#i truly believe that the pilot is one of the best episodes of the whole series

[paranormaljones]

so i'm rewatching Endeavour

[the-lazy-cat-bakes-souffles]

Who is the Antler Queen? A Theory Deep Dive

The identity of the Antler Queen has been a mystery at the heart of Yellowjackets since the pilot, and in the time since fans have speculated about many possible candidates. But there’s one in particular that’s been rapidly gaining traction in the fandom: that the Antler Queen is none other than everyone’s favourite lesbian ghost, Jackie Taylor. With the launch of Season 3 I wanted to delve deeper into the idea and why I think it would make perfect sense for the series, especially after the latest two episodes. Cork boards and post-its at the ready folks, this is gonna be a long one. And of course, spoilers. 

I’ll start off by referring to this Vanity Fair article from 2023, which gives a succinct rundown of this theory. To summarise, it posits that the Antler Queen as an individual doesn’t exist, per se, and is instead a manifestation of the girls’ collective perception of ‘the Wilderness’. This would track with what’s been established in the show and how the Antler Queen has been framed thus far; as an esoteric, supernatural figure that haunts the narrative in a similar way to The Man with No Eyes in Tai’s storyline - or indeed, the figment of Jackie in Shauna’s. The Wilderness is already personified extensively by the girls owing to Lottie’s visions and the religion that sprouted around it, referred to as a sentient entity with a will of ‘its’ own.

This is where Jackie comes in. Jackie as a character, from the very beginning, is defined not by who she actually is or was, but by how she is perceived - by both herself and those around her. Jackie is the first character we’re formally introduced to in Yellowjackets, and the scene is centred on her performative pleasure for her boyfriend Jeff while looking utterly miserable. We immediately cut to her aggressively brushing her teeth before clutching her iconic heart necklace with a forlorn expression. Her reflection is split across several mirrors, symbolising her fractured self and the many roles she plays, none of which are a truly accurate representation of Jackie the person.

The smitten high school girlfriend (who can’t stand her boyfriend), the queen bee who has it all (who is unfulfilled and lost when nobody's looking), the charismatic soccer captain (who is constantly undermined by her team), the self-centred, stifling best friend (who loves Shauna more than anything). Later she’s the pariah (who was one of the few remaining voices of reason), the first sacrifice (who never believed), the dearly departed teenage girl who so loved rabbits (she was indifferent to them at best). In death, as in life, Jackie is forever condemned to be what others make of her. That’s the inherent tragedy of the character, to never be truly known, to be an idea more than an individual. 

Secondly, Jackie is often described as the embodiment of civilisation’s values in Yellowjackets, but she is also the unwitting architect of the Wilderness’ new status quo. Out of everyone, it was Jackie who committed the first act of brutality after they crashed: leaving Van to burn alive to save Shauna. This was long before anyone had descended into savagery, and set a precedent for the Yellowjackets as a whole. Although her intention was to grasp onto some semblance of normality and bolster team morale, Jackie also sowed the seeds of the spiritual practices they would go on to adopt. It was Jackie who organised the séance, in doing so triggering everyone’s first exposure to forces beyond their understanding as Lottie is seemingly possessed by the spirit of Dead Cabin Guy. It was Jackie who came up with the idea of Doomcoming where, with the help of some hallucinogenic shrooms, the girls surrendered to their most primal selves and attempted to ritually sacrifice Travis. And of course, Jackie’s death is a paradigm shift where the old order crumbles to make way for a new one - and so passes the glory of the world.

After her death, Jackie continues to be a catalyst for the Wilderness’ machinations. She is the first person to be cannibalised, marking a point of no return for the Yellowjackets. Unlike the bleak horror of eating Javi, Jackie’s consumption is a heightened, ritualistic affair, presented as a bacchanal feast - a religious festival. In one of the rare cases of the camera assuming the perspective of the Wilderness, the wind rushes through the pines, blowing the snow perfectly onto Jackie’s funeral pyre and cooking her corpse. As the starving Yellowjackets congregate around her charred body later that night, Shauna says, “She wants us to.”

Jackie is portrayed posthumously in much the same way as the Wilderness itself: even though she has no voice, a will is ascribed to her. It’s important that Shauna is the one leading this. Although she doesn’t buy into the mysticism like Lottie and many of the other Yellowjackets, Shauna instead envisions Jackie as her personal saint (“They were all so tragic”) and tormentor. There is every possibility that this season, either spearheaded by Shauna or in spite of her, ‘Jackie’ will become the figure the Yellowjackets worship, too.

Lastly, there’s a heavy amount of foreshadowing and symbolism lending to Jackie as the Antler Queen. The obvious being that she was the Yellowjackets’ team captain. As the Vanity Fair article points out, Coach Martinez’ words to her in the pilot could well be more than dramatic irony: “You possess something no one else on this team has: influence. When things get tough out there, those girls are going to need someone to guide them.” We even see this called back to in ‘It Girl’ when Lottie says, “We call to Jackie, now with the Wilderness. Guide us.”

Then there’s the vision Jackie experiences before she dies, surrounded by doting teammates expressing their admiration, cloaked in a blanket beneath the antlers suspended above the cabin’s hearth. It’s all she ever truly wanted, to be loved and seen for who she was. How tragically poetic, then, would it be for her to finally receive the adoration she craved in death as a bastardised and diefied version of herself.

And of course, there’s the necklace. To Jackie it was a symbol of protection and her love for Shauna, but we know that it ultimately comes to be worn by those ‘chosen’ to be hunted by the Wilderness. Shauna initiated this with Nat, who continues to wear it after being crowned the first leader of the survivors. This practice of being marked for leadership or death by the necklace is an extension of Jackie becoming mythologised by Shauna and the rest of the Yellowjackets. Again, the line between ‘the Wilderness’ and ‘Jackie’ is blurred.

Let’s look at the show’s promotional material, a lot of which heavily features Jackie throughout the series. The main poster for the first season features a dirty and dishevelled Jackie sporting a bloody nose while a single yellowjacket wasp perches on her cheek. What’s often missed, however, is the reflection of the Antler Queen in her left eye. This symbolises Jackie as a victim h(a)unted by the Wilderness, but it could mean something even deeper than that: the living, real Jackie could be staring at a dark mirror of herself. 

A poster for the second season again features Jackie’s face, only this time that of her frozen corpse. Here there are two yellowjackets perched on her lips, and she’s wearing her heart necklace.

Another poster for Season 2 depicts the Antler Queen standing ominously in the snow. She’s wearing a Yellowjackets varsity jacket, cuffed jeans, a sweater, and a pair of sneakers. While some details are different (the sweater being black instead of striped and the sneakers being pink instead of white), the basic outfit bears a striking resemblance to the clothes Jackie was wearing when she died.

A teaser video for the third season shows a dirty skull carved with the Wilderness symbol. Three yellowjackets buzz around it, and Jackie’s necklace hangs from its right eye socket. In this context, it’s safe to assume that this is Jackie’s skull, especially as we know that the girls retrieved and buried her bones offscreen between seasons. We’ve already seen Shauna tamper with and project onto Jackie’s remains, and it isn’t that far-fetched to see them repurposed in that way once again. 

Finally, let’s look at the recently released poster depicting the Yellowjackets dancing around a fire. Note how all of the main girls are here, including Nat, Lottie, and Shauna (the main living candidates). The implication here is that the Queen’s identity can’t be attributed to any single one of them. Maybe it’s a rotating role, but it also lends credence to this idea of the Queen being a construct. There are three skulls burning in the fire, representing those of the fallen - Javi, Jackie and Shauna’s child (Laura Lee and Crystal’s remains aren’t exactly accessible, after all). From the flames rises the figure of the Antler Queen: symbolically, she is born from the remains of the dead, and she’s burning just as Jackie burned on the pyre. 

With all of this in mind, I think there’s plenty of solid evidence to suggest that Jackie’s bones could end up being repurposed into some sort of effigy, mounted on a stick, adorned with locks of hair and a veil fashioned from a soccer net, and crowned with a pair of antlers. Jackie would finally lead the Yellowjackets in a way she never could while alive.

In conclusion, despite her death relatively early in the series, Jackie’s presence looms large over Yellowjackets. She remains an integral part of its iconography, its themes, and Shauna’s character (the closest the show has to a de facto protagonist). After her agency, body, and legacy have been repeatedly consumed, appropriated, and warped throughout the series, it would be a natural evolution for the Yellowjackets to fully transform everything Jackie was in making her their idol for the Wilderness. It’s human nature to anthropomorphise what we don’t fully understand, to give it a face and a name. It’s also human nature to deflect the responsibility for monstrous acts to avoid looking at the monster within ourselves. For most of the characters, this is the Antler Queen. But Shauna will only ever be able to see the girl she loved, the embodiment of her guilt. Perhaps, somehow, the true Jackie will finally find a way to reclaim her agency and personhood through that. There is no ‘it’ there’s only ‘us’. But is there really a difference?

