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whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst · 3 years ago

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Love Languages, as defined by this article and as seen in Ultimate Note’s Iron Triangle

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Words of Affirmation:

“In simple terms, the words of affirmation love language is about expressing affection through spoken words, praise, or appreciation. When this is someone's primary love language, they enjoy kind words and encouragement.”

Words are generally not so much Zhang “I told you with my eyes” Qiling’s thing, unless we count that great moment during the sword gifting scene—which we will discuss further under gifts—when he shuts down any fear Wu Xie has that they could potentially destroy each other with a simple and vehement “No.” His love is shown, not spoken, but I imagine that if Xiao Ge were more vocal, the “no” would be spelled out as “Even if I know almost nothing of my past and don’t even really know myself, I know this much: you are safe with me, and I am safe with you.”

Wu Xie is, as Hei Yangjing notes in another series, honey-tongued; kiddo is good with words and enjoys complimenting and verbally supporting people. This is a very earnest Wu Xie, he means what he says when he makes promises and checks in on his friends. He charms people easily in part because he is willing to express himself openly.

Pangzi is the biggest talker of the three, and interestingly the best at talking a lot to say nothing, getting his friends out of trouble. He manipulates words to suit a situation, complimenting someone easily even if it’s clear to the audience that he can’t stand them. His real words of affirmation are affectionate even when angry—I wrote earlier somewhere that “Tianzhen” is as much a curse as a pet name—and during any matchup of the awesome Pangzi and Xiao Ge, it’s Pangzi who does the talking for them.

Quality Time:

“Love and affection are expressed through this love language when someone gives someone else their undivided attention…People with this love language are looking for quality over quantity. So, when you get together, they feel loved if you are present and focused on them.”

One of my favorite things I found in watching/rewatching some of the series was how Pangzi brings out Xiao Ge’s playful side. I think he really starts to loosen up because these are safe people who are good to him plus already mess around with each other and he loves hearing their laughter.

Some of the best moments between Pangzi and Wu Xie are when they have fun together—my introduction to any Lost Tomb series was the first episode of Sound of the Providence (so boy oh boy was I fucking lost and confused) but those two are what hooked me. The banter, the lightsaber duel, the domesticity. They are quality time personified.

Xiao Ge and Wu Xie *clenches fist* don’t get as much time together as they should, but when Xiao Ge is there he is THERE. If you look up “undivided attention” in the dictionary there will be a picture of a solemn Xiao Ge who is only looking at the camera because Wu Xie is the one taking the picture.

Physical Touch:

“A person with this love language feels loved through physical affection. Aside from sex, those who have physical touch as their primary love language feel loved when their partner shows physical affection in some way like holding their hand, touching their arm, or giving them a massage at the end of the day.”

I have a headcanon that the first time the squad is reunited in Wushanju after the jade meteorite and hospitalization, the amnesiac Xiao Ge only recognizes Wu Xie because Wu Xie gently cups his face in his hands while questioning him.

Also, as others have pointed out, how many people other than Pangzi and Wu Xie are able to get close to/generally manhandle Xiao Ge? There is a great post I cannot currently find (please link if you know what I’m talking about!) about Xiao Ge letting Wu Xie move him during their argument by the van, but there’s also that sweet post-tomb let’s-get-the-fuck-out-of-here situation where the trio could not be sitting any closer, wounded Xiao Ge is basically in Wu Xie’s lap and later tucked in against Pangzi.

(Also there’s that hilarious scene of #pingxiepriorities where Xiao Ge is like “alright I’m here to rescue my soulma—uh, my tomb raiding bestie—and I guess since Xiao Hua is also lying here all pathetic and pink he can come too, but this ain’t about him so Wu Xie will be carefully draped over my back and Xiao Hua will be lucky not to get sand in the wrong places”)

Pangzi is all about the cuddles with Wu Xie; I also have a headcanon (and I haven’t read the books, I swear I’ll get there) that Pangzi’s physical affection towards Wu Xie, which seems to come incredibly easy, is really much harder earned than Wu Xie ever knew. I don’t know much about Pangzi’s past, but given their line of work there’s a lot of what my grandmother would refer to as “rough characters” in the biz. It’s all well and good to act friendly and affectionate for a mark, but to truly give/take authentic affection would mean letting down your guard.

Acts of Service:

“When someone's primary love language is acts of service, they feel loved and appreciated when people do nice things for them.”

For Wu Xie, Pangzi basically keeps him alive in ordinary day-to-day scenarios and Xiao Ge rescues him during their uh work trips.

Wu Xie takes Acts of Service to an extreme—like, “I’m going to serve you by spending the next ten years of my life making your life easier and safeguarding your future xoxo”

If we consider Acts of Service to mean exactly the definition, then as with undivided attention, Xiao Ge wrote the book on the subject (a very short book, few words but thoughtful). Entire fanvids have been constructed (yes I lost a day to this) around the number of times he has rescued Wu Xie (*cough* plus the Bronze Gate).

Xiao Ge also rescues Pangzi now and again; easy to forget there, mainly because between him and Wu Xie, Pangzi is definitely the better fighter and doesn’t seem to awaken as many corpses to be rescued from (side eyes Wu Xie) but he gets the Xiao Ge Protection Package and he even seems to agree that Wu Xie needs the deluxe deal. Xiao Ge’s devotion to his friends is so well-known, Ning literally weaponizes it to ensure her survival (*winces* for the time being) by sticking with Wu Xie, as the superhuman cavalry will only be coming for him.

Receiving Gifts:

“To a person whose love language is receiving gifts, gift-giving is symbolic of love and affection in their mind. They treasure not only the gift itself but also the time and effort the gift giver put into it.”

Pangzi is willing to basically go bankrupt to help fund Wu Xie in LT2 (you just know that if Wang Meng started a GoFundMe for “pls help Wu Xie he’s a mess and I haven’t been paid since october 2008” that fund would break the website).

Now, although Xiao Ge definitely has the vibe of a cat that would bring decapitated mice to the door of Wushanju for Wu Xie to be proud of and for Pangzi to step on by accident (see: playfulness), Wu Xie is the big gift giver in this group, I think. The sword scene, aka how to propose to warriorbae with a love token that he will 💯 always keep on his person. It’s a utility gift—it’s useful—but it’s also a statement. This is Xiao Ge’s defense system and trademark (I suspect he’s purchased some super nice hoodies too) that Wu Xie is providing here, and engraving it with something personal between them? Beautiful.

And I just spent another morning reveling in this world’s meta. Time well spent.

#dmbj #ultimate note #wu xie #whomst #iron triangle

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mycomfortblanket · 4 years ago

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‘Cute Guy From Bar’

“I have no idea where I am and your name was ‘Cute Guy From Bar’ in my phone and I just moved here so you’re the only one I thought to call and wow drunk me was right you are kinda cute” - @theboywhocriedlupin

Toph takes another sip of her drink as she scrolls through her contacts, bored out of her mind. She had left her apartment in search of something to do since most of her stuff was still packed up in boxes and the thought of starting to unpack made her head hurt.

She had found herself at a bar a few blocks away, hoping to find someone to talk to but for a Friday night, the bar was surprisingly empty.

She comes across a name in her phone: Cute Guy From Bar. She has absolutely no idea who the “Cute Guy” was nor did she remember what he looked like. Clicking on his number, she sees that the area code is from a this city, so maybe he knew the area.

Toph locks her phone and sets it down in front of her. She throws back the remainder of her drink and flags down the bartender for another drink. When he sets the drink down, he knocks the glass against her phone which lights up again and catches her eye.

Chewing on her lip for a moment, Toph picks up the phone again and unlocks it. Staring at his contact for only a moment. She clicks the call button and brings the phone up to her ear.

-----------------------------------

Aang was slumped on his couch eating a bowl of Captain Crunch and was 2 hours into a binge fest of The Walking Dead when his phone began to vibrate beside him.

Not taking his eyes off the tv, he fumbles for the phone beside him and clicks the ‘Answer’ button and brings it up to his ear.

“Hello?” he says through a mouthful of Captain Crunch.

“Hey,” a semi-familiar voice says.

Aang wrinkles his brow for a moment. He pulls the phone away from his ear and sees that its a random number, not something he has logged into his phone.

Swallowing his food, he asks, “Uh, who is this?”

“It’s Toph.”

Toph? The name sounds familiar, but he can’t exactly place where he knows the name from.

“Uh, hi Toph.”

“What are you doing?” she asks conversationally, as if they are good friends.

Still slightly confused he replies, “I’m rewatching The Walking Dead.”

“Oh, I love that show. What episode are you on?” she asks. Aang can hear something in the background, music maybe? It’s just barely loud enough that when she stops speaking, he can almost make out the lyrics.

“I’m on the one where Rick kills Shane. Not to be rude or anything, but do I know you?”

“I don’t know. I’m at a bar and was scrolling through the contacts of my phone trying to find someone to talk to, and I found your number in there labeled ‘Cute Guy From Bar’. So I’m assuming we’ve met before?”

A smile comes onto his lips. That’s right, he remembers now. Toph. She had been at the hole in the wall bar by herself that was down the street from his apartment. Well, she said that she had come with another girl, but she had apparently ditched her for some guy she had met.

When they met, Toph was drunk, but still able to hold a conversation. She had repeatedly hit on Aang when he sat down next to her which was the only available seat at the bar. They had spent a few hours talking to each other before she decided she was tired and wanted to head home.

He had insisted on walking her home even though she refused several times saying that she could take care of herself and that she didn’t need a bodyguard.

“I’m not walking you home because I have to. I’m walking you home because I want to keep talking to you,” he had said when she had finally quieted down. It had shut her up for a moment while she gathered her coat and paid her tab.

Once she was ready, she made eye contact with him and nodded her head towards the exit and together they walked outside. They walked for a few moments in silence before he broke the awkwardness by starting a new topic of conversation.

It was so easy to talk to her that he barely noticed the chilly wind and the walk to her apartment only seemed like a few minutes.

When they got to her stoop, he walked her up two steps before he stopped and turned towards her, “I really enjoyed hanging out with you.”

“You don’t want to come inside?” she asked.

As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to take advantage of her while she was drunk. “No, not tonight. But, I’ll give you my number and you can call me.”

She had smiled and taken down his number. She had written his name as “Cute Guy From Bar” instead of Aang because it would ‘make it easier for her to remember him'. Obviously that wasn’t the case.

“Yeah, yeah. I remember now. My name is Aang, we met at some hole in the wall bar last week. I had walked you home. You took down my number and insisted on writing my name as “Cute Guy From Bar” because you claimed it would be easier to remember.” Aang said.

“Hmph. I vaguely remember that happening,” Toph says, a small laugh coming from her.

“So, what are you doing at the bar?”

“Haha, well, I’m avoiding responsibilities. I still haven’t unpacked my stuff even though I moved in a month ago and the sight of the boxes was stressing me out.”

Aang sets down his bowl of cereal, “Are you there by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Aang frowns at this, “Do you want me to come pick you up? I can drop you off at your place.”

“Hell no. I don’t want to go back to that place and be stared down by those boxes.”

He only hesitates for a second before asking, “Well, do you want to come over here? We can watch The Walking Dead. I have Captain Crunch, too.”

“That sounds like a fucking awesome idea,” she says and he swears he can hear the smile in her voice.

-----------------------------------

Toph had gotten off the phone with ‘Aang’, and it occurred to her that when she was drunk, her standards did lower quite a bit. So if she wrote ‘Cute Guy From Bar’, it honestly could be anybody. But, he did have a nice voice, smooth and deep. He could definitely read a story to her to lull her to sleep if he wanted. So, maybe that counted for something.

She paid her tab and looked up at the tv in front of her, tapping her fingers on the bar. She was so invested in the rerun of ‘New Girl’ that she didn’t even hear the bell above the door ring or whenever a guy sat down next to her.

She only gave notice when he bumped her shoulder slightly in a friendly manner. She rips her eyes from the tv and looks over at the person who just bumped shoulders with her and her breath is instantly stolen.

The first thing she noticed about him is his eyes. His grey irises reflected the neon signs above them, giving them a little extra color, but are overall stunning. She takes in his bald head, which strangely fits him, something she didn’t think was ever attractive but seemed incredibly hot on him. He’s wearing a muted green hoodie and his arms are propped up on the bar next to hers, their elbows almost touching.

God, drunk her was wrong. He isn’t cute, he is fucking hot.

“Aang,” is all she can manage.

He laughs through his nose and nods slightly, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah. Yes. Uh, yeah, let’s go,” she says awkwardly, her words not coming out as smooth as she would have liked them to.

They stand up and Toph is automatically aware of how tall he is. He towers over her, has to be at least 6 feet tall, much taller compared to her 5’3. She pulls her jacket on, trying not to stare too much, and together they walk out the door. He holds it open for her and when she steps out into the cold night air, she doesn’t see any cars parked that weren't already there when she arrived earlier.

“Did you walk here?” Toph asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, my apartment is on the other side of the street,” he points out the building to her.

“You mean to tell me, you walked the four blocks to my apartment last time we met, just to walk all the way back to your apartment that was across the street?”

Aang laughs and she realizes that not only is his voice smoother than velvet, but his laugh is something she wouldn’t mind playing on repeat in her mind. “Yeah, I guess. It wasn’t that long of a walk, and like I said that night, I didn’t walk you home because I had to, but because I wanted to,” he says looking down at her, bumping her shoulder slightly.

Toph can’t fight the blush that comes up to her cheeks, “Oh. Well, if you live so close, how come I was able to get through half an episode of New Girl?”

“Damn, ungrateful!” he says, placing his hand over his heart, acting hurt and making her smile. “I had to clean up my apartment first and put on some pants. There was a few pizza boxes and dirty clothes laying around and I was definitely not about to have you come in there with it looking like that.”

“Well, aren’t you chivalrous,” Toph laughs.

-----------------------------------

He unlocks the door and opens it for her, letting her walk in first. He drops the keys onto the table next to the door while she walks further into the apartment. It was small but homey. The couch had two blankets on it and a few pillows. The rug on the floor was fluffy and looked soft to the touch and the tv was paused on ‘The Walking Dead’.

She only takes in his apartment for a moment before walking over to his couch and plopping down, making herself at home. She sits up a little and pulls off her jacket and throws it over the arm of the couch before sitting back into the couch and gets comfortable.

“You want something to drink?” he asks.

“Nah, but a bowl of that Captain Crunch you promised would be nice,” she says, looking over at him in the adjacent kitchen.

Aang smiles slightly to himself as he pours her a bowl. He walks over to her, stepping over her feet that are propped up on the coffee table and hands the bowl to her. He plops down next to her and scoops up the remote from the coffee table and hits play.

Even though the show is playing, they keep up a steady conversation as it plays, never taking their eyes off the tv. After a while, the “Are You Still Watching” comes up on the screen.

Toph turns to him and pulls her feet up onto the couch with them, her knees brushing against his thigh and hip. She rests her head against the back of the couch, her eyelids starting to droop.

