#i need need need to rewatch calamity eventually

[pocketgalaxies]

watching sam say that watching a dnd liveplay show is not only watching a story play out but also watching a story in the moments it is being written. thinking about that part in calamity when brennan asked marisha what happened to patia's parents and she didn't know and they figured it out together mid-episode and it became such a meaningful moment for that character. thinking thinking thinking. hhhhhhhhhhhhh i love this show

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

What do you think would have happened if Anne remained at Newtopia with Marcy at the end of A Day at the Acquarium?

Ooh what an interesting question! I think it'd depend a lot on why she stayed behind, because if she stayed because Marcy insisted that she had to it would be very different from her staying because she wanted to help Marcy.

I think Anne leaving Marcy behind is very thematically relevant because it show her forming bonds and connections outside of her two middle school friends. She and the Plantars refer to each other as family repeatedly during that episode, with Polly jokingly calling her "sister", and when they're leaving, Anne says "let's go home". She's really come to see Wartwood as her home and the Plantars as her family, and rewatching that episode I kept thinking about how the calamity trio drifted apart as they grew up and I realized... if course they did, and that isn't a bad thing. It means their world grew. They grew. Losing friends, making new friends, leaving some people behind, reconnecting with them... it's all an important coming-of-age process. It's also worth noting the Plantars are the healthiest bond Anne has in Amphibia, with Sprig and Polly being the only people that never betrayed her and were consistenly honest with her. Sprig in particular helped her heal from Sasha's abuse and break free from her influence. No wonder she put him above Sasha and Marcy during True Colors 😭 like at this point he was the only person she could trust.

So, Anne choosing the Plantars over Marcy in ADATA has a double meaning for her.

Firstly, it's an important step forward in Anne's arc. It's her loosening her ties with her old friends a little bit in favor of expanding her world and making more connections. I think this is ultimately a positive thing, because her relationship with Marcy and Sasha was a very toxic one and the distance, growth and perspective that represents her relationship with the Plantars is what eventually saves the original friend group, not to mention Anne's relationship with herself, since her bond with the Plantars encouraged her to grow and form a stronger sense of self (something her friendship with Sasha stunted).

Secondly, it's a step backwards in her relationship with Marcy. You can't have everything. Anne and Marcy's relationship before Amphibia was defined by Anne's lack of interest for Marcy's inner world (not only her interests but her insecurities, her passions, her fears etc) and Marcy's comformity with the crumbs of affection Anne gave her. Marcy repressed her pain until it exploded in the most destructive way possible, kidnapping her friends, taking their lives, families and futures from them so she could have them all for herself. That's some very toxic yuri if I've ever seen any. In this case, Marcy is asking Anne to stay with her, and Anne chooses the Plantars over helping her friend who she hasn't seen in months. She doesn't care much that she's leaving Marcy to do the bulk of the work before their mission alone, or that Marcy may want to keep her friend close after so many months away. You could easily read this as Anne disregarding Marcy's needs and feelings.

Now, I think there were a lot of assumptions Anne made there that contributed to her making that choice. If Marcy had explicitly told her she wanted her close because she missed her and didn't want to be separated again, or that she'd be moving away with her family once their adventure was over, I think Anne might have seriously considered staying. Anne's decision to leave with the Plantars was greatly influenced by her fear of not seeing them again and her desire to make the most of their time together. She also saw Marcy thrive in Newtopia and likely believed she didn't really need her. Marcy kept giving these "logical" explanations instead of telling Anne how she felt, and Anne bought it, so as soon as Marcy told her her presence wouldn't be so crucially required, Anne felt free to go, not to mention Marcy herself validated her desire to leave.

So when we ask what would change if Anne stayed, I think it's important to consider what that would mean for both Anne and Marcy, and that would be determined by what made Anne stay in the first place. It'd be entirely different if Anne stayed because Marcy didn't tell her to leave vs. If Marcy had opened up about why she wanted Anne to stay and Anne made the decision to be with her. And even then, it would vary depending on how much Marcy tells her. Does she just tell her she didn't want them to be separate again? Or did she also tell her she'd move away when they went back home? The more honest Marcy is here, the "healthier" it is when Anne stays.

In that way, we have a spectrum, from More Healthy ( + Marcy honesty) to Less Healthy (- Marcy Honesty).

Best case scenario: Marcy tells Anne why she wants her to be with her and Anne freely chooses to stay in Newtopia. She says goodbye to the Plantars and tells them she really needs to be with Marcy, and that Marcy really needs her. It makes her realize she hasn't really been all that aware of Marcy's emotional needs and she takes note to pay more attention. It would also be a miraculously big jump in Marcy's character arc, since she's pretty much not in the place to open up like that yet. Still, let's imagine something pushed her, maybe they had a bit of an argument paralleling the one they had in Marcy at the Gates in which Anne admitted to being overprotective because she was scared of losing Marcy again. A great step, since she would realize that, huh, maybe being honest about your emotions DOES work!

So, Anne tries to stays in her room in the Hemisphere Hotel for one full night but the loneliness is haunting. Insert some typical Amphibia episode hijinks in which she tries to beat feeling alone and kinda anxious in her lonely hotel room by going to some kind of bar inside the hotel to chat with some tourists until she unexpectedly has an emotional conversation with some stranger about how this is her first time being all alone in a big city, or something like that, which leads her to realize that 1) she's not all alone - Marcy is in the palace! And 2) this was probably how Marcy has been feeling for the past three months. Am I saying she sneaks into the castle for an improptu sleepover and almost gets killed by the security measures installed by Marcy herself? Probably. But she does show up knocking on her balcony door with a few cuts and scratches, and with a bag full of snacks to convince Marcy to let her sleep in her room for the night.

Marcy didn't need to be asked twice.

The next day, she's assigned a new room in the palace, likely in the same hallway as Marcy's. Palace hijinks ensue: sleepovers every week, Anne helping out with the research (though mostly she just provides snacks), little adventures in Newtopia in which Marcy shows Anne all her favorite spots in the city and teaches her about its secrets, and eventually, Anne beginning to realize Andrias means bad bussiness and trying to talk to Marcy about it, though Marcy denies the possibility a little too much.

The whole Temple stuff is a lot more lonely without the Plantars, though I imagine Anne may want to ask Marcy to take her on visits to Wartwood regularly. It's also likely that the Plantars might want to join them in the temples, though I think it's more interesting, for the sake of this AU, to wonder how the first and second temples would have been like if we only have marcanne around. It'd possibly be more personal? I don't think it'd change toooo much at this point, the meat of this AU would really just be marcanne adventures in Newtopia together.

Now, worst case scenario: Anne stays because Marcy just insisted so much, but she never really opens up to her about anything. Plot-wise it's similar to the first scenario but more depressing. Instead of Anne going out of her way to have fun adventures with her best friend before they have to separate, she's just dragging her feet through the preparations for the journey, trying to smile whenever she sees Marcy being happy, but it's not easy. She keeps wondering if she'll ever see the Plantars again. She jumps at any oportunityn to leave Newtopia on Joe Sparrow in hopes of convincing Marcy to take her to visit Wartwood. Marcy originally thinks this is Anne wanting to join her on her travels, only to slowly realize Anne keeps thinking about places far away from her with people who aren't her. This is a scenario in which Marcy doesn't make the selfless decision to send Anne back with the Plantars, so she's being pretty morally questionable here, priorizing her own desires over Anne's in a very possesive way. This Marcy probably feels a lot of guilt about keeping Anne trapped with her but whenever she thinks about sending her back to Wartwood, she's overcome with the fear of losing her together. In her mind, she's just trying to spend time with her best friend and strengthen their friendship. She tries to take Anne on little trips and adventures that she thinks she will like, and Anne does enjoy a lot of these, don't get me wrong. It's not all bad times. But she does miss her frog family.

In the end, I think a different understanding of Marcy's motivations (like the fact that she's scared of losing her friends, and that she was going to move away) might affect how Anne sees her betrayal later on.

[trashworldblog]

METATRON IS SUCH A MASTER MANIPULATOR MOTHERFUCKER AND I HATE HIM SO MUCH OMYGOD HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING

(written all in one go after rewatching the finale, apologies for mistakes)

1) he went in person, although he SAID this wasnt that big of a deal, i seems like it definitely fucking was. not only does it make him seem more "just like you!" and likeable, he can also do things like bring aziraphale coffee to warm him up. (coffee that has almond extract in it, btw. that could be used as a threat of eventual calamity, or simply that god is watching. which also could be a threat that if angel doesn't take this offer, he could fall)

2) he resolved a complication in aziraphale's favor. he swooped right in with perfect timing in order to do so. it definitely was no coincidence that the second the angels started threatening extreme sanctions, the megatron stepped in and put them in their place. for aziraphale's entire existence, it seems like those angels have been making angel's life painful, and shutting them up so quickly must seem like a godsend (lmao) to him.

3) taking aziraphale away from crowley (basically isolating him) to chat about promoting him. ok, to be fair, this a bit of a stretch. but i think it still plays a role! after fixing up that whole mess and offering angel a latte, he asks to speak in private. crowley easily lets them go, likely because of the previous points, maybe some devine intervention, and metatron gets aziraphale alone. he talks about it like its a promotion (i thought aziraphale was retired?) and all the perks he will have. he can work with crowley! as an angel! together! (note how he can seem to only work with crowley AFTER he becomes an angel again. something the metatron already expects crowley to refuse). it seems like a perfect deal after everything they just went through.

4) he brings him back to crowley to "break the good news" knowing that crowley will hate the news, and they will end up fighting about it. he even says so after he picks angel back up (but we'll get to that in a bit). he must know quite a bit about the two of them, and how they have major troubles communicating with each other. he knows he's buttered up aziraphale enough to make him think this is a perfect ending for them, and he knows that after everything crowley's experienced (and completely losing the rose colored glasses that heaven seems to give to all the angels) they will definitely disagree about the whole offer, AND they wont be able to talk about WHY its a terrible offer for both of them. they also will struggle to see things from the other's perspective and will blow up into a big miscommunication mess.