[wishful-thinking64]

One Hell of an Unpopular Opinion #03

Characters like Barbie Wire, Chaz, Crimson, Octavia, and Stella only exist as plot devices to garner sympathy for other characters. _______ I knew fully well that Chaz and Crimson were going to merely be plot devices for Moxxie the more I watched Exes & Oohs. And sure enough, Chaz was killed at the end of that very episode and Crimson is yet another wacky cartoon villain that the narrative expects for you to take seriously. Both of these characters existed so that the audience could gain sympathy (or at least pity) for Moxxie being raised in a Mafia family and having been abused as a child along with being betrayed by his ex-boyfriend (who also happened to be Millie's ex-boyfriend for some reason.) Other than Moxxie's Mafia family upbringing making zero sense the more you think about it, Viv has basically done this exact backstory before in the form of Angel Dust (with the whole mobster backstory who was also abused by his father.) However, the Exes & Oohs episode and title actually stems from one of the HH mockup episodes that was originally about Charlie and Vaggie coming across Charlie's ex, Seviathan (yes, that's what Viv named him), and his sister, Helsa, while they were at a dinner party.

Now, do I think Chaz and Crimson could've had the potential to be good characters? In all honesty, no. Especially not Chaz. The guy is a harmful stereotype of pansexual people and how, "They'll sleep with anyone," which no, they won't. I'm not pansexual myself but that thought process is as gross as it is fucking stupid. The only person who I've seen even re-writing Chaz has been Loves Art23 (I mainly know her for YouTube videos being critical on Hazbin Hotel + Helluva Boss along with other shows like the disaster known as High Guardian Spice) and I think she's done a fairly good job so kudos to her for making him work. Personally, though I'm scrapping him as that gives me one less character to worry about when re-writing HB. Crimson would have to be heavily and I mean HEAVILY reworked/re-written in order for him to make any actual sense. That and I'm tired of every character having some variation of the same daddy issues in the Hellaverse. Which means he's also gonna get axed from me. Moving onto the ladies I mentioned, let's start off with Barbie Wire.

Having been foreshadowed since the pilot of I.M.P. (as seen when Tilla was still Barb's and Blitzo's older sister rather than their mother) Barbie Wire was an anticipated character by fans for years! And then her actual appearance finally happened in Unhappy Campers, an episode hated by practically everyone who saw it, and no one really cared about her showing up, other than the fact that the writers thought that having her seduce a BARELY legal adult would make for a good joke, when in reality, it only made everybody uncomfortable and several people dislike Barbie because of it. Sure, near the end of the episode she had that "emotional" scene with Blitzo that wants the viewers to feel bad for him and Barbie before she left but in the long run it didn't matter as fans barely even talk about it because of how uneventful it truly was. So, with that out of the way, would I keep Barbie Wire around for a rewrite of HB? To that I say, yes! There are several paths Barbie Wire's overall character could go in. If you're mainly sticking to canon, then what you have to work with is a former circus performer who lost her mother in a fire caused by her twin brother that left his own best friend to rot and be disabled for the rest of his life. It's very likely that this very fire, caused her to be out of a job and probably even homeless for a bit which could explain why she ended up becoming both a drug attic and a drug dealer. Homelessness is one of the few things that nobody wants to experience. It causes people to be filled with a sense of overwhelming loneliness and desperation as many of them either believe that there's nothing they can do or they do anything and everything that they can to get out of it even if that means resorting to crime. If you wanted to have her be loosely based on canon instead, you could make it to where she never learned about who started the fire and actually stuck with Blitzo well into adulthood. Have her become one of the members of I.M.P. and later down the line have her learn through someone like Fizz or maybe Cash (her and Blitzo's father) what actually went down that day. Have her be rightfully pissed off at Blitzo for screwing over multiple people along with being the one responsible for killing their mom. Anyway, let's proceed onto Stella and her daughter Octavia.

As much as the narrative wants me to hate Stella with a burning passion cause she hurts Stolas, I can't do it for multiple reasons but I'll list my top three. #01.) Stella's just as (if not even more so) stuck in this arranged loveless marriage as Stolas is. #02.) If the man I had no choice in marrying not only cheated on me with a man from one of the lowest classes in all of Hell but IN OUR OWN HOME & SHARED BEDROOM NO LESS? OH, FUCK NO!

#03.) This woman had to spend 9 months having to nourish and care for a baby inside her stomach that she had with a man that didn't even want to sleep with her. On top of that, she had to have become pregnant with Octavia when she was a young adult since current day Stolas and Stella are only in their mid 30s. I need you to let that information sink in.

In short, I can't hate Stella for loathing Viv's pathetic self insert bird twink with every fiber of her being.

Having said that, would I have Stella in my HB rewrite? Well, considering that I plan on keeping the war that happened in the bible that caused Lucifer and several angels to fall from grace, one of which being Stolas. Kind of. Allow me to elaborate, I would keep Stella as Octavia's mother but I wouldn't have her marry Stolas. I'd have her be a surrogate mother that way Stolas still gets an heir and Octavia could still exist. Speaking of Octavia...

We all know that she exists to make Stolas look like a better person as several stans of this show love to say how much of a good dad Stolas is when he isn't. He neglects Octavia frequently in favor of Blitzo and only pays attention to her when she's gone although EVEN THAT doesn't last long as shown in Seeing Stars where HE KNEW Octavia was missing on Earth but rather than ACTIVELY look for his daughter, what does he do? HE SITS THROUGH A STUPID LIVE COMEDY SHOW CAUSE BLITZO IS PERFORMING! HE COMPLETELY SIDELINES HIS OWN DAUGHTER IN FAVOR OF A LIVE COMEDY SHOW!

God, Octavia deserves so much better than to have a dad like him. I'm keeping Octavia for my HB rewrite so that this poor girl not only realizes how much of a bastard her dad is but eventually gets the found family she deserves. I don't plan for it to be through I.M.P. though. In closing, the characters of this show deserve to be better developed but especially the women in them.

_______

That was a long one to get through cause it's been on my mind for a while. Thank you all for reading through it and bye for now everybody!

[btr-rewatch]

Big Time Rush Season 1, Episode 18: “Big Time Concert” (Part 1)

Well, it only took me (checks blog) 35 weeks, but I finally made it to the last episode of season 1. Much like "Big Time Audition," this one will probably be posted in multiple parts. Let's jump right in.

Highlights: Like one paragraph of actual episode content, followed by me spiraling into a rambling over the original unaired BTR pilot

The boys run into Gustavo's office all excited. Their first album is finally complete!

They're also going on tour!

Their first show is in two weeks, and we get a daydream sequence where the guys imagine what the performance might be like. The footage from their fantasy is actual footage from a concert they performed in Times Square. I think it might have been their first-ever actual performance in front of an audience like that?

I remember watching that concert special when it premiered on TV.

Just like when they first arrived in Hollywood, Gustavo enlists the help of Mr. X to put them through some grueling boyband boot camp. But with an added twist.

After a montage of the boys bumping into each other, running into walls, and falling off the stage, they make a break for it and run to a nearby supply closet to hide. Sensing his buddies are close to throwing in the towel, Kendall launches into what might be my favorite opening lines to one of his pep talks.

Leave it to Kendall to be like, "On top of his terrible personality, you know what else Gustavo is? Ugly."

At the urging of the other three, Kendall puts his speech into hockey terms, and that made me think about how several of Kendall's pep talks this season have included hockey analogies. I wonder if that carries on through the rest of the series. I know they continue to sprinkle in reminders that the guys are into hockey, but I don't remember it being quite so prevalent as the series goes on.

Onto the Katie storyline. She's up in 2J, hard at work making BTR shirts to sell for the upcoming concert tour. Mama Knight isn't thrilled with the idea of her daughter becoming a bootlegger, but she's swayed once she hears how much money Katie stands to make. I do like her initial reaction to hearing Katie's plan. "How did you get like this? I never dropped you. Not once."

We go back to the guys, who have returned to their concert training where Dak Zevon is ready to teach them all about the art of dealing with rabid fans.

I don't think I've mentioned him much, but I love Dak Zevon. What a fun, goofy character. Curt Hansen is great in the role, and I am always SO GLAD that he was replaced as the original series lead. He's a wonderful Dak, but not such a great "Curt Knight." I remember watching clips from the original pilot back when they were first leaked, and it was like catching a glimpse into a weird, alternate universe. The audition scene especially!!

(this is something I probably should have included in my posts on Big Time Audition, but I didn't think to at the time)

LIKE!!!! Everything about this is so off. Even Gustavo doesn't "feel" like Gustavo. He feels reserved. Not nearly as loud and angry and exasperated as the Gustavo we all know and love. Where's his fire??

It is nice that James got to sing more of his audition song, though!

But the entire scene is off. All of it. Curt is talented, but BTR needed Kendall. I genuinely, truly believe the series (and band) wouldn't have gone on to be successful without him. I'm not sure it even would have survived season 1.

Curt has too much swag?? That's the best word to describe it. He's too pretty boy. Plays the character much too confidently, like he KNOWS how cool and handsome he is, which is so. Not Kendall. Even just the mannerisms. It's hard to put into words, but there's something almost...dainty (?) about Kendall Schmidt's performance throughout the whole series. Like...his mannerisms at times, the way he moves. He's Mr. Captain of the Hockey Team Jock Guy, but he's also delicate? Does anyone know what I'm talking about???

