#i wish our netflix had the second season so much...

[terribly-late-for-tea]

Me, a Canadian with no legal access to Prodigy's second season: I wonder what's new on the JC side of Tumblr today...

[wol-fica]

-𝕄𝕖𝕖𝕥 ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖-

pairings - jennaortega x fem!writer!reader

summary - you got hired for a huge new gig as a script writer for season two of wednesday, the events after help you meet someone new…

warnings - none !

an - i’m alive, tell me i’m pretty

——————————

June 9th, 2023 Coachella Valley, CA: 1:27 PM

You were going to be late, exceedingly so. 

You had a meeting scheduled for 1:30 PM sharp, any later would cause you to lose the job. Many times you had said that you were interested in the opening, promising to be a hard worker and wonderful staff member to the writing crew for the upcoming second season of a netflix show titled Wednesday. It was everything you could ever wish for, the job was like a dream to you.

But now, your hopes of getting to write on such an incredible show are being crushed due to many unfortunate events transpiring throughout the day. 

Firstly, you woke up later than expected and had to hurry around to get yourself ready and organize your idea board that was going to be presented at the meeting. Then, the water pipe under your sink burst, causing you to have to fix it and get soaked in the process. And finally, your dryer decided to completely break down on you, which meant you needed to pull a new outfit together, which left you literally sprinting through the hallway of the building your meeting was being held at while fixing your hair to look at least decent in front of all the professionals you were going to be working with. 

Soon the door to the meeting room came into view, relief washing through you when your watch stated that it was 1:29 PM. Perfect, right on time. Gathering yourself in the final few seconds you had, you brushed out a few wrinkles in your shirt and held your chin up proudly before pushing the door open and heading inside.

“There she is!” Dave, another writer, exclaimed with a smile, “I knew she would show up…eventually.”

“I’m so sorry, my morning was hectic as hell.” You apologized, setting your stuff down and taking a seat next to your other coworker named Matt.

“No biggy, you’re right on time.” Matt said to you with a smile, pushing a fresh cup of coffee in your direction.

You took it gratefully, bringing the drink to your lips to take a sip. Everyone was seated, adjusting their papers and whatnot while you waited for the show's producers to arrive. 

“For how much they nip at our necks to be on time, they really don’t seem to feel the need to be punctual.” Aurora said from your right, resting her head in her hand.

“Stuck up, is the right description.” The lead writer, Elsa said, jotting down what seemed to be some final touches to her idea, “They will be here when it is convenient for them.”

A chorus of ‘mhmmm’s came from the group, everyone nodding in agreement while you stayed silent. Judgment wasn’t a huge thing for you, especially since you knew most of the producers and was familiar with how hectic their schedules can be with having the weight of the entire show’s production on their backs. Besides, the ones you have met so far are pretty friendly people, so you didn’t feel the need to act petty with their late arrival. 

“How was your weekend Y/N?” Matt asked you, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation, “I noticed you look a little sunburnt.”

“Oh, yeah.” You chuckled, looking down at your slightly pink arms, “I went paddle boarding at the canal, forgot to bring sunscreen.” 

“I can tell.” He said with a smile, “At least you will gain a sick tan.”

“The wonderful aftermath!” You joked, both of you laughing lightly.

Matt sucked in a breath, sipping his coffee before setting it down on the table. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the opening of the office door. 

In walked the producers, all six holding script copies and large binders full of each writer's bullet-note ideas for the next season of the show. You knew three by name, two by face, and one you have never seen before. Well, never seen was a lie, you of course have witnessed the incredible Jenna Ortega and her infamous role as THE Wednesday Addams, but you had never formally met her. The most interaction you have had together was at the premiere for season one; you were dragged along by Elsa so you could see what you were up against, and you happened to be sitting two seats away from Jenna, who had given you a curt nod when Elsa introduced you to Tim. 

“Hello everyone!” Max said, one of the two executive producers, “Sorry for being late, our meeting went longer than expected.”

“No big deal.” Dave replied, standing to shake his hand politely, “We weren’t going to start without you anyways.”

“Let’s get started shall we?” Max said, looking around the table before pausing when he saw you, “Oh Y/N! Glad you made it!”

You shyly waved, a small smile on your face as many eyes went to you, “I’m glad to be here.” 

“I’ve read some of your scripts before, very impressive in my opinion.” Another producer, face but no name, said with an approving nod. 

“Thank you.” You replied, an embarrassing blush covering your cheeks.

“Okay! So let’s go over some things…” Max said, flipping open his binder. 

Most of the meeting went smoothly, the producers listening intently to each writer's ideas for the upcoming season. You nodded and replied to questions, occasionally writing down notes here and there to store for a revision of your script. You were currently nose deep in your writing, scribbling down a few dialogue changes for a random scene you came across.

“Y/N, what about you?” Elsa asked suddenly, startling you into accidentally throwing your pencil behind you.

“Oh, um..” You set your script down, sitting up a little straighter, “Well I thought of a bit of a different approach for this season, it’s more character focused than scene directed.”

“Focused on what?”

“Well,” You cleared your throat, “I thought of dropping the whole love triangle idea, I never imagined Wednesday being interested in boys or girls while solving a murder, that didn’t make sense to me.”

You felt a sudden confidence with your words, the talk of your idea shredding away at your anxiety.

“To me, she should definitely be a lot more gruesomely funny. Bring some more gore, some more horror, some more dead things because that is what makes Wednesday so likable to the viewers. Get rid of all the boy talk and all that, I think she should be more toned to focusing on her stalker and whatever else comes with her junior year.”

“And get rid of the sappy lines.” You finished, shaking your head at the thought of some, “No offense Elsa.”

“None taken, I stay up every night hating myself for writing it.” She joked, causing everyone to laugh.

While she, Max, and one of  the other executive producers talked some more about which script to choose, you started to feel a gaze burrowing into the side of your skull. Turning to your right, your eyes caught big brown ones, full of curiosity and interest as they stared at you. 

It was Jenna, her focus on you instead of the others' conversation on the final decisions for the second season. You felt a little vulnerable under her stare, so you gave her a friendly smile and a little wave, a silent “hello!”.

She immediately smiled back, recuperating your wave with a beaming look. Her dimples appeared when she did that, catching your attention of how her nose seemed to scrunch up and how her eyes squinted in just the slightest way that made her look very cute. 

“Okay! I think that wraps up the meeting!” Max said enthusiastically, closing his binder and standing up, “Head home everyone!”

You sighed, happy to be done with work for the day. You began to gather your things, packing them into your bag and scooping your pile of notes and scripts into your arms. Matt came up beside you, handing you your pencil that you previously threw behind you.

“Don’t forget that.” He said, grinning.

“How could I?” You sneered, adjusting your bag on your back, “Are you going out with Megan again?”

He nodded, then pulled out his phone and showed that he was getting a phone call. He waved goodbye to you, heading out the door and down the hallway. You slowly followed suit, the weight of your backpack and papers making you a tad bit slower. As you walked towards the exit, a tap on your shoulder made you turn around.

It was Jenna, sporting a friendly smile.

“Hi!” She said enthusiastically, holding out a hand for you to shake, “I'm Jenna, I've been trying to meet you for some time now.”

“Oh wow!” You joked, somehow taking her hand without dropping your papers, “I’m Y/N, and I didn’t know you were waiting or I would’ve come and said hi.”

“I still like to introduce myself even if people know me, it’s how I was raised.” Jenna said, slightly rocking on her heels.

“How formal of you.” You said, grinning, “Did you just want to say hi orrrrr…”

“Oh! No, I wanted to ask if you had any plans for today…?” She asked shyly, a hopeful expression on her face. 

“Not that I know of, why?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch with me?”

You seemed to restart, your mind going blank at her words. Was she asking you to hang out? Jenna Ortega wants to hang out with you?

“Uh..I mean- well…” You started to stutter, a blush climbing up your neck, “Of fucking course!”

Jenna giggled, hiding her mouth while she laughed. You scratched the back of your neck, admiring her features yet again. She was incredibly gorgeous, and you didn’t even feel ashamed when you gazed at her moving lips.

“How does Panera sound?” 

You smiled wide, your eyes lighting up at the name of your favorite restaurant. Jenna laughed yet again at your reaction, covering her mouth with her hand.

“That sounds fucking amazing.” You said, shifting your weight on your feet.

“Great!” Jenna replied, adjusting the papers in her hands, her head turning back to you, “Does 3:30 work? I have another meeting in like 15 minutes.”

“That’s perfect.” You almost mumbled, your eyes on her lips again.

Jenna smirked.

You blushed at being caught.

“I’ll see you then, cute girl.”

And then she was gone.

As soon as she was out of sight and earshot, you squealed and danced in a circle, doing a little happy dance.

A lunch date, with Jenna fucking Ortega.

Couldn’t get any better than this.

—————————

hi :)

taglist: @crystal-lily-101 @tundra1029 @house-of-lovin @rainbow-love4ever  @imhungry-andtired @theafterofnevermore @k1mba @simp4thena @thenextdawn @alexkolax @annalestern @efectoangel @fall-08 @andsoigotabutterfly @littlegaybutterflysblog @sayaisrotten @deep-fried-egg @frasersgf @thispussyshouldcomew @rollingsins @somekindofpoet

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - July

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 28.07.2023

Here you can find my weekly roundup that goes into a bit more detail about each episode.

And a little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

I am always happy about gif-requests. If you want a special scene, just let me know. Here you can find all of my gifs.

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. Alice in Boarderland Season 1 (1/8 on Netflix, no bl)

One day I was in the mood for some dystopian and uncomfortable watch and here we are. After that day I needed something cuddly and colorful, so I guess it will take me a while to finish it. But the first episode was really good.

2. Be My Favorite (10/12 on Youtube)

At first glance, Kawi is a loser. At second glance, a crazy loser. When he tries to travel back in time to change his life, it doesn't necessarily go in the direction he had in mind or Pisaeng, the later husband of Kawi's crush. But this series is so much more. Kawi is like our inner voice of insecurities and inadequacies. And it is like healing a little bit watching him gaining a little bit more self confidence and self love. And the same goes for Pisaeng. His journey in self-acceptence and starting to live the life he wants and deserves is just so beautiful. This show really hit home every week and right now is one of my all-time favorites.

3. Dinosaur Love (5/10 on iQiyi)

There is no excuse for this one. It is a hellfire of a show. It is bad. But I had a blast. I can't tell you what it is about, because I have no clue! All I know is, I love it. It is so bad, that it is good! I guess it is about the lovestory between Dino and Pak, told by some drunk students. And while they start to bond we get some sa and self harm. Great show...not.

4. Hidden Agenda (3/12 on Youtube)

Okay, I can smile a little bit watching this. Both of them have a hidden agenda and I kind of like Joke and his attempts to make Zo fall for him. And I like that we already know that Joke likes Zo. That makes everything...I don't know...a little bit cuter.

5. His Man Season 2 (13/14 on Gaga)

The korean dating show is back! I loved the first season and the second just started really good. I guess there will be some drama in those 14 episodes, but the first dates were so cute! I am looking forward to next week! There is so much drama going on! And the people are really unpredictable. I wish we could see more of their interactions, because a lot just comes out of the blue.

6. Jun & Jun (2/8 on Viki)

Okay, that was not the strongest start for me, but it was not bad. An office drama about Lee Jun and Choi Jun, who were childhood friends (and crushes I guess) and who meet again after being seperated for years. The one an intern and the other one the director. I like those combinations, so I am looking forward to the next episode and just hope it gets better.

6. King the Land (10/16 on Netflix, no bl)

You know the feeling, you wake up in the morning and you're craving some good korean romance drama? That happend to me one day and so I just thought to give this a shot and it is good. Cheon Sa Rang works as a concierge at the King Of The Land Hotel and there she always has to wear a smile, fake or real doesn't matter. She meets the new boss in town Gu Won, who just can't stand fake smiles, but I guess her beautiful and real smile will make him fall head over heals.

7. Low Frequency (3/8 on iQiyi)

The characters are a little bit quirky, the story looks interesting, the acting is a little bit stiff, the first episode was not that revealing, but it made me looking forward to next week. A bl with some supernatural element. I like those kind of shows.

8. Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (4/12 on Gaga)

Minato and Shin are dating for three month now and it feels like we are back at the beginning of the first season. Minato is always surprised when Shin wants to exchange some affection or when he just wants to know if Minato likes him. And to be honest, if I was in his place, I would ask too, because right now it doesn't feel like Minato likes Shin. But with the second episode we finally get some of Minato's thoughts and it is cute and sad at the same time. The second episode totally got me and I am excited what there is to come!

9. See you in my 19th life (7/12 on Netflix, no bl)

It was a suggestion, sounded interesting, so I watched it and I really enjoyed the first episode, so I stayed. Ban Ji Eum is able to remember her past lifes. Her 18th one ended way too soon and in her now 19th life she wants to meet the one person again, who brought her joy again after 100 years of being tired of reincarnating and remembering all the pasts lifes. A very interesting concept and I like how bold and confident Ban Ji Eum is.

10. Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... (7/8 on Gaga or Viki)

Kazuma and Ren were close friends during middle school and now meet again years later after their ways parted. We get some cute flashbacks and much cuter interactions in the here and now. And now we are at the point where the cuteness gives way to reality and the cruel past and I hope we will see those two just communicate, because right now they are happy they are together, but there is so much more between them than just freinds with benefits. This one is definetely one of my most anticipated watches during the week.

11. Stay with me (16/24 on Gaga)

Well this is the new version of Addicted, but I guess it won't be a little bit more censored than the original one. I like the old one, despite its flaws and toxic traits. So far I like the first two epsiodes. The actors remind me more of stubborn highschool students which is quite nice. The dads are a mess! I am looking forward to more episodes.

12. Wedding Plan (2/8 on iQiyi)

I knew I am going to have a problem as soon as I finished the trailer. And here I am...totally obsessed with this show! And we are on episode 1! Well, what happens when the Wedding Planner and the groom fall for each other? I don't know either, but I can't wait to find out!

Finished in July

Series

1. The Luminous Solution (6/6 on Gaga)

Okay, I am totally confused with the ending and I guess they wanted to make more episodes, but didn't have the budget. The last episode fest very rushed and there were parts missing to understand the whole thing. Over all this wasn't a good show. The concept was interesting, but that was it. I really wish this show had more episodes and a little bit more budget for the quality part. Just a 4,5 out of 10 for me.

2. Step by Step (12/12 on Gaga)

Employee meets boss without knowing who he has met and crushes hard on him. This one was starting strong for me. It had a good pacing and intersting characters. But as the story carried on it lost me. I couldn't enjoy the characters. I think Pat is annoying and whiney and Jeng really needs to learn how to seperate work and privat life. I adore Man, but man I couldn't get Pat's and his chemistry. It wasn't there for me most of the times. And they built up a second couple with a complicated cheating story, but they dealt with it so rushed and shitty...I am lost for words at this point. They didn't even get a real conclusion at the end. This was frustrating. The last episode felt like a filler episode instead of a final. It was boring and the time jumps were just weird. Yeah, well... It is a 6,5 out of 10 for me. I really wish I could give it something higher.

3. La Pluie (12/12 on iQiyi)

I can't lie. The series lost me in episode 10. And it kind of destroyed my likings for this show. You know the feeling when you are starting to fall in love and on the way you discover a character trait you can't stand and just like that the love is gone. Well, that happend to me with La Pluie and especially with Patts. I couldn't trust him anymore after episode 10. I get it, he was frustrated, but that is not an excuse for his behavior. And yes, this is a show, it is fiction, but I still didn't like it. What I like is, that Tien and Lomfon got their ending together and there was no rain and no hearing loss in the end. Nope. Didn't happen. What a fucking nightmare of an ending. And now I really don't know how to rate this one, because I loved it til epsiode 9... I guess I go with a 7 out of 10. I won't go back here in the future, but I can't deny that I liked it in the beginning.

Short Film

Movie

Rewatched in July

1. History 3: Trapped

Every now and then I like to come back to this little gem and watch a cold mafia boss falling in love with a hot-headed cop who has made it his own agenda to bring said mafia boss down and falls in love with him instead. Love it! One of my favorite History seasons!

2. Love Tractor

I felt a little bit down the other day and just watched this comfy show and immediately fell better! I love it so much. And I adore the manhwa! It is just so wholesome watching Yechan fall in love with Yul and slowly work his way up to his heart. Just so cute!

Dropped/On-Hold in July

1. Sparks Camp

It was more cringe for me than anything else. So I had to drop it. I guess I will watch the last episode to see if there are some happy couples or not.

2. Tie The Not

It was really not that special for me and it felt just way too rushed. So I dropped it now. I was not looking forward to watch it and just forgot what I have watched rthe week before. Not a good sign.

3. Be Mine Superstar (2/12 on Viki)

Yeah...I knew it last week that the possibility is high I would drop it. And after yesterday's episode I know I am not looking forward to watch any more. I can't stand Punn. He is the worst enemie for my cringe tolerance and I can't watch his scenes...which is bad when he is one of the main characters...

Looking forward to in July

Be Mine SuperStar - Trailer (July 3rd on Viki)

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 - Trailer (July 6th on Gaga)

Stay With Me - Trailer (July 7th on Gaga)

Stay By My Side - Teaser (July 7th on Gaga)

Low Frequency - Pilot (July 8th on iQiyi)

Hidden Agenda - Trailer (July 9th on Youtube)

Laws Of Attraction - Trailer (July 15th on One31)

Wedding Plan - Trailer (July 19th on iQiyi and Youtube)

Jun and Jun - Trailer (July 20th on Viki)

After Sundown - Trailer (July 20th on One31)

For the first time in a while I am looking forward to all of these new bls, well at least most of them. I am really not a fan of horror movies 🫣

[july-19th-club]

been a long time since i watched one-season wonder 'the society' a cancelled netflix show. first of all it's still a great early kathryn newton vehicle. second of all i'm like 90% sure the father of the baby is will. based solely that he and becca were awkward at the breakfast table in the episode when she finds out she's pregnant. thirdly on this watch it seems like grizz has had a crush on sam the whole time, most likely because he was the only out gay person at their school which is catnip to the closeted teen who needs something to believe in, and had grizz gotten his wish and moved away and never come back he'd have had a college experience full of dudes of all stripes and flavors and never thought twice about that funny Deaf guy from his high school but since they are now stuck in pied piper limbo together with 200 of their closest high school classmates, it's pretty much an inevitability. and fourthly campbell is a very good villain, who, although the threat of him can come across heavy-handed at times, is fabulous to watch in the early episodes as he lays the groundwork for later problems. his manipulation of harry is extremely obvious to everybody but harry, but nobody can do anything about it because a) harry doesn't listen and b) they don't want to risk the full force of campbell's destructive energies coming down on them. his manipulation of elle is also easy to see coming, but it's also far subtler if, like elle, you don't see him around his family or the other people he toys with. if you met him as she did, as a relative stranger who mostly spent time with you alone, you might fall for it for a while before it started feeling wrong. sure, all of his smiles look slightly insincere, but maybe he just has one of those faces. he's gentle with his hands, he pays you compliments, he's being patient. so you let down your defenses a little bit as he seems to prove himself worth your trust. and THEN he Fucking Gets You. same thing with cassandra, who's known him all her life and therefore has an idea of what he's like, but who still underestimates his ability to get multiple guys antagonized against her right off the bat just by behaving in a smarmy, skeptical manner. she sees him as 'my dick cousin, who used to give the worst noogies,' not as 'a dangerous man who is perfectly happy helping our entire fragile society collapse if it makes it easier for him to play with people'. even his own brother, who has known since a very early age that campbell can and will someday kill someone, never tells anyone about his own fears until it's unavoidable. part of that is the fear, of course - watching your sibling torture birds as a kid will do that - but part of it may even be that he doesn't think other people don't see it. after all, it's so obvious! but everybody has bigger problems and by the time it's clear that he's part of all of them, it's too late.

[moonystoes]

So, uhm, about that comment on Lou's blog about the France Brasil game and Élisa... That was me😅😂 And her going to Wolfsburg was very delusional, but we could need her now more than ever 😂 Hendrich and Hegering are massive, but both over 30 and their contracts end after this season. Djikstra is out with an injury, Küver too iirc. Küver and Hegering both get easily injured, so that leaves us with only Wedemeyer I think as a fullback iirc. So, yeah, it would be better if Wolfsburg would sign one more cb but what do I know? 😂

And for the game, I tried to find a video that shows the foul and is available for you to watch, but I only found videos that are only available in Germany or if you have a VPN that shows a German adress. However, I can translate for you what the German commentator said : "I think that this is the earliest yellow card in this tournament or at least I can imagine that it is. Against Jheniffer who got into this duel with De Almeida. Boah, after 20 seconds... Let's look at this again...and I don't know what it is with those Oliver-Kahn-memorial-kung-fu-kicks. Because Marta did such a thing or a very similar one in the last game against Spain, was sent off of the pitch with a straight red card. And that is, well, difficult (not as in hard but more in a way that it is very much on the line to a red) to go up with a straightened leg. Jheniffer had a lot of luck with this. This was more a dark yellow." Unfortunately the cameras didn't really show where exactly Élisa was hit but it looked like it was the cheek/ side of her face or neck. So I hope the commentary makes it visible how dangerous it was.😅

And with Ann-Katrin (Anne) and Jess, it is such a cute story. If they were to make it into a Netflix show, it would probably skyrocket in wlw community 😭😍

And you can 100% figure it out later if you like women. I was 15 or 16 and only needed to see Keira Knightley in Bend it like Beckham😂 But at 14 I was a little bit homophobic. The typical "I don't have anything against lesbians, but I'd prefer if they didn't kiss in front of my eyes". I was just jealous and didn't know that😂 Also 18 is not that old to find out if you like women, some only figure it out in their 30s or 40s or even later😊

Yeah, I wish we could have gotten a France Germany final to get back at the French😂 We need to start a new streak of France not being able to win against us. But oh well, we didn't make it to the final as well😂 But thanks to the 🐐 Ann-Katrin Berger (not Ronaldo, sorry Élisa😂) we got the broooooonzeeeee😁😁 Also, Spain's wnt has never won against our wnt (at least according to the commentary) , so I don't know why they thought they'd have a chance😂 Our handball men also kicked the Spanish out😘

Also excited to read that you have plans for for a Pauline fic. She's quite underrated.

And sorry for the long and late response but I took a break from tumblr😅 - 🇩🇪 anon

LMFAOAOAOOA BITCH YOU FOOLED ME. I did notice the tone was very similar to yours but I was like 'um....maybe German people are like that in English...idk maybe' 😭😭 yk what at least Lou didn't call you delusional 😔🙏

for the video of the injury, I have a really slow VPN ans I can try it I don't mind.

Kung fu kicks??? LMFAOO

Noooo not you getting mad at gay couples because you were jealous 😖😖

For the Pauline fic, you'd think me staying in a place with no wifi for 5 days will motivate me and inspire me to write it...but no, I just decided to connect with the nature (aka talking to people 😔) I did write the plan out, now I actually have to do it 💔💔

[lesbianrobin]

Do you have any TV show recommendations

my #1 tv show recommendation is to watch the challenge. i literally never cared about competition reality shows besides antm and now i am Obsessed because the challenge is perhaps the greatest show of our generation. i beg of you to watch this compilation video it captures the overall spirit of the show So well and it's also hilarious.

if you want recommendations on which season to start with PLEASE send me another ask, or ask sarah @steveharrington she's the expert.

ok now other shows ❤️ i'm not gonna mention shows like succession that are super big on tumblr or well-known prestige television like breaking bad or the sopranos because i'm sure you've already seen plenty of people recommending those yknow? so yeah.

cowboy bebop (anime). the live action does not exist to me. anyway. cowboy bebop is sci-fi. it's western. it's jazz. it's comedy. it's tragedy. it's about love and identity and bounty hunting and a little corgi. there's a reason why it's often called one of the greatest anime of all time. this kinda violates my no reccing super popular shows rule but i think people who don't watch much anime may not be familiar with cowboy bebop so i figured i have a duty to the people.

the get down. i wholeheartedly believe that the get down is the greatest thing netflix has ever produced and it's a goddamn tragedy that it was canceled, but what does exist is just. incredible. it's about the rise of rap and hip-hop, the death of disco, and struggling to figure out identity and the meaning of success in the bronx in the 1970s. created & produced by baz lurhmann, the show incorporates archival footage of new york and real people with fictional narratives in a truly masterful way. it's absolutely gorgeous. the music is fucking fantastic. it's So worth watching and i wish that it had gotten the same hype as other netflix shows like st, oitnb, etc.

speaking of netflix. american vandal. if the get down is the best thing netflix has ever produced, american vandal is a very close second, and i could honestly be persuaded to swap their places, but ANYWAY. it's a mockumentary wherein a kid named peter and his best friend sam attempt to solve the mystery of who spray-painted twenty-seven dicks on twenty-seven cars in the staff parking lot at their high school. it's one of the funniest shows i've ever seen, and also the only show i've ever found to be accurate to the contemporary teenage experience. it's also like... insanely accurate as a parody and critique of real true crime documentaries. also if you're following me you're probably an st fan, and eduardo franco (argyle!!) is in american vandal as well, if that motivates you any more.

xena: warrior princess. it's the best show of all time and also the worst show of all time. everything that people say about shows like supernatural and glee and riverdale? xena did that shit back in the 90s, they did it better, and they did it with lesbians. they did it with swords. they did it with aphrodite. they did it with leather and whips and clones and reincarnation and true love's kiss. please watch xena.

community. if you haven't watched community idk what you're doing with your life to be quite honest. just watch it already.