5) after that major rejection (and the shock that comes with a rejection as big as that one) megatron sweeps on back, giving aziraphale no time to process what crowley was saying or why he was saying it, and takes him off to heaven with no lose ends at all. "dont worry about a thing! muirel will look after the bookshop. anything else you need? no? well, on our way!" at this point, the metatron easily looks like a night in shining armor for aziraphale. here to stop those mean angels from destroying him, accepting his dear friend crowley, hammering a wedge between the two of them, and coming back to save his day and take him to heaven to his new job.

6) he very subtly shits on crowley. it can't be major, yet, but a big part of manipulating someone is to isolate them, often by talking about how terrible they are. he starts doing this by saying "well he was always the type to go his own way" its subtle enough to fly under the radar, but it tells aziraphale : well, crowley is always on his own. he isn't with heaven, he isnt with hell. He's on his own side. and he likes to do things just to oppose and upset others! you couldn't possibly be with him. you just had a huge disagreement! how often does that happen between you two?

7) i wasn't sure where to put this one, but this all happens so fast. aziraphale doesn't have much time to think, weigh his options, and less time to talk to crowley about it. metatron swoops in, fixes the issue, grabs angel, explains everything, and picks him up as soon as crowley leaves. angel has no time to recover from *waves vaugely at love confession and angry kiss* all he can do is look around helplessly, struggle to put on a brave face, and accept that this is whats happening now.

okay great. theres 7 reasons the metatron is a big manipulating bitch but WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

when we pick back up with the boys aziraphale is gonna be either chugging the coolaid (please neil if this happens i will cry again) Or angel will be seeing through what is being played to him (demonic intervention? tbh this is less likely but it makes me less sad so i want to include it). um so expect the metatron and other angelic things to be huge manipulating bastards, and for aziraphale and crowley to learn the hard way why communicating properly is so important with your partner.

i think the second coming is a big thing (idk just a guess lol) and the metatron needs a good leader (that he can manipulate quite a bit). maybe he's planning something, maybe this is just how heaven does things.

either way, im excited to hear more next season. keep rewatching s2 for renewal, support the wga and sag aftra in the strike, i hope it ends soon with payment and benefits going to the amazingly talented writers and actors that made this show possible. i know a lot of people are hoping the next season is done quickly, but i just want a good third season, and that takes time and effort. thank you, neil, for this amazing story. good luck making s3! <3

[amihyperfixatingagain]

hello hello! I’ve read some of your posts about Ludinus and the matron and I wanted to add that in ep 19 (doing a rewatch) it’s mentioned that one of the important figures who were somewhat believed to be ruidusborn was in fact the matron of ravens…

If she is, what if she was able to send Vax there at the key because she felt the pull from ruidus all along? what if she had dreams about it? what if she’s an exaltant as well?

Howdy! Thanks for the ask; I love theorizing like this!

Oooooo, talk about a long con! Using her ascension to get close to the gods, maybe to learn more about Predathos, and then building a following under the guise of religion that’ll eventually be responsible for releasing the God Eater. Fucking fascinating. 

I've been asking myself ever since our raven boy got orbed, "Why him?" And this idea may lend some answers to that. Now I personally love Vax and his whole story with the Matron in C1, so I’d like to believe that if she did ascend with the intent of using her newfound power to help release Predathos, something made her change her mind…  So let's start there:

Maybe she absorbed the previous god of death’s memories, hoping to learn how to break the divine cage around Ruidus, and instead realized how catastrophic that idea could be. Her newfound closeness with the prime deities most likely revealed a lot of new information to her.

Maybe ending up behind the divine gate after the calamity helped diminish the “pull” from Predathos, and she could finally think more freely. 

Maybe she’s been able to keep the “pull” at bay for centuries, but during this particular Apogee Solstice, the tug was uniquely strong, and she couldn’t help but send Vax. (I like to think he actually went to Keyleth against the Matron's orders, but that's beside the point.) 

Maybe she sent Vax there not knowing Ludinus’s intent/plan but just cause she felt she “needed” to. There’s the "pull" again...

The Matron is very neutral to me (and so far canonically, she’s as true neutral as you can get), so it’s hard to believe that she could be secretly evil, or at least intentionally secretly evil. So, if she is Ruidus born and potentially an Exaltant, is she resisting the call much like Imogen is, or does she not even know she's being beckoned?

On the other hand, The Matron consciously participating in the release of Predathos as a god herself is enthralling. Has Predathos promised not to eat her in the same way it's (theoretically) told Ludinus it won't eat Exandria? Did Predathos tell her how to ascend?

Based on my other theory, which you can read here, if the Matron was Ludinus's mother; was she teaching him about Predathos before she ascended? Did she just plant seeds in his brain? Or was this a more fleshed-out plan from the beginning? Was Vespin involved? Was releasing the Betrayers and starting The Calamity part of the plan? A failed distraction, maybe? The potential story threads with this idea are endless.

This is such a fun premise to explore! Thanks again for the excuse to continue speculating!

[saystheonewithaguitar]

Further reflections on Brennan's DMing in ExU: Calamity

As I'm rewatching the finale of Calamity and clipping my favourite scenes, one thing I have to say is that Brennan not holding back and allowing himself to fully embody the darkness in the plot and various NPCs (Asmodeus in particular) is probably the main reason why Calamity has been so compelling and cathartic to watch.

We as humans tend to push away our shadow, the darkness that lies within. We recoil from it. On the extreme end of the spectrum, *gestures vaguely at human history* too much darkness is what leads to...well, Calamity. Tragedy. Unspeakable acts of horror.

In life, darkness and light must coexist. They must balance each other out. The sun rises and sets every day, giving way to the moon. They take turns. What would happen if the sun shone 24/7 for eternity? Or conversely, what if the sky was sucked into an endless abyss of darkness, only illuminated by the light of the moon? It's important not to ignore pain and suffering, and equally, the darkness needs to give way to the light eventually.

The only way out is through.

Catharsis. Balance. To see this portrayed so beautifully in a miniseries about a TTRPG makes me love the arts more.

tl;dr : Everyone could use some therapy and Brennan Lee Mulligan is a fucking badass.

[theyapper0]

Amphibia season 1 rewatch + notes :)

So I just finished rewatching the ENTIRE season 1 of Amphibia and I have some notes on the episodes that stood out to me! There are some quick notes, a couple lengthy analyses and even some headcanons sprinkled in! It's like a written stew of season 1! I'll be doing a written Amphiba stew for season 2 too!!

It's kinda long so you could just skip this or hit the keep reading button and give it a read! 

S1: E2 Cane Crazy

Anne shows general disregard over other people's things

(Mimicking Hop Pop and breaking his cane, throwing all the wood carving things that Loggle made, even a coo coo clock that she even said was nice (And for him to say it took 20 years to make right after she broke it))

S1: E2 Flood, Sweat and Tears 

Anne would be the WORST during sleepovers and I LOVE IT!!! My girl is just being a tween, staying up late, playing would you rather and keeping everyone else up. I think that's ADORABLE and now I'm thinking about how sleepovers might've been back home with her, Sasha and Marcy… 

She also just stays up late in general?? She reads dumb magazines and eats CRUNCHY snacks. She is really just 13,,,

And it looks like Sprig does it too, not as much as Anne (probably because he is younger than her) but it seems like it has to be in his terms. Before, he looked to be annoyed with it when he was trying to sleep. But, if he was awake, like in the beginning or at the end of the episode, he had no problem staying up playing would you rather!!! 

S1: E3 Hop Luck 

Anne: Old things are dumb! 

And 

Anne:* violently GRABS Sprig and shoves him against the wall* don't you DARE talk about pineapple in my pizza… Ever…

Anne: 

Sprig: 

Anne: Okay! Let's go get these ingredients! 

HHHH ANNE!!! I love this funky little child SO MUCH!!! 

Hop Pop loves these kids so much that he was willing to put aside his old, traditional family recipes in exchange for making pizza with them. My heart is gonna explode I'm-

Anne please don't make your surrogate frog brother get married just to get some pizza dough I'M BEGGING YOU-

S1: E3 Stakeout 

Hop Pop: I'm a crisp 68!

Is Hop Pop actually 68 or does he mean more of 68 going on 80 68? Either way he looks great! 

Anne has Blam Berry Blitz ("the drink that punches you in the face and doesn't stop") in her bag along with all the OTHER stuff we already saw (air pump, toe nail clipper, pencils, cat toys, bath bombs, etc)

Anne is officially those friends that have EVERYTHING in their bag no matter what. 

I really like the relationship between Anne and Hop Pop, how they both in some way yearn for what was but in different ways (Anne wanting to go home and Hop Pop's olden ways when he was a little pollywog) but are still similar in how they try to remember. They try and try and try to keep what little family/friends they have safe and protected. They love the relationships they've formed with other people (And with each other) and would go great lengths to help and protect them!

Also I MAY be looking way too into it buuuut was Boulder-Tron (that rock dude that Polly hallucinated at the end) supposed to foreshadow Frobo??

S1: E4 Taking Charge 

Okay quick one, Anne nearly having a whole ass panic attack when her phone dies because she couldn't look at her photos or videos of home actually made me sad. This girl is only a CHILD and her entire home and everything is gone and she for real thought she couldn't ever get it back,,, 

Hop Pop: I mean, the part where the island itself is revealed to actually be…!

Sprig: No! 

Polly: Don't!

Anne: Spoilers 

I dunno why and again, I MIGHT BE LOOKING TOO DEEPLY INTO THIS, but maybe this is foreshadowing something with the land of Amphibia? That maybe there is more to this crazy land than we know? Maybe even a reason it, along with all the other universes even exists??? 