↑ this

Basically, Curt is no tall, blond, and eyebrows. I don't see him having been able to pull off the same level of physical comedy that Kendall does or having that same level of anxiety Kendall carries with him—that constant frenzy of fixing everything and worrying about everyone and holding things together.

(and don't get me started on the original Knight family. That whole scene feels like something out of a bad Disney channel movie)

Well...that was a fun little rant. All that to say that I DO genuinely enjoy Curt as Dak, and I think everyone ended up exactly where they were supposed to be.

Let's pull this massively derailed thought-train back on track. Dak has the guys practice running along the stage to high-five fans. James goes first and is immediately pulled off stage and disappears into the sea of rabid fans. The response to this is delightful.

And because I got so sidetracked while making this post, I'm going to put a bookmark in it right here. Guess we'll find out James's fate in the next one.

[haastera]

Murder Drones Ep8 being the Final Episode of the Series Implications

I guess the disappearing Oven cores and the 8 cores - 8 corpses with heads in Ep6 were legitimately just a combination of coincidence and animation errors.

The core jars having names taped on them (MAX and ALI) served zero purpose, as there's no way several new Murder Drones are going to be introduced in the last episode of the entire series, and we never got any good indication of who MAX and ALI even were. It set up the expectation that they were new characters only to do nothing with it.

There was zero point in the foreshadowing of French-speaking drones in Ep3. Despite the user manual stating that drones came in 3 languages, we only ever saw English and Russian in the story.

For a series titled Murder Drones, the extensively teased and foreshadowed Murder Drones were relegated to spending their existence as background props. Several of them were given unique, visually distinct designs, setting up the reasonable expectation that they'd be important eventually, except now they almost 100% won't be. N, V, and J could have been the only Murder Drones sent to C9 and the plot would have been nearly identical with how little impact or importance they have.

We probably aren't getting any more answers about what truly happened on Earth or at the mansion beyond Ep5's frustrating vagueness, nor are we getting any answers about what happened to the multiple uninfected planets seen on the Ep6 monitor.

No answers about if humanity still exists or if the drones on C9 are the last sentient life in the universe.

No further lore or info on the corporation, the Elliot family, or what the response was to the mansion incident.

Murder Drones having clones was simply an excuse to bring J back after the pilot, and will probably serve no other purpose at all in the story.

The mini Earth and mansion key on Tessa's keychain served no purpose. The plot would be identical if they weren't there. it didn't even reveal anything the audience didn't already know, and the physical key itself wasn't needed for Ep5. We also won't get an explanation as to why the Solver even has this key if Earth and the mansion were destroyed long ago.

We probably are not going to find out where the Solver and J came from. Earth? Another exo-planet? Who knows?

What was up with the other two ships the Solver brought with it? No idea. The thought that it was simply storage makes no sense given what we know now and is laughably stupid.

What was up with the pink suitcase? No clue.

The whole storyline about the Solver trying to keep the main characters on the planet as it's eaten while they fight over the final method off world is far less impactful as UZI is almost certainly going to defeat the Solver and save C9.

The ease with which the Solver will be defeated makes it seem rather harmless and idiotic. They don't even have to travel to Earth to kill the heart of the Solver (metaphorically speaking)? This Eldritch, godlike, hivemind of massive power can be defeated simply by killing one of its hosts, and it still showed up on C9 despite knowing for a fact Solver hosts still existed on the planet? And she only brought 1 Murder Drone with her for security? Not a whole legion of them?

UZI isn't even as skilled as Doll with her Solver powers, how is she going to believably defeat CYN and vanquish the Solver next Ep? UZI also isn't patched, so she should still be extremely vulnerable to the Solver possessing her if she tries to use her powers.

I can keep thinking of more. Ep8 has to be the best episode of Murder Drones by several light years to avoid severely damaging this series.

[tuxedokit]

Tell me everything about Della Duck 👀

ILL TRY MY BEST BUT I WILL MOST CERTAINLY NOT SUCCEED!!!!! SHE IS SO COMPLEX AND VAST AND I wanna kiss her on he mouth I MEAN WHAT WHO SAID THAT

ok SO!!!! heres the tuxsys / luna infodumps about della duck post!!! this is my interpretation, uhhh yeah lets go

shes donald ducks twin sister, and mother of huey, dewey and louie duck. she is described as persustent, headstrong, bold... she would never let people tell her she couldnt do ghings just cause shes a girl. shes a pilot as well

shes not present in her sons lives, at least up until their canon ages of roughly 10 years old. in the older canons, it is simply left there, however eventually in one comic it was expanded upon and revealed that she is on the moon! i believe in this continuity she has no idea 10 years have passed, and is shown in one to only believe herself to have been away for 15 minutes. truly tragic, considering no one has the heart to tell her.

in ducktales 2017, thats where my expertise shines cause my autism show, she haunts the narrative for the entire 1st season, and is presumed to be dead. at the end of the season, it is revealed that her disappearance caused a major rift in scrooge and donalds relationship, with them going no contact from before the boys hatch up until the shows pilot. also, like before, shes on the moon. idk why im talking so formally.

the second season we finally get to meet della and she fucking rules. she reminds me of my mom personality wise, which computes to me as that is a woman who never got an adhd or autism diagnosis and very likely needed one. shes silly, shes brave, shes impulsive, shes reckless. she learned her uncle was making her a surprise rocket ship and stole it for a joyride before it was done. roughly a week before her kids hatched. i have thoughts about that, but thats for later or maybe another ask.

ANYWAY. evidently, stealing an unfinished rocket ship is a Bad Idea; it gets swept up in a cosmis storm and she crashes on the moon. her leg is pinned under some debris of her ship, and she is forced to amputate it. keep in mind she is Completely Alone. then she spends the next ten years, still alone, slowly trying to find a way home to her kids. she has a picture of her, scrooge, donald and the eggs taped up the the wall and she drew what she thinks her kids might look like on the back of it. she went from building SOS signs to trying to rebuild the ship herself (teaching herself ROCKET SCIENCE in the process)

shes in rhe final stretch and then she meets moon aliens who have been here the whole time and also have a thriving society and all the materials she would need to rebuild her ship. because of course theyve been right there the whole time. sure. ten years of solitude and theres been guys here the whole time. at least one of them is a hot butch like twice her height?

the moonlanders help her rebuild her ship and she finally gets to go home and see her family. donald is sent away until the finale because they dont want me to be happy /j fr tho the twins reunion was underwhelming but its wtv i can cope

the reunion of della and scrooge is magnificent though!! along with her meeting her kids <333 they spend a few scattered episodes briefly exploring how she missed so much of their lives and ultimately doesnt know how to be a mom, but theyre a family and theyll work to figure it out. they make like... 2 brief nods to how she spent a decade alone on the moon, but judging by the appearances of younger della in flashback stories, it seems as if shes nearly completely unaffected (i call bullshit but wtv. ill write it myself)

uhhh yeah! theres a LOT of details i didnt touch on this is just a brief synopsis

ALSO!!!! i think shes an aromantic lesbian AND shes my wife bc wheeeee

[corey-wh0re]

I don't really go here, but I have to speak into the void cause these episodes & the build-up to this season are the most invested I've ever been in this show & I need somewhere to just get my chaotic thoughts out.

-Despite it almost being a whole 2 years since S2, I realize I still. have not gotten over the loss of Natalie, which has warranted specific & automatic investment in everything Misty has gotten up to in these new eps. When she finally broke down over the loss, I could not have related more & I do not think I will react to any loss over the course of the series as harshly as I have Natalie cause there's no character to have gone through (& yet to go through, per what we don't know about the past yet) the most shit to have been ripped away from us just. when she was starting to get better thanks to Lottie(& to some extent, Misty)'s help. Shit hurts real bad!

-I strongly believe Shauna's "The only way to truly be safe...is to be the only one left," from the trailer, will end up applying to Misty when the series concludes. She's always been on the ~outs~ with the other YJs, never seems to get anywhere with them regardless of her best efforts/intentions, constantly has to resort to. doing things on her own, & has inadvertently "given the wilderness what it wants" the most by being the 1st to draw blood by severing Coach Ben's leg, destroying the black box, accidentally killing Crystal, saving. Nat in the past then killing. Nat in the present, etc. It just reads as the writing setting her up for a Last One Standing arc & being the one most ~naturally attuned to the wilderness~ even one might think the honor would go to Shauna as The Main Character™.

-I suspect Tai is about to go on a full-blown killing spree thinking she can "cure/save" Van from cancer by "giving the wilderness what it wants" without needing "Other Tai" to do any dirty work for her based on her burning the matches as a sort of ~offering~ to the wilderness after she learns of the waiter's death & the glimpse we get of her trying to suffocate somebody in the hospital in the trailer.

-As a follow-up to my above points: I think what would ultimately classify Misty as "the only one left" compared to either Shauna or Tai (I feel it's gonna come down to those 3 since we've already lost Natalie out of the adult YJs we were initially introduced to) as characters who are more obviously ~influenced by the wilderness~ in their own ways is that Misty quite literally never. ends up getting what she wants through her various "sacrifices." It always. ends up backfiring on her compared to some of the squeakier resolutions for other character conflicts & it would. directly tie back into her being the first character confirmed to be involved in the "pit girl" scene from the pilot.