“Are you tired? You can sleep in my bed if you want, I’ll sleep out here,” he speaks low to her.

“I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch in your own house. I can sleep here. I’ve slept in so much worse places. I promise you, I will be comfortable,” she says, her eyes now closed.

“Okay, well, you’re my guest, I’m not going to let you sleep on the couch.”

She just hums in acknowledgement before laying down, her head propped up on a pillow and places her feet in Aang’s lap, “Well, that sucks for you cause I’m sleeping right here. Gimme a blanket,” she reaches out her hand and grabs at the air until he places the blanket from the back of the couch in her hand.

Aang picks up her feet and gets up to go to his room. As he walks by her, she shoots out her hand to grab his, “No… stay with me,” she whines.

“Toph, there’s not enough room for both of us on the couch,” he says slightly laughing.

“Sure there is. Look.” She moves so that her back is against the couch and leaves a sliver of space in front of her.

Aang shakes his head and laughs through his nose but lays down in front of her. She instantly situates them so that he is laying on his back and she is laying mostly on top of him.

He goes instantly still as Toph gets comfortable on top of him, pulling her arm up to her chin and tucking the other underneath her, curled into his side. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he holds them up a little until she is finally still; he places one on his stomach and the other around her back.

Toph snuggles her head into his chest and inhales deeply, “You smell good,” her voice low. He just barely hears her, but it brings a smile to his face. Within seconds, her breathing is deep and even letting Aang know that she is asleep.

Still smiling, he rubs his hand on her back, “Goodnight, Toph.”

Find this story on my Archive Of Our Own

#taang #toph x aang #toph bei fong #aang #avatar the last airbender #atla #toph can see #captain crunch #watching the walking dead #netflix #cute guy from bar

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randomlyneik · 4 years ago

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Random Kaeloo appreciation post

Okay so, as you already know I love Kaeloo. And if you didn’t know, I love Kaeloo. Now you know that.

Buuut you don’t know WHY I love Kaeloo. And that’s what’s this post about!

1. The jokes

Okay so, the first thing I love about Kaeloo is the jokes that it has in it.

Since when I started rewatching the series after a few years (when I first started watching it I was 9-10 years old) I realised about how many fingering jokes it got away with. Like, when I FINALLY started watching Season 1, I was all the time like this:

Buuut it was awesome. Like, am I the only one here who loves it when they sneak into children’s shows adult jokes? Wait, is it just me? Ok...

As a person who watches cartoon with her little sibling, it’s pretty great because they can enjoy the funny and innocent side of the show, while I sit there and think with a smile: “Not so bad after all.”

And the best thing about it is rewatching the show when you’re a bit older (like I am doing) so that you can fully enjoy it.

2. The characters

Now, I want to be honest. Kaeloo has some truly amazing characters in it.

Let’s see an example... everyone’s favorite character, Mr Cat.

He’s pretty much one of the major reasons why I’m watching the cartoon over again. But why?

Well, I really appreciate how Cube Creative has put so much effort into designing everyone’s personality.

Like yeah sure, Mr Cat is still a sadomasochistic pervert like a lot of other characters from other shows, but I still really enjoy watching him more than I’d like to with other characters with a sadomasochistic personality; he can somehow get into the show adult jokes, is really passionate about what he does, truly cares about Kaeloo (I swear to god I ship those two so hard), can still be a good guy after all, and after learning his story... I JUST LIKE TO EMPATHISE WITH BAD GUYS OK?

And it’s pretty much the same with the others, since I myself truly relate to Kaeloo and find her really similar to me. Also, we must all say one thing: no matter what, you just can’t hate anyone in the Kaeloo cast. Or at least you can't COMPLETELY HATE them.

3. Fricking Kaelat-

Ok so as I said before, I just really love Kaelat. (Another of the major reasons why I’m rewatching the show-)

It has the immense power to be both my OTP and at the same time my BROTP. They just have a too well designed relationship for a kids’ show.

They fight and all, but that’s normal. Instead, I sort of appreciate how the creators made them fight so much, since no relationship is perfect after all. But they are still friends (and more, we know you both love each other you fools), support each other, help each other...

The reason why my two favorite season are 1 and 4 is because of the fricking ship.

I just really love them ok they’re such cuties and I love it when they fight like an old married couple (and they also remind me a lot of me and my boyfriend, just saying)

4. The animations

If there’s something I love in cartoons is animations. I know the best thing you can have in a cartoon is a good plot, but if it also has good animations then I love it even more.

Now, Kaeloo hasn’t the most adventurous of the plots (I would define it an “Idiot Plot”) but still, another of the major reasons why I glove the show is because of the 3D animations. I’m honestly not a really huge fan of 3D animations, but this show makes it just really good to watch. Another reason because I love Season 4 is just that...

Dude, the quality of the show. It’s just awesome.

As an example, let’s take the trilogy of episodes“Let’s Play Saga Of The Wholly Gruel ” (I don’t really remember the name).

Now, taking the Star Wars parody aside, it was smooth and enjoyable and I really like it.

Sorry if it took a bit long, just saying that I truly love the show and think it’s really underrated

#kaeloo #appreciation post

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Darkwing Duck Quadruple Feature! (Beauty and the Beet, Whiffle While You Work, Jurassic Jumble, Something Fishy)

Welcome back! It’s been a bit since I visited St. Canard and my march to watching Just Us Justice Ducks by watching one episode, with the exception of Megavolt the first chronological appearances of, each member of the Justice Ducks and Fearsome Five. The Megavolt exception was so I could, by comission, cover the one and only appearance of the OTHER Negaduck if you were curious.So far besides Negsy and Volty, i’ve covered both of Morgana’s first chronological episodes, Liquidator’s and (SIgh) Gizmoducks. But with only 6 left to go.. I put the seires on hiatus to work on ride of the three cabs and my minty fresh retrospective of life and times. At the TIME it didn’t seem like a bad idea, I could get to this any time and what not.. but in hindsight.. yeah putting an almost finished project on hold till two much larger projects, that at the time of this review have 10 and 13 installments left, WHILE also starting two more projects... was not my best move, especially since I have a comission, and an episode needed to properly review that comission AND a valentine’s day episode to review.. all of which come AFTER Just Us Justice Ducks chronlogically and 2 of which involve Negaduck. So yeah I whiffed it bad on this one and this mini-marathon is my way of fixing that, finsihing up the last few episodes before the big event. The episode i’ve waited almost a decade to watch and one of the most loved in the series history: Just Us Justice DUcks, which is coming up next week. Then LIfe and Times will be right back where it was and I promise to get that out weekly. But yeah with logisitcs out of the way and 4 episodes to go, I don’t know how to go slow so let’s get dangerous shall we?

Beauty and the Beat:The Misplaced Batman the Animated Series Villian

We open with one of the first Darkwings I watched via my old Darkwing Duck DVDS, rewatched a while back and easily one of my faviorite episodes and the first apperance of my faviorite Darkwing Duck Villian, though Liquidator and now Quackerjack are giving him a run for his money. But yeah I love Reggie and part of it is he’s something far diffrent than what Darkwing normally fights.

While he still fits in with the Rouges gallery: someone with either powers or a good gimmick whose intresting, engaging and most importantly to this show, Reggie is still diffrent in that he’s an inherently tragic figure. While the rest of the rouges have sympathetic qualities theier still not really good people: Quackerjack chose to lash out at what drove him out of buisness instead of starting over again, Megavolt is your standard wants money bad guy, and Liquidator was a massive asshole. And if you add in the other villians i’ve covered, Taurus Bulba was basically Marvel’s Kingpin as a bul and Splatter Phoenix while having a noble goal of funding her arts does so via framing an innocent child and stealing. They aren’t unsympathetic, some of them anyway, but they are still ruthless because they choose to be. Reggie.. didn’t get that choice. We see from the start of this episode his life has just been being everyone elses punching bag: His boss dosen’t respect him, his cowowkers not only don’t respect him but actively bully him and only the newsest researcher has ever paid him the time of day much less told the two assholes, Gary and Larson, a nice shout out, to stop. And given I reviewed Wonder Woman 84 yesterday i’ts NICE to remember a version of a “geek becomes a supervillian’ story that’s.. actually good. This is basically the same sorry, a disrpsected scientest trnasforms and gets revenge.. just you know done right.

And SOMEHOW Reggie’s life only gets worse as asshole one and asshole two sabotage his work, he gets fired and is forced to experiment on himself. While that’s a classic mad scientst and supervillian trope what’s notable is Reggie didn’t go immiedtly to world domination. He just wanted to cure world hunger and get some respect. He just wanted to be treated like a human being for once. Instead he got turned into a plant and despite this being a miracle.. he gets MOCKED by gary and larson and runs away, feeling like a freak. And since after that the transformation has clearly made his brain unstable.. he goes from a sweet, put upon guy who just wanted help to people.. to an obsessive plant monster.. who still just needs HELP. He needs therapy and a warm blanket and to turn his life around. And his motivation.. is just not being alone. While his kdinapping of the one scientest who liked him, and he assumes has feelings for him, is bad, and selfish.. it’s clear by that point Reggie is just not himself anymore. He’s Bushroot now. He’s lost himself and were this a diffrent show maybe he could’ve gotten the help he needed and some empathy. But what adds to the tragedy is Darkwing himself. This episode really showcases one of Darkwing’s biggest weaknses: his inablity to see crime other than in black and white terms. To him it’s just a game of heroes and villians. Nothing more nothing less. Villians can become heroes, as he hopes for Morgana, but to him there’s just good guys ,him and bad guys, everyone breaking the law. For someone whose often seen as an outlaw himself.. he still can’t see things in any other terms. However instead of just being lazy writing... it’s a clever character quirk, at the center of this episode and our final one, as well as one that pops up a little in Stegmutt’s first apperance. It nicely parodies/deocnscruts the whole good guy badguy dynamic by making it clear that sometimes while the person may be doing bad things.. they have a reason for it and sometimes the law just dosen’t work. It’s something I do wish they’d dug into more but given this was more of a comedy, I get why they didn’t, but what they did with it is great and it adds to this episode tremendously: Darkwing just sees Reggie as another villian to stop and not as a very unstable man who needs his help, but also needs tobe stopped for his own good. It’s why this is such a good episode, besides some great comic set pieces: it has a really tragic and moving story that , with some tweaking woudln’t of been out of place in batman the animateds eires. It’s still a bit goofy in places, as it should be giving the show it’s in btu at i’ts heart it’s just a relaly godo really tragic supervillian origin story.

Whiffle While You Work: The Saving Grace of an Okay Episode This one’s more of a mixed bag. For the good... Quackerjack is fucking awesome. While I already loved him from the comics, I hadn’t met his more lightehearted tv counterpart yet.. but boy was he a delight. From his it’s play time catch phrase which despite being repeated a LOT never got bored to his really invenitve use of toys. While a vilian with a toy gimmick is not new, Toyman has been around for.. 80 years? Damn. I should do some Superman TAS episodes this year to commemerate that. Point is between him and the joker the gimmick isn’t “New” but Quackerjack still feels unique from using actual jacks, to a motorized hula hoop, to a GIANT CRYING BABY DOLL TO FLOOD A CITY. Jackie is just a delight every minute he’s on screen, and his motivation is solid: wanting to get revenge at the Whiffle Boy video game and i’ts insuing phenmonin and merchandise deals for squeezing him out of buisness. It makes him mildly symathetic enough to be intresting but not enough to override his terrible actions. He’s just fun to watch, and Micheal Bell is phenominal in the roll. easily one of my faviorite vilians thus far and it’s easy to see why he showed up quite a bit.

Sadly the rest of the episode.. is not very intresting. It starts with your standard “Adult gets child away from the video game only to play it” plot which is belivieble, my dad was a gamer back during my childhood and probably still plays games ocasionally to this day. He fucking loved Starcraft, Ultima ONline, Super Metroid, Warcraft II and III.. and swearing. He really loved swearing at the games. And the idea of the episode isn’t bad, Drake is jealous that Gosalyn is in the limelight for once.. the issue being a grown man competing with his own daughter just makes Drake really unlikeable. He at one point tries to use his parental authority to take her out of the contest, lies about being in the competition, and dosen’t apologize or learn enough to make up for his being a dick about this. THe episode really suffers from Launchpad not being around to be a buffer between the two and as ssuch it’s just uncomfortable. Hell Gos threatens to reveal Drake’s identity to .. someone.. but she still comes off sympathetic as when Drake presses her on it.. it’s very clear she made the threat on the spur of the moment out of hurt.

Also the whole Whiffle Boy game craize extending to a city is delightfully batshit, and plausable given i’m pretty sure if nintendo could afford their own city we’d have it over in japan and for a video game episode in the 90′s, this one isn’t all that bad. It actually seems to get games on SOME level, and seems based more on an arcade game, which drake plays whiffle boy on at one point and the 80′s arcade competition craze, and since arcade comeptitions were still a huge thing in the 90′s, it’s very clear this si written by people who actually know what a video game is and don’t just fear it as some strange doodad their kids are into. Trust me I’ve been around animation so long this plot has become tiresome. So not a BAD episode, just held back by drake being written even more dickishly than usual. P.S. there’s apparently an ultima level to the game.. so either Lord British is finally putting Chuckles down or someone needs to know what’s a paladin.

Jurassic Jumble: Two Great One Shot Characters that Taste Great Together Well okay Segmutt does get one more episode but this is still his only episode on his own just like Neptuina next, so I count it well enough. Point is this episode is pretty good. It does have some weaknsses: It starts with Drake not beliviing Honker’s theory about a recent theft of acountants, one he’s only on the scene for because he happens to really need help with his taxes because, contrary to what Wesley Snipes thought, Superheroes still need to pay taxes. He dosen’t belive it’s dinosaurs.. he dosen’t belivie it’s dinosaurs despite the foot prints, honker being smart and HAVING FOUGHT A DOG MADE ENTIRELY OF WATER.

I just get annoyed when superheros in a superhero universe don’t hav ea logical reason for dismissing something.. or random citizens.. it was fine if reptitous in the stan lee days because it’d been 20 years, at the time, since superheros were active and people can be stupid but it gets grating when someone says somethin’gs not possible in a superhero universe. Given we’re currrently dealing with an outgoing president who refuses to accept an election is real and his followers who think masks are a polical issue i’ts not exactly unrelasitic, dosen’t mean it’s enjoyable to read or watch.

