#its only 2 volumes and honestly. I predicted literally everything

[lilac-melody]

mm. The murder mystery BL I bought was really mid. Really disappointing.

[777cherry-blossom777]

SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS VOLUME 2

Ok here’s a list of why everyone is saying volume 2 was a disappointment (part 5).

Im putting all the groups in seperate posts so its not too long.

THE CREEL HOUSE GROUP

1. Starting off with one I’m sure everyone can agree was a major reason for the bad reviews this season, Eddie’s death. Unlike other loveable characters introduced just to die that same season (Bob, Alexei, may they Rest In Peace I loved them so much) Eddie played a huge role. He had so much character development and he was a fan favourite. A lot of people expected his death (me included, however I was super upset about it) because of the show’s history. But putting aside the predictability of it (screw you duffer brothers try something new for a change), the death itself was bad. Even ignoring the fact that Vecna wasn’t killed so he literally died for nothing, the death was stupid. He left the safety he was within reach of just so that he could “buy time” (about two minutes, and not even that since Vecna knew where everyone was the whole time so it was pointless the bats would’ve stayed there anyway) by jumping into an army of demobats. Thats not “brave” thats stupid. On top of that, no one but Dustin seemed affected, and they just left his body in the upside down!!! WTF?!?!?!

2. Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy. I spoke a bit about this before but the whole thing was dumb. I get it was to show Steve’s character development (which was not needed literally everyone knows hes changed hes famous for it), but ugh. Ignoring the fact that Steve had far more chemistry with Eddie, it reduced Nancy, one of the strongest most badass women of the show, into the cliche girl trying to pick between her safe yet unromantic current relationship and her loveable bad boy ex who’s changed. In 2022? Didnt we all agree this trope was stupid and were over it? I despise Jancy with my whole heart (who goes out with the dude who trespassed on your boyfriend’s private property, peeked in the windows, saw you were practically naked, proceeded not to leave but to TAKE NUDE PHOTOS WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION, develop them at school for everyone to see, and then get mad when your boyfriend rightfully defends her???) but this whole thing was not good. AND THEN IN THE END IT WASNT EVEN RESOLVED WHAT??? They should’ve just put her with Robin or left her single. Honestly a lot of their relationships are so unnecessary. Attention duffers: girls can actually be happy AND single. Shocking, I know.

3. Everyone’s treatment of Lucas this season. They were HORRIBLE TO HIM. It was the championship game and they told him to move it, refused to come to his game, mocked him for being on the bench, replaced him with HIS SISTER, yelled a him for not being fast enough after lying+risking his life to lie to the people he desperately wanted to be friends with and biked EIGHT MILES, only to be told that his girlfriend was going to die. Max warmed up to him throughout the season but no one else cared about him at all, not even when his only friend on the basketball team died. No one even picked up on the obvious guilt and blame he felt for not paying closer attention (except maybe max). What happened to the party??? Why are they all suddenly such bad friends to each other???

4. The parents. I know theyre not really in the group but volume one set them up to be super influential this season. They didnt even play a part except for witnessing the terrible questioning of Lucas Dustin and Max. This could’ve been the season they finally found everything out.

5. Robin and Vickie. Wow did Netflix really hint at this. Gods they were so pro-gay about everything, until they left them (Will and Robin) both single. And paralleled Robin to Will with the kissing shots. Sure, at the end there was hope. But guess what duffers? You just used your only two canon queer characters to further straight relationships and left them out of the relationships you promised. Wtf.

6. The groups for the plan. Youre telling me Steve really let Dustin go into the upside down, fight demobats, and didnt even go with him? Please. We all know Steve would have left all the kids with Max, and then the fruity four would pair up (hopefully steddie and ronance) and then all would have been fine. It was inconsistent with the Steve from other seasons who constantly does everything he can to keep the kids out of danger.

7. The whole plan itself. It was useless and while Nancy, Steve, and Robin did kill Vecna for a while, he just came right back. Majority of the stuff was done by El. Once again. They really need to stop using her for every single thing. Plus pretty much everyone except Nancy, Steve, and Robin were entirely useless as Vecna knew what they were doing the whole time and thus there was no need for bait.

8. Why didn’t Vecna just get someone else? He knew Max would be dangerous so why not go for one of the many other traumatised people in Hawkins? It doesn’t make sense.

[boldbrash-fandertrash]

Ignore me, unless I’m right in which case I fucking called it

So I was rewatching the episode for the fourth time and one I realized that Remus is much much smarter than we give him credit for and two I can generally predict how the rest of the story is gonna go.

