#i liked this episode a lot more than i remember!

[murdockcastleslut]

𝔒𝔣𝔣 𝔗𝔬𝔭𝔦𝔠

synopsis: y/n is an up and coming influencer, who has established her own with thriving youtube channel and podcast. when she releases a new episode with her new co-host and special guests, things get messy.

a rafe cameron smau! |part eight| part nine |part ten|

a/n: This is a long one for you guys :) thank you to @ivysprophecy @kimoralov3 for letting me annoy the shit out of you as i bounce ideas off of y'all.

Off Topic Official Transcript

12:30 

Cleo: so Rafe, you did a recent shoot with loewe. 

Y/n: [you bite your lip subtly] oh my god yeah, i remember hearing Sarah talk about it. you looked really good. 

Rafe: oh yeah? [he raises his eyebrow] thank you. it was really fun, the crew and photographer were great. i’ve always wanted to do a shoot with them and i was so grateful when i got the chance. 

Rafe: i know it’s yalls’ podcast but if you could work with any brand, which would it be? 

Cleo: easy, easy man. either gucci or miu miu. 

Y/n: i think for me it would probably be ysl or prada. 

Rafe: yeah, you’d be a prada girl? [he asks cockily]

Y/n: yeah, haven’t you seen me rock a pair of prada sunnies. i always serve face. [you smile and then give a model face to him and cleo] 

Cleo: that is correct. my girl always looks good, especially in prada. 

Rafe: oh, i have no doubt. [he smiles at you brightly]

26:45

Y/n: [laughing at something Rafe said before hand]

Cleo:[smirks] so rafe, we have this recurring segment of this show called “be mine” and it’s where we ask the guest, what’s their ideal type or what they are looking for in a relationship.

Y/n: [stops laughing and is subtly looking at Cleo with bewilderment] 

Cleo: and since we don’t have more than one guest today, y/n will share with you! 

Y/n: [looks at Cleo with a look of confusion] i will? 

Cleo:[gives her look] 

Y/n: i guess i will be today. 

Rafe: [chuckles at your reaction] i have only been in two really serious relationships and they were both totally different experiences. the first person i'm really good friends with still but that relationship taught me all the things i did want like someone adventurous, kind, and someone who can communicate. in this life we live in the media. i never wanna be the last person to know something about my partner. i think from my last relationship we were very private and i didn’t really mind it but sometimes i wanted to share cute photos of them… [he shifts in the chair and manspreads a bit]

Cleo: [she looks at you and gives you a smirk at the mention at photography]

Rafe (continued): especially since i really like film photography and really i couldn’t share my photos, so i wanna find someone who's comfortable with that for sure. and by no means do i think i am perfect, i think i got somethings to work on but those are just somethings that are really important to me. [he finishes speaking and looks at you for your reaction.]

Cleo: [is smirking in her seat] damn model boy knows what he wants. 

Rafe: [laughs] sometimes if you want something you just gotta put it out there. [he shrugs and smirks]

Cleo: ya know y/n here loves film photography? has a whole account dedicated to it too.

Y/n: [your eyes blunge out hoping she’d be quiet] yeah, i do but it’s nothing. 

Rafe: [smirks and leans forward and places his elbow on the chair arm and places his chin on his knuckles] it’s not, nothing. it’s cute, sweetheart. [he gives you a kind smile] so, what are you looking for? [he points with his chin to you]

Y/n: um… i agree with a lot of what race has to say. i especially feel the same about communication, in my last relationship there was a really big lack of it and that along with cheating was the end of our relationship. 

Rafe: [frowns at the mention that you have been cheated on]

Y/n: So now i think i need someone who is willing to take things slowly and understand that it takes me a second to trust their intentions. but i also really want someone who likes to travel because i love traveling and seeing new places. also my friends have to give the stamp of approval because they are everything to me. [you smile at cleo]

Y/n: but my ideal type, i don’t know, tall, kind, intelligent, passionate, empathetic, and i don’t think it would hurt anyone if he was pretty on the eyes either.[you smile widely] 

Rafe: i think it's really raw and real of you to talk about trust in that way because i feel the same way. 

Cleo: you two have a lot in common huh? 

y/n's phone

taglist: @ivysprophecy @kimoralov3 @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @charli123456789 @wearemadeofstardust0 @frankoceanluvr11 1 @harrys-housewife @urbrunettebombshell @mayhapsnini i @psychicnatural @aariahnaa @rafeycameronsgf @laniirackssss @cl4uus @honk4emoboyz

[mangora]