Still it works here because it splits the plot nicely and Gosalyn’s disbleif is less grating as she just wants it to be martians and dosen’t bully her friend or anything over it, just makes a few snyde remarks. The episode also wasn’t helped at first by the fact there’s a really reptitive bit where Darkwing bungies down to investigate the crook he thinks is responsible, but is actually just chilling at his minium security prison. It’s just not funny and takes up too much of the episode. But the episode picks up towards the second half when we meet our dinosaur: Stegmutt, a dumb but kind and friendly child like former janitor turned stegasaurs, whose unwittingly kidnapping people for his “friend” Dr. Fossil, the professor who turned him, and genuinely is not a bad soul and likes gosalyn and honker. He’s just clumsy and destructive and working for someone he dosen’t know is evil. Speaking of which.. Dr. Fossil is really damn awesome and i’ts a shame he never came back in the comics or cartoon and hopefully Frank does him better in the reboot. Seriously he’s enjoyable, a bit nebbish but delightfully insane, deciding to wipe out all non dino life because he’s tired of getting panicked screams in the street and of all the dino merchandise like those puzzles with the pieces missing. He’ sjust delightfully nutty, with his love of saying bin bang boom and his having to put up with Stegmutt’s antics, as well as the whole joke that he TURNED HIMSELF INTO A DINOSAUR, yet gripes about being a dinosaur and acts like it’s humanity’s fault , balking when Gosalyn suggests he just.. turn himself back. Plus Ptetrodacytl’s are awesome so tha’ts a bonus. Seriously his showing up turns the episode from okay to fucking amazing. Seriously bring him back for the reboot.. and get Rich Fulcher to voice him. Seirously Bob Fossil as Dr. Fossil... it’s too perfect NOT to do casting gag wise, and he frankly perfectly fits the charcter down to the nasily voice. Plus Rich does voice acting quite a bit, so he’s already likely in Frank’s Rolodex.

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Stegmutt himself is also not too shabby, your standard child like moron, but he’s got a sweetness and niceness to him and we get some good gags like his habit of breaking off handles, his opening sodas with his tail and Fossil getting rid of him by telilng him to check if he left the bathroom light on...

And the climax with Darkwing.. turning.. into this

I don’t get it either but i’ts still a fun climax. Also forgot to mention Dr. Fossil can do that blow you away by flapping his wings thing Storm Eagle can do. Neat. All in all while not the series BEST outing, it has some flaws holding it back, it’s a damn fun one and one I highly recommend. Okay one more.

Something Fishy: The Better Submariner This is a simple but good one: St. Canard beach has gotten trashy.. literally there’s trash everywhere. And while Drake is ambilent to it, Gosalyn is taking up the crusade to take out the trash and the garbage people... and gets her dad beaten up over it by dumping trash on some guys head but frankly, he deserved it. Things go up a notch though when some sea creatures invade and .. clean up the beach and beat up darkwing. And while they destroy some property.. they aren’t exactly wrong? This is where that flaw I mentioned comes in though. Drake just.. can’t see things in shades of grey and insits he must be the good guy and whoevers doing this must be stopped. However it becomes clear when we meet the antagonist that while her methods are wayy to extreme.. she’s in the right. Neputina is an awesome character, easily one of the series best and esaily horribly underulitized. She was a simple fish who thought a toxic waste barrel was a new friend.. and learned the hard way by becoming a sexy fish woman. Yeah I said it. But her motive is understandable thanks to her origin and just how BAD it’s gottne, with piles of trash all underwater and the laws Drake cites agianst this sort of thing not doing squat. It’s a nice take on the old enviornmental message , something I dreaded going in as it makes a valid point; sometimes diong things the “right” way isn’t enough.. but it still dosen’t justify harming innocent people in the process, as Nep’s ultimate plan to flood the city would. Launchpad ends up being the voice of Reason as drake is too caught in his games of good guy bad guy to get Neptuina ISN’T a bad person, just one fed up with people hurting those she cares about. Neptuina is a unique villan in that unlike Morgana, who while having a sympathetic motive was out for herself, Stegmutt, who didn’t reailze he was on the wrong side, and Gizmoduck.. wellll

Neptuina.. is just misguided. She has the right idea but the wrong methods and Darkwing’s too stubborn to admit it.. but he’s also seen as in the wrong with Launchpad realizing DW just.. isn’t the good guy this time, but in the best scene of the episode talking Neptuina down by pointing out innocent people will get hurt. It’s a good, nuanced episode about envrionmetnalism with a throughly charasmatic and intrersting, acted wonderfully by Sussan Silo, antagonist. Neptuina is a better version of Marvel’s namor the submariner: she goes against humanity.. but I don’t want to punch her and dosen’t have one of her constnat character traits as “I want to bank your wife richards BANG YOUR WIFEEEEE”

So overall.. a good batch of episodes. Only Wiffle While You Work was all that weak, and even it had it’s charms and Quackerjack. It shows the series overall quality: even the just okay episodes here are still really fun to watch. It’s just a solid show overall and whie not without flaws is a classic to this day for a reason. Next week we’ll wrap this up with JUST US JUSTICE DUCKS! Until then stay safe and goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

#darkwing duck #drake mallard #gosalyn mallard #launchpad mcquack #honker muddlefoot #neptuina #stegmutt #doctor fossil #dr fossil #justice ducks #quackerjack #regenald bushroot #bushroot #whiffle while you work #beauty and the beet #something fishy #jurassic jumble

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lightsandlostbells · 4 years ago

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wtFOCK season 3, episode 1 reaction

So! It’s a million years too late, but I decided to talk about wtFOCK season 3.

I had fairly positive feelings about S1 of wtFOCK. It was the scrappy underdog of the Skam remakes, in a way, and what it lacked in polish, it made up for authenticity. I was very willing to overlook its flaws because of what I perceived as genuine attempts to connect with teenagers. I was really, really holding out hope that future seasons would improve on its flaws. And ... well. (Disclaimer: I still haven’t seen S2. Sorry! I just failed to keep up with all the remakes and S2 is my least fave so I didn’t feel that motivated to make it a priority, even though I did like Zoë a lot in S1.)

Heads up - I didn’t care for this season. A lot of people did, and I would never, ever want to ruin someone’s enjoyment of something, even if I personally didn’t like it. So please take this as a warning that I have a lot of negative things to say, and don’t read if it’s going to harsh your buzz for a pairing or a story that you deeply love. However, I didn’t want to just be grumpy and angry the whole time, so I tried to think of constructive ways to fix certain problems I had with this season. No guarantees that they’re satisfying solutions, but it was an interesting exercise.

Also, I didn’t watch this in real time, and I paid barely any attention to fandom reactions and/or drama, so it’s very possible that I am missing context, or that pacing issues didn’t register with me quite as strongly, etc. If one of the actors ate a live dolphin on Instagram, and then got into a fight with fans on Twitter about their right to eat live dolphins, and now fandom has canceled the problematic dolphin-eating actor, I legit do not know, do not come at me if I’m like “This actor is doing a good job” with “Wow, didn’t know you stanned dolphin-eaters??? YIKES.” Honestly, for the purposes of just grading this season on a storytelling level, I would prefer not to know anything about the cast or crew unless it directly has an impact on the show itself.

Clip 1 - House party

OK, I did like this flashy intro shot, immersing us in the Wild ‘n’ Crazy Teen Party of Wild ‘n’ Crazy Youths.

Amber rejecting every dude in site … When Will Gay Vilde Rise. (I know there have been some f/f storylines in the remakes, but if there’s one involving an actual Vilde, please let me know.)

Luca saying “We’re not walking around in a high school drama” - you can hear the rimshot.

I do like the transition from the party up to the bathroom, that’s a cool shot. wtFOCK’s directing so far is more ambitious than it was in S1.

Robbe is clearly a mess and they acknowledge his problems at home right off the bat.

We go back downstairs. wtFOCK’s version of Magnus knocks his drink on Amber and she gets pissed. She gives him the finger and he falls in love. Still a better love story than S3 Daphne/Basile.

It’s a small point, but I don’t get why we didn’t get this moment before jumping up to the bathroom with Robbe and the others? It would be a far smoother transition, just on a practical level and also in the sense of fully immersing us in Robbe’s POV after a quick update with the other characters.

Belgian Magnus joins the guys in the bathtub and announces he’s in love. They roast him when they find out it’s Amber and start talking about hot chicks. Moyo starts grilling Robbe about his type of girl, in a crass, sexual way.

This is honestly not a bad start to Robbe’s story at all. Robbe is clearly more reluctant to get into his interest in girls than Isak was - Isak was more fuckboyish from the start, Robbe seems like he’s about to start squirming and doesn’t really give an answer to Moyo’s questioning. Which is fine! I think it’s fine to start off the POV character at different stages of performing heterosexuality, as long as it’s taken into account in the writing of the character’s whole arc. The fact that the boy talk is so crude and sexual just ramps up Robbe’s alienation.

I swear, I will never understand how the girls in this scene just go into the bathroom and pee in front of strange boys … like maybe I am just a ~prude but that seems like a recipe for disaster and I would not trust those little fuckers to not be secretly recording me on the toilet.

Her peeing is kind of a power move, like marking her territory.

Also L M A O at Robbe starting to flirt with the girl while she is pissing … like now this comes off as a kink thing. OK, Robbe. Jokes aside, this gets across the same meaning as the scene with Isak: he starts to flirt with her because he was encouraged by the other guys.

Uh, flush the toilet, lady. And use some TP.

Now this version of Emma seriously radiates some Natalie Portman in The Professional vibes.

She orders him to stand up and then starts kissing him. I get way less of a vibe of Robbe’s mad game with women (like how Isak negged Emma into kissing him) and more like this girl is the love interest out of an indie romcom, all mysterious and spunky. She kisses him like once after taking his jay and then leaves. The boys all crack up. Moyo tells Robbe it’s his responsibility to get the weed back which lmao, no it’s not, all you assholes were there and could have intervened.

This scene is perfectly fine and even effective! Not entirely the same vibes as OG, but it still has a purpose and some obvious cause-and-effect, and there are some nice stylistic choices.

Clip 2 - Party pt. 2

Robbe is now making out with mystery girl. We already have a divergence in characterization from OG. Isak was being performative about making out with Emma and shut it down once the guys left. Robbe is making out with this girl because he wants to be straight, I guess? If it’s not to appeal to his friends, it’s likely that this is for himself. Again, I have no real problem with this change if it’s incorporated into Robbe’s overall arc and characterization. My thing is, if you’re writing this scene, do you realize the differences in characterization? Or do you think this is interchangeable from what happened with Isak? The latter is where you run into problems, because then the writing shows lack of nuance. I bring this up here because, well, you can guess how I feel about later events.

Luca seems rather aggro about the mystery woman, which I assume is because she still has the hots for Robbe?

It makes me laugh that we got this first-person POV as Robbe leaves through the garage, because of the “Smack My Bitch Up” song being played in the last clip (the song had an infamous music video, banned from MTV in the ‘90s, that was from a first-person POV). But again, WTFock is trying harder with the cinematography and direction, good for them.

Robbe ditches the cops by jumping on the bike with Belgian Emma. OK, I get it, Belgian Emma is too cool for school.

I have kinda mixed feelings on that, actually. I mean, I’ll be honest - I don’t see why any Emma has to be made into someone more palatable. Definitely don’t demonize her or present her in a misogynistic way! She deserves sympathy and dignity as much as any character on a Skam. But … it’s fine if she and the Isak aren’t like, amazingly compatible except for his sexuality. The Even character is supposed to be the one who really shakes up the Isak’s world! The Isak is supposed to be lost and confused and drifting and then Even comes in and is someone he can really open up to. Not just because he’s another guy who’s into guys, but because Even’s personality meshes with Isak’s so easily while still challenging him and introducing him to new things. In a way, it does kinda diminish the effect of the Even if the Isak meets ANOTHER mysterious stranger who’s an awesome person. Or at the very least, it lessens the feeling of the Isak’s detachment from everything.

And again, this could work if the writing realizes it. You can totally craft a subtly different arc from the pieces of Isak’s season. It’s just that (speaking from the future) I do not feel this is what happened.

Clip 3 - Tagging time

I don’t think it’s necessary to break up all the parts of a longer scene/set piece into a bunch of different clips. If you start a scene at 16:00, it’s OK to have the clip take place over several hours. You don’t need to chop it up unless there’s a reason why this pacing might benefit the story. Honestly, if you’re watching in real time, I think this method is often less effective at building tension/emotion/etc. But wtFOCK is not the first remake to try this tactic.

... this part where Robbe and Noor put on masks sure hits differently in 2020.

Belgian Emma’s name is Noor and she takes him to a warehouse, or something? It’s very secret and Cool Kid. And IDK, it’s fun, but again… I think making the Emma that much of a fun mysterious cool exciting person is very much diminishing the effect of Robbe’s isolation. We had a good start with establishing that alienation while he was in the tub, but now his reactions to her rad hipness feel way too sincere and act against the major character conflict of his season. He seems nervous to go with her, but not because he’s with a girl, just because it’s a risky scenario.

Noor hands Robbe a spray paint can and leads him to tag a wall. There’s a guy taking pictures. So I’m assuming one of the guys in masks is the Even? The POV seems to shift to the photo guy briefly, like we’re seeing Robbe through his eyes. And even though I’m not a fan of POV breakage, I do think this is a cool way to introduce the Even without really introducing him, you know? If that’s him. (EDIT from the future: Ummm, so that wasn’t Sander, right? I’m rewatching and it doesn’t look like him. Soooo that part has even less relevance than I originally thought. Got it.) (EDIT from the future beyond the future: @hellswolfie tells me that this actually was Sander, so I am just bad at recognizing people, lol.)

Robbe and Noor take off their masks briefly to kiss. Uhhhh, did the scene really just … cut off there? Because L M A O what a weird choice. We don’t get to see what Robbe creates on the wall, which could be a great way to establish his character, AND we end with him on a smiley, contented note which does not boost his POV at all. It legit just makes him seem like a guy who’s into this girl, and sorry, even if that’s his public persona at this point in time … that’s not what we, the audience should be getting at all.

Clip 4 - Boy squad morning after

Robbe skateboards to meet up with the guy squad. Again, the directing is far better IMO than in S1.

Robbe got the weed back so that conflict is over, I guess.

He gets a call from his mom and stops laughing with the guys and gets serious. He walks away to take the call. Then he starts to open up to Jens about his mom freaking out, and then Moyo spots some girls so they all ditch Robbe to go chase girls, and WOW, Jens, please turn in your Jonas card.

Don’t love that we didn’t hear his mom on the phone. There’s no reason not to let us hear what she’s saying since it would be in Robbe’s POV AND as it turns out, they just tell us about the situation with his mom right off the bat, anyway, so it’s not like there’s much point in hiding it.

This was effective in a sense to establish how girl-crazy his friends are, as well as setting up Robbe’s isolation, which I was worried wouldn’t come across as strongly after meeting Noor. But I think they could have NOT mingled in his mom issues to make this part more effective. Like if the goal was to show more of Robbe being alienated because he’s gay, then that’s not entirely successful, because there are non-gay reasons why Robbe wouldn’t join his pals on the girl chase. I mean, even a horny hetero Robbe might not want to chase girls with his bros because talking to his mom is a downer, so it’s not necessarily because of his sexuality. Plus he just found a girl he liked in Noor, so apparently, he’s not on the prowl. What this part IS communicating that the Belgian guy squad doesn’t have much interest in their friend’s family struggles, which ... ehhhh, maybe not great in the grand scheme of the storyline? These guys can be flawed, for sure, but we do need them to care about Robbe’s well-being. And Robbe tried to open up here, so the flaw is not in him, it’s in his friends. I’m going to let it slide because Jens was offering to help Robbe in the first clip, so it’s not like he’s been a totally insensitive friend this whole time.

