#i have to like........ hype myself up in order to watch them its so bad

[sethsbigtits]

a lil sketchy wetchy from school tday

[toodleoorblx]

**SPOILERS AHEAD BEWARE**

Agatha All Along just came out, heres what I think about it.

So, starting off with the cinematic factors of it, I loved it. it was exactly what I was expecting, nothing less. I was very surprised with the plot though. It was so so funny, I had watched it with one of my friends and she loved it as well. Props to all who were apart of Agatha all along. The references of witchy movies, like the trap door and Snow White? I loved that Easter egg, I probably sound crazy but I swear it’s there.

I loved how dramatic Agatha was, her sarcasm, her impaticnce, her wickedness, spot on, even her haterd for Wanda. Agatha has lots of emotions, as much as I can tell. She just conceals them so much. She looks conflicted and angry when she sees Rio, she seems playful and antagonizing with Jen, laid back with Lilia, dismissive with Alice, impatient with Ms. Davis, and genuinely irritated and annoyed with Teen. She seems much more open on the show, less… distant and cruel? Maybe it’s the many many fics I’ve read that’s clouding my judgement but I was surprised to say the least. But it wasn’t a bad one. I love Agatha in this, there’s so much to tell about her her life, and I’m hyped to find out what’s up.

(Side note, one of my predictions was right! Rio's magic is in fact not something that can be taken. That was one of the few predictions I had made, and I'm so glad that that little detail was right.)

And Rio?! Oh my goodness, she's just as cryptc and lore filled as I imagined her. Her harshness with an underlined gentleness is killing me! And her licking Agatha’s hand better? Oh my that had me in a chokehold, so many golden ideas portrayed beautifully. And I have reason to believe that Agatha sacrificed Nicholas. The first sign is the childhood bedroom from episode one, Agnes being upset about it, two, the jab that Jen made, and three, when Rio mentioned the Darkhold, and its darkness, theres definitely some lore there, and I think it’s something that Agatha caused. Also does anyone have any clues as to what Rio says when she makes her dramatic exits? I only know some Spanish, but I’m not fluent 😭

Anywho, let’s talk about Teen. So when I first saw him I was fairly surprised. I didn’t expect him to try and steal something, nor did I know that it was an illusion of some sort? Maybe? Whatever it was, I know that Teen is not to be underestimated. He has some powerful qualities, even if it’s not as flashy as Agatha or Wanda’s. I love his perkiness and how he’s just happy to be there, even if it is as Agatha’s ‘pet’.

My next victim is Lilia. I had originally thought that she couldn’t use her magic or, predictions freely, only when vision came. But I was happily wrong. I don’t think she can use it whenever though. I love her style as well, such a level of grace and colorfulness really brings her character together. Patti did a fantastic job of portraying someone as kooky as Lilia.

Now we have Jen. I knew that they had some history because if something Kathryn had said on an interview, but I don’t think it was a lot. But clearly something went down to make Jen have a level of hatred towards her. But besides that, I get aesthetic, the pinks, the candles, the jewelry? It’s all so beautiful, I especially loved the septum piercing. It was a cute touch. Anyways, moving on from that, Agatha had mentioned that Jennifer is magic bound because of some curse? I wonder what that’s about. Over all, I adore Jen’s personality, I love how she knows what she’s worth and that she seems to always know what to say. She’s very confident of herself which is something I live to see. And I can see how Jen’s sarcasm and Agatha’s sarcasm may clash from time to time.

Moving on, we have Alice to discuss. Now I have written a little about how I portrayed her in my fic Natural Order, and I think I got her pretty well. I surprised myself I’m gonna be honest. I was half expecting her to be the exact opposite, but that’s a happy accident I guess. Anywho, I love her style as well, I wish we got to see more if the ship she had formally worked at, it was such a cozy and spooky place, I wouldn’t mind working there myself. The designers outdid themselves truly. Alice is very dismissive, and is always one step ahead, I love that about her (so far). She seems to be pretty laid back, while also being very vigilant as well.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Ms. Davis. I find her absolutely darling, she was so sweet and I had a good laugh when she came on screen. I love her obliviousness and utter happiness to be included, similar to Teen in that way. I hope she sticks around, u trying so, there’s not a bone in my body that doesn’t like her, she’s such a good ‘temporary’ addition to the coven.

The Salem seven seem to be like… the witch police? Maybe? I’m excited to see more of them.

Honorable mention: Senor Scratchy serving as always.🫡

A little treat I took:

(Also, height difference??!!! Loved that shot.)

[crusherthedoctor]

Hey all, hope everyone's doing good. Thought I should give an update on my current perspective on things around here, as it's shifted for reasons I'll get into.

In a nutshell, I'm feeling better than before... but I also think it's time for me to semi-check out of current Sonic discussion.

By now, you all know that with the exception of Superstars and Dream Team - and Jimbotnik, because of course - I've not been enthusiastic about much of the current stuff. Whether that be the likelihood that they'll continue with a Frontiers direction, the SA2 milking that has made me more sick to death of its influence than I thought was possible, the Year of Shadow in general not being all that enticing if your top ten does not include him, IDW still causing the same repetitive back-and-forths with its characteristically terrible decisions and disproportionate praise from fans who don't actually buy the comic, various other bits and pieces that plant further Eggdad seeds into people's heads, a bunch of other stuff that I'm just apathetic about while everyone else goes crazy over them... it's not been a great time for me. I'm the Garfield, and the current direction is the Monday.

That would all be one thing, but as you may expect, it's the fandom that really irks me. I don't like how it's considered necessary to make every post a bestseller in order for your opinion to be seen as valid and insightful. I don't like how you're expected to not criticise something just because it's popular or "iconic". I don't like how everyone dedicates themselves to the same old lengthy discourse that will continue to not change anyone's minds either way, since the only people listening are the ones who already agreed with them. I don't like how you have Flynn/Archie/IDW stans on one side, and an increasingly common "Japan only, no one else should ever touch the series, also the Japanese fandom is the only one with good people in it, I was born in the wrong country uwu" mentality on the other side.

And... I don't like that I've brought these concerns up so many times before when I know it'll always fall on deaf ears. Why do I do this? Why do I bother? For the fandom, I guess. But if the fandom doesn't even respect me, if my words are always doomed to ring in an empty hallway, why should I bother?

While all this has been going on, the Paper Mario Thousand-Year Door remake has been on my mind quite a bit, as it has been for a lot of folk. As someone who has always loved TTYD, as well as the original N64 Paper Mario, I'm happy to report that I absolutely adore the remake, and quickly considered it a gold standard as far as faithful remakes go. :) There's a lot of reasons for that, but that's best for another time. Anyway, after a certain point, it occurred to me... hasn't it been a while since I've been able to just relax and join in on the hype for something? Hasn't it been a while since my opinion lined up with that of the majority? Hasn't it been a while since, regardless of not actually posting, I felt like I belonged somewhere, and wasn't being made to constantly feel like I'm worthless because I'm not an artist, animator, etc?

I think this is something I've been needing for a long time now. The irony of it coming from the bing bing wahoo man is not lost on me.

After how the past few years in the Sonic fandom have felt like a classroom more than anything, watching everyone repeat the same Why ___ Is Secretly Good/Bad three hour manifestos over and over, and flogging themselves for being Not-Japanese, can you see why the simple pleasures of "hehe Vivian :3" would appeal to me? Can you see why I'd prefer to unwind? I made a valiant effort, but now, I can't force myself to keep up with shit that I'm not passionate about for the sake of a community that doesn't care about what I have to say anyway. I need to find myself a place on here that I can be at ease with.

So what does this mean for my blog? Well, nothing too jarring, just that my focus may shift a little for the time being. Despite what all of the above may imply, I'm not turning in my Sonic badge. I still love the franchise, even if I'm not so fond of its overall current direction. And obviously, I still love Eggman, that'll never change. I'll still answer asks about the series, talk about things I like, reblog stuff I like, work on Stellar, spread Egg Propaganda, and so on. But unless I'm asked about them in certain contexts (ie: "how would you improve this character"?), I refuse to talk about IDW, Frontiers, or anything else whose contents and fandom circles cause me migraines.

Not because toxic positivity, but because after the joy of gushing over Vivian TTYD, and remembering the feeling of belonging, I can't do this again. I can't change Tails calling himself Wildly Inconsistent. I can't change The End being a nothingburger. I can't change Lanolin being an arsehole. I can't change Surge's shilling. I can't change how unprofessional the IDW crew is. I can't change what they're doing with Eggman, and various other characters. I can't change any of these things, no matter how much I or anyone else rants about them, and half the time, no one is seriously listening anyway. So many words for so little results. So I need to move on, stop wasting my time, and turn my attention on things that actually make me happy instead of just... deflated. Maybe if I do that, I can belong again. Maybe when the direction inevitably changes again in the future, it'll feel like it came faster.

So yeah. That's where I'm at now. I hope you guys can understand.

[harborpointeblvd]

I watched every GMMTV BL series (so far) in four months for science or whatever

I had never seen a single GMMTV drama before 2024 and now I know the ages of all the actors. So I'm doing great.

I'm gonna talk at you about some shows for a while, starting with 2016/2017.

2018 2019 2020

Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey* - 2016

*Not technically a BL, but I included it because it got an episode of Our Skyy.

Fourth year veterinary students, Porsche (Kang Korn Sirisorn) and Pick (Off Jumpol) belong to an animal rescue club that is at risk of termination. In order to save it, they hatch a plan to convince the dean’s niece, Emma (Cherreen Nachjaree), to join their club. The only problem is that Emma is deathly afraid of dogs. Pick enlists the help of Emma’s best friend Rome (Gun Atthaphan) to change her mind.

This series was boring, but at least it’s only six episodes. Porsche and Emma are fine together, although the climax of their story is a tad melodramatic and the drama is pretty avoidable. Pick and Rome’s relationship doesn’t develop much. Their dynamic is basically: Pick picks on Rome and Rome likes it. They do have the most ridiculous water fight scene I’ve ever seen in my life, so there's that.

How to flirt.