S1: E5 Breakout Star 

AHSBWJOA ONLY EPISODE 5 AND ANNE ALREADY HAS HER PHONE'S LOCK SCREEN OF THE PLANTER FAMILY I'M-

S1: E7 Dating Season 

Anne said that ⅔ of ALL soul mates start out as "just friends" 

…

I'm looking at you, team Sashannarcy 

S1: E7 Anne vs. Wild 

Hop Pop's behavior at the end of the episode when Anne finally shows them the calamity box is awfully sus…

He doesn't say anything but "may I?" To inspect the box and then is like "Nope, never seen it" I just feel like he knows something and then adding onto it with the whole burying it to protect his family just sounds like… he definitely knows something, maybe not a lot but there is something he's not telling the others 

Also, why would a book that HE has have information on the Calamity box?? 

(I fully support the Dr. P was a Planter and also possibly the pink frog who was friends with King Andrias theory)

S1: E10 Toad Tax 

At this point, Anne said that she has already been in Amphibia for over a month now. 

(And damn, Sasha's been in prison for like a month,,, yikes)

Also Hop Pop teaching Anne how to pay taxes is so adorable, she really is part of this family now guys,,,

And I love how Anne was able to win over the Wartwood people by being her natural, charming and not to mention caring self. Anne, like Marcy and Sasha, can be selfish because honestly what kid, especially a 13 year old, isn't. 

But what matters is that she always tries to make up for it. 

Yes she did join the arguably sketchy toads into getting the taxes from everyone in order to feel somewhat included in ANYTHING, but while she was doing it, she knew it was wrong. Anne knew it was wrong and tried to give back some of the stolen stuff. Hell, even at the end she risked her safety to protect people she felt didn't even LIKE her, like, Anne literally broke her arm from them because that's just how Anne is. 

S1: E10 Prison Break 

I always forget how like,,, SUPER cunning Sasha is. I mean, she was able to talk FIVE toads into quitting within a WEEK as a PRISONER. Like?? 

Grime: That's not a bird. It's a heron, a murderous predator that happens to love the taste of flesh 

Sasha: Cute 

The lines in this show I'M-

So Anne was a varsity tennis player and Sasha was a cheerleader and did Tai Chi. I still can't believe they were both jocks,,, 

(Well, Sasha I get but Anne? Sweet ol' lil baby with the lanky limbs Anne???) 

Hey um, why the FUCK does Grime have acid spit?

Sasha: *looking at photo of her, Anne, and Marcy* Hold on for a little longer, girls. I'm coming for you. And when I find you, we're gonna get home. But first, I think we're gonna have some fun with this place 

Okay so this line right here. Now I may not be even remotely correct but this line, this last piece of dialogue spoken by Sasha right before the episode ends leads me to believe that she… doesn't take this world seriously. 

At least not yet. 

I think the 3 girls all see Amphibia differently: Anne as more of an obstacle, a wall preventing her from being home, Marcy sees it as an escape from her life with constant stimuli, and Sasha, she sees it as just really another thing to control. Everyone and their mothers know that Sasha can be a little more than controlling and we all know that she liked being lieutenant just a little too much. 

This world is interesting to Sasha, not in the interesting that Anne sees it (who is interesting in the new people and the relationships she's formed) or Marcy (who is also interested in the relationships she's formed along with the thirst for knowledge and again, the constant stimuli in an environment where she isn't stifled and allowed to flourish). 

No, Sasha sees Amphibia as interesting because it gives her something to control. In a world that is not your own, a world that you will leave eventually, who would actually FOLLOW the rules put in place there? Especially a 13 year old who is basically like a war commander who, even if she does do something wrong or breaks a rule or two, the only person who might even dare to stop her is Grime, and even then, he might just encourage it because it is season 1 and they aren't that close and he doesn't really care for Sasha at this point. 

She also is actually very logical. Everything she does in Amphibia, all the morally questionable things she does, it is always for the same reason (or at least at first), to get her and her girls home. Wanting to sacrifice and kill Hop Pop at the end of season 1? Well The toads had promised if she helped, they'll help her find Marcy and bring the 3 of them home. She cares for Anne and Marcy SO MUCH that she is willing to go great lengths to help keep them safe. 

But even though Sasha didn't really care about anyone in Amphibia besides Anne and Marcy at first, it doesn't mean she won't ever. We see countless times throughout season 2 of Sasha caring. She feels regret with her impending betrayal on Anne and Marcy, she cares enough to try and warn Anne about King Andrias' evil plans. Hell, even in the season 3 intro we see her and Grime at Wartwood and it looks like they're gonna be starting another rebellion against the king to help all the amphibians in Amphibia. 

I just really like watching Sasha's appearance and knowing what will happen in the future with her character. 

S1: E13 Trip to the Archives 

Anne: I get this place. It's like a library from my world. Zoo books and manga, here I come! 

So whenever Anne goes to the library, presumably with Sasha and Marcy, she'd go straight to books on animals and manga probably while Marcy did whatever work they needed (if Anne's dialogue in season 2 with Marcy always doing the work for their group projects was anything to go off on)

I dunno, I think that's kinda cute that Anne liked reading books on animals and probably reading all the manga that Marcy recommended. 

Maybe Anne and Sasha would sit right next to each other while Marcy worked and read fun manga together and cackle with each other while Marcy tried SO HARD to concentrate and NOT infodump to them because she's read that specific manga 20 times and HAVE YOU GOTTEN TO THAT ONE PART WHERE THE MAIN CHARACTER GOES- 

S1: E15 Wally and Anne

MOSS MAN!! 

When Anne wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to grab Wally at town square, her hood is up and it's dark. The only thing we can make out of her face are…

Glowing blue eyes.

Glowing eyes that share an uncanny resemblance to the moss men.

And Anne loves doing elaborate, silly handshakes? That's so CUTE! Too bad none of her friends liked them as much as she did :( 

When they finally reached the foggy mountain place, Anne noticed glowing blue butterflies and started to follow them, which led her right to the moss man.

WAIT ANNE ALSO DID ROCK CLIMBING BACK HOME?? FUCKING JOCK!!!

S1 E20 Reunion 

Okay I WAS about to say that there wasn't anything to say about this last episode that hasn't already been said before BUT

The last couple moments, when Anne is holding Sasha off the cliff and trying to pull her up with the Planters, there's a couple interesting shots that I would like to talk about. 

While the Planters were holding onto Anne, they say things like "Hang on, Anne! We got you no matter what!" 

And even when the stone cliff starts to chip and break, none of the frogs back off, they don't loosen their grips, they just keep holding onto Anne. 

And they will never let go. 

Because they love her. Because in only 3 months, Anne was able to get a surrogate frog family and dozens of other frog friends in Wortwood. Because Anne has this amazing support system both literally and metaphorically. Because Anne is Anne. And Sasha...

Isn't like Anne. 

Matt Bradly himself even said that both Sasha and Anne are different from Anne, Anne is the heart, the emotional connection in their logical worlds. Anne can make so many friends so easily and Sasha… Sasha became a war genral, she lost a fight against the one person who she thought would never fight back. 

Sasha doesn't have what Anne has. She doesn't have the kind of skills to make such strong relationships, the kind where you risk your life for the other, in such a short amount of time. 

Hell, they even play a song called "Lean on Me", Anne has people to lean on and they would lean on her just the same. She found these people, made these friends, formed amazing relationships, in only THREE months. 

"Maybe you're better off without me"

And Sasha was only dragging her down. 

Sasha loves Anne, she cares for her and would do anything to protect her. That's why she let go. She didn't want to drag Anne down, to hurt her more than she already has. 

Sasha would do anything for Anne, even die. 

Over all notes: 

Season 1 is SUPER FUNNY!! The lines hit and they don't rely on toilet humor to get the audience to laugh. They use great one liners and physical humor that isn't fart or butt jokes. They do an excellent job on showing how crazy the world of Amphibia is through humor like how the animals are always eating each other. 

I really like how the characters were crafted so carefully! And the storyline!!! You could notice things that get explored in season 2 and I can't WAIT to see how many bread crumbs were left to lead up to season 3!

HOW DOES ANNE KEEP SO MANY THINGS IN HER BOOK BAG??? 

That stuff is in her SCHOOL BAG, why would she bring it to school??? So far I've got an air pump, toe nail clippers, pencils, cat toys, bath bombs and an energy drink. WHY??? I wonder if she held on to any of Sasha or Marcy's things too or ever forgot to give them back

Also again, I'M STILL IN SHOCK OF ANNE BEING A JOCK. I don't even know why I am, I knew she played sports and stuff it's just,,, she's so lanky,,, 

Her and Sasha are jock buddies and WILL shove other jocks in lockers if they ever pick on their nerd Marcy.

I also am in LOVE with Hop Pop's screams lmao

Be ready for an analysis of season 2! 

[thegrandromantic]

The Yiga Conspiracy

A/N: This is the first chapter of a new multichapter postgame Breath of the Wild fic I’m starting. Eventually it will be uploaded to fanfiction.net and I’ll make another post linking it so anyone who wants can follow the story there.

Chapter 1 - Quiet

The tree was solid against my back, the grass tickled my legs, and I took a deep breath of the clear Hylian air. We had stopped to rest under an expansive tree atop a foothill just south of the Dueling Peaks. My eyes were closed, feigning a nap. In reality I was keeping my ears peeled for the smallest crack of twigs, the metallic scrape of Yiga weapons being unsheathed. They’d dogged me all through my journey across Hyrule. Now that I travelled with the princess, the danger had only increased. The only sound that came was the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves above me, the slight rustle of grass, and the familiar light stomping tread of the princess. She was surveying the area’s wildlife, I could hear her humming an old Hylian song under her breath which I knew she often did as she researched.

It had been… at least three months since I defeated Calamity Ganon. I had always been bad at keeping track of time, and dates were hardly remembered by anyone in Hyrule except farmers. People tended to worry less about what day was on the calendar and more about not getting killed by the monsters still plaguing all of the wilds. It turned out that defeating Calamity Ganon hadn’t put a stop to the blood moons, so monsters just kept coming back no matter how hard we tried to fight them.

I thought that when I met Zelda again, I would finally remember all of it. My whole past and childhood from 100 years ago would finally come rushing back to me right when I saw her face. I was so sure of it, staring at her face over and over again as I rewatched my old memories on the Sheikah slate. Somehow I knew she would be the key to all of my memory problems. Well, I thought I knew at least.