GLOW. attention all tumblrinas who like messy complicated stupid mean scheming sexy women. you will fucking love glow. sorry i'm recommending so many netflix shows but i can't Not mention glow on here it would be a betrayal of my lesbianism. it is about sexy women wrestling. it's got blood. it's got tits. it's got storytelling. it's got 80s music. it's got fucking your best friend's husband as a means of feeling closer to her. yellowjackets fans i'm looking at you. watch glow.

ghosts (bbc). not cbs. dear god not cbs. bbc. but yeah ghosts is a sitcom about a young couple who suddenly inherit an old home (manor? thing? man i don't fuckin know english aristocracy stuff) full of ghosts. it's a fun, simple premise, and some parts of the show can be corny, but the actors sell it so well that it's just a pleasure to watch. if you're into sitcoms, i think it's worth giving ghosts a shot!

that's it for now i don't want this to get super long ❤️ thank u for asking!! also sorry if this wasn't what you expected from me lmao. OH ALSO watch the muppet show. like the OG 1970s muppet show. shit slaps.

[kitchfit]

Year in Review: TV Shows

¡Feliz Dia de los Reyes! And Happy New Year! And also happy belated Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Bodhi, Kwanzaa and Diso, probably some other holidays. BOXING DAY. You all get a gift! And it's the same thing you ask for every year that I know you love so so much: Unwarranted opinions about tv shows from a stranger on the internet! I am truly generous.

Shadow and Bone s1-2

Confession: I grew up with these books. It’s one of the only book series I snatched up as soon as they were released, and to this day I will read anything Leigh Bardugo slaps my face with, so I was ecstatic to discover they were making a Netflix adaptation. And damn one thing I cannot critique is the casting for this series. Jessie Mei Li pulls off the classic orphan chosen one YA protagonist so well without being cliche, which is also something Bardugo was able to do in the books. And Freddy Carter and Kit Young have just become Kaz and Jesper in my head, replacing whatever image I had of those characters originally. Also evil Prince Caspian is hot!

Season one is genuinely a fantastic adaptation. They seamlessly combine the storylines of Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. The gaps in pacing from the first book have had their slack picked up by these lovable criminals playing out a similar storyline to their first book, with Alina taking the place of the Grisha scientist as their object of kidnapping. Everything plays out so fluidly that I was enamored with my first and second watch through.

Season two on the other hand is messy as all hell. They try to adapt multiple books into one storyline like season one, but none of them blend in well together. The bastardized Crooked Kingdom plot (which was my favorite in the series) is completely disconnected from Alina’s story to the point it felt confusing and exhausting each time they went back to it, while the Siege and Storm and the Rise and Ruin plotlines are so rushed I could barely follow what was supposed to be happening. Plus they added their own ending, which is fine conceptually, I get them wanting to do their own thing, but I wish they either just adapted the books, or committed to making something original, instead of this clustered amalgamation.

The Owl House s3

Everyone knows this is a show that deserves MINIMUM six seasons and a movie. The world is incredibly fun and versatile, and the characters are fascinating and enjoyable to watch. But Disney is homophobic and lame and Oh My Shit is that Steamboat Willy making out with Oswald the Rabbit?? Holy Shit. I can’t believe that’s canon now! Thank you Bob Igor. 

That being said the writers and animators did a fantastic job on tight storytelling in these last two seasons. A lot of shows that aren’t given enough space to tell their story will cut out “filler” content to shove all the dramatic moments they want in your face (looking at you Voltron), but Owl House strikes a nice balance between slice of life character episodes and the more plot focused episodes in the short time they have. There’s so many background details and one off lines that create an intricate backstory that adds both to the lore and the motivations of our deadly Puritan villain. It also delivers on a fantastic ending that works both as a definitive end to the series or the jumpstart to a sequel if it ever gets graced with a renewal.

Merlin s1-5

Back in the day this show was grouped in among the other popular BBC shows at the time + Supernatural, and thus it gets a similar reputation nowadays as a queer-baity overrated show that goes on for too long. I don’t think that’s wholly undeserved, but Merlin is leagues better than either Supernatural or Sherlock and is much more consistent in delivering quality episodes than even New Who, though that last one is higher quality overall imo.

The cast all give a fantastic performance as their characters go through some genuinely well written character arcs, especially Anthony Head as Uther who blends goofy freak with hateable bigot so well that his antagonism commands the flow of the entire first three seasons. Like what’s his fucking problem? After he gets out of the picture however the pacing does tank as the plot forces out about three near identical Morgana takes over Camelot conflicts.

This show is also campy as all hell, and blends together lighthearted comedic episodes alongside extremely well written dramatic plots pretty well, though it occasionally stoops to some tonally dissonant melodrama. Uther falls in love with a farting witch like two episodes before Morgause nearly kills Arthur. I do think the will-they-won’t-they between Merlin and Arthur was written intentionally, and while their friendship is enjoyable to watch develop, the answer is obviously Won’t, because gay people don’t exist in Camelot times. Also Guinevere’s characterization fucking tanks in the last season for no reason at all, but it does have a good ending overall.

Dragon Ball Z Kai s1-4

Every year I make my dad watch a shonen anime all the way through. In 2020 it was Jojo’s, 2021 it was Hunter X Hunter, last year it was Naruto (Ocean Cut), and this year it was Dragon Ball Z Kai. So far there’s been no losers, he’s loved all of them (though he got burnt out on Part 5 of Jojo’s). It took a bit for him to get into Dragon Ball; the Saiyan saga did not hold his interest until the Vegeta fight, but he was thoroughly engaged through the Frieza saga and ESPECIALLY the Cell saga. He told me Cell is the most evil villain in all of the anime I forced this 49 year old to watch. I myself had never watched all of Dragon Ball Z in order before this year, and I’m happy to say most of it holds up, at least in Kai.

Season one is overall hard to rewatch from the beginning, since after Goku’s death we get several episodes of mindless training and running on Snake Way that we already know won’t pay off, but damn the cinematography and choreography in that first Vegeta fight is genuinely stunning and I can probably rewatch that anytime. Season two on Namek pulls off writing without Goku much better. There’s a strong sense of tension as all of these different conflicts barely miss each other: Frieza’s army killing off the already small population of Namekians as Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin are searching for the Dragon Balls. Writing Vegeta as a secondary protagonist in this arc despite still being a violent jackass is genius and this whole section is thoroughly engaging. Pacing grinds to a crawl when the Ginyu Force show up, and I’m sad to say this continues into the Frieza fight. It’s a good fight, but after the Supper Saying shows up they could have ended things pretty quickly, but the fight draws on and on until even Goku gets bored. 

The Cell saga is easily peak Dragon Ball. This is the season Saturday morning cartoons would replay over and over again, so it's the one I’m most familiar with, and damn it I see why they did that. It’s a fun, messy time travel story that focuses on the development of our two biggest protagonists. Goku and Krillin? Nah fuck them I mean Gohan and Vegeta. We get conclusions to their character arcs that are so bombastically enjoyable that Toriyama NEARLY approaches good writing.

Season 4 on the other hand can’t decide whether it wants to be a continuation or its own thing and it shows in the pacing. The Buu saga is way too fucking long for no reason, the stakes rise to an absurd extreme and towards the end none of the characters seem to take any real notice. Goku lets his own son die to save a dog and an old man and then laughs it off as a brain fart. I like Majin Vegeta and regular Buu but everything afterwards overstays its welcome.

Castlevania s1-2

It’s kind of insane to me how good this show is. It takes the plot of an NES game with minimal dialogue and cool set pieces and transforms it into an epic ensemble story where every character has a fascinating arc to explore, not to mention animated BEAUTIFULLY. The show does NOT hold back on gore, but at the same time pulls it off with elegance so the blood and guts don’t feel gratuitous. Castlevania 3 was also my favorite as a kid despite never having finished it so it was personally very satisfying to see this one adapted. 

The relationship between Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha is also adorable and one of my mainstays when I think of fictional Polyamorous couples. Their dynamics are further developed in the latter seasons, but the Dracula fight is so stellar that I was satisfied with ending it there for now, I still need to watch the Rondo of Blood anime.

My Adventures With Superman s1

This show was so cute! And also very vindicating after Snyder’s Superman changed every depiction of the character into a deconstruction on whether helping people is good or evil. Or maybe those were the only ones I saw after that. I was introduced to Superman through the Justice League cartoon and that will always be my primary understanding of the guy, so it’s nice to see Clark written in a similar light. 

However, it’s Lois Lane that really takes center stage in this show. I mean it’s her adventures after all. She is NOTHING like any previous Lois Lane and is an essential brand new character, and she plays off of Clark’s personality SUPER well and their romance is adorable to see develop. I saw a lot of comparisons of her character to Luz and honestly I see the resemblance, not only in design but in dialogue. Which is fine I like Luz, but it forces me to compare it to the Owl House. 

While this show also has very little time to tell its story, unlike TOH it’s paced like shit. Every episode that they put out is fantastic, but all of them feel like the conclusion to a grand story arc, rather than 10 episodes in succession of each other. They introduced multiverse shit in episode SEVEN. And while I love the new design of Mr. Mxldsjdnsk (especially considering I had just finished Dragon Ball Z), they did not earn that shit. This is obviously a production problem I can’t blame on the writers, but this is a show clearly designed as a slice of life with action thrown in, it needs cute fillery episodes, dammit. STOP RUSHING EVERYTHING.

King of the Hill s1

I don’t know if it's a controversial take to say King of the Hill is easily the best adult-oriented American cartoon, right? I think everyone should be on the same page on this. Like the Simpsons is way too long to be objectively good anymore. Maybe Futurama outclasses it but like. Family Guy? American Dad? BIG MOutH? None of those even have jokes. King of the Hill manages to not only be hilarious as all hell, but also tell a meaningful story.

As someone who has grown up in the relative south (Not Texas) I see it as both a satire, celebration, and deconstruction of the culture of rural America. Most episodes focus on Hank trying to give Bobby a meaningful childhood and teach him valuable lessons, but in the process realizing that the culture he grew up in kind of fucked him up a bit, and instead of digging his heels in and refusing to change, he alters his behavior and views for the sake of his son. Bobby himself is a lovable goofball who shows off the fun of growing up as some country hick. Watch this clip of Bobby playing spin the bottle right fucking now.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake s1

ANOTHER PIECE OF MEDIA CAPITALIZING ON THE MULTIVERSE TREND LETS GO. I spoke before about the inherent metafiction in Multiverse narratives. I think Fionna and Cake understands that aspect well, which makes sense as in Adventure Time the Multiverse had already been an established fact. This sequel is more of an elaboration on previous world-building from the original, rather than following the trends of Marvel or whoever. It also makes me care about two characters I couldn’t give a shit about in the original, that being the title protagonists. They were cute in Adventure Time, but in my first watch through I really couldn’t be bothered with the watered down, gender-swapped variants of our main dudes, and in this show they basically discard all those episodes anyways! Cool!

Their arcs follow the existential nightmare of being people from a “noncanon, illegitimate” universe, and their quest to bring magic back to their world. It’s a compelling narrative and their differences and similarities with Finn and Jake are genuinely fun to compare and contrast while also being fun characters in their own right. I like the realization Fionna has midway through the series that the violent adventures she craved are actually kind of horrifying, and the simple quiet life she used to have was nice. I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for the both of them in the future.

But the real meat of this season comes in the deconstruction of the fan favorite character, Simon Ice King. Fionna and Cake was his fanfiction, after all, though that gets somewhat retconned. He was already a tragic figure in the original, and the final season gave him a bittersweet ending: his sanity returned but now eternally separated from his wife by her Eldritch transformation. This show gives his character the space and time to process exactly what the hell he’s supposed to do with his life now as well as understand the problems he and Betty had when they were in a relationship. I’m glad to see Simon finally get something far more resembling a happy ending than he ever got in the original.

Adventure Time s1-7

This is a show that I would describe as “high patience, high reward.” It’s not something I truly got into until college, as I was put off by what I saw as Lolz Random humor I was trying to distance myself from as a Cool Mature Teenager™. I still had a hard time getting through the first couple seasons in my first watch-through, but it was an easy show to put on in the background while doing research for papers. Eventually I was hooked and sped through all of it at blinding speeds. 

Fionna and Cake inspired me to revisit the show, and I’m happy to say I have a higher tolerance for the aspects of the show I found obnoxious the first time around. The wacky mathy-math lingo of the characters generally fades into the background and builds a distinct vocabulary of this goofy sci-fi fantasy world. It was also fun to see how aspects of the earlier episodes inspired later developments of the world, like the Zombie Businessmen establishing a possible dystopian setting for our goofball protagonists.

Unlike my first viewing, the pace breaker actually started around season five. Their are some fantastic episodes in this period of the show, but overall the world stops developing as fast and each episode acts more as an exploration of the characters. It’s nice to spend more time with all of these weirdos, but it’s made it tough to binge. That’s actually a positive now that I think about it. 