SOTUS - 2016

All first year engineering students are subjected to the SOTUS system before they can be recognized by their faculty seniors. First year student Kongpob (Singto Prachaya) challenges the hazing team’s methods, making him the target of third year hazing leader Arthit (Krist Perawat). Through their repeated encounters, the two start to understand each other better.

I guess this is worth watching for the lore or whatever, but seriously, this series was so over-hyped. They’re very sweet once they get together, but I thought Kongpob chased Arthit for too long. Whenever a romance starts off very one-sided like this one did, I always wish the pursuer would just back off. As for the hazing plot, there were clearly cultural differences that factored into my enjoyment of the series. College hazing is illegal where I live, so I wasn't sold on the "there are good intentions on both sides" narrative.

The lore.

Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey 2* - 2017

*Still not technically a BL

A continuation of Puppy Honey. Porsche (Kang Korn Sirisorn) has taken an internship in the countryside, leaving Emma (Cherreen Nachjaree) feeling neglected. She finds comfort in her brother’s childhood friend Night (Krist Parawat), while Porsche finds companionship with Friend (Namtan Tipnaree). Meanwhile, Rome (Gun Attaphan) knows that Pick (Off Jumpol) has feelings for him, but Pick is in denial, until their former club member Din (Sing Harit) steps in as a love rival.

This series was a chore to get through**. I thought Emma was really selfish for guilt-tripping Porsche about taking the internship, but Porsche is treated like the selfish one for taking the internship. I ended up watching most of their scenes in x1.5 speed. Pick and Rome’s story was cute, although Pick is a dick throughout most of it and a lot of his bad behavior is never addressed or blamed on other characters. Emma and Rome’s friendship, which gave the first season a lot of its charm, was practically non-existent, which was disappointing. Also, the title sequence is absurdly long. Did no one tell them they don’t have to use the whole song?

**No one was making me watch this, I did this to myself.

Emma's brother hiding inconspicuously behind a tree.

Water Boyy - 2017

Waii (Earth Pirapat) is the captain of his college’s swim club, but refuses to compete because of a strained relationship with his father, the coach. He is forced to share a dorm room with Apo (New Thitipoom), a new club member who is a longtime admirer of his father. Pan (Piglet Charada) makes fast enemies with their new club tutor, Fah (White Nawat), but tries to play nice with him when she discovers that her new crush, Namkhaeng (Ciize Rutricha) is his childhood friend. Min (Victor Chatchawit) transfers to the swim club from the track club after an injury and must prove his loyalty to his new teammates. But this proves difficult when he starts to develop feelings for Wan (Fon Sananthachat), a girl with a vendetta against the club.

Ho ly shit. All aboard the Hot Mess Express. If I had tried watching all of these shows in the order they aired, I probably would’ve quit after this one. This review is gonna contain some spoilers. And TW for sexual assault.

So Waii sexually assaults Apo in the fourth episode. It’s very blatantly assault and is never addressed, and they still fall in love. Also, Waii has a girlfriend who he just strings along for the entire series.

Waii had a falling out with his father after he got together with Waii’s former team member and best friend, and everyone tries to force him to forgive them and accept the relationship. Like, Waii is wrong for a lot of things, but not for that. It’s also shown that the affair negatively affected the whole team and caused them to waste school funding that should have gone to other clubs, but Waii is the selfish one for being mad about it. Am I supposed to agree with what they’re telling me or what I’m seeing?

Next, Pan is stated to be a lesbian in the first episode. She chases after a girl throughout the whole series, then ends up with a guy. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, because I’m not Thai and things get lost in translation. It felt like lesbian erasure nonetheless. And for what? For Fah? I could not tell you a single thing about Fah. Who's choosing him over Ciize? Smh.

Honestly, the show would have been better if they got rid of the three main pairs and just made it about the side characters Kluay and Achi.

Cannot be disproven.

My Dear Loser: Edge of 17* - 2017

*Not a BL, but included because it got an episode of Our Skyy.

Oh (Nanon Korapat) is tormented daily by a group of bullies led by Copper (Plustor Pronpiphat). The only thing that makes school bearable is Oh’s neighbor, Peach (Jane Ramida), who also happens to be Copper’s girlfriend. New student Sun (Chimon Wachirawit) becomes a new target for the bullies on his first day when he stands up for Oh. But when Copper’s friend In (Pluem Purim) has a falling out with the gang, he quickly grows close to Sun.

This series started out pretty rough. For the first couple episodes, Oh is just stiff walking and strained grimaces. Not to mention, he’s creepy. He does get better as he comes into his own, and I actually found myself rooting for him, especially after his breaking point when he fights back against Copper. The bullying that leads to said breaking point is pretty horrible to watch and the punishment is definitely not doled out fairly, so it really made me feel for Oh. The BL in this series is sparse. There’s a whole love triangle between Sun, In and their friend Ainam (who is the best character in this series) which didn’t feel completely resolved by the end. Both actors did a great job, but it still felt like a one-sided romance. Overall, I didn't hate the series, and even enjoyed it at times.

A true love triangle goes three ways, otherwise it's just a love V.

SOTUS S - 2017

A continuation of SOTUS.

Arthit (Krist Perawat) has graduated and has just been assigned a new position in his company. While he wants to support Kongpob (Singto Prachaya), who is now in his third year and the new leader of the now reformed SOTUS hazing team, the demands of his job start to take a toll on their relationship.

This was okay as a sequel. They brought back almost the entire cast, which is nice, but they kind of wasted them. I think it was a mistake to focus so heavily on the hazing team in the first few episodes, just to drop them entirely halfway through the series. Episode six felt too far into the series to introduce a new character and side pair. If they wanted to add another side pair, they could have just used one of Kongpob’s friends. Like Prae? Give Prae a girlfriend that we actually get to see for more than twelve seconds. I’m glad they gave Tew some focus, because I liked him in the first series, but the guy they paired him with was annoying. M and May were really cute in the first series, but now M is telling May not to wear shorts and to gain weight so other guys don’t look at her and it’s fucking weird. As for the main couple, a lot of their drama just stems from lack of communication on both parts, which is annoying, but I kinda liked the fallout from it. (But that’s just my mental illness speaking. I will sometimes return even to shows I didn’t like just to watch the penultimate episode breakup. It’s cathartic.)

OffGun fanservice.

I'm putting all of these series on a tier list. It will get better later. I promise I'm not always this negative.

Soulmate - The One. Like he was created for me, specifically. Sugar Daddy - He may not have it all, but he knows how to spoil me. Friend With Benefits - Despite my better judgment, I went and caught feelings. Second Lead - All my friends love him, but I don’t feel the spark. Overeager Pursuer - Tries to be cute but just gets on my nerves. Vindictive Ex - It’s like he’s punishing me for knowing I could do better. Love Rival - Literally what did I do to deserve this? -

[writingmochi]

cast: txt all members & enhypen hyung line ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: an anthology series for txt and enhypen; a love letter from the author to “loveless”, my bloody valentine, and the shoegaze genre

genre: variative for each member

based on: music my bloody valentine’s “loveless” album (1991)

message from the moon: do remember that this is fiction and all the actions the idols do in these works do not reflect what they are in the real world. this is a non-priority anthology so all stories are standalone, won't have any schedule for deadlines, and will be written on my availability! also, noted that the infos written below aren't the final one so i can add/subtract anything.

i had this on the back burner for almost a year now, but i want to create hype (for others and myself) since this has been in my wip from the moment i posted it and since i have the desire to write the stories…

taglist? right here

writing order? here’s the poll result!

only shallow

cast: rebel!sunghoon ✗ outcast!fem.reader

synopsis: watching the goonies on vhs in the corner behind a counter, you are working your night shift in a gas station in the center of downtown. head tilts up from the chiming bell, you see your school’s rebel and his red ford mustang behind him, a smirk on his face as you roll your eyes

genre: kinda enemies to lovers, 80s au, high school au,

warning(s): tba

inspired by: a bit of movie dazed and confused (1993) and the breakfast club (1985)

loomer (visualizer) • an entry for equinox: the escapist

cast: jay ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: jay has always been a loomer, an introvert, and an outsider in a group of people others presumed are bad. looming in the shadows in the corner of the parties full of drinks, drugs, and sex, only can be seen with the flamed blunt of his cigarette in the dark. out of the blue, an orange flame is ignited in the dark corner, creating a silhouette of another person, another loomer, standing beside him

genre: lonely people in neon cities, drama, romance, early 00s au, bad boy au, angst, mature content (consumption of drugs, explicit smut)

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie fallen angels (1995) and millennium mambo (2001)

when you sleep

cast: hueningkai ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: a soulmate's connection can be different for each of them. kai’s connection to his soulmate comes every time he sleeps: when he relieved the highlights of the day that isn’t his, but his soulmate’s. kai didn’t like that his friend ask him to go on a double date with their soulmate and their friend. yet, the date doesn’t seem to be that bad

genre: soulmate au, college/uni au

warning(s): tba

i only said (visualizer) • an entry for discovery: 400 and solstice: a comeback story!

cast: soobin ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: as you stood on the crowded train while making eye contact with the boy from the neighboring school. light shines into the dim train car as it becomes empty and filled with sand. approaching you is a humanoid figure, who calls you the king and queen of viliya—the island kingdom that is plagued with nightmares that haunt its people which you and the boy are also not immune to

genre: two lost souls find comfort, silent lovers, magical realism, meet ugly, hurt/comfort, adventure, thriller, coming of age, romance, high school au, late 2010s au, modern royalty au, angst, fluff, mature content (phobias, trauma, war, explicit smut)

warning(s): tba

inspired by: music txt's 2019-2020 star seekers music videos ("nap of the star", "magic island", "eternally"), and movies bridge to terabithia (2007) and tigers are not afraid (2017)

come in alone

cast: drummer!jake ✗ videographer!fem.reader

synopsis: the crowd cheers as you watch from the sideline from behind your camera, the band closing their shows for the night as they have to prepare for their next stop. a whistle can be heard as you see the drummer standing against the doorframe, waiting for you to be tangled in his arm. that is until your past haunts you in one of the shows

genre: band au, tour au, acquaintances with benefits

warning(s): traumatic experience

sometimes

cast: rogue chaebol!beomgyu ✗ supermodel!fem.reader

synopsis: flashes of lights filled the dark void as you run the runway for the last time in your show in italy. what you didn’t see is a man whose importance people knew, hidden in the crowd as he looks at the glitz and glamour. only then do you see him in your sight as you sit in the back alley of the after-party, in solace as you join into an adventure you never expected to go

genre: existentialism, travel au, runaways, set in italy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie lost in translation (2003) with a tinge of call me by your name (2017)

blown a wish

cast: taehyun ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: the eighteenth birthday is the one that you’ve been excited about since you enter high school. so excited that you even bought a candle set from one to 18 in counting down the days to your birthday, each candle represents a wish you want to achieve by 18. with taehyun beside you, surely you can achieve all your wishes, right? ...right?

