#it really takes a lot of time that I'd better spend actually watching the series

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

I finally finished watching the first episode of the atla, took me 2 hours.

So you can already see where the show lacks and where it is just great.

I'd say that the visuals are totally not the strongest feature of the series. Locations are mostly great but the costumes are surely not - colours are just a little bit too bright, ornaments are too large and could definitely use more detailing. They kinda look cartoonish and a little bit cheap. Appa's cgi...did not look great.

Acting, sadly, is not great either. It's not terrible and does not affext the viewing experience for me, kids are quite talented, you can see that here and there, but they idk feel kinda inexperienced? (Although it's not like they are actual newbies in acting). I hope they are learning on set and are getting better and better as the series progresses. They really need to figure out what to do with those hands while talking.

And the saddest of it all - like 50% of what characters are saying feels completely unnatural and kinda flat. Which is also not the worst thing, just kinda...not good. Also - where's that iconic "You're just a child - well, you're just a teenager" exchange? You can't change the iconic stuff!

But as I said previously - all the other stuff is pretty great.

I love the work they did with restructuring of the beginning. The beginning with the airbenders was absolutely perfect (at least for me) except for aang's monologue. I love that they made the tone of the show more mature and serious and didn't break it with more jokes for funzies.

I was afraid that they would make Katara excellent bender from the start just for girlbossification (which she absolutely does not need) and I'm really glad they didn't and showed her struggling at least a little bit at least at the beginning.

As I previously stated I love what they did to Sokka. Yes, he's not quite like Sokka we know and love but it doesn't feel like character assassination, rather, they decided to emphasize different side of his personality and arc. I kinda love his new dynamic with Katara - I feel like this version of her relies onto her older brother much more and it feels natural.

I love how camera sometimes tilts a little bit during tense moments.

The scene in prison cell with uncle Iroh and Aang? It's actually perfect. The way Iroh introduces himself, the way Aang asks why did the fire nation attack - this kid nailed his "child in distress" performance in this scene - and the way Iroh starts with some philosophy...It's just perfect.

Zuko is also great although now I'm a little bit worried that they switched his "honor" with "glory".

And many other little things.

Although there is some really weird stuff and it's, well, Katara. It feels like they toned down her motherly nature and leaned more into her warrior side. I really hope they did not change her "mother in the group" role in order for her to be less traditionally feminine and more badass girlboss type. There could be one more reason - they decided to cut out all the Kataang so there are fewer moments between them with this loving and caring mood, and about this one I feel pretty conflicted about. I'm not a fan of Kataang and I would definitely hate for it to happen on screen with those two actual kids - but I feel like Aang's crush on Katara is kinda essential for the plot and his arc? Like something that he would have to overcome and let go of? Idk. Like I said - I feel pretty conflicted about it.

[tiredandoptimistic]

As someone who likes a lot of "bad" media, or media that starts out kinda slow but builds into a bigger plot over time, I see so many different opinions on what bits are "okay" to skip in order to get to the good part, and it's just wild to me. Bouncing around between the highlights doesn't actually give you the experience, and filler is so important when it comes to just...creating a vibe and building up the relationships between characters and with the audience.

For instance, Red vs Blue is probably my favorite show (ever, of all time), and while I will admit that the first five seasons are not my favorite, I still think they're essential to the show, because those five years of relatively low stakes adventures set the tone so that it can be upset by the bigger plot points. The impact of a big twist is reduced if you haven't spent the time to get invested in these characters when they're just hanging out and being silly. Most importantly though, even once the plot really gets going in season six and we get into the more serious Freelancer and Chorus arcs, Red vs Blue is still fundamentally about a bunch of idiots standing around and talking. If you have to force yourself to put up with the majority of the show, then you might just not like this show.

I was talking about this with my friend, and they said it's kinda the same thing with Homestuck. Yes, it does get "better" as time goes on, but it's still the same thing it's always been, and if that's not something you enjoy then skipping to the bits you do like won't change what it is.

Or like, I freaking love The Order of the Stick, and last year I reread it from the beginning for the first time in a while, and I half convinced myself that I'd just made up how good it is (because volume one is funny enough but nothing to write home about). However, I hit a certain point where I realized that I wasn't just reading out of a sense of obligation but because I adore these characters and am unspeakably invested in this plot. You can really tell that it's been a story happening over the course of 20+ years, you can see the writing and art improve dramatically as time goes on. I could just recommend that someone start with volume two or three, and summarize the plot up till then so they don't feel lost. However! That would rob them of the experience you get from watching these characters grow. You can't fully appreciate Belkar's arc in volume six if you didn't see what he was like on day one, y'know?

On another note, I love the Shadowhunters Chronicles, and I know that a lot of people will give The Mortal Instruments shit and call it the worst series or whatever, but those people just hate fun. Yeah, there are other series that might have stronger plots and better writing, but there's a reason that TMI's main characters have been iconic for years. Sometimes, things are just silly, and if you don't like that then you're not gonna have a good time here.

I could go on! I also like a lot of episodic shows like MASH, Community, Tangled: the Series, the whole DC animated universe, Supernatural, etc. I could come up with lists of my favorite episodes to try to hook somebody, but all of those episodes lose a lot of their impact when taken out of context. Skipping the filler doesn't give you the ultimate experience of Only The Best, it takes away your chance to fully spend time with these characters in a variety of settings. And sure, lots of shows with multiple writers do have some episodes that are just bad, but that's not what I'm talking about. There's a difference between something being bad and something being low-stakes. Maybe you personally don't enjoy things that are low-stakes, but that might just mean you shouldn't be watching a sitcom.

So yeah, this has been an excuse for me to rant about things I enjoy for a while but I'm sorta out of time and need to eat lunch, so I suppose this post has reached its conclusion. All my favorite media are my favorite for reasons I couldn't articulate in an elevator pitch, and putting together a highlight reel will never substitute for truly being in the trenches. If you're truly having a good time with something then you won't need to skip to the good part, because the whole thing is enjoyable.

[ladyloveandjustice]

List of "Does it Like Women" Results and whether I agree

I find the "Does it like women" blog fascinating, as y'all have probably noticed. I always tend to think deeply about this topic when I consume media, so I wanted to make a list of results I disagree with, because it interests me! I'll likely be updating this through reblogs if my interest doesn't wane, I'll make a note in the replies when I do!

Loves Women

I agree with all of these so far!

Likes Women

Kill la Kill- Man it's 2013 again and I'm seeing tumblr make powerpoints about how klk is deeply feminist and it's actually a super deep critique of harassment that Ryuko has to wear the ugliest outfit ever and Westerners Don't Understand (person making this argument is inevitably a Westerner).

Yeah, based on the part I've seen and everything I've heard, hard disagree. But I have not seen the whole thing, just those three, I do know the part I saw included rape jokes a plenty, a weird victim-blamey take on "not being ashamed" of being forced into a skimpy outfit and how if you're bothered by men ogling you that's your weakness, and a vagina wedgie. I'm not as mad about it as I was back then,and I can appreciate the show has it's good points later on. Not having watched it also means my knowledge is incomplete. However, I have listened to really in depth breakdowns of the series (mainly Anifem's podcast), so I know exactly what happens, and yeah, the treatment of women doesn't impress me. I'm on the dislike side, (holding back on hates because again, haven't seen all of it)

...could understand mixed feelings though, I guess

Madoka- I'd definitely go more towards mixed feelings honestly (especially if we're counting Rebellion) but I get the people who say "likes".

Yuri is my Job- it loves women, it loves messy women, it loves women who love women, it loves them so much, idk why it got a sizeable no vote. People who only watched the first ep? People who think yuri is "bad"?

Mob Psycho 100- Someone in the notes says "accidentally likes women" and that's the only answer in the "likes women" area I'll accept. It has 10 million prominent male characters and like three prominent female characters. ONE really really obviously has a hard time imagining women as powerful or action heroes. (this is reflected in One Punch Man too) (One Punch Man actively hates women and queer people though, Mob is infinitely better) Only one who ever gets to fight and play with the boys, and she's a low level mook, and we have to spend 75% percent of her limited screentime on whether it's actually okay to fight women, with her winning argument being "Well you're literally a child so I guess it evens out" (???) The little girl with the evil dolls gets even less screentime.

I do like that the series examines how Mob idealized Takane and how people not caring about the real her made her tired, as well as how it allowed her to reject Mob and was basically a lesson in the importance of accepting rejection. But her screentime is also really limited, and I feel like we could have dove into her a lot more. Tome is a wonderful weird girl and I liked her little arc, and I hear she gets more in the Reigen manga, but still not a TON of screentime, and even with her there are a couple jabs about how she doesn't "count" as a girl due to not acting traditionally feminine we're clearly supposed to find funny. Emi is...there I guess. There's that sweet scene with the writer girl, and the bully girl, but they're like, not reoccurring at all, as evidenced by how I can't remember their names.

And uh. the girls school episode.

Anyway. Hot take but I don't think "they're barely in the story but when they are two of them are treated pretty decently and have some depth, though there is some weird stuff about whether women can even fight men or whatever" really counts as "likes women". I'd go more mixed feelings.

Life is Strange-out of the two options I chose dislikes, but my feelings are a lot closer to "mixed feelings". I go into why here.

Gushing Over Magical Girls- lol. lmao even. The anime about middle school girls who look 8 sexually assaulting other middle school girls DEFINITELY doesn't like women. I go into more detail here.