I like Finn a lot. I like that he’s flawed and he fails all the time, it makes it more enjoyable to see him mature as a person. If any episode encapsulates his personality the most, I think it’s the Hall of Egress, where Finn is trapped in a dungeon that resets every time he opens his eyes. It’s probably my favorite episode in the entire show, and plays to all of AT’s strengths: a great mix of comedy and introspection without ever being melodramatic

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

I was initially disappointed with this show when I realized it wasn’t a direct adaptation of the original comic. It plays this fact as a twist, playing out the first volume in its entirety until the very end, where SPOILERS Scott Fucking Dies. The “Takes Off” part was literal: that dude is Gone. The second episode even plays this for laughs as Envy Adams has a spontaneous concert over his funeral and no one besides Ramona seems to care that their friend exploded. It felt like a cruel joke making fun of fans of the original. 

I’m glad I pushed through, though, as all of this was a ploy to put Ramona in the center stage, changing the goalpost of Beat Up the Seven Evil Exes to Investigate the Seven Evil Exes for possible murder/kidnapping motives Columbo-style. In most of the adaptations, Ramona is always playing off of Scott’s dumbass behavior, and it takes a while to truly dig into her personality. Putting her center-stage gives the audience an immediate view into her character and she may be the most likable she’s ever been. 

This show works as a sequel to the original through some time-travel shenanigans, and brings back series creator Brian Lee O’Malley, as well as the cast from the movie. This whole deal, if the rumor is true, apparently came out of Michael Cera responding to a group email meme with the og cast a decade late with “That’s funny,” and got everyone talking again. With that in mind it changes my view on the show as a whole, it's not a cruel joke, it’s a love letter to everything that came before it. 

I do still have a couple complaints, mostly that a few characters are heavily flanderized, namely Wallace and Scott himself, but like. That’s fine. How many times have we seen these characters explored? Like what 5 times now? I’m fine with them taking a comedic back seat to explore the dynamics of the rest of the cast. It’s also really satisfying to see all the exes get meaningful character arcs, which they never really got in the other versions of SP including the original. It makes me want to see what else they might have in store, but there are no plans for a continuation. Probably because that cast listing was expensive as hell. Do you know how much Chris Evans voice acting costs??? $7.50/hour AT LEAST.

Bee and Puppycat s2

Damn this show is so comfy. Everything from the characters, the music, the voice acting, the animation style, the COLORS! Even when the show hits the dramatic button it never stops being such a delight. It’s also longer than I remember, and gives a lot of time for every plotline to unfold. There’s intrigue and mystery surrounding every inch of this Mario Galaxy-ass setting, and it never fully reveals its hand, but that never takes away from the simple, slice-of-life story about two roommates taking part time jobs to make ends meet.

There’s a heavy theme of responsibility and young adulthood with all of the characters, which is also super relatable to me rn. The most responsible character in this show is the six-year old landlord with WAY too much on his shoulders. I like the dynamics with the Wizard family, I feel they present very realistic sibling relationships overall.

I tried checking out season 1 on youtube. I’ve heard people call it a continuation, but season 2 really is just a reimagining of this short youtube series. It’s only an hour long but for some reason it failed to grasp me. It’s somewhat tonally different, and the romantic tension between Bee and Deckard is weird to me after watching season 2. I’m glad they abandoned that as a plotline.

And those are all the shows I watched this year. LAST YEAR. I did not finish this when I wanted to, so to speed things up I’m gonna skip over the final movie list. Long story short Coraline rules, Home Alone 2 is violent and funny, Love Actually Hugh Grant is hot, and Christmas Vacation SUCKS. Fuck National Lampoon all my homies Hate national lampoon. Next time I will be doing the final games list. Wahoo!

[blogger360ncislarules]

The missing-plane drama Manifest has had a hell of a ride. First came the now infamous cancellation by NBC, followed by months of uncertainty over the show’s remaining two seasons and then culminating in a last-minute, 20-episode order from Netflix. The second half of the abbreviated final season will hit the streamer June 2 — right in the middle of the WGA strike that prohibits its prolific writer-showrunner, Jeff Rake, from promoting the series.

Luckily for the show, star Josh Dallas (who plays Flight 828 passenger Ben Stone and will appear at the ATX TV Festival with other castmembers June 1) is picking up the baton. He spoke to THR — while enjoying his time at home in L.A. with his wife, actress Ginnifer Goodwin, and their two young children after five years of production in New York — about Manifest‘s marquee ending and the state of episodic television going forward.

What was your reaction to the plot of the show’s final episode?

I had a deal with Jeff from the very beginning that I didn’t want to know how it was going to end, so when we did the final table read, I was in tears the whole time. It’s twofold, right? It’s bittersweet because we’re saying goodbye to these characters and this world, and also to the TV family we’ve created, the crew and everyone we’ve worked with for the past five years. It was charged. But as far as the ending, Jeff has known how he wanted to end this story since the very beginning.

What kind of emotional resolution did you want for your character?

I wanted him to learn from his experience and be able to do things over again with a new perspective. If there was a sequel after the final scene, I hope he would go forward armed with knowledge and tools to take life as a gift.

So you envision a scenario in which there’s a reboot or sequel? Maybe like a “flash sideways” on Lost?

I think there’s major sequel or spinoff potential here. Maybe we go into the future and see Eden [his character’s daughter] at 21 or so as she’s navigating the world, or we follow the younger passengers. Maybe we go back to 2013 and deep dive into the investigation with [NSA director] Vance.

If you look at the TV landscape today compared with 2011, when you started on Once Upon a Time, could you have imagined booking another show with 100-plus episodes?

I have been extremely lucky so far when it comes to that. I definitely think that the days of shows running for five or seven seasons are going away, and there are pluses and minuses to that. It’s a great shame that we’re losing the longevity that doesn’t exist in other mediums, to be able to explore the evolution of a character and a story. On the other hand, shorter seasons allow storytelling to be concise and exciting.

Is there anything to be replicated from the process of Manifest being canceled by NBC and picked up by Netflix?

Honestly, I don’t think there’s much you can do beyond trying to make the best thing you possibly can and hope it connects with people. Once Upon a Time and Manifest are similar in terms of their genre-leaning audiences, always the greatest TV watchers because they’re so passionate about their shows. It is a huge part of why we came back. I wish there was a formula. If anyone knows it, please put in the comments below. (Laughs.)

Do you feel extra pressure to promote the show while Jeff Rake is on strike?

There’s certainly a feeling of responsibility because I want to do right by Jeff and celebrate the show in the way it deserves, but at the same time I want to support Jeff and all our writers in their negotiations and what they’re going through. There’s no pressure, though, only joy and gratefulness when I talk about it. If I mess anything up, we’ll have to call him after the strike.

[a-poet-called-pineapple]

Based on the prompt: Orient your perspective using a popular culture moment or element. It may be a scene from a movie, a catchphrase popularized on a show or YouTube series, a meme, a famous sculpture or painting, a cultural icon, etc.

Grief and Gilmore Girls

I feel as if everyone has said something about grief. Nat Witcomb said, “We do not have to rely on memories to recapture the spirit of those we have loved and lost. They live within our souls in some perfect sanctuary which even death cannot destroy. Diamond Rio spoke, saying, “One more day, One more time, One more sunset, maybe I’d be satisfied. But then again, I know what it would do. Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.” Even the heartfelt and classic children's story character Winnie the Poo reasoned, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” I guess that’s what really sucks about grief, is everyone has experienced it, so I suppose that should make one feel better.

But it doesn’t.

A lot of people associate grief with death- the definitive end of a person’s life. And yes, that is grief. But sometimes grief is more. Grief is loving someone so much and so hard that their presence leaving your life is crippling. People deal with it in different ways; some, well, don’t. Psychologists talk about the five stages of grief, which I’m sure everyone has heard at least once in their life. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Some suggest people go through the cycle over and over again. I think that I agree in some regard; not that well-renowned psychologists are sitting around asking for my opinion on the subject.

I must have skipped the whole “anger and bargaining” stages and went from denial to depression in about sixty seconds. All I knew was it sucked, and I was heartbroken. The person I slept next to, lived next to, kissed, held, cooked, grocery shopped, studied, worked, and just been with was gone- and I didn't know if he’d ever come back. No, I knew he wasn’t coming back.

My favorite television show, Gilmore Girls, aired before I was even born. It doesn’t seem that old until the characters whip out their flip phones or pagers or make pop culture references relevant decades ago. I started watching it when I was in high school, and it quickly became a comfort show of mine. In season five, after a five-year-long buildup that, fortunately, I, being privileged with Netflix, was spared from, Loreilai, one of the main characters, finally began dating her best friend, Luke. They had been through five years of ups and downs, where they loved each other long before they even knew how to define their love.

After a terrible misunderstanding, Luke breaks up with her harshly and suddenly leaves her shattered like she’d never been before. She lies in bed, watching old movies, depressed and miserable, as she realizes what happened. Not only did she lose the love of her life, she lost her best friend. Lorelai picks up the phone and dials, and while the audience can't see who, we all somehow know. Then comes an iconic monologue, recognized instantly by most.

“Hey, Luke, it's me. I know I'm not supposed to be calling, but I am not doing really great right now, and - I was just wondering if, do you remember in The Way We Were, how Katie and Hubbell broke up because his friends were joking and laughing, and the president had just died, and she yelled at them, and he was mad and he was going out to Hollywood, and, I mean, which she hated, and he broke up with her and she was really upset. And she called him and asked him if he would come over and sit with her because he was her best friend and she needed her best friend, and he did. And they talked all night, and they went out to Hollywood, which was a disaster, but it was good at first. With the boat, and uh, putting the books away. I've seen this movie a lot, so if you don't remember the putting the books away scene, don't feel stupid or anything. I was just sitting here thinking about it because I, um, I'm in my house, and I was just, uh. Could - please come over. I - please.”

I remember watching this episode for the first time, bawling my eyes out and sympathizing, but grateful I wasn’t her. A couple of years later, I met my boyfriend. We watched the show together sometimes, and I smiled when we got to this episode. I turned to him and told him, only half joking, that if we ever broke up, I would call him and recite that very same dialogue to him and leave it on his voicemail. He laughed, I laughed, and we never discussed it again.

I watched that scene on repeat, over and over that night. I cried all over again, wallowing in my pain and heartache. I really missed my best friend. But I didn’t call. I didn’t leave him that voicemail.

I guess I realized he just wasn’t my best friend anymore.

[taohs]

Happy Friday The 13th! My lucky day.. I know this day is not actually a holiday. But I have say that this day is my favorite holiday. Don't know why that is, but it is. I know people don't care about this day though.

~

I have read or watched any webtoon series yet. Since Halloween's just a few weeks away, I've been watching horror shows and movies lately (animated and non animated). So I will resume with other shows after the holidays... Especially since horror movies end up getting removed from tv right after Halloween. So I'm just watching any horror genres.

I watched Train To Busan, All Of Us Are Dead which would be a whole web series I rewatched sooner than I planned to (since I wanted to be waiting closer to the new season). Amongst other shows and movies.

And yes! Bloodhounds is definitely one of my favorite shows. And I'm going to have to read the webtoon story soon too, since I think there's a site where I can read the whole story. Especially since the ending of show is different from the webtoon.. So I'm blame the actress for that too. That annoys me. So I don't know if the show is officially over with that ending since I have not heard any news regarding Bloodhounds.

But I had that thought about Bloodhounds. I thought that if the series is about boxing, I imagined something like Megalo Box for this show - which was fine because I loved Megalo Box. But this whole series is a completely different show than I originally imagined. And I love it too.

Gunwoo and Woojin are my adorable boys! The sun, moon and stars.

I've heard rumors that there might be a second season to Vincenzo. A season that has not been confirmed or denied, but I am so curious on just what could happen in the next season. If that season happens.

Now that I think about it... Some of the new shows and movies that is on my watchlist has those three actors at the moment, along with too many other actors. But I've been wanting to see more of their works.

Oh! And a new season for Alice In Borderland was announced a week ago. And if I'm being honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that either.. Because if they continued from the manga, from what I'd know of the manga, most of the fan favorite characters aren't coming back in this story. Unless Netflix decides to have a completely different plot then.

Men like Do-hwan and Sang-yi (Bloodhounds), Joong-ki (Vincenzo)... They are definitely my type of men. Get me husbands like that. I'll just be the happiest person alive if I was actually married to any of them.

Attractive, tall, muscular, intelligent, and knows how to treat women. Oh! Realistically, Do-hwan and Sang-yi, are actually some introverted homebodies too. So having dates in our house would be better than a public place for me. Not complaints about that from me either. And if I'm adding on to Vincenzo's case.. That man is also really wealthy too, so I would be even more spoiled than I am now. They're the complete sweethearts I can think of! Definitely some ideal men for me. 🤤🥰

Actually! Do-hwan and Sang-yi, who are Gun-woo and Woo-jin in this Bloodhounds series.. They're really best friends, close like brothers, in real life. Their real relationship is like their fictional relationship. It's so adorable how these two are wholesome in these real and fake ships in my opinion. I wish that I had a real life friendship like that. So not fair.