-Mari is all but confirmed as "pit girl" atp. Having the season start out. with her running in the woods & then proceed to fall into. a pit with the 1st ep being titled "It Girl" just all feels too obvious to not. be the case considering all the cast & crew talk about this season being the one where we start getting answers. We might not get the scene itself this. season (what with it being spring & all), but I do think the writers are handing that to us on a silver platter here.

-Akilah is either doomed or will turn out to be the only well-adjusted survivor in the present timeline after that scene with Travis redirecting Lottie's attention to her. I see no in between for her, although I'm leaning toward the former more so than the latter.

-Coach Ben is for sure toast. I think this is a natural assumption everyone has likely made after the events of S2, but there is no way in hell he is not being executed after the sham trial the YJs are about to hold for him in a few eps. He will likely be the 1st of many Major Deaths of the season.

-Even with my opening point about Natalie & largely lighter tone with these 2 eps in mind, everything the cast & crew have been saying have pointed towards this season being the most death-heavy of the series so far. And I can only imagine that S1 & S2's Major Deaths might pale in comparison to many viewers depending on the trajectory of the season/who precisely ends up dead (I would not be surprised if Lottie were to bite it if any of the adult YJs get axed this season cause her just showing up to play sleepover with Callie feels ~too~ casual to not read into).

-Between Shauna vying for power while hating everyone around her in the past & "the hunt" being interrupted in S2's finale for "the wilderness" to claim Natalie in her place in the present (like Javi was with Natalie), I think Shauna is finally. gonna get what she wanted by being "the leader" this season (temporarily, at least) at a great personal cost (possibly the death of Jeff; possibly something else).

-I have my suspicions that Callie will kill someone &/or directly lead to the death of somebody. With how much groundwork has been lain to show that ~Callie acts the way she does because Shauna is her mother~ & now ~Shauna & Callie have a lot more in common than either realize~ it feels like the natural next step in escalating their dynamic since Callie is doing all this digging into the past. Considering her reaction to Shauna's confession to killing Adam & her literally witnessing Shauna being "hunted"/Natalie die is her being totally fine at the start of this season, Lottie is about to be 100% validated in calling her "powerful."

-Hilary Swank's mystery character will likely be a big red herring. I think many are sussing out that the attempt to tie her & Melissa together is gonna be a misdirection cause it doesn't really add up with the brief glimpses we've been given of her in the promotional material. I can't say whether or not she's gonna take up a splashy guest spot to be immediately executed or slide into a cushy recurring spot to replace somebody who will. die this season

-Even while living completely in the moment riding the euphoric high of having new eps to react to & deconstruct into oblivion, I'm already mourning the loss that'll come when the season finishes airing after the huge gap between 2 & 3, especially depending upon who might die this season. Hope everyone lives up this spring in the wilderness!

[saveraedae]

Late Indie Animation Day Post (A thread)

Pouring my heart out edition

Nothing new to show for myself this go around, but hi! I'm Saver! I'm making The Mark Side— a comedy about queer teens in Texas with an underlying personal story about life, mental health, & navigating friendship with a best friend who wants nothing to do with you!

My thread here is less about the series' content, but about my journey as a creator through the years, and my gameplan for it moving forward. If you wanna learn about the series itself check out this post or go to the official TMS website.

But if you've never heard of me— hi!

I'm Saver! An artist, storyteller, and animator!

A bunch of personal and sappy stuff below the cut!

I am not new to the indie animation scene by any means. Just a very small creator with a tiny reach. My journey in beginning to develop TMS as a show kicked off in 2016 when I was only 13.

During this time I made lots of little productions with TMS, most of which had pretty sub-par quality. (I was a kid with no experience after all.)

They're all still out there if you go looking for them!

But hey, I set out to make stuff and guess what? That's what I did!

In 2020, I released an animatic titled "Friend Fiction," which serves as both the pilot as well as episode 1 to the show. I was in high school during its creation and had no idea what I was doing, and it shows! But guess what? I set out to make something, and did exactly that.

Episode 2, "An In-Tents Trip" is currently in production. It will feature a huge increase in production quality, full animation, and will serve as the proof of concept for the show as a whole! (A bit messy with the proof of concept to pilot pipeline, but it's got the spirit!)

Throughout the years I've been through so many personal struggles, both related to TMS and not. There's been countless times where I felt like I was at my breaking point, or like I wasn't good enough. But I kept pushing through, because I wanted to see the show come to life.

I've spent my whole life up until recently living with undiagnosed neurodivergence and untreated mental health issues, and only a short time ago did I realize that despite all of that, I always held onto my one goal: To make a cartoon and tell a story.

Ever since I was a young child, even before TMS existed, I always knew I wanted to make cartoons. Not just any cartoons, my own cartoons. I remember being just 4 years old and daydreaming about spearheading my own production, telling my own stories and entertaining others.

A handful of indie cartoons nowadays, much like industry produced cartoons, feature full teams managing each department, as well as several to many other animators. Which is cool as hell! Who would have thought that one day animation would come to this point?

GLITCH and Spindlehorse are truly blowing my mind by what they have and continue to accomplish. It's really remarkable and satisfying to see as someone who grew up thinking the only way to get things in front of others was to give up control and sacrifice the quality.

Another handful of shows though, which The Mark Side falls under, has everything lead, animated, produced, and even more by just one person: the creator. There's people with enough passion to do what teams of hundreds do, just by themselves. Because they want to.

I one day aspire to expand its production to the likes of the aforementioned studios, but only time will tell if that goal will get met. Regardless, I'm going to keep going. My goal is to get a show made, and my eagerness to see it all in full one day is what drives me.

Does any of that sound messy? Unprofessional even?

It does!

And that's ok!

Indie is not the industry.

Indie is independence, and breaking free from the norm. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. Let your passion and love for your craft drive you

I believe the best creators write and tell stories from the heart.

Not everything will look perfect, but our love for what we do is evident in everything we create, and our eagerness for the future accomplishes more than we think. That's what indie means to me.

I've been through a lot as a creator. And I'm far from meeting my goal. But the world will be ready for what I have to offer some day, and same for whoever this thread resonates with.

Until then, let's support our colleagues and let our creations guide us.

[watchinglikeafangirl]

Short reviews because I'm so busy trying to study and work at the same time.

In the meantime, I caught up with every BL I have put on hold or lost interest in throughout its run.

Wandee Goodday

The first episodes were really promising. They have very good chemistry and both of them are very good at acting out heart-eyes, making me wish for somebody to look at me like that. The pacing was good as well, the pilot really hit it off. But then the show kind of lost itself, episodes kept being uneventful and I still don't understand why they are oficially together in episode 10 when they both knew they are having feelings since episode 3. It's unnessecarily stretched out while them both overcoming their trauma is poorly written. They both had some issues regarding their parents and self-love and while that is interesting, I feel like their traumas weren't talked about a lot. Dee's trauma was "solved" within one of the four parts of episode 8 (I think?). And Yak overcame his guilt in 3 seconds after Dee showed up at his fight and told him to just let go. In what world does anyone heal that quickly?

The vaccine ads were more present than them overcoming their traumas.

Most episodes felt so long and I've skipped throught the last three. There are so many cringey speeches in front of audiences and love confessions that feel like the same lines are repeated over and over again. And don't get me started on Cher and Yei. I do not care about their relationship even if Cher is cute and Yei is good-looking. I like them with Yak and Dee but they barely had any scenes and then there's a random sex scene, so we feel like we are invested in their story but it's just a poor attempt to make us believe we're having a good time with them.

Rating: 5/10

My stand-in

I was really excited about Up's new series. I LOVED him in "lovely writer" and I couldn't wait to see the angst this show would bring. I still think the first 4 episodes are the best. Joe keeps hinting that something grand is about to happen, that meeting Ming meant his life will turn into a nightmare. I was really shocked when he died but I just cannot agree with Joe's choices. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense but it's very self-destructive to go back to the same agency and be around the same friends and have the same job while people can't recognize you but keep on talking about your past self. Joe complains about being Tong's stand-in, he repeats how much pain it caused him but he chooses to be his own stand-in and complains again? It frustrates me so much.

But I have to say, the amout of joy I felt when Tong was without money and helpless and chased after. He absolutly deserved it and I dislike they try to redeem him at the end. Throughout this whole show, I never felt like he truly loves May, yet in the end he says he does and she's like "okay". No. That's not how redemption works. And Joe helps him, takes a bullet for him and forgives him after one tiny "thank you"...? Tong has to do a lot more than that.

I don't like the way Ming doesn't respect Joe. They have an eye-opening conversation in the car, when Ming forces Joe to go with him and Joe loses it because he doesn't want to be there. In the end, the car stops, he storms off and Ming runs after him and hugs him from behind. After shaking Ming off, Joe keeps leaving and Ming hugs him again. Ming hugs Joe three times in that scene. I feel like Joe should just leave.

The story also feels like it's losing itself a bit at some points. It's not really necessary to have that whole "dad doesn't approve" story when it's clear as day he will come around. They went to such extremes, terrorizing Ming and Joe but it doesn't really make sense. Ming's parents change their minds within like 20 mins (at least it felt like it), so why did we get so many tears? Why was I invested? And why did Joe help Tong? Why in the world would Joe switch places with Tong? They just brush it off with "that's just what Joe does because he's so kind" but no, Joe is just unreasonable.