Cowboy Bebop: Mixed feelings, probably. I chose dislikes because yes, Faye and Ed are great (you could def read Ed as nb though), but Faye also is repeatedly damsel in distress'd and treated as incompetent in her field when I don't think she should be, she can be a failgirl without being the sole woman in the action side of the group and also the least capable (there's also That Scene in the movie). also i just. it's fine that she's sexy but I hate her outfit. give her something nicer looking, it's so ugly. But my main reason for a dislike vote is the treatment of Julia. Girl is a textbook example of fridging. They really gave her so little. But yeah I could see mixed feelings.

Also do you remember that one scene during Faye's tragic backstory where she's hospitalized and the camera requires us to look down her super (painful looking? like idk how she's not screaming about it) squished boobs during this tense and important moment god that took me out. whenever anyone acts like Faye always owns her sexiness and the camera never does anything I remember that scene.

Ranma 1/2: I've seen read a good chunk of it, and this result is...surprising. Maybe by the standards of 80's manga though, who knows.

Mixed Feelings

Dracula- IIII definitely think it dislikes women, sorry guys. Mina is a great character and you do have to take it in the context of when it was written. But there are surely contemporaries of Bram Stoker that wouldn't have randomly gone out of their way to scoff at the "New Woman". Not to mention again, really random sidebars about how men are so much smarter and cooler and women should be grateful to them. I could go on about Lucy and how Mina is treated and whether that's a critique of sexism or just playing into it and how it's so open to interpretation but I'll stop here.

also the book is hugely anti- Romani, immigrant etc and I think that ties into disliking women since some women are those Romani and immigrants

It really really felt like a case where a lot of people in the Drac Daily tag just wanted it to be super feminist because they liked it (you can like things without having to make them feminist! it's fine!), and the way they scoffed at feminist scholars who had "surface level readings" of the text (aka they dared to say it was sexist) still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The Lego Movie: dislikes women. what are y'all on. Even it's own sequel calls it out for disliking women. Wildstyle is basically the only woman with real characterization and she's the purest concentration of "hypercompetent woman must play second fiddle to Average Male loser who is the one who actually saves the world and also she falls in love with him because of course she does'. Then Wonder Woman got one line (in literally the first theatrical move she got to even be in) and Superman and Batman a lot of screen time.

Does not like

Scott Pilgrim- Don't get this result, I'd put it at likes or mixed feelings? It's literally about how Scott has weird issues with women where he doesn't see them as to full people they are, and it calls him out on that hard. The whole sixth volume is how he made up a damsel in distress scenario for Kim and always took her for granted, how he put all the blame on Envy for the end of their relationship when he played a huge role in that, Knives finally getting over him, moving on, and telling him he needs to grow up a little (highlighting how his grossness towards her was him refusing to accept that he was an adult now, and that he was horrible to her, and yes he does apologize), and accepting that he and Ramona are both messed up people and she's just as flawed as he is, taking down the pedestal he put her on. And having Ramona triumphantly confront her abuser. Scott acknowledges he has a lot in common with Gideon, the supervillain!

Roxy is a sticking point, the whole 'it was a phase thing' and her and Ramona's relationshipbeing unexplored was annoying (fixed in Takes Off) but even she had some moments of pathos and was definitely the (Ramona's) ex the story seemed to sympathize with the most.

I dunno. this seems like a tumblr lacks media literacy thing again. Did you think the narrative agrees with Scott. Did you only watch the movie.

Succession- I'd go more mixed feelings? Dislikes is fine, I think it doesn't have enough women and often privileges male characters over them, but sometimes it's examination of the sexism Shiv faces is really incisive, and she's a complex character. But she should have gotten that abortion.

Watchmen: hates women actually. Pretty much anything written by Alan Moore does.

Persona 4: I think it hates women actually. But dislike is fine too.

Merlin: Everything I've heard about the show puts in in the hates camp rather than dislikes, but i never watched it (I did watch this video on it, and the bootlicking is out of this world if it's accurate) so I can't really comment

Hates Women

Agree with all of these so far!

[lost-inanotherlife]

Lost S2 Rewatch - spontaneous, random thoughts (might change my mind)

Kinda dig Ana Lucia. I remember that, back when the show first aired, I didn't like her but I guess I've changed my mind. I like the fact that she seems to be unapologetic, she's leader-material and she knows it and acts as such but she's not smug about it. She does bad things, she knows it and doesn't hide behind excuses. Honestly? So far she's cool.

The introduction of the Tailies was a ballsy move, we haven't seen our fearless leader Jack for 6 episodes now (I've reached S2E7) and the show is still compelling and exciting. We meet five new characters and their introductions are different from those of the main characters in s1: it's fast, no flashbacks, direct. The comparison works because I find myself wanting to know more even though I wasn't even given enough screen-time to care about them. Ballsy, well-executed professional writing move.

I like how the first 3 episodes are taking place on the same night/day as the last 3 episodes of S1 (or 2 episodes, according to how you're watching "Exodus"). We see the events from different perspectives and this method of storytelling sometimes is very effective, sometimes I personally find it a bit boring. This doesn't happen here at all.

Hurley is such a more interesting character when you rewatch the show! I think that he's the only character (so far) where knowing things in advance makes him better and I'm like "hell, yes, why didn't I see that before?". Like, when I first watched the show I thought that Hurley was the "comic relief" of the series. He kinda is, but he's also not and so much more? Upon rewatching the show you can clearly see why he was the right leader and the best protector of the island. Gotta love The Dude.

I've said it once, I'll say it again (and forever): JUSTICE FOR SHANNON. I'll protect her against anyone. Her centric episode "Abandoned" is okay but I find it very distasteful that her death is framed as manpain fodder for Sayid. Also, she has sex at the beginning of the episode and at the end she dies? Ugh. Again, distasteful, it felt a little like she had completed her function so off we go. My girl deserved so much more :(.

Speaking of Shannon, her relationship with Sayid is meh. I actually liked it 20 years ago but thank god I've definitely changed because it's a badly written ship. I mean, I can see that the two characters have potential, but there's no "meat" behind it. The story is not "built", it's just there. One day Sayid finds her attractive and that's it. The two of them have spent like 1 afternoon together and all of a sudden the guy creates a romantic location on the beach so they can have sex. Shallow. And also, let's never forget that these people are on a fucking island full of things AND people that want to kill them, but okay, let's go beachsex-camping somewhere!

I'm an anti-Charlie. It really costs me a lot to say this because he was my favorite twenty years ago and now I can't stand him. I've reckoned that if I have to spend more time trying to make excuses for him while I actively don't like his actions... well, it's wasted time. Let's call is as it is: Charlie's a dick. That scene after Locke was holding Aaron and Charlie was jelaous or, I'd rather say, unhingedly possessive? Brrr, chills bruh and the wrong kind. Dude, you're cringe.

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About Shinsou

*Note: Lmao, do I tag this as Anti Shinsou or Pro Shinsou??*

Despite being a pretty popular character overall, Shinsou seems to be under a lot of scrutiny with my fellow Bakugou antis. And I understand why. Our first introduction to him isn't a pleasant one; he's first shown taunting Class 1A about being attacked by villains (a generally traumatic experience) out of jealousy. It's also been noted that Aizawa spends more time training him than his actual class (though, this is more of an issue with Aizawa than Shinsou). Personality wise, he (subjectively) isn't pleasant or very entertaining either.

I'm impartial to him myself as I don't love him or hate him. He's just... there really (a fate many characters suffer). But you know what I think of when I think about Shinsou's character? Wasted potential.

My Hero Academia is constantly tossing the term rival around the show. There's the rivalry between Izuku, Bakugou, and Todoroki which is why they became the main trio (don't @ me for this I'm speaking technicalities here). There's also the infamous (one-sided) rivalry between All Might and Endeavor, a driving force behind not only Endeavor's actions against his family but a large part of the overall plot of the show.

When I first watched the Sports Festival and Izuku's match with Shinsou, I was positive they were setting them up to be rivals.

No, I don't mean the "rivalry" Izuku has with Bakugou (Bakugou stans don't @ me). I don't mean the friendly rivalries he has with Todoroki or Iida either.

I mean a straight-up rivalry. Where they don't become friends. Where they don't get along with or like one another (maybe a grudging respect at the most). I was sure Shinsou was going to be someone to constantly challenge Izuku; not only on a physical level, but ideologically too.

The Sports Festival partially set this up by calling attention to the similarities between Izuku's past and Shinsou's. While Izuku was discriminated against for his lack of quirk, Shinsou was treated differently and outcast because he had a "villainous" quirk. But they take on two different attitudes. Shinsou is bitter and full of contempt while Izuku was optimistic and determined to help a world full of people who shunned him. The show was deliberately setting up parallels between them.

But this dynamic is almost non-existent. Whatever interaction they do get is towards the end of the manga (Shinsou was introduced in the Sports Festival, an extremely early part of the series and in the show he's non-existent until season 5). And there's none of the previous complexity there was before.

Even if Shinsou was unlikable overall, it might have been worth it for him to be Izuku's real rival. His opposite not only in personality and attitude, but also heroics. Izuku can rely on his strength and the powers OF A give him, Shinsou would have to rely on his skills and brain. Their quirks are somewhat opposite to one another (at least in how they use them). Seeing them have to work together even though they'd usually approach things differently would have been way better than what we usually get.

I think that dynamic would have been a lot more interesting to watch than the trio or whatever you can Izuku and Bakugou (I will not refer to them as the Wonder Duo because wtf is that).

What do my fellow antis think? Would Shinsou have been a good rival if written well enough? Is there anyone else you would have preferred? Personally, I'd take anything over Izuku and Bakugou.