Obviously I do have fictional crushes. Animated crushes, and also any non-animated (portrayed by real people) crushes too. But.. Whenever it comes to celebrities, obviously I'd never know celebrities personally so I can't say much about their personalities other than what I've seen in videos and interviews. But I still don't know them personally. So I'm sure most of my celebrity crushes are based on their appearances, or maybe what I do know of their personality if those are actually a really real version of themself. If that's really them. And another reason why, is probably because I'm crushing on the celebrity in the same way I've been crushing on their fictional characters. Since that happens too.

Appearances and personality definitely make up a character - at least in my opinion. Animated, non-animated.. Depends on the characters.

Ignore me.. Because I have been really obsessing over new celebrities and characters at the moment. I'm gushing too much about them.

But yeah. Every character is different for me in some way or another... Depends on the character. Appearance, personality, and demeanors.

I don't know if anything I said made any sense to you since I've barely been conscious long enough to make sense. So I haven't actually had decent sleep lately. And I don't really know why I can't sleep either.

I know of Vinland Saga. But I haven't watched the anime, I'm not even sure if I will. I don't know yet. Because I do enjoy viking themes for the most part.. I am always thinking about how difficult it is for me to find decent viking stories too. And I am still complaining to this day about the ending for the Vikings show. I don't know if you have ever actually watched Vikings before, so I don't really know if you have an opinion.

Like I liked the Vikings series.. I love the acting and special effects but I was disappointed about the plot for the last couple seasons though.

And I never had any interest in Last Kingdom because of how similar that show was to the Vikings show. Everyone compares those shows.

That's funny how that works out. Hating the "heroes" more than any villains. If you wanted to protect your sibling from not dying, then just why would yo abuse them that way? That abuse went on since she's a baby. That abuse was her whole life. And I can't remember if what did happen to the Silva father. And Nozel was forgiven way too easily too. That still bothers me about their relationship. If Noelle decided to just forgive me, he should've worked up to her forgiveness in my opinion.

And yes! Just about everyone in the Black Bulls, even her cousins like Mimosa and the Vermillions, and even so many other characters were more her family than her actual siblings were. They don't deserve her.

The fact that Charmy's canonically a dwarf, a wolf in sheep's clothing, is so funny to me. And Grey's story is basically every Cinderella story.. That doesn't surprise me. There is always "fairytale" type characters. Actually! Same with Charlotte. Grey's the Cinderella story, and there's Charlotte who is basically the Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella and Aurora.

I'm not sure I feel about that trivia.

~

I was actually going to reveal myself. But I thought about waiting until you're back. So we will see what happens then. Because I don't know.

- 💋

happy (belated) friday the 13th!! i don't "celebrate" it exactly but it still feels like a fun day!!

oh you've been on a horror movie watching spree! how is it so far? i get scared way too easily so i can't usually handle them. i end up not being able to sleep if i do... i'm somehow okay with korean zombie films though, they don't seem as scary to me. and the plot is usually fun to watch haha. train to busan will always be one of my favorites, really made me bawl the first time i watched it. oh! are you doing anything special for halloween?

it's a shame that the ending of bloodhound got changed… i haven't read the webtoons but it would be nice to have the adaptation be faithful the whole way. i think the lead actress is okay so far, i don't have any strong feelings towards her character yet. the grandpa is an interesting one with his past and how he got crippled because of his fight. how did he even survive being thrown out of a building after getting stabbed??! gunwoo and woojin are great though. it's cute that their friendship is the same in real life as in the show! really makes their chemistry seem so much more genuine, even though i already thought that since the first episode

really good point that you made about celebrity crushes! i agree, there's no real way to know if celebrities are the same off camera, so we can only love the personality that we see and their image as well if they happen to be our type. falling in love with a fictional character of them on TV is also super common. and don't worry about gushing over crushes, i am always here to listen 🤩 (and i hope you've been sleeping better recently)

vinland saga is really great, it took me a short while to truly get into it, but once i did i definitely didn't regret watching it. the viking theme was big in the first season with lots of gore and killing, but it eventually changed to something deeper in the second season and in the manga. the viking theme is definitely still there, but just more subtle and has a different meaning to it. no pressure to watch it though! it might not be for everyone, but it's overall a solid series

i actually didn't make the connection that charmy and charlotte also has a fairy type theme! grey was obvious, because she is literally cinderella in the anime world with magic powers. charlotte is definitely aurora now that you pointed it out. i have no idea how that didn't click for me. yami is literally her prince who saved her from her curse. they're so cute, i hope their relationship goes somewhere because i refuse to believe that yami has been oblivious to her feeling this whole time

(take your time if you want to reveal yourself to me! no rush, i'm always here 😊)

[martyfromgiant]

thinking about how pretty much every single show with lesbian representation has been cancelled or ended by the network in the last year. it hurts so fucking much to see shows being cancelled that have a huge fan base or killing off lesbian characters without a second thought. it’s not gay shows that are being canceled, no, it is wlw shows. mlm shows have continued to go on getting praise and renewals where shows like first kill, even though they’re cheesy and shitty, that have lesbian main characters one being a black woman and having a half black cast are cancelled. it had twice the viewing of shows like heartstopper, a show with two white gay men leads, that got renewed in the first few weeks of its release. even with netflix setting first kill up to fail by releasing it at the same time as huge shows like stranger things and umbrella academy, it still was a huge hit and had such a loving fan base.

the wilds with a lesbian main couple and diverse female cast literally centered around the concept of girl power. huge and dedicated fan base. cancelled. killing eve lesbian main characters one of them being sandra fucking oh that explores the dark side of ourselves while giving really good rep. one of the most dedicated fan bases i’ve seen. cancelled. and not just that, what could have so easily been a happy ending for the couple was ripped from us in the last five minutes right after the characters finally admitted feelings after four fucking seasons. one of them is murdered right in front of the other.

i can’t speak much to shows like everything sucks and the society because i haven’t bothered to watch them knowing they get cancelled. i don’t want to get attached to beautifully written and relatable characters for some big rich homophobic network to tell me no, no you can’t have this anymore. that’s happened too many times to me. right as the couple is happy and things are okay, one of them dies in front of the other like clexa, villaneve, dani and jamie from bly manor. some don’t even really get the opportunity to get to that point and others are just left with their relationship unfinished, with things left unsaid. and don’t even get me started on queer baiting.

yeah gay shows in general with good representation are fucking hard to come by but i’m sorry. mlm don’t face the same kind of hardships that wlw do. there’s a reason burying your lesbians became such a well known trope. because lesbians in shows die all of the fucking time for no good reason. i wish companies like netflix, hbo, and prime would stop fucking being cowards and admit the real reason they’re cancelling these shows. it’s not because they’re not being viewed enough or don’t have a strong fan base. it’s because they’re fucking lesbophobic i don’t want to hear anything else about it or any bullshit that it wasn’t a big enough hit. it may be the 21st century but lesbians aren’t magically equal even within the lgbtq community. the only place to get good representation these days is from fan made sources like fan fiction and fan art. made by people who understand how hard it is.

it’s where we get to see what we’ve always wanted to see, the characters we love, loving each other and being happy. we don’t have big writers scratching ideas because it “wouldn’t look good or be good for ratings”. we get a world where villanelle and eve lived happily ever after instead of villanelle dying in front of eves eyes and and floating into the abyss. not some bullshit from laura fucking neal who knows absolutely nothing about the characters we know telling us it’s what they felt was right. glad burying your lesbians feels right to people. but in our fan spaces we get to see villanelle make it out alive, we get to see them have a normal life and watch movies together. we also get to see and express what we feel is right with the fuck ton of queer coding in media. we get to see nancy and robin fall in love, emma and regina confess their feelings for one another, and any of the endless amount of amazing ships that we desire. there is a reason we flock to those spaces, it’s where we feel safe, seen, and where we feel like maybe one day we can have a relationship like that, to be loved like that. but it sometimes doesn’t make up for seeing it all play out endorsed by a company and written by people that actually care about representation and their viewers instead of just money. we all want to be loved and feel accepted and seen but sadly, because of the events of the last year, i’m not gonna hold my fucking breath.

sorry this is a lot, i’m just so fucking pissed

[garbinge]

Already Said Yes.

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x OC Samantha Crown

Summary: After an unexpected kiss between lifelong best friends, Benedict and Samantha, the young Lady swoops in to offer a helping hand in controlling the gossip surrounding the Bridgerton family the day after her friend’s eldest brother was left at the alter. Little does she know her bold move would be matched by one bolder.  A/N: I am two episodes away from finishing s2 of Bridgerton and as every episode passes I adore Benedict more and more. He deserves a friends to lovers storyline and if Netflix won’t give it to him, I will lol. I was hit with this idea as I watched the promenade scene and thought I’d switch it up a bit. This is my first time writing for Bridgerton so my wording might be off but I tried to keep it  sounding as canon and timely (while romantic) as possible! I hope you enjoy :) 

Word Count:1.5k

“Ben- Mr. Bridgerton.” Her arm swooped in to loop with the mans. Benedict quickly reacted to the bold action by looking rather stunned and confused until he turned and was met with his friend’s familiar face. Samantha was grinning at him from ear to ear as her hand rested on his forearm and they walked in sync.

“Lady Crown. Your gesture while appreciated might be seen as inappropriate to the ton.” His voice was at a whisper but still easy to hear by the surrounding Bridgerton family.

The youngest Bridgertons were giggling and Colin’s face wasn’t free of a smile either. But Violet, Lady Bridgerton, shared the same concern Benedict had verbally stated although his face said something else entirely.

“You are promenading to hasten the gossip of the eldest Bridgerton brother are you not, Ben-, Mr, Bridgerton.” She caught herself yet again.

“That we are, Lady Crown.” Violet’s voice spoke up.

“My boldness was not an act of rebellion or jester, it was merely a scheme to speed up the talk on the town. We all know that soon a new scandal shall reveal itself leaving yesterday’s wedding talk of the past and I took it upon myself to hasten things.”

“While bringing another Bridgerton brother down with you? Doesn’t seem like a well thought through plan, Samantha.” Anthony now spoke, using the woman’s given name.

Benedicts arm eased, almost as if he was trying to speak to the woman attached to his arm without words, much like they had the night prior.

“The Bridgerton name will be in the society papers regardless, Lord Bridgerton. Wouldn’t we rather it be about Lady Samantha Crown—I am the daughter of an Earl if you recall, and the move she planted onto Mr. Bridgerton along the waterfront or would you rather them talk about your failed nuptials?”

“I’ll have you know-“ Anthony began to argue but Violet cut him off.

“I believe thanks and gratitude are what you wanted to offer our lifelong family acquaintance, Anthony.” Violet spoke giving a nod to Lady Crown that she delivered back.

“Mr. Bridgerton, would you care to take me down to the waterfront and treat me to a cup of tea? Perhaps a laugh and some uncomfortable closeness to get the printing press really heated up?” Her eyebrows wiggled.

Benedict’s smile grew, he adored this woman.

“Your wish is my command, Lady Crown. We shall get your name clean, Anthony, you have my word.” Benedict was leading the woman to the empty tent that sat alongside the river.

“You are a bloody genius, might I say, Samantha.”

“My true question is, are you prepared for what they will say about us, Benedict?” Samantha teased.

“Like the whispers haven’t already included talks of us before.” He laughed her comment off as they sat down at the table.

“That was then, Benedict. When we were merely Samantha Crown, ineligible daughter of Earl Johnathan Crown and recently on the market Benedict Bridgerton, second son to Viscount Edmund Bridgerton. Now, I’m afraid you are well into your 4th season I believe? And I in my 3rd, the whispers are almost that we are either both spinsters or oblivious to how madly in love we are.”

Benedict stared into Samantha’s eyes for a moment, reading her like a book. His thoughts escaped to the night prior when they had finally admitted their true confessions to each other.

“Now, I’d like to think we are Lady Samantha Crown and Mr. Benedict Bridgerton, best friends, but to onlookers our friendship might seem like a ruse.” She continued feeling uncomfortable with his longing stare on her eyes.

“We are though, best friends who kiss.” Benedict grinned knowing the comment would make her squirm.

“Benedict Bridgerton! If you plan to announce such news at a tone well above a whisper I sure hope you are prepared to get on one knee and marry me!” Her voice snapped. “Any louder and the ton will have me deemed unfit and used.” Her words were quick and hissed.

“And whose to say I’m not?” His face was now serious.

“Now you are just confusing me, Benedict. Not what?” She was annoyed with the man now. Maybe Lady Whistledown would talk about how two of the Bridgerton brothers were left standing alone, one at the altar and the other at the riverwalk.

“Prepared to marry you.”

With that, he was rising out of his seat and kneeling to the ground. A hand pulling up to showcase a beautiful silver ring with an elegant bright colored stone in the middle. It was nothing like a traditional engagement ring that society had seen but it was a perfect match to Samantha Crown’s personality and the two’s blooming friendship.

Samantha stood frozen, in shock that just yesterday she was  admitting her feelings to her best friend and planting a kiss on him and now he was proposing.

Marriage wasn’t something Samantha necessarily dreamed of. But the idea of spending late afternoons in the drawing room with Benedict painting and sketching, walking through the gardens, sharing breathes of adoration and passion with each other along side of laughs and discussions about art was riveting to her.