Rating: 7/10

We are

This show starts with Peem painting and his off voice introduces us to him in a "hi, I'm Peem, I'm an arts student" kind of way. Honestly, the first time I watched this first scene, I immediatly closed the tab because most GMMTV shows that start like this end up being extremely boring. And after "never let me go", I was not convinced about Pond and Phuwin. I honestly didn't want to watch a show with them as the main leads and some of my problems were still seen in We are. But I'm not gonna name them since I'm not trying to badmouth people here.

But YouTube desperatly wanted me to watch this show, so I clicked on the first episode again and then I kinda bindged it lol. It's very funny, I love the friend group so much. Some people say there were too many couples but I feel like it was exactly right because if this show would have had two couples only, it would have been very boring. There is not much happening but the relationships make up for it. I felt alive watching this show and some scenes are so fast paced.

I hoenstly didn't expect Peem to bluntly kick Phum within the first 3 minutes. There were many scenes like that, especially when the friends were all together. There were some nice twists and jokes I didn't see coming but felt so authentic and not staged. The script is pretty good and it's an absolute gem.

Rating: 9/10

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Reviewing non-Marvel Loki Things (That I've Been Exposed to)

I am certain there's more, but these are all the non-Marvel Loki-related media I could think of that I've consumed. Maybe I'll do a part 2 if I think of some other things I've read/seen. These aren't really full reviews, just basic reactions of what I remember of these pieces of media.

The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne M. Harris

I...did not finish this. It was kind of interesting, I remember. But I'll be honest, one of the lines I remember most clearly is from the beginning where Loki says something like "For some reason on Asgard, I'm not allowed to fuck beasts or men and no one can tell me why." And then he just kind of, goes with it? Like first of all, why, if you can live forever, would you not only limit yourself to one gender (I'm okay with leaving the bestiality alone, but you could probably make a case for this, too, if they can consent), but force everyone else to, also? And anyway, even if Odin is a Puritan prick for some reason, the least believable thing about all this is that Loki stands for it???!!! Why is this the one thing about which he's like 'Welp, guess Odin knows best'? Frankly, it broke my suspension of disbelief for the whole thing. (You know how I was like Kid Loki saying "I killed Thor" made me go 'Oh, okay, the Loki writers don't have a clue who Loki is fundamentally'? Yeah, this is the line that made me do that with Harris.) I didn't even get far enough to maybe (probably) read my favorite myth (Sigyn catching the venom in her bowl).

Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman

So much better, holy shit! Leaps and bounds better!!! This is one of my favorite books. I've talked about it a little on here, but he's such a great writer, and I laughed out loud so many times for the way he portrays Thor and Loki especially (it helped that I first read this listening to him read the audiobook). I just love how he portrays Loki as only smart in comparison to the other gods, who are truly dumb as bricks, with Loki only slightly more clever by comparison. But I was still so attached to Loki that when he causes his own downfall in the end (like he does in the myths) I think I genuinely cried. This is one of those books I read at least once a year.

The Bifrost Incident, by The Mechanisms

I'll be real with you, I mostly only listened to the tracks I knew Loki (and Sigyn) were on. But I did also read the synopsis on the wiki, so I know the gist of the musical. And what I'll say of it is this: I discovered the album four days prior to writing this, and I've listened to at least the Loki track at least twice a day since. I'm a little grateful it's just (as far as I know) an album, because if there was a recorded performance somewhere, I could not watch it (even though I obviously would because I like to let myself suffer). Loki's arc is just too fucking painful (which is honestly saying something, given some of the shit he gets put through in other media).

Ragnarok, Netflix

I watched the first episode. I felt like it ended stupidly and way too dramatically for even the pilot. I know it's called Ragnarok, but it's a modern retelling, and Thor and Loki are kids, so it doesn't have to go so hard from the word Go. And Laurits did not make a good first impression on me either. Can't remember exact reasons why, though. I watched this a long time ago.

[kiynania]

Ranking every ninjago season and why :3

(Yall are gonna 100% hate me for this)

(Spoilers for Dragons rising kinda)

I hate it sm, it literally could've been one of the best seasons in ninjago history, but there was WAY too much filler and was so underwhelming and predictable. Didn't even feel like a Zane season during the second half it felt more like a Lloyd season. ALL of the ninja should've fought Zane + Pixal, and she should've come as well. AND THE FACT THAT ZANE'S TRAUMA WAS NEVER BROUGHT UP. LIKE HUH????? I will forever hate this season with a passion no matter what anyone says.

18. Forbidden Secrets of Spinjitzu

17. Prime Empire

I really can't care for it at all it just feels like the ninjago writers ran out of ideas(which I completely understand, but still) you could literally skip the entire thing and the whole plot line would STILL make sense. The only time I genuinely rewatch this is if I'm THAT bored. Really should've stuck the to idea with Jay's mother running away from something(which they 100% should've done in the first place)

16. Skybound

Before yall come to my house and beat the shit out of me, HEAR. ME. OUT. Kinda the same situation with Prime Empire. You could skip it, and the show would still make sense. It's never addressed after the season, and all of it is just...wack. Nadakkan is a fucking creep towards Nya, like mf BACK OFF. And Jay isn't any better. He's constantly disrespecting Nya's boundaries throughout a majority of the season, and I do NOT understand how Jay fans justify that. And the amount of sexism in it??? I just don't like this season in general and would very much like to stay away from it.

15. The Island

It felt like it was just there for the purpose of being there. It's important to the plot the next season but I felt like that could've been resolved with a little b plot. Ik it's technically not a season but idc. That's it. Nothing else I can say abt it.

14. Crystalized

It had sm potential, but the second half felt so rushed. The first 12 eps were really well paced, but the last 18 felt like a whole other season. The entire ending was rushed, and it was so hyped as well. I was at the edge of my chair waiting and waiting but....nothing. I never really believed that Pixal was gonna die, but I 100% expected Wu to die or SOMEONE to make a huge sacrifice. The original ending wouldn't have been much better bc at that point, there would've been only 2 eps left. AND NO ONE BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT ZANE DEFEATED THE OVERLOAD. NOT EVEN LLOYD???? "Third time's the charm," MF ZANE DEFEATED HIM THE THIRD TIME FOR WAY LONGER THAN YOU DID AND NOT EVEN THE OVERLOAD MENTIONED IT LIKE WHAT??? AT LEAST REFRENCE IT OR SUM.

13. Hands of Time

To get something out of the way, the animation reminded me of Miraculous Ladybug.(IM SORRY) The season felt odd but in a good way. And knowing that Pixal was in that Samurai X suit makes her personality in s7 10× more funnier. I don't hate it but I don't love it at the same time. It's a 50/50

12. The Pilots

Since it's the start or it all, it's going to get a decent ranking. I really like it and it did just fine for a pilot ep(s) But other seasons are just better :3

11. Master of The Mountain

It's a really nice season to get back at I fricking LOVE the little flashback of Cole's mother. But at the same time it's a bit forgettable.(don't come for me) That's it. :3

10. Legacy of The Green Ninja

One of the classic seasons. It's good enough to make it to the top 10. This was where ninjago was originally supposed to end. Its really nice and seeing Lloyd battle his dad was sad :,) All the episodes are really fun and entertaining but other seasons are just better :3

9. Rise of The Snakes

The first season of ninjago where it all truly started. Much like s2 all the episodes are really entertaining. It's really heartwarming to watch all the ninja grow up and change throughout the rest of the seasons. It's always a classic you can come back to. But other seasons are still just better

8. Possession

It's a really nice season and the pros outweigh the cons but I really don't like Morro(atp yall finna hate me) He's like Kai if his "I'm supposed to be the green ninja" phase never left. His redemption arc was so fricking boring and forgettable that I don't even REMEMBER what happened and i'm too lazy to go back. But the episodes are also really entertaining and a bit funny.

7. Rebooted

TOO MANY PPL DONT LIKE THIS SEASON AND IDK WHY. Okay the love triangle was extremely unnecessary and didn't help progress the plot at all. But all the good really outweighs it. It's the birth of the best Canon ship(which is pretty much all I post abt here) Really entertaining. AND HAS ONE OF THE BEST SCENES IN HISTORY. Ik yall were in TEARS after the last ep.

6. Dragons Rising

It's a really well paced season and MASSIVELY improved from crystalized. THEY ACTUALLY GIVE ZANE A PERSONALITY AND I AM HERE FOR IT. It gives off a really well based story, and it's really entertaining. Ik a majority of Jay fans were upset bc he only got like 14 seconds of screen time if that, but with everything going on and at that point there were 3 eps left. The story pacing would've been extremely rushed, so I'm kinda glad that happened. Nothing else to say.

5. March of The Oni

Really great season. Just really hits you in the feels. Nice season you can always rewatch. I love the Pixal/Cole/Zane interaction in the first ep really funny. The rest of the season is pretty self explanatory

4. Tournament of Elements

This season is one of the best in the show. Like S10 it's pretty self explanatory. Introduces us to a bunch of new concepts. GARMADON SACRIFICING HIMSELF WAHHHHHHH. The only thing I genuinely have a problem with is the Zane amnesia part. I really wanted it to last the whole season like make Zane have little flashbacks bit by bit. That could've been really interesting. The rest is amazing.