It turns out 100 years of single handedly holding off the apocalypse had taken its toll on the princess. I certainly couldn’t blame her for holding some resentment for me. Every day I kicked myself for not having the words to apologize for what she went through, for not being strong enough to save her 100 years ago… there were so many things I knew I owed her an apology for. Things had been terse between us since I rescued her. I suppose I was always terse, but Zelda had taken on an air of stern hostility that I had only seen her with during what had seemed like the earlier memories of our relationship on the Sheikah slate. I was sure that my continued silence wasn’t going to earn me any favors with the princess, but no words felt like they could be enough to describe the size of what we’d been through together. My memory didn’t come back.

After all, what would I have said, “I’m sorry”? For what? I hadn’t created Calamity Ganon, the only thing I had to apologize for would be my own weakness, and I knew the princess would hear none of that. She had always been the type to blame herself for these types of things and I’m sure she was feeling just as much guilt as I was over not being able to awaken her powers soon enough. Still, there were so many things I needed to tell her. I mean, the last time we had been together had been 100 years ago, when I still had my memories. I was sure I was a completely changed person from who I had been before. Not that I really felt like I even knew who I was before. When I saw the young man dutifully and silently following the princess around in memories on the Sheikah Slate, he looked like a stranger to me. After I came out of the Shrine of Resurrection and recovered those first few memories I knew I had changed.

Something in my old expressions I think. Before, I protected Zelda not out of any sense of personal loyalty or even really a sense of fondness. Everywhere I showed up in my old memories I had the same blank expression. I was there, doing my job, trying my best to protect a princess who didn’t want protection. It was all duty, all responsibility, with how big a job it felt at the time I hadn’t even considered that I was allowed to have feelings about it. I realized in the panicked moments after I awoke from my slumber with a blank slate for a mind and saw my reflection for the first time in the Sheikah Slate I had finally seen real fear in my eyes. Of course at the time I hadn’t known this was unusual for me but I noticed that the more I learned about my past and the more I remembered who I had been I became more and more convinced that I was never meant to be a knight or a bodyguard. I was meant to be a hero, and I swore that I would be the one to define what that meant, no one could force my fate upon me.

So, I had set out to learn as much as I could about my old self, as well as my new self. One of the first things I realized was that my gender felt… all wrong. I felt that my connection to being a “man” whatever that meant, had simply disappeared. It felt like just another vestige of my old life, yet another thing I had dutifully accepted when the world tried to force it upon me. I realized that I found myself connecting more with a feminine presentation and at first, it was scary. I quickly realized that gender was yet another thing the citizens of Hyrule simply can’t be bothered to worry about though. I found it remarkably easy to “pass” and even the few times I’d had to correct people they’d always apologized profusely and accepted it right away. All of this though, I had yet to tell the princess about. It felt like… a weird time to bring it up, I guess.

With how quiet we had both been since traveling together, it almost never came up anyway. I would cringe inwardly when the princess spoke for me and misgendered me. This had really only happened 2 or 3 times since we’d met again though, which goes to show you just how little we talked during those first few months.

I was broken out of my long reflection by the princess’s familiar firm but graceful touch on my arm. She left her hand on my arm as I opened my eyes and feigned a yawn. She was crouched in front of me, staring with surprising intensity right into my eyes,

“Wake up, sleepyhead. We’ve got a ways to go if we want to make it to Kakariko village today.”

I simply nodded and began silently collecting my few belongings, loading them onto my horse. Zelda began her preparations as well, and I kept stealing small glances at her as she worked. That was another change from 100 years ago. Suddenly, I felt like I could hardly look at Zelda for too long at a time. She seemed radiant, bright as the sun, and I relished each moment I did get to see her.

“You know, there were some really fascinating flowers I’d never seen until now not far from here. They were so beautiful…” Zelda trailed off reverently.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Zelda had learned by now to watch my face for responses, since I didn’t really talk much.

“We could go and see them if you like?” Zelda offered, heaving herself up onto her horse.

I joined her on horseback and stared into the middle distance for a moment. It was strange, I had so rarely been asked about what I wanted to do that I almost didn’t know how to respond. But I had been dying for some touch of femininity. Since meeting Zelda again, I’d felt like I was holding myself back from my more feminine impulses again. I finally nodded.

“Excellent!” Zelda kicked her horse and began trotting down the hill I’d been relaxing atop. We rode for about 5 minutes before coming to a small clearing in the middle of the woods just north of us, across the river around Batrea Lake. Sure enough, there was a little patch of pretty yellow and orange flowers. Zelda dismounted her horse again so I followed suit. She knelt down to smell the flowers. I knelt next to her, very delicately grazing a petal with one finger and burying my face in the patch to get a whiff of the smell.

“My, Link… you have quite a gentle touch for such a strong and stoic knight. What an enigma you are,” Zelda grinned, looking suddenly up from the flowers and at me.

I found it almost unbearable when she looked at me. It was that sense of overwhelming radiance but a thousand times more intense. I felt my cheeks heat up and leaned back and away from the flowers, staring ahead and running a hand through my hair. 

“Ah, I didn’t mean to tease…” Zelda said with that baleful sadness in her voice that spoke of the unspoken 100 year history between us, “I find it quite admirable, in fact.” Zelda leaned down and plucked one of the flowers, bringing it close to her nose and inhaling deeply before turning to me and holding it gently near my head, her hand hovering a few inches away. It was close enough that my skin prickled and I could feel her slight warmth, “May I?” she asked.

I nodded, and she placed the flower just over my ear, it’s stem gently twisted into my hair. I stood and walked over to the nearby Batrea lake, and knelt by the water to take in my reflection.

“It’s quite pretty, don’t you think?” Zelda appeared behind me, I saw her reflection appear slowly beside mine as she approached.

I blushed again and nodded at the water, still not daring to look directly at her. 

She was unafraid to look right at me. I felt as though she was… seeing right through me, seeing all of me. Even all the feelings I’d tried so hard to hide for the sake of my duty. As she stared into me, trying to uncover all my secrets, I felt a tear come to my eye and roll down my cheek, dripping once into the water.

“Link? What is it?” Zelda placed her hand on my shoulder, still standing just beside me at the water’s edge.

I dried the tear with a bit of a scowl at my emotional slip, but my face softened again when the ripple my tear caused began to clear and I saw Zelda’s reflection again. Her touch was warm but soft on my shoulder. I turned to her, not rising from my kneeling position. I took her hand in mine, gently as I could manage. I lowered my head so we were in a similar position as we had been when she’d sworn me in as her knight 100 years ago. I remembered the grim ceremony like it was yesterday, the champions had been impossible to convince that it was even necessary, and with how Zelda’s attitude had been about the day I was almost inclined to agree with them.

That moment had locked Zelda and I into our fates, bound us together forever. It was at that moment that we became the hero and the princess, not Link and Zelda. We were fated to suffer at the hands of Ganon’s evil, Hyrule’s only hope of surviving the seemingly inevitable apocalypse. I found myself hoping Zelda would be reminded of that moment together as well. I realized that in this gesture I was communicating what was wrong… being Zelda’s knight and then her hero had been what had kept us apart all this time. That moment was what was creating this insurmountable wall between us. I just hoped against hope that she would understand.

“Link…” she trailed off, it had been hard to tell but I thought I’d heard that her voice was a bit choked. My suspicion that she was crying was confirmed when I felt some tears drip gently onto the back of my head, “Haven’t we been like this long enough?” She asked, pulling her hand away from mine and finally kneeling down to my level. She gently brushed a hand against my cheek where the tear I had let go had left its track. I could tell she wanted me to look at her, and finally, I felt like maybe I could. I looked her right in the eyes, something I had rarely had the chance to do. Her eyes were still glistening with her tears. I nodded, and imitated the gentle motion she had used to dry my tears on one of her cheeks.

Zelda used her sleeve to dry her other cheek and stood up offering her hand again. I took it, but this time she pulled me up off the ground out of my kneeling position, “I’ll have no more of this stoic hero business,” Zelda said with finality, “I can tell that isn’t you, Link. I may not know who you really are yet, but now it is your turn to decide what kind of man you want to be. Because... Hyrule doesn’t need a hero anymore, Hyrule needs Link.”

Something in the way she said Hyrule, maybe the hesitation just before that made me think she’d wanted to say something else, but had perhaps thought better of it. I had cringed when she used the word “man” and realized that now might genuinely be the best time I could have hoped for to tell her… to finally bare some part of myself to her, to finally show her the real Link below all the duty and titles. I had to think for a long time about how to say it, but Zelda had always been patient at waiting for me to speak. My voice croaked slightly as I spoke from lack of use, but at last I began, “I… don’t want to be a man,” I said bluntly.

Zelda’s calm facade faltered for just a moment and her eyes widened in surprise but it seemed, that on consideration, the idea settled on her and she responded, “Tell me, truly, who are you?” 

“I’m… a woman.”

“Well that doesn’t answer my question silly,” Zelda said laughing, “though I want you to know I’ve ah… had my suspicions for a while.”

I blushed, unsure of what else to say now.

“I think its something in that more gentle side of you I’ve been seeing today… and more and more every day since we’ve defeated Ganon. You’ve treated me with such gentle consideration… so many small kindnesses, and such a gentle understanding for my feelings, even on the days I was absolutely fuming at you. I’ve only ever seen that kind of gentle care from the other women in my life… my mother and Impa for instance.”

I nodded and managed a small grin, pleased at how reaffirming Zelda was being of my feelings, what few I had managed to express to her.

“I must say I felt rather bold in my compliment earlier…” she said, reaching out to cup the flower she’d put in my hair in her hand, “Now it seems even more fitting though, you are… beautiful, Link.” There was something in the way she’d said the word beautiful that made it resonate deep to my core. She had sounded so completely sincere, and almost… urgent, like there was something bigger she desperately needed to communicate with that one word.