*Note: While we're on this topic, I think Monoma could have been Bakugou's rival. Someone who's calm and collected to contrast Bakugou's temper and whose quirk can easily rival his. I would have preferred that over subjecting Izuku to abuse under the guise of rivalry. I really wish Horikoshi would have kept them separate and allowed them to grow as heroes on their own without their toxic, codependent relationship. Maybe I would have tolerated Bakugou more. Monoma also isn't bothered by Bakugou so he wouldn't have had to go through the same thing Izuku did*

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Hello there I have another random question for you because I'm bored and I also genuinely want to know, what are you dressing up as for Halloween? Or if you don't celebrate Halloween or your just not dressing up this year what would you want to be and why?

Sorry that it's kinda random but Halloween is in like two days and I'm genuinely curious because Halloween is my favorite holiday and I just love dressing up in general!

I'm also asking because I. One of your posts you said you like ranting and just talking about stuff and I love talking as well so, but if you would like me to stop my barrage of odd questions I will.

AHAHAHA! YES! MORE QUESTIONS! I love ranting, even/especially if it's the same person over and over!

Halloween is also my favorite holiday, but I almost always do the most low effort costume ever. It's like a tradition. Part of how I celebrate. I think best prize for least effort goes to the year I went as a Boy Scout. . .where I just put on my scout uniform because I AM a Boy Scout.

This year I'm a witch. I have a black overall dress, a black button down shirt, black leggings and black socks along with three different black jackets I can wear to stay decently warm. I bought the hat at a Spirit Halloween. It's ridiculously, and I mean STUPIDLY tall. Here's a picture with a can of febreze for height reference:

I think if I had infinite time, money, and resources, I'd probably dress as Serge the blue fairy from Disenchanted: the Trials of Cinderella. Nobody would know who I am, but I frankly do not care.

It is my favorite book of all time from my favorite series of all time: The Land of Tyme. It's fractured fairytales (so retellings of classic fairytales through different angles and with a lot of variation), and I think it is the single best take I have ever seen on all of them. The worldbuilding is so in depth and immaculate. There are currently three books out: Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel; Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella; and Transformed: The Perils of the Frog Prince. It updates at the pace of a constipated snail in a heatwave, and I could not love them more.

I mostly celebrate Halloween by having trick-or-treater duty. We have a dog who would go ballistic if every single person had to knock on the door, so it's better to just sit outside. My dad and I usually do it together. To really make it special, instead of passing out candy, we do a hot cocoa/apple cider bar. We have a kettle of hot water and kids can make cider or cocoa and then put whatever toppings they want in it (marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, honey, cinnamon sugar, different coffee creamers, etc.) This way, we actually get to talk to the kids and compliment their cute costumes.

We usually take our small portable DVD player outside and watch It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus in between waves of kids. My dad almost always dresses as a scarecrow so that he can put on a lot of layers to keep warm without anybody noticing.

It's really special to me and makes me so very happy. I love the kids, I love the time I get to spend with my dad, I love the old cheesy Halloween movies, and I love the Holiday Spirit.

Thanks so much for asking! What are you going as? What do you wish you could go as? How do you usually celebrate, and what are your plans for this year? What's your favorite non-Halloween occasion to dress up? Both you specifically and everyone else who sees this? I wanna know!

[tobiasdrake]

It’s been so long since I’ve heard of Ranma 1/2… Can we get more Ranma fighting technique analysis? Or Ryoga? Honestly I’d be surprised if Ryoga was able to make it to the tournament without getting lost.

Hoo boy. I would need to go back and spend a lot of time with the manga for that. It's been a long time since I've thought about Ranma 1/2 too.

There was a time when Ranma 1/2 was a really important series to me. It was the first anime I ever watched that wasn't being broadcast on a TV channel. My cousin was a big anime nerd and went to conventions and stuff, and he brought over a DVD with the first few episodes of Ranma 1/2 to show me.

I was hooked. I watched the anime. I read the manga. I tried to find the video games. I was all over this series. As a kid, my favorite characters were Nabiki Tendo and Ukyo Kuonji. Nabiki was the character I saw the most of myself in, while Ukyo was the one I sympathized with and wanted to see win the harem plot.

Which was never gonna happen, of course. Ranma 1/2 was a harem plot the same way love triangles are triangles. The show features a clear and obvious romance subplot between Ranma and Akane, and all the other characters are third wheels who are here to make comical shenanigans happen and get in the way. It doesn't even pretend otherwise; Akane is the only suitor that Ranma's ever shown having feelings for.

I don't know if that's typical of harem plots; I never got into the genre. But it's clear from her writing that Rumiko Takahashi was more interested in using the harem setup as a foundation to throw wacky characters into slapstick shenanigans than in exploring their relationships with one another in any amount of detail. It's a comedy, much moreso than a romance.

But when it is a romance, it's only ever about Akane.

I don't remember if it was the anime or manga, but I remember there was one plot where Akane trades her engagement with Ranma to Nabiki. As a kid, that was my favorite; I was so upset when they reverted to status quo because I fell instantly in love with Nabiki/Ranma as a ship as soon as the plot suggested it.

As an adult looking back, I'm less fond of it. Nabiki's main role in the story is capitalizing Ranma's harassment, doing things like taking compromising photos of him to sell to his stalkers. She and Haruhi Suzumiya would get along well. Selling Ranma to Nabiki in an arranged marriage for real would be super gross, actually.

But I was like 12 when I first discovered this series and didn't know better.

So. Yeah. This series was a major part of my childhood and still holds a special place in my heart. But it's been a long time since I've thought about it in any significant detail. I'd need to read back through it before I'd be able to provide any significant analysis of it.

[being-of-rain]

Time to write down my initial thoughts on Space Babies and The Devil's Chord! I'm currently busy staying with my girlfriend in America, so I've only watched the episodes once. And there's a lot of episode to talk about! I guess this is the most TV Doctor Who to come out on a single day, both by episode count and I assume by runtime. (I sure hope it doesn't get overtaken any time soon. Weekly episode schedule my beloved, whole-series-at-once events my despised.)

I've said before that I've used the word 'fun' too often as a way to sum-up new episodes, but it looks like that's going to be harder and harder to avoid. This season so far has a very wacky zany silly cartoonish style (especially apparent in the lead duo's energy together) and I think that's the season's greatest strength. My opinion on both of these first two episodes are similar: they're just okay, with the pros and the cons kinda balancing each other out, but the cartoony style makes them much more enjoyable to watch.

Under the cut I'll go into more details. Probably more complaining than not, because nitpicking is always easier to spend time on, but here's your regular reminder that these are opinions and anyone reading is encouraged to disagree.

And if you thought my ramblings about new episodes were long before, this time there's two at once!

--

Grossout stuff like bodily functions never really appealed to me, and neither does talking babies, so Space Babies had those things against it. But it also had things that I loved; on top of the infectious energy of the leads, there were some fun sci-fi concepts, playing with storybook narrative, and the design of the Bogeyman. And the Doctor saying that "nobody grows up wrong" was alone worth the episode. I adore that sentiment and it fits so well into Doctor Who with its constant cast of scary aliens, artificially altered or created beings, and characters with generally convoluted backstories. It's just a shame the episode faltered at its climax when applying that idea to the Bogeyman, because the sympathising and acceptance of it felt very rushed.

It's fun when new companions get an introduction scene or two where the show tries to teach as many of the important rules and backstory as possible. And Butterfly Ruby certainly was a hilarious addition to that. But as much as the show is allowed to mess around with time travel rules, it can still feel contrived when it says things like 'taking Ruby to meet her mum is too dangerous.' I can't think of a reason why they couldn't just park a bit further down Ruby Road and talk to her after she seemingly doesn't have any more effect on Ruby or the Doctor's lives. I'll talk more about the ongoing story arc stuff in a bit, but right now I still haven't strongly connected with Ruby. This is very much a personal thing, but she still feels kinda Generic Companion to me.

Oh, and I think every time the Doctor talks about how the Time Lords are gone and he's the Last One, I'm going to groan and roll my eyes. Honestly I think the best thing to do with that is just show that a lot of Time Lord society survived (very easy, since there's no reason at all that most of them couldn't have just run away from whatever the Master did to the Capitol) and then just move on. I'd love to explore post-War Time Lord society more, but at this point I'd rather just leave them alone and be done with retreading old ground that the show is not going to actually do anything with other than the odd angsty line.

--

The Devil's Chord had a lot of fantastic moments and elements, but that made it more frustrating to me when it didn't put the effort into fitting everything just a little better. It reminds me of my thoughts on The Giggle; I love love love whimsy and emotionally-driven stories, and stories don't have to be a slave to logic all the time, but moments of silliness or entire plots that revolve around whimsy are so much more satisfying if they have a narrative logic behind them. I think a prime example is the song at the end of The Devil's Chord: even if it's not particularly good (most songs that are just repeating one line for 90% of its runtime aren't going to interest me), it's whimsical and joyous and makes me want to see Tardis teams sing and dance more often. But it doesn't have an in-story reason to happen, it doesn't quite fit the episode's tone, and (as much fun as fans have been having fitting it into the season arc) the episode doesn't even really have a twist at the end. If any of those things weren't true, the song would've had so much more impact than it did, and I find it annoying that the episode couldn't shuffle things just a bit to make it work.

Somewhat similarly, the Maestro themself was spectacularly entertaining, but also felt rather shallow and full of missed opportunities. I was already a bit over RTD writing flamboyant and random queer-coded villains after he reinvented the Toymaker the same way he reinvented the Master (although a drag queen certainly adds a welcome layer to that) but it was sad that Maestro had the same surface-level connection to music as RTD's Toymaker had to games. Yeah they climb out of pianos and use sheet-music-themed whips and dress in a conductor's outfit, but that sounds more like a Batman villain than a Concept Made Flesh. Sure they can magically-somehow stop the world making music, but their motivation for it is... kill everyone in the universe? I really hope RTD can write better Old Gods than his last two if he plans to make them recurring villains. (By the way I assume that the world losing the ability to make music for two decades was magically unwritten at the end, but then again I assumed the same thing about the Flux destroying the universe and that was only half undone.)