Something I think about a lot is the people who went to school or lived in the same neighborhood as the ROTI cast seeing them on TV. Everyone in Cameron’s neighborhood knew that a kid lived in that house but they never knew or even really saw him; and now they get to know him for the first time, and they feel this weird mix of pride for him, as well as melancholy or even anger at the fact that he was kept inside his whole life. Lightning was a star in his community and everyone thought he had an idyllic life, until they saw the finale and found out how much pressure he’d been under all those years, and they can’t see him the same way when he comes back. Zoey was an outcast at her high school and was ignored or even picked on by most of her peers, and they only realized how much of an impact that had on her when they watched her struggle to make connections over and over again until she lost her first real friend and snapped. No one liked Scott, everyone thought he was an asshole and knew he only got by via cheating and lying— but seeing him near catatonic after that shark attack, they can’t help but feel horrified on a deep personal level, and remember some of the good or just pitiful things Scott did, and wonder if he really deserved something that terrible. Jo was bullied but never seemed intimidated or effected by it; when everyone sees her struggle with her body image, or worry about the things she hasn’t done yet, or slip up and smile or help someone out, it both makes them realize that she’s weaker than they thought and also that they’re wrong for being happy about that. Similarly, Mike was widely treated as a freak and a delinquent, and had barely if any friends; seeing him open up about his DID on TV and learning where DID comes from created this sense of crushing guilt and horror for everyone who’d ever picked on him or written him off or spread rumors behind his back. Anne Maria was beloved by people at her school and in her neighborhood, and seeing how people like Zoey treated her and watching her lose was devastating. Brick was always known to have a heart of gold, and while seeing that on TV was inspiring for some of his friends and peers at boot camp, it made him a new target for other kids and commanders, who saw him as soft and effete and not worth wasting time on. Sam never had many friends due to his nerdy interests and social awkwardness, and after seeing how kind he was on the show, everyone wishes they’d given him a chance. Seeing Dawn properly mad at Scott during her elimination is super uncanny to everyone who knew her as the calm and collected local cryptid, and it reminds them that she’s human (or at least humanoid) and makes them take her more seriously. B’s community was rooting for them, since everyone knew how smart and thoughtful they were; seeing him get deadnamed by Chris and then get taken down by Scott made them genuinely mad on their behalf. Watching Dakota’s last moments as a normal human girl was horrifying for everyone who knew her, especially because after the episode aired there was nothing they could do about it. Staci went on the show as the annoying girl who lied for attention, and she left the same way; no glory, no gold, just humiliation.

And this isn’t even mentioning what their families felt watching the show, whether that be fear or pride or disappointment or anger— either at Chris and the show or even at their own child, in some cases. Like, could you imagine coming back home to your family, your friends, your neighbors, your teachers, your coworkers, after they’d seen you at your worst or most vulnerable on international television— after everyone who’d ever scrutinized or believed in you watched you lose big time. The horror and/or tragedy of ROTI doesn’t end or even really start with the radioactive island; the things that led them there and the things they returned to could be dismal or scary in their own ways.

Anyways I’m so normal about them rghhhhhh

[sk-touchthesun]

It has been a bit over a month since the first time I watched Dead Boy Detectives and I now have watched it from start to finish four times. Oops. I don't know how that happened—I certainly wasn't prepared for this level of love for a series.

Since I haven't really been in any fandoms or tumblr in, like... ten years or whatever, I wanted to write about why I fell in love with Dead Boy Detectives when I saw the series for the first time. I don't know if anyone's interested in reading a long-ish post, but in case you are, buckle up because this is going to be pure love and positivity from start to finish. It's mainly about Edwin and Charles, though.

I started watching the show without any background information and never having seen the Sandman either. I rotate streaming services and it was Netflix's turn. I read queer fiction quite a lot and watch queer movies and series as a hobby, and remembered someone mentioning Dead Boy Detectives.

The beginning on the series was intriguing enough already, but it was during this scene that I knew I was going to watch the entire thing:

This leads me to the reason I love the series so much: the carrying force of the story is the love Edwin and Charles have for each other, be it platonic or romantic. I'm a sucker for themes like found family and being loved as your authentic self because that's something I crave. I have always been more or less lonely because of social anxiety and struggling with social situations. Perhaps that's why stories containing those themes have such a profound effect on me each time.

Of course, the way the series combines elements of horror and comedy with heartwarming and wholesome sweetness is delightfully refreshing in itself. Dead Boy Detectives kept me glued to the screen so that I finished it in a day the first time I watched it. However, the characters are what makes the show so brilliant. I think the cast in general is phenomenal, but it's the love between Edwin and Charles that I felt most while watching.

This obviously is where I have to praise George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri for their acting. I think it's largely thanks to them that I love Edwin and Charles so much. Their characters' chemistry and the fond way Edwin and Charles interact with each other in the series is something I felt viscerally right from the beginning. It's obviously ingrained in the overall plot, but the love can also be felt in the smallest gestures. How many shows do you have where your favorite character dying is one of your favorite moments in the series because it's so sweet? (I'm sure you can deduce my favorite character from this...)

Personally, I also think that George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri's acting is particularly spellbinding during the moments their characters break down and show raw emotion. In an odd way the characters' suffering is what makes episodes like The Case of the Devlin House and The Case of the Very Long Stairway so brilliant. The characters' emotions during their most vulnerable moments are so tangible.

I know there has been talk about how season two would look like if the series was revived, and honestly, I think there's one crucial thing that should be kept as it is or the entire thing would be ruined: the carrying force of the show being that Edwin and Charles are willing to do anything to not to get separated.