genre: magical realism, romantic comedy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie 16 wishes (2010)

what you want

cast: heeseung ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: sweats trickle down your forehead as you look at the track before you. all the training and hardships have come to this but you have an underlying thought crossing through your mind. is it worth it?

genre: drama, rivals to ???, athlete au

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie i, tonya (2017)

soon

cast: dance prodigy!yeonjun ✗ dance amateur!fem.reader

synopsis: a mirror wall resides on one side of the practice room you’re in. stretching your stiff body, you overcome yourself to follow your interest after a long time. dancing. not knowing that the room was actually bigger as there is someone on the other side of the mirror, looking and wanting to guide you to your glory

genre: dancer au, mystery

warning(s): tba

inspired by: the phantom of the opera meets movie step up (2006)

taglist: @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @haechanswaifu @wccycc @cha0thicpisces @y4wnjunz @stayzentiny @rebsmoonn @boba-beom @angelbythewindow @ttyunz @reallysmolrenjun

© writingmochi on tumblr, 2021-2024. all rights reserved

[mars-ipan]

OK green day concert highlights bc it’s the next day now and i’m really happy i got to go still. these won’t be in chronological order bc i don’t think like that

billie joe did the freddy mercury call n response thing throughout the whole show and it was sick (i have always wanted to participate in that)

he also kept telling us he wanted to see us “jump around and go fucking crazy” and the entire time i was just thinking BILLIE MY KNEES. PLEASE

tre cool has a really good stage presence (i mean obviously . he’s a performer. but still) also he kept throwing his drumsticks throughout the Entire show he had. so many drumsticks

he was also incredible with his performance of all by myself. funny as fuck song (has an angsty kmhn animatic in its head about it)

before the show these green and pink paper hearts got handed out to us and we put them over our phone flashlights for wake me up when september ends and bobby sox. a lot of the show’s lighting and branding was green and pink too which felt special To Me as someone who. well. marzi is green and pink Das Me. so i’m letting myself take that as a sign that things are looking up bc i need that lmao

someone complimented my epic heart-shaped bag <3

when brain stew ended i pulled my phone out to record what i thought was gonna be the transition into jaded. what i ACTUALLY ended up recording was the transition into american idiot and it fucking ruled

during “know your enemy” billie joe brought an audience member from the pit up onstage and had them sing and it was really cute. shoutout to kierstan i loved watching you jump around onstage <3 oh-way-oh-way

in the middle of letterbomb billie joe paused the song and gave this huge speech about how tonight he wanted to see us all jumping together and dancing together and singing together for us and for each other and for our loved ones and those who are gone and that this wasn’t a party but a celebration and It Made Me Tear Up. letterbomb is one of my favorite songs in american idiot (love me an anthem) and the unity i felt with everyone there as the song resumed was incredible

just. scream-singing lyrics with the rest of the audience in general. extra big love to when the band would play at a slightly faster bpm than the song usually is so we would all sing a little faster too and it was so hype

for most of the show i was next to this blonde girl who clearly was just as passionate about the band as i am. and we never spoke and we didn’t know each other but singing and dancing alongside her was really really fun. my opinion of her was slightly lowered when she pulled out a vape but at least she always blew the cloud somewhere where people Weren’t

during bobby sox (which also made me tear up bc i am a faggot !) someone handed billie joe a pink ribbon bow and he put it in his hair and it was really sweet and queer and i’m so happy i got video of it

sidenote for being like. in their 50s. green day still look really good. billie joe especially. seeing him live made me realize it is not just gender envy i feel for that man he is genuinely just attractive. cannot help my weakness to guyliner and boys who look a little like girls </3 it’s ok tho i needed some middle aged man rep in my “people i find attractive” list. first realized it when he blew kisses to the crowd and my heart skipped i went “wuh oh” to myself

he’s Been doing this for this show but the line “not a part of your redneck agenda” in american idiot was modified to say “maga agenda” which was. satisfying

at some point during dookie this huge blimp-shaped balloon with a sad animal face on the front and the words “BAD YEAR” on its side was carried through the audience by staff and i got some cool videos of it. saw that thing and immediately thought “oh so real”

so many of these songs felt amazing but look ma no brains felt particularly electric to me for some reason

at the start of are we the waiting billie joe jumped down into the pit and i presume mingled with the audience for a bit. it was cool :)

i LOVEDD watching billie jump around and get into character during st. jimmy. he was cheeky and energetic and cute and it was fun

at some point during dookie billie joe was given a mexican flag and he held it up to the camera and wore it like a cape for a bit. viva la méxico

this is standard concert fare but hearing billie joe shout “AUSTIN !!!!” and “TEXAS !!!!” throughout the show and include the location in the lyrics felt really really good. loved cheering with the audience every time it happened

billie joe started singing the “nobody likes you” sequence in a falsetto to mimic the female voice in the recording and slowly faded out to let the audience hit the notes exactly as we sang it with him. it felt like we got to pitch in and help it was cool

for some reason abt halfway through american idiot (album) a solid amount of people in our little chunk of audience just . got up and left. it was really bizarre but also worked out pretty nice for me bc i was able to get better videos and when i had to take sit down breaks i could still actually see the show. which was REALLY nice for homecoming because that song is another of my favs from the album but i was getting Tired and couldn’t stand for the full thing

usually with live music you feel the bass in your head but for some reason i felt it in my chest (as did the friend i was with) especially sitting down. it was a little odd but also made you feel like the music was squeezing your heart which. on brand. i had the song in my veins

the last song billie joe played was time of your life bc. duh. obvious end-of-show choice and i’m sure that’s something they’ve been doing for years and years now. but i pulled my phone out to record it bc it was Sweet and clearly i wasn’t the only one bc billie literally got two lines in before pausing to make fun of all of us for pulling out our phones. we got scolded lmao. i recorded through him chastising us but put the phone away afterwards bc He Was Right. so now i have a recording of billie joe armstrong going “let’s see how many videos we can get on The Youtube” and giggling to himself :]. he laughed through the song too. also later on during the song tre came back onstage with his phone out and got way up in billie’s face with it and made him laugh again. it was very silly and sweet

god the set was so cool. it made me miss doing theatre it was so fucking cool. we had fire and fireworks and lights and fog and

after the show tre pulled out a giant trash can filled with drumsticks (this must have been where his infinite supply of drumsticks was coming from) and threw them into the pit for the audience members. when the trash can was empty he threw the can OVER his drum set and cleared it. i was so afraid he was gonna hit it but he did not

[stressghoul]

Trying to hype myself up to go watch the chapter videos but also I have the actual worst secondhand embarrassment and given what I know about them they’re gonna make me want to crawl in a hole for the next 2-4 business days are they as bad as I fear

okay, so i wont sit here and lie to you, the chapters can hand out some secondhand embarrassment, but they are 100% worth it. i first watched them VERY early into my obsession with ghost, and bc i hadnt yet connected with the characters esp copia, i found it much harder to watch simply bc of the secondhand embarrassment. BUT if you already love copia, imo i think you will enjoy them more. it is a part of copia's character to be an absolute dork and when i rewatch them, i find it charming, not embarrassing. i think tobias made them like this on purpose as well; its all meant to be goofy. im not sure if that helps, but even if they do cause that, they are worth watching simply for the lore/character development (just be weary, watching them in order still shows many holes that they gloss over, for eg nihil becoming a ghost and copia suddenly being papa iv)

[kdramacrybaby]

⭐My kdrama 2023 wrapped⭐

I’ve seen some other blogs doing this and thought it would be a fun tradition to start myself. So here’s my 2023 wrapped of the dramas I’ve watched this year (in order of when I finished watching them):

Big Mouth (★★★★☆) I just remember being so engaged, glued to the screen the entire time because I had a hard time keeping up with everything happening. It keeps you guessing the whole time, and at least I never saw the twists coming. The actors were so good, especially during the darker, more heavy scenes, which can sometimes be hard to really get into. After watching, I recommended this to a friend, and she loved it as well.

Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (★★★★☆) Oh boy, where do I even start. The world building here blew me away, and the drama is absolutely gorgeous. I adore the characters and all their relationships with each other. I do think season one has the better story overall, as season two did some things I didn’t really love, but overall I love this drama.  

W: Two Worlds (★★★★☆) This was recommended to me by a friend, and I had a lot of fun running all my theories by her (I was usually wrong, but hey). It is a bit of a messy drama for multiple reasons, but in the end, I had a lot of fun watching, which is why it ended up with four stars. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be amazing, it just has to be a fun experience.

Soundtrack #1 (★★☆☆☆) Full disclosure – I only watched his because of Park Hyung-sik. The drama is too short, too superficial. It’s okay for what it is, but I was so bored watching this. I guess it has its cute scenes and all, but it doesn’t do anything for me.

Our Blooming Youth (★★★★☆) Yes, I watched this because I wanted a proper Hyung-sik drama, so what? I ended up liking the drama more for the female leads in the end, though, so that was a happy surprise. A murder-mystery with a badass female lead was not something I thought this drama would give me, but I loved it even more for it.

Joseon Attorney: A Morality (★★☆☆☆) I was so excited about this drama only to end up so disappointed in it all. The writing is just… really not good. The characters annoy me so much and everything just feels fake. The setup itself could have made for such an interesting story, but they really did nothing right with it.