Also, I know not every historical episode has to be a 2005-10 style celebrity historical (even though that might be one of my favourite ways of doing it), but if they didn't want to do that then it felt a bit out of place to have two of the Beatles turn up at the very end, with no idea what was going on, and save the day. (And the other two Beatles vanished completely. ...I know the other two were a bit less famous, but after learning that RTD ships the Supernatural brothers, I really wouldn't be surprised to learn he ships McCartney and Lennon.)

Anyway, some other fun or great moments that I wish were in a slightly more coherent episode are: Ruby playing her lovesick lesbian song, the Doctor and Ruby doing their piano battle together, the sonic silence scene, and the destroyed London scene which Maestro abruptly turned into a black background. Oh, and the Doctor saying "I thought that was non-diagetic" was hilarious, I think fans are going to get a lot of mileage out of the idea that the Doctor can hear the background music in older episodes.

Other random things about the episode: it did make me think of Scherzo's fairytale about the king who banished music from his realm. As a batfamily fan, the music teacher at the start being named Timothy Drake for no reason is confusing and funny. It's a niche pet peeve but I think its silly when fiction ties itself to when it's coming out for no reason or in contradiction to its own continuity, so Ruby saying her present day is mid-2024 baffled and irritated me. Since the last episode she's either been travelling with the Doctor for several months, staying at home for several months, or has decided to skip several months ahead, none of which seem very likely.

One last thing I'll say about The Devil's Chord is that the zany cartoonish energy, the visiting of recent history, and the magical menace all remind me of Legends of Tomorrow. It's one of my comfort shows that puts a lot of plot importance and stress on whimsy, jokes, and feel-good moments, but actually does tie them into the narrative. Compared to the last half dozen episodes of Doctor Who, Legends is more of an outright comedy, but its more satisfying and the emotional beats hit harder. If its trying for a more similar tone, I hope Doctor Who can reach the same highs as Legends (which, to be fair, took a few seasons to figure things out).

--

Finally I'll talk about the story arc! Or story arcs, because there's a lot going on. And looking back at his first time on the show, I realise RTD is a big fan of arcs that are basically just repeating things in the background that don't have any impact until the last few episodes. Personally I prefer arcs with a bit more relevance and development, but unfortunately that's probably harder to do on Doctor Who with less episodes.

That said, I was very surprised that Ruby's arc is one of the most interesting things to me in these episodes. The Doctor's memory of her mother changing and then breaking through into the real world is cool as hell, and then Ruby having something about her that trips up a god is really compelling 👀 Is that girl a cosmic horror??

On the other hand, another mention of 'the One Who Waits' is really boring lol. Just another ominous name that everyone can look concerned about without any substance. But I have seen fans connect it to the billboard for Chris Waites and the Carollers, which is hilarious. And speaking of, the mention of Susan was really cool, and so in-depth that it has me wondering if she'll actually come back, which I don't think New Who has made me do seriously before. Then again, it's so on the nose that surely it must be a red herring...

I can't wait to find out what it all means. And I can't wait for the next episode!

[memberment]

Genesis

12:06 oh my god I have once again woken up too early and this time it was not on purpose.

TRYING to speed run some of this pre-work. Updates later but GOOD MORNING

9:12 I am back and working on two chapters at the same time. BECAUSE I NEED TO CONCEPT A DAMN ANGEL FOR HEIDI AND KENNY TO FIGHT. I CONCEPTED ONE AT WORK BUT THEY CAN'T FIGHT THIS ONE LMFAO

Also I need a flashback for Kyle so I'm literally just playing procrastinator olympics as I pingpong between two chapters. I might work on Bound for a bit tonight though, ngl. Because I am 21 chapters completed deep and 71.9k words in on this and Bound has THREE CHAPTERS READY AND BOUND HAS INTERMISSION CHAPTERS SO TECHNICALLY TWO LIKE. I WANT THE OPTION TO NOT WRITE WHEN MY SEMESTER STARTS!!!! (It's not like I'd even follow that but STILL.)

Also next line up is prob not gonna have a fic for every day, much to my own disappointment. Because school literally starts in FOURTEEN DAYS. and I only have four things ready to go. And I am determined to finish Genesis before my semester starts. Like I'm definitely gonna take a solid break from this series before I start Revelation, because that is going to be A LOT. (I do not think I will be taking much of a break between Revelation and Karma though, ngl. Bc each part starts, like, immediately after the previous one, but I KNOW how Revelation ends and Karma starts already and it has me LOSING MY SHIT. LIKE THE ENDING OF FUCKING REVELATION IS INSANEEEEEEE. And I hope not a soul sees it coming despite it being RIGHT THERE.)

I am sad though because I did want to start on Princess of Fire and get to a point where regular posts can pull up on that because I genuinely really like the concept and like, fine, I'm getting better at writing (and it is SOT and I do not wanna post a shit SOT fic on Wintergrew's internet) as I go so maybe holding off isn't a huge deal BUT I WANT Y'ALL TO FUCKING SEE THE VISION‼️‼️‼️

I honestly wish I could livestream my brain does that make sense LMFAO

2:24: Tears just rolled down my cheeks at the realization that we have not had one goddamn (exclusively) Bebe centric chapter and I am trying to write chapter 24. OH MY GOD. I can't even give her a full filler chapter because I wan't my filler to be like LIGHT HEARTED AND FUN. I CAN'T JUST STRETCH OUT LIKE 3K WORDS OF HER JUST EXISTING IN THE MIDDLE OF ANY OF THIS. LIKE WE ARE TEN CHAPTERS DEEP INTO THE WORSE SHIT. OH MY GOD I HATE IT HERE. Like I actually was just scrolling through the chapter titles and was like 'oh we have Stan! We have Craig! We have duhduhduhduhduh.' AND I GOT TO THE BEGINNING AND THERE IS NO FUCKING BEBE CHAPTER?????? WHAT THE FUCK! (I literally did this with Butters in Dandelion and had the same reaction why is it that all of my favorite fucking characters I do this to???? HOW. Like, we get more of her in Revelations but WHAT! THE! FUCK!)

So yeah, 24 is gonna be Bebe, despite me kinda wanting it to be Tam or Wendy.

Also I'm reading 'You're Not Mine Anymore' AGAIN (because even though I said I hated it, that chapter has literally embedded itself in my brain. Like, it's so fucking disturbing and so sad and I actually wanna throw myself out my window every time I think about it LMFAO)

2:55 I changed one sentence in this chapter and now I'm actually gonna sob. I hate it here.

4:30 I got distracted and watched tik toks since my last update, specifically spending like an entire ten minutes absolutely geeking over the 1970's gymnastics olympics and I am now back at my keyboard. I got a very specific bit of inspiration and it is fucking TERRIFYING.

Anyways. RIP Craig. Like seriously, dude is going THROUGH IT. This is what I get for ignoring him for like a week and a half (two weeks? ish. I'm settling on ish, here. A VAGUE, BUT NOT VERY LONG AMOUNT OF TIME) of their time when he is actively losing his shit.

I think killing him and Tweek off at this point is more of a mercy killing than anything on my part why did I do this to them I am so sad. AND THE FACT THAT THEIR DEATHS IS WHAT THIS WHOLE FIC GOT CONCEPTED AROUND IS FUCKING INSANE. LIKE I WROTE THEIR DEATH SCENE AND WAS LIKE WELP GOTTA WRITE A MAGICAL GIRL FIC.

And now I'm slowly but surely on my way to that chapter and annotating and writing in bits and pieces of THAT chapter and I'm like wow. Wow oh wow. Might need a hallucinations tag. Hypothetically, of course. But also hypothetically, would the hallucinations tag apply to this if said hallucinations are questionably real? Hypothetically. Anyways, when Fall From Grace gets posted, y'all are gonna need like sixteen and a half TWs.

And now I'm off to go write this fucking MESS of a chapter that is the Bebe chapter because I STILL DIDN'T WRITE IT. AND I AM OFFICIALLY DOWN TO THIRTEEN DAYS.

Another hypothetical, while I'm still here before I leave again and don't update until god knows when. Do you guys think I can finish 20 chapters in 13 days? Like, that would be approximately 60-80k words. Do y'all think I got this? And I'm typing that and realizing I thought the wc for this was gonna be like 100k and am now realizing I'm at 74k and just wow. ANYWAYS. LATER. Hope y'all are enjoying my extra long screams into the void tonight.

4:55 Black Swan cries out violently in the background as I realize I have just made five out of six, the quintet is now a trio, and Red is just there not giving a fuck. My head is in my hands. My jaw is dropped. I fear I may be evil for writing this.

May the gods I don't believe in help us all.

(I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN THIS MANY MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS. MY MAX HAS BEEN TWO SO FAR. THIS IS WHY DESOLATION ENDED THE WAY IT DID BECAUSE I FEARED THIS.)

Eh, fun fact while I'm here again. The original ending of Desolation, everyone was gonna die except for Kyle.

But wow OH WOW. Yeah, this is why I don't write major character death.

It is 6:26 am and I just posted An Answer chapter in attempts to procrastinate this horrible ending further and the realization has dawned on me that I am now involved in the mystery because I'm rereading and I have no idea WHAT THE FUCK is going on. I'm laughing so hard over this. God, how two months can really slip away is insane.

6:49: guys I'm rereading this and I am actually thrown off by my own writing like I fully forgot how off-putting this fic is supposed to be BECAUSE of what happened and why things are like this and I actually fell into my own fucking trap. I'm crying this is so funny HELP

7:02: not me happily reading and giggling over platonic twendy fluff and just getting smacked in the face by shit getting very real very fast. this is wild.