The fact that every stolen glance over the past 20 years of them knowing each other, every secret giggle and glare that was passed in private, every note and playful nudge that was delivered between the two while no one was looking was now coming down to this moment where everyone in the town had been watching.

It was actually quite ironic.

For so long the two hid their feelings from each other, from society,  and now they were to be thrown into the spotlight as they marked a moment where the rest of their lives would begin.

To everyone watching, this was just the start of Benedict and Samantha’s life, but to them, this was a lifetime of falling in love coming to bloom. Even if it did also serve as a means to keeping the Bridgerton name in a positive light in society. Even with that, there was no lie or deception behind Benedicts action. No ruse like his sister Daphne had managed up last season or even his brother this season. This was pure. This was two best friends about to commit to vowing themselves as one.

That is, if Lady Crown was to say yes.

“Samantha?” Benedict said with a tad of worry in his tone. She had zoned out for moment completely missing his profession of love. Her thoughts of marriage with the second eldest Bridgerton boy were swooning in her head like she was young again writing in her diary. Not a grown woman in front of society ready to accept this man in front of her as her life partner. She had already said yes in her mind, and that was something she was going to tell her best friend.

“I have already said yes to a life with you, Benedict Bridgerton.”  She began.

“When we were 12, and you gave me your brand new set of paint brushes because mine had fallen out on my carriage ride over to Aubrey Hall. When we were 16 and you offered to escort me to every art gallery downtown. When we were 20 and you filled my dance card at every ball my first season so I would never be bothered by ill-eligible suitors looking for my affection and my dowry. At 22, when we sat on the swings and you asked me what I wanted of life. And now, at 23, as you kneel before me, I say yes.”

The man was at a loss but still managed to stand up and softly touch the woman’s hand, lightly peeling back the silk glove. It brushed against the exposed skin on her arm and allowed goosebumps to rise.

The ring slipped on delicately and sat like it had been wrapped around her finger for years.

“I would rather like to kiss you right now,” Benedict looked into the eyes of his best friend, now bride.

“I think we’ve made enough of a splash for the ton, Benny.” The girl blushed.

“I believe you are right.” He said taking a step back.  “But just know that I will be inquiring for a special license. I don’t want to wait another day to have you as my wife.”

The words were unlike anything he had ever said to the woman and while it was new, it felt safe and knowing to Samantha.

“I’d like to imagine it no other way.”

“I love you.” The words mindlessly slipped from Benedict’s mouth.

“Well, I would surely hope so.” Samantha laughed and looped her arm around his as they ascended back up to the promenade where the ton awaited to award them with congratulations.

As they enjoyed their last fleeting moments essentially alone where a whisper could pass with no judgment or eavesdrop, she looked up at her betrothed and smiled.

“I love you too, my dear Benedict.”

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Here’s the transcript of an interview LB did a couple of weeks ago. Be prepared to be annoyed at her not knowing wtf she’s taking about but pretending she does especially in the Darkling and the decision to make Alina half Shu sections:

https://www.penfaulkner.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Literature-on-Screen-Shadow-and-Bone-Transcript.pdf

So there were a few bits in this interview that I want to talk about. I am going to shock you here and say there were actually parts of this interview where I agree with what LB says and gave me the tiniest bit of hope. But before you get too worried its the parts where she is talking about season 2 and her involvement in the show and writing process. Here is what she said when asked what her involvement in season 2 is:

With season two, I've been able to be a little bit more involved in casting, costumes, production design, meeting with directors.

Then I think I am going to step back. I'm not going to be as involved in reading the scripts. I think at this point, we are going to be diverging quite a bit more, and it's all I can say. I really cannot say more than that. I'm about to be descended upon by Netflix assassins. For me, there has to be a moment of saying, “This doesn't belong to me anymore.” The books are mine, they will always be on the shelves, and this has its own life now.

She also said something similar a little later in the interview when talking about changes between the books and the show and how she got negative reactions to saying the show was like an expensive fanfiction:

Which to me is like, "Why are you so mad about fanfiction? It's amazing, first of all. Second, all adaptation is fan fiction. That's what it is. All adaptation is fan fiction." To me, this is the way adaptation should work, where you keep the core and you keep the heart, but you're allowed to play. Otherwise, you cannot ask, I think, a group of smart writers, talented directors, amazing actors to simply transcribe. I don't think that's exciting for anyone.

That funny thing about that second statement about tv adaptions basically being fanfiction is I said it myself in a post a while back. It does seem like LB is more open to changes from her book and it also looks like she is not going to be as involved with the writing process for season 2, we also have heard in other interviews that they are going to be diverting away from the books in the next season, whether that is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen but I do think it is a good thing that LB is taking a step back from the show, as she herself said the books are hers and they will always be there so the show should be the show and it should be allowed to have a life of its own. I've said before but I prefer it with tv adaptions if they don't follow the books because to me that's more exciting than if I know exactly what is coming next, I like to be surprised.

Something else I learned from this interview is this:

Eric Heisserer, he is our showrunner on Shadow and Bone season one and in season two he'll be co-show running with Daegan Fryklind who is one of the wonderful writers from season one.

So from a google search I found out that Daegan was the writer for episode 6 and episode 8. Again whether its a good or bad thing that she'll now be co-running the show with Eric I don't know but it is still an interesting bit of information and I'll take any info I can get on season 2.

However whilst I was feeling optimistic about everything LB was saying about season 2 and was actually kind of impressed at how she seemed to have let go a bit and was happier with the idea of changes from the books than she seemed in the past, but she then said this:

Petra: Following on from that, actually, somebody is asking, and I know you've said that the story is going to diverge from the books in future seasons, do you – Let's assume this is a spoiler too but I'm going to ask it anyways, and you can tell me to get lost. Do you want the shows and the books to end in the same place, the same way?

Leigh: Yes I do. [laughs] Yes, I do. Look, I wrote the books the way I wrote them for a reason, and that – I haven't seen any sense that that is going to change at all, but there are certain things that I know if we get to move forward will change because we'll want to see these characters continue in their adventures. Also because there's a finality to some things that happen in the books that then is sort of undone in later books, I'm really being abstruse here, but I guess my point is there are certain things that are essential to me that stay the same and certain things that I don't care. You learn which things and, fortunately, I've been on the same page with the writers from moment one.

Just no, please no, no, no. This I just don't understand ok. LB and the showrunners/writers must be aware of how unpopular the ending of her books were right? I mean I've seen an interview where LB herself says that she was aware that the ending was controversial amongst fans and that many of them were angry at the ending. You could put up a good argument that it was the thing people hated the most about her original trilogy, the ending. So why on earth would she or the showrunners want to keep that ending? Like any part of it? I mean she says there are some things she doesn't care if they are changed and others she thinks are essential they keep and unfortunately I feel like it most likely Alina losing her powers that she wants to keep and that for me was the worst part of the ending. To be honest it kind of makes me really wary about continuing with the show because I don't want to get invested in the show just to be really let down by the ending. Also if that many book readers didn't like the ending what do they think is going to happen when the tv viewers see that ending, its likely going to be game of thrones 2.0.

As you predicted some of the things she said about the darkling and Alina being half Shu did annoy me. I feel like with Alina being half shu she just sort of glossed over the question which the interviewer brought up the critique that she had wished that they had explored Alina's Shu heritage outside of just the racism she faces and dive deeper into that which LB just basically said they will be exploring more about what it means for Alina to be Shu and Ravkan in season 2. I will say I do hope that they do cover more of the other cultures particularly the Shu culture as we got to know a little about the fjerdan culture through Matthias but we know very little about the Shu culture.

As for the darkling I am not going to go too much into it because its not really anything new I'm just resigned to the fact that LB and I are always going to have different opinions on his character and not to sound too harsh but I don't really care what her opinion or views are anymore. One thing I will point out though is this little tidbit:

Leigh: Look, there's never been a problem creating sympathy for the Darkling. This is a very beloved character, sometimes to my great frustration.

I mean this is nothing us darklinas didn't already know but the next time an anti says that LB never had a problem with people liking the darkling/darklina show them this interview where she openly admits that she found it frustrating. I do kind of feel for her I guess it must be frustrating to write a villain that you meant for everyone to hate only for them to become the most loved/popular character in your series.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart | Charlie Gillespie

Requested by anonymous: Hi! Could you possibly do a Charlie x reader fic where they are filming season 2 & there is a new character (fashion expert/can see ghost/a little bit of enemies with Luke at first) but off screen they are very close (always hanging out/on ig posts & stories/dance partners/they sing karaoke/adventure) & the whole cast likes to tease them about it but they deny any feelings however they are about to film a very important scene that involves their characters & might change everything between them.