We’re gonna have another aside video with Patton and Janus before the big season finale, and that aside is going to be one of the most important videos to the general progression of the plot.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the pattern so far, two sides who diametrically oppose each other being forced to work together on a problem they vastly disagree about, usually turning the small issue into something much messier than it ever would be and them learning something about themselves in the process.

Each pairing exists to point out to the viewer exactly what issues exist with each side that need some form of resolving, and the big unifying theme amongst them is “you’re not listening to me”. Roman and Virgil dragging Thomas across the cafeteria in favor of or agains him talking to Nico, Logan and Remus deliberately ignoring and working to undo the others work in an attempt to break Thomas out of the depressive funk he found himself in. Nobody is working together here. The only side to even remotely cooperate with the group was Virgil body checking Thomas into Nico, and it took him and Roman bullying each other and Thomas for an entire video to even get to that point.

Watching Logan and Remus interact, one, brought me immense joy and I will be chasing that high for weeks to come, and two, after an ounce of critical thinking was frankly painful to watch. Any critiques Logan offered to Remus were immediately discarded with absurdity and any critiques Remus offered to Logan were discounted as absurd.

During the obvious scene at the end with the Eyes™️, Logan claimed he wasn’t pretending Remus didn’t exist, but honestly, he kinda was.

The Dunce Cap Scene really accentuates this point. Logan pulls a holier than thou, why won’t you learn I’m always right, bullshit passive aggressive remark, Remus does his dramatic repenting student shtick, starts singing directly into Logan’s ear, and makes a kink joke. Literally the words Remus sings are “can’t fix this guy, all by yourself”. Remus is saying this inches from Logan’s personal face and even still the logical side ignores him outright, because of all the fluff around the message. Hell, in Remus’s introduction video, Logan likens him to a screaming baby on a plane, essentially saying “well eventually he’ll stop screaming so just bear with it for a while and you’ll be fine”. He’s ignoring Remus outright due to a preconceived notion and missing out on valuable information because of it.

The dunce cap scene indirectly calls back to learning new things about ourselves, where Logan is completely unreceptive to the puppet bit because of its perceived absurdity and absolutely refuses to acknowledge any potential the medium might have for learning until he physically cannot anymore.

Remus is capable of, and does often, make valid points and offers genuine critiques of shit happening in their lives. In Forbidden Fruit, almost every single line harkens back to some idea the other sides had been trying, and failing, to communicate to Thomas. “Good and bad is all made up nonsense”, “if you shared those musings with your friends i doubt they would forgive you”, “why deny yourself knowledge, say, knowledge of yourself” “people don’t like me much, Thomas, but that only just cause I’m honest”, “these sorts of things are only thought in the mind of a man who’s soul is truly rotten.”

Despite all of this, he is ignored outright because of his medium. Just like Logan is ignored due to his monotone cadence and large volume of content, just like Roman is due to his flair for the dramatic and artistic display of ideas, just like Patton is due to his playful and childlike nature, just like Janus is due to his perceived role as the Villain, just like Virgil /was/ due to his perceived role as the villain.

They all have become accustomed to being stepped on by the other sides because of who they are and how they communicate, and have in turn learned some less than ideal methods of being heard again. Logan yells and gets passive aggressive, Remus ups the fear factor for everyone around him, Roman shuts down anyone who tries to talk through bullying and raising his voice, Patton manipulates the others into feeling guilt and covers it up with a smile, Virgil whips out the tempest tongue and incites fear in Thomas, and Janus physically silences anyone in his way.

And here’s why I say the next asides episode is going to be the most important one developmentally. Patton and Janus are going to be forced to work together. Patton, who is in the midst of an identity crisis, and willing to listen to any new ideas provided they offer a valid solution to the shit he’s found himself in, and Janus, who knows a lot more than he’s willing to let on, who concerns himself exclusively with Thomas’s self preservation, and loves to talk when given the opportunity. Janus is gonna have a thing or two to say to Patton when they’re inevitably faced with their moral dilemma, and Patton is going to be in just the right mindset that he’s willing to listen. And Janus is going to end up being right, and the small issue they’re facing will be resolved, which will therefore strengthen Patton’s trust, and his openness to changing for the better.

Patton is goofy, and childish, and kinda ditzy sometimes, and because of that we as a fandom tend to overlook any of his moments that are anything but that, but we are not giving this man enough credit. When Patton sets his heart on something, he throws his whole self into it, and is willing to stand up for his beliefs in the face of extreme opposition, and would gladly do anything in his power to defend his family. Once Patton decides that he’s willing to grow, and if he believes that this growth will help put his family back together, nothing can stop him, and that will be absolutely crucial for the growth of all the other sides around him.

Whatever him and Janus discuss during their aside will absolutely give Patton the information he needs to help stitch together the rift between everyone.

