it’s sitll the best the series put out and is an utterly satisfying epic that ties up season 2. 

While I love the Last Adventure, it had a LOT to tie up and was really hampered by having to do all of that with no direct lead in. Moonvasion by contrast hits the ground running with the Moonlanders arriving on earth and all hell breaking loose, and the episode itself breaking into two stellar plots. Scrooge leading an army of every ally he has against the invaders, and Della seemingly going for reinforcements.. but really just trying to keep the kids safe from it, to their anger once they find out. 

Both sides end up going badly: Scrooge looses most of his army as Lunaris was one step ahead of him and is left iwth Beakly and Launchpad, while Della ends up marooned.. and finds Donald. The reunion between the two is the highlight of the special, as the two argue as you’d expect (And Dewey cutting in seemingly to stop it.. only to rant at Donald for costing him “ten years of turbo” is the best gag of the episode), before embracing. 

Our heroes naturally find ways to bounce back though. Louie, capping off his growth for the season, convinces his mom they can’t just hide.. and in the second best scene of the episode sings the lullabye she wrote.. one Donald sung them every night

And no sooner than Della gets her step back and realizes that dangerous or not she and her newly reunited family have to get back in there, do the cousins show up on Fethry’s giant shrimp/girlfriend Mitzi, and our heroes head back. 

Scrooge’s plot hits i’ts peak though as he’s forced to accept the help of an unlikely and unwelcome ally: Glomgold, who turns out to be exactly what they need: While his plan is as stupid, short sighted and insane as you’d expect, complete with forcing Scrooge to dress up as santa just to piss him off and dressing his sharks in parkas (”I call them sharkas”), the sheer lonacy throws Lunaris off as he dosen’t know how to deal with this and Glomgold not only gets the better of him but gets his company back as part of his scheme.  “You were prepared for our best but not our dumbest!” “And i’m the dumbest theirs ever been! Muahahahaha! Wait...”

And of course our other heroes arrive just in time to save things.. and the episode still manages to pull off what many works struggle to, something tha’ts very hard to: a SECOND climax. Lunaris decides to just say fuck it and blow up the earth and i’ts up to our core family to kick his ass in space. Epic space battles, Della’s girlfriend meeting the family and more insues and an emotoinal, action packed and fully satisfying finale is had by all... and it’s all topped with one of the best sequel hooks i’ve ever seen as FOWL makes themselves known to us.. and prepares to strike. 

4. How Santa Stole Christmas! This one will also be short as i’ve talked about this one.. a lottttt. The initial review, my best christmas specials list and my best of 2020 list. I stand by all of that: this is a unique and wonderful christmas special, i’ll be watching it every year, and i’ts full of charm, humor and gay subtext. In short it’s this series but on christmas footing. 

3. Last Crash of the Sunchaser! 

Another one I covered very recently, this episode is a master piece of suspense, slowly building tension as our heroes get closer and closer to the truth about Della.. and to death, the simple but deadly stakes making this an absolute nailbiter from start to finish. This is some of the series best pacing bar none... but what seals it is the ending: the masterful flashback finally explaning whatever happened to Della duck, our heroes lashing out at each other.. all cumilating in the best Scene of the show. I said it might be in the review but no I can confirm: Scrooge bitterly ruminating over things while we find out just how much he’s lost... ending with him tearfully and angrily sitting once again alone in one hell of a powerful shot echoing Scrooge’s first apperance. Damn fine stuff. 

2. Escape from The Impossbin Only one episode not only matches Last Crash in mounting tension and atmosphere but suprasses it. With FOWL and Bradford’s true nature now out in the wind, this episode uses that to create tension and rattles it’s two most unshakable characters: SCrooge’s normal boundless confidence is shot, not sure he can win this time against an opponent who knows him as well as he knows himself while Beakly slowly unravels, pitting Webby against the boys.. and pitting herself against Webby when Webby sees her terroizing them is only dividing them. Both plots start out funny enough but slowly escalate in tension and stakes until by the end your on the edge of your seat. The Beakly plot is the standout of the two, giving Bentina the starring role she badly needed, having gotten even better in light of the finale. Everyone is at the top of their game and everything builds up to one hell of a twist ending and one hell of a badass boast from our heroes: Their down.. but their far from out and this is far from over. 

1. Nightmare On Kimotor Hill!

I”ll be reviewing this episode in full later this week as part of my Lena retrospective, but I stand by putting it up top. This episode is ducktales in it’s purest form and focuses on it’s best original character as Lena grapples with her self hatred and her past. That core helps anchor an amazing concept: going into the Kid’s dreams and finding out their greatest desires. The results.. are all gloriously rediclous and are easily the best gags of hte series as a whole: Dewey’s high school musical santa claus is going ot high school nonsense from getting a’s in Dewology to running away from the abstract concept of a love intrest, to not getting the sybolism of himself crying a moon made of his own tears. Louie quite literally becoming garfield, and my faviorite scene of the show: Huey, wanting to be the tall older brother..g iving himself horrifcly long leg. While everyone else is just understandably baffled, what makes the scene is the banter between Dewey and Huey, with Schwartz and Pudi at their best as Dewey first freaks out and then asks what the hell man, while Huey defends his weird decision (”I”m not good at imagination stuff okay!”), and then tries to get a jar of pickles. Each dream is just so oddly and wonderfully specific to each kid and each one of the triplests dreams, as well as violets being color coded down tot he backgrounds is a very nice touch. The visuals here are just peak ducktales, using the setting for all it’s worth and the climax is utterly emotoinal and heartbreaking... and Lena’s break from her abuser, finally realizing she has the power now is not only a wonderful metaphor... but also just so damn cathartic. And that’s why this one’s the best to me personally: it just packs so much into 20 minutes: some of the series best and most creative jokes, a gripping emtoinal arc, and so much more. It’s just that damn good and tha’ts why it’s the best... that and starting Huelet for me. Seriously that LIbrary scene is so fucking cute. 

Thank you all for reading. If you liked this artcle, join my patreon and help me get to my stretch goal for monthly darkwing duck reviews, a review of super ducktales and more after! Until the next rainbow... it’s been a pleasure. 