“Ah… perhaps I’m being a bit forward again,” she said, replying to my stunned silence and pulling her hand away. It was torturous to have come so close to a moment of intimacy but something in me refused to speak out or correct her. As she turned and walked back toward our horses, gently petting hers and rummaging in her saddlebag for an apple to give it I just… silently followed suit, hefting myself back onto my horses back, ready to move on toward Kakariko.

It felt strange… leaving those woods. Leaving that moment together behind as only memory. Still, there was definitely something changed between Zelda and I. Where we had been riding with her in front and me behind her, she took to riding next to me for the rest of the day. Occasionally she’d shoot a glance over at me or tap my foot gently with hers. My heart raced every time.

We stuck to the roads through Dueling Peaks and on through to Kakariko. These were mostly safe as they were always some of the first ones I cleared after a blood moon. They were well-trodden by traders and thus worth keeping relatively peaceful. Not to mention I liked to pay frequent visits to Kakariko village. Impa was always able to tell me old stories about 100 years ago and I could listen to her describe her days as Zelda’s advisor for hours, especially before I had defeated Ganon and retrieved all my memories. I drank in knowledge about Zelda like I needed it to survive. 

This was to be our first time visiting Impa since the end of the Calamity. Zelda and I mostly had been staying in my house in Hateno village, only venturing out for Zelda’s research trips and for me to re-clear monster camps after blood moons. These two activities had taken so much of our time these first few months, and what time we weren’t spending on that we spent at home resting. I’d had an extra bed added to my house for Zelda to sleep in, but our relationship to this point had been so terse that I couldn’t say we exactly lived in domestic bliss or anything like that. Most days we had passed in complete silence, still the months of “rest” had been well earned after how much we’d been through, and we each kept in contact with Impa through letters, though I noticed Zelda wrote many more than I did.

We rode into Kakariko at about dusk and each bought beds at the inn, tying our horses up just outside. We walked over to Impa’s house and I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. For some reason I had a bit of apprehension at seeing Impa again now. After all this time I had no idea what to say to her. I had finally met Zelda, who had practically always been the subject of our conversations. What else did I have to do here? Would Impa even be happy to see me after how distant I’d been? All of these anxieties melted away as Zelda caught up to me, stopped at the base of the stairs with me and laced her fingers in between mine, “We can do this, together,” she said, sounding confident although when I looked at her face I could see she had a bit of a cloudy expression as well. Together, we took the stairs, and entered Impa’s house.

[botwriter]

OH RIGHT OKAY here’s my thought spew from age of calamity. major spoilers inside obviously, read at your own risk!! also it’s super long and mostly here for my own reference for when I eventually write a fic lmao

i’m literally just throwing this all out here so it might not be in any discernable order

first thing I guess I wanna talk about is Zelda’s characterization; it’s much the same as BOTW in the beginning, which makes sense. It’s very interesting to have seen how she reacts when Link gets the sword. I wrote her in BOTW: Rewritten as feeling quite behind or inferior compared to Link, since he already had his power and his sword, and she was still struggling to find hers... and that’s exactly what happens in AoC! 

After abandoning her father for dead - oh right this scene okay hang on

when the King says to Link “You are the Princess’ chosen knight. I’m sure you’re aware of your duty” or something along those lines, we suddenly see what is probably the most emotion animated onto Link’s face anywhere in these games. He is being ordered by the King to keep her safe, not to fight for the kingdom. Of course it’s a fair argument that keeping Zelda safe is fighting for the kingdom, but that really just ties in with Link’s destiny super well - despite all the pomp and circumstance, despite his bowing whenever the King is around, he isn’t loyal to him. He’s loyal to Zelda, and Zelda alone, and he only needs that reminder once. It’s in his soul to keep her safe, no matter the cost, because if she’s safe, there’ll always be hope. (Nevermind all the angsty bullshit about him being Hylia’s chosen knight and strung along like a puppet because she knows that he’ll always act selflessly in Zelda’s best interests, no matter what.) 

anyway yeah that just hit me. 

ANYWAY after abandoning her father for dead and running away the following quests have her being even more self-deprecating and by this point it was starting to get pretty old; we’ve already seen the “everything I did was all in vain/my friends and father are dead” sad bullshit once before and seeing it again was... I mean it just doesn’t hit quite as hard, but I did appreciate the extra delving into Zelda’s character, motivations, and general handiness when it comes to tech and building - she isn’t the holder of the triforce of wisdom for nothing

so riiiiight around the time when i was about to be like oh for fucks sake zelda get it together, Impa said it for me (which was appreciated; Impa’s character did a really nice job of grounding the viewer whereas having just Zelda and Link before was a pretty one-sided affair in botw) and then, things changed.

thanks to the destiny changing egg, the champions weren’t dead, their descendants/future champions came to their rescue - a moment I legitimately freaked out at - and there was hope for Hyrule. Finally, add to that her father being alive, and we suddenly had a Princess Zelda who believed in herself and who was capable at not just wielding her triforce but leading an endless number of troops from across the continent into battle. 

Her character snapped into place just as it did in botw, but we actually got to see her take advantage of it this time. This game had plenty of missions in which Zelda had to be protected, or had to be helped, despite the fact that she can fight; but by the end of it, they took the “damsel in distress” trope that Zelda has always been burdened with and they completely flipped it on its head. They gave us what we were used to and then they snatched it away. 

I really did like that it was her desperation to save Link which once again activated her triforce; you can’t tell me these two don’t fucking love each other okay get out of my face

but for real, I know there were flashbacks there to her dad “dying” and there was guilt and her probably realising that constantly being ushered away or running away is obviously not working, but for someone whos life is so valuable and who is made horrifyingly aware of that fact over and over and over again - to potentially throw herself at death’s doorstep - is a Big Fucking Deal. She doesn’t activate the triforce of wisdom because she thinks it’s the smart thing to do, and it’s certainly not a last ditch effort like it was in botw - she could have definitely let Impa run her away from the danger - it’s because Link is about to die, and she loves him, and she’s finally letting herself (or having no choice but to) feel it, maybe for the first time.  

and yeah you can argue that it’s not love or that it’s just platonic, that’s fine, I really have nothing against ppl that don’t like zelink for whatever reason and I appreciate that nintendo makes it so it can be read either way. but aoc having the same mechanic as botw did for her getting her sealing power back... was like, really nailing it in. And some of the cutscenes definitely help with that! 

okay uhhh what else

please show us zelda’s mom

please show us link’s parents???

whomst is astor - they really just had this nobody show up with no backstory being like “I WAS CHOSENNNN” and then nothing happens with him. he doesn’t have the triforce of power. to be honest at no point do we even see it. the final ganon battle looking more like ganon was really nice but I would have appreciated some sass or some talking there, because that’s really what I crave in final battles like that. I don’t want to cut down some mindless beast. it’s not satisfying.

kohga and sooga were really cool to have in there; confused on kohga a little cause don’t you fight him post-calamity in botw? they did some amazing things for both of their characters, so I was really hoping to have sooga as a playable character too and I found myself confused when just kohga showed up to pledge loyalty to zelda. I understand that they probably still needed some sort of yiga boss for other missions but like... eh..... I want Sooga damnit. also if he’s one of kohga’s “lackeys” and also spoke shit both to astor’s face and behind his back, it’s safe to assume he’d join the Good side... yeah. oh well. did hyrule warriors ever do DLC? maybe that’ll be a thing

the music fucking slapped, holy shit, holy shit, the music was amazing.

revali being even more sassy towards link was fantastic but also INTERESTING because since link doesn’t even have the sword yet, it’s like... kinda... fair?? that he has no clue why this random kid soldier is here to help out. and of course he ends up developing a bit in his character to acknowledge link later on. I think it’s good to remind ppl that revali is quite young afaik?? so him having a rivalry with link kinda makes sense, based on his already-established character of being quite cocky and sure of himself (which botw dlc taught us doesn’t come without it’s fair share of intense insecurity, self-doubt, and practicing until he’s exhausted). i love revali’s character. I love revali. protect him.

okay I don’t know what else to write I should probably go work on blooming in adversity LOL

EDITING TO ADD CAUSE I JUST REWATCHED THE SCENE, but the fact that Link’s triforce is awakened by a desperate desire to save Zelda; and she’s reaching out for him at the same time (maybe she almost gets hers at the same time omg) was fucking incredible yep can’t wait to write it that’s all im gonna say

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Re-Watch 7x11: Hostiles and Calamities

Next up is my rewatch of 7x11, which is mostly Eugene at the Sanctuary.

So, we start with the Saviors arriving with Eugene at the Sanctuary (this picks up after Negan decided to take him Alexandria in 7x08, because Eugene admitted he’d made the bullet Rosita tried to assassinate Negan with.)

Actually, we first see Dwight and some other Saviors find Joey who Daryl killed when he escaped in 7x08. Joey’s sandwich is smashed on the ground beside him and you can prominently see the smashed tomato, which is symbolic. 

There’s also a puddle of blood and of course they’re next to all the motorcycles. The setup reminded me a lot of the bike and puddle of blood we saw in 6x02 when the Wolves attacked Alexandria.

Then Laura shows Eugene around. This is where he gets the jar of pickles. She has an interesting line that you’ll like, Frangi. She says, “beer, break, cut your head.”

He goes out to talk to Negan and Negan asks for a solution for how to keep walkers from eventually falling to pieces on the fence and Eugene gives him the idea of melting down scrap metal and pouring it over them, especially over their heads so no one can stab them and put them down. I’m still not sure what to make of this theme, but it’s repeated many times around Eugene, so I’m sure it’s important.

Okay, onto the good stuff. Negan says something like, “what do you say to me for doing you this favor?” (paraphrasing) and Eugene says thank you. Then he says, “Seriously, thank you.” So there’s Sirius reference #1.

As a reward, Negan sends three of his wives (Frankie, Tanya and Amber) to hang out with him. This is where we get tons more Sirius mentions. I counted three. Two on their own, those close together in the dialogue. The third time he said, “Serious as sepsis.” Which really mirrors the one you always bring up, Frangi, that he said while playing cards on the way to Alexandria. I believe one of the ladies asked him, “Serious?” Or “Seriously?” And that was his answer. He was talking at the time about how he could use household cleaners they had lying around to make a bomb.