While You Were Sleeping (★★★☆☆) Overall a pretty good drama, though I do remember it dragging out at certain points with repeating storylines. A pretty standard rom-com with a cute couple and actors with good chemistry. Nothing that blew me away, but not a bad drama at all, either.

Black Knight (★★★☆☆) A typical dystopian story produced by Netflix. It was good, everything looked amazing, and the actors were so good. I do think it was too short, and therefore felt rushed in some places – especially the last episode that just went absolutely off the rails. Overall, nothing mind-blowing, which is why it ended up with three stars.

The Glory (★★★★☆) This was everything I had hoped it to be, and it certainly lived up to the hype. Definitely a dark, very heavy drama that deals with a lot of serious trauma, and I think they handled it perfectly. It’s unhinged in the best ways, and really takes you for a ride.

Hidden Love (★★★★★) At first, I was really iffy about the age difference, but I think they handled it beautifully and nothing ever felt wrong or gross to me. This is a love story I’m going to be comparing future romance dramas to for a long time. They are such a cute couple, and I just loved everything about this drama.

King the Land (★★★☆☆) Now this drama got a lot of hype when it was airing, and it did start out so good. But in the end, it just fell flat for me. It was pretty to watch, but it felt hollow and without real feeling. They did all the typical rom-com clichés that I usually love, but nothing ever really hit properly. It’s not a bad drama by any means, it just didn’t really resonate with me.

The Uncanny Counter: Counter Punch (★★★★★) I’m always so wary about second seasons of shows I love, because it’s so easy to mess up and can really make or break a show, but they really did everything so right with this season. I cannot think of a single thing I don’t like about this drama. The characters, the found family, the friends – it’s just perfection.

My Lovely Liar (★★☆☆☆) Started out fun and quirky, but it just lost me along the way. It’s such a messy drama, and you never really know what’s going on. There wasn’t ever really any feeling in any of the writing, and it felt like they were just pulling storylines out of a hat at random. I think it could have been a good drama, they just made all the wrong decisions.

Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun (★★★☆☆) Now overall I have given this drama four stars, but for just this season, I can’t give it more than three. It has nothing to do with the change of cast, I just kind of felt like nothing ever really happened in the story? Compared to the first season where we were constantly moving around and learning about the world, this season was such a stand-still. Don’t get me wrong, I love this drama – the world-building is absolutely insane, and I will definitely watch another season if they ever actually make it. I just like the first season better.

Strong Girl Nam-soon (★★★☆☆) Just go watch Strong Woman Do Bong-soon instead. Is this a bad drama? Not at all, it’s cute and all, but did it need to be made? No, I don’t think so. Very generic Kdrama overall, nothing special at all about it.

[donnerpartyofone]

I had a dream that I had gotten heavily into a (fictional) indie rock band with a lot of thoughtful, poignant lyrics about life and relationships and stuff. I was telling people, "I don't usually listen to anything like this, but this is so good, it's my new favorite thing!" In reality I haven't listened to anything like that in years.

I started removing myself from poignant, thoughtful music about life and relationships and stuff during and after my Very Abusive Relationship, which semi-permanently alienated me from most forms of sentimental, romantic media--ESPECIALLY media that romanticizes destructive obsessions and shitty behavior, which is practically all media as you may have immediately realized. That stuff used to be fun before I actually lived through it and realized that it's always about infantile egomania and that I actually hate people who have to hurt others in order to feel like they have the slightest shred of efficacy/value/relevance in their own narrow little lives (which is a surprising number of people btw). The /bad romance/ thing seems so monolithic, like the biggest most desirable thing in the world, until you get right up close with your nose to it and you realize it's made out of particle board and vinyl siding and it has to be that big to cast an obscuring shadow over a whole lot of adult babies (sorry, adult baby community, I actually don't mean you) who are hoping you won't notice how spineless and pathetic they are. Spending a few years with someone who made it his business to scare the shit out of me and try to ruin my life, fairly publicly, had the one-two punch of making me feel like I simply wasn't good enough to be in one of those dark and brooding romances because otherwise why would he try to convince me I was nothing--and conversely, leaving me totally disillusioned about dark and brooding romances because I had been up close and seen how the sausage was made and it's not remotely as exotic and delicious as people try to tell you it is. It's just off-brand baby food, left on the shelf long past its expiry.

Right after that was over another factor pulled me away from poignant, thoughtful music about life and relationships and stuff, which was working in an open-plan office next to the tech guy pool. Us sensitive, artistic nerds in the production department had a pretty high-stress job that required constant focus, and we were pretty much only ever noticed by the overlords if one of us screwed something up; we were constantly being monitored not just for poor performance, but for potential political incorrectness or any little thing that could be construed as an HR problem--and in the meantime, the tech guys were literally screaming misogynistic jokes and racial slurs and throwing shit at each other, sometimes hitting us or our computers, but the executives had this hypnosis telling them that tech guys are Valuable so everything they do is OK forever. One of my main coping mechanisms was to get heavily into metal and harsh noise: anything with a cathartically brutal wall-of-sound quality and no discernible lyrics to speak of, that prevented me from having to hear anyone around me or even think about other people and their emotions. This kind of music became a huge passion for me, so in a way it was a net positive experience.

Nowadays I don't have a lot of time for music, which seems crazy even to me, like I don't want to be one of those sociopaths who say they don't listen to music! I just have to spend a LOT of time watching movies, when I have time for A/V entertainment, and I don't drive or have a commute anymore, so that's pretty limiting. When I do have time for music, it's a weird 7-10 split of trashy hype dance music like Atari Teenage Riot or Rob Zombie (or other things I'm too embarrassed to mention atm) to burn off my anxiety and give me a temporary ego boost that I can feel ashamed of later, and on the other hand, really heady, long ambient or experimental compositions, preferably with no vox. I think I'd like to get more into jazz and classical music and I occasionally go down a youtube rabbit hole that I really enjoy, but not much sticks because it turns into information overload and I get distracted.

Sometimes for whatever neurotic reason I have this allergic reaction to our collective preciousness about Human Drama, like why don't we have anything better to think about? There's some Herzog quote, I won't know how to find it, where he wonders why people always make movies about interpersonal problems, why not the drama of insect life, of cellular activities, of geological metamorphosis? And I really feel that way, often. But for some reason I am now dreaming that I've found some thoughtful, poignant indie rock band with lyrics about life and relationships and stuff that I cannot get enough of and I'm telling the world. I wonder what shifted to make me imagine that.

[tmwcs]

OH HELL THE LAST CHAPTER OF DOUBLE TROUBLE HAS GOT ME DOWN SO BAD LIKE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!!!!! YOURSO GOOD AT WRITING SMUT IT REALLY IS ACTUALLY AMAZING BECUZ I NEVER THOUGHT SMUT WAS RELLY WOULD CARE TO READ UNTIL I STARTED READING YOUR FICS. I M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU WROTE WHEN YOU SAID THAT HEETHAN WAS BASED OFF YOU IS THAT LIKE NORMAL FOR WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR FICS? IM VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR YN'S AND MALES CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT IT?? I'M SUPER INTRIGUED NOW. LUV U!

<3 lol! thank you! i'm glad the last chapter of DT got you feeling some type of way, it was a good chapter. i was pleasantly surprised by how many reblogs it got just over night, which makes me pleased bc i love seeing my work spread out, it gives me hope that many other people will like it and help me create more content. and i love writing smut, it really is fun bc it adds excitement. like writing can sometimes be a drag, but writing smut never gets boring bc there are so many dang ways you can describe and outline the scene, it makes it fun. not to mention i'm sure yall enjoy it ;)

and yes, heethan....actually all my hee-leads are pretty much inspired by myself. like i often think to myself "if i was a dude and in this situation that i'm drafting, how would i react? what would i do?" and that's usually how i end up drafting out the male characters. ofc a bit of inspiration comes from the man himself, the real HS, so certain attributes (aside from his looks and features) but like heethan's ability to dance and do sports, that all is based off the real HS. also the obsession, that's kind of based off the vibe i got from the real HS. to put quite frankly, when i learned who enhypen was and when i first watched their videos and saw their photos, i just got this vibe that the real HS would be the type that would be somewhat obsessed and possessive of his partner. so i just used my gut feeling and expanded that to make the hee-leads as insane yandere lovers. i dont htink the real HS is yandere but i do get this vibe that he would be the type to be somewhat clingy and territorial with his loved one.

i actually love this topic bc i never really got the chance to go into great detail about the hee-leads and how they are created, much less the y/ns. so if you guys want to know more, see below the line for all the details on my y/n and heelead inspirations ;)

for heeleads, they are all based off me in a sense like...their reactions to y/n. all their reactions to y/n is based off my initial reaction i had with a girl that i met at the college i enrolled in, during orientation. now i myself am straight, but i can appreciate beauty when i see it. and the y/n i saw...she was actually in her last year of college at the time and was finishing up...so i assume she was around 23 or 24, so older than me, but she was gorgeous. her hair, her skin, her voice, just...everything. she took my breath away, and it was funny bc i heard about her before seeing her, and i just kind of thought ppl were just hyping her up for no reason but when i saw her i was legit like "whoooooooa." so my reaction was used as inspiration for the heeleads in that aspect, especially heethan. everything else as far as their character is a mixture of "what would i do?" and the vibe i got from real HS, not to mention, adding the yandere influence and traits that are somewhat common in the yandere community. that's the biggest challenge, is to outline their traits as insanely obsessive, possessive, sadistically loving lovers. like i want them to be insanely in love with you guys to the point where the selfishness is wrong but its like....sexy at the same time. bc of how much they want and need you.

now for the y/ns....you know it's so hard to leave the y/n's less descriptive bc i so badly want to describe each one of them in great detail but in order to do that, i'd have to know the attributes of all my readers bc my y/n's really are based off of you all. like i do know its' common for most writers to insert their own image, personality, or their own traits as the y/n, which i find that to be a big no-no as a writer. i feel like if you insert yourself as the main lead when creating, it kind of takes away from the readers in allowing them to fit into the story. so when it comes to the y/ns and who inspires me, it became way easier to imagine a y/n once i got to know my readers and some of them even have PM'd me selfies (just to show love) and it kind of motivates me to draft the chapters and outline y/n's. most of the time, i leave y/ns just a blank face and with somewhat a dull personality bc i dont want to get too narrow with her. i want you all to fit the y/ns. that's the hardest part of drafting the stories tbh. i think the only times i've kind of maybe inserted myself with the y/ns is like....their reactions, like "what would i do if i was her in this situation." so like for instance, when y/n in HHP got kidnapped, I thought to myself "how would i feel? what would i do? would i cry? would i go into shock?" just to try and bring some life in her emotions and personality.