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what i played in 2021: ranked

just thought i would do a wrap up post of games i played this year and how i felt about them, since i like 1. making lists 2. ranking things and 3. talking about video games. i don't think i did one last year so i might do another retroactive one after this. categories are: games played to completion for the first time (could have been started in a different year); games started in this year for the first time; and games i've watched other people play (wife, friends). rankings are based on how much i liked them, not how objectively good they are. i will edit this list if i play something new in the next three days but i don't think i will lol

here are the lists if you don't want to read the long post

games beaten, ranked: the great ace attorney chronicles; transistor; deltarune chapter 2; final fantasy vii remake; sagebrush; aer: memories of old; donut county

games started, ranked: tactics ogre; vagrant story; echoes of the eye (outer wilds dlc); mass effect andromeda; cattails; divinity: original sin 2; baldur's gate: enhanced edition; coffee talk

games watched, ranked: paradise killer; little nightmares 1 & 2; the witness

PART 1: BEATEN

1. the great ace attorney chronicles. technically two games, but i'm counting them as one experience; the first game i also found to be slightly better than the second. i was on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. there were some frustrating mechanics and i hated van zieks, but the music was phenomenal and so was a vast majority of the cast, including some very memorable one-off side characters. loved the portrayal of "herlock sholmes" especially.

would i replay it: maybe, but only after several years have passed, so i forget most of the "puzzles." the nature of ace attorney games

2. transistor. unfortunately i did love this one. it has some pretty intense flaws (much like TGAAC tbh) but there was so much i loved about it... the setting, the music, the protagonists, the general mood. i struggled with the combat at first but now i really enjoy it, it takes a lot of mental energy but there's nothing else quite like it, they really managed to make a single protagonist action game feel turn-based lol.

would i replay it: i have literally already started new game+

3. deltarune chapter 2. objectively better than transistor just from a sheer storytelling perspective. toby fox has done it again. not much else to say that hasn't already been said, just reiterating suselle rocks, i would die for noelle, and for the love of god i just want to play the finished game already. biggest downside: too many minigames

would i replay it: i imagine so, but only probably when the next chapter(s) is/are released, like i did this year with ch1

4. final fantasy vii remake. started this one in 2020 but didn't finish it until like february this year? man there is so much i like about this game, but i hated how much it dragged. there was too much filler material and the combat began to feel incredibly slow and frustrating about 70% of the way through. really enjoyed the basic story though (not including some of the annoying window dressing) and how it's choosing to diverge from the original, i think that's the best choice. visually stunning but i hate that all the sexy girls have sameface. aerith carried this fucking game, she was the best part of it and they did such a good job with her when she's been butchered in almost every other non-og ffvii thing she's been in

would i replay it: i would replay all the aerith-centered chapters for sure, i don't think i would take it from start to finish though. if/when i get a ps5 i'll look into the dlc

5. sagebrush. steep drop off from the last game, now we're sort of in lukewarm territory. i did like sagebrush a lot though for a two hour video game about a topic that's been done to death (christian cults). i thought the twist about the protagonist was nice and expertly foreshadowed. the graphics were trying to emulate 90s ps1 & pc games, and it absolutely succeeded, i loved just walking around and viewing the scenery. much like transistor, i think the best part of the game was the mood. walking simulator, you're never in danger, but the graphics & soundtrack had me on edge the entire time. solid game to play on halloween

would i replay it: i played it on my sister's ps4, so eventually i want to play it on my own and get all the trophies (which is quite easy to do)

6. aer: memories of old. this one was just all right. the soft polygonal style was beautiful, and the soundtrack was pretty. i liked the peaceful, non-combat atmosphere. the world was huge and empty, but i was somewhat frustrated with the lack of things to do. it easily had the best flying mechanics of any game i've ever played. i just wanted to fly around and explore, but there wasn't much to actually do or see, and i was always disappointed when the game took me to a puzzle dungeon since the puzzles were easy and you couldn't fly while inside. no journal meant it was hard to keep track of the lore. constantly side-eyeing the use of the term "spirit animal"

would i replay it: i could see myself putting it on just to fly around in the world for a little while, but i don't think i would play the story through again

7. donut county. a game where the premise is "reverse katamari damacy." despite including some puzzle-based mechanics in most of the levels, i found it much easier than katamari. the levels were too short and i didn't care for the bizarre frame story that tried too hard to be deep, but i enjoyed the general gameplay. graphics were cute. i sort of wished this game was literally just all levels (more of them & longer) with some kind of impenetrable but very simple story (like katamari) or no story at all, like you're just making huge holes in the ground and that's it

would i replay it: i think now that i've beaten the game i have the option to replay levels? so i would make use of that. but i have no desire to play through the story again

PART 2: STARTED

1. tactics ogre: let us cling together. man i'm genuinely so mad i didn't finish the law route before the turn of the year but whatever. really interesting game, i LOVE the diverging story paths and what they do for the characters, i love seeing the bones of FFT inside it, i really enjoy (most of) the story. matsuno does an extremely good job of storytelling with limited space as usual (short, text-based scenes, little sprite guys). it's fucking hard though lol, even with the chariot system battles can be really tough. i really have to take my time with it; battles in FFT usually last me 15 minutes, 30 minutes tops, but in TO they average about an hour. and there are so many game mechanics i haven't even messed with yet, like crafting. difficult game with deep themes and a lot of charm

will i come back to it: i'm planning to continue picking my way through it over 2022, provided my psp doesn't finally melt. the goal would be to do law -> neutral -> chaos -> back to law -> coda, but that will take a lot of time, depending on how much side material i do

2. vagrant story. i've technically started & stopped this game like three times, but this year is the farthest i've gotten into it so i'm counting it lmao. just like tactics ogre (and all of matsuno's other games): difficult game with deep themes and a lot of charm. i LOVE the aesthetics especially, though the soundtrack is mostly meh for me. it takes so much of my mental energy to focus on it that i can usually only play it for one to two hours at a time. but it's really incredible the amount of genre-bending matsuno does with the story of this game, and how fucking good the "cinematography" is of these blocky ps1 guys. seriously i have yet to play another game where the characters have such memorable and theatrical body language

will i come back to it: yes i'm stubborn. the question is whether i'll restart from the beginning, or pick up from where i left off. i really want to do the second one, but if i wait too long i'm not gonna remember how to play the damn thing

3. echoes of the eye (outer wilds dlc). counting this as a game because it's literally like 2/3rds the size of outer wilds itself. really interesting dlc with a fantastic premise, wonderful music, and a good story... the problem is i'm too scared to actually play it. i keep setting up my approach and then being too frightened to follow through! at this point i know all the spoilers and could theoretically just complete the endgame, but i want to actually get the knowledge of how to do so in game before i just do it myself. sigh. i'll just keep white-water rafting, because that's incredibly fun

will i come back to it: ): i don't know. i want to beat it, but i think i might have too much anxiety now. it's exactly the same with the outer wilds base game... absolutely love it but can't complete it

4. mass effect andromeda. oh god i forgot i started this game in like february lol. fun fact i monster factory'd my first character and zoe and i named her "cunty rider," which the game then censored, rip. deeply flawed game, so hilarious it's so high on this list. fucked up animation, too big, bland story, etc. it was still kind of fun for a while though, sort of like how eating cotton candy is fun until you get sick

will i come back to it: maybe? i could see myself popping it in for another ten hours. i do really want to romance vetra. but it's not very good, there's a reason i stopped, i got soooo bored lol