Then he goes out to demonstrate his “bomb” for the three women. Remember that he’s humming the 1812 Overture. I remember everyone discussing this in detail when this episode first aired. Honestly, we had no way to really appreciate what this might mean. Now I can see that it was clearly a foreshadow. So I reviewed some info on the 1812. It was composed by Tchaikovsky to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon’s INVADING army.

So here’s what I’m thinking. This is probably a foreshadow of where we are now in the show. It either foreshadows TF fighting against the helicopter group or possibly against the invading walker situation at the hospital. (The Sirius references come because Beth’s return will happen somewhere in there.)

So, remember how in 10x15, Luke was making something? I totally didn’t get what that was at first. I saw someone, somewhere online say, “obviously he’s making a bomb of some kind.” And I was like, “…oh. I totally didn’t get that. I thought he was trying to put together a power source for the hospital.” Lol. But given that he had Carol and Kelly go find him wiring from a car, it makes sense that he’s constructing a fuse of some kind.

So I’m wondering if this sequence with Eugene foreshadows Luke’s bomb which will ‘successfully defend’ them from the invading army of walkers. The only weird thing is that Eugene isn’t actually present at the hospital. BUT. It did cross my mind that Eugene doesn’t represent himself directly in the analogy in S7. Maybe he represents Beth. She’ll somehow bring the final component they need to make the bomb and help lead the walkers away.

Or something. Damn TWD’s vague possibilities of interpretation!

Moving on.

Next we see Dwight go search in the cabin for Sherry. I don’t think I need to say much about that. Tons of symbolism, but we all already know what it is. 

The three rings laying in his hand symbolize the helicopter group in some way, which probably means the people in FTWD will run into them at some point. (I know Al already has, but Dwight hasn’t, technically.) 

The camera focuses on a particular cigarette Dwight pulls out. It has a red ring of something near the top. I think it’s meant to be lipstick. It’s Sherry’s cigarette and he kept it. But the paper of the cigarette itself has a green ring around the bottom. Resurrection themes (because he’ll find Sherry again, which we already know he will in this season of Fear) but also reminded me of a can y@wdway found while re-watching Still, recently. I’ll post her findings either later this week or early next week.

Then Tanya and Frankie come to ask him to make a suicide pill. At first he says no and we get another “are you serious” reference. That’s 5 in a single episode around Eugene.

But he reconsiders and asserts himself as being important and takes all the cold medicine, bed pan, stuffed animal sloth, etc from the one Savior lady. He calls her #16. Don’t know if that’s important, but I’m hoping it points to Beth’s return in a season finale.

So I looked up sloth symbolism and not tons jumped out at me. They spend a lot of time in trees and such, and have some things in common with owls, so some possible symbols. But one thing did catch my attention. They say a sloth only consumes what it needs to survive and is very measured about what it takes in and its waste. 

I know it’s weird because we’re talking about sloth bowel movements, but the way it was phrased in the article I read made me think of Beth’s line to Dawn when Dawn was trying to convince her to eat. She said, “I don’t need much.” I just wonder if the all the bed pan symbolism might play into this in some way. We’ve always associated it with Grady, and therefore Beth, but this could be another aspect of it. And Eugene did take a bedpan with him at this part. Just some food (hehe) for thought.

Um…at one point, Negan calls Daryl a puppy. And I’m not sure if that’s meant to be a Sirius reference, or maybe a way of showing symbolically that Negan truly doesn’t understand Daryl’s nature. (Because he’s a cat, not a dog.)

Negan knocks on Eugene’s door to the rhythm of a Shave and a Haircut. This, combined with Laura calling him Haircut at the beginning draws a lot of attention to his hair. I can’t help but wonder if that’s a Sampson thing. A way to name him Sampson or a pre-Sampson, if you will.

(I should have posted this yesterday. It applies more to 7x10, but I didn’t see it.)

@wdway​:

I enjoyed your review, @twdmusicboxmystery. A couple of things popped into my head like when you were talking about Rick getting Michonne another cat my mind went to she had a child that she lost and he will give her another child. Something we could not have foreseen back then.

About the Smokey and the Bandit tractor trailer can't remember all the discussions which we've had on this subject but the funny thing is that David, Aaron and I were had this strange discussion about Coors Beer last night and I made the comment that in Smokey and the Bandit that's what they were hauling, they were bringing Coors to whatever state, I want to say it was Georgia but not totally sure about that. So this tractor trailer is actually a beer/cold reference. I also feel since it was disconnected from a trunk that means this particular symbol was frozen/ not moving at that time, as the symbol of Sirius it is not on the move, would not appear, get to its destination anytime soon.

@frangipanilove​ 

I did a post that deals with the Smokey and the bandit trailer in august last year, here’s the link if anyone’s interested: https://frangipanilove.tumblr.com/post/187351457970/blue-clues-shanes-22-necklace-truckers A lot of this post deals with other elements from 7x10 as well.

[kechiarts]

Warning!! Long post ahead (LOL)

I’ve been meaning to do one of these for a while now. Quite a few friends and followers have asked me ‘what big influences can you think of that have inspired you as an artist/creator?’

A lot of movies, games, books, tv series, artists, and writers have influenced my drawing style and storytelling - some of them more so than others. (As represented by the larger squares in the image)

So here we go!! The numbers for each inspiration were chosen at random, the order doesn’t have any significance lol

1. Cardcaptor Sakura - (and the works of CLAMP in general I suppose because I read them all) Cardcaptor Sakura wasn’t my first manga but it holds a really special place in my heart because it’s lore and depictions of love has influenced my storytelling a LOT. I was obsessed with CLAMP and their art style when I was young to the point I would trace their drawings to learn and emulate their style.  To this day I feel like it left a big impact on my art style especially.

2. Cyborg 009 - When I was a kid my parents told me and my brother that we couldn’t afford cable TV and reduced our service to the news channels and public broadcasting.  We didn’t have cable TV for several years and when we finally got it back when I was 12, one of the FIRST TV programs I saw was Cyborg 009. I was just beginning to understand what anime was, since the only anime I’d seen was before our cable got cut, and I was so young I didn’t know it WAS anime. I immediately fell in love with Cyborg 009. I  loved the characters, the story, everything - and I still do! It was the beginning of my exploration of the anime genre as a whole haha

3. ‘The Twelve Kingdoms’ book series  - Around the same time I started watching Cyborg 009, I began getting into manga. While browsing the section in the bookstore one day I came across the first novel in The Twelve Kingdoms series. I was surprised to find a novel in the manga section and decided to browse through it. I couldn’t put it down! The rich world building and storytelling pulled me in and left me wanting more. I devoured the entire book series and the way the world was brought to life really stuck with me and influenced my own world building.

4. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - my very first Final Fantasy game, and it was a spinoff title to boot! I was drawn in by the dark, melancholic world and cute graphics. I played this game a lot with my friends and even though multiplayer was a nightmare to set up, we had so much fun. I wasn’t able to beat it until I was 16, and the story left me in tears. The Crystal Chronicles games as  whole have left a HUGE impact on me, but the first one especially so.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog - My first game ever! My brother and I first played Sonic the Hedgehog 2 when we were around 3 or 4 years old. We were hooked on our parent’s Sega Genesis system and Sonic was our favorite! When we’d get home from school we’d fight over who got to play first in single player, eventually we settled on a system, My brother would play sonic, and since Tails couldn’t die even if he ran out of rings, I would fight all the boss battles as Tails while my brother tried to keep Sonic out of the way. Using this system we made it all the way up to Metal Sonic but could never beat him. We’d have 99 lives too because we knew ALL the secrets of the game LOL. I’ve played most of the Sonic titles since then, including my favorite, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.  

6. Sailor Moon - my ‘first’ anime. I was very young when I first saw this anime. I didn’t even know what anime was! But the portrayal of girl power and how strong all the female characters were really stuck out to me, raised as I was in a women-are-inferior-and-should-serve-their-husbands religious household. Sailor Jupiter was my favorite because she was a tomboy and wore ponytails just like me haha

7. Fullmetal Alchemist - I think I’ve touched on this before, but I have had really weak bones since I was a little kid. In middle school I was constantly on and off of crutches or in and out of wheelchairs with broken bones and such. (I blame being a huge clutz) It got to the point my classmates started calling me ‘calamity Jane’ and making fun of me. To that dorky middle school girl with crutches and leg braces, Edward Elric was my HERO. Disability representation matters folks! It certainly helped me through a rough time in my life.

8. The works of Studio Ghibli - My first Ghibli movie was My Neighbor Totoro, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I actually managed to get my mom into them too, so now we can have mother/daughter quality bonding time over new Ghibli movies when they come out. It gives us a lot of fond memories together and I enjoy those times I get to spend with her. Mom and I may not see eye to eye all the time, but I truly treasure the memories I have of watching Ghibli films with her.

9. Odin Sphere - This one is more recent, and one I blame @heebiejeebiejade for. I love everything about it. The story, the art, the characters!   It tore my heart out and the writing is just superb I love it so much. and the ART my god it’s so beautiful.

10. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the Crystal Bearers - I decided I needed to make this one separate from the earlier Crystal Chronicles section. Mostly because this game HEAVILY influenced and changed my life. Not only is it my favorite game ever, it brought me to many of my current friendships! If not for this game I never would have met @heebiejeebiejade @killerkitty4 @indestructiblemoog @shadyfolk @ninjamonkeystudios and SOOOOO many others. These friendships mean a great deal to me. They’ve changed and shaped who I am today and I’m truly grateful for them, and they never would have been possible without Crystal Bearers.

11. Dragonball - Another one of those I never knew it was Anime cartoons I watched as a young child. I loved Dragonball and later Dragonball Z. The characters, the storytelling, the fight scenes, I loved it all because it was so different from what I was used to seeing in American cartoons. My brother and I would have Super Saiyan battles in our backyard throwing Kamehamehas at each other and laughing and generally annoying our neighbors XD

12. Over the Garden Wall - Another more recent influence. Over the Garden Wall was one of the first new cartoons that grabbed my attention due to it’s great pacing and creepy Americana storytelling. Mysteries, ghosts, the afterlife, purgatory, this show dealt with a lot of creepy things while simultaneously making it funny and endearing. I rewatch it often and it’s one of my favorites.