I can't see any universe where someone becomes more important to the two main characters than what they're to each other. Charles says that Edwin is the only person he'd go to Hell for. We know how Edwin feels. The love is there already. If either of them had a long-lasting romance with someone else, the love interest would get two with the price of one. Equally important? Well—possibly. Love isn't finite. More important? Never.

I'd like to see Edwin and Charles get together, though. They're like an old married couple already and I can't imagine them being together with anyone else in the long run. At least the first season left things open enough for interpretation, with the cancellation and all.

Last but not least, it's a bit crazy that I only saw the show for the first time a bit over a month ago and was ready to splurge on a cameo. It was my birthday during the gameoden week and I got a birthday message! It was very sweet and has cheered me up ever since. I'm not sharing it here because I feel it's a bit personal with my birthday and all, but I loved it.

In case you ended up reading all this, thanks for reading my love letter for the show and the characters and the actors!

[flythesail]

Okay last thing for now! But I did start rewatching the other day, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people dropped the acolyte after episode 1 and 2 because they're slower. Yet I'm not sure... what you can do about that other than stick with it. Because more exciting episodes like 5 and 8 or even 6 won't be exciting without that intro. You can't start the show with everyone on khofar. And even when andor first premiered, remember what the #1 critique was??? It. Starts. Too. Slow. But now two years later, no one is saying that. Most people are looking back on andor like it's the best thing star wars has done. A lot of this probably is because of the streaming model. It creates a pressure to like a show from the very first second and to watch it as quickly as possible. (Idea being the quicker you like it, the quicker you finish, the quicker you move on to another show so these companies can sell you on the Next Big Thing.) It's just capitalism! But that means we also don't get to take our time with art as much because where's the profit in savoring. With the acolyte, people would have come around too, especially as the hate it got died down. But by canceling it so early on, you give people no reason to. It's like creating proof for a problem you created.

[tsscat]

On a higher level I agree with this but I fundamentally disagree with this being applied to Arcane (what this post was inspired by) because the animation of Arcane is so handmade and detail heavy that you fundamentally cannot have 15-20 episodes. Like it cannot happen because it takes a long time and a lot of skilled people to make animation like that and it’s near impossible to get the time or money to do that length.

A lot have people talked about how the finale was cut down from its original hour and a half long script but less have talked about why — its because (from what I remember) it was too long to animate. The budget for arcane was 250 million dollars. That’s actually pretty efficient for big budget animation when you look at cost per minute, as some people have pointed out. But that’s still overall larger than most big budget animated films (both spiderverses were 100 million, largest Pixar films are around 200 million). 15-20 episodes per season for Arcane would have likely been something like 400-500 million dollars. That’s obscene amounts of money for any project. The highest budget film ever made from what I can tell (Star Wars The Force Awakens) was 447 million. 20 episodes would be like 555 million!

There’s some oversimplification here that I’m doing because obviously 18 episodes is still a lot more than one movie and it’s actually really impressive what they’ve been able to accomplish with the money they have. BUT this still doesn’t even factor in the time and labor took to make this, and the even more time and labor it would take to make a 15-20 ep arcane.

From what I can tell, writers knew how many episodes there were per season going in (though there’s maybe a rumor that they thought for a second that there were 5 seasons? Idk). I think it is more productive to critique writers on what they chose to write for and how they wrote season 2 given this 9 ep limit. You need to scope properly for any project, and I think fundamentally writers either did not scope properly or did not write for the scope they set.

[localbisexual333]

arcane season 2 theories pt 2

ok first spoilers ahead

Second it was totally worth waiting 3 years for season 2 bc of how amazingly awesome it is

Part 2 aka the newest 3 episodes are even better than the first 3 which i didnt know was possible

Okay future me here im so srry i didnt post theories for pt2 of arcane season 2 i got eeally busy and didnt remember till i was almost done watching episode 7

Anyway loved the final 3 episodes and they are def my top 3 favs of arcane as a whole

Next if you havent watched danny motta's reaction to arcane season 2 so far watch it its funny and he isnt prepared

Now for my theories and whatever on what's next

First off - jayce and victor are never going to get rid of the gay for each other rumors. Like the scene in episode 2 and the end of episode 8.... those rumors are gonna stick around

Then an alternative universe with ekko and power/jinx falling for each other is so cute and i wish the main ekko and jinx were able to have that

The alternative universe thanks to the arcane transporting them explains how the different outfits characters in the game can have work its all thanks to the arcane (i dont play but there was a theory on game theory about arcane season wondering how it was gonna work). Also episode 7 is probly my fav

A quick break for what some of the spinoffs could be - mel with her powers and dealing with black rose and all, vi and cait, ekko maybe trying to get jinx back using magic or something(like wanda in wanda vision), finding out if hiemerdinger is alive cause he disappears but doesnt reappear like ekko does, if jayce and viktor are alive or dead, sevika maybe becoming part of the new council, fish guy training new enforcers and dealing with the remaining shimmer, singed's daughter being alive and looking like the people viktor saved. There are even more possibilities but thats what i came up with.