5. cattails. stardew valley meets warrior cats. decent fun for a game i basically got for free (on sale + gift card). the little cat sprites are so fucking cute (not the talk sprites though, those are ungodly). it was enjoyable to spend a couple hours exploring, hunting prey, and gathering herbs, but minus the little kitty cats the game is kind of ugly. i'm mostly disappointed with how unimaginative it is, like... you're telling me wild cats would have stores? and you would have currency to exchange for goods? even warrior cats didn't have such nonsense smh. also the main premise, restoring the ancient temple in the center of the map, is so much like the central premise of restoring the community center in stardew valley that it feels almost like plagiarism LMAO.

will i come back to it: also a maybe. i might sink a few more hours into it if i feel like playing as a small gray cat again. i'll have to relearn how to hunt though which tbh when you're keeping track of your hunger meter was kind of a pain in the ass

6. divinity: original sin 2. i think i got maybe an hour or two into it before stopping? so i can't give a full review. but zoe and i were incredibly unimpressed with the designs of the women and i didn't care for the general humor of the game. i'm also very intimidated by crpgs; i've only played dragon age, which is crpg-lite (i don't think i've ever used the tactical cameras in any of the games). but i do want to give it a fair shot again eventually

will i come back to it: probably at some point, i'm always in the market for interesting roleplaying games

7. baldur's gate: enhanced edition. just like dos2 i literally only played the tutorial (in this case, not even the beginning of the game, just like, the actual non-story-related tutorial level). a crpg just like dos2 but even more impenetrable. i can't say whether i liked it or not, i was mostly flabbergasted by the spellbooks and somewhat annoyed by what voice acting was present

will i come back to it: maybe...?? i want to. but it is definitely intimidating ngl.

8. coffee talk. a cute visual novel where you run a coffee shop that is only open at night in the middle of urban fantasy seattle. decently cute premise that got weird fast when this elf and this succubus were complaining about their parents hating their relationship for cultural reasons, and i legitimately just turned the game off when there was that newspaper headline about orcs protesting that they've been unfairly targeted for a recent virus that emerged from africa. EXTREMELY bad taste. on a lesser note the latte art mechanic is completely inscrutable

will i come back to it: almost definitely not. the writing was subpar even without the fantastic racism

PART 3: WATCHED

1. paradise killer. combination open world game, mystery game, and visual novel. you're some kind of god/alien living in a hellish paradise with other gods/aliens, and then a murder is committed. vaporwave aesthetics with a fantastic soundtrack. i watched zoe play this one and it's easily one of the most unique games i've ever seen, it'll stick with me for some time. almost every single major character in the game is an absolutely godawful horrible person, which is very fun and almost necessary considering the nature of their paradise. it tries a lot of new stuff with the mystery conventions and the way the endgame trial works, in that you can accuse basically anybody of anything as long as you have the proof, and the game will not tell you if you did it right or wrong, you just live with your decisions. only part i haven't seen yet is the post-trial segment, we haven't played through the epilogue

would i play it myself: i hope to in a few years, after i've forgotten most of it. it was really fun watching zoe play it though, it's an excellent zoe game

2. little nightmares 1 & 2. i'm sort of ranking these in the same slot since i watched @organizationhimself play them one after the other, but just to be clear LN2 is VASTLY superior to LN1. the narrative is so much better, there is an extremely well done central emotional tie connecting you to the main characters, the setting is incredibly beautiful and eerie, the scares are (mostly) much scarier... LN2 improved upon literally every aspect of LN1. really fun experiences though, loved watching ax play them.

would i play them myself: i know how i am with scary games. absolutely not. so i'm extra glad i got to experience them with a friend instead

3. the witness. i watched zoe play some of this until she stopped playing in disgust. she said the puzzles were fun, but she couldn't take the sheer condescension dripping from its storytelling. the game is so clearly made by a guy who does not think highly of other video games and doesn't care to actually ask if the critiques he's making of the medium have already been critiqued in better, more interesting ways. idk why all these dumbasses think they can make "technology bad and make you stupid!1!!" stories using the medium of VIDEO GAMES and not think of the obvious problem with that

would i play it myself: god no. even if the overarching theme didn't suck ass, i don't usually like games that are mostly just puzzles

PART 4: MISC

did my "canon" playthroughs of DAO and DA2 this year, including all the DLC for the first time (hadn't ever played Mark of the Assassin, as well as a huge chunk of the DAO ones). started my canon run of DAI, but not feeling it r/n, since i'm hot off of playing it all through again for ax. we made a handsome dwarf named bingus and romanced dorian, one of the few remaining romances i hadn't completed yet myself

loved replaying final fantasy tactics: the war of the lions back in april/may. i've only played that version of FFT once, so it was fun to revisit, especially with zoe hooked this time. comparing the scripts of the WOTL translation, the PS1 translation, and the original japanese was extremely enjoyable. i used to replay FFT once a year. now i have too many video games i want to play to make that happen, so playing a version of FFT in 2021 felt like coming home, doubly so since i got to share it with my wife. rekindled my love for my most favorite game of all time

also i played through the first battle of the project triangle strategy demo earlier this year. the gameplay was fun, but oh man... i can tell this is going to be octopath traveler 2, re: bad storytelling. they're absolutely trying to do a tactics ogre thing with this "morality/liberty/utility" story routes business. while i found octopath charming, i'm a little more offended by PTS copying the FFT formula because i'm wayyyy more attached to FFT. apparently it's coming out in march 2022 so like three months from now and it will literally just be called "triangle strategy." ok.

[reallivegeekgirl]

StanQuest

Something clicked on in my brain a couple months ago and suddenly Sebastian Stan became the hottest man alive. So I decided to watch everything he’s ever been in. A friend and I called it StanQuest.

Here are my spoiler-free reviews for anyone considering something similar (in inverse chronological order starting with latest works and going back in time. The stars are an overall rating of the work, not of Sebastian’s performance.

This only lists things I could find streaming for free or a price I was willing to pay. It does not count after credits scenes, music videos, or works in which he was uncredited.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - TV show - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This started it all. I very much enjoyed it. Good balance of humor and action, heart and heroics. I’ve watched it four times already, and will watch it again. Bucky Barnes is my favorite character of his and this is my favorite story of Bucky's so far. I can’t wait to see what he does next. (And I have a lot to say about how they treat his trauma in this show. I’ve definitely written about it before and may again.)

Monday (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one where he gets naked. If that’s all you’re looking for, enjoy. It was a very realistic portrayal of a relationship between two deeply flawed people. It can get depressing. But hey, penis.