Clip 5 - Phone call from Robbe’s dad

Noor jumps on Robbe and they make out. She shows him the garage and they talk about the tagging world or w/e. Again, not sure why they are portraying Noor as like … a legit love interest. I don’t get much of a sense of discomfort from Robbe. Isak was just not into Emma and was uncomfortable when his bathroom flirting came back to haunt him. And I don’t think it’s TERRIBLE not to follow that route, but you can’t just make this huge change if you don’t account for it in future episodes and Robbe’s overall arc. (EDIT from the future: Which I don’t think they do, otherwise I wouldn’t care.) Every scene should count in furthering Robbe’s character, especially this early in the season where we’re just getting to know his particular struggles. If Robbe is trying to convince himself to like girls, then I want to see definite vulnerability in how that’s portrayed.

I blame the directing/writing more than the acting for the lack of discomfort, since I sensed Robbe’s lack of comfort just fine in the bathtub scene.

Makeouts get interrupted when Robbe’s dad calls. Again, not sure why we aren’t hearing both sides of the conversation? Because we’re in Robbe’s POV. Why wouldn’t we hear them? This seems like they just want to create some suspense or mystery over the situation with his parents. But it’s perfectly possible to do so while still letting us in on the phone calls. In fact, it’s arguably more intriguing to let us listen to some phone calls where we get some vague details but nowhere close to the whole story. It’s not like Robbe’s dad is going to explain the whole situation to his son in an exposition dump. We can get some crumbs to tease us, while still keeping us in Robbe’s POV and not feeling like the show is cutting corners.

Robbe gets mad at his dad and tells Noor he needs to be alone. Closeup on Noor as Robbe walks away. OK … why? Why on her and not Robbe when it’s his POV? Why the focus on Noor’s feelings when we really need to be establishing our protagonist’s mindset in the beginning of this season? I’m not saying her feelings don’t matter, I’m saying that well, this isn’t her story. It would be better to see Robbe’s pained reaction as he leaves.

Clip 6 - Robbe’s dad drama

Jens comes running up while Robbe is being sad. Robbe says that it may be necessary for him to stay with Jens because Robbe’s mom has been committed to a mental health institution and Robbe doesn’t want to stay with his dad. Ah, so I guess we’re hearing that right away. Which honestly makes not hearing his phone calls to his parents even funnier - like you lock us out of his POV arguably for the suspense, but then you end the suspense anyway by just telling us what happened a scene or two later? All right. I guess there’s suspense in that we don’t know exactly what’s up with the mom, mental health-wise, or the root of Robbe’s problems with his dad.

It occurs to me that maybe they just didn’t want to hire people to voice Robbe’s parents? Or put in the time to film both sides of the conversation? I have a hard time believing either of those because it’s so lazy, but.

I mean, just turn the phone conversations into text conversations if you’re not going to let us listen to Robbe’s parents on the other end.

They go and play football without really resolving the situation. Sad music plays while Robbe joins in. Also, someone was calling Robbe, and I assume it was his dad, but it’s not shown.

These clips are VERY short and choppy so far. You could easily combine the last two, so Robbe is with Jens instead of Noor when he gets the other phone call from his dad, leading into this conversation.

We know immediately about Robbe’s mom’s situation instead of it being a mystery, like with Isak. Which, again, isn’t inherently wrong, but then I want them to DO SOMETHING with it.

Clip 7 - Jens and Jana

Oh hey, Jana got her braces off! IDK if that happened last season or this one, but it was something I liked, seeing a teenage girl with braces on a teen drama. That rarely happens unless it’s a joke or a plot point.

OK, they really need to film Robbe’s phone so I can actually see who’s calling…

Jens tells Jana about Robbe’s parental situation. I’ll note that first she asks if something’s up with Noor, so news of the Robbe/Noor relationship must have traveled really fast since they’ve only just gotten together. Like Robbe and Noor are clearly dating, going off Jana’s comment, and not just hooking up. Then Belgian Magnus wants to know about hooking up with Amber. Meanwhile Robbe is having a conversation off screen with his dad? Guess it wasn’t important!

And that’s the problem, obviously. It’s his POV season, anything you decide to show SHOULD be important to his storyline.

Also … it’s fine that we’re focusing on Robbe’s shit home life since that’s relevant to his story, but almost nothing in these clips has set up Robbe’s attraction to men, and only slightly his lack of interest in girls, which was negated by him seeming very interested in a girl afterwards. And knowing how long this season takes to get going with the Even character, it’s a pretty glaring omission.

So we don’t see Robbe’s phone call with his dad, but he gets snappy about it when Jens asks. One of the boys (I can’t tell who) says that Robbe’s on his period. Gonna be real, I don’t care for this squad so far.

What was the point of this clip? We already know Robbe is having problems with his dad, which is the most relevant part to the plot here. We shouldn’t be wandering from Robbe’s POV so much, but even taking that into account … we already know Belgian Magnus likes Amber, so that’s not necessary to establish. And we didn’t need to see Jens tell Jana something we already know. I assume he tells her so Zoë can find out and offer a room, but there’s no reason to see Jens tell Jana this, so. Filler clip.

Clip 8 - Zoë and Robbe at the lockers

Yeah, Zoë offers Robbe a place to stay here, but again, we didn’t need to see the news travel down the Jens-Jana pipeline. It could have been condensed more efficiently.

Robbe doesn’t want to because he says his dad wouldn’t approve. Zoë says she hopes things get better with his mom and Robbe at first snaps and tells her to leave it, then says thanks. This is an actual good interaction, writing-wise, kudos.

I liked Zoë a lot in S1 and I like her here again. I really should watch her season despite my Noorhelm allergy. The scene of them kinda smiling at each other across the hallways reminds me that this is probably the strongest relationship in the whole season, tbh.

Why was this clip so short? So many of these clips could have been combined into one. I mean, Zoë could have said, “I heard from Jana who heard from Jens...” without us needing the previous clip. Although, did Robbe really want anyone else to know about his home life? Lol @ Jens just blabbing Robbe’s private business.

So I guess they didn’t set up the Eskild situation in S2 that would lead to Eskild offering Robbe a place to stay?

Clip 9 - Robbe gets roommates

Robbe is in Zoë’s room. He sees her “everyone you know is fighting a battle” quote next to the mirror, which is a detail I actually quite like in context with the rest of this storyline and Even’s condition. It’s a good Skam thesis overall.

I guess Zoë met with Robbe’s dad. Zoë calls him a tough cookie. Robbe doesn’t want to speak to him. They bond a little over their parental problems. Again, a nice detail.

Belgian Eskild appears and teases Robbe a little before announcing that Robbe’s dad has agreed to let him stay in the flat. Yay!

Oh, so Senne is staying there, too? At least they didn’t do a pointless Noorhelm breakup in this version.

Milan (the Eskild) tries to go in for a hug and Robbe isn’t cool with it, so at least that’s something with Robbe’s issues with men. (I think? The thing is, Robbe also does not really know Milan, so it’s not as weird that he’s not ready to be affectionate with a near-stranger.) (EDIT from the future: Keeping the S2 almost-kiss that’s referenced in the next clip in mind, I can rationalize this moment as a continuation of that awkwardness from Robbe’s POV.)

They chat with Lisa (Linn) who wants to direct Robbe on what he is and isn’t allowed to touch in her room, heh. Milan and Zoë have cute interaction, and Robbe looks happy. I do like the flatmate vibe so far, they seem fun.

Clip 10 - Robbe and Milan

Senne and Zoë get cute. I haven’t seen S2 so I can’t give my opinion on their version of Noorhelm, but I did think a few things about them were less creepy in wtFOCK’s S1 than in OG. Milan talks about how they’re a Disneylike couple and Robbe laughs.

Then Robbe apologizes for something that evidently happened in S2, where Milan tried to kiss Robbe at a party? Again, I didn’t see the scene. Milan says he’d never try to do that. He offers Robbe a hug, which he accepts - tbh I don’t know if Robbe SHOULD accept based on where he is in his character arc, maybe he should have more skittishness? But it’s a nice character moment, at least. They really have to make up for lost time with the Robbe-Milan relationship, so I can get that they need to establish some closeness fast.

Not being in the wtFOCK fandom, I kinda wonder if there was backlash to that scene from before and this is damage control, LMAO.

I feel like you could’ve tweaked this to be more representative of Robbe’s issues, like have him stress here that he’s not gay, because it’s a sweet scene but again, I don’t feel like this episode built up Robbe’s internal dilemma very well. You could make this not just about smoothing over whatever bump there was in this relationship, but also about setting up some internal tension with Robbe’s sexuality issues. Multi-tasking - it’s great!

EDIT from the future: OK, I tracked down the S2 scene, and yeah, while it illustrates some of Robbe’s internalized homophobia, I really think you needed to carry this through to this clip. Because that was a very public situation, and they made a point of emphasizing onlookers’ reactions. I feel like you need to show that Robbe’s internalized homophobia isn’t just about external reactions, but internal struggles, because ... so far, that’s what it is? Like what is he doing with Noor otherwise?

Clip 11 - Housewarming party

Party is underway. Yasmina is there and is friendly with Robbe. It sounds like they’re working on a school project together. Aaron (Magnus) and Moyo are talking about hot chicks again.

Noor arrives and the boys tease Robbe about how far he’s gone, Robbe looks pretty chill and happy until Moyo says Robbe’s getting laid tonight and you can see the nerves and reluctance take over. Okay! A character detail that actually works for his arc! Yes!

Partying, makeouts with Noor … sorry but they are wasting a lot of time with this relationship. ROBBE ISN’T INTO HER. Here’s the thing: I don’t want to demonize any of Evak’s female “love interests,” right? It’s pointless anyway because Evak is the endgame pairing, Sonja and Emma aren’t “threats” in the end, but also because they’re not bad people just for wanting to date these two guys who happens to want each other instead. And I think you can do interesting things with Sonja and Emma as characters. I’ve read Sonja fanfic that’s really good!

But when it comes down to it … this is not the story of Robbe/Noor, and there’s a point where it feels like there’s too much development for something that is really intended to be a speed bump in Robbe’s journey.

I guess it’s a pet peeve of mine when gay stories devote a ton of time to het relationships, to the point where it begins to overshadow the main gay relationship. Love, Victor did this to an absolutely ridiculous degree. (I actually made notes for Love, Victor reactions, but hesitated to post them because 60% consisted of me typing I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE STRAIGHT ROMANCES.) And I GET it, this is an experience many gay kids go through in their coming out journey, but also, less charitably… you don’t need het romance to dominate everything. You don’t need to make this about how a gay person being gay hurts a straight person. I genuinely appreciate that once Isak kisses Even, it’s fucking over with him and Emma, that plot thread is done.

Anyway, Noor tells Robbe he’s so fucking hot and Robbe looks more uncomfortable, moreso when she wants to see his room and he goes off like he’s headed to Mordor.

Aaron checking out Amber … okay, again with all the het. I don’t care!!! This is not important right now!!

Noor pushes Robbe onto the bed, ugh please don’t have them Go There.

She takes off her top and Robbe touches her boob like he’s sticking his hand into a porta-potty. We see his discomfort so at least this part is effective and relevant to Robbe’s arc. Noor is taking off her bra when the boys come into the room, wanting the weed. Okay, you dumb fucks, you’re teasing your bro about getting laid and yet you think it’s cool to enter his room when he’s with a girl? I mean, that’s a lucky break for Robbe, but his friends are extra stupid.

The mood is killed, Robbe goes hunting for weed. Episode ends.

HOW I WOULD REWRITE THIS EPISODE:

Lmao, some of my changes sounded a lot like “be like OG Skam S3.” Because Skam S3 was well-written and made sense. But I tried to think of edits that worked with what wtFOCK was presenting, not just repeating OG.

(I’m also repeating a few things in this section that I said above, btw)

While this episode doesn’t make me angry or anything, it’s got a serious problem with dithering. The first clip is a solid start to the season, but afterwards, so many of these clips feel like filler. There’s a lack of substance to them. It was hard to write about them because they ended up feeling like two minutes of nothing.

Did we need to see repetitive mentions of Robbe’s troubled relationship with his dad? No, it’s an important plot detail but we could have established that more concisely in fewer clips. Did we need to see the process of how Robbe comes to stay with Zoë, Senne, and Milan? No, not really. Or at least not dragged out over at least three clips.

I don’t feel like I’m in Robbe’s head to the extent that I should be so far. Some of this is because the show just flat-out locks us out of his POV, like not showing the phone call in the Jens-Jana clip. But a lot of it is also because of the narrative dawdling. There’s just not as much to analyze unless I bring in Skam season 3 and project what we know about Isak onto Robbe. And that’s not a good way to adapt a story.

The framing of Robbe/Noor needs to change. Combine the bathroom intro with the aborted sex scene - the boys are sitting in the tub, teasing Robbe about getting laid, so he makes out with Noor and they go into a bedroom where he’s clearly not into this, and then Moyo and Aaron come in asking for weed because Robbe still actually has the weed from the bathtub at this point. Or do what Skam France did (can’t believe I’m referring to Skam France) and have the arrival of the cops interrupt the makeout/sex session and Robbe takes his cue to exit.

But frankly, it’s not great to have Robbe acting or looking too cozy with Noor, like this is a legitimate romantic arc except when it gets to the sex. The point is that this isn’t a romance. Even if you want to show some cuddly, non-sexual scenes with Noor, you have to show more of Robbe’s reluctance and fear throughout.

Show Robbe’s fucking phone conversations with his parents!!!! Good Lord. He’s not ordering a pizza. These are important aspects of his story. Capitalize on that family tension, show us what a bad place Robbe is in at the start of this season.

Now, about the lack of Even in this episode. Not introducing Even is a bold move, but not necessarily a smart one. Even’s introduction in Skam is not just the intro of “the love interest” - he’s the catalyst for almost everything in Isak’s story. Consider that in episode 1, Isak is seen mostly unhappy and bored - he’s distraught after kissing Emma, he’s checked out of his friends’ lunchtime girl talk, he zones out staring at his teacher’s boobs, he doesn’t want to be at kosegruppa. Isak is actually very passive and just going through the motions, doing what people tell him to do. But once Isak meets Even at kosegruppa - well, that’s when Isak wakes up. In the next few clips, we see Isak taking action. And sure, they’re small actions, searching for Even online, watching the Even video over and over, asking Vilde if there will be more kosegruppa meetings. But we can see that Isak now cares about something, he’s paying attention. Of course, Robbe’s story doesn’t have to follow the same arc. However, it does the season a huge benefit to get him intrigued by something at this point, so we the audience are not just sleepwalking along with him for a few episodes.