I will say the only y/n that i might of inserted myself a little bit more, as far as sense of style, would be the MT y/n. just the style, like her accessories and attire. so that y/n probably reflected me the most just because when i outlined her outfits, they literally were outfits that i do have or maybe my mom has that i really want to wear....but she wont let me lol. my mom is a fashionista. also heethan's y/n, the bond she has with her dad was influenced by the bond i have with my dad, i placed that in there bc i wanted to include heartfelt moments of y/n with her family, but i also wanted to do the same towards her mother, which is why in DT, the y/n has that similar bond with her mom, so that way i can try to expand the fitting concept to all readers, bc some of you all may be closer to your mom or your dad. i was fortunate to have a tight knit bond with both of mine.

each series has a y/n that will be different from the next so that it can appeal to the wide variety of readers i have. as far as her appearances, i just always have a blank face, although the one thing that is consistent, is that for some reason, my mind always imagines the y/n's (all of them) with longer hair....which is weird bc i personally think that real HS would actually prefer shorter hair (like shoulder length or mid chest length) but for some reason my y/n's always pop up with like really long hair and i have no idea why. probably bc i can imagine the heeleads playing and running their fingers through their hair. that might have been inspired by my cousin, she has super long hair..like mermaid long. its down to her lower waist and its beautiful. I would always watch her swinging it over the arm of a couch and my family members playing with it, so that's probably why i always imagine the y/ns with longer hair. lol.

as far as her personality, again, its dull bc all my readers have different personalities, so i want them to dictate the y/n based off their own traits. to a degree, i will add some personality traits to them. so like heethan's y/n is a gentle, carefree, kind, very submissive and nurturing (good girl next door) type. while MT y/n is immortal, and she's older and her personality type is very witty, smart, a bit standoffish bc of her secret, but caring and just kind of a loner type. she has lots of trust issues bc of her secret lineage.

Heelel's y/n is one that has lots of prospects in life, follows her own gut instinct, and is just one of those that strays from the herd type, as evident in the series. she is confused by the entire events of the cult while she watches her friends and family joining it, but doesn't become influenced to join, which is why she never became a part of the cult. heelel's y/n is just one of those "i'm going to do me" types.

Heebros y/n is kind of like a career gal, she is driven and has lots of potential to be a very successful person, not to mention she's got kind of a slight bit of boldness and attitude to her persona, as seen when she introduced kurt to the parents and the brothers at the wedding.

Heeler's y/n, as you can see so far, is a very calm, no drama type. She's very kind and is the sympathetic type, and will do anything to help others. she's a very nice and quiet type of girl. in fact, all the y/n's are pretty much the quiet types lol.

[nono-bunny]

Thoughts from watching the ATLA live action!

Took a bit of a break because writing these while watching takes a lot of time, actually, but! I'm back on my bullshit again, let's go!

Episode 3:

Jet? Is this Jet? Truly wish I could tell, it would be nice if I could fucking SEE ANYTHING!!!

Oh I do think it's just some rando rebels, but looks who's with them, oh my god! Dang dang diggity dand-dang, it's the best villain of the show! Me recognizing her so fast is 100% a matter of me being really impressed with the way she looked in all the official stills and being really hyped to get more of her because of how much I love Azula rather than it being obvious btw, I kinda tried not to watch any pre-release stuff to not get biased in either direction when it came to the actors, like mostly I just read a couple of interviews whenever they popped up for me, so. Genuinely this is gonna be probably one of the only times I'll recognize a character based on face alone when they first appear without their classic outfit (which? Idk how much of that is gonna happen anyway lol), I just!!! Really liked the casting for Azula purely based on the visuals (as I know literally none of the actors in this show, I just know Ozai voiced General Fong and obviously the OG Cabbage Merchant is reprising his role), like I know a lot of people wanted her to still look like a vicious femme fatale or whatever, and like, I get it, OG Azula is hot, we ALL had a crush on her as kids, but. It's vitally important to remember she's a kid, and more than anyone her casting should reflect that given how often I see people say "we should just let villains be villains" when it comes to her. She's a villain, alright, but she's a tragic one, and the entire reason why there are so many Azula "apologists" (like myself) rather than Ozai ones is precisely because of her age and circumstances. So like? Going into this show knowing that one of their prime directives with Azula is to make sure that aspect of her character is abundantly clear was genuinely a real comfort on a personal level. I'm looking forward to seeing her be cruel, but I'm also looking forward to her not being treated as "irredeemably bad to the bone". Anyway! Azula!!!

Oh shit this is a fire nation civilian coup??? Genuinely was sure this was how they skip ahead a bit and reveal that as soon as Ozai heard about Aang he sent out Azula to Omashu for some reason, but her being a domestic spy for him is actually so cool. Tbh I always kinda wondered what she was up to before being sent out, like? Was she still in school? Obviously Mai and Ty Lee weren't, was she there alone? So this is a cool way to show her finding ways to be active even before being given her first big task abroad! Btw, as much as a part of me loves Spymaster Mai, if I'm being honest that job was absolutely made for Azula ngl, she's killing it!! Can't wait for fics showing her reprise that role in Zuko's council after the war lmao (I already read some with a similar vibe and they're always enjoyable, but now Spy Azula is back and I want more!!)

Fire Palace secret entrances canon?!

I don't actually have too many comments on the whole failed infiltration scene, I mostly just think that aside from being very enjoyable, it was also a masterful way to introduce and estabilsh characterization for everyone involved! I do really like showing that there's a rebel presence in the Fire Nation, and how quickly its plans gets snuffed out. It has probably existed ever since the war started, and Aang has only reignited their efforts. There's something I find really interesting here about how Iroh and the rest of the Order of the White Lotus, who seemingly do nothing for so long, are ultimately the ones to succeed- like, is it about patience? Unity among the nations? Strategic placement of the rebellion leaders and their importance? Ultimately, a bunch of old noble men organizing a worldwide network working with The Chosen One were the ones to succeed in their rebellion attempt rather than the many disillusioned (probably) poor citizens that came before them, and like? I get WHY, but. It's genuinely very depressing how realistic that whole thing is. Idek how coincidental it is, me immediately thinking of The Order here when this is an episode that introduces one of the most prominent people in its ranks, because like? That one interview that's about the LA showrunner "being relieved he didn't have to adress Katara's romance" or whatever was actually about a whole lot more, and one of the things they talk about there is explicitly how the way they built up the episodes was by looking at the original and grouping up stories with similar themes- specifically how both Jet and The Mechanic ultimately do terrible stuff because of the war (he put it much more aptly in a way that really made sense but I can't remember the exact phrasing atm) and like? Another theme there is also rebellion vs compliance- so it makes perfect sense to me that this episode also shows the domestic side of that, y'know?

Yo fr Azula's actress is fantastic here??? I just KNOW people are gonna hate how she's more nuanced here, but personally, I loved how it seems she's a bit conflicted when Ozai kills people she knew, yet ultimately lets the sadistic glee and the "I defended my family and my country today" side win out, ending with a smile. It's good! It's compelling! It's... Very different from the way the original show was very subtle about showing how Azula was also suffering right up until the very end- it was still there, of course! She isn't having a good time in the flashbacks to their childhood! It's shown through Zuko's pov though, which inherently makes her seem better off than she actually appears to be, and like. On the whole Bryke really threw Azula under the bus A LOT, even when it doesn't match what we're shown of her, and because her suffering and struggles were less visibly obvious ig it was easy for them to forget/ignore how she was hurt by her situation too. A lot of Zuko's arc comes at the expense of stopping to think of Azula as a human, forgetting that she's also still just a child, and? I like that the LA refuses to ignore that. Her play here was how easily she convinced others the war tore up her family, and you're forced to remember- it did. She's off the mark with who she believes was at fault here and who was wronged, but ultimately... She genuinely has lost so much here, including her childhood and innocence- she was left alone with only bad influences, and when THIS is the kind of thing her father has her do and witness on the daily? Of course she turns out the way she does!!! And given how much people tend to miss that Azula was both a villain and a victim, yeah, I'm fucking glad they're highlighting the victim part!

Okay I officially don't like how Aang teaches Katara bending philosophy. It's weird, it feels off, and while I do like that he seems to be in tune with the whole "the four elements aren't really separate" thing with the way he approaches explaining air bending philosophy to a struggling waterbender... I do kinda feel like it would've hit harder if he had done it while nailing this form like in the show- him just getting it because he's the Avatar and has past life experience feels hollow, but him getting it because he gets the philosophy would actually feel earned, and I wish that happened. I know he doesn't really touch waterbending this season, and like, I know they gave him a reason (an emotionally charge one that makes sense), but. This is a scene that really called for him to try, and he... Doesn't. I wish he did. It makes them seem so much more distant from each other, and next season he's obviously gonna have to get over this and start learning with Toph, so what gives? Is the plan to have him start learning both at the same time and remove Katara's experience as his teacher from the equation in Bitter Work, only show what works best when both attempt to start teaching him at the same time using different styles of teaching? I don't get it. This just really feels too Katara focused in a way that feels a bit jarring because they still inserted Aang into the scene when really... He just takes out a lot of the emotional weight this scene could've had without him interfering- it just feels like a weird time for an expositional trauma flashback. I don't get what this scene was about! I'm guessing Katara is gonna nail the waterwhip later in combat like in the original, but it was just kind of a weird mish-mash of three plotpoints (Aang's refusal to learn without Gyatso, Katara's trauma, and Katara struggling with her waterbending) in a way that didn't really work for any of them? Aang was cute, but. He really felt out of place in this scene- it's literally one taken from the original, but when they take out the reason he was there and instead turn it into a "oooo isn't Katara so tortured by her past" it just kinda... Feels obtrusive to an otherwise cool scene of Katara practicing