The Devil All the Time (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you think Monday is depressing, this movie says “hold my beer”. But something about it is just captivating. It’s really disturbing, and if you’ve ever been screwed over by American Evangelical Christianity it might be more disturbing. Still, I’ve watched it twice. And as much of a bastard as Lee Bodecker is, he also looks really cuddly. He’s just barely in it.

The Last Full Measure (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - You will cry. A lot. It’s based on a true story. Sebastian plays a man who cares more about his career than this weird quest dumped on his desk by his boss, but changes his mind and his heart as he investigates why a war hero was denied a medal of honor 34 years before. Definitely recommend.

Endings, Beginnings (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - One of two love interests in the complicated life of Shailene Woodley’s Daphne, Sebastian is an adorable mess. The editing is interesting and fresh feeling. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean. Fair amount of sex in this movie, and you see his butt. It’s a very nice butt. I’ve watched this one a few times so far.

Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐ - There is no reason to watch this movie if you’re not familiar with at least most of the rest of the MCU. It plays merry hob with the rules of time travel, and only makes sense if you don’t really think about it. In my opinion, the ending is really freaking stupid comsidering his character’s history, but at least it sets up TFatWS, which was amazing.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018) - Movie - ⭐ - If you’re into movies that are creepy but also almost nothing happens for most of the movie, this is the one for you. Sebastian is handsome as hell, but also a complete asshole. As fine as he is, I’m not gonna watch this again. I fucking hated it.

Destroyer (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- I had a hard time paying attention to the plot because it seemed like they made this movie just to get Nicole Kidman an Oscar nomination for wearing ugly makeup and playing a complete mess of a person. It’s a fine movie, and all of the performances are good. Sebastian looks surprisingly good with the short hair and goatee. Ultimately, the plot is depressing and the whole movie seems kind of pointless.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Again, no reason to watch this if you aren’t already familiar with all the movies leading up to it. It’s long and the villain looks like Grimace and a California Raisin had an evil baby. The ending made me scream with frustration that I had to wait until the next one came out. Now I just watch them back-to-back if I watch them at all. It’s not a good movie, but it is part of a long-form story that I enjoy in general.

I’m Not Here (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Another depressing one. Told over the course of one man’s terrible life, it’s a sad account of how much your parents can fuck you up. Sebastian portrays the middle part of the man’s life. J.K. Simmons plays the current day part and unreliable narrator.. Do not watch unless you are fully prepared to be sad for a really long time after.

I, Tonya (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- This movie is hilarious. I mean, the true story is insane and really stupid. The spousal abuse is hard to watch, and Sebastian’s mustache in this is a war crime. But the acting is great and it’s a very engaging movie. The parts that aren’t horrifying are pretty funny.

Logan Lucky (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Watch. This. Movie. Sebastian Stan is only in it a little, but it’s a really fun, clever caper/heist movie and everyone in it is fantastic. I don’t want to say anything else about it if you’re going in fresh. I’ll be rewatching this one a lot

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you ignore how kind of silly the conflict over the Sokovia Accords is, this is a good Marvel movie. Sebastian gets a lot of screen time because Bucky is the more pressing concern/urgent point of contention than the Accords. Bucky is my favorite character of his partly because of this movie.

The Martian (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I’m watching it(again) as I’m typing this. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. Sebastian Stan isn’t in it very much, but he’s very cute and so is his little story arc. Mostly I watch it because Ridley Scott made a fantastic movie. If you can get your hands on the Blu-Ray, it comes with a ton of extras. They made a very complete story that isn’t all seen in the movie. A lot of it is stuff about Mars, but there are also extra “crew” interviews, so there’s another chance to see more of Sebastian’s character.

Ricki and the Flash (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - He’s not in this very much, but he’s very cute when he does appear. It’s all about the relationship between Ricki and her daughter. Definitely rewatchable. Meryl Streep is fantastic, because she’s Meryl Streep.

The Bronze (2015) - Movie - ⭐ - This is not a good movie. It’s about Olympic gymnastics, so it might be slightly more interesting right now while the Olympics are happening. Sebastian isn’t in it a lot, but his performance is certainly… memorable. Weirdest sex scene I’ve ever seen. Worth watching just for that.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one I can watch over and over. I bought a Winter Soldier face mask for when I need to feel like a badass. Bucky’s story is really sad, but he’s also extremely sexy with the metal arm and determined walk.

Once Upon a Time (2012-2013) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐ - This show is so stupid, but it’s also fun. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that fairy tale characters are real and live in another land. Snow White’s Evil Queen casts a spell to transport a bunch of them to a town she creates in Maine called Storybrooke, and gives them all fake memories so she can be mayor and watch them all not remember who they are. Sebastian plays Jefferson, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. He’s in a few episodes in season 1 and 2, and doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he’s really cute and tragic as Jefferson. It probably helps to watch the whole first season just to understand his episodes, but that’s up to your tolerance for weird shit. Note: IMDB says he’s in an episode uncredited, but I’ve watched it and didn’t see him anywhere in that one.

Labyrinth (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐ - Two episodes that tell a complete story. Sebastian isn’t in this one a whole lot, but he is adorable. It’s a strange story about religious stuff and a sort of Holy Grail that’s three books. It’s hard to describe. It’s on Amazon Prime right now, but they’re taking it down August 8, 2021, so watch it while you can.

The Apparition (2012) - Movie - ⭐ - If you like horror movies, you might like this. I did not. From what I understand, it’s not a very good horror movie. Watch with caution and expect it to suck.

Political Animals (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I had to buy this through Apple and watch it on a Mac, but it was worth it. Sebastian plays TJ Hammond, the out gay son of a former American president who is clearly based on Bill Clinton. Sigorney Weaver plays the former first lady and current secretary of state. TJ struggles with addiction and relationship problems. His performance is heart-wrenching. The whole show is pretty great. I wish there was more of it.

Gone (2012) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - More of a psychological thriller than a horror movie. Sebastian has a small amount of screen time as the worried boyfriend. Amanda Seyfried is good. She carries the film well on her own.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you haven’t seen this yet, I’d like to know what it’s like under your rock. This is a movie I can rewatch a lot, and have. I 100% cried in the theater. Sebastian looks fantastic in uniform as Bucky Barnes. This is his introduction and the start of his ultimately tragic story (before he’s saved by his best friend, again).

Black Swan (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Sebastian is barely in this. He’s basically just in one scene in a dance club. But I watched it to try to complete StanQuest, and I had seen it before. It’s a good movie, but might induce some nightmares, depending on what scares you. If Natalie Portman didn’t at least get a nomination for an award she was robbed.