3.Sons of Garmadon

SO MANY PPL WHO STOPPED WATCHING AFTER THE REDESIGNS MISSED OUT OMG. It's so good. Good characters. Good villains. Good story concept. GREAT execution. Just mwah. Crystalized kinda ruined Harumi's arc. Like I would've been fine if she stayed dead. HER ARC WAS PERFECT. I love her sm. Also has one of the best outfits/weapons. THE REDESIGNS DID THEM JUSTICE THEYRE SM BETTER THAN THE OLD ONES(don't find me pls.) It's great would recommend :3

2. Seabound

ONE OF THE BEST SEASONS JUST MWAH. Nya's arc was really nice, and her merging with the ocean pulled on my heartstrings istg. HER INTERACTIONS WITH HER MOTHER JUST...*cries forever*

1. Hunted

MY FAVORITE SEASON OMG EVERYTHING ABT IT IS FUCKING PERFECT. The music. The characters. EVERYTHING. Has one of the best intros in ninjago. I love how Lloyd was trying to cope with his friends being "dead" and being so relieved that they're actually alive. The designs are so good. The story progresses really smoothly and just...*chefs kiss*

Okay bye now.

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

Having listened to "Talkville," "Drama Queens," "Office Ladies," "Welcome To Our Show" and now the new Full House rewatch podcast "How Rude, Tanneritos" I have strong opinions on which cast hosted rewatch podcasts work.

1. I absolutely love the Full House rewatch podcast. Granted, only the first episode is out so far and it wasn't even covering an episode. Next week is the Pilot and this one was just an introduction and they did talk about the opening theme and credits.

2. Maybe coincidentally the podcasts that work have been the ones led by women entirely. My favorites have been Drama Queens, Office Ladies and now How Rude Tanneritos. No diss to the Smallville podcast but I don't feel a whole lot of enthusiasm or chemistry between Tom and Michael with Talkville.

3. I also believe that these types of podcasts are so prevalent that a lot of actors feel like "it's the thing to do" so there's no kind of real thought of which actors should host it. Like for instance, I think that if Tom and Erica had hosted Talkville that would be a lot more fun because they have such chemistry and a rapport. Also Michael Rosenbaum already had a random celebrity interview show prior to Talkville and so now Talkville just feels like an extension of that. It doesn't feel organic or unique.

4. The actors who end up hosting really make the show. With Office Ladies.... Angela and Jenna are truly best friends and you really feel that. You feel the friendship chemistry even in podcast form. Also they are very dedicated to it and are knowledgable. I've never heard a podcast that is quite so chock full information and trivia and previously unknown behind the scenes stories because if they don't know the answer to something then they do a ton of research and ask cast and crew the questions. You can also tell that Jenna and Angela are having so much fun together and they are really proud of The Office.

5. Drama Queens is hosted by Bethany Joy Lenz, Sophia Bush, and Hilarie Burton and it's another situation where you can tell that those three are amazing friends and really love each other. They have a perspective and they are really passionate about anything they are talking about. They are just a fun group of women to hear speak on One Tree Hill or even anything. They do go on some minor tangents but they also try to keep a good structure.

6. With How Rude Tanneritos I can only go off of the first episode but I just found myself entranced by the conversation because Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber are really good friends for real life. Also the reason they wanted to do the podcast seemed more moving and organic. Ever since Bob Saget passed away they've been wanting to revisit those old memories and wanted them recorded in podcast form for the fans, themselves and their loved ones to enjoy forever while they still weren't too far removed and could still remember those times to a certain extent. There were some funny moments and some fun trivia. I think that this is the oldest show to have a rewatch podcast for it which is pretty unique.

7. Welcome To Our Show I haven't listened to for a while but i'm a part of a popular Facebook group for New Girl and most people on there seem to hate it. Honestly the problem I had with it was the lack of structure and how little they talk about the episode they are covering. Also weirdly, I don't feel the chemistry between Zooey, Hannah, and Lamorne. Which is weird cause they have great chemistry in the show itself. I think this show could have been better if it had been Lamorne, Hannah, and Max hosting. Max has a really funny personality and I think it would have added some spice. And I feel like Hannah and Lamorne have great chemistry but honestly Zooey hogs the conversation a bit too much. I have nothing against Zooey, ever since the podcast I feel like a lot of people have come to dislike her. It's not even that she hogs the conversation to talk about the show, it's that she hogs the conversation to talk about herself and her other filmography. But I do feel like some people are overly harsh with her. I just feel like if you don't create a strong structure around the episode and how you're gonna talk about it then that's just bound to happen.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions. Some of you may love Talkville and Welcome To Our Show and that is great. Also I haven't listened to them in a while so some of this stuff could have improved. If so, please let me know. I could use some inspiration to start them up again.

[laismoura-art]

Nah, Lúcifer was an ASSHOLE this whole song and I wish Al keeps annoying the shit out of him to humble him down!

Matter of fact: Luci was an asshole in general, to Charlie and to everyone else in the hotel. He looked EVERYONE down! He looked with disgust to Al's bar and treated him like shit and let's be real:

Alastor did not deserve to be treated like that

Like, what did Al even do wrong?? (To Lúcifer I mean)

Walk with me:

Luci enters the hotel and fully ignores Alastor even though he literally RIGHT BY CHARLIE'S SIDE!

And one important thing I noticed, people usually comment on Al's murderous gaze towards Luci, but did y'all notice he only has it when no one is looking? And by the time Luci may acknowledge him, he has a much more welcoming face?

Watch the scene again and you will notice till before the song starts Alastor never let either Charlie nor Luci notice how displeased he is, take this moment for example:

When he wipes his hand Luci is not looking, but the moment he looks again :D

I think there's also one important thing people overlook about Alastor:

He takes pride in the hotel! Sure, he doesn't believe in redemption or anything of the sort, but it doesn't matter cause he's not here for it!

He is here to be the manager, he's here to make sure things happen, he's here to help and improve the place, and hell! Look at this place now compared to the pilot and tell me he didn't do a fine job!

And he is PROUD of it! Truly! Just look:

Look at him talking about the renovations, him introducing himself as the manager, him talking about his radio show and about the name he chose!

Man's PROUD! He loves this silly little project regardless of it working or not!

And... how does Luci respond?

Yeah. Not your best moment, Luci.

Now, unfortunately, I've reached the limit for pictures, but I also wanted to talk about the moment that came afterwards, the one with Charlie.

The moment everyone loves to call Al's big manipulator moment, but I personally like to call:

Al just straight up spilling facts:

Charlie says "if it wasn't for Alastor, none of this would've been possible" She's right, Al did improve the place greatly!

Then Alastor says "Charlie has a vision that I consider unique" again, true. That's literally why he came! Believing in her or not, her vision IS unique, and he made sure to point that out when they met!

Then comes the "I'm happy to fulfil her bizarre requests" truth number 3! He provided them with a working staff, a maintenance team, security (himself, lol) and even made them a TV commercial TWICE (even though he's heavily against it)!

You gotta give the man some credit, he is THE helping hand!

Meanwhile her dad couldn't even bring himself to PRETEND he was supportive.

Heck, at least Alastor is there doing something, what were you doing Mr. Angelic power??

And then we get to the song. OH BOY! The song!

I gotta say, I'm 110% team Alastor in this episode!

Hell's Greatest Dad was less about Alastor trying to one up Lúcifer and more about Lúcifer trying to sell Alastor as useless to Charlie in comparison to him.

Just notice how the song is about Lúcifer offering his power to help her with the hotel.

Luci, honey, that's not why you've been called!

Charlie NEVER said she needed help with the hotel, heck! If anything, she wanted him to see she could handle things herself! And the help she has she's got all by herself, that she convinced Vaggie and charmed Alastor into helping her, they are her wins, the hotel is her win!

And all her dad has to say is that is needs a literal angelic intervention that her "bellhop" cannot provide.

I'll rephrase: Charlie convinced one of the most powerful beings in hell to invest in her project and her dad treats it like it's no big feat.

Do you y'all realise how WRONG Luci was in all this?? To both Charlie and Al???

Al was defending himself and his position in this song, and if the way he found it was to rub in Luci's face that he earned Charlie's affection by simply BEING THERE FOR HER, then SO BE IT!

.

.

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Ok, that was ENORMOUS! Hi, OP! I hope you like reading!😅💕

Ok but

The inherent classism that Lucifer had with his bellhop, busboy comments towards Al? Something a mixed man from the 1930s would have immediately been alert to. And maybe that’s why he was so pressed over Husks leash comment? Or am I over thinking it?

[topperscumslut]

Let’s Talk About Jay Kelso

Warning: spoilers for That 90s Show

So I just binged T90S, and I’m not really sure how to feel, particularly about Jay. On one hand, I did really like his character, but not as much as I thought I would. And part of me thinks that’s my own fault for creating this idea in my mind of exactly what I thought he would be like without the show even being out yet, but part of me feels justified in my disappointment in the way his character was written and I’m wondering if anyone else agrees with me on this.