Okay so. This scene bothered me so much that I thought I had to take another look at it through a different lens than "this is a weird change from the original" because that's not a charitable thing to do and kind of the opposite of what I'm attempting to do when watching this show, so I rewatched it through the lens that usually DOES make me like this show- what were they trying to say here, what did this change mean? Initially what really bothered me and caught my focus here was Aang's presence and effect being so different than the original, so I tried ignoring how weird it was that he was still in the scene, and just... Focused on what he added to it- which is when I was finally able to get it, I think. So! I think this is actually the show's depiction of Katara's anger, believe it or not! When she attempted to focus on her emotions, she instead kinda defaulted to her memories- of her fear, and helplessness... And anger- which is when she "explodes" her water. Rather than channeling her emotions, she let them control her, and was thus immediately thrown out of balance. This actually kinda checks out with the original show? A more technically skilled or disciplined Katara is actually usually INSANELY powerful, as she channels her emotions to get the water to do what she wants... But the show literally starts with an emotional Katara who has no real skill or control over her powers accidentally doing some really powerful uncontrolled bending. Like? Going by that logic, I can kind of imagine that what makes a master bender is control- that sort of explosion isn't really something that happens to Katara after the NWT, same with season 1 vs season 3 Zuko for the most part actually! And given how Aang, a master, mentioned that his training mostly covered control... I think that's maybe what they're getting at here? Idk, but this also being the Jet episode, aka an emotional one for Katara, really makes me think that this scene was meant to be its own thing with its own message, but just... Had the unfortunate luck of looking A LOT like the scene for The Waterbending Scroll. Anyway I spent genuinely way too long thinking about it so! Moving on!

Cute Sokka and Momo moment!! Followed by primo Water Tribe sibling moment!!

Zuko and Zhao actively working side by side is an incredibly intersection dynamic, I really like it!! Also poor Zuko desperately trying to hold on to the way he thinks he should act...

Why does Jet get to have his instincts while poor Sokka is reportedly removed from this arc?? Yeah so I'm going into this episode very skeptical given how much I like Jet as a Sokka episode but. I'll try to not be too biased, after all it makes sense that he'd be busy with the Mechanic! Still a shame, hope it's been exaggerated a bit.

Oh my god this is still a really fun group dynamic with Jet ngl

Cabbage Merchant!!!

Omg Teo is so cute! And The Mechanist blowing shit up inside a city rather than just in his own place is actually so funny, imagine all the bureaucratic nonsense he must constantly elicit! He must be such a pain to deal with lmao

What?! The Mechanist gets a name?! I'm shook!! Not really lmao, fr he needed one, it's genuinely such a relief. Sai The Mechanist!!

Oh wait this wasn't Sai's fault? I legit thought he just exploded an experiment or something so I wasn't worried, this gives the scene a much more sinister vibe because it's either Jet or legit somehow firebenders!

Yesss go off Teo, fantasize about dropping bombs on your enemies! Lmao that was both a horrifying and hilarious scene somehow

Katara being just... Completely indifferent to the aftereffects of the bombing felt incredibly off. Aang's attitude, while admirable, is strange given that like? Truly, how does he think he can help here? This is... A lot for an Aang that only knows airbending, a Katara that doesn't yet know how to heal, and a Sokka that has yet to show any aptitude for invention. This episode feels like it should've happened just a tad later, or alternatively, have been just a bit lighter and/or right outside of Omashu. It'll probably still work, but. Again, this is... A lot, really fast, and the characters don't feel like they're quite ready for it yet- I hope to be proven wrong, of course, I inevitably will be! But... Idk, again, this is just. A LOT.

So... Ty Lee never runs off to the circus here, or will that happen between seasons 1 and 2? What about Mai? Will she leave with her family to Omashu/New Ozai in season 2? Genuinely interested how they'll handle the change of circumstances here. I like how these two keep their personalities, and I like the fear mixed with loyalty we can see from them already, but... This is a pretty big change that strips them from a lot of the characterization inherent in the circumstances of their first appearance in the original show, so I hope they manage to make up for it and maybe expend on these two a bit more, as they truly deserve it. They too look really young, which is a good thing and works well with Azula!

Speaking of Azula, once again, I adore her characterization here! Bitter, self assured, effortlessly cruel... A villain, but one that I'm sad to see in that position. She's "softer", or maybe I should say she doesn't have quite the same amount of edge, and... I like that about her, because I feel like she's going to earn it throughout.

Damn, Teo is like. REAL angry here as opposed to the mostly naive and peaceful version we see in the original. I don't... know that I like this episode and what it's doing with everything going on too much so far tbh, actually, a lot of it feels barely recognizable, which isn't a crime, it's just... This episode introduces so many things that I don't know that it manages to do ant singular one justice?

Why is Katara the one first finding out about Sai, and why is she not referring to him by name? This all feels so disjointed istg!! This should be a Sokka and Aang focused episode, so why is Katara so prevalent here? The way they shuffle the roles here makes no sense!!

This is... Not the point of Jet? What are they doing here with him? Why is he sparing a traitor? Since when did Jet discriminate between enemies? Or are they going for a "only firenation people are his enemies" kinda thing? Also, where are the freedom fighters? So much about this bothers me, and I get it, I get that they had to merge plots, but. This creates completely different vibes for everything and everyone in a way that wasn't really an issue with the first two episodes. This merger is really doing a disservice to everything, it's just... Depressing and disjointed, and everyone feels ooc for both the original and what was established so far. This is an episode so filled with characters I cannot imagine any new viewes being able to keep up or care, and frankly, I can't either.

Okay the rest of the freedom fighters are here and I am healed. Still kinda pissed about how strangely righteous Jet is rn and how the whole Air Nomad conservation conversation is just. Not gonna happen but. It's cool to see the little guys!

Cool fight scene overall but. God I really wish Aang and Sokka were there, this feels so disjointed for a third episode!! Why are they all separated right now, it hurts the show so much!!! Even if they're all off getting the parts of these episodes that were most relevant to them, the others had a place there too, and. Genuinely hurts that Sokka is just. Cut out of the Jet arc

In other news I hope to god Sokka is being an unreliable narrator, because Hakoda does actually have an interest in engineering (bombs, at the very least lol), but I guess maybe Sokka hasn't really seen that, huh? Hoping this is a set up for Sokka coming into his own and developing real confidence, rather than just rewriting Hakoda and Sokka's relationship. Like, that Sokka doesn't think Hakoda cares about this stuff because he never tried to talk about it with him, and that they'll later bond over it or something.

Sure would've been nice to get detective Sokka in this episode!!!! God I genuinely do think that after the setup for the episode, all of the scenes work nice, but I just. This episode really, really suffers from the separation of the trio, and even though they do a good job at making the different plots work together... This could've been a great episode but it's just. Too much stuff going on, there are like five fucking plots and characters we're following and while they both mesh well and work individually, it's also just that... Theoretically it works, practically it's really difficult to follow, especially as a fan of the original that's already a bit confused by where they're going with all these changes.

Genuinely so weird for them to make Katara's memories of her mother about the sun, aka, the firebender's source of power. Like?? How am I NOT meant to think about Zuko rn??? This scene was so needlessly Zutara coded istg, it's bizarre!! It was a good scene and in line with what I thought they were going for which gives me a lot of hope in terms of Katara's characterization!! Still wish Sokka and Aang were there though.

The Zuko and Azula parallels in this episode!!!!

I don't like that they made Jee actively go against Zuko, ngl.

Good fight between Sokka and Katara!! Once again Sokka is the one who brings out the usually hidden facets of Katara, I genuinely love the way this show portrays their bond!! As much as I like and miss the Sokka we see in Jet that never appears here given how he... Never meets Jet, I do really like the way this became a three way perspective battle with no one really being wrong. Everyone has reason to believe what they do, and this doesn't make Katara look like just a lovesick fool or Sokka like a jealous asshole (which I don't really seem them as but. I've seen people who do)- the original lessons they learn in Jet are kinda... Removed unfortunately but this does make everyone generally look better as a result lmao. I'm not happy about what this episode did, generally speaking, but. This is a good way to reunite everyone imo, it's fun!

I. Didn't realize The Scarf Scene was in the Jet episode?! Holy shit the implications... Zuko trying to hold on to Katara as she's seeking Jet,,, What the fuck were they on about here unless it was some Zutara high??? What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?????? I am. Not okay. Genuinely why was this here, why does this exist at all, this is so weird!!! I get it now, y'all, I get it.

Holy shit this whole action sequence is fantastic!!! This episode REALLY struggled to set things up in a believable and natural feeling way but I'm glad it stuck the landing in terms of the resolutions!

In other news, yeah, so that dramatic "My Cabbages!!" scene is not gonna make sense AT ALL to anyone who hasn't seen the animated show, huh?