Gossip Girl (2007-2010) - TV Show - ⭐⭐ - Carter Baizen is a little shit. The episodes with Sebastian in them might have made more sense if I watched the show from the beginning, but I didn’t want to. His character is an asshole, but a very cute one.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- The people who made this movie are bad at math, and their rules of time travel are sketchy at best, but it is funny and entertaining. Sebastian plays a ski patrol bro who’s paranoid about the Russians, which is hilarious irony to me. Worth watching if you want to laugh at something dumb.

Kings (2009) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐- Sebastian plays Jack Benjamin, the closeted gay son of the king of a fictional place. It’s loosely based on the David and Goliath story from the Bible. Sebastian is so sad and so gay. His family makes his life a living hell. Ian McShane is a force of nature in this. It’s only one season. I’ve watched it twice. I will watch it again.

Spread (2009) - Movie - no stars - This movie was practically unwatchable. It stars Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche as a romantic couple, I guess? I ended up just skipping to Sebastian’s scenes and only watching those. Still painful.

The Covenant (2006) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This movie is so fuckig stupid, and I will watch it a ridiculous number of times. It’s about magic and teenagers, like The Craft for boys. Nothing about it makes sense. It’s terrible, almost irredeemable, but an evil Sebastian with magic powers is a siren song that will make me steer my boat right into the rocks.

And there you have it. There are a bunch of earlier things on IMDB that I just can’t find or don’t want to pay to rent. Maybe some day I’ll watch them and add them to this list.

[aphrodite1288]

what do you think 'bout this? the one who said that D(ispatch) word following kai everywhere since march claiming herself as an insider. i'm lil bit frustation about this, not kai anymore

Oh GOD EVERYONE IS SENDING ME THIS PIC! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YALL THIS MORNING 🤣

I don't know if we're talking about same girl or not but the only rumored Gf I know Ji has since late 2020 is his supposed current gf so it was even before March and still til know those sasaengs online talk about her and him since December 2020! So if in March he changed his rumored GF then we're not talking abt same girl which I doubt coz I've seen only her that was claimed to be his GF since late 2020 so maybe it's the same girl ..

Anyways.. I asked for her information and I was told to buy it but OFC since I'm rich 🤑 I didn't pay a cent. Coz duh?? Rich ppl get everything for free!

ANYWAYS..

So I had her pic and account 😪 they claim she is his GF she is a model and they say he takes her all the time to his schedules! How they know?? Well their evidence is : coz she always takes pics in places he is in! Such as in Udo Inn she took pics there and posted them on her IG and in The devil wears Jun/gnam Show she took pics there and posted them when Ji was there and in every schedule she takes pics there where Ji is. Which is stoopid?? Why would he take his GF to his own schedule?🤦🏻‍♀️isn't he supposed to be hiding her and protecting her?? Shouldn't they stay low-key?? So what I concluded is : She is an attention $eeker .

I didn't want to shared these info when I got them coz I found they're stoopid I would just create a fuss omg the fandom during the time we should be happy with the new Kadi moments we're having. I didn't want to ruin it all after a 2 years drought.

ANYWAYS!

So after checking her posts and acc I analysed that she is maybe a stalker an obsessed Fan or even a sasaeng who follows him around and claims herself his GF for clout! Coz she literally told everyone she is dating him! Like the whole world knows . And to gain attention and cash from his fans and sasaengs when she gives them their fake relationship info.

Oh please who would take his GF to his schedule where cameras are everywhere?? Also Ji is always surrounded with female staff around in every schedule female staff of SM and of the other company that holds the show whom he doesn't know 💁🏻‍♀️so her taking pics in every schedule he has in the same time he is there and when he shares his pics on his IG.. is very suspicious to me! She may be one crazy part-time staff whom is obsessed with him. That's a weak supposition but anyway the thing is :She wants attention! Like "HEEEEY HELLO IT'S ME I'M HERE WHERE JI IS! SO I MUST BE HIS GF"💁🏻‍♀️

And since January 2021 all those stoopid Sasaeng pages kept posting this phrase " Ji must be careful he is followed by dispatch and he is not very careful! Dispatch may catch him easily he is so stupid and careless"!

Oh and what I was told when I got her info is pure pics of her BUT NEVER AN INTERACTION WITH JI! NO PIC WITH HIM NOR THEM BEING ON A DATE NOR ANYTHING?? So how are they so sure they're dating??

Whatever..!

He is building his new Variety Entertainer Image and With Jongdae's marriage and Chanyeol's 10 gfs scandal he knows how that affected all the Exos and their reputation HE CAN'T RISK TO HAVE ANOTHER DATING SCANDAL while he is WELL AWARE OF THE PLAYBOY IMAGE HE HAS COZ OF HIS 2 PREVIOUS DATING SCANDALS. So especially in this period when he is building his Variety Show Entertainer Image I don't think (even if it was true and he had a gf) he would be careless and go out with her let alone take her to his own schedules 💁🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Normally when Idols are in the epitome of a new career (wether actor or singer or Entertainer or fashion designer or models or going Solo after being in a band etc..) they tend to not date and be clean of any other possible things that may cause them a scandal such us smoking doing drugs, dating etc.. they tend to clean their image even before signing contracts and be extremely careful in their behavior around others to avoid any offensive behavior scandals or dating scandals or smoking scandals etc... Coz the companies they sign with have it in their contracts that the celebrities who sign with them shouldn't have any kind of scandals that may affect the show's stocks and ratings and views etc... They may get punished if they break these rules and go in a scandal.

So what I think is Ji with his new Variety Entertainer Image he won't risk himself to date (that if he wasn't already married to Ksoo but anyways) and even if he was dating he would be extremely careful coz not only his fucked up playboy image in on the edge of worsening but also all the shows he would be in would be affected by the dating and with Chan's previous dating scandal and Chen's marriage he saw how fans recently don't take well the dating issue so he won't risk his own image to have a third dating scandal, it would ruin him and his Entertainer career and would also affect the shows he is in. So he knows for a FACT that if he dates now! After the Chen and Chanyeol scandals and how fans didn't take it well and hated on them a lot and the hate they received and how all the Exos were affected by that from stocks to sales to views etc...Ji is a 10000% sure if he dates now and his dating comes out to light he won't get the support he had with Kais/tal and Jen/kai ! Instead He would be seen as a playboy and fuck boy and would be hated and he would get a loooot of bad comments and hate and the shows he is in would get negative comments and bad ratings and I don't think Ji would want that with his extremely vulnerable and fragile personality. He just started recovering from his depression coz of Bad comments and haters and he said how he went to the psychiatrist back in Radio Star show in 2019. So I'm sure he wouldn't be able to take the attention and hate again.

And I don't think in his case, a dating scandal would be beneficial to increase his popularity and attract eyes to him in order to boost his new Variety Entertainer Image, I mean that startegy is very efficient sometimes but for idols who never had dating scandals before which is not his case coz he already had 2 dating scandals with THE IT DIVA GIRLS of THE ERAS back then!