There’s also just the simple fact that we have only 10 episodes to establish a love story and make us care about the Even character, and it’s a very risky move to waste too much time. If you are really killing it with the rest of Robbe’s arc, this could still work, but ... well, that’s not what’s happening here.

If they didn’t want to full on introduce the Even directly, one thing they could do is subtly and indirectly find ways to include him in the narrative and create some mystery. Let’s say Robbe sees the Even’s artwork somewhere and is like whoa, that’s cool, and we can tell that it resonates with him. Or he admires Even’s graffiti, or it makes him laugh, whatever. Basically Robbe has some kind of emotional reaction to a thing the Even has created or done, which helps to set up that relationship even before we officially meet the Even.

If we want to add a little more, perhaps Robbe sees a mysterious dude in a mask tagging a wall, but they get interrupted by the cops or something and have some kind of brief but intriguing interaction with each other, and Robbe’s like, who was that guy in the mask? Or Noor takes Robbe to the tagging place, the police/security bust them, Robbe and Noor get separated, and Robbe gets helped out by the Even so he can escape. So it’s an important moment, lots of adrenaline, we can frame it like there’s a sudden ~charge~ between them (ooOOOooo the Even helped Robbe stand up and their hands touched like this was a fanfic, etc.), but he doesn’t learn Even’s name, maybe he doesn’t even see his face because Even has a mask on, so Robbe spends part of the next few episodes trying to figure out who that guy is, casually asking Noor if she knows a guy like that, keeping his eyes open. Maybe we have some fakeouts where Robbe thinks he sees the Even again but it’s just a false alarm. He’s on edge, eager to know more about that mystery guy, and so are we. Bam, we have “awakened” Robbe from his deep sleep.

If you’ve seen Netflix’s The Get Down, there’s even a scene like this where Jaden Smith’s character gets caught tagging by the cops, he runs and flees with another young dude, and they have a moment where they recognize each other as graffiti artists they admire. While watching that scene for the first time, without any context or spoilers, without even knowing if there would be LGBT content in that show, I immediately thought, “This guy is his love interest.” Not even because it was overtly romantic. Because the way it was written and shot told us that this meeting was important. Because they had an instant connection. Something similar could have worked for Robbe and his Even. But in any case: it would have been best to establish something between those characters, even if it wasn’t an “official” introduction.

Stop focusing on Aaron/Amber when it’s not in Robbe’s POV. Reverse the scene at the beginning with Aaron videotaping and Amber getting spilled on. She gets pissed, he falls in love, and then we follow him upstairs and we meet the boy squad. That is a very obvious, very clean transition that doesn’t interrupt Robbe’s POV as it technically hasn’t started yet. So IDK why they didn’t do that, lmao.

Some changes with the Milan relationship:

Tweak the apology scene to be more representative of Robbe’s issues. Have Robbe apologize while still stressing that he’s not gay. Have Milan be chill and not question that statement, but maybe Robbe is so defensive that it comes across as unconvincing.

Then have Milan be the one instead of the boys to interrupt the Noor almost-sex scene. Milan wanders in acting drunk, haha Milan, he’s wacky. Robbe doesn’t realize it (though the viewers do if they’re paying attention) but Milan is only pretending and is “subtly” rescuing Robbe because he realizes, based on the earlier scene, that Robbe might be struggling with his sexuality and he wants to give him an escape option. (Although I still think it’s best to combine the not-sex scene into the opening clip, but this could work, too.)

Basic questions we need to be asking, clip to clip: what is the conflict? Where is Robbe’s head right now? Why is this scene necessary? How did this scene come to be - what’s the cause and effect here? How does it advance Robbe’s story? Is it redundant? How do we tell this story in a narratively economical manner?

#wtfock reactions

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theseerasures · 4 years ago

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Conspicuous Media Consumption, 2020

it’s that time of year again! *saddest toot from the party horn*

for those of you just joining us: it’s a “consume a different content every week for 48 weeks of the year” challenge. for a longer explanation, check out last year’s write-up here, and as always, feel free to pop in and ask questions about any and all of this content.

(same disclaimer as last year too: content for this project ONLY here, and not certain...*looks at my billion Sad Cop Lady posts*...hyperfixations.)

(man remember when i was big into X-Men comics earlier this year? better times than these, if only because no one's discoursing about Emma Frost’s woobie/war criminal ratio anymore--her w/w, if you will)

(...i swear at one point i didn’t exclusively like platinum blondes but alas)

Bitter Root (comic, 1 issue finished 1/1/2020): still very cool on a basic concept level, but runs into the Image Comics problem of just not having enough content to keep my interest beyond that. part of that is on me, for picking it up again BEFORE the second arc rolled out, but the first five issues didn’t really follow (or resolve) any cohesive story either, so...meh.

Immortal Hulk (comic, 3 trades finished 1/17/2020): still not gonna be something i care deeply about (maybe one of Bruce’s Hulksonas dyed his hair???), but i do want to give kudos to Al Ewing for sheer consistency in terms of sustaining this level of quality storytelling month by month for more than two years now. working with the dense archive of the Hulk mythos and managing to make it interesting and thoughtful is impressive even if i personally would not expend the same effort.

Disco Elysium (game, finished 1/18/2020): honestly i should have twigged onto what this year was gonna be like when the third thing i drew from the barrel was pure uncut Eastern European flavored depression. i faintly recall people ragging on it for being pretentiously cynical, but i actually thought its core slid more towards idealism than people give it credit for. also gratified that i haven’t heard anything about Robert Kurvitz using slave labor to finish it, which is a thing we have to say about our video games now!!! fun.

Watchmen (TV, 7 episodes finished 1/27/2020): i am a fool who wants to believe in Damon Lindelof and I WAS RIGHT!!! honestly still cannot believe that he pulled off this highwire act with such deft aplomb. might be my favorite TV this year, which is a pretty high bar given how much TV i ended up watching.

On a Sunbeam (comic, finished 2/1/2020): Tillie Walden rightly deserves all the praise for inventive queer storytelling, but i will say that on reread--since i first read this as a webcomic--there ARE some issues with pacing here that clearly come from the foibles of its original intended medium. still just excellent, even if after some plot significant haircuts i was having trouble telling a few folks apart.

Lazarus (comic, 1 trade finished 2/8/2020): it’s so good and i want moooooorrrreee--though obviously Rucka and Lark have the right to take all the time they need. the newer longer issues work really well with the epic prestige drama vibes of the story! i’m into it.

The Good Place (TV, 4 seasons finished 2/18/2020): i’m gonna be super honest: i actually wasn’t a big fan of the finale, nor the last season as a whole. it felt like all of Eleanor’s flaws vanished for a majority of the season, and the Chidi-centric episode where they tried to give a legible justification for why he’s Like This was...i didn’t care for it. still, it’s so good and unique on the WHOLE that we’ll literally never get anything like this ever again, and that counts for a lot.

The Old Republic (game, finished 2/21/2020): it’s an MMO so it will never actually Be Finished so long as the servers aren’t shut down, but i caught up on the content i’d missed in the intervening months. Onslaught thus far has mostly been...kinda bland tbh; going back to Imps vs. Rebs after all the shakeups in the previous expansions feels like a waste.

High Road (album, finished 2/22/2020): someone should tell Kesha not to say that word!! otherwise i was very happy with this album, and happy FOR her even though we don’t know each other. being able to find joy again in the same genre of music you made while you were being horrifically exploited is very cool.

Young Justice (TV, 13 episodes finished 2/28/2020): given how much the middle stuff dragged--STOP KILLING YOUR HIJABI CHARACTER IN HORRIFIC WAYS--i was...actually kinda mad by how the end managed to stick the landing anyway. the day being saved by Vic’s self-acceptance and Violet’s sublime compassion was A+, and even the Brion/Tara switchup was a pleasant surprise, though it relied on me caring about Brion MUCH MORE than i actually did.

Manic (album, finished 2/29/2020): do people still care for/about Halsey? i feel like even That One Song that was on every tumblr gifset ever has kinda faded into obscurity at this point. this album was...okay. i feel like people give Halsey a pass for extremely obvious lyrical turns that they wouldn’t for other folks because of her subject material--which is fine. not really my cup of tea, but i also listened to lots of Relient K this year, so that’s probably a good thing.

Jade Empire (game, 3/10/2020): the only 3D-era Bioware game that didn’t franchise out, and for good fucking reason!!! the Orientalism and appropriation really haven’t aged well, and even beyond that the story was...standard Bioware faire. even my usual “my wife’s a bitch i love her” Bioware type didn’t do it for me, and i just ended up romancing no one. it did make me think a lot about what level of cultural borrowing is accepted nowadays, and why: people still look fondly at Avatar and talk about how ~accurate and respectful it was, for example, despite it being staffed almost entirely by white folks, and the Orientalism ALL OVER the monk class in DND is still fine for some reason.

Alif the Unseen (book, finished 3/31/2020): interesting to have read this AFTER reading The Bird King last year, because it highlights how the intervening years have shifted G. Willow Wilson’s thematic interest and improved her craft. i’m actually quite fond of how her characterization work is rougher here--Alif is extremely flawed to the point of being insufferable, but it makes his development by the end more satisfying. Dina is also just good and i love her

Baldur’s Gate (2 games, finished 5/31/2020): well, having finally finished the series i’m happy to say that it...still doesn’t really do it for me, sorry. any awesome story moments were overshadowed by the EXCRUCIATING inventory management system and the combat (i still don’t know what a THAC0 is and at this point i’m afraid to find out). these games crucially lack the Home Base that later Bioware games were so good about, and that (coupled with the huge cast of characters you can drop off and never see again) really hurts the intimacy for me. by the time we finally did get one it was the Hell Dimension in Throne of Bhaal, and i was just...trying to get through it. (yes, i did just say that about one of the most beloved expansions ever to one of the most beloved games ever.) THIS particular iteration of “my wife’s a bitch i love her” was very good, but the game wouldn’t let me romance her :(

The Underground Railroad (book, finished 6/19/2020): honestly what is there even left to say at this point! it was exactly as good as every critic on the planet said it was, even with my usual aversion to hype. draining and horrifying in turns but still insistent upon a future for Black folks.

Steven Universe (6 seasons and a mooooooviiieeee, finished 7/11/2020): yes, i DID finish the show and almost immediately begin a rewatch. this series is now one of my top five most formative things, and the amount of love and respect i have for it is incalculable. that said: i once again did not love how the central conflict of Future was resolved (just the resolution--i loved the finale just fine). for all of Steven’s breakdown was built up, resolving it with “EVERYONE HUG HIM UNTIL HE CRIES” felt...cheap, especially since up until this point the show had been so good about treating trauma and mental illness with the respect and nuance it deserves. it made me wish some of the earlier, less substantial episodes had been cut so we could spend more time at the end.

What It Is (comic, finished 8/19/2020): y’all i love Lynda Barry SO MUCH. for the longest time i was worried that One Hundred Demons was more a lightning in a bottle situation but every book of hers i pick up makes me feel obscure emotions i didn’t even realize existed. the compassionate way she’s able to describe her child self and how weird and fucked up she was (and still is) is honestly aspirational.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (TV, 5 seasons finished 9/26/2020): so here’s a reversal of what i’ve been complaining about with other shows: i was mostly lukewarm-to-warm about She-Ra, but the later seasons and the finale made me much more into it as a whole. more shows should improve in stakes and overall quality as they age tbh!! i still don’t actively love Catradora (my sole quibble with season 5 actually has to do with the way Adora kept backsliding as a character to make certain Plot/Relationship things happen), but i’m very happy for them nonetheless. i can certainly appreciate a show that will go for High Feeling over tight plot. dark horse standout moments: trees growing everywhere proving that Perfuma Was Right, and Hordak and Adora seeing each other--that weirdly intimate moment of recognition.

Fetch the Bolt Cutters (album, finished 10/7/2020): again i find myself not having much to say that no one else has said. it’s good! once again love it when an artist reclaims something they’d attached with negative affect (anxiety, depression, disordered eating) for better and brighter things.

Solutions and Other Problems (comic, finished 10/25/2020): i was very into Allie Brosh’s ambition with this book, which feels weird to say but i stand by it. it’s cool to see an artist try to make a new medium work for them instead of just sticking to what already works. not all the experimentation was 100% effective, but it was still delightful and occasionally devastating to read, so.

Legend of Zelda (3 games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Link Between Worlds, finished 11/1/2020): this was the third time i’d played Ocarina of Time, which made it the nice, comforting groove i settled into before Majora’s Mask blatted me in the face. i’m not usually a completionist Zelda person because...the gameplay in Zelda is bad, do not at me it just is, but i really felt like i HAD to be one for Majora’s Mask since the whole point is to get attached to the banalities of the town. i’m sure nobody’s surprised that i loved it, even if it gave me an existential crisis about how life goes on in the game for NPCs when you’re not there to save them from it, and there’s not enough time to save them all all the time (also not a surprise to anyone: Romani and Cremia gave Personal Feelings). Link Between Worlds...bad. not like in a “this is a bad story by every measurable gauge” way, but i was already struggling with the 2D playstyle shift enough that for the whole story to end with some “yes it’s v sad that Lorule is Like This but trying to steal Hyrule’s privilege is Even Worse Actually” noblesse oblige bullshit left a VERY poor taste in my mouth, this year of all years. i did audibly gasp when Ravio took off his mask, though. i’m currently playing Breath of the Wild in cautious increments; it’s the first time i’ve enjoyed early Zelda gameplay, but if they wanted fully voiced cutscenes i wish they got voice actors who...knew what words sound like.

folklore (album, finished 11/6/2020): my belief that Taylor Swift is Just Fine continues, i’m afraid. i LIKED this album, don’t get me wrong, and respect her constant drive to innovate, but i didn’t love it substantially more or less than any other Taylor Swift album. mostly i’m just tickled by how she thinks leaning into the indie aesthetic means borrowing Vita Sackville-West’s entire wardrobe, though i will admit to feeling Something when she swore in a song. i think it was like. savage vindication?? you go ahead and swear, Taylor Swift. you deserve it.

Shore (album, finished 11/19/2020): do people still care about the Fleet Foxes? i think there was some Drama with Josh Tillman a while back but i don’t remember where the discourse landed with who was being more problematic. it was nostalgic for me to listen to their new album--made me remember being an undergrad who exclusively listened to men who mumbled and played acoustic guitar all over again.

Star Wars (3 movies: original trilogy, finished 11/27/2020): there is So Much bad Star Wars these days that every time i rewatch the original trilogy i’m afraid that they will suddenly be bad, but guess what! they’re not. i love these children and their hot mess stories, i love that Lando doesn’t know how to say his best friend’s name. what stood out to me this time was the way Obi-Wan described the Force in A New Hope, which strongly implied that ANYONE can be Force Sensitive; that obviously faded with each subsequent movie, but part of me does wish they’d kept it.