Jay started out really strong, he was flirty and charismatic, yet cheesy and respectful. The first two episodes have kind of blurred together at this point since I pulled an all nighter to watch this and I’m coming down from my caffeine high, but I saw a lot of potential for his character that I really didn’t see fulfilled in the rest of the series. Let me preface this by saying that I do not blame Mace Coronel, who plays Jay, AT ALL for this. I adore Mace and believe he’s beyond talented and did the best he could with what he was given. I blame it on lazy writing. As much as I love both T70S and T90S, a lot of the writing REALLY pisses me off (especially the treatment of Jackie in both shows, but that’s a topic for another time).

In my opinion, Jay peaked in episode three and it was all kind of downhill from there. Again, I still enjoyed his character, but it wasn’t what I expected or wanted from him. And maybe I am just projecting and set unreasonable expectations for his character, but I have a strong feeling the fandom will agree with me on this. Ep3 Jay really felt like the fanon Jay that I had imagined in my mind and had seen in posts from other users on here. He was still a charismatic flirt, but he was also slightly awkward, incredibly sweet, and a little dorky like I had imagined him. Between what I’d seen in trailers, official character descriptions, other tumblr users’ fan theories, and my own imagination, I imagined Jay having the charm of Kelso but much more depth. I saw him as being a bit of a nerd who loves girls but, unlike his father, isn’t a womanizer and genuinely respects them. I imagined him as very introspective, poetic, and intelligent, which I didn’t really see much of at all after episode three. Kelso himself even says in the pilot that Jay has his good looks and Jackie’s brains. And Jackie was always truly intelligent, even though she usually wasn’t treated that way. He was also described as always having a camera with him and constantly taking videos and photos of his friends which, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we saw that even once in this season. In my mind, Jay Kelso was a goofy film geek who’s popular with the ladies due to his good looks and charisma, but in a much more unconventional way than his father is. But as the series progressed, I felt like he became more and more like Kelso. Which sucks because I despise Kelso with a passion.

Let’s talk about what I liked about Jay in episode three. When Leia tries to get Jay to kiss her, he turns her down because he doesn’t want her to be a meaningless fling and because he can tell this isn’t really what she wants. So I was like okay, consent king, respecting women, we love to see it. I also fully expected Jay to be a virgin for a couple reasons. First of all, in the original series, all of the core cast (except maybe Hyde) were virgins at the beginning of the series, EVEN KELSO, and besides Jackie, they were all older than the T90S crew at 17/18, whereas the next gen of Point Place kids are all 14-16, maybe some of them 17. But in T90S it’s heavily implied that the whole gang beside Leia (and possibly Ozzie, since his boyfriend lives in Canada) have all lost their virginity. Secondly, it would be such a plot twist. A Kelso being a virgin? Unspeakable! I fully expected this grand reveal of Jay saying he doesn’t want to make the same mistakes of his father and that he’s waiting for the right person, someone he’s truly in love with, and that person being Leia (though I am glad that Jay and Leia didn’t have sex for multiple reasons. The age of the characters, their lack of chemistry, and the age difference between the actors, to name a few). I was also genuinely surprised at Jay’s lack of daddy issues. All the posts with spoilers from before the show was out from people who had seen tapings suggested Kelso being an absent father who doesn’t really love or care for Jay, which led me to believe Jay would want to be as little like his father as possible, but there was literally nothing about that in the show. Also, a bit off topic, but can we talk about how awful the circumstances of Jay and Leia getting together were? Sure they developed genuine feelings for each other eventually, but it literally starts with Leia being like “hey, I want my first kiss, and my only option’s Jay. Eh, might as well, better than nothing.”

All of these hopes were crushed in episode four when we find out that not only has Jay had sex, which okay, fine, whatever, but he’s also a player who’s broken multiple girls hearts, and it’s implied that he does this on purpose. So basically Kelso 2.0. Cool. While I do have critiques for the other episodes, I did genuinely enjoy them, whereas I absolutely despise episode four to the point where I hardly even consider it canon. Between the horrible light it painted Jay in and the insensitive and disgusting Menendez brothers joke that made me actually pause the show for a good ten minutes to process it and almost give up on the show completely, episode four was horrendous. When Nikki suggests that Jay has feelings for Leia and actually sees her as a person and not just a sex object, Jay seems genuinely surprised at best, if not disgusted. While him telling Leia in the previous episode that he doesn’t want her to be a meaningless hookup implied that he treated all women with this level of respect, this seems to flip the script to say that he sees only Leia this way, because she’s “different.” Why, because she’s the main character, because she’s a “pure” nerdy virgin, because she’s “not like other girls?” Why is Leia put on a pedestal and treated like she deserves better than other girls whereas the rest aren’t worthy of basic respect? (If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is exactly how Donna was treated in the original series as opposed to every single other girl on the show, particularly Jackie.) Because Leia is “special” she “deserves” to be treated with basic human decency, unlike “other girls,” because fuck them, right? At the rave, we see what could have been a cute moment where Leia and Jay confess their feelings for each other, but instead, Jay takes advantage of her vulnerability and arrogantly declares that he “knew it” when Leia admits her feelings rather than telling her he feels the same way. However it’s hard to hold all of this against Jay considering how out of character this seems for him. Episodes 1-3 paint him as kind and empathetic, whereas episodes 5-10 continue that sort of personality for him, but also turn him into a one note love interest that doesn’t have much else to his character. Episode four Jay literally feels like an entirely different character than the rest of the series.

In either episode four or five, forgive me for not remembering, we meet Serena, who could essentially be replaced with a piece of cardboard and nothing would change. Serena literally only exists to be “the other woman” getting in the way of Jay and Leia’s relationship. While Leia, thankfully, isn’t unkind to her just because she’s with Jay, the writers are. Unlike Leia, apparently Serena doesn’t deserve a happy ending, a good boyfriend, or a shred of respect. She’s older, she dresses in a more conventionally attractive way, and her personality is nonexistent. It’s unclear if Jay *technically* cheated on Serena; while Leia calls her Jay’s girlfriend, it’s important to take into account that Leia is an unreliable narrator and it’s entirely possible that Jay and Serena were just casually going out and not official (especially considering they were just going on their first date a day or two before Leia’s birthday), but it’s also a very real possibility that Jay did cheat on her when he kisses Leia on her birthday. Regardless of if they were official or not, it’s pretty shitty that Jay entirely casts her aside as soon as Leia shows interest. Serena who, right? No seriously, that’s literally what he says. If the roles were reversed and it was Leia he did this to, Jay would be seen as a total asshole, but since it’s Serena, we’re not supposed to care. For my swifties out there, Leia is Betty, Jay is James, and Serena is Augustine - just a “summer thing.” So not only is Jay a “player” and a “man whore” as he’s called by his own friend group, he’s also likely a cheater. Sure, he’s Kelso’s son, but that doesn’t mean he has to be a carbon copy. It’s like the writers copy and pasted Kelso into the 90s, edited a few things, and said “yeah, that’s good enough, no one will be able to tell.”

While this may sound like I hate Jay, I really don’t. In fact, he’s still probably my favorite character in the reboot, although I’m probably a bit biased due to my affections for him from before the show came out (and my eight year long crush on Mace Coronel, but that’s irrelevant.) Jay does prove himself throughout the rest of the season, showing that he does care about Leia and exhibiting empathy his father could never muster, but he still doesn’t feel like his own character. While Kelso habitually cheats on Jackie and then blames her for it, admits to using her for sex and money while she’s 15 and he’s 18, and hounds her into sex until she eventually gives in and says yes so he’ll leave her alone (ie: rape), Jay is genuinely kindhearted and would never do those sorts of things (or at least I hope he wouldn’t, but it wouldn’t shock me if the writers decide to ruin his character in later seasons.) Like Red says when Kitty points out that Jay is better than Michael, the bar isn’t all that high. However, Jay does prove himself to be a good boyfriend who genuinely cares about Leia (I don’t use the word love since their relationship developed so quickly and they’re so young, so it’s unlikely that it’s real love, despite the fact that they believe it is). He exhibits true selflessness throughout the series and continually puts himself in the line of fire (usually from Red) to protect Leia.

Nevertheless, good person or not, Jay doesn’t feel original. He seems to exist only to be Leia’s love interest boy toy. Jay lacks the soul I imagined him to have before watching the show. While it’s nice to see the female characters fleshed out for once, as was very lacking on T70S, the male characters lack dimension in comparison. Leia, Gwen, and Nikki, all have their own personalities, values, and ambitions, whereas Ozzie tends to be the sassy token gay friend (although let’s bffr, none of these new kids are straight, but the writers don’t want to admit it), Jay not only feels like Kelso Lite ™, but as the series progresses, him and Nate seem to morph into basically the same person. Two well intended, yet dumb horndogs who lack depth or any true personality of their own beyond being love interests for their girlfriends and comic relief. Again, I love, love, LOVE Mace Coronel, and have since seeing him on Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn on Nickelodeon, and don’t blame him at all for the way his character is written. Now if you follow my blog, you probably already know that I absolutely adore not only Mace, but also his NRDD costar Aidan Gallagher, who I fell for after seeing him in The Umbrella Academy. However, Mace was the one I had a crush on as a child and it was very exciting to rediscover him when I first found out about T90S. While Aidan’s NRDD character Nicky Harper and TUA character Five Hargreeves share the same cunning spirit, they’re extremely different in most ways and I was incredibly excited to see Mace show this same sort of range on T90S. And I do believe that Mace has that range, but he unfortunately seems to be being typecast, considering Jay basically feels like teenage Dicky Harper in the 90s. Maybe I’m being overdramatic, but I was really hoping for more for Jay’s character and I was slightly disappointed, and I hope he gets fleshed out more and more deeply explored in later seasons.