There are a lot of parallels too, like in the alternative universe vi was dead and in the main one jinx dying. Maybe one of them always had to die for there to be peace. Vi hums the song young jinx sings in the very first episode. Jinx drinking and liking orange juice like her mom. Vi seeing vander in season 1 and jinx seeing slico. Alternate universe silco talking about forgiveness and cait kinda forgiving jinx. And more but thats what i thought of off the top of my head and what i remembered

In another post I'll talk about the apocalypse alternative universe jayce was in but the final thing i want to mention is mylo and clagger in the alternative universe

When mylo looks at the dj girl claggor looks at him in a way i think is a little gay that could just be me but i wanted to mention it and as i write this i thought of something else to mention but i forgot. I'll post about whatever it is when/if i remember

If you read till here thank you and have a great day/evening/night and share anything you want in the comments

[sapphiresaphics]

Having spent time now with the full series I still don’t feel the pacing issues other people seemed to have with it.

I get that as the episodes are releasing and we only have 3 a week and don’t have the full picture of what they’re planning it can be really easy to feel lost and confused.

But now knowing where they were going, a lot of those supposed “rushed plot lines” people were complaining about make sense. The importance of the Black Rose stuff now makes sense because it’s Ambessa’s entire motivation for why she’s doing the things she’s doing. It makes sense to take Ekko and Jayce out of the plot briefly when they visit the hexcore cuz that forces Ambessa to side with Singe. It makes sense why the Warwick stuff was being set up because that ended up being the catalyst to propel Viktor into being the Machine Herald.

Also, it makes sense now why Piltover and Zaun played such an important role in being the stage for where THIS story was set. I get people wanted the show to be more about the inequality, but the inequality was always just the set dressing for the main characters to be in and was never the central focus of the show. Not even back in season 1.

Like back in season 1 the inequality helped explain the characters motivations, but the central core message the story was telling was how people compromised their morals with good intentions only to achieve terrible results.

Jayce built Hextech to help the undercity and he ends up using it against them. Viktor obsesses so much over fixing his disease that he compromises and takes shimmer and in the process Sky dies. Silco dreams of a free Zaun, but it results in him essentially becoming a drug lord and harming the people of Zaun more than helping them. Caitlyn breaks Vi out of prison to help her hunt down Jinx, and in the process of having Vi return into her life inadvertently causes Jinx to double down and attack the Piltover council.

Inequality was a setting and a backdrop, but the show was never focused on resolving or exploring those issues much deeper than it was.

Also, about that pacing.. have you guys gone back and rewatched Season 1? The first 2 episodes are pretty chill with the pacing, but episode 3 goes crazy. And so does episode 4 and 5 and 6… like the pacing gets wilder and wilder as the season goes on until towards the end we are jumping from Silco reeling from nearly getting killed by Sevika to having a friendly discussion with Jayce on the bridge to being captured by Jinx. It’s FAST guys. Breakneck speed.

I will also say that rewatching season 1 gives me an appreciation for a lot of the parallels they had in season 2 that I missed. Things like “Remember Me” being the theme to when Vander attacks Silco back in season 1. Or like how when AU Powder appears on the dance floor with Ekko mirrors how Jinx approached him on the bridge in Season 1 Episode 7. Or how Jayce and Viktor invented Hextech floating up on the ceiling, and the series ends with the two floating in the ethereal plane together.

I maintain that a lot of these criticisms about season 2’s pacing are not as bad as some people think they are once you take the whole series together as a whole. Without that 3 year gap or the wait between episode drops, the whole series blends together much more seamlessly.

And then there’s like… season 2 episode 7? That episode stops all the forward momentum and resets our expectations. It provides us with context for some of the stuff we had seen and helps us understand the stakes going forward. When people are complaining the series is going by too fast I just can’t agree because that episode exists and it literally stops us in our tracks before ramping up again.

I understand that some side characters outside the central 7-8 mains weren’t fully developed much and that is definitely a valid criticism of the show… however I would also remind people that season 1 had a similar problem. Grayson was a fascinating character I wish I knew more about, but outside of a small cameo in episode 5 she’s just gone out of the series forever and nobody brings her up again ever. We never learn much about Huck. We never learn what happened to Clagger and Mylo’s parents. We never learn anything about Finn and what he did. We never learn more about the robot council member or the woman who has a clock on her neck. There are a LOT of characters who just never come back at all in season 1.

I dunno guys.. the more I digest this series the more many of the criticisms feel unfounded or a real reach for something to complain about.

[thunderlina]

Analyzing the Magia Exedra character portraits (so far)

The character art for Magia Exedra has been absolutely gorgeous so far and while staring at it longingly in anticipation for the game's release I've noticed some things I want to discuss.

The main thing is that they all depict the featured magical girl fighting a specific witch. Let's go through each of them:

Homura's is the most obvious since we can see the witch she's fighting in full, Walpurgisnacht. Considering how central the fight against Walpurgisnacht is to Homura's timeloops, and the fact we've seen Walpurgisnacht in other promo art for Exedra, this doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Mami is an interesting case because she has two pieces of art at the moment. Both appear to depict her fighting Gertrud in episode 2, as evidenced by the flowers in the first image and the background which resembles her barrier in the second. Seeing as Gertrud is the first witch we see her fight in the anime this makes sense.