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 180

Chapter 180: "Your Everything"

I can understand how the demon god says he can't kill Emma or any of her family due to the promise she just made, but what if he physically wasn't capable of doing so regardless? Sure, right after the reveal He mentions how He "doesn't intend to" which gives the implication that He could, but what if, despite all the power He has to change the space around him, people's fate and whatever else, He's actually harmless? It would be kinda a letdown if we spent all that time worrying for our girl's life for nothing, but I'd still be grateful. It would make some sense as to why he has the other demons harvest food for him instead of obtaining it Himself, aside from the fact he's a literal god who's well respected by them.

Let the real pain begin! Maaann, it sucks that we've come this far into the story and watched these precious kids endure such hardships and yet once they all achieve their goal, the stress and drama just keeps on coming! At the end of the day, I can appreciate the high stakes of the reward and how greatly it effects Emma and her family, but that blank look on her face always breaks me.

Demon god may take Emma's memories but I'm about to take Him out with a good whack to the head courtesy of Barbara's spiked bat.

We know Emma cares way more about her family than herself, so hearing that they can all safely cross over to the human world and be free is obviously the best kind of news she can hear, but damn honey, that sad smile makes me wanna cry.

Like Ayshe, it's a shame that Alex is introduced to us so late in the story because there's a whole lot more I wanna learn about him aside from what he tells Emma and what we can deduce from the photos he has hanging up on his wall. There's no possible way he could've been introduced earlier in the story, since arriving in the human world was the shared dream of all the cattle children, but I wish this arc lasted longer so we could've at least seen more of his growing relationship with Emma.

Aahh, she's trying so very hard to remember anything about her life. I hate seeing her look so defeated. Whenever our Emma felt lost or down in the past, she would have her family around to help her or even resort to that famous optimism of hers to get her mind back on track, but she's really got nothing right now. Yeah she eventually gets to a point where she feels better about her situation as we see her spend more time with Alex in this new life during this chapter, but such sad expressions don't look good on our normally cheerful leader.

As much as I love how Emma kept all the photos Ray once gave her this entire time, I hate how they've become completely distorted by the price of the reward. Demon god just keeps landing more critical hits on my heart. I do have to wonder if the WM pen still works at all or not though. Her and Alex had to be a little curious about a pen that doesn't work like an actual pen. But yeah, seeing a young teenager with a gun that size is definitely a red flag. Luckily Alex finally learns from Emma's family the reason why she had it in offscene026 (which isn't an extra page from the manga but can't recall where it's from exactly), along with all the other odd and impressive skills she retained because she was one of the cattle children, but until then the poor man believed she was an escaped child solider or secret agent, which doesn't seem too farfetched considering everything else that's happened in the story.

I'll never get used to seeing Emma without her ID. That 63194 is iconic damn it, whether on her neck or in song form! But bless Alex for being such a kind gentleman and practically adopting Emma without question. Undoubtedly one of the best parents of the series and quite literally the only one that's safe from any possible death threats (the one perk to being introduced so late I suppose). I also love all the patterns he has on his clothes and around the house.

Although I love the jacket she wears at the end of this chapter and the next, along with the outfit that's briefly shown at the start of the epilogue which gives me serious GP outfit vibes, Emma looks real good wearing all these cute patterns. I'm assuming these clothes once belonged to Alex's daughter and it's sweet he shares them with Emma.

I think I rambled on a little bit with this idea back during ch101 about the necklace and because of it resembling the dragon's eye (that's supposedly capable of seeing through everything), it managed to nullify the consequences of the reward, which is why Emma was capable of seeing her family in her dreams and eventually cause her to reunite with them by being sorta sentient in a way since it slipped off her neck.. somehow. Anyway, not really relevant to any of that, but the larger blanket on her bed always reminded me of a giraffe pattern which obviously suits our girl so well.

Having all her most important people call out to her and not remember a single soul, including herself, ugh.. I wish to lay down and sob.

As if the whole memory loss situation didn't already upset me enough already, let's add Emma crying in her sleep to the list.

I'm slow in realizing this, but this is probably the same church that was shown in Alex's photos.

Loneliness truly is a horrible feeling, but at least they can comfort each other. While I'm certain both of them would love to reconnect with their respective families again, having one person by your side is a whole lot better than no one at all.

As long as you keep your family and friends in your heart, they'll always be with you, so While Alex doesn't necessarily need to stay in one place to remember them, I understand that being around a familiar place where he shared countless memories with them would allow him to remember everyone easier. It's sweet of him to still be concerned of Emma's family a month later despite her having trouble thinking about them in the first place.

I get annoyed at myself whenever I say I'm gonna do something then forget the exact thing I planned to do just minutes after, so I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for Emma to remember nothing of her previous life. Well, I everything that doesn't directly relate to her family or the demon world anyways, such as firing a gun, her athleticism and all her habits, but to hell with the demon god. This reward is still so cruel.

Mhhhmm her optimism has slowly but surely been returning to her as well, just not in the way we would've wanted/expected. Even though I would love for her to remain hopeful that she could meet or remember her family someday, I'm proud of her that she decides not to dwell on her losses anymore and begins living a happier life.

The absolute joy I felt upon seeing Ray, Gilda and Phil being so close to finally finding our girl.. aaahh it just makes you wanna jump into the panel and shout at them to TURN THE HELL AROUND.

Favorite panel/moment:

I got this far and realized I actually chosen three different scenes, so.. I'm gonna cheat. Of course, I love this quick dream scenario of what Emma's life could've looked like had she arrived in the human world alongside her entire family without any compensation, as her number is still visible on her neck here. I also just really love everyone's different outfits! And I'm once again only noticing now that the patterns on Emma's shorts and the hood part of her shirt match the pattern that Alex had on his original jacket.

Remember way back at the end of ch1 when Emma declares that she wouldn't cry anymore? Yeah, well, obviously this Emma doesn't recall that promise to herself and proceeds to let out an impressive amount of tears while shattering my heart in the process. Aahhh, this is another moment I'm glad that was never animated because hearing all that emotion in her voice would surely make me cry along with her. And I praised the anime's use of a sunrise during the end of their interpretation of the ch122-123 balcony scene, so even though this chapter came first, I do enjoy how the rising sun has sorta become a symbol that restores Emma's optimism because it's shortly after this breakdown that she starts to act like her old self again.

Lastly, Alex giving Emma a head pat. I desperately wished this would've caused her to remember all the head pats Ray gave her in the past, or at the very least spark some kind of deja vu feeling, but alas, we weren't that lucky.

[sabrinasfeather]

You’re argument is that Gale is a bad friend because he ‘blamed’ Katniss for what she did to survive the games. I’ve read Catching Fire the most in the series, and there are a whopping 0 quotes of Gale doing this. Here’s what the text actually says: “He (Gale) only has his Sundays off, and I think he likes saving for you (Katniss)” and Katniss says “Hunting with Gale is still the best part of my week”. If Gale was blaming Katniss for the games, I don’t think he’d be trying his hardest to spend time for her, and I also doubt Katniss would be happy with him constantly blaming her. But wait! Hunting with Gale is still her best part of her week.

actually he does blame her and here's the proof

(He stands in the doorway as if considering whether or not to enter. He holds the unopened leather bag of food, the flask, Cinna's gloves. Gifts he will not accept because of his anger at me. I know exactly how he feels. Didn't I do the same thing to my mother? i look in his eyes. His temper can't quite mask the hurt, the sense of betrayal he feels at my engagement to Peeta.) this is a prime example of him blaming her he's mad at her for being engaged even though he is a very least somewhat aware that she doesn't want it. here's another example.("It's the way he hates you. It's so...familiar. I used to feel like that," he admits. "When I'd watch you kissing him on the screen. Only I knew I wasn't being entirely fair. He can't see that.") mockying chapter 17. so yes he was he may never have said it out loud but it's very obvious in his actions that he did blame her and the reason Gail still hung out with her it's probably because they still were trying to feed his family and yes it was still the best part of her week but she said is not the same because of the strain between them and that has a lot to do with him being upset about her being in a fake relationship with Peeta and Peeta at one point blamed her too but the difference is he takes accountability and apologizes for his actions wow gale never does deal doesn't oh and it's not just a blaming he also guilt trips her and manipulate her .

("I knew you'd kiss me.""How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself."Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention." He picks up the box. "Don't worry, Katniss. It'll pass.") this is what I'm talking about he literally admitted to making katniss to feel guilty and to kiss him oh and then he complains about her kissing him it's one of my most hated Gale moments because this it's just pure manipulation there's no buts about it he knew how she was going to react feeling to him rejected and feeling like he doesn't have a chance with her romantically and he did it anyway and that to me is gross. here's another example of him being manipulative and blaming katniss.

("I thought...I'll never compete with that. No matter how much pain I'm in." He spins the feather between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't stand a chance if he doesn't get better. You'll never be able to let him go. You'll always feel wrong about being with me.")

This is blame. Straight up, Grade A premium blame being put on Katniss because OMG she has strong feelings for someone NOT Gale. This isn’t about her feelings. This is all about him and how he’s been ‘mistreated’ by her. He’s laying all this guilt on her because he can’t handle. I hate that he was making someone else’s pain all about himself. Seriously, your “rival” has been tortured and brainwashed and all you can think about is how this affects you? While your supposed best friend is clearly miserable about this, and all you can do is just add to her emotional turmoil instead of making any kind of attempt at being a supportive friend? I never liked G/K as a ship, but Mockingjay really showed me why I didn’t like them as friends, either. there are other examples of him just being s*****t but I think you get my point.