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x reader

Warnings: fluff

Words: 2,789

Season 2. Finally Season 2. Everyone had been hoping, wishing, praying for a season 2 of Julie and The Phantoms, and after months of waiting, Netflix finally picked it up for a second season. After those months, the actors had just to wait a little while longer while the crew wrote up the first drafts of scripts and made it perfectly save for the actors to do their work. Once all of that’s ready and they’re good to go, the cast finally reunite again in Vancouver. They even meet some new cast members. Like you. You had auditioned for the role of Daniela Ramos, Julie’s cousin and Victoria’s daughter, and got it pretty much straight away. Daniela is a fashion student at a High School in Melrose Hill and Julie asks her for some help with costumes for her next gig with her band. To Julie’s surprise, Daniela can actually see the boys, even when they’re not playing, which causes for a lot of trouble in the band and family, especially between Julie and Luke. This is your first big role on the small screen and you’re the most excited you’ve ever been. You met the other cast members at the summer bootcamp before the filming process would start, and though almost everything had to be done with a face mask covering half of everyone’s face, it still was a lot of fun getting to meet everyone and spend the most fun summer ever. Every day, you grew closer and closer to everyone on set, and soon became best friends with Madi, Jadah, Savannah and Tori, doing plenty of sleepovers. Besides the girls, you also grew closer to Charlie, Owen and Jeremy, but mostly Charlie. For some reason, the two of you just clicked instantly. You have the same humor, the same taste of adventure, the same passions and dreams. You, Charlie and Owen even rented a place together to live in for the time being in Vancouver. You got even closer during filming, especially since you and Charlie have a lot of scenes together. “Oh my God, Luke, you’re so annoying!” you yell at him when the two of you are in the garage, taping a scene. It had taken you about ten takes and you still couldn’t help but giggle at the shocked face he pulled every time. “If I’m so annoying, Dani, why do you keep coming back?!” The angry face he pulls resembles that of an angry kitten, which just makes you crack up again. “God dammit, Y/N!” Charlie laughs now too as Kenny yells “Cut!” “Sorry! Sorry, guys! I promise I’m a real actor!” You hold your hands up in defense, then cough to get ready for another take. This time around, you could finally manage to get through it without laughing. “Yes!” Charlie exclaims when Kenny yells “Cut!” again. He holds his hand up for a high five, which you giddily give him. “Do you need any more takes, Kenny?” he asks the man himself. “Nope, you’re good! You can go on your break now!” he pats Charlie’s shoulder. “Nice job, guys!” “Thanks, Kenny,” you say, the smile growing on your face. “I need food, Gillespie,” you tell your best friend, linking your arm with his. “Let’s go get food!” The two of you head down to catering and sit down at a table with a plate full of food. “What are we doing tonight?” he then asks before taking a bite of food. You swallow your bite of food and take a sip from your drink. “Don’t you have a night shoot tonight?” you ask, remembering him saying something about a late call. “No, that’s tomorrow, after our dance rehearsal,” he replies after swallowing the food. “Oh! Okay!” You start thinking of things to do, “We could go to karaoke? Bring the others maybe?” He raises his eyebrows, looking at you questionably. “I’ve always loved karaoke,” you shrug with a giggle. “Yeah, okay!” Charlie nods his head agreeingly. “Karaoke it is!” The two of you smile up at each other, teeth showing, both of you glowing. “What are you love birds discussing?” Owen asks when he joins them, his voice muffled from the mask covering his face. He pulls it down to under his chin as he and Jeremy join the two at the table. “We’re thinking about going to karaoke tonight with the whole team!” you tell them, completely ignoring the ‘love birds’. “Ooh, fun!” Owen exclaims with a smile that nearly reaches his ears. “Yeah, we’ll leave after shooting the last scene tonight,” Charlie suggests, looking at you for confirmation. You nod your head agreeingly. That night, you and the rest of the cast head to the nearest karaoke place you know. You’ve linked arms with Savannah and Tori, giggling through the night, trying to keep your balance on your heeled boots. Meanwhile, without you realizing, Charlie has been keeping his eyes on you the whole way there. He finds it adorable how your giggle floats through the night air and your hips bump against the other girls’. He couldn’t lie, you had easily become the light in his life. “So, what song shall we begin with?” you ask the gang as you settle into the booth. “Pick the first one on the list,” Jeremy replies when no one else does. You nod your head curtly and press play on the first song, which is Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. You can already tell after that first song; tonight is going to be a fun night. You sing a couple of songs with the girls, there are many group numbers, and you even sing one with your roommates. After singing with Owen and Charlie, the latter points at you. “We’re going to sing together now!” he exclaims excitedly before turning around and picking a song for you to sing. When he’s picked one, he grabs your hand to pull you closer towards him. You blink a couple of times, unable to process what’s happening right now. The opening notes to Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee chime through the booth. You glance over at Savannah and Tori, who offer you an encouraging smile. Then you look at Jadah and Madison, but they’re too busy giggling and whispering, and it makes you wonder if that’s about you and Charlie. Your eyes dart over to the boys – Jeremy, Owen and Sacha – who just offer you suggestive smiles and eyebrow-wiggles. Charlie’s voice captures your attention again, and you turn to him. “I couldn’t if I tried,” you sing back to him. The encouraging smile on Charlie’s face calms you down a little up to the point where it almost seems like the two of you are the only people in the room. You have no clue what is happening or why it’s happening. All you know is that you’ve wanted it to happen sooner. Though you wouldn’t ever admit that to anyone. It’s the way he looks at you and the way he makes you feel like you’re the only person on this planet that matters. It’s been the way he’d looked at you since that first day of meeting him. “I won't go breaking your heart,” you sing the very last line to him ever so softly, not even looking at the screen anymore, but instead, looking into his eyes. “Don't go breaking my heart,” he sings back. The song ends and you both lower your microphones, staring into each other’s eyes. If it wasn’t for the rest of the cast breaking out into cheers and applause, you would’ve kissed him then and there. But it startles you, and you step away from him upon realizing how close you are and how that must look to the others. “So, when’s the wedding?” Madison asks teasingly, which makes the others laugh, and you blush. After that night at karaoke, the two of you had silently agreed to forget anything ever happened. Savannah said you were in denial, but you believed you weren’t. You told her it was just the atmosphere in the air that night, the both of you had consumed a little bit of alcohol and it might’ve just been that. No one stopped teasing you though. On every possible occasion, they’d ask you if you’d kissed him yet, or when your next date it, or started singing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart randomly. You just shook it off every time, finding it amusing how consumed the cast was with this ‘relationship’ you had with Charlie. There was nothing more going on than just a really, really tight friendship. Until the dance scene happened. Your character, Dani, was supposed to go to a school dance with her crush, but she was nervous because she had never slow danced with anyone before. When she tells Luke, he insisted on teaching her, saying he’d gone to plenty of school dances back in ’94 and ’95 before he died. You and Charlie know this choreography by heart, you’ve been doing it for weeks on end at bootcamp and during rehearsals. It had always just been fun and games, the two of you being immaculate dancers and bouncing off of each other so well because of your tight friendship. “I could teach you?” Charlie says as Luke, stepping closer to you. You raise your eyebrows at him. “I’ve gone to numerous dances in my days, Dani…” One corner of his mouth curls up into a teasing smirk. “Unless you want to embarrass yourself in front of… Jake.” He emphasizes the name of your fictional crush, to which you react with wide eyes and a blush spreading on your cheeks. “Come on, Dani!” He reaches out for your hand, which you place hesitantly in his. Dani being able to see ghosts, is also able to make them corporeal. The lights on set dim a little, except for one spot on the pair in the middle of the studio, and then the music starts playing through the speakers. Charlie starts singing the song they’d learned at bootcamp, one the cast wrote together during the quarantine. The atmosphere in the studio has suddenly become really intense. You can feel the butterflies erupting in your stomach as the man in front of you sings to you, mere inches away from each other as he leads you in this beautiful dance Paul Becker and Tori Caro choreographed for you. Just like at the karaoke booth, it feels like the two of you are the only people on set. Just you and him. You and Charlie. You and your best friend. There’s no denying you have feeling for him anymore. You knew you did, you just told yourself it wasn’t a good idea and suppressed those feelings, pushing them down. It worked for a while. Until now. “Cut!” Kenny yells after your scene. You step away from Charlie, glancing down at the floor as you try your hardest to hide your flustered face. “That was perfect, guys! It really looks like the two of you were in love!” he claps his hands in excitement, then tells them to do it again. After four takes of the dance, Kenny tells you to go and take a break. Without saying another word to Charlie, you rush off set and towards your trailer where you sit down on a chair, trying to calm your breathing. Charlie might not like you the way you like him. Admitting to these feelings might just ruin everything the two of you have. With this in mind, you grab your phone and text Savannah, asking her to come over to your trailer. Maybe she could help you. “Are you okay?” she asks when she enters and finds you staring at the ceiling. “No…” you reply and take a deep breath, “I think I’m in love with my best friend?” “Oh, sweetie…” Savannah sighs, and pulls you up to take you in a hug, “I know…” You pull her away again to face her properly. “What do you mean ‘you know’?” “Everybody knows,” she starts, “The two of you have been inseparable since the day you met, and everyone can see the way you look at each other. Plus, your duet the other night was a little intense for it to be a platonic one.” She chuckles, and you can’t help but chuckle too. She then grabs her phone from her back pocket, opening Instagram. “You know fans have caught on too, right?” She shows you the comments on some of Charlie’s pictures on his account. One picture is of the two of you, napping in Julie’s bed on set, cuddled up. He even posted pictures from your hikes on your days off. All of them are bombarded with comments from fans saying, ‘I ship it!’ or ‘Y/S/N’. Sav then opens her dm’s which are flooded with fans asking if you and Charlie are dating yet, and how the two of them are so in love with each other. “Charlie isn’t in love with me?” you deny, not believing one bit about it. “He is, though…” This does not come from Savannah’s mouth. Your eyes widen when you recognize the voice, and peek behind Savannah to find your best friend standing at your open trailer door. “Sav, can you give us a minute?” he asks the younger girl. “More than a minute,” she chirps, offering you a wink before leaving the trailer. Charlie steps in completely and moves until he’s in front of you. He takes your hands in his, and chuckles at your overwhelmed and confused expression. “Are you okay?” he asks, that beautiful smile of his persistent on his face. “Y—yeah? No? I’m not sure?” you sigh, trying to get your thoughts in order. “Charlie, wha—?” “Can I talk? I’ve been going over this conversation in my mind a billion times, and if I don’t say it now, I think I’m going to forget what I’m supposed to say…” You nod your head in response. “Y/N, I’ve been in love with you since the very first time I saw you walking in at bootcamp. You looked adorable with your little nervous smile and your polite hellos to everybody. I knew from that moment on that I wanted to get to know you better, and that I wanted to become more than just friends…I didn’t think you’d feel the same way, so I told myself that it was okay if we’d just stay friends. Especially since your character kind of hates mine and you bring Dani to life so convincingly, that I was almost sure you hated me too,” you chuckle at that, “But I can’t hide it anymore, Y/N. I am so embarrassingly in love with you that I could’ve kissed you after that scene we just did and that I could kiss you right now even though I’m—” before he can finish his sentence, you lean up and crash your lips onto his, your hands flying into his hair. He’s a little startled at first, but quickly melts into the kiss and presses you closer to him. “I am so embarrassingly in love with you too, Charlie,” you whisper when you pull away, pressing your forehead against his. “They’re going to be so relieved,” you tell him with a chuckle. He frowns his eyebrows at you. “Who?” he asks. You take his hand in yours and lead him towards the door of your trailer, pushing it open and making it bump against whoever was closest to the door. All of your cast mates scramble, trying to act natural while Owen rubs his forehead since he was the one that got a door in his face. “Ah, them!” Charlie chuckles. “Thanks for the door in my face, guys,” Owen says disgruntled. “That’s on you, buddy,” you tell him with a grin. “Don’t you guys have a scene to shoot or something?” Their eyes widen at the realization and, after yelling at the two how happy they are for them, rush to set in a hurry. “So, where were we?” Charlie turns back to you when everyone’s gone. “Don’t you have a scene with them?” “Shit!” he grumbles and jumps off the small steps in front of the trailer. He starts running towards set but turns around almost immediately to you and kisses your lips quickly, but sweetly, and then runs off. You watch him with an amused smile on your face. There was nothing to be afraid about after all and nothing changed between you two. You were still the best of friends, just friends that kiss and are in love with each other. But both of you happy.

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​

[nautiscarader]

2020 in animation - recap

So, 2020. 

Yeah, I have to say I’m not entirely satisfied. Would not recommend, 1 star. 

But I would be willing to bump it to 1.5, if only because of one factor: the animation. 

Because I have to say, this was the best animated end of the world so far! And if there was something that kept our spirits up, it was the cartoon industry!

Just like last year, I should preface this by saying that this is highly subjective selection. Even when one is confined to their Hobbit holes for better part of the year because of *waves hands* everything around, 

day still only has 24 hours, so I have missed a few shows. (I should also apologise for omitting a few major ones last year, like Milo Murphy’s Law S2, Ducktales, or She-Ra. This is why I started keeping a track this year). I’m sure I will catch up with those I missed this year some time in the future, but for now, let’s see what this year has gifted us with.

And right from the start, January opens the race with very interesting propositions. We were still riding on an incredibly high wave from last year, with Infinity Train season 2.

This one focused on Tulip’s mirror, and pushed the season towards a much darker and complex story, diving deep into one’s personal journey and identity. There were tears, math, deer, and cops being murdered. Brutally. 

t was followed by two newcomers: The Owl House and first season of Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeast. Both of them would dominate first half of the year, with The Owl House’s traditional, week-to-week airings, and Kipo's seasons appearing in  June and October.

The Owl House, a strong contender in "What will be the Next Gravity Falls?" contest, invited us to a world full of magic, mystery, elongated owl demons and some dark secrets. It has also created a milestone for Disney, introducing an LGBT couple with characters of bisexual Luz Noceda and lesbian Amity Blight. Their Grom dance has risen to the top of my animates scenes, polling very closely to the unforgettable Kataango.

On the other hand, Kipo has taken us to the post-apocalyptic world filled with mutant animals, revealing that despite the end of the world, our old vices and animosities have survived in underground burrows, and we have infected the overworld of giant doggos and suit-wearing frogs with them. 

Kipo did not pull any punches regarding commentary about our society, at the same time giving us hope in the form of the main protagonist, who was able to spread friendship and understanding amongst the mutes, as well as the humans that had to survive. And in the world that we have found ourselves in, it was a pretty darn good lesson.

February would bring end to two seasons of airing cartoons, Big Hero Six season 2 and Miraculous season 3, as well as another newcomer that won the hearts of fans: Glitch Techs, with its "second" season arriving in August. And while in my opinion he show wasn't as good as the other two new titles, I am clearly in minority, as the show about Ghostbuters-like team of game console technicians gained huge popularity... though not enough to keep the show afloat. As of writing this, it is currently in limbo, which is a shame, as the second set of 10 episodes finally added some much needed ongoing story.  

in March, another show from last year ended - Steven Universe Future. As we have expected, it tackled slightly more mature themes, showing how much Steven needed that therapy we have wished him, telling an important tale of finding one's worth and one's self. its ending might not have been as explosive as those of the original show, or the movie, but it left Steven’s story as open as an open road, and deep in our hearts, we all knew it would look like this.   

March was also the time when majority of western world caught the coronavirus, and that caused quite a turmoil with the movie and animation industry. One of the first victim of changed schedule was Disney's Onward, which was released on-line on Disney+ quickly after its theatrical release.

I have mixed feelings towards “Onward”. For such interesting promise, I think it made a few questionable and down right boring turns, though the unorthodox message at the end of it was its strongest point, and it was one I haven’t seen in a while, so it was worth watching just for that.  

April was relatively quiet (aside from more end of the world stuff); brought us third season of Ducktales that spread throughout the year, while May gave us final, fifth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. 

To my eternal shame, I missed on this show when it premiered, and due to the lockdown, I binge-watched the previous four right in time for powerful and explosive season 5. And even though Catra and Adora finally gave us exactly what we needed, some fans felt slightly unsatisfied, calling for a movie, like the Steven Universe one to be made. And I’d be all for it, the rest of universe needs saving from the Horde! Also, cats in space - hilarious. 

May also revealed a new player on the streaming field: HBO Max, who surprised us with new Looney Tunes Cartoons, much more in the spirit of the legendary originals than the often-criticised Looney Tunes Show from 2011-2014. And in my opinion, it did; one could feel the same fluidity in animation, dedication to slapstick, and synchronisation with music than in the very first cartoons with Bugs and Daffy.

HBO Max would, however, return in June with first of series of Adventure Time original movies called "Distant Lands". The first centred around BMO, with second one - Obsidian giving us a glimpse into Bonnibel and Marceline's lives.

Distant Lands allowed people to revisit the odd, odd world of Ooo and learn about its colourful inhabitants, taking turns to seeing their past and the future, an, as usual, showing us that post-apocalyptic world can teach us valuable and meaningful lessons.   

Just in time for full lockdown in our burrows, aforementioned Kipo season 2 premiered in June, together with another cartoon movie, this time featuring We Bare Bears. While their movie wasn't anything to write songs about, it was exactly like the show, providing some wholesome content right when we needed it.