Sayaka's art depicts her fight against H. N. Elly (aka Kirsten) in episode 4. More specifically it's a direct callback to her final attack in said episode.

Kyoko's art depicts her fight against Oktavia von Seckendorff in Episode 9, moments before shattering her own soul gem. Notice her soul gem is not in it's typical place on her chest and her hair bow is nowhere to be found. You can also faintly make out the theater seats of Oktavia's barrier in the background.

I saved Madoka herself for last because I'm slightly stumped on hers. It almost appears that she's the exception and isn't fighting a witch at all. The patterns around her resemble those seen in episode 12 when she's saving all the other magical girls from becoming witches, so it's possible that's what's being depicted here. HOWEVER the cloudy blue sky backgrounds also resemble those seen in Patricia's barrier in episode 10, so perhaps this depicts that fight instead?

Iroha's portrait may carry some unfortunate implications for Magia Record game fans since she's depicted fighting Box Wood, a witch who originally debuted in the not particularly well-liked Magia Record anime, which could indicate Exedra's version of the MagiReco story will pull from the anime more than the game.

Yachiyo's art depicts her fighting Stacey, who appears in Magia Record Arc 1 Chapter 8, as well as Episode 8 of the Magia Record anime. I'm admittedly not very familiar with Magia Record's story (I've seen the anime but barely remember a lot of it, and watching several hours of Live2D models talking to each other is uhhhh not the most exciting thing to do) so I'm unsure if this holds any particular significance to Yachiyo herself.

Stacey's barrier is noticeably different between the game and the anime, which could be another clue as to which version of events Magia Exedra will be pulling from, but it's a bit difficult for me to tell which one this resembles more since so little of it is visible.

That's all I have to say on the matter though. PLEASE reblog with any details I've missed because I'm sure there's more to be read into here.

[skeletinmoss]

Let's talk about Sanders Sides and why it should end.

Disclaimer: this is my opinion, I don't have any malicious intentions by voicing it, please don't harass me or people working on the show as the result of reading this rant. You can just stop reading if you don't like what I am saying.

Thank you for understanding.

I myself only joined the fandom 3 years ago. Along the years there has been a lot of content and I was captivated immediately. The characters are the main thing of this fandom and I would like to talk about them first.

They started to not be themselves. Maybe it's now that obvious when you watch one new episode every year, but for someone who just showed up and binged it it's quite noticeable.

There is a thing that happens to every character in every long term content (I'm sorry I can't remember how it's called). With time they become parodies of themselves. And as the time goes on they become more and more simple. That can change the character drastically. Someone who was street smart becomes a character that you can't believe is still alive with how stupid they are.

The same thing is starting to happen is Sanders Sides. It's basically a running gag that Logan lost all his whimsy and is gonna snap at any time. This is the example of simplification, what is left of him is only his core elements. Logic, no feeling, smarty pants, facts, jam. However it ties into the story quite well. No one listens to logic. It makes us invested in how this unnoticed before conflict would be resolved.

With Patton it's not the same. He used to be innocent. An adult who doesn't want to grow up. He was relatable. Maybe it's because Thomas is older now, but the innocence in Patton's character started to come of as ignorance. He used to come of as deeper than at first glance, smarter than you give him credit for. Now he just acts stupid. A guy who can set water on fire. A guy who doesn't even try to confront reality. He was supposed to get character development. Where is it?

Virgil started to be more cringe and boring. He's emo and his character trait is to act like an angsty teen. However now it's more of an adult pretending to be a teen. You can most see it in the Jam video where he tries to do skateboard tricks and we can see his boxers sticking out. Why would you do this? He used to be sassy, he used to be arrogant villain who can't get rid of. He got excepted, and despite the Halloween episode about the phases, and him saying " It's still my job to scare you" we don't ever see him do it. He hangs around I guess, but he lost all his bark and bite. All that's left of him is just moody.

Roman likely didn't change that much. His original chaotic nature masks any changes so far. Although I would say Roman lost quite a bit of his drama and sass. Being sick because the ego was bruised, starting a rap battle just to prove a point and show off, singing and " Making the song 10 times better" in his opinion, freaking out because a person he ships Thomas with has called him back. In flirting with social anxiety he does freak out because of the cute guy, which is very Roman, but it's a bit strange that the embodiment of pure creativity would not find words to finish a poem. ( I have my questions with him in the nostalgia episode like playing the instrument poorly even if he showed he can draw a Mona Lisa with crayons, or not allowing Thomas to demonstrate the dance, but I'm just gonna put that under " Possibly Janus pretending to be Roman")

And Remus and Janus wasn't here long enough to start to fall apart. Although I don't think Remus would actually be able to fall apart as a character because of his chaotic nature.

The second thing I want to discuss are sponsorships.

I am happy that Thomas gets the money and has the opportunity to get more. But did he had to put characters into the sponsorship?

The jam one was fun. It was a joke what turned true. A running gag. But it also gave the community something to interact with. Four new jam flavours, characters on the package, limited sets. You could try something your favorite character likes!