I predict the next official Sanders Sides video is going to be the longest one yet, possibly over an hour long, because there’s a LOT of work that is going to need to be done, and Everyone is going to be in it. The big issue of “you’re not listening to me” won’t be resolved, but it will be acknowledged in a serious light by everyone. We won’t be getting any appearances from the Orange Side I don’t think, that would end up just complicating matters even more when each character is already incredibly shaky in their own identity.

Something less than ideal is gonna happen between Thomas and Nico, he’s gonna summon the initial three to deal with the matter but the other lads are gonna worm their way into the discussion, everyone’s gonna start screaming at each other, and Pattons gonna do something that stuns everyone else into silence (I’m guessing he’ll start crying, considering the start of season two was all about him repressing negative emotions and what better way to show character growth than to sob openly on camera).

Once everyone just fucking stops for ten seconds that’s when the apologies start. None of the sides are ever the first to apologize, we’ve seen that time and time again. Their desire to be in the right as well as their pride will always get in the way, however if someone starts the apology train everyone will eventually follow suit. We see that in Alone On Valentines Day, My Negative Thinking, Growing Up, Accepting Anxiety, Fitting In, Moving On, actually in pretty much every video where an apology actually takes place, once one person apologizes the other will immediately follow suit.

Patton is gonna be a goddamn mess, he’s gonna apologize to everyone in the room for anything he thinks he may have done to wrong them, and that’s gonna be what gets everyone to acknowledge all the shit they’ve put each other through, and the others are going to jump between trying to console him and trying to apologize to each other. They’re going to come to the unified decision that they need to work together more on future issues, the group is all going to offer up a solution and decide together on a remedy to whatever happened together between Thomas and Nico, and that will be that. Season three will be about them finding the balance between stepping on toes and being stepped over, while also working out how the orange side fits into everything.

Thus marking the end of my rant.

I started writing this at 2 and it’s now 4. I have to be up in three hours. I have an essay due at 3pm tomorrow that I haven’t started, but instead I typed up all this bullshit. I hope any of this made any sense, and I hope this is a suitable replacement for my emotions essay that’s completely untouched because chances are this is what I’m presenting to my therapist tomorrow. Wish me luck.

[itsclydebitches]

The thing that feels disingenuous about Miles answer about Ironwood is that he was part of the writing staff that framed the general as a cool character to start with. I do think that the signs about Ironwood's evil were clear since V2 and in V7 he was an outright dictator from episode 1. Nonetheless, he was still consistently framed as a cool character, someone you can trust and rely. You don't get to blame the fans for liking a genocide if you was the one framed him as cool in the first place.

I actually don’t think being cool is the problem. If we’re satirizing and/or making a  statement about the toxic masculinity that leads to something like a dictatorship, then being “cool” is a crucial part of that. People don’t leverage the power they have by looking lame, they do so by appearing desirable, enviable, awesome. Being in the military is supposedly “cool.” Being a white guy with a giant gun is supposedly “cool.” Having power over an entire nation is supposedly “cool,” etc. If you only make such characters look revolting  — even when they are  — then you miss one of the main recruitment tools for this kind of rhetoric. Any version of Ironwood that’s meant to make a point about the dangers of following someone like him needs to make him look “cool” and then deconstruct that, pointing out the ways in which this cool veneer is a lie meant to pull you in. To do otherwise is to claim that evil people are always easy to spot. Making your villains “uncool” implies that the people who do appear cool in real life must be fine then. That good looking, charismatic leader is great. Why would I look critically at his actions? He’s too cool to be evil. 