Holy shit Iroh sacrificing himself for Zuko like that is!!! Incredible. He's gonna get out scot free even if caught because of Bumi, so like... There's that, but! Still Incredible. My poor boy was SO confused by it too, Iroh is likely just gonna go have some tea with Bumi for a bit lmao

This was a good way for Aang to get captured though!! I'm guessing Sokka and Katara are also implicated with a plot against Bumi? Honestly it'd be... Incredibly strange if we don't see the characters from this episode in the next one but I'm kinda getting the feeling we won't given that it's the Bumi one? But neither plot has really reached any sense of closure, so... Hoping they do next episode? Idk, all around just. Really strange to have all of this happen in Omashu but. Whatever lol, this episode mostly redeemed itself at the end haha

[hertwood]

dts s5 e1-2

e1: -oh my god i was so hyped for this ep yet completely forgot it starts with mattia and gunther's lunch date LMAO -'we like to think of this a documentary' 'its not a documentary' see if yall just LISTEN to toto you could be having some fun here -red mercedes rollhoop was so UGLY at least it looks better against the black now but i cant stop thinkin abt it when i see the car -also seb looks so fluffy. miss him need him etc etc -if max doesnt interview for next season i'll be So Upset i love him sm -LOVE the kevin return he deserves it SO MUCh -damn they rly set ferrari up here. starting with the highs so the lows hit correctly later. damn -LOVE every alex cameo hi baby :) -LISTEN. the first race i ever watched in full was bahrain 2022. i knew max won the championship, but i didnt know any of the details of the races, and i think this was such a GREAT start for me. the max&charles backnforth, the last minute max dnf, checo dnf in final lap had me GAGGED i'm so glad dts gave it justice. this race has such a special place in my heart -also red bulls don't have mechanical dnfs like they used to!!!! bring this back!!!!

e2: -unfortunately dts does charm u to like toto. he is charming. i am charmed. sorry -pre-fluffy hair george is a jumpscare honestly -lewis wont have to remember the full mercedes team name next year :/ -seeing old pre season testing is making me INSANE its so close i need it NOW -i forgot how widespread the porpoising problem was at the start. i know mercedes struggled the longest but it really seems like a legitimate oversight regulations wise if it happened to EVERYONE -'you cant overstate how much trouble mercedes are in' cut to them in THIRD in the rankings god even when they're flopping theyre on top thats how iconic they are~ -HI SAM COLLINS -the way they just let the bouncing cockpitcams play in silence is so effective. makes me wince. poor bb. -unrelated but i cannot even look at baku turn one without thinking abt the f2 pileup there last year. like 6 dnfs at once insane. anyway -HI ROSS BRAWN -this whole team principal meeting is so goofy and staged as fuck. parent teacher association core -silverstone is simply a banger of a track sorry. not overrated, perfectly rated actually -if dts is good for anything its good for these slow motion shots. the way the roll hoop just disintigrated is insane -so i've noted in previous season they've done a good job of setting up background info before big moments. i think they really dropped the ball here and should've introduced guanyu before the crash. not a big amount, just a lil bit would've done WONDERS -i will say, in the grosjean episode there was this talk abt how he wanted to walk to the ambulance to show he was ok. from a medical perspective that is such a bad fucking idea. it looks scary but i'm glad zhou and the medical team got him outta there on a brace like that. turned out not to be necessary but rly could've been -I LOVE U FORMULA 1 MEDICAL TEAMS BTW -i know merc are bitching but i do think back to grid starter order was the right call. sorry lewis ily -every time i get worried abt ferrari's history with pit fuckups for lewis i need to remind myself that mercedes is just as bad lmao -"i think lewis will win" i dont EVER wanna see anyone saying britcedes dont love eachother britcedes antis dni unfollow me i hate you -THROUGH GOES HAMILTON UNBELIEVABLE STUFF -the lil trick they pull.....the ~ferrari~ wins the british grand prix...... so they can rehash this all again from a carlos v charles angle next episode...... i see u

[guessknee]

about me !

aka me nerding out about things i like

Video Games !

the aesthetics, soundtracks, art, landscapes, everything about video games i love. i love playing jrpgs, visual novels and rhythm games. i love watching streams of all types of games though!

currently into watching apex legends, league of legends, valorant, csgo (on occasion), breath of the wild, and some older jrpgs.

i have a goal of beating one major game a month! i love playing games but i often buy too many at once and then play one while forgetting about the others. i dont know if anyone else has that problem so i made a system (gonna get really nerdy for a second) where i track video game releases im interested in for each of my consoles and i pick one game from each month to play and hopefully beat and one game to buy a collectors edition for (if available).

recently completed games

dec-feb

god of war ragnarok

crisis core reunion

one piece odyssey (almost complete 80% of the way done)

games im excited to play soon

the persona ports (jan release)

fire emblem engage (jan release)

octopath traveler 2 (feb release) - collectors edition preorder!

theatrhythm final bar (feb release)

kirbys return to dreamland (feb release)

story of seasons (jan release)

mobile games im playing

twisted wonderland

ensemble stars

genshin impact (on and off)

consoles i own (i have a weird thing with clue consoles and handhelds - i never realized i always bought blue ones till a about a year ago maybe its because i loved sonic as a kid...)

ps5

ps4

ps2

switch (animal crossing)

psp (light blue)

ps vita (light blue/white)

wii (i never use it)

ds

2ds (blue)

dsi (light blue)

Anime / Manga !

i love anime and manga. ive grown up with it ever since i was around 5. i would stay up on saturday nights till 7 am when inuyasha would start playing on adult swim. if i was ever too tired i would record the episode on our dvr and would watch it after getting home from kindergarten. crazy age to watch inuyasha but i always found it so cool.

also grew up on naruto. i am such a naruto nerd i have rewatched the og and shippuden so many times i can tell people which episode events happened, i can sing the openings in order, i can name most characters, etc. the naruto brainrot is bad. same thing with bleach and dragonball z. the new bleach has me so hyped i loved watching every episode made me want to rewatch the main series but i have no time so i just watch small clips here and there.

i love just about every genre of anime tbh. sports animes (baki, hajime no ippo, kengan asura, one outs, eyeshield 21, etc). idol animes (idolish 7, tsukiuta, tsukipro, etc). shounen, mystery, shoujo, literally everything. i have to be in a certain mood to watch mech animes but whenever one comes out that catches my eye i put all my energy into watching it. i think the only genre i dont enjoy much is isekai, i used to like them but new ones come out too often i cant keep up.

currently watching

one piece (caught up)

blue lock

buddy daddies

monster

vinland saga s2

trigun stampede

yowapeda limit break

tokyo revengers s2

Cars !

my day to day guilty pleasure is cars. i love cars. they are cool, go fast, go stutututu, whine, be loud, have cool lights, i love everything about a good car.

i have a brz! bought it myself and it is my pride adn joy. it is one of my favorite cars and when i bought it in november i literally cried. I drive manual and its so fun to me! i want to learn how to drift but im a bit nervous because i dont want to accidentally mess up anything in my car.

Reading !

i love books i love reading. i love fiction, sci-fi, philosophy, nonfiction, fanfiction, everything. I was never into books like harry potter and anything with too many magical elements in them but always loved horror and more mystery thriller books.

i have been dying to buy more physical books to add to my mini library in my room but theres a few books on my backlog i need to complete before i do that.

i also have a slowly growing manga collection that i desperately need to add to.

i read all day all night on my phone but the feeling of flipping real pages is so satisfying and having the weight of a book in my bag is just so nice.

Music !

not to toot my own horn but my spotify wrapped minutes is always 140k+. i listen to music all day everyday. while doing homework, reading, driving, working, in class (pay attention dont be like me), watching stuff it doesnt matter. i have a terrible habit of getting bored of something very easily so i always multitask and need 20 things happening at the same time so music is amazing at keeping me focused.

i love 'underground archive', rnb, krnb, jpop, citypop, lofi, rap, edm, literally a whole lot of stuff. i dont like pop that much ive grown to realize same with country, i can listen to it but only if someone else wants to.

thats it! literally my whole being in a post.

[draculaney]

A (not so) brief history of Twilight & me

I was only vaguely aware of it in middle school as it came out, I remember seeing multiple copies floating around in the hands of girls I didn’t really hang out with. High school me hated it on principle and was loud about it. I didn’t like that they had deviated so much from what vampires have “always been”. (like I was some expert lmfao) Vamps to me at that time were gothic or super badass. Buffy, Queen of the Damned, Blade, etc. On the flip side, there was the cartoony vampire like The Count on Sesame Street, Count Chocula, or the Disney movie “Mom’s Got a Date with A Vampire”

I had a group of friends in high school lovingly chide me into reading it before passing judgment. I liked supernatural books already, so I was like “uuuugh fine.” I loved it, and quietly hopped right onto the hype train in about 2009.  I remember getting swept up in the thought of it all and wanted my life to have a lot of the adventure and overwhelming emotional love that Bella experienced while also feeling the drudgery of my normal life. I remember having a desire to leave all of what my life was for something better for the Twi version of vampirism (superhuman abilities, impervious skin, venom based plastic surgery, etc). it was a way to feel like I was a person who could experience the same things as Bella, since she was pretty boring and I was very interesting (lmao)

Enter my tumblr phase: Getting introduced to feminism and learning how to critique media in the same breath, I found a hoard of blogs dedicated to telling my why Twilight was bad actually, but for abuse reasons, and how it was such a bad influence on young girls lives. I had a new reason to beat my chest about how bad twilight was, memes and vitriol included. I ran with it, unchecked for many years without examining the weird undercurrent of misogyny that a lot of these memes and stuff had attached to them. Have you ever had to listen to a grown man tell you what he thinks about something that’s popular for teenagers? Why was I putting so much stock into this hatred? I also went through a VERY intense Buffy the Vampire Slayer phase at this point in my life as well, which on the internet were always put at odds with one another. (side note: I'm gonna k*ll Joss Whedon for the buffy movie version having menstrual cramps when vamps are near. I'm gonna commit a moider.)

One night in like 2017ish, I talked my roommate into watching the first movie with me, as we had a time honored tradition in putting on “bad movie” nights. We both found that while Twilight sucks, its actually like….fun? And it’s bad in a campy way? Like, once you let yourself be taken on the ride of Twilight outside of the context of the Discourse and teenage hormonal soup, it is a buckwild story told by a well meaning but misguided Mormon woman about wish fulfillment.

I'm also someone who has lived with mental illness for my post-adolescent life. on a rewatch/reread of twilight, I resonated with the depiction of Bella more than I used to. The more knowledge I had about my own symptoms and presentations of my own mental health, the more I saw in Bella. It feels like a lot of it was so easy to brush off back in the late 2000s  -oh she's just an emotional teenage girl. -oh she's boring and not proactive in her life. -she had no thoughts and gets everything solved for her. it is so easy to introject those ideas and apply them to my own life and experiences. I have also been so heartbroken I don't want to move. I have also acted out in order to feel the smallest inkling of a happy feeling. I have also been terrified of abandonment and watched it come true before my very eyes.

Learning how to have empathy for the character of Bella swan was an exercise in learning how to have empathy for the parts of myself that exist in a messy and perpetual teenage state. When I hated Bella swan, I denied a huge  part of myself that resonated with her originally when I was a fan. When the stories on tumblr were smugly reblogging the "Edward is a domestic abuser" posts, it felt so easy to fall into the headspace of "yeah, I am so different from Bella that I would never fall for that kind of emotional manipulation!!" but I did, as do so many others.