There were good sponsorships on Thomas's chanel before. Like Hello Fresh. He did the advertising as himself, not as characters. It wasn't so in your face. And that's how it should be. He wasn't begging for you to buy it. He was simply sharing a good thing he uses. It wasn't loud and obnoxious. Even if it wasn't as entertaining as the jam musical or character jam merch, you still felt like you could buy it. The food looked good!

It's not the same with VPN, now is it? I would not get any character interactions if I buy this thing. So why are the characters involved? Because I like them and it would be easier to sell me something if They tell me to buy it? Why are you so pushy for me to buy it?

We all are waiting for the season finale. Something grand. Something epic. Something to finish the story. But I don't think Thomas should start another season. He would probably be tempted to, because of the new character involved, but that might not be a good decision. I'm not saying he should stop with the Sides altogether. But I feel like short video format would suit the characters better from now on. No big plots, no storylines, just characters interacting with each other in different situations.

Finish it. Put a stop to the story. All good things need to end. Don't drag it out or you will ruin what we love so much about those characters. It would turn into 8 seasons of Winx instead of the planned 3.

Give them their happily ever after.

I hope I'm not coming of as rude, because I don't meat it in a rude way. I just have things that are bothering me that I want to talk about with someone and see if other people think the same

[fragarianmusings]

This is something I've been leaning towards from the media I've consumed over the years (especially from my preteen vampire phase lol) and after much considering, may well apply on my own personal take in any of my oc universe/s that involve vampires and the like. I like the thought of there being two different ways to turn: drain, then feed and dying with a significant amount of vampire blood in your system. To elaborate:

First, drain then feed. It's been used in a lot of vampire media and is one of the most common methods, and for good reason. It adds that extra layer that ensures the vampire doesn't carelessly turn every victim they didn't drain (remember Daybreakers?). Plus, I remember seeing a comment on a Reddit post that talks about the "science" of it (even though I'm personally iffy when they make vampires too scientific, but it can be done), where the vampire blood that's being fed completely replaces the one that used to fill your system, which is why you change.

And the other, dying with a significant amount of vampire blood in your system. (Note I said significant.) This style, while less common, has been used in a few iterations, but I could never really buy into the notion that even a minuscule bit of vampire blood is enough to change you. I feel like that'll also lead to a mass overpopulation quick (but this time on purpose than by accident) where the vampire can just create their own little vampire army if they inject or force-feed their blood to a bunch of humans and kill them off to transform them. Which is why it has to be a significant amount of blood, something they can't just easily give out left and right without needing to replenish what they've depleted from themselves. You know how they say the human body starts to fail at around 40% blood loss? I like to think that's about how much a vampire needs to give to trigger a turn (maybe even more, hehe 👁️).

...Actually, the vampire should also give up a huge amount of their blood in the first method to be able to trigger a turning as well. Draining the human to the point of death then only giving an good amount of yours would be too easy in my opinion. Gotta make the vampire actively work for it if they really want to make another one of their own, right? Maybe it's the sadist in me, but I like that the vampire has to suffer a little as well in the process of "creating" (in quotes because as per the parasitic nature of their kind, they're more-so taking from another life; unless it's a universe where vampires are born, you usually need another human to make a vampire). >:)c

(I'll be honest, this was partially inspired by that short-lived (and cheesy) vampire show called Moonlight. I know they use the drain, then feed variant too, but there was one episode where they kinda...inadvertently showed "another" way to turn? There was this one vampire who was created because he had vampire blood in him right before he was drained (i.e. he was supposed to have died, but turned instead because he died with vampire blood in him).)

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

thoughts while rewatching triangle:

mulder is straight bonkers for just sailing the bermuda triangle looking for a ghost ship.

scully's queen anne counterpart is dancing with an older man, no surprise there lol.

scully running around the fbi unhinged, trying to save mulder's ass, is my favorite thing ever. the people in the hallways and elevators all look like they've seen this many times before.

never thought scully had sexual tension with skinner or spender, but i kinda felt it in this ep! (weird to say)

the continuous takes are just so cool.

"because you're the only one who can save this ship" - yeah she is!

mulder and scully running through the hallways holding hands, my beloved.

scully waited a long time before hitting mulder during that kiss. don't blame her though!

skinner just throwing the flowers on the side table lmao.

"but you believed me" -- love the parallel to folie a deux. i feel like i could write an essay on this - scully is the skeptic, but she believes in mulder in any timeline.

and of course, hearing mulder say "i love you" to scully still makes me so happy.

[astralhope]

This is a little project that I worked on in the last weeks, and I finally finished it.

The Japanese dub is my favorite, but the Italian one was the one that made me discover Zexal, and I used to watch the show in Italian until the third arc.

I watched the episodes from the first two arcs in this dub many times and I'm still very attached to most of the characters' Italian voices.

This dub is very dear and nostalgic to me, so I wanted to share some Astral's clips from it on my blog.

But I didn't want to put a bunch of Italian clips here without any kind of subtitles, so I decided to do the subtitles myself. But what should have been just a few clips became all Astral's scenes in the first two episodes, and it took me more time than I anticipated.