13. Legend of Mana and the Seiken Densetsu Series - Again, I blame @heebiejeebiejade entirely for this. She sent me a huge box with every game in the Seiken Densetsu series in it along with the guidebooks saying “you HAVE to play these.” I knew she liked them so I gave them a try and YEP as per usual with anything Jade introduces me to, they COMPLETELY DESTROYED ME. Love, sacrifice, life, death, and rebirth, are a huge part of these title’s storytelling and they drew me in completely. Legend of Mana and Dawn of Mana especially. Their world building and plot devices may or may not have heavily influence my own XD

14. The ‘Stravaganza’ book series - The first time I picked up a Stravaganza book title was when I was twelve and found this really shiny book in a used bookstore for $3. It featured a picture of Venice, and a pair of violet eyes staring at you from behind a shiny silver mask on the cover. I’m not sure why It spoke to me, it just did. I bought it and finished it within a day. That book was titled City of Masks and I loved it a lot! And then I found out there were more! An entire series! The books featured time travel and dimensional travel, espionage and intrigue! I read and devoured them all and to this day I hold out hope for a final volume to finish the series.

15. Avatar: the Last Airbender - At age 12 I dismissed Avatar as a kid show originally. I scoffed at it and laughed at my little brother for being so into it. Then I saw the first episode. And it was then that I knew what a mistake I had made. I know a LOT of people love Avatar, and for good reason! I don’t have to go super in-depth here because I’m sure most of you already know how great it is. It’s definitely influenced both my art style and my storytelling.

16. Hikaru no Go - This one’s special. When I was in high school I was bullied a LOT. Like, people writing DIE YOU WHORE in my textbooks and putting thumb tacks in my gym shoes kind of bullying. They’d touch me and then pretended that they’d die of the plague. That if anyone had a crush on me they were worse than trash. The kind of bullying that made me a bit suicidal in my teen years. Lucky for me my mother had bought me a copy of Monthly Shonen Jump in early 2005, She knew that I liked manga and thought it would be the perfect magazine gift for me for valentine’s day. Boy was she right and one of the manga featured in it was Hikaru no Go. I loved the art style, and the storytelling. I was instantly captivated by the characters and I wanted to know what happened next. I soon subscribed to SJ monthly and eagerly awaited the next installment each month. What this meant was that whenever I was feeling like I wanted to end it all, I’d remember that I didn't’ know what happened next and would wait. I honestly believe that Hikaru no Go is at least partially responsible for me making it out of high school alive, and I treasure it to this day. (Also I’m on anti-depressants now so don’t worry about me y’all okay? XD) There was another manga like this, but I'mnot sure how to feel about that one anymore :(

17. Magic Knight Rayearth - I know I’ve already listed CLAMP as a heavy influence on me, but I felt Magic Knight Rayearth deserved it’s own place because it was my first manga ever! I’d seen the commercial for the anime on one of my old DVDs way back when, and I was already intereseted in it when I happened to find the manga in a bookstore! I bought it and reread the first volume a dozen times before I even found the second ahaha. I must have read the complete set a hundred times now and let me tell you the twist ending of the first part kills me every time! The first of my manga obsession ahaha

18. Tales of the Abyss and The ‘Tales of’ game series - Tales of the Abyss was my first (and still my favorite) Tales game, and since then I’ve played almost all of them! They definitely influenced my character designs, most of my friends comment on how Tales-like my costumes are ahaha

19. The 'Riyria’ book series - The most recent novel series I’ve read. It’s got everything I’d ever want to see in a novel, it’s so great and the story is so deep and intriguing! I recommend everyone to read it, it’s a MUST READ for sure!

20. Journey - The first time I played this game I cried for three hours. I felt like I’d just had a religious and spiritual experience far beyond what I’d ever experienced in a video game before. It was just something so… beyond me. I recommend everyone to play this game at least once in their lifetime. I can’t really form the words to express what it means to me. It’s just something you’d have to experience for yourself.

21. Ico: Castle in the Mist and Shadow of the Colossus - Another famous one lol a LOT of people love these games but In particular I want to bring attention to the Ico novelization, Ico: Castle in the Mist. I really enjoyed the novel and it’s worldbuilding. The games will always be special to me, but that novel man. That novel.

22. Yu Yu Hakusho - One of my guilty favorites! I first saw Yu Yu Hakusho when I was 16 and I’ve loved it ever since! I’ve always been fascinated with spirits and the occult, but I definitely had to hide this one from my religious parents.

23. Black Cat - Honestly this one surprises me. I love those secret identity and hidden horrible past animes and this one definitely fits that bill. I think this one established my favorite tropes in my life more than anything else.

24. A Bride’s Story - Two words. THE ART. MY GOD THE ART. This manga, in addtion to being a really great read, has some of the most detailed artwork I’ve ever seen. It’s influenced me greatly and I encourage everyone to read it.

25. Bravely Default - Bravely Default definitely influenced my story building and characters, it was one of the first 3DS games that really captivated me and drew me into its world!

26. Yu-Gi-Oh!! - Another series I had to hide from my parents ahah This anime was something I really loved in my childhood. Again, I really love ghosts and spirits and things like that so this anime was probably what started it all!

27. Fire Emblem Awakening and the Fire Emblem Series - Awakening was my first Fire Emblem game (Cue whining from the FE purists LOL) but since then I’ve played them all! (Including the JP only ones don’t start with me haters ahahahaha) The storytelling and bonds between the characters really resonated with me and it’s become one of my favorite game series!

28. The ‘Legend of Zelda’ game series - The repeating themes of good vs evil throughout the Legend of Zelda games really struck a chord with me, especially when I was young. Twilight Princess and Wind Waker especially influenced me. “A Sword has no strength unless the hand that wields it has courage.” Is something that has suck with me for a long time, and something that encourages me and helps me get through my everyday life.

29. The Final Fantasy Series - Final Fantasy has had a HUGE impact on my life. I already gave Crystal Chronicles it’s due, now it’s the numbered titles turn! Final Fantasy has influenced my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago even! I’ve played them all (Except 11, curse having no internet as a teenager!) and they’ve definitely shaped my lore and world building skills!

30. Naruto - Okay I’ll admit it! I was Naruto weeboo trash in highschool!!! Oh woe is me!! Just kidding! I honestly still love Naruto, and it’s something that really stuck with me for a long time, since it’s one of the first anime I saw (after learning what anime was ahaha)

31. Gravity Falls - How can I put this… Hmmmm. Gravity Falls has heavily influenced my character building. I love it’s characters. Don’t get me wrong I love the story too! But the characters are honestly what kept me coming back for more! Not to mention that epic foreshadowing in season one. Yep.

32. Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning - Another one of my favorite manga in Highschool that oddly helped me through my depression. The main character’s struggles sort of resonated with me and helped my healing process in my late teens and early twenties.

33. Final Fantasy XII - Okay WORLDBUILDING. Let’s talk about worldbuilding because MY GOD has Final Fantasy XII have it. I love the Ivalice games in general, but the amount of effort put into 12 having a world that feels like it’s alive is astounding to be honest. The world truly feels like it’s alive, and it drew me in for over 400 hours of gameplay on Playstation 2. To this day it’s the game I have logged the most hours into.

34. Radiant Historia - What drew me in here was TIME TRAVEL and STORY AND WORLDBUILDING. This game is a hidden gem in the Nintendo DS’s extensive library. It doesn’t have the best graphics or even the best gameplay mechanics, but it didn’t matter to me because the story kept me coming back for more! By far one of my favorite games ever. (Pssst go play it, it got a remake for 3DS)

35. Final Fanasy XIV - This one is a favorite, not just because of it’s story and world building - both of which are excellent btw - but because of the connections I’ve made through it. I have made so many friends online through this game, friends that make me feel better about myself as a person, and who’ve stuck with me through the hard times along with the good.

36. Mushishi - We’ve established that I love ghosts and spirits and things, but this series made me love connecting it with nature, something that has heavily influenced my writing and my own webcomic!

37. Voltron - Mostly the first two seasons. Beast King Golion was one of my first super sentai anime as a child, and I loved seeing it remade! It was like getting to revisit my childhood

38. Gundam SEED and the Gundam Series - Okay Gundam has influenced me throughout my life, starting with Gundam Wing when I was six years old, and continuing on to this day. The one I’ve watched the most times though, is Gundam SEED, and it’s influenced my characters and storytelling a lot!

Wow, congrats to whoever manged to read this far. You’re really determined I’ll give you that! Thanks for reading!

[thelordice]

One-Off Doctor Who Short Fic

I decided to go and rewatch “School Reunion��, the third episode of Season 2. And I got an idea for a one-off... more to flex my muscles than anything else. I’m sure the idea’s been done somewhere else, by someone else, but... it’s a fun idea, I think. Go give the episode a watch before you read this.

“...everything has its time. And everything ends.”

Sarah Jane. So old now. Not nearly as old as him - he’d been exponentially her elder even when she’d been young. And yet, still exactly as he’d known her. Her eyes sparkled with conviction. Sadness. Courage. Loss. He could feel it. They’d been together long enough, he formed passive psychic links with all of his companions - it was one of the ways the TARDIS Translation Matrix was able to extend to them.

Rose Tyler. The woman who had been a god. That moment had led to this face. Took in the Time Vortex just to save him. And her, almost a carbon copy of what Sarah Jane had been. She loved him - they both did. And he loved them. He loved all of his companions.

And they were all gone. All of them, in the end. Eventually, he’d failed them all. Even his own people. Even himself. A man of many faces, with a face he denies. The one that failed even his own name. It had been necessary, but there was still blood on his hands. More blood than any of his companions could imagine. They would be mortified.

But there it was, right before him. The Skasis Paradigm. The God-Maker. Lassar had probably planned to use it to enslave the universe, create the perfect body and consume whatever he didn’t need. He’d turn on him the moment he had the power.