X of Swords (comics, 22 issues finished 12/5/2020): i am enjoying Hickman’s X-lines!!! not so much here for the Grand Conspiracy or whatever, but the character work and highkey weirdness is fabulous--they FEEL like X-Men, despite all the shakeups in-universe. this crossover is a nice microcosm of all that: grandiloquently all over the place, but still full of cool standout moments and genuine hilarity. ILLYANA DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SPELL MAGIC.

Fire Emblem (4 games: Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Awakening, finished 12/14/2020): this was the thing that i was closest to giving up early on, but i ended up hyperfixating on it instead. that’s a credit to what the gameplay does to my lizard brain more than anything else, because the story and character writing is...insipid. it was very bizarre to witness this franchise blunder around with its animal-people racism allegory around the same time i was getting back into RWBY, and ITS animal-people racism allegory blunders. Awakening was the first time i felt anything for the franchise beyond “teehee red units disappear make exp bar go up and brain go ding,” so i’m excited for more mature storytelling in subsequent games (they MUST get better. they MUST). the child husbandry thing is...very bad tho, and Apotheosis being “challenging” entirely through the game changing all the rules is also bad.

once again no vidya games that came out this year--i’ll probably pick up Spiritfarer or Hades after the New Year, though (or maybe TLOU II! but probably not. sry Laura and Ashley). more TV and franchises this year, which made me feel In Touch with the Children but was also kinda exhausting. nothing was so egregiously terrible i dropped it without finishing! in a year like this that feels almost like an accomplishment

#conspicuous media consumption

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likeaninjaoutofthedark · 5 years ago

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Today I finished watching My Secret Romance, a drama that’s been sitting on my to-watch list since it first aired. Here are my thoughts on it (that clearly don’t matter to anyone but I’m posting them anyways lol):

They day I started watching it, I’d spent quite a few hours trying to decide on a truly light-hearted kdrama (the two last ones I watched were Signal -which I haven’t finished yet- and Dokgo Rewind), full of fluffiness and cheesiness and cliches (because I’m a SUCKER FOR cliches). I remembered that I wanted to watch it thanks to a quick Google search of “cheesy kdramas” lol.

WELL, so for the first episodes I found it like super awesome!? Moreover, I couldn’t even stop laughing! Seriously, I think I even cried of laughter. Also it had these super cute “epilogues” at the end of each chapter, that added cutesy stuff to some scenes of the chapters, which I believed was an awesome idea.

And I was literally IN LOVE with it, until I made it to episode 10 (I think). I swear, it was going on well until the producers like began adding these sUPER LONG FLASHBACKS (seriously, episode 11 and 12 are HALF AN HOUR OF FLASHBACKS). I’d never skipped any kdrama (even the ones that bored me throughly) until this one. Seriously, watching the same scenes over and over again gets super tiring and, let’s be honest, a waste of time. Also, my beloved epilogues (which added extra stuff to some scenes) turned into the freaking same scenes I already watched! Like what was the purpose of adding them in the first place??

ANYWAYS, overall I enjoyed it. It’s a sweet drama with top-class kisses, some hateable characters and some characters you’ll wish were the protagonists lol. Sometimes you’ll be shouting at the screen to frEAKING COMMUNICATE NORMALLY, but that’s the charm of kdramas, isn’t it??? Lol.

***SPOILER ALERT***

I hate both their moms, but I hate his more than hers. Also, I ended up liking the second female lead in the end, and I wished we could have seen more of the blossoming relationship between both second leads, which turned out to be more interesting than the protagonists’ one (I LOVED THE PROTAGONISTS, although I’d have thrown my trainer to her head a few times if I could have).

And the whole thing about the brapads was hilarious, and he was always super embarrassed lol, poor thing.

ALSO: sung hoon with kids. No further addition needed.

***NO MORE SPOILERS***

I’ll leave its trailer hereinbelow, but I couldn’t find it with ENG subs, I’m sorry!

Well, I think that’s it. I didn’t take any screenshot this time! It feels kinda weird, lol. Anyways, I’m off to study (or to rewatch Something about 1 Percent or Romantic Doctor season 1, whatever happens first).

Please be safe in these scary times and PLEASE STAY AT HOME! (if you can, obviously).

youtube

#my secret romance #kdrama #kdramas #sung hoon #cha ji wook #song ji eun #lee yoo mi #kim jae young #jung hyun tae #i finished it!!!!#finally

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gotmilk5101520 · 4 years ago

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Miraculous Ladybug Rewatch Episode 72 Party Crasher

The perfect party to KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!

“One of these days, I'm gonna come over and KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!”

“Is everything going to plan, Nathalie?”

“Yes. On route to the airport, sir. You will officially be spending the entire weekend in Tokyo”

“No one will ever suspect that you stayed home. Until you akumatize someone”

“Merging them will grant me absolute power to reshape reality, and finally reverse our past mistake” My theory is becoming more true everytime Gabriel talks about it.

“My butterflies are ready! Ready to be Akumas!”

“Okay, remember our objective. To penetrate the impenetrable fortress, aka Adrien's pad, aka Area 51“

“If we Naruto run we should avoid the bullets”

Accurate picture of Gabriel.

“Kim, have a swimming lesson”

“Great! I always have my trunks on me” Well if I learned anything from Startrain.

“Nino was asked at the last minute to DJ his grandma's birthday party”

“Ivan suddenly got a toothache and rushed over to the dentist”

“Nathaniel crashed his computer and lost all the pages of the comic book he and Marc are doing“

“Max and Markov are helping them fix it”

“Kim had to go to the pool for a mandatory swim lesson, though I'm not entirely sure why he texted me that” Juleka can see the bullshit.

“Did I miss something, or is it bad excuses world championship today?” Yeah they know.

Who needs money when you can get action figures.

“Is there any game you don’t have?” “I don’t have the Zelda CDI games” “You’re better off without them”

“All the boys are unavailable with really lame excuses, and trust me, I know a lame excuse when I hear them”

“I’ve turned into an expert at them since I became... you-know-who” Marinette is Voldemort confirm.

“I know, I’m gonna call Ivan. He can’t lie to save his life”

“Don’t pick up! You can’t lie to save your life” Ivan exposed.

“Adrien’s dad left town for Tokyo’s fashion week. While the cat’s away, the mice will play” More like while the moth’s away, the cat will play. With his turtle, snake, horse, monkey, maybe ox, maybe rooster, and maybe goat friends.

“But isn’t Marinette... one of my guys?” Adrien considers Marinette to be one of his guys.

“Woah! These can’t be your awesome old records”

“They were my mother’s” *Cries in French*

“Nathaniel and Marc? Going to Adrien’s house? This can only mean one thing” “What Marinette?” “They plan to make out in a closet cause Adrien’s dad is out of town. Or there’s a party at Adrien’s house”

*Load Music in French*

“Emilie!” *Screams in French*

I can’t explain these.

“Wait I never gave the banana costume back, so how did...?”

“Hello It's a-me: Mario!”

“What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be extra careful? You know, keeping the Miraculous hidden so Hawkmoth won't find them?” “Yes that’s true, especially since we are in his house” “Wait what?”

I can’t explain this either.

“I like your style!”

“Look out, sir!”

“Thank you, young man. Your natural reflexes are quite good”

“Helping others should always be a natural reflex, like swimming is for fish”

*Screams in Monkey*

“I don't feel any negative emotion. There's only...”

“Happiness?”

“In my house!”

“Party Crasher, I am Hawkmoth. So you weren't invited? Well I'm giving you the power to crash that party, and KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!“

Keep this in mind when watching the NY Special.

“Marinette?”

“Uh... no, no, no, no! It's a-me: Mario!”

*Screams in Adrienette*

*Screams in French*

“NO!”

“Don't go in there alone! You'll never pull this off by yourself”

“Give me my lady back!”

“Need some back up?”

“Pegasus?”

“Viperion?” When this episode aired before Desperada and Startrain.

There’s an akuma and Kim just swims.

“Awww! A flying monkey plushie!”

“I'm no plushie! My name's Xuppu, you nitwit!”

“My name's not nitwit! My name's Kim!”

You can see the regret in his eyes.

“I'm wondering if this was the smartest move after all” Me questioning my life choices

“Xuppu, I Wanna Be Like You!”

“Now face the most fearsome supervillain ever created!”

Party Crasher must never returned.

Fear the banana.

“The only solution is to be so unpredictable that he can't read our dance steps” “So Fortnite Dance?” “Yes, Fortnite Dance everyone!”

“Always wanted to do that!”

“I'm sorry, Wayhem. I swear I had no idea my friends were gonna surprise me”

“What matters is that you great time, with or without me. And I got to KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! This is the best day of my life!”

“Wait. Where are Luka and Wayhem?” “They were right behind us” “Wayhem better not be making out with Luka in a closet. I’m suppose to be the one making out with Luka in a closet!”

“I'll be leading you in a dance. A dance of doom” “Well we got lost. Where are we anyway?” “No idea” “How did you two get here?!” “Oh hey a corpse. Wait a minute aren't you supposed to be in Tokyo? Then again, should’ve known since there was an akuma” “This just in we found the Agreste’s Basement Corpse!” “Nathalie, help me!”

New Hero: King Monkey. Identity: Le Chien Kim. Power: Jubilation.

Let’s cringe everyone.

#miraculous ladybug #milk rewatches miraculous ladybug

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amynchan · 4 years ago

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What are your top 5 favorite shows that are still currently airing.

oof, this is a tough one. Mainly because I’m only watching one show that’s still currently airing. I have a hard time starting new things and making sure I commit to them, so most of the ones I really like have already ended. XD I only watch one that’s currently airing, so that’ll go to number 1. The rest have already ended, but they hold special spaces in my heart.

1) Boku No Hero Academia: I am just really enjoying this one! Izuku is absolutely heartwarming, and the supporting cast all have their individual personalities that we’ve gotten to get to know. That goes for the main age group--all the teenagers--but also for the adults. I mean, really, I haven’t seen so many adults get picked apart and given actual personalities since FMAB! The villains are also really interesting, and there’s literally so much in this universe to pick on, mess with, tear apart, and put back together! I’m just really loving it! *^_^*

2) Phineas and Ferb: I watched this mostly as it aired, and I just really enjoyed watching and reacting to such a fun show! The songs were catchy, the storyline was never super convoluted, and the antics were all hilarious and adorable. I definitely got most of my shipping tendencies from this show, and it was just such a cute and wholesome addition to my life. I will still, to this day, go in search of PnF music to jam out to, and I’m sure I’ll end up rewatching some of those episodes sooner or later just for a taste of good fun. *^_^*

3) Steven Universe: I got into this one because a friend suggested we watch it together, and I am so happy she did. There are songs in this show like PnF, but I felt like there was a lot of growing to be done. I relisten to songs all the time depending on what mood I”m in, and there are some scenes I just like watching over and over again. There isn’t a lot I see with that level of rewatch value, but SU did such a great job that I honestly enjoy rewatching Ruby and Sapphire talk things out and Pearl and Amethyst talk things out and Steven and Bismuth talk things out. (They do a lot of that and I loved it. XD) I love how they handle growth in the show, and I just found it really sweet. And, btw, Connie is so, so, so awesome!

4) Ghost Hunt: This one’s old enough that people looking for something new to watch may find it here. Made in 2007 with a fanbase that’s still kicking, Ghost Hunt follows Mai as she gets roped into working for a psychic agency. She and her friends take on cases where the dead still have stuff to say and do, and each of them has a gift to contribute to help them reach their goals. ...yk, if you actually watch this one, you’re gonna wonder how on earth I pitched this anime as a ‘power of friendship’ thing when there are so many deaths, mysteries, and even blood to wade through. XD (not as much as more modern animes, I’m sure, but this was a lot for me and I loved it)

5) Soul Eater: Don’t judge me!! I am a sucker for good friends-to-lovers and this one stays squarely in the friends category in the anime while teasing us to high heaven with our ship I swear!! But the opener kicks tail end, the characters all are distinct from one another in a way that makes each of them fun and ridiculous, and I just really enjoyed their shenanigans. They’re all so stupid in the best way, I swear. XD

#cl-babydew

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naivesilver · 4 years ago

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31, 56, 19, 78, 20, 16, 11, 12 , 10, 4, 1, 21, 36, 39. Sorry if this is too many 😅

Guys it’s NEVER too many you’re giving me the chance to talk nonstop about Sonic it’s the best thing that’s happened to me in days

also I had planned to answer them in the order you asked for but it was driving me crazy so I sorted them out thematically sorry alfhjkhljshja

I answered 1 here!

100 Sonic Questions

21.) Tell us a funny Sonic-related story.

This one comes from the depths of my very first months as a Sonic fan. Basically, I had watched Sonic X upon its first Italian release as a very very smol bean. By the time I got obsessed again in middle school, though, I had forgotten everything about it except a few shots from the Italian opening theme and ONE scene from a season three episode, where Sonic and Knuckles played chess on a spaceship and then Sonic began running around and fell into space.

The “friend” that had introduced me to the show again (not a nice person and source of about 25% of my trauma, I’m glad to say I haven’t seen her in years) didn’t believe me and accused me of lying. Repeatedly. Unkindly. For months. How could such a stupid scene be in such an amazing cartoon? I must be trying to fuck with her.

Fast forward to the end of the year. I’m minding my business and I see a Facebook message from this friend, and another, and another. I click on it wondering what she’d be going ham over, and BAM. This girl had been watching Sonic AMVs on Youtube and had caught a glimpse of that scene at the beginning of a video and was fucking losing it over the fact that WOW, I HAD BEEN TELLING THE TRUTH ALL ALONG?!

Now, you have to understand that I wasn’t the kind of kid that swore, back then. I had been brought up to think that swear words would send you to hell straight away. And while not a delicate little flower, I was much, much cuter and more proper than I am now because I couldn’t live out my butch dreams quite yet. But I needed to express all the frustration gathered in those months.

So please imagine this baby-faced, straight A student 13yo wait for her friend in front of their school and bellow at the top of her lungs “BITCH, WHAT DID I FUCKING TELL YOU?”

I still remember that scene fondly, though.

31.) Tell us a Sonic-related story that will give us feels.

Related to the experience I just mentioned, the problem I had in my first years in this fandom was that this person who had dragged me into it was obsessed with the thought that people would mock us for it. She said it was for kids, and when she got over it she gave me shit for clinging to my passion while she’d “grown up”, and she had me enjoy Sonic in secret and yelled at me for saying anything even vaguely related out loud where other people could hear us.

It got into my head so much that for a long long time I didn’t dare share anything Sonic-adjacent on any social media, long past when I’d broke away from her. I thought no one would ever take me seriously again. I felt ashamed a lot.