Just a few things before you watch the video:

- I tried to do this translation more literally possible (so I apologize if some lines sound weird), but with some phrases and expressions I had to translate them in a not literal way to keep their meaning.

- The edit of the video is a little rough because I favored the audio over the video and I tried not to cut the lines too much. And since I only used Astral's clips, some transactions between scenes are not very smooth, I apologize about that.

- I hope that the subtitles are easy to read, I never did something like this and I did my best to make them readable and not too fast.

- I rewatched it several times to check it, but it's very possible that there's still some errors or/and weird phrasing, so I apologize in advance for any errors.

After all those premises, here is the finished work:

Astral's clips from episodes 1 and 2 of Zexal in Italian dub (with English subs):

(I'm sorry for the bad quality, but not only the original videos were in a low quality, but I also had to lower it even more to upload it)

[kattyangel]

I think one of the issues here is that Bison left such a HUGE impression on Kant that he's having trouble correlating the very cute boy who was also the best lay he's had in probably a very long time and him as a cold-blooded killer. Like I know it's only been 1 episode, but also all the times Kant has been with Bison? That was not the actions of a man trying to to get closer for the sake of information - that was the actions of a man very clearly smitten and falling in love. (At least that's what it looked like to me, which again it's only been 1 episode so we might learn he's a better actor than that, but I'm highly doubting that.)

Maybe the threat of going to jail and the Captain is what's forcing him to continue on, but I also think if they had met again without the ulterior motives, Kant would have seriously considered pursuing him (but I also think his commitment issues might have stopped it). Kant needs the push to further along the plot of the show AND their romance.

But also I think Kant is not taking them being hitman seriously as well. I think his resentment over the Captain and the general slimy nature of him (what with the threats and blackmail) means he doesn't trust the Captain, and probably is of the opinion that he's over exaggerating the threat level in order to get Kant to hurry up.

This is his immediate reaction after the Captain tells him that the two brothers just killed again. That's not the reaction of someone taking the murders seriously. That's an annoyed face of having to be forced to continue pursuing Bison and digging for information against his will.

I don't think the seriousness of the brothers has really sunk in. Kant may have been a car thief but I think he very much is kind of naive to some of the darker things in the criminal world. It's not really sunk into Kant that these are dangerous men! That they could and will kill him! Remember that scene in the OG trailer where Bison kills someone with Kant nearby and he's somehow more shocked than frightened? I think we might get a scene like that too.

Kant can't wrapped his head around assassins and hitmen and what are the brothers' real jobs. Which I think is actually a more normal reaction than being overly cautious and paranoid.

So, combining that with his smitten-ness of Bison and the lasting impression he made - I don't think Kant is thinking of the potential consequences or dangers of including Style in this, or of introducing Babe to Bison. I even think that Kant forgets his true objective a lot of the time when he's with Bison.

Which I think is going to bite him in the ass big time when shit starts hitting the fan.

I feel for Kant as the driver of the plot that he will be riddled with horrible inconsistencies and do things that make no sense for his character simply because they need to be done - my problem with him is the same I had with sand - if do evil things why not make him a little evil to begin with? You already know the things he has to set in motion why not make him exactly the type of character who would do those things?

He agrees to do this mission because he was being blackmailed for the sake of his brother poor him 😔 but then he lets an assassin walk into his house when his brother could be there, doesn’t really interact with his brother much beyond some passing conversations. I’ve seen more about the bond between Kant and Babe through the eyes of Bisons own unfulfilled brotherly desires than I did with anything that Kant does himself.

He then also ropes his very best friend into wooing an assassin who could very well kill him - a HIGH risk because this person was selected specifically because of his propensity to be mega annoying???

Kant makes some of the biggest decisions in the show in episode one and yet none of it informs me as to who he is as a person. In fact, exactly all of it has been framed as who he isn’t as a person. Like it’s fine but it just makes for a really boring character. (yes I understand this is ep 1 but this is my fourth blessed jojo ride holes tend to get bigger not smaller as the show goes on)

This is why I think of this show as more a 10 things I hate about you adaptation than a Tamimg of the Shrew one because even though I’ve only read the basic bitches reading list for Shakespeare (via school he’s not my thing) one thing you can count on in his stories - especially for the dumb ones I believe- is that you’re reading a story exactly about the kind of person who would do those dumb things 🤷🏽‍♀️ and - if I’m remembering 8th grade correctly - it’s pretty key to what makes Shakespearean plays so powerful

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/nalyra-dreaming/762934616351031296/theres-something-ive-struggled-to-understand

I always wondered about what the anon asked as well. Care to share your reading?

I more or less agree with the OP's answer that it's about Louis not wanting to be connected to Madeleine, but I think the motivation is probably different?

My read is that episode is really about Louis trying to let Claudia go, and that he's acknowledging the complete dissolution of the family unit. After all, if Lestat and Louis' turning was a wedding, and Lestat turning Claudia was Lestat giving Louis a daughter, Louis knowing that Madeleine and Claudia are a love match in a lot of ways turns him into the father giving his daughter away on her wedding day. Turning Madeleine isn't about love for him, nor about having a child, it's about seeing his daughter as a grown woman ready to start her own family without him.