Alright well no offense but you’re proofs don’t really change my views on shipping Everthorne.

For starters, you stated that Gale blamed Katniss for the games, not the marriage proposal. While the games were a means for survival and Gale knew that, it’s one thing to act like you’re in love with someone for survival than to getting married to someone else. Gale did not know the marriage was staged, so he was literally losing the girl he loved, to the same guy who blew her off for 6 MONTHS. I would be jealous about that too, but you’re also leaving out the crucial details, that Gale still showed up and listened to her talk. When Peeta (who knew the love act was for survival) realized she didn’t actually love him, he refused to even interact with her. For Mockingjay, yeah if would make sense for Gale to be jealous that the girl he loved was kissing someone else. But did he hold it against her? Did he stop taking care of her family because of it? Did he ghost her like Peeta did? No, because he knew that wouldn’t be fair.

For the kiss, the only way you can get that Gale was manipulating her is if you assume Gale cried so Katniss would kiss him. Which if you read the text (Gale, who I have never seen cry before) he was not cried so Katniss would kiss him. He also told Katniss not to worry about him! He wasn’t being an asshole, he was telling her she didn’t have to worry about him.

Lastly, the last quote is legit Gale admitting he knew Katniss had a special relationship with Peeta. Which is true! Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other, I wouldn’t hate a character for speaking his thoughts. And did you forget that Gale risked his life to save Peeta?? Without Gale, he’d still be in the Capital. Also, does Katniss show any signs that she felt guilted? No, no she did not. She kissed him because she wanted a distraction, and Gale stopped her because she wasn’t in the right state of mind. Wow! Such harassment! Letting ur friend go because she’s confused and not pressuring her. You’re right, Gale is such a bad person.

I’m not gonna tag this post, feel free to respond if you want, but you’re gonna have to find more proof to make me change my mind

[need-a-name-101]

Should you watch fma'03? Yes (if you want). BUT! Here's the thing: fma'03 is its own story. It never intended to be an adaptation. The author of the manga immediately gave the anime staff her blessing to create an original ending because the old anime got aired when there was very little source material. HOWEVER, the fma'03 starts diverging from the manga basically from THE VERY BEGINNING. It hits the same or similar plot points at first, but the chronology of the whole series is completely different from the source material. There are added sidestories, added characters, some sidestories get omitted as well as some characters. The whole story is a remix and then its original thing.

The Brotherhood has a rushed first part. But overall is an actual adaptation of the manga (although it also omits some things, adds some things (the whole first episode is a filler that spoils things that are revealed in the first or second episode...) exaggerates some things...). But generally, it is THE Fullmetal Alchemist story intended by its author.

Watching fma'03 is completely optional. It's basically an official AU. If you want to watch the series with a different tone and a different storyline then give it a go (and watch Conqueror of Shamballa which is a movie but also an official ending to the series).

When should you watch it? Whenever you want. Personally, I'd watch Brotherhood first, simply to see where the author wanted to take the story and then go for 2003 version. To see it in a different light but also to spend some more time with the characters.

(Sorry for barging in with that whole essay, but I saw some answers to your question and I saw the tip to watch fma'03 till the Laboratory 5 and then go switch to Brotherhood and I almost clutched my metaphorical pearls in horror 😂

Please, don't do this, or if you do decide to do this, do it KNOWING what you are actually watching. Fma'03, while with the full blessing of the author, is not Fullmetal Alchemist as the author intended it to be. It is truly its own thing. Althoigh obviously, I don't know if the changes were made wholluly by the director or maybe they were advised by the manga's author herself. But without knowing this, I opt to fully distinguish the two.

Both are great stories tho!. But they are different stories. Different resolutions, different tones, different characters. Which is fun!)

Omg no worries, I have actually been so confused about the whole thing. And reading whatever people have been telling me has been very helpful, because let’s be honest google is not good for this, it’s better to ask the fans.

After reading what everyone said I am watching brotherhood first simply because I have already started it. I just wanted to know if I need to watch FMA to understand brotherhood. And turns out not really, and I did not know that there were movies 😓

I don’t think that the first episode spoils things revealed in the second episode and all. Probably because I haven’t read the manga or anything as this is my introduction to the fandom.

(And the tip about watching till lab 5 and then switching I am very confused about that tbh. But I am gonna watch brotherhood first because a lot of people were like you can watch either first)

Thank you so much taking the time to answer.

[getitfrenchship]

Hello, friends! Hope you're all doing well. In fact, I'd like to know what you're all up to so I can reconnect with friends again. What things are you watching/playing/doing now? Any new things in life you'd like to discuss?

Below the cut I'll say what I've been up to!

Just got back from my local con today and while I did spend a lot on game collecting + VA stuff, I'm glad I went. Thankfully I got paid Friday (though that means I'll have to wait to get paid again in 2 weeks) and my financial situation isn't dire. It's kinda like when you go to Disneyland and get caught up in the spectacle of things. Oh yeah, an IRL friend from high school helped me with a lot of the VA stuff since she had a VIP pass & could skip long lines. (On that note FUCK F//UNKO SCALPERS FOR HOGGING LINES AND MAKING ME WAIT 2 HOURS FOR ONE VA AAAAAAAAAA)

Thankfully, no insurance adjuster lady to drive me up the wall this past month at work. A few eh client encounters but overall it's been way more pleasant than it was a few months ago. ...Might still need to figure out vacation time just so I can take a longer break (and maybe find a government job if I'm able to find something so I have guaranteed holidays).

That being said, S//aimon's series is starting to see a spike of discourse and one of the servers I'm in keeps talking about it. It's making me feel bad as a result. Thankfully, none of the people in it are starting the discourse, but they tend to go "getaloadofthisguy" a lot. Along with usual self ship discourse that I see on my dash (that again thankfully neither friends nor I directly participate in), it kinda just drains me.

Seasonal anime I'm watching are Detergent (hopefully one of Shitsui's big scenes will happen next week; they took a break this week), Und//ead Mur//der Far//ce, Hel//ck (though I'm admittedly not really paying attention to this one), Happy Marriage, J J K season 2 (i am not ready for this arc AAAAAAAAA), and Z//om 100. When there isn't a seasonal anime for me to watch at work, there's Sai//ki K (I think watching Bla//ck Lag//oon kinda helped make me more bitter at work, but I'm feeling better now that I'm watching Sai//ki). Oh, I might check out OPLA since I hear it's an actual good adaptation. Aaaand F//ionna and C//ake too! God, I went "kindred spriits" with Simon's episode

Currently I'm playing Se//a of St//ars and I really like how it looks & plays so far! (Of course, I loved Chr//ono Trig//ger, so the gameplay feels right at home). I wooould continue Gh//ost Tri//ck, but I'm at a stealth section and like I expected, I'm looking up a lot of the puzzle solutions online instead of figuring it out for myself. Curse you, time limits!!! (And for Bom//b R//ush, I feel like I need to play with music, but I keep forgetting to bring my wired headphones. Bluetooth is for my phone mainly due to personal preference). I also watched the endings for OT2 and AUGH I LOVE THIS GAME SO MUCH!!!

Oh, a new manga I found called "Inv//isible Man & his soon to be bride" is cute so far.

someday i will find balam merch. somedaaaay

I might do a separate post showing my current ideas for S/I's/OCs, but hhhh I'm hesitant. Right now I just know for a P3 OC he takes inspiration from "The Stranger"

boy howdy i sure hope bluesky finally makes my account or i can get an invite because i really want tweetor to die. ...though i'd miss posting switch screenshots directly

[motsimages]

Things I notice in US mainstream media that shock me because they are weird culturally speaking

People don't touch each other. They may be suffering a lot and very rarely does someone offer a hug or even touch their shoulder. Even when there is physical contact, it's not as frequent as in my real Mediterranean life. Btw, this has changed somewhere in the 90s-2000s, while still never being as frequent as in Spain, there was more physical contact before that time.

The whole high school experience, I could really just make a post on this to get into detail. There is absolutely nothing similar to how high schools are in Spain, and probably in Europe in general or in anywhere not the US. And learning that the social hierarchies of high school are actually like that in real life doesn't make it better. I'd just rather think they are a plot device.

Teenagers with cars.

To be fair, I'm intrigued by the portrayal of teenagers in movies because even when it is well done, they're still alien. The fact that they're played by 30 year-olds doesn't help. And there are SO MANY MOVIES AND SERIES about teenagers. Why? What is it so important about that age? When I was a teenager it felt like a formality until you become an adult.

In work related things, people don't stop for lunch. It's always nothing or something on the go. Very rarely you see people cooking or stopping for lunch. I think I only saw someone bringing a tupperware to work in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (I think that's the name), but people, generally speaking, don't eat much in US media.

In hospital shows, often doctors are doing the nurses' jobs. It's probably because they are the protagonists but still weird. Also, interesting that any hospital show looks normal to anyone not in the US and then you learn about how healthcare works in the US and why do those shows even exist? Most of the people there couldn't afford it.

How easy it is to sue someone. The "I will sue you" threat and the "I will contact my lawyers" line are frequent and for all kinds of things.

They live in massive houses with a garden, the mother rarely works... Again, fantasy land. For years I really thought this was a "movie thing", like all the other things I mention that are so weird.

The university life and the dorm thing. As alien as the high school experience.

"Do the right thing". The sentence itself and the message that comes with it. Completely alien. Again, I take it as a plot device, I'm not sure I fully grasp the cultural implications of this in real life. What is "the right thing", though? And they rarely translate it well into Spanish so it is even more difficult to picture. "Haz lo correcto" doesn't mean anything if you think about it. "Haz lo que tengas que hacer", "Haz lo que debas" like the movie title, "Elige el camino bueno". I really don't know, but definitely not "Lo correcto".