So for me it's a No No.

And what y'all think 🤔???

Do enlighten me with ur opinions and other things you searched and found??

Can y'all share the page and comments on that post in the pic above?? Coz I'm clearly now following that acc so I want to see more, i want to see their comments and what ppl are saying!

So can y'all share this with me in Dms??

[phynali]

so not to ruminate on things that vex me, but the past 2 or so months have been kinda shit, and i’m trucking along and there absolutely are high points and good things and joys that balance some of this out, but i need to vent out some of the negative emotions somewhere to get ‘em out. so i guess i’m doing that here because - 

we’re in lockdown#6 where i live (state of victoria) and it’s hard, this yo-yo of restrictions and swinging in and out of one lockdown after another. 

for those who understandably won’t know, what we call lockdown here means not just restaurant and commercial closures and mandatory working from home unless you’re in an industry where that’s impossible -- it also means no guests (0) inside you’re home unless you’re both living alone and single or else romantic partners, it means not leaving your home at all except for one of 4-5 necessary reasons, not being outside for more than 2hrs per day even to exercise, and not going more than 5km from your home unless required for work/medical/etc required reasons.

it’s intense. we spent (i think) 128 days in this degree of lockdown in 2020, never mind how many we spent in other forms of restrictions and working from home. and we’ve been back in it four (4) times in 2021 already. in-out-in-out-in-out - 

it’s taking a toll on the mental health of every person i know. we get weekly emails with wellbeing and resilience tips from my job -- not just “be productive or else” capitalism but heartfelt ones from wellbeing officers with copies of articles like this one on languishing from the NYT, acknowledging we’re all struggling and directing us to the plethora of wellbeing resources our workplace is trying to provide, not only to us but reminding us they offer it to our families too.

i’m one of the lucky ones. i’m really not trying to wallow here or to pretend otherwise. i appreciate that i can work from home, even though i can’t focus when i do and it this interacts with my adhd to fuck my productivity. even if i’m so behind and delayed it feels like i’ve lost 12-18 months worth of work and it will have long-term ramifications on my career -- even so, i still i have a job. i still get paid. and i even kept my job, a bit by the skin of my teeth but i did, when my sector downsized last year. yes, the way my employer went about lay offs left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth (my own included), but i made it through. 

and my sector, while affected, is by no means the worst of the collateral damage.

the yo-yo of lockdowns is taking a very very real toll on industries like hospitality, tourism, commerce. and the economy does have indirect effects on health and mental health as well. my friend, a waitress, was on her way to work the evening shift at a restaurant when she got the call about the latest lockdown. she had to turn around and go home because the announcement came just hours before the lockdown was imposed, and every place suddenly had to close by 8pm. bye bye evening shift. so much of the government support for these industries has dried up, has been inadequate. 

lockdowns save lives. i don’t begrudge my state for imposing one except that yes -- i’m resentful we’re here again with only six cases. i can be both accepting and grateful and also pissed and tired and more all at once. 

even more than the latest lockdown, i’m pissed about the yo-yo. that we went into lockdown in june, came out in july, went back in in july, came back out in july, are going back in now, in the first week of august. three lockdown/re-openings in 10 weeks, as if this rollercoaster doesn’t completely incapacitate our ability to plan or prepare for anything more than a week out, more than a day out -- in this case, more than a few hours out. 4pm the lockdown was announced, with an 8pm start time. as if that doesn’t have more insidious consequences on individuals and industries than a more clearly articulated and consistent approach. as if all the restaurants that got to open up this week didn’t purchase large food orders for this weekend that will spoil because they were given 4 hours notice to close their doors.

that’s the part i hate, right now more than the lockdowns themselves. consumer sentiment was at a high in april, optimism was everywhere. people felt good, and like we had a plan forward. now -- well, now my job is sending me emails about how normal and okay it is that i might be ‘languishing’ because aren’t we all?

and i absolutely do begrudge my federal government, and i’m angry with them, and this is part of why:

but i also accept, to some extent, that these decisions have all been made in difficult circumstances, and i’m not really about to pretend i could do any better. 

at the same time, australia’s vaccine rollout is among the slowest and lowest at least within OECD countries. i know that’s partly because we’ve managed the keep cases low and therefore we are prioritized less when it comes to who needs the vaccines most (and thus who is earlier in line to be able to purchase) among other geo-political reasons i won’t get into, but it still very much sucks. our timeline and ability to move forward and ability to stop having lockdowns requires a mostly-vaccinated population, and that’s not something we’ll have anytime soon.

and i am a visa-holder here and my family is back in canada and with our current border restrictions leaving to visit is honestly is not an option because i wouldn’t be able to return, to work. i’m managing that distance okay most of the time despite my homesickness and frustration but my partner’s parents are older and his mother’s health just isn’t amazing and it’s weighing on him a lot. 

a phd student i work with just had a parent die in another country while stuck here, had to drop everything to return, is devastated by not being by their parent’s side when it happened because it came on sudden, and now won’t be able to come back into australia after, will have to finish their thesis remotely from abroad. stories like that are becoming commonplace in certain circles, here. this student is not the first or only person i know who has been in that exact situation in the past year.

it’s enraging, and upsetting, and instills a sense of helplessness because -- there’s nothing that can really be done about it. there’s no good answer, but it’s scary to think of what could happen. i know it scares my husband. if his mother’s health suddenly dips -- does he drop everything and leave? how can he not? would i go with him or hold the fort here? what ramifications does that have either way?

right now, we’re in the first stages of getting permanent residency, my job is putting in the nomination, and this is one of those awesome high-points i mentioned. it’s a very much needed sense of security in my career and my future in this country. but while a PR application is pending and under review, you can’t leave the country, even in pre-covid times. it takes months to get the application fully nominated, accepted, then submitted, and months on months to process.

in january 2020 we had agreed that for xmas 2020 we’d return home to canada. obviously the world changed and we quickly determined that wouldn’t be the case. we pushed that plan back to july-aug 2021, then to october 2021, xmas 2021. my partner’s sister asked him last week if we started making plans, booking things for xmas, was calling to check that we’d had our second jabs. he had to explain the situation to her, that we aren’t even eligible for our first vaccine yet, that we aren’t holding out any real hope of visiting, not this year, not until mid-next.

anyway - i’m just. languishing, i guess, if that’s the word for it after all. i know it’s not the same as depression -- i’ve had episodes of that, been treated for it in different ways. this is and feels different, even if there are obvious similarities. whatever to call it, it sucks, and i hate it. and i hate the other lows and anxieties and crap i’ve been dealing with in the past few months as well that didn’t make it into this post about covid. crap with work, with friends, with goddamn car rentals of all stupid things. crap that’s making me anxious and crap that just needs processing. crap that is, ultimately, massively exacerbated because lockdowns turn us into little rats gnawing on the bars of our cages.

and i guess i just needed to talk about it somewhere, to organize my thoughts and free up some headspace (emotion space?) currently being used to hold these thoughts and feelings in place. i kind of hate posting personal crap like this and always get the urge to delete but i also have a hard time organising my thoughts if i don’t write them out with this intent to post. sort of want to go outside and scream at god, sort of want to phone up a friend and yell at him for an hour for being an exhausting ass, sort of want to be alone for a day to curl up under a blanket with a movie that’ll make me cry because raging at the universe is always so much easier when i’m alone and unobserved. but i guess since those aren’t especially kind or feasible i’ll post this instead.

anyway - if you read to the end of this for any reason, i’m not trying to be maudlin, and there’s really no need to respond. it’s just a feelings dump, sucking some of the poison out, not really much different than journalling but i’ve always been better at that online than on paper. 