There is never a twilight meme page that exists today that doesn't have a post that depicts Bella as useless or a burden; how she is the reason everyone in the series suffers. Bella is blamed for the brunt of the actions that happen against her. She's blamed for being too sweet smelling, for being the cause of Edward's obsession. She's blamed for not falling in love with Jacob, eternally friendzoned and who takes it out on her emotionally. She is blamed for not reacting properly when her heart is broken. She is blamed for the Cullens killing James, which begins Victoria's hunt. She is blamed for the hybrid baby which brings on a possible vampire war with the Volturi. She internalizes all of it, as we see in the series.

The part of me that started to care about Bella is the part of me that started to take interest in looking back in my past and realizing that when people hurt me, it wasn't my fault. Pop psychology calls it "healing the inner child" and one huge step is realizing that when you are hurt or blamed about something that happened as a child, you were a child. Bella is a teenager, the awkward stage between childhood and adulthood. where you want to grow up so fast without realizing what that means yet, without realizing what you're leaving behind. Bella is shown to never have a healthy childhood, the hints we get at her upbringing was full of strife and responsibility that any adolescent should never be put through.

So here we are now. A 30 year old who can’t seem to get this out of my head. I might as well write about it in graphic detail, yknow?

[zaptrap]

like, as far as ninjago goes, none of the flaws were really that new i guess? like

undoing stuff from past seasons: they retcon stuff like every season, but it still sucks that they immediately undid seabound. there was probably a better way to bring nya back, but id have to think on it more. maybe something where water-dragon nya is fighting the vengestone army, but then starts losing her powers, and the others are like WAIT GUYS MAYBE WE CAN GET NYA BACK THIS WAY or smth, idk. Oh, i will say though- seabound was honestly the first time i actually bought jaya as a couple who like.....actually like each other and it was nice seeing them being cute in this season too lmao.

the Big Bad being defeated too easily: this one's actually really funny cuz the overlord has been defeated very simply like...3 times now lmfao. season 2, he ate lloyds golden dragon and then exploded. season 3, while tonally great, was basically just zane shooting a ton of ice at the overlord and then exploding. i think they could've amped up the hype for the overlord "dying" a third time, but the exact method in which he was defeated (getting frozen and killed by golden energy) is 3-for-3 lmfao.

quick aside, but why would oni power have been the key to defeating the overlord? if the overlord is the embodiment of evil and oni embody destruction. to me, dragon/golden power made more sense. still enjoyed oni lloyd tho, hope we get to see more in the future. like maybe dragon power becomes too much and he needs to use oni to return balance or smth

forced romance: has been around since the pilots lmfao.... while i normally hate this shit, it didn't feel too egregious this season? (besides that kailor scene lmfao that was kinda cringe). early season jaya was like, painful to watch lmfao it was like "nya is girl.... SHE MUST BE WITH JAY!!!! even though they never get along and haven't shown any reason to like each other besides jay liking gorl!!!!! THEY'RE IN LOVE GUYS!!!!!!" and i did catch a whiff of that with harumi and lloyd, but they didn't like, actually do anything explicitly romantic????? weird redemption arc thing but i like harumi and llorumi so smth smth bias lmao. i REEEEAAALLY WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER DURING THE MERGE MAN

weird power nonsense: yeah idk what was going on here LOL. i need someone to explain to me how powers work in this series cuz they change it every season lmfao

poor writing/pacing: *gestures to skybound rewrite fics*

Other thoughts:

i actually liked lloyd this season LOL he's very.... stale bread normally so seeing him ACTUALLY BE ANGRY FOR ONCE was nice. HE HAS A LOT TO BE MAD ABOUT ITS NOT LIKE HE DECIDED TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE he just has to deal with everything!!! i know people and characters deal with stress in their own ways, and not everyone deals with it via anger, but like. angry is fun. angry makes ppl fight other ppl and ppl fighting makes serp very happy hehehehe

EVERYTHING. WAS PURPLE. AND PURPLE IS MY FAV COLOR so i literally have aesthetic bias towards this season EVERYTHING WAS EYECANDY LMFAO

In terms of rewatchability, I could see myself rewatching at least parts from this season. There were a lot of moments I liked, and a some that I loved. Unliked..... a certain other season.......... lmao........

i'm not sure where this ranks of my "fav season" list. maybe upper middle? id need to make a list but in order to make a proper list, id need to rewatch skybound...and hands of time..........idk man.........................idk.......................................

yeah idk i had a good time watching this lmao. and now i get to rewatch DR! wyldfyre my daughter im on my way

LMAO i actually rlly enjoyed crystallized. it obviously has flaws but i mean, so does every season

[sebastianjameswrites]

Nuri spiced sardines in olive oil

“Seriously, are you still watching that?!”, my partner, Haley, asks. “It's been 3 hours and you're still watching canned sardine reviews?!”

“Tin reviews”, I replied,

Pre-Covid, tinned sardines were definitely not an exciting lunch idea to me. In 2018, I thoroughly enjoyed plump, charcoal grilled sardines on the southern coast of Spain, but frankly, chomping down on a dozen shiny, little, cold, oily fish was never an appetising idea. We had plenty of fresh seafood growing up in New Zealand that, I guess tinned fish wasn't something we ate much of at all. We had tinned tuna, but that really is about it. I didn't have my first tuna melt until Haley made me one on one of our early dates. A simple combination which I was weary about at first, quickly became a staple. 

Nowadays, as I spend plenty of time online, and some time outside in the real world, it's becoming clearer that more people are grasping the great idea of cheap and easy omega-3 fatty acids -- sardines! There are “Tin of the month” clubs, YouTube channels, TikTok accounts and Discord groups which all revolve directly around the ever growing tinned fish cult (or is it a fad? , maybe a chat for another day). Today, sardines and other tins of preserved seafood are something I keep an eye out for in every little market I walk by. I went to a few Asian supermarkets last week and found plenty of options. Sometimes hidden gems, entire walls of tinned seafood ( 1kg tins of fried dace??, maybe next time, thanks )). 

After an unsuccessful hunt for this particular brand around my current home of Vancouver BC, I turned to Dan at Rainbow Tomato Garden. The largest selection of tinned seafood IN THE WORLD should have what I need. A few days of adding tins, removing tins, reading reviews and calculating funds, I eagerly placed an order for a box of mixed tins, including a little stack of NURI brand. This Portugal based company is known to produce excellent tinned sardines, and have a history of tinning a superior product. Their website quotes them to be “the only company that remains faithful to the traditional method throughout its production.” Since 1920 they have been pumping out tins using their homemade secret recipes. A short wait after shipping, a USPS box of goodness was on my doorstep.

After seeing so much talk and hype online about the Nuri Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil i decided to give one a rip for myself. 

The brand has simple and recognizable packaging, paper wrapper over a tin. Something about it being my first tin of Nuri made me want to keep the wrapper, such a simple but fond memory. Right at the crack of the tin, I knew these were going to be great. The “someone just opened a tin of dines” smell was there, but extremely subtle. It almost smelt like very light pickle brine. Definitely not an unpleasant smell, which sardines often get such a bad reputation for. Peeling back the lid revealed 3 chunky boys, shimmering in the olive oil. The fish were packed tightly enough to be touching, but were firm to the touch. Firm enough for me to easily grab the middle one out with chopsticks, with little damage. The skin on all the fish was already very damaged, with large parts missing. What little skin there was, was falling off the flesh once removed from the oil. Less or broken skin is not something I'm complaining about. Less skin means less scales! No one likes eating scales.

Half a fish for the first bite; these are damn delicious. A savoury, slightly salty taste and the firm bite to go with. A complete surprise to how subtle the flavour is. Really a delight and far less “fishy” than most people would expect. The cartilage in the spine had completely dissolved into the fish and had become soft, not bringing any noticeable crunch. The trio of sardines came packed with one slice of carrot, one slice of pickle, one little red chilli, part of a dried bay leaf and a clove. A classic combination to bring subtle heat and flavour to the oil and meat. You can see the workers at the Nuri factory hand packing the ingredients in this Youtube Video. Onto the operating table for the second oily boi; I removed the spine and ate that separately (my favourite part). Once the fish was on a plate I could really notice the colours in the meat, varying from white to a dark purple pink. The deeper the colour, the stronger the flavour. The oil kept a nice shine on everything and had a very light olive flavour. It had a light yellow colour that was still clear and glossy even after all this time marinating the fish. I personally love an olive oil tin over a soya oil tin. The carrot and pickle went down next, neither of which tasted like pickle or carrot. The flavour of both must get leached into the oil by the time it gets out to us consumers. The lucky last sardine went down on simple salted saltines with a bit more hot sauce. Adding the crackers to the table obviously makes for more texture, but it also creates more of a vessel for the extra hot sauce I was drizzling on top. I haven't been able to find a bottle of the famous Salsa Espinaler locally yet, which I have read is perfect on all fish, but I have a few more artisanal stores to check out before I resort to buying online. The heat was subtle, to put it subtly. One little chilli adds little to no mouth buzz sensation. The Nuri Extra spiced uses 3 chillies per tin, so I will have to test that tin to see if they have some real spice and mouth feel. 

Two saltines and three fish. Not a meal I used to go out of my way to have, but today was a healthy and highly enjoyable lunch. These sardines could easily be broken up and put on top of a salad, used as a “sardine melt” or lightly floured and then fried in their own oil. My next tin of Nuri spiced, i'm going to use this beer batter recipe: Beer Battered ‘Dines. 

When a store in my hometown starts to stock Nuri brand, I will be first in line ready to pick up a stack of tins. I would love to have the spiced sardines in olive oil as my “go to tin”, I mean, who wouldn't?  I recommend these to any non-sardine eater, someone who is looking to try their first tin, or to impress someone on a first date! The subtleness would be an ideal way to ease someone into the flavour rather than starting them off with Oskars Surstromming. Do yourself a favour, find a local supplier of Nuri, pick up a tin and give it a crack!

Tin Rating - 4/5