But Lassar was slow. Even showing him what went into it, he could finish cracking the Paradigm. It needed thought power - he had a billion times more than any human brain. It needed imagination - the things he’d seen just living his life could provide more inspiration and imagination than every child on the planet put together. Lassar expected it to take hours. He could do it in minutes. String Lassar along, make him think he’d get the Paradigm well after he had its power. Then he could - oh, he could think of a billion ways to fix Lassar.

And a billion other ways to fix a trillion different things. He’d been literally from one end of time and space to the other. He’d seen universes of possibility - and impossibility. He’d stared into the Untempered Schism itself, and he’d been running ever since.

And that running had led him... here. Through joy, and hope, and miracles... through misery, pain, loss, war, death... the Last Great Time War... and he could stop it all.

But Sarah Jane was right. Everything ended. But that didn’t mean everything had to be miserable. Life has trillions of little tragedies, small endings. Even death, if it came at the right time, could be handled. He didn’t have to make everything immortal or perfect. But he could eliminate agony. Mass suffering. Horrors. With the Skasis Paradigm, he could undo every great and tragic calamity that ever was. Rebuild the universe from the ground up. Normal every-day lives... except happy endings. No genocides, no natural disasters, no Last Great Time War.

His old voice called back to him, from that day during The Blitz. And he said it again, to himself. Just this once, Rose. Everybody lives.

But they wouldn’t understand. They’d be mortified. Of course, they never need know. He lied all the time. And with the Paradigm, a morphic illusion like Lassar’s would be child’s play. Get the Paradigm, blink back here, make everyone think he’d refused Lassar’s offer. He could even come back and freeze time for himself while he did it.

And, indeed, he noticed - everyone else was frozen as if in a blink. He’d already done it. And so he did. The Doctor darted over to one of the computers. It was still running - time was only frozen for the witnesses. Tapping into the Skasis Matrix was simple for the Doctor - they’d been hypnotically trained to link together, humanity’s latent psionic potential tapped by the subconscious mind. They were, in essence, dreaming a shared dream - a dream of concepts, numbers, things beyond words. It took him only a moment to integrate into it. He accelerated the process - they’d filled in almost all of what he didn’t know for the solution. And just as he finished his inputs for their missing pieces-

The final one fell into place with it, from the children. Time Lord and human minds. One of the most powerful combinations in the universe.

It was infinitely complex. It was utterly simple. It was elegant and hideous, light and sound and silence and darkness and joy and sorrow and past and future. The Doctor beheld it all. It was a good thing Lassar hadn’t gotten it first. His head would have exploded. The Doctor himself barely survived the sight. But he did, and he saw. The first thing he did was start his illusion - free the children. He blocked their minds from seeing the solution, saved them. He deleted his parts from their minds, and so they kept working. Everyone would think he’d saved the day, stopped the aliens, made everything alright.

And they/d be right. He’d branch off time, create a whole universe where he’d actually rejected Lassar. He was beyond that Time Lord now. He ran to his TARDIS, took Sarah Jane home just as if he were still mortal. Even brought back K-9, blinked him into the world as he departed, good as new and better on top. He froze Mickey and Rose, just for a second, and then braced himself. He folded his body, reshaped it. Physically, he looked the same. But he needed a body much more durable than before for what came next. With the Skasis Solution, simple parlor tricks like stasis were easy. He had the knowledge to become a God. But to be a God, he needed energy. And so, he opened the console of the TARDIS, stared into her heart... and did just as Rose had done. Took in the Time Vortex. He bore the power - it was what he’d made himself for. He closed the console and used his newfound might to refine his new form. Now, bearing the Vortex was easy. And yet, outwardly, he was just as he’d been a moment before. With a thought, be created that branch reality. Time would go on as normal, even for him. He knew it was necessary, many fixed points in time relied on the path he’d rejected. That done, he cast himself from the corporeal plane - phased out of the TARDIS as it flew through the Vortex. She still thought he was onboard - they all did. Fooling even the unfoolable was simple for him now.

He knew just where to begin his quest to end disaster. He would erase the Time War. But how? He’d had to Time Lock the War, prevent it from affecting the rest of reality. But to stop it?

Well, it had all started with the Time Lords and the Daleks. And the Daleks were born of disaster, and brought nothing but. And so his first stop was Skaro, in the distant past. Unmaking the Daleks was easy, if one knew how. His people had tried - he’d nearly succeeded once, but couldn’t bring himself to do it because they were already alive. Now, though, he had better ways. A whisper in the mind of a single man, a changed mind and decision at just the right key points. The Daleks were created out of the mutated remains of the Kaleds after they destroyed themselves in a nuclear war, a war that claimed the sight and legs of their creator, Davros. So, with just the right tweaks up and down Kaled history, the war never happened. Davros was never mutilated, the Kaleds never destroyed... and the Daleks ceased to be. The Time War... never was. He had unmade his greatest enemy with the one thing they hated most: compassion and mercy.

But that was only one of trillions. A grin on his ethereal face, The Doctor set out... to make the universe happier.

[daleisgreat]

Interstellar

As of this writing, we are about two and a half years removed from when Interstellar (trailer) first hit theaters in 2014. I remember eagerly anticipating this film as I am a big fan of the director, Christopher Nolan. His previous few non-Batman films like The Prestige and Inception were quite the mind-benders that warranted repeat viewings so I could pay attention to catch all the little details I missed the first time around. When I saw the initial teasers for Interstellar I knew I would be in for a treat when Nolan would finally unleash a sci-fi epic! Interstellar has an unusual mini-documentary style opening where elderly are being interviewed about what led to a mysterious blight on Earth, with frequent dust storms and the rapid extermination of crops until the only crop left is corn. Interstellar vaguely gives clues about what caused this calamity, but disappointingly never flatout says what happened to bring on the blight. Instead, the grander mystery at play is trying to find an exit plan to save Earth. That is done by having NASA’s Professor Brand (Michael Caine) recruit Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to join his team of astronauts at scouting several potential planets in distant solar systems that show signs of being able to sustain human life.

It is not as simple as that plot synopsis. If you are use to Nolan films, get ready for his standard three hour feature. That is not to the film’s detriment however, because like previous Nolan films, there is so much at play, and so much to take in that the lengthy runtime is over before you know it. Cooper is not instantly on board with NASA however, as the film’s first act is about everyday life for Cooper and his two kids, Murph (Jessica Chastain/Mackenzie Joy) & Tom (Timothée Chalamet/Casey Affleck). The production company went to great lengths with practical effects to give a glimpse of what living in a rotting world is like. While Interstellar has impeccable visual effects for all of its breathtaking scenes in space, its combined use of practical effects for the scenes on Earth made it a shoe-in for an Oscar win for best visual effects. When Cooper eventually joins up with NASA, the film takes a different turn as a space survival/rescue mission that I had no idea how it would play out. Professor Brand and his daughter (Anne Hathaway) lay Earth’s survival plan out there in a way that spells out the science in simplistic ways for the rest of us scientifically-challenged folks. There are occasions where the astronauts will have brief moments of getting into the nuts and bolts of the science to explain various plot points, but it is never for any lengthy duration and they provide ample context so it did not blindly fly over my head.

There is a point during the space mission where things take a noticeable change in trajectory and leads to a thrilling final act. Coop & Brand are faced with many hurdles that they must overcome in their mission, and even on this repeat viewing I forgot about many little moments that impacted them along the way that were just as engaging to relive. While Coop & Brand are off in space, the film has a vital side story playing out back at home on Earth with Professor Brand and Coop’s children. For the final act Interstellar is constantly bouncing back between both Earth and Coop to show how while both scenes are taking place light years away, they are still having a instantaneous impact on one another in a way that I am not even going to attempt to explain. All I can say is that I am glad I finally got around to rewatching this because there are so many little factors at play that made it more convenient to piece the film together the second time around. I would be lying if I said I did not have any qualms with this movie. I understand the direction Nolan wanted to go in with the documentary-interviews in the film, but they felt too ham-fisted and in-your-face. There were a few other too sudden moments that did not sit well with me. Professor Brand’s final scene took a turn for the sake of a turn that I was not a fan of. I also did not particularly care for Coop and Murph’s final scene together in the film and how dismissive Murph was of Coop. It kind of felt a little more justified on my second viewing, but the way it all went down comes off as absurdly rushed. In the end though, I am splitting hairs as these gripes do not take a lot out of how much I enjoyed Interstellar overall.

The BluRay I have came with a second disc of extra features adding up to roughly two and a half hours of bonus materials. I will give props to Warner Bros. for having subtitles on the extras since it is not that common among most movies. The primary bonus feature is The Science of Interstellar, a 50 minute showcase on the current technology from NASA that is already out there trying to achieve what Interstellar showed, but on a smaller scale. It is very well put together, and presents the possibilities of time travel with modern tech and how the Kepler telescope is out there already scouting planets that can sustain human life. On top of that there are 13 much shorter features available ranging from 2 to 13 minutes in length. Many of these go deep into the nuts and bolts of the production and special effects processes and can be a bit much to take in if you are not into those fields. If I were to recommend just two of those 13 however then check out Life on Cooper’s Farm and Shooting in Iceland. The former shows how the filmmakers lucked out in picking the only spot in Alberta capable of growing corn for the film and how it did not cost them a thing since they made their money back selling it. The latter presents the many different environments of Iceland and why it worked for shooting scenes that take place on other planets.

I am still as high on Interstellar as I was after my initial viewing when it hit theaters. It appears to be a divisive film whenever I bring it up to people in recent months with people both loving it and knocking it. If you are a sci-fi fan and need a break from Star Trek and Star Wars, then grab a six pack and a bowl of popcorn and marathon through this, Gravity and Arrival for three of my personal picks for top shelf recent sci-fi. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Creed Dirty Work Faster Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Hercules: Reborn Hitman Ink Jobs Man of Steel Marine 3 & 4 Mortal Kombat The Replacements Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XII Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 Veronica Mars Wild The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Days of Future Past