Fathers never making it to spend time with the family. We even had an ad for Spanish cinema mocking this because it is so pervasive as a trope. Those fathers are usually married to the mothers I mentioned earlier.

The fortune cookies. Maybe some Chinese restaurants are starting to serve them now but I will always remember a Hong-Kong girl invited me to dinner to a local Chinese restaurant where she was friends with the Chinese lady owner. And she was all like "shall we get the fortune cookies, like in the movies?" and I said "sure!" and then the old lady said "I don't have that, it only happens in the movies".

How Christian everyone and everything is, while not being Catholic. It is a weird Christianity, that sometimes is warm and welcoming but it is still very weird because it permeates so many things all the time. And since I started watching movies in English, how often people uses euphemisms for so many things. In Spanish we shit on God on a daily basis, and in the US you get the shy "oh my gosh" all the time.

Related to the one before: How prudish everything is. Edulcorated too.

There is a type of comedy in the US that I can't understand and I can't describe. It's like slapstick if it were made by people who are afraid of doing comedy but still want to be the center of attention. I don't like it. I'd say Jim Carrey would be an example of this. The SNL show too.

DATING. Again, I could make a post just about this. So alien. So nothing like what I know. And, just like the high school experience, when people actually explain to you the cultural things that you are missing in the movies it is actually worse somehow. To give you an idea of the shock I have: in Spain we don't go on dates. We don't have "first dates" as such, generally speaking. Some people do, I don't know, if you met on tinder or something like that, but with people you know?? I go on dates *with my boyfriend of several years*, not with a random guy.

[adam-sadmon]

So ya know, a lot of people I know (friends, acquaintances etc.) have felt, especially this year, the call of the abyss, the sheer absence of any purpose or will to live, some felt it a little more than others.

I've always considered myself lucky, ever since I overcame that issue myself, that I'm maybe uniquely gifted in the ability to find a lot of joy in the little things, it's easy to see that as taking what scraps life throws off its plate to you, but I especially am guilty of always thinking life should be more, a better job, a relationship, more money, bigger house, fancy clothes etc. And to that I'd say, as I've learned: Survive first, live second. These are trying times even for those with a decent starting hand, let alone those without.

So, with all that said, I wanted to get out a few little things I've enjoyed this year, I hope you reblog it and add some of your own, I have no end of want to pick up some new hobbies or fascinations, and I'd love to make some mutuals on here. So with all that said:

Gunpla- Right, so this has been the big one. I first got into it when I came across a Zaku II Gunpla on Halloween and, being a big fan of mecha and the Zaku's design I picked it up. Prior to this I had been struggling with my free time and what to do with it, it was a time when I eagerly anticipated sleep and would zone out and go into a full dopamine fueled trance of YouTube shorts and whatever was on TV. Gunpla changed that. Now, every night for an half an hour, an hour, maybe 2, I'd sit down, put a podcast from my mountain of media I need to get through on in the background, and get to work. It's been genuinely nice having an actual hobby, something I can take some time on, actually think my own thoughts for a little bit, and be rewarded with something to put up. For Christmas I invested in some tools (sharper snippers, some different grit sandpaper, line removers etc.) and hope next year to slowly improve, make my builds a little cleaner. Gunpla really speaks to the average Japanese hobbyist I imagine, the whole idea of measure twice, cut once, spending an inordinate amount of time on a single part so it's polished to perfection, and taking pride in what you do, I get it now.

If you want to get into Gunpla yourself I, much as I love the Zaku, can't really recommend the High Grade Zaku II as mine falls apart if I look at it funny, though I've recently bought a high grade RX-78 which I've heard is sturdier. If you like either of those and find yourself getting into the hobby then I absolutely recommend the Real Grade Z'Gok, it was a treat to put together from start to finish, it's a beautiful piece of plastic even if you (like me) don't plan on painting it, it's sturdy and it's articulation is second to none. I've recently picked up a Real Grade Zeong for Christmae and, on and off-note, I feel like every time I see a new suit I think "that's the dumbest thing I've ever seen", and it immediately enters my faves. Z'Gok, Zeong, Gogg and Hygogg.

Gundam - So, this may be cheating because arguably Gundam is as far removed from a little thing as possible, but really the way I see Gundam is you choose what looks the coolest to you and jump in.

So a friend asked if I had actually watched any Gundam when I bought my Gunpla, and while I maintain so long as you think the Gunpla in question would look sick on a shelf you need no other reason to justify getting it, I'm again a big fan of mecha so decided I'd have a go. So here come the recommendations:

Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky - First of the Thunderbolt movies and (from what I understaaaaand?) is an OVA of a full series, December Sky is for my money the most War is Hell of any Gundam series while still remaining actually believable and salient to war and it's impacts as we know it today. It stars Daryl Lorenz, an amputee sniper and mobile suit pilot of the evil Zeon regime and focuses a lot on his and his brothers in arms' role under Zeon and how each side has good, honest men and women fighting for causes they don't understand or have lost all meaning of, with special focus on the cold brutality of war, how it affects people inside the mechs and out and how much can be lost for so little. It has a pretty famous soundtrack comprised of frenetic and freestyle jazz as well as some wholly original, voiced pop songs, with the framing device of both Daryl and rival pilot Io Flemming listening to music they have a deep connection with during fights, the juxtaposition of which is awe inspiring, tragic and sometimes even beautiful, in a haunting way. Not for the faint of heart but a must watch for people like me who prefer more grounded and brutal mech combat as well as a story both introspective of its themes and characters. I won't say much about Io Flemming because this is a positive post and, I'mma keep it real with you, I hate Io Flemming.

Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower - Now this is a very hard recommendation. December Sky is sold a lot on its narrative and thematic elements, whereas Bandit Flower throws basically all of that out for balls to the wall anime bullshit. Focus is given less on the characters or any overarching point but instead on showcasing all the cool new Gundams. I'd still recommend it however if only because it's focus entirely on spectacle and action means it's at the very least a fun, dumb watch, with admittedly a few standout story moments like the Zeon Remnants as characters and their fight in the Arctic.

War in the Pocket - Points immediately for maybe my favourite mobile suit in the entire franchise, the Hygogg, War in the Pocket is also in the War is Hell subcategory following the great war between the goodies and the baddies (I'm condensing here) through the eyes of a kid caught in the middle of it, with a LOT of time dedicated to more of the slice of life of your ordinary kid in the Universal Gundam universe, though what fights do occur onscreen are stellar. A mixed bag when it comes to recommending it since your patience has to be pretty high and, admittedly, I feel like Gundam is perfectly capable of delivering its message while not boring me. Still, it's 80's animation so even the boring bits are a joy to watch.

Deli Sandwiches - Okay, yes I know this sounds like I'm prescribing hearty sandwiches for depression and yes I kinda am but here me out: Corned beef. This is probably going to really emphasise just how much joy I can find in the little things but sat down, watching TV with corned beef, sauerkraut and melted swiss cheese all in one beautiful hoagie, it made me feel like life isn't all bad. I don't even LIKE cheese that's how good it was.

Street Fighter - So to preface this, Street Fighter is a series I've WANTED to get into for sometime. I remember vividly playing SF2 Turbo on my Gameboy Advance back when I was a kid and, when I was in my teens and wanting to actively get into fighting games, picking up SFV. This, right, was a mistake. Street Fighter unlike any other franchise I've played is not only not beginner friendly it's most diehard fans seem to want to keep it that way, so thank God for SF6. Even beyond all the praise I could give it for Modern Controls and it's ability to not only let me play the game, in a hype manner, online against real people and WIN but it's a visually gorgeous game, it's redesigns of classic characters are basically all straight up improvements and new characters (shoutouts especially to my mains, Manon, Marisa and A.K.I) all have a sense of identity and belonging within the SF universe, and that's not even mentioning the soundtrack. Go, immediately, listen to R.E.D, Zangief's theme, The Plunderer, JP's theme.

I titled this recommendation Street Fighter and not Street Fighter 6, because playing SF6, actually getting invested in the characters and feeling like I'm a part of this niche now, urged me to seek out more, which is why I'm also going to recommend the Udon comics which I've read enough issues of to give a give thumbs up as well as the 1994 anime movie, not heavy on plot but easily some of the most enjoyable martial arts fight choreography in anime.

The Yogpod - So this isn't really anything new to me, per se, but I hope it will be for you. I used to listen to the Yogpod, that is the Yogscast's podcast, a long while back, not when it first premiered but in time to listen as some of the middle to later episodes first came out. Lewis and Simon at their peak were, and I use this word specifically, effortlessly funny and had a genuine sense of camaraderie, with hour long conversations that devolve into tangent after tangent from a single talking point the way conversations with old friends do, and it's great to sit in on that not only for the laughs but, and this may sound sad, feeling like your there.

Now, I will add a few things:

This is specially the Yogpod, not Triforce. Ive5nit listened to Triforce as I'm nit familiar with its newer cast and while I have no doubt it probably is a good listen perhaps it's just my nostalgia but I have no urge to listen to it.

I have not kept up with the Yogscast as they are today at all, I'm not aware of their political leanings or any drama outside of the Sjin incident which, as far as I'm aware, they handled in the most sensible manner possible.

All that said, onto recommendations. Honestly the first episode where they call Sips in my mind is mandatory listening, it was a complete dumpster fire of a pilot and that's what makes it so genuinely hilarious. Others of note are I believe the 2nd or 3rd episode, 'Drugs and Zombies', all the Spooktacular/Spacktacular Halloween specials as well as their Simple Simon interview with Bill Bailey, if you like any of those really do give them a listen.