[mirandalinotto]

Madam Spellman May 2021 Masterlist

Week One: Fake Engagement

Adventures with the Sawyers by TechnicolorMagicWoman (bymak)

Finding Zelda's despise of PDAs, Lilith embraced her from the middle bringing her close. Her eyes twinkling with merriment that was easily confused with love. // "Isn't she utterly right, love?" she said, pecking Zelda's cheek and then cleaning with the pad of her thumb the red remainders of her lipstick. // And the eldest of the Spellman's thought, that having brought Ms. Wardwell to keep herself from killing the mortals wouldn't stop her from killing the woman. What would they think if she killed her fiancee? // "Completely right, darling."

by any other name by Singofsolace

When Zelda Spellman wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of what happened to her, a strange woman posing as her fiancé fills in the missing details.

High Standards by viva_smoke

Set after the end of Part 2 because... simpler times. As for what this is... I don't know. Just word vomit. Is it crack or just bad writing? Who can say....

Week Two: Mistaken Identity

a rope down to hell by Singofsolace

Zelda Spellman had always known she would marry for power and wealth, not love. But the night before her wedding, when she is forced to take part in a terrible tradition, she runs away and takes sanctuary in an abandoned church. There, she's surprised to find Mary Wardwell--or rather, the woman she believes to be Mary Wardwell.

Together, they plan their revenge on the men who have wronged them.

Week Three: Runaway Bride

I'm running with the wolves by LilithFeminaPrima

They were slowly walking up to the altar, with synchronized steps, where Faustus Blackwood was waiting for his gorgeous bride-to-be, a disgustingly proud grin on his thin lips. This was her wedding day. She was walking down the aisle, each step more torturous than the previous. She was walking – it felt like a funeral march.

The Primrose Path by CallmeCordelia

Zelda Spellman's course is set. She will marry the powerful Lord Blackwood and secure her family's place in high society. Aboard the RMS Olympic, she crosses paths with an intriguing woman who tempts her to take another path.

The More I Owe You by madamnovelist

Seattle, WA. For two entirely different reasons, two brides ditch their wedding ceremonies and find themselves sitting side by side in the most peculiar bar in town.

The Most Loyal by LaMarwy

Upon the eve of her wedding, Zelda finds herself uncertain, so she decides to ask Lilith for advice. The demoness answers the call, and submits a proposal of her own.

The Power of Goodbye by TechnicolorMagicWoman (bymak)

It's her wedding day, and she must answer the question. What would Ms. Wardwell do?

Witches and bitches by Vampyra

Hilda and Zelda Spellman own a pastry shop and 2 newcomers in town want a wedding cake.

Week Four: Romance

The Garden of Earthly Delights by DepravityReigns

A stressed out Zelda employs laidback Lilith to landscape her property, soon it'll be more than just the garden being seen to!