It got better, though. Slowly, I broke out of my shell and started interacting with this amazing fandom, and I found lots of people who didn’t give a damn about what the world thought of their passion. And I know tons of wonderful people outside the fandom, too, friends who encourage me to talk about Sonic even though they don’t know anything about it. Chats where any mention of Sonic has someone saying “wait we must tag naivesilver into this she’ll love it”. It’s - it warms my heart every day. Tumblr is a shithole, but it helped me in feeling free to do what I love in the fandom that I love most.

Thank you. To everyone that got me through that, thank you. You have no idea how helpful you’ve been to me.

19.) Favorite soundtrack

KNOCK KNOCK IT’S FUCKING KNUCKLES

youtube

20.) Least favorite soundtrack?

None I think???? There are some I don't listen to much, either because I haven't played the game or I just don't vibe with them, but there isn't any song that I particularly dislike. Almost all of them are genuine bops.

16.) (if you read fanfic) What are some fic tropes you love? Ones you hate?

FOUND FAMILY!!! Adoptive parents, siblings, friends taking care of each other, I want a shitton of fluff in my life. And kid!fic. I could read (and write!) kid!fic every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. That's why I enjoy Chaotix and Sonic Movie fics so much. Let's raise them boys well.

As for hating...I don't like high school AUs lmao I wrote one when I was younger but I never dared touch it again and I haven't read any Sonic one since 2014 at most. And most time travel fics. Sorry, Silver, I love you a fucking lot but time travel shenanigans are only funny in the two or three specific settings my mind lets me enjoy.

11.) Top five stages.

In no particular order:

-Press Garden (Mania)

-Casinopolis (Adventure)

-Casino Forest (Forces)

-Studiopolis (Mania)

Anddddd I haven't played much else so I'll have to get back to you on this ajshfkjfahlljha

12.) Worst five stages.

-IMPERIAL TOWER

-Jesus Christ I died 78 times in that stage alone

-I'm bad at being fast and not falling off stuff and it required me to do both at the same time

-Also the Shadow DLC levels. Fuck me up a bit more will you

56.) In your opinion, what’s the weirdest thing any character has ever said?

I'm a simple girl, I see this panel and I lose my shit

10.) What do you like best about your favorite animated adaptation?

I only finished my Sonic X rewatch yesterday and I’ve been meaning to make some final comments about it (tho it’d probably be me rambling at thin air bc I doubt I can say anything that hasn’t been already said over and over and over) but the most compelling thing for me is and always will be the music.

Don’t get me wrong, what I’ve seen of the OG Japanese version had wonderful, heartfelt music, but the upbeat themes I grew up with still have me vibing day in and day out. I can dance to the Italian opening sequence at any given moment - no, you know what, here it is. Watch it and feel the serotonin drip into your veins.

(Some people will come at me for this, but I didn’t watch this show in 2019-2020 to make an in-depth analysis about it. I did it to have a dance off while Knuckles beat up some robots.)

78.) Post a scene that always gives you feels.

Sonic 06:

youtube

13yo me about to see her first ship torn apart:

4.) The last Sonic game you played is now your life. How awesome is this adventure gonna be?

Sonic Adventure - which means it’s a pretty cool life, unless it runs like SA does on my laptop and it turns slow and glitchy and grinds on my nerves even more

36.) C’mon now. How many ships do you have? :P

A FUCKING LOT my main ones are silvaze, vecpio and sonadow but I have many medium or small ones that I enjoy finding content for, like tikaze or knouge

39.) Which game is your golden standard?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not the greatest game fan as in I’ve only been actively playing for the past 2/3 years. Before that it was just gameplays on Youtube, so you should not take my opinion into any account since it’s not very informed.

However there was something about Sonic and the Black Knight that just felt...new? Peculiar? I know jack shit about the technical side of gaming but I remember being extremely pumped every time I logged in to see more of it. I'd like to feel that again, when a new game drops.

#Anonymous #sonic #sonic the hedgehog

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mysterylover123 · 5 years ago

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BNHA Rewatch: Episode 62 “A Season for Encounters”

mysterylover123

aka The One with the Tintin Wall

Uuh….did I accidentally change the channel? When did this turn into My Noir Academia?

Ooh man, this is some interesting setup for stuff later on in the manga. Season 4, man. Can’t wait.

OK let me freeze frame those searches. “Endeavor’s kids” is pretty high. I guess everyone needs those TodoroKid pics.

“20-40 male demographic” haha ooh boy that’s some real Truth in Television. I guess All Might had more fans in the 14-80 female demographic. Though Endeav would probably have fangirls if he didn’t wear that stupid fire mustache all the time. I’m just saying. Todoroki’s looks didn’t come from nowhere.

This other perspective thing is interesting. That “here’s how those words strike those on the wrong side of the law” idea.

Wow that was lame. These Pro-heroes really are kinda subpar compared to the average Class 1-A student, aren’t they? We need them to hurry up.

“Reservoir Dogs” Good God how much American pop culture is Horikoshi aware of?!?! That one’s a little more obscure than Spider-Man.

Ooh, Giran and Twice! The most recent arc of the manga turned them into a ship, and a totally plausible one, so nice to see.

Todorokis, man. Don’t do anything halfway (Still not confirmed, dammit.)

Twice’s backstory. is pretty interesting, in how it plays on that whole theme of Imitation.

Trying to be exactly like someone else is always a doomed enterprise, because you can never truly be the original, and a copy is always less durable. Hence the dangers of excessive imitation as such an over-arcing theme.

OVERHAUL. THE OST. Season 4 is gonna be intense, ya’ll.

“Knowing who you are is important. Amen to that Hori.

Ooh Deku is looking good as usual. And look, he didn’t break his arms this time! Fighting Kacchan is so good for him.

Class 1-A again! You know, we’ve kinda developed this habit in the manga of cutting away from them for a really long them, and then seeing them again for like, 2 chapters of cameos. I’m starting to really miss them, every time they do this.

Haha Monoma lol. Just wait for the Joint Training Arc, Class 1-B. You won’t be laughing so hard at Kacchan then.

Shinso! Yay! Also Sero says basically “wow, have you been working out?” which makes me think he’s as attracted to Shisno as I am.

No place to sit? Throughout the whole opening ceremony? Wow, that sucks.

I feel for them. Presentations where people don’t get to the point really annoy me.

Good thing Deku and Kacchan skipped this presentation, actually. Neither one of them needs yet another guilt trip about taking All Might down (or so they think).

It turns out it’s just a means to segue into introducing Mirio to the audience. (My first thoughts on this scene: Oh boy someone else to make my Best Boy feel inadequate. Well, I guess we just defanged Kacchan, so someone has to take over.)

Oh, speaking of the lovers’ spat…

Hey Momo, way to be considerate of Deku and Kacchan’s feelings.

Nejire ships Mirideku.

Ashido! Always great to see her. (Next season, ya’ll. She’ll get her due)

All Todoroki is doing is watching Momo while she talks and I still think this is a Todomomo scene.

“WHY DID I WORK SO HARD AT THE SPORTS FEST THEN?” Cause it was awesome, Uraraka! Why else?

I kinda think they should’ve just let the agencies come to them anyway. I mean, the agency offers meant there was tons of competition anyway, so why not cut out the middleman?

I feel ya Deku. Always feel this way whenever I miss a class.

Aizawa could not have devised a more perfect punishment for these two overly diligent students. They will never break curfew again.

Mirio is such an eccentric oddball in this scene. He isn’t really like that anywhere else as far as I can tell, so I guess this was just to give him a memorable introduction.

Wow he’s really incorporating that angry Kacchan energy into himself isn’t he?

GODDAMIT MIRIO WHYD’YA GOTTA GO STEALING MY OTP’S OST FOR YOUR INTRO? Seriously, I’m a little confused. Why does the Big 3 get the “Katsuki and Izuku” OST for their intro?

Buff Tintin, Nice Sasuke and Blue Elf will now apparently show our kids how it’s done.

Episode 62 is an interesting choice, since it takes a scene from an earlier Manga chapter and puts it together with later ones (the Twice stuff popped up right in the middle of what, in the anime, is episode 60. But they wanted to get to DVK2 ASAP). As a result, it’s a little oddly paced, but still decent. In some ways, I think DV2K should’ve been the season 3 finale, with the events of the Big 3 being the wrap-up (just like in Season 2), but i’m fine with how it is.

BKDK CORNER:

They’re so domestic here it’s not even funny. Straight out of a fanfic I swear to god.

Look at that lingering look. Take a good look, Kacchan. You’ll be missing him for about 40 chapters after this.

(I probably won’t be able to do the corner for the Internship arc in Season 4, sadly, unless they throw in some filler. I’ll have to wait for S5 for more animated BKDK antics, besides that one moment in between arcs in Chapter 168.)

Best Girl of the Episode: Pony Tsunotori!

RANKER: The Big 3 Ranked

3. Nejire Hado - I love her personality, but we don’t get to see a lot of her quirk in action, sadly.

2. Mirio Togata - He’s lovable for sure, but he’s held back from my goodwill for being Deku’s supposedly better replacement.

1. Tamaki Amajiki - Adorably sweet and no downside to looking him + good quirk + what Sasuke probably should’ve been? YES.

#my hero academia #season 3 episode 24 #a season for encounters #jin bubaigawara #kai chisaki #midoriya izuku #Mirio Togata #katsudeku #and a fond farewell is bidden #to heroaca as we knew it #the series will never #be the same #honestly i hope they keep up the noir thing #in Season 4 #with the internship arc #like combining the American aesthetic #with Japanese yakuza #and just giving us lots of atmosphere #could be real neat

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actuallylorelaigilmore · 6 years ago

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rewatching one day at a time s3

or how i looked beyond the surface and found hope

so i watched the new season all at once, right after it arrived on netflix, and i was really confused by the way the show’s text seemed to be trying to take penelope and schneider from bffs with a hint of future romantic potential to bffs who are practically siblings...while simultaneously creating the most blatant subtext and romantic parallels. it made me feel crazy, like i couldn’t tell how much was my alvareider-shipping heart projecting, or how much was sheer coincidence when it shouldn’t be possible for one season to have so. many. coincidences.

for the record, a lot of this endless essay has already been mentioned by other awesome people. i just needed to piece it all together and dive into the details myself, now that i’m watching it for the second time and rethinking everything.

or specifically, three things: the sibling emphasis, the parallels, and the body language.

that ‘schneider’s part of the family now and so he and penelope are related’ emphasis that freaked me out? it comes from three moments, and all of those originate from schneider. he refers to penelope as his ‘much older sister’ when he’s having an emotional moment with leslie and joking his way through it, he refers to lydia as their shared mom when he defends her to penelope after lydia teaches him to cook, and he calls penelope ‘sis’ when he’s sending her soothing text messages.

in the first instance, penelope’s not there to have an opinion, and there’s no real reason for schneider to have even brought her up in the conversation about him and leslie. either he has her in his head even when she’s not around, he’s feeling especially defensive about her place in his life, or both. you could easily make the case that he’s protesting too much, that he’s slotted her into the sibling space in his head and is fighting the fact that she’s not staying where he put her, as though mentioning it randomly to other people will make it true.

and in the second instance, penelope is there, and she doesn’t agree with him. in fact she’s annoyed at lydia treating him like a son. s3 involves a lot of tension when it comes to penelope and schneider’s place in her family, for that matter--more than in s2. in the s2 opening, elena reminds schneider that he’s not part of their family, and he protests her ‘joke’ as though it’s a given that he is. in 3x03, schneider refers to himself as a DILF, and it’s penelope who argues that he’s not a dad. he doesn’t protest at all, even though he’s the one who clearly thinks of himself that way or he wouldn’t have said it. instead, in response to her additional jab that he’s also not sexworthy, he replies immediately that he understands and will help her get the guy she does like.

a few episodes later, schneider tells alex that penelope is increasingly relying on him as a ‘co-parent,’ making it clear that he either believes that is his role, despite what penelope says...or that he just really wishes it were true instead of her keeping him at a distance. after all, he fills in with her kids in a parental role a lot, and nobody ever has any sort of protest about what it means except her (and their absentee father).

in the third instance he’s talking privately to penelope, and in the aftermath of a panic attack she’s got other things to care about so she doesn’t react to that at all. but her lack of reaction makes it seem like he may have called her ‘sis’ before, probably a lot in their frequent messaging, and the fact that he’s doing it via text makes it seem way more likely that he’s using it as slang, not acting his age. which is to say that there’s a really high probability that he means it in a close friend way rather than literally.

because this season is nothing but ups and downs, from friends who are family to a growing distance again, after that is when the worst moment between them in canon so far hits. during the condo argument, penelope doesn’t just insult him personally, like she did in s2 when she was off her meds. before kicking him out, the first time she ever has out of anger, penelope tells him that no matter how hard he tries to be part of her family, he still isn’t. that he can’t be, not really. unlike in s2, when he holds his feelings back and retreats voluntarily, during this fight schneider tries to argue. he pushes back, visibly upset, but leaves when she insists. once again, penelope’s the only alvarez who feels the need to set him apart from being a full member of her family in s3. alex and lydia openly adopt him, and even elena tells him she loves him, that they all do, after he relapses.

the interesting contrast between penelope and schneider is that never, not even when they’re clearly closer in s3, does penelope say anything remotely similar to ‘schneider’s like my brother!’ on the contrary, penelope’s the only one of the two of them who’s admitted that there’s attraction between them.

schneider offered to have sex with her early on, because for him casual sex fell within the boundaries of what’s allowed between friends. and while he compliments her often, it’s always in a very matter of fact, not suggestive way. he sees her as gorgeous and sexy and talented and nurturing and assumes she knows those things are true, too, so he can mention them to her without penelope thinking he’s hitting on her. he also maintains the boundaries between them faithfully, physically affectionate with her but always following her lead, taking it slow with hugs or letting her reach out first.

it’s schneider who emphasizes the way that penelope is family to him, because her whole family is family to him...and he worked hard to make that true. it’s the most important thing in his life. never is that clearer than in s3, when he tells lydia that being accepted by them makes him even prouder than his sobriety. and conversely, when he thinks he’s losing them, because penelope kicks him out and swears he can never really belong, that’s when it seems he has his first drink in eight years. being a part of penelope’s family is so important to him that risking it is a bigger stressor than even his father; it’s no wonder he has to see penelope as family first and as far from romantically or sexually available as possible. by s3 he’s too invested to be open to anything else.

the parallels in s3 start early. both penelope and schneider embark on tentative new relationships in 3x03 with people who are a lot like them. while penelope’s hesitant to date mateo until he shows his strength, schneider falls before even finding out how similar to him avery truly is. imo the similarities are the point, and they both need to learn things from their s3 relationships that they never have before.

penelope’s two previous big relationships ended over irreconcilable differences: victor wasn’t safe and max had different dreams. in mateo, she finds someone she’s got a lot in common with, all the same values, and no major breaking points. but even though that’s so different from her last two almost-happy endings, it’s not enough. she tries to talk herself into being attracted to and caring about him, but their friendship is really all that’s there.