Thanks for reading my long ass rant lmao. TLDR; I love Jay Kelso (and Mace Coronel) but hate how he was portrayed. Justice for Jay (oh, and for Serena)

Tagging my favorite T70S/T90S blogs for engagement: @thestupidhelmet @lily-267 @thatseventiesbitch @einsteinsugly @that90sshowgoldencouple

[kaxtwenty]

1. The final episode still gets me to this day, so I’mma say that one.

2. The purgil episode in season 2 bored me to death the first time I watched it, but I appreciate it a lot more now after the finale.

3. The show looks fine, but every issue I and many others have with it from the casting, to the visuals and the action could’ve been avoided if it were just animated.

4. Tseebo’s appearance was a turning point for the whole show and I’ve always appreciated what he added to Ezra’s character as well.

5. I’d change the scene where Zeb and Sabine let Rukh go after knocking him out, felt kind of stupid even though I liked what they were going for.

6. Kalluzeb and Kanera (I’m partial to Sabezra, but much prefer them being platonic in canon).

7. AP-5 is the funniest character on the show and we don’t talk about it nearly enough.

8. I’d like there to be an episode that answers the question of whether or not Kanan’s from Lothal.

9. Ezra, always has been, always will be.

10. It doesn’t make me cry much, but the final episode leaves me so emotionally exhausted that I couldn’t really muster many tears anyway.

11. AP-5’s musical number.

12. I can’t choose between her season 3, 4 or epilogue looks.

13. Palpy’s just gonna have to understand that he is not HIM.

14. The entire season 1 finale.

15. UGGHGGHH The entirety of Jedi Night.

16. The Grand Inquisitor.

17. I like how it seems like time travel at first, but when you stop and think about how it actually works it’s more like fate manipulation than regular time traveling. It think it fits in with the mysterious aspects of the Force pretty well.

18. Hanging around in the unknown regions being a pain in Thrawn’s blue ass.

19. “No, because I have nothing left to fear.” It was here I decided that Kanan was the GOAT.

20. Hyperspacing through a hangar cemented her status as the best pilot in the Rebellion. Han’s gonna just have to accept that.

21. Him comforting Hera after Kanan’s death was a really good example of how much he truly cares for the crew.

22. The entire Journey into the Star Cluster sequence. Generational.

23. Her duel with Kanan had some of the most emotional voice acting, writing and music that I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. Her pouring her heart and letting loose all of the emotions she had been repressing all those years is still cathartic to this day. It’s a huge comfort episode whenever I’m feeling too stressed and none of my other outlets are working for me. Everything about Trials of the Darksaber is near perfect.

24. Him defying Palpatine, letting go of his parents and destroying the gateway is honestly my favorite moment in Rebels. It embodies everything the show’s about and is an amazing final showcase of how far Ezra has come.

25. I still love the design of his second lightsaber, but the Gunsaber is literally the most advanced and useful lightsaber in the entire SW universe and I can’t believe he didn’t make his second saber like that too.

26. AP-5, any day of the week.

27. The Bendu was left juuuusst a bit too ambiguous, while Kanan calling him out was great, I kinda wish his more apathetic nature was a bit more obvious beforehand.

28. AP-5, I’ve already made it clear why.

29. Sabine Sees Ezra………….

30. The purgil episode, it literally establishes Ezra’s Disney Princess powers outside of the basics and foreshadows the finale.

Star Wars Rebels Ask Game

I've never made one of these before, but I haven't seen a Rebels one floating about in a while, so hey.

What is your absolute favorite episode of the show?

Which episode did you not like at first, but grew on you after one or more rewatches?

How do you feel about the Ahsoka show being live-action Rebels season 5?

Who is your favorite one-off character on the show?

If you could change one (non-death-related) plot point in the show, what would you change?

What are your two favorite ships from the show (canon or not)?

Who is one character you feel isn't appreciate enough by the fandom?

If you could've added an episode/story arc to the show, what would it be about?

Obligatory "who's your favorite member of the crew" question.

Aside from season 4 episode 10, which episode made you cry the most?

What is one joke/moment from the show that always makes you laugh?

Which design for Sabine's hair and armor is your favorite?

Chopper vs Palpatine- who's making it out alive?

What is your favorite moment of the crew being a family?

What is your favorite Kanera moment?

Who is your favorite villain/antagonist?

What is your opinion on the World Between Worlds?

Where do you think Ezra has been all this time?

What is one of your favorite Kanan moments?

What is one of your favorite Hera moments?

What is one of your favorite Chopper moments?

What is one of your favorite Zeb moments?

What is one of your favorite Sabine moments?

What is one of your favorite Ezra moments?

Which of Ezra's two lightsabers would you rather have?

Would you rather be stuck in an elevator with AP-5 or Lieutenant Lyste?

Which plot point do you wish the show had expanded on?

Favorite recurring character?

Favorite piece of music from the show?

Most under-rated episode?

[wikipedie]

Ok so this might be absolutely bonkers and/or I might take the show too seriously but as someone fascinated by therapy/therapeutic methods and trauma i need to talk about OFMD or I'll explode or catch fire or something

For starters, Stede is one of the best therapists I've seen on screen and he's not even a therapist (god the amount of ramblings I do about media portrayals of therapists). He genuinely truly cares about the crew and wants to help them grow. He sees them, sees their trauma and he recognizes the system that made them be pirates, doesn't blame them for it. ("Traditionally piracy is a culture of abuse, floggins, keelhauligns. And my thought is "Why?" and also "what if it weren't like that" "). Also, the quote about how "every captain pirate captains pirates differently" really made me think about how every therapist has their own unique approach of dealing and connecting with the people who come to them.

He builds amenities for the crew. He creates a session of feedback after his raid and gives attention to the positives (even if I laughed at him basically applauding himself on his own speech). When Wee John complains about his way of doing things, he says

reframing thoughts being a technique in CBT. Not quite the same thing, but reframing criticism is stemming from that. When Wee John brings up the very valid point that they don't have a flag, he agrees with it and creates a session of art therapy, for them to express themselves by creating flags!

When Black Pete complains that it's 'women's work', Stede doesn't simply tell him he's wrong. He turns to the crew immediately and he asks them "How many of you sew?". He uses positive reinforcement with Roach! (Roach has sewn his own arm up and that's difficult, I'm sure you'll also be able to!). He genuinely believes that the crew is good and they are traumatized people capable of doing good (and he is right of course)

sThe whole scene is absolutely precious. The way Stede goes around, checks in with everybody and actively listens to them and encourages their ideas. He supports Wee John who used to make dresses with his mum! (and now he's a pirate). And again, he acknowledges their trauma and teaches them skills of interrelationships (true, basic ones such as sharing but still).

Speaking of trauma....

I was and am absolutely delighted at the way this show deals with trauma. We see Stede's trauma with his father from the pilot (having an abusive and neglectful parent) and the trauma of being bullied in school and we see how these affect him.

We see then in turn how the trauma influences his actions (as trauma does). We see how killing Badminton is traumatic for him (because killing people is traumatic for him - and I guess traumatic in general - but we also see how killing is connected to his father and the idea of 'being strong') as Badminton literally haunts him.

Then there is his guilt of leaving his family, which is briefly addressed in episode 2 as he goes on his own 'therapy session' (a lot of therapists do go to therapy). (Holy shit I rewatched a bit of that scene and the old man says "until you resolve that guilt, you'll continue to be haunted" which ties up with Stede leaving Ed. He could never be fully happy with Ed if he didn't come to a resolution about the family he left behind. Anyways that's for another post.) And that one is also a fantastic therapy session! "Everything is coming from within you." "Why does he keep insulting me? -> Do you feel inadequate in some way?"

And then, of course, there is Ed's trauma, which becomes clearer and clearer the closer he gets to Stede and the more he opens up: The violent and abusive ways of being a pirate, that still echo through Izzy, the trauma of having to murder his own father, to be Kraken, the trauma of killing and the pressures of being Blackbeard. All of them being activated and manifesting in most harmful ways when he feels abandoned by Stede.

And lastly beloved Jim. We see how even Jim has lost their family and how they deal with that. They deserve much more space than I am giving them right now, but my brain is turning mushy. But I am thinking about giving them their own post. (or maybe I'll do an individual post for each character I don't know). One important thing to note is that Jim is the first person that breaks out of their harmful pattern. They return to it when they meet with their old Nana, but they listen to Spanish Jackie and they're the first one to actively try to...let it go. Return to Oluwande, build a life with him.

Anyways I love this show and I love these characters and all I can say now is

(and this is probably not the last I'll talk about this because I love this subject and I love analyzing it. also i kinda want a therapist!stede fic now.)