True Colors by madamnovelist

"The one-night-stand you were determined to forget becomes the love of your life." Manhattan. Zelda Spellman is a hotshot lawyer and Lilith is a sharp bartender. They meet, they have sex, they start dating. But Zelda goes to work when Lilith is home, and in one day, Zelda makes the money Lilith makes in a week. Can their relationship work?

~~~ @leatherglovesandbutterflyknives made a lovely post! Check it out!

Link to Tumblr post

Lilith’s eyes fluttered open as she became aware of something tickling her nose. Light was spilling in through the curtains and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

It turned out that the tickling was caused by the same thing that was keeping her warm and pinning her in one place.

Zelda Spellman, High Priestess and Directrix, one of the most powerful witches Lilith had ever come across, was cuddling her.

Week Five: Fluff

Closer by madamnovelist

Summary: In an alternative course of events, the pandemic takes over when Mary and Zelda have been dating for a couple of months, and Mary asks her to move in with her to spend quarantine together.

It's a Hate Thing by seriousoncer

“How about a kiss?”

Zelda frowns. “How is that going to fix anything?”

Lilith’s gaze drops to Zelda’s lips. “You can’t get married if you’re already seeing someone, can you? And you’ll be able to show your ex-husband that you’ve moved on. It’s the perfect solution.”

Or, Zelda has an unfortunate run-in with her sister's wedding planner.

life's an elevator (just make sure you get off on the right floor) by seriousoncer

“The emergency button didn’t work, either,” Zelda said tensely. "I was trapped in there for hours.”

Lilith grinned mischievously. “Eh… I don’t think it was hours."

“One hour, then,” she corrected.

“Zelda, it’s been precisely eleven minutes since the alarm started.”

Or, Zelda decides to write a bucket list after a near-death experience, involving an elevator, a gas leak, and Lilith.

The Siren's Song by Stargazer_01 for BadWitchOfTadfield

For Madam Spellman May, and for a certain siren I know. Partly inspired by Michelle's beach pic.

Turning Page by KatyaTrixie

Professor Zelda Spellman: frustrated writer meets Mary Wardwell: burgeoning poet Zelda teaches a creative writing class at Greendale Community College. Mary is a student who has something she can help her teacher learn.

You may call me Mary by LilithFeminaPrima

A glimpse into Zelda and Mary's blossoming friendship.

Set in the universe of Some Things Never Change

New submissions to the 2020 Challenge:

Bad Blood by badmoonwardwell

Or the x files au that nobody asked for

"Spellman, you're not gonna believe this."

Lilith Demos marched into their basement office, her cheerness already getting under her co-worker's skin.

"Fuck you, Demos." The woman said with a sigh, knowing very well that that phrase was never followed by a reasonable statement.

Lilith then stopped and stared at her, one would think she was offended – the ginger sincerely hoped so.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in Madam Spellman May! <3

[welcome-to-the-cafe]

Shang-Chi (2021) Review Pt. 2

This one will be about the less character-relevant stuff, such as casting, props, settings, and design.

Easiest first: props and costumes.

A bit cool, a bit silly, and bit too "Chinese-themed".

The old Ten-Ring troops had normal armor for the time and age. The new Ten Ring troops looked like the Snake-Eyes fodder ninjas but with tassled helmets. Like I appreciate what they were going for, but...it look dumb dude. And what they were doing with only one hook sword? The electrified thing was cool, but y'all didn't use the bladed hand guard, the combo hook move, the spiked pommel...wasted potential smh. And then the electric arc crossbows....again I appreciate the idea, but that was silly, especially after we showed the Ten Rings sniper with a normal ass gun. Or, just go full sino-futurism and give me the chainsaw spiked club, the electrified monk's spade, taser three section staff.

The villager's clothes were too...saturated, and monochromatic. It kinda reminded me of Mulan (2020) actually, the white people's ancient Chinese clothing. In contrast, in the he TianLongBaBu wuxia series I've been watching, people dress in...normal earth tones. Oh also, too many fucking sandals, where are my black loafers and thick white socks, with rope bindings? Like the kind modern Shaolin monks wear?? The villager's weapons too. Only Xialing's was kind of interesting, the rest are vanilla staffs and sword+shield. Boooo. Where's the dragonscale fangtianhuaji? The dragonscale guandao? Ok I'm done. Just disappointed.

Wenwu's costumes were pure drip in every scene. Zero complaints.

Shang-Chi's letterman's jacket was my favorite costume to be honest. He should not have changed in the village. The final costume seemed a bit too...modern, but not quite to the level of the Black Panther suit. It just seemed like Western superhero top with a vaguely Chinese pattern on it. Or it looked kindof...southeast asian? Wish it had no sleeves.

Katy should've kept her Macau drip. The "traditional" robe just didn't look right.

Xialing looked the best in her inverse Bruce Lee colors crop top and sweats. Like damn.

Ying Li's robes' green is too saturated in my opinion, unnaturally. Same with Michelle Yeoh's character. Now that I think about it, I hardly ever see bright green in traditional Chinese clothes...or modern Chinese fashion. Her pristine white/biege wushu outfit is also meh for me.

Death Dealer's dark blue + yellow colors are quite striking, but a bit odd and out of place with the rest of the Ten Rings' getup. Perhaps it was intentional, since he's the elite trainer? I wish it was more modern, a la Snake Eyes' suit. I would also like to complain about his opera face makeup though; why only the top half? Is that even a real opera face design? It's kind of a dumb half-ass reference I think. Like, Noh masks are used all the time for creepy effect, why not Beijing Opera?

Next, CGI animals.

Morris the Hundun/Dijiang was cute, but I half expected him to suddenly go nuts and devour Slattery, since the Hundun is one of the primordial evil beasts. But Disney needs their marketable mascot. I even saw a Lego piece for him before the movie was released!

The trip through the other world was a bit too safari-like. Like wow, the Ninetails is just chilling by the road, and a herd of Qilin conveniently pass by. The execution of these creatures were fine, though the Qilin eyes were too "dead".

I don't have problems with the Lions' design, but they were completely unnecessary, and lowered the stakes for the final battle for me. Those two lions could literally tear apart all five of Wenwu's trucks in less than a minute.

I stated already, the big evil monster, the little soulsuckers, and the dragon are completely unnecessary to me. Even when I saw just the wood carving of the soulsucking bats, I felt disappointed. Xialing and Shangchi spent way too long riding the big dragon and not doing kungfu :/

Onto settings.

I just recently visited Bay Area! The hilliness of SF was nicely showed off by the bus fight.

Macao seemed well-grounded and normal for a modern Chinese metropolis. Was portrayed better than Tokyo was in Snake Eyes in my opinion. The bamboo scaffolding scene reminded me heavily of Rush Hour 2's Hong Kong fight, and I could hear Jackie Chan assuring us "don't worry, Chinese bamboo, very strong!".

The Ten Rings compound was...eh. No defining features to locate it anywhere real so whatever. But the interior was weirdly homey?

The Ta Lo village is what I really want to complain about: why they gotta throw Chinese people back to the Xia dynasty like that? Straw huts? Really? And there was a total of like 7 buildings there, across a tiny area. That is not a village, it's a medium-sized temple complex. Kung Fu Panda 3's hidden panda village was loads more impressive, with interesting geography. This was on a flat plane next to a pond. Combined with the costuming, it's like hello, it's hokey Western orientalism again.

Casting.

Tony Leung. Perfect. Outstanding. Phenomenal. Sexy as hell. I have recovered fully from Lust, Caution. I see on Tiktok that westerners are thirsting after him, and I am very satisfied. The "Killmonger-Loki" Effect is now the "Wenwu-Killmonger-Loki" Effect. I only wish he were younger, because I hate the "daddy" kink. Mr. Leung, you are a hero to Asian-American men. Thank you.

Awkwafina. Yeah she is pretty good as the unabashed ABC friend. But lately, I feel she has been over-used as the main Chinese-American actress. On some social media, I have seen Black users complain of her 'blaccent' and vow to boycott Shang-Chi in protest. I'm inclined to defend her, as it is probably what she grew up with, and the boycott feels like another attempt to draw moral hierarchical divisions between minorities. Similar sentiment is "yall didn't come out for Black Panther, why should we come out for Shang-Chi?". I don't have any data as to whether 'we' did come out for Black Panther, but I generally disapprove of POC factionalism.

Simu Liu. I'm glad that Westerners are thirsting over him too. I'm glad he's very enthusiastic and affable, and well-liked in the Asian-American community. He's us! And he got a shirtless scene! But the catch is...he doesn't fit the current Chinese standard for "hot guy actor".

From the majority angle: that's toxic af. He's hot enough, why are we being so picky with dumb Asian beauty standards? Will we ever properly support ourselves? Like damn, this is the first Asian-American lead in a goddamn Marvel movie, and this is how you treat him?? By the Heavens.

From the other angle: his eyes are small, his jaw kind of round, head kind of wide. Not the most masculine, but definitely not feminine. He's a normal Chinese-American dude. Chinese dude, Harbin, Heilongjiang born. Compare that to Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Chris Pratt, Sebastian Stan, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, etc. These are among the finest western specimens; why did the pick the Asian hero to be played by the 'normal-looking' dude? Was Jackson Wang not available? Or Ludi Lin? I personally have a suspicion that his appearance most fits the stereotypical look of an Asian man to Western audiences, and that's why he was cast.

He's received hate for this, from Reddit r/aznidentity, the sub that I frequent, which currently is cheering Shang-Chi's box-office success. That's toxic af, and must be heartbreaking for him. Unfortunately, it's part of the larger conflict of Western and Eastern media, representation, markets, and culture. And that's a big fish to wrangle in part 3.