The acknowledgement of Claudia as an adult is not one he's ever genuinely made before - something s2 makes very clear with Claudia having to pose as his daughter again in wartorn Europe, Baby Lulu being the female diminutive of Louis, and then, even more tellingly, with Dreamstat explicitly referring to her as such - and while she's been pulling away all season and trying to force Louis into independence, it's been something he's pretty clearly very resentful of.

Madeleine though forces his hand, because Claudia finally choosing a companion splinters the last leg of their family unit for good. Madeleine is a stranger to him in the way many children's spouses are strangers to their in-laws, and Louis doesn't have Lestat to share the weight of that with anymore (and he doesn't have Lestat because of Claudia, which deepens the resentment). All he knows - which he discovers through turning her - is that she loves his daughter, and I take Louis trying to get the blood out of himself as a bitter and wounded sort of wedding gift.

He wants to give them their freedom, but at the same time the depression he experienced as an empty nester in New Orleans has already set in, he has to live with the fact that his attempt at a family has ended, and Armand's never been as satisfying to take things out on as Lestat was, to say nothing of the fact that he - as Assad put it - doesn't give a fuck about Claudia. At least Lestat gave a fuck, even if he usually gave the wrong sort of fucks, haha.

So yeah, I think it's a sort of attempt at a resentful wedding present, in a lot of ways, to try and give her this thing without being a part of it, and a real attempt to let Claudia go as his daughter.

Little does Louis know though, Claudia's the gothic heroine of this story, and she's not ever going to get out of her father's (or step-father's) house.

[bumblingbabooshka]

I know I'm like decades late to the party and SNW is out and all but I think the events of "The Menagerie" would be even more interesting if Pike and Spock DIDN'T have a particularly close interpersonal relationship because I remember watching that episode and being a bit curious about why Spock would risk SO much for this man who, in-episode, I don't recall ever having any special bond portrayed with Spock. Spock, in that episode, is more the eager ensign than anyone of special importance and the episode doesn't set any scene aside to show that Pike has especially warm feelings towards him.

Of course, Spock served with Pike for eleven years and their relationship could have grown in that time and I expect the audience is supposed to assume that. (Or make the assumption that any crewman would do the same for their captain but Spock being Vulcan and not shown as particularly close to Pike DOES make you wonder! Especially since this is something Spock elected to do on his own and obviously planned in extreme detail and was willing to DIE over) In-universe, the events of the Menagerie are shown to justify why Spock wants Pike to go to that banned planet specifically - not to justify why He feels He has to do this for Pike but I just find it curious that there isn't even one scene where Pike and young Spock speak in depth to one another. Instead, Pike has that sort of scene with the Doctor. There's only moment I can recall that approaches that and it itself is interesting to me! There's a trilling, musical noise in the air and both Pike and Spock follow it to discover that some plant is emitting the noise. Pike stills one bunch of leaves and Spock stills the other, granting silence. Spock then turns to Pike with a smile and Pike looks back at him for a moment, face blank, before turning away. I like that TOS' Pike has a colder edge to him than Kirk and I can't help but think of his relationship to Spock from Spock's perspective where he's just abandoned his family and was effectively disowned and here, with Pike on Pike's Enterprise, is perhaps the first time he's ever felt like he might belong somewhere and be an asset to someone. Those feelings (whether or not Spock acknowledges them) might be strong enough that it doesn't quite matter how Pike feels about Spock as long as it isn't negative. In fact, maybe the experience of being praised and liked to any extent by a cold, commanding man ties into issues Spock canonically has with Sarek. Here is a man cold and distant enough to feel familiar but with that Human warmth and willingness to show emotion and give praise which Vulcan as a whole and more specifically his father has not been willing to grant Spock. I also can't help thinking of this from the perspective of Spock as a gay man either. Pike's clear longing for domestic bliss, a home with a wife and his beloved horse, can be juxtaposed with Kirk fairly easily to me: Kirk is shown throughout the series to be lonely and to fall in love with women but there's never really the possibility of him leaving the captaincy to be with them. He belongs to the Enterprise, with Spock. Pike's happy ending is being with a woman and Spock sees him there. Meanwhile, I think we all know that Kirk's happy ending does not entail this. It entails being on the Enterprise, a captain, and being with Spock as an extension of that. (Spock, revealed in this episode to have been part of the existing Enterprise staff, is almost an extension of the beloved starship) Perhaps the reason there's no explanation for why Spock is willing to go so far for Pike, to risk his life for a man we don't see as being particularly close to the Vulcan, is the same reason for the inexplicable curing of Spock's fever after 'killing' Kirk, is what I'm saying

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

thinking about the vaguely cannon state of the empires musical again and i think we should exploit that for as much comedy as possible. oli falls out of afterlife and is like “sausage please you have to recognize me from somewhere” and sausage just goes “wait a minute… aren’t you the narrator from the ocean queen musical?” and oli just sort of stares at him for ten minutes before officially giving up.