schneider has actually never had a big relationship before: he had a toxic, sporadic affair with nikki that he kept falling into, but nothing serious and involving real effort. avery came along, uncomplicated and from his world and they clicked, and it was new for him. the fact that he couldn’t bounce back when it ended makes sense--she was his first loving, reciprocated relationship. the fact that he wanted nothing but to make it work when they got a second chance also makes sense, and is a good thing...it was absolutely his time to learn how to make a relationship work and to realize he’s worth loving. but because they don’t have that trusting foundation and possibly because avery’s background was as pampered as his, they broke really easily under the strain of his relapse, and i’m not sure that bodes well for them the next time things get rough.

the truth is, schneider’s right when he tells penelope that she’s the only one who ever completely trusted him while knowing exactly who he is. that’s why she’s the one who stays when he starts drinking again, and insists on being there through his recovery. penelope promises him she’s not going anywhere, because their history and foundation can survive more. when you remember her history with victor, and the way she pushed him away when it became clear that he wasn’t sober, it’s even more powerful that she’s firm with schneider but never considers trying to banish him from her life or her family. she trusts that he will try again, unlike her own husband. she pulls him closer, literally, instead.

and of course, it’s not just their new significant others that bring sharp parallels in s3: it’s other people’s partners too! and their own relatives! and their friends!

bringing victor back doesn’t just give elena the closure she needs and deserves; it also offers up two of the most important moments that seem to be pointing giant neon arrows at foreshadowing for alvareider. first, nicole tells a jealous penelope about how she knows victor is the one for her...and it makes penelope realize that she doesn’t wish victor were with her--she just wishes that mateo were that guy in her own life. but he isn’t, and she goes to dump him, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that every attribute in nicole’s speech exists in the way has schneider treated penelope for the last three years.

additionally, alex toasts victor at his wedding with a speech that could easily apply to schneider after he relapses, talking about how he found love as a result of getting his life back together. in a season that so heavily focuses on schneider’s journey, it’s impossible not to want the same for him.

when schneider faces his father for the last time and finally stands up to him, performing the same kind of toughness that penelope needed to see in mateo before she could consider him more than a friend...her reaction is even more intense than it was with mateo. she’s amazed and happy for him and really excited. she’s so stunned she doesn’t even notice that he’s not quite himself.

after penelope realizes he is in fact drinking again, her first attempt to get through to him doesn’t work and he escapes his own apartment. but it’s telling that when he starts to get defensive and upset, she explains by saying she ‘went through this with victor.’ no qualifiers, no acknowledgement that it was different dealing with victor because that was her husband and schneider’s just a guy she’s friends with. instead, a simple comparison between watching the father of her children, the man she loved, struggle and get worse and then seeing it happen to schneider.

and in the most obvious, pointed parallel of them all, when penelope is still dating mateo and discussing her anxiety in her support group, pam points out that she doesn’t seem to lean on mateo when she needs help with it. her immediate response to that is that when she does lean on anyone, it’s schneider.

there’s a lot more physical contact between penelope and schneider this season. just, so much more. and even more importantly, the nature of it is different.

their first hug happens early on, when penelope is worried about alex and schneider reassures her. he hugs her from the side, and it’s pretty identical to the times when he did in s2: just his arm around her, close but not too close, friendly and sweet.

their second hug is in response to one of her anxiety attacks, after he helps calm her down. he hugs her like always, but then penelope turns her face further into his chest and reaches out for him. she reaches her hand out to his free arm, hesitates, then makes contact and holds on, while he wraps that hand around her in return, holding her tighter. it’s the first time we’ve seen her cross that tiny but distinctive line, compared to their s2 hug when she admits he’s her best friend...in that scene she reaches across him similarly, as though she wants to grip onto his shirt while he’s hugging her, but she stops herself and pulls back.

after the worst fight they’ve ever had in their relationship so far? penelope reassures him that they’ll be okay, and then reaches for his hand while she tells him she likes him just as he is. schneider goes from letting her hand curl around his to gripping back in the next shot, just...holding hands with her while she’s nicer to him than she’s ever been in three years. and then he doesn’t just hug her. they hug each other, turning inwards for a full hug rather than the arm-around-her-shoulder that was schneider’s default the year before. they’re holding on to each other when schneider’s father comes out, and schneider keeps his hand on her shoulder for a moment even after they let go.

once his father leaves, she thanks him emotionally for the choice he made, and dives into another hug. standing up, it’s them hugging each other again, chest to chest the way they never were in s2 even during lydia’s coma.

and once schneider’s drinking has come out and penelope has confronted him without anyone else around, where she can be painfully honest and so can he...she rubs his back and then keeps her hand there; she strokes the nape of his neck and then holds on; she shifts when he leans into her for a hug so that he can rest against her fully, and she keeps him there. it’s the first time we see penelope offering schneider support and comfort that way (and it’s exactly what i’ve wanted since s2 when he continued to do so for her all the time).

off the top of my currently sleep-deprived brain, i remember two hugs between them in s1, if you include the whole family on the dance floor--which i do because of the way schneider rests his cheek against penelope’s head. and there are three between them in s2, two that happen in the same “hello penelope” scene.

so even before you add in the handholding and back and neck rubbing things that never happened before, s3 has more physical affection between penelope and schneider than the previous two combined.

either they’ve become super hands-on platonic friends since the previous year without feeling the need to address it, the actors are so comfortable with each other that they brought that into their roles more than was intended and the showrunners for some reason just went with it...or all those small monumental acting choices are meant to add up and continue deepening their relationship in ways that could lead somewhere else someday.

in that light, it’s really not any crazier to think the show’s heading toward romance than it is to insist that actually the past two seasons were never meant to pack such a punch and they’re just like siblings now. since the mixed signals don’t make much sense in s3 for a show that’s usually so carefully crafted, i choose to believe they know what they’re doing...and if that’s true, then all the parallels and intense intimacy and more complex interactions around schneider being family are there on purpose.

tl;dr penelope and schneider are soulmates and if odaat is determined to make sure that’s not true the show itself can fight me because i’m right

#alvareider #penelope x schneider #schneider x penelope #odaat #one day at a time #spoilers #s3 #meta #mine #long post

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tybalt-you-saucy-boi · 6 years ago

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Hello! I was curious to know what some of your favorite Mindcrack moments are in all of their years of existing?

Bro. You are in for a motherfucking LIST.

Off the bat, every single Team Canada Prank. I’ve practically memorized the Sky Shrooms and King of the Ladder episodes. That moment when Guude realized Etho was part of the prank and said “We? Who’s we?” and Etho stuttered and fell backwards off the mushrooms to his death was the first moment in my life that I truly felt alive. #TheOfficeIsAGoodShow #RealMenUseTheirRingFinger

Von Swaying Guude’s house changed my whole outlook on Minecraft. How could someone make something so darn ugly and yet so beautiful? It’s the epitome of doing something for the sole purpose of shit starting creating and having fun rather than aiming for perfect and never finishing. Zisteau is a great addition to any video 10/10 educational content

Just about every moment in Guude/Nebris/Pakratt/Arkas’ TerraFirmaCraft Reloaded series. Had to pause videos multiple times to write down quotes and even then I passed up some good ones! I fully intend on rewatching the series from each perspective. Arkas getting slain by bear, Guude and Arkas secretly growing mushrooms and getting high, Pakratt confusing dolomite and diorite, literally everything Arkas does, THE COWS, that last episode of absolute chaos wtf Pakratt

UHC #ForTheKidsSeven with Single Malt scotch’s skyblock base and rampant cheating from every team except Nebris’. I fucking LOVED that near-kill with the anvil, and all the chaos as the border shrank. Four players stuck in a 1x1 column! The arrow volley between SMS and SkyblockJr. Can this happen every UHC?

Speaking of UHC, Etho and BdoubleO’s epic fight in season 11! He was absolutely on the ball with those potions, I was sure he’d die before he could use them all. And Etho’s fight with Guude right before that was hilarious! Guude high as fuck on percocets and Etho like completely confused at what Guude was doing. The original UHC skybase by Zisteau #I’mALavaExpert and Anderz reaction to the skybase, and then to Guude’s dogs

The whole portal thing in season 3 with Pause, Kurt, and Beef too! That has remained one of my favourite UHC moments since I saw it, there is nothing more classic. Every single season I hope someone will make a portal for no reason and end up in someone else’s base with them. #TheWolfTheWolfAmazing!

Zisteau’s E-Pranker Montage. I legitimately cry every time I watch it, particularly during 0.5 (the fourth prank) when he rebuilds Bdubs’ first house from his Building With BdoubleO series. Bdubs’ moment of realization hits me like a train even though I know it’s coming. Like, if someone built my first Minecraft base to prank me I think I would die on impact, but like in a good way.

And back to UHC! Season 14 episode 5. HOOOOOOLY FUCK! 2spooky4me should have totally been a UHC team! Remember when Zisteau played UHC? It just isn’t UHC without him to be honest. And besides the #BadYouTubers and #ImALavaExpert moments from Super Hostile and Ninja Turtles, Parkas had a great season as well! Shit, everyone was awesome! Parkas listening in on BTC finding a silverfish, Doc listening in on Ole Yeller right before Zisteau-ing himself and swearing, Baj hiding nether wart, every single drunken drink Genny did, Parkas towers “we should smelt some stone to make bricks”, snnnnowballs! :D, HEY JSANO! WHY YOU RUNNING JSANO?, “ooooh, we’re right behind you haha” “BTC, they’re actually here.” Pakratt was slain by generikb, Avidya’s spooky voice echoing around Seth and Anderz “You wouldn’t hurt an old teammate, would you?” “I dunno. It’s been awhile.” Just. God this was a good season.

Season 19 with Vechs and BTC! You’ve heard all the famous quotes, “how did I get stuck with you of all people” “Vechs, Vechs. I don’t hate you anymore” “He’s not dying. He’s just mad right now.” “Did it come from your hand, knocking a teammate off the ledge?” “THAT WAS A MOD!” etc etc. I also like MC’s half heart midnight desert dash, although it took a good 10 years of my life from the stress. Oblivious Pakratt running away from his teammates as they yell after him and then wondering why he hasn’t found anyone yet. Seth’s reaction to MC’s diamonds. Coe’s post commentary, again, you know the quotes: “Left. Chicken. Right. Chicken.” “This bucket has wheels!” “Are you gonna put that dirt in a chest?!” etc. Kurt finding Beef “Sharpness Five diamond sword!” and PiMP turning around. F1 and PiMP in general. SwedishZen and Millbee with the melons.

Obligatory mentions: “NOOO YOUR DOGS KILLING ME!!!!”, 2Germans1Hole, Zisteau crafting a clock and finding every excuse to use it during the game so that those 4 gold didn’t go to waste, Rob’s jukebox battles, Anderz fighting spiders when a creeper wanders into his hole, Bdubs’ “real” season 9 ending, Nebris going God-mode “HIT ME ALL YOU LIKE”, Nebris and Pause double kill, Nebris and Pyro double kill with Bdubs watching and cleaning up at half a heart and then Etho cleaning up again and finding the potions B left and Bdubs interrupting his video to do facecam to explain that he’s a nice guy who shares and leaves gifts for others (basically whenever Bdubs does facecam in UHC. Let’s face it, when Bdubs whips out the cam you know you’re in for a good show), Team Uppercats season 10. All of it.

Trouble in Terrorist Town when Pyro and Coe pull a long con on Pause and Guude in like episode 9 during the last round. I had to pause the video to take it all in, I was just in awe. That series is one of my favourites! I always watch from Pause.

In original DvZ when BTC got warned for breaking a cake. Also Pause’s helmet!

Team Canada CTM uhhh forgot which series, but Pause and Beef getting stuck in a hole, Etho dying, placing TNT over their heads, and singing “Pause and Beef, best of friends” while Beef panics.

Etho calling Pause fat as a joke and Pause taking it serious and then Etho going “wait, are you actually fat?’ lmao.

Pause yelling about vacations on episode 37 of the podcast with BdoubleO “STOP TELLING PEOPLE I’M GOING ON VACATION IT’S NOT A VACATION!!!!!!!” and every time he’s yelled about vacations or muted his mic.

Baj reading a question and mid sentence switching to talking about the curry he had last night, and then there’s a pause and the rest of Nancy Drew fucking loses it.

On the podcast, Kurt’s “Wake me up, boys!” That whole episode was a blast!

The whole “sitting or standing?” debate and the guests’ reactions to it.

Doc accidentally killing Notch on the Mindcrack server, and Dinnerbone confused about him not dropping an apple.

Doc’s zombie death loop from season 4 with Anderz saving the day and then promptly dying.

B-Team mafia in survival of the fittest, Etho killing Genny, and B and Etho teaming up afterwards. Also B and Pungence talking excitedly at the end was adorable, you can really tell they’re brothers lol. And Etho drinking out of the outhouse! Bdubs’ comment on that video killed me lol. And Etho forgetting his push-to-talk and failing to team up with Doc.

The whole got-dang B-Team trial.

End of season 3 tour “On a scale from Baj to Anderz” “Arkas, say something about your build.” Arkas: “Hello.”

The original Death Games, when Etho reveals his secret to Nebris particularly, and all the trash talking. Also Millbee, MC, and Nebris coming to kill him and Kurt logging on in the middle of it.

Prop hunt, and all the wiener and erect jokes. “Am I erect?” “I just saw a can spying on me while I was trying to put my wiener in the toilet!”

Pause and Rob getting girlfriends in Orespawn, and Rob naming his after Pause, and Pause murdering his.

Andrea talking about waking up with spiders in her mouth in an old Triple Eh Mondays episode.

Nebris “sensually” feeding Beef a banana (and practically begging to do it to) on the Mindcrack marathon, and Beef completely ruining the mood lol

Zisteau accidentally launching CaptainSparklez back into a lava tree column and “Dude, it’s okay. You can just kill me” after Jordan’s hit him about 40 times.

#ForTheHorse

MC accidentally killing his one and only teammate JSano during UHC season 22

Sevadus and Seth playing blindfolded lego with Chad’s underwear on Sev’s head, lots of swearing, bugs in the lego, “Are you sure it’s the grey lego?”, “I don’t think I like kids anymore” etc

All the Pyro and Baj burns on Quiplash, ie “What’s something that absolutely does not make you think of a penis in any way?” “Baj”

Coe and Pak playing that stupid horse/giraffe volley ball game with the stretchy legs and neck, and Coe doing the silly accent

Bdubs calling Nebris a psychopath in Nebs’ first FTB episode because he jumped a dangerous ledge for 2 (TWO) pieces of glowstone dust

Nebs coming outta nowhere and jumping in Etho’s car when he was about to test his race track

The first few episode of CrackPack and the battle between Etho and BTC, and Beef and Nebris

The first building game with potatoes on sticks, the second accidentally dirty and racist building game with bloody toilet capsules, the third actually dirty building game with a viking hat with a penis inside

God, I could go on forever, but I’ve already spent over an hour and a half on this.

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