And just in case you needed more wholesome adventures, Craig of the Creek's second season ended, and its third season began, reminding us of HOW COOL LIFE WAS WHEN OUTERNET WASN’T SCARY AND WE COULD STILL WALK OUTSIDE FOR FUN AND NOT TO HUNT TOILET PAPER.

Just like last year, July was not dogs' days, but frogs'. Amphibia season 2 started raining on our heads, but unlike last year, its schedule wasn't a daily one, spreading the episodes throughout the Summer and early Autumn, with its second part arriving in February of 2021. There were more roadtrips, more mysteries and MORE MARCY.

August was equally strong: aforementioned Glitch Techs "season 2" premiered, offering better and more plot-heavy episodes than the first ten episodes. Unfortunately, the show's future is unclear; the uneven divide of plot between the seasons probably contributed to the show not being renewed. 10 new episodes apparently are written, but await in sleep mode, until Nickelodeon remembers about it.

HBO MAX picked up Infinity Train for its third season, after being derailed by Cartoon Network. And if you thought that killing a mirror cop was shocking... then this season has pushed the limit of what can be shown in modern children's cartoon to a frightening degree. The schedule was once again, weirder, with first five episodes airing on the day of the premiere, ending with a cliffhanger (literally) that only contributed to the shock factor and made us wait anxiously for its conclusion. It was bold, it was dark, it was memorable. 

And just like Glitch Techs, Infinity Train waits on a side track, unsure if it will be picked up, or will it be abandoned and left as a canvas for graffiti artists.

However, to end the Summer, a truly amazing TV movie has arrived on Disney Plus, where we came back to good, old Danville and could witness Candace against the universe. The new Phineas and Ferb movie brought back the glorious memories of this fantastic show, with the same humour, writing, abundance of catchy songs and a surprisingly deep moral.

In September we have seen the start of Big Hero 6 season 3 and a odd change of format. Instead of standalone 22-minute episodes, the show now consists of two 11-minute segments. In opinion of many, this weakened the stories, forcing them to be more comedy-oriented, and shortening the potential emotional drama. Still, it gave us funny, short stories, but they did clash with the two previous season, not to mention the movie.

However, if that wasn't up to your taste, Ducktales season 3 also started airing, and continued its first part up until December with more action- and plot-driven episodes, including the Darkwing Duck crossover, serving as a pilot of the spin-off. 

Later in December fans have learned that Season 3 will be its last, which broke the hearts of many duck fans; however, it seems that the season has been written as the last one in mind, and the news of the ending was known to the creators, which gives us hope for a kick-ass finale somewhere in 2021.

Miraculous New York, telling arguably one of the most mature storylines, opened the "Heroez" world to some new characters and new opportunities, with two more specials, taking place in Shanghai and Brazil, meant to air somewhere next year. AND I DO HOPE WE WILL SEE MORE LOCAL FOOD VENDOR SUPERHEROES LIKE HOT DOG DAN. 

October was the month of two season 3's: Carmen Sandiego and Kipo. In case of Carmen, as it is usual with Netflix, the "season" was only a half-one, with just a handful standalone episodes, and just a dash of more ongoing plot. 

For Kipo, however, season 3 was the end, and what a glorious one it was. Fans were saddened to learn of it, but Kipo was always imagined as a 3-part story, and it showed. The finale proved more than satisfying ending to the plot, elevating Kipo to one of the smartest cartoon characters we should all try to aspire to.

In November, Distant Lands: Obsidian aired, focusing on everyone’s favourite candy/vampire couple, and the long and complicated love between Bonnibel and Marceline. And as usual, it showed us that relationships are not always as straightforward as we would like them to be, but with enough music and teamwork, no enemy is big enough. 

For the next new show, I’ve waited with the most amount of excitement and anxiety. Because while I was completely fine with other reboots and re-imaginings to take creative takes, new Animaniacs, (airing on Hulu) had to be perfect and had to be the lightning that struck twice. 

And sadly... it wasn’t. It was still good, but some people criticised (incorrectly imho) the amount of political topics, while I mourned almost total cast-ration of additional characters, aside from Pinky and the Brain. This truly weakened the possibilities it could have had. It was still very good, but you can feel that some of the original charm was lost, due to these odd, odd limitations. 

December brought us a new original Apple TV movie, Wolfwalkers. A beautifully animated folk tale of friendship and social divides, and how short-sight can cause the collapse of both arguing sides, reminding me very much of the intelligence and heart of original “How to Train Your Dragon”.  

We’ve had to wait two years for the return of arguably one of the most wholesome shows out there: Hilda. Second season dived into deeper mysteries that permeate the rich and colourful troll-ridden land, we saw the return of some familiar characters, and introduced a whole new storyline, that ended with a surprising cliffhanger. Still as wholesome, but now with a tiny bit of Police incompetence. Also Twig, lots of Twig.   

Just like Onward, Pixar’s highly anticipated Soul aired on Disney+, telling a very mature story about finding one’s purpose in life, what that purpose actually means, and whether it exists at all. Beautifully animated, with fantastic soundtrack, it was a stunning tribute to creativity, and it never dumbed down its profound, open message about following your dream.   

And just if you thought that Soul was going to be 2020′s last note (pun very much intended), right before the year ended, DC Super Hero Girls concluded its first season on a rather anti-climactic two-parter. That being said, the season, running from March of last year, was packed with short, bite-sized, funny stories, taking interesting spins on existing comic book characters. For a comic book noob like me, it was perfectly fine, and I can’t wait for the second season next year. 

And so, we have reached the series finale of humanity. 

2020 ends in just under a day. What will 2021 bring us? I do not know, and if the animated shows of this year have taught me anything, is that the future is an always open book, full of worries and challenges, but also opportunities and possibilities. 

...

And in reality I was too lazy to check any news sites about upcoming projects.

[b612sunsets]

Ahhh I’m happy to see someone else loving The Devil Judge - it truly is amazing 😭😭🖤✨ I love Yo-Han and Ga-on’s relationship I swear let them be destructive together!

I hate waiting for new episodes so please tell me one of your theories, it can be about anything! 🥰

Right?! I love it so much, it's really good to have our lilttle fam getting bigger, can't wait until it airs on Netflix, we will have even more people going crazy about it in here! (at least I hope it will become a Netflix series after the show ends like Beyon Evil - another love of mine) and yes, lawful husbands can be destructive together but only to the bad people pls 🥺

It's tough waiting for new episodes every weekend and at the same time I wish for it not to end so soon. It hasn't finished but I already want Jisung and Jinyoung in a second season or working together in another drama. Their chemistry on screen is too good to stop there

About the theories, there's a few I saw on reddit/twitter and I make my own based on it and after watching every episode, but I think it's too early to talk about them. However, since you requested it, there's some that come to mind as interesting enough to mention.

The fire and the story behind it narrated by Yohan

1- Some people think Yohan did start the fire because he found out about the dirty politicians real intentions and decided to destroy them all in the same place before Isaac could donate the money bc he is "a devil" and capable of that since he was a kid as told by the priest with the school incident and the nanny with the maid and dog thing. side note: not for pranking some kids who bullied him because that's all it seems like, right? But in terms of observing, thinking strategically and being one step ahead when needing to punish the whole classroom who wronged him even as young as he was and feeling satisfied while watching the result and staying out of it. A type of mentality probably encouraged by Isaac and the books he gave him to read, unlike a regular kid who would just fight back or endure it. And we still have to see if it really was Yohan that contributed to the maid's death or if it was something/someone else and the nanny thinks it was him.

They think that Elijah even saw him in front of the door right before the fire started and smiled at him instead of smiling at her parents, like she did in the gates of the cathedral in the previous scene, so that's why she hates him so much now because she can remember seeing him as the responsible for it. But Yohan didn't intend to kill/hurt Isaac and the rest of the family, thinking he could save them or something, and felt guilty that he couldn't do so. Some even said that Yohan delayed too much in trying to save them after entering the church and seeing Elijah getting her legs hurt, that it may have been shock but why would he remember everything and everyone so clearly if he was in shock?

It's a good theory but I have my own remarks: why wouldn't he tell Isaac about the politicians himself if he knew the dirty about them then? They had a close relationship and Isaac gave him books about punishment and everything, it wasn't like Isaac was too naive and wouldn't believe his half-brother. He wouldn't have donated if Yohan told him. "Oh he was being the devil and finding a way to punish them instead of just letting is slide and not donating" still, Yohan wouldn't risk Isaac and Elijah with such a dangerous plan if he could avoid having Isaac and Elijah at all in the destruction scene by telling Isaac about it. It could have been shock and Yohan wanting to look and commit to mind everyone's face in that day responsible for hurting his niece and not caring about anyone else but themselves, pushing him away and delaying his attempt to get to them in time, leaving Isaac and the family behind (after they almost donated them their money) and things like that. So he can avenge them now, like he did in the school with the kids. That's why as soon as he could, he canceled the donation in the most easy way by saying his brother wasn't sane enough to make that decision before dying.

There's also the theories about Isaac being the insane/evil one, which wouldn't surprise me because I've considered it since episode 3 but at the same time I'll not be touching that topic now and I don't know if I ever will unless proven otherwise in some other episode

2- The other theory I have and saw people discussing (the one I'm most inclined to believe because I'm Yohan biased but again it's too soon to be sure) is that the story Yohan narrated is mostly if not completely true and he experiences extreme guilt for not coming back and saving Isaac when the church collapsed on him, as seen in the character introduction by tvN translated in this tweet that we now know it's about Isaac:

The last words Yohan said to Isaac was that he was going to come back for him, so he experiences nightmares like the flashbacks we saw in episode 1 and that's why we don't see any scene of Isaac in the middle of the church after the fire staring at Yohan or during the fire and turning to stare directly at Yohan when he narrates it. Because they're dreams and his guilty conscience and he remembers them when looking at Gaon. The flashback of Yohan kneeling down and touching Isaac with Elijah's bear close to him could be after he got Elijah out from there and he went back to put the bear next to him kinda like a "Sorry for not coming back in time", a reassurance that his daughter for whom he died for is safe and will always stay with him, a "Goodbye". He wouldn't just let Isaac's body lying there, he would go back even if it was too late.

Another thing is that when Yohan is showing Gaon his scar after telling the story, there's a book fallen at his feet. I think it was the thing that fell when Yohan standed up from the table and choked Gaon (trying hard not to comment on that choking scene as a 🔥 Gahan moment for our delight and imagination bc that's not the point right now lol)

This is the book:

And the first page of this book says "Never again will a single story be told as though it's the only one." - John Berger

I searched about it and it can mean that never again will a story be told as if it's the only one that matters. It could also mean that never again will a story be so encompassing of the elements it tackles that no other story need be written about these elements. A story has many perspectives that cannot be understood by just a single viewpoint. Isn't that what this kdrama is all about?

One of the translations of what Yohan said after Gaon left was:

But there's also another version:

The meaning of what he said changes a bit depending on which translation is more accurate, more so when we add the book quote to the equation.

Kim Gaon and his connection to Kang Yohan

People think Gaon could be Isaac's relative in some way or just a look alike (I think it's just a look alike to contribute to Yohan's obsession/curiosity and their proximity from the start, that's why no one really comments on it, not even Gaon when he sees Isaac's picture). Dear God, let them not be related because it would make shipping our lawful husbands really strange, to say the least.

What I'd like to say and almost everyone is forgetting is that in the tvN character introduction we already have Gaon's past and know he wasn't always a goody two shoes, the man was a juvenile delinquent and can even fight (the rebellious phase he said he made the tattoo in episode 3?). He too sought revenge for his parents when he was 16 because they committed suicide after losing their money and being deceived by multi-level con artists posing as social service workers. But the teacher and Soohyun were able to hold him back.

Yohan's father could be one of the reasons for their death. He was a loan shark and might have lend them money after they lost it all and it caused them to have a great debt, that's why Yohan did a thorough research on Gaon and was interested in him (not only because he resembled his half-brother). They shared one enemy in common and maybe even a place (churches, Yohan's father tended to confess his sins in a church when his debtors killed themselves). Or Yohan might have researched about him at the time he knew Gaon was chosen to be the associate judge sitting on his left side instead of way before, because it's important to Yohan to know who he is dealing with and the dirty of their past if they have any. And then Yohan discovered everything and saw his picture and resemblance to Isaac.

The thing is: they have the same distrust/repulsion of powerful people who deceive the world and had a painful loss because of that. Both of them think they have the other exactly where they want but they get more confused about what it is that they really want from the other and get closer (as said in the summary of episode 5 that tvN released) while figuring it out. They will come to an understanding and probably join forces at some point. We saw it in the end of episode 4, the scene of episode 5 when Gaon says he can understand Yohan's pain but can't trust him if he doesn't tell him everything and then Yohan says Gaon needs to decide if he will get in his way or stay by his side. Gaon might go back to his rebellious days and stay with Yohan to seek revenge together while distancing himself from Soohyun and Jungho who prevented him from doing so

And that's about it! Thank you for your ask and hope my answer is satisfying enough! 💙 The hardest but also most awesome part is having to wait to see.