Horror movies - Now, I already have an alt account dedicated specially to horror media, horror as an interest is not at all new to me, I've been drawing monsters back when I was using crayons, it's always been my favourite genre and I'll try to keeo this brief or I'll be rambling for days. This year I decided to start buying physical and collectors editions/Blu Rays of horror movies which eventually spurred me into branching out and actually watching some new movies, and by new I mean at least 3 decades old, but new to me. Specifically I wanted to seek out absolute garbage, and while garbage I often found there was the occasional gem, and those are:

Motel Hell - Horror comedy starring Rory Calhoun as Farmer Vincent, known all around the USA for his smoked meats, you get where this is going. It is bizarre, it is somehow stranger than Texas Chainsaw, and like Texas Chainsaw 2 ALSO ends with a chainsaw dual between a sheriff and a pig-coded, skin-mask wearing cannibal.

Ghostwatch - NOT a trash movie but easily one of the most effective pieces of, at the time, interactive horror and ghost media, the less spoiled the better. It was produced by the BBC and starred a lot of 90's BBC alum with the framing of a Halloween ghost hunt that, at the time, aired live to the entire UK, this as I'm told was sorta like our War of the Worlds broadcast.

So, yeah, I hope this terrifying dive into the psyche of a man easily pleased by deli meat and giant robots/trashy horror movies/buff women has given you some ideas and maybe the perspective to look at the little things you enjoy in life and to keep on enjoying them, I'd genuinely like to hear any recommendations of your own, as I said I'm always looking for more to get into, hoping everyone has an easier time of next year and happy holidays to you all.

[brandstifter-sys]

Distracting

For @dukexietyweek Day 2: Games           (Ao3)(login required)

Word Count: 1579

Characters: Virgil, Remus, Roman (mentioned)

Rating: T

Warnings: Intrusive thoughts, anxiety, crying, mentions of suicide, referenced suicide attempt, sexual themes, gore mention

Virgil and Remus tend to get serious when they play video games. And when Remus gets anxious because of his thoughts, Virgil knows just how to comfort him.

---

Sometimes having a boyfriend like Remus meant getting dragged into the Imagination for some crazy adventure. Sometimes it meant cuddling him so he wouldn't flail in his sleep when he had nightmares. Sometimes it meant some violent suggestive roleplay. But sometimes it meant playing video games and having a heart to heart. 

Virgil was used to Remus rambling on about his frustrations while plowing through zombies. He was used to venting about his own struggles when it was his turn on the controller. They were better at talking shit when they were both playing. But this time was different. 

"You know what really grinds my gears?" Remus said as he moved Leon through the police station. He was sitting on the couch, leaning on his knees and watching the screen. 

"A lot of things. What is it this time?" Virgil asked from his perch on the couch. 

"Roman. He won't shut up about Nico, and he keeps flooding the Imagination with fluffy romantic scenarios about Thomas getting married and growing old with him," Remus huffed as his fingers worked over the controller.

"What's wrong with that?" Virgil bristled. So maybe he was making that worse. 

"Nothing, but he's setting himself up for heartache. He's trying to make his fantasies reality when Thomas doesn't really know Nico. He's not excited for the journey, just the goals. It'll bite him in the ass if he can't separate reality from fantasy." 

"You're one to talk," Virgil scoffed. 

"I am! When's the last time Thomas actually murdered someone? Or fought a pack of coyotes? Or decided that the blender was a good place to stick his—" 

"Point made." 

"I don't really want to take over the bulk of the creative work while he wallows again. I let my influence slip in too much. I thought you would have caught me back then." 

"You did a good enough job that I thought those slips were just Roman being a mess," Virgil shrugged. 

"Daw," Remus giggled and glanced at him quickly when he was in a safe room, "That's the nicest thing you've said to me all week!" 

"It's Sunday, you dork," Virgil huffed and crossed his arms. He hated how easily Remus could fluster him even though they'd been together since before the series started.

"Yeah and? You'll probably say something even nicer to me before Saturday!" 

"If I didn't have a shit ton of work to do, I'd be insulted." 

"I like it when you're snarky and mean! You come up with the wittiest comebacks and threats, and it makes me feel special that you use that brain power and creativity on me!" Remus said with a shimmy. 

Virgil grumbled and hid his face in his hands. He pulled his knees to his chest and tried to disappear. He really had to get better at taking compliments. At least Remus went back to playing his game. 

"You know, the worst part of this whole Nico thing is that you're involved on Roman's side."

"Are you jealous that I'm spending time with Roman?" 

"Nope! I like that you're friends! I don't know if I like how he's influencing how you think about Nico," Remus replied through gritted teeth. 

"What are you trying to say?" 

"I'm worried about you. You're usually cautious about other people, you need to know more before you get attached. If he's not the guy you guys imagine, I know Pissboy will lose it, but what about you?" Remus asked and wiped his eyes, "What happens to you when he goes back to being a tyrant?"

"Octopup?" Virgil asked and relaxed his posture. 

"What if he starts blaming you and attacking you again when things go wrong?" Remus rambled. He had to pause the game because his hands were shaking, "Wouldn't it hurt more since you were actively trying to help? What if he pushes you to the edge again? I know how mean and hurtful he can get."

Virgil took the controller and set it down before pulling Remus onto his lap. Remus clung to him and trembled. 

"What if I'm not enough to stop you? What if you decide to try again?" 

"Your intrusive thoughts are getting to you," Virgil said softly and rubbed his back. It wasn't an accusation, but an understanding. 

"I can see it so clearly. The falling, the abyss, and then you disappearing. And it could happen! It's not just a bad idea this time!" Remus sobbed, "I keep seeing you die over and over, just like the last time. And I was right back then! If I didn't show up—" he hiccuped and shook with a another wave of tears. 

"Puppy," Virgil said and kissed his forehead, "I'm not going to let that happen. Even if he blames me for everything, I know he doesn't mean it, I know that the others see my worth, and I know that I can't bear the thought of actually hurting you. I can't forget the way you looked at me, the way you pulled me back without touching me. I can't do that again." 

"Virgil," Remus said and looked up at him, "I love you." 

"I love you too," Virgil said and hugged him, "And I won't let any other anxiety eat you alive. You're my snack." 

Remus giggled wetly and nuzzled into his shoulder. It wasn't often he got anxious over his intrusive thoughts, so he was glad to have the most experienced anxious mess with him. 

"Can we play a game?" Remus asked, unsure if Virgil would go with it. With all that needed to be said out of the way, Remus needed a good distraction.

"I guess Resident Evil isn't the best option. So how about this? You name a musician or band and I'll tell you what song of theirs reminds me of you," Virgil suggested. He could think of something else if he had to. 

"If I don't know the song will you sing the lyrics?" 

"It won't be the whole song." 

"Okay. I'll just name bands I don't know well so you'll sing for me," Remus said and lifted his head, "Uh, Escape the Fate." 

"Gorgeous Nightmare." 

"I don't know that one," Remus pouted and dried his eyes. Virgil smirked and kissed his forehead before clearing his throat.

"'You're such a gorgeous nightmare. Old habits never seem to go away. You make me feel brand new, yeah. We resurrect it's like I've come back to life.'"

Remus giggled softly and squeezed his boyfriend. He was an emo nightmare alright. 

"Black Veil Brides." 

"Rebel Love Song," Virgil answered with no hesitation. Remus knew that one and he grinned at the thought. 

"A Day to Remember?" 

"You Had Me at Hello," Virgil responded and gently scratched his scalp. 

"Lyrics?" Remus hummed and melted into the touch like a puppy.

"'What have I gotten into this time around? I know that I had sworn I'd never trust anyone again but I didn't have to. You had me at hello.'"

"Yellow car," Remus suggested, unsure if that was an actual band. Virgil caught him biting his lip and decided he wouldn't make him nervous again.

"Ocean Avenue," Virgil said before singing a few lyrics, "'If I could find you now things would get better. We could leave this town and run forever. I know someway, somehow we'll be together. Let your waves crash down on me and take me away, yeah." 

"Uh, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus?" Remus asked and snuggled closer. 

"Your Guardian Angel. You don't need me to sing that one," Virgil hummed, "I sing it to you at night." 

"Pretty please?" 

"For you, yeah," Virgil said softly and kissed away his tears. 

"'Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I'll be the one.'"

Remus laughed softly and kissed his neck. 

"You're so sweet, Scare Bear!" Remus sighed and trailed his lips up Virgil's jaw, "You take such good care of me." 

"That's because you take good care of me. And because no matter how gruesome and gross you are, I love you." 

"Can we play one more round and then cuddle and watch a movie? Naked?" Remus asked and nipped at his ear lobe. 

"You went from anxious to horny fast," Virgil noted and pulled his face away from his gremlin. 

"It's not my usual horny. It's cuddly vanilla horny, and it's all because you gave me a heart boner and it spread. So can we?"

"Yeah, one more and then we can go to your room."

"Papa Roach! And you should still sing!" Remus giggled. He knew them better than Virgil.

"...To be Loved," Virgil said and leaned down right by his ear to deliver on the lyrics with the same cadence as the original recording, "'I want domination, I want your submission, I see you're not resistin', to this temptation.'" 

Remus shivered at the low growl laced in Virgil's voice. He expected that but he was never ready for it. He grabbed Virgil's face and planted a smooch on his boyfriend. 

"You really know how to distract me and make me squishy!" Remus purred, "Keep doing it!" 

Virgil kissed him again and sank them both out. Sometimes having Remus for a boyfriend meant being vulnerable in a casual setting. Sometimes it meant that Remus would need him more than he let on. And most times it meant Virgil had his own piece of heaven.