My personal problem is not that “They made the dictator look cool and we can’t possibly expect the audience to tell the difference between someone who is truly good and someone who is just using various Cool Points to skate by” because that would be the point of such a character  — the work the show needs to do. My problem is that RWBY didn’t do that work. At least, not to the extent they needed to. Rather than making Ironwood a truly heinous character (prior to Volume 7 ‘s shooting, I mean) and allowing the audience to learn how appearing cool can’t hide that, they just made him good person. Straight up. Flawed, absolutely, but no worse than any of the other character on screen, particularly post Volume 6 when our heroes are frequently putting people in danger, seizing power, telling lies, keeping secrets, and generally acting in the ways we’re supposedly meant to condemn Ironwood for. Since talk of Miles’ vid last night I’ve seen three separate “Ironwood was always bad, idk how people can miss the signs” posts and those people are half right. There 100% were signs we were meant to pick up on. The problem is RWBY then went and deconstructed those signs. Ironwood didn’t just bring an army to a peace festival, he brought an army to an event he had good reason to believe wasn’t peaceful  — and he was right. Ironwood didn’t wrest control from Ozpin (using a series of checks and balances that exist for this very purpose...) because he has an obsession with being in control, he did so because he honestly believed Ozpin was putting people in danger  — and he was right. Ironwood didn’t step up post-Fall because he arrogantly believes he’s the only one capable of saving Remnant, he did so because he’s actually the most qualified: a fully trained huntsmen leading an Academy (like Ozpin) with an army and knowledge of this secret war. What, was Ironwood supposed to read the script and wait for the group of dropout teenagers to arrive and save the world instead? To say nothing of how his power and responsibility are framed as sacrifices, not something he sought out. Ironwood doesn’t want to be the sole ruler here. His desperate relief at having allies again proves it. Good setup for the rise of a dictator would have been Ironwood being cagey with his information and exerting control over the group... not telling them everything, not giving them more power, not letting them keep the Lamp, not taking arrest off the table so as to keep them in line, and generally doing the opposite of everything he did do to share that responsibility and power. RWBY got very good at giving us the first half of these red flags  — he has an army, he’s stubborn, he’s hurting Mantle, etc.  — but then time and time again introduced a context that changed that flag dramatically: they are fighting literal monsters, he’s no more stubborn than our title character, hurting Mantle is a consequence of a plan he thinks will help the whole world and our heroes back this. Those who insist that Ironwood was 100% a villain in the making (or a villain already) prior to shooting Oscar are working from their assumption of what his archetype represents, not what RT actually put on screen. Because RT is just really bad at writing a dictator character. They didn’t have the skill to manage someone who only appeared good on the surface, let alone a character with the complex nuance of wielding “coolness” to their advantage, which is why in Volume 8 they had to resort to cartoon villainy with literal, evil spotlights. It’s not that the audience is too dumb to pick up on those red flags, it’s that RT couldn’t manage to plant them without continually introducing valid justifications. You can’t say, “Bringing an army is a bad thing. Look at this dictator coding!” without me going, “Yeah, except in the fictional world you created an army does not represent the problems it does in our real life societies. This isn’t a guy amassing soldiers to go after oil, he’s trying to protect people from monsters. Not even metaphoric monsters acting as stand-ins for a minority group. Literal, evil monsters!” RWBY ignores its own context and a good chunk of the fandom ignored it too. 

The problem with that (besides the general frustration of someone ignoring parts of canon to forward a particular reading) is that the fandom’s go-to claim is that everything is meaningful  — and it’s a reading the writers very much support. Fans do not, as the above attests, push for a simple reading of, “Don’t think too hard about it. Just take the surface reading and run with it” which, while still frustrating, would have at least been a valid stance. Rather, they insist very strongly that nuance and depth are what drive the show. From the song lyrics to a tiny detail in the opening, everything is important and if you don’t accept that then you can’t appreciate RWBY’s complexity. 

“Okay,” I said. “Then in that case Ironwood coming around to Ozpin’s position is meaningful too? Glynda  — one of our best and most faultless characters  — supporting him is meaningful? Flipping his gun, defending Weiss, Qrow writing to him, the group working with him for months on end... all of it is meaningful to his characterization? You said so yourself.” 

“No, no, no,” comes the reply. “He’s just bad. But he’s also nuanced. He’s tricked you into thinking he’s a good person by acting kind sometimes, by getting support sometimes, but none of that is true. His actions are what matter and his actions are simplistically bad.” 

“Ohhhh. So then does that mean this story is really about the creation of a villain?” 

“Huh?” 

“Well, Ruby. She’s ‘nuanced’ in the same way. She acts kind sometimes and gets support, but her actions are terrible. She endangered an entire city because she couldn’t wait to see if Ironwood got his letter. She condemned Ozpin for keeping secrets about Salem and then kept those same secrets just two days later. When the kingdom was under attack she sat around drinking tea, crying on a staircase, just hoping someone would come fix things for her  — all while actively sabotaging the one person who was trying to save people, even if that action seems silly to us (let’s fly really high). So if we’re looking at the impact of someone’s actions outside of their intent, as we just did with Ironwood, then she’s a bad guy too, yeah?” 

“No! She’s the hero!” 

“... these characters don’t know she’s the hero from a meta perspective. If we’re supposed to judge the meaning of RWBY based on these details — ” 

“But it’s not just the details. It’s also the allusions. Everyone in RWBY is based on another person or character. It’s very complex and that inspiration drives their story, so if you don’t have that information it’s no surprise you’re confused. For example, this is why Penny had to get a human body. That’s what happened to Pinocchio!” 

“Oh! So then Ironwood is destined to be a good guy!” 

“What?” 

“Well, you just said the allusions drive their stories, right? The whole point of the Tin Man is that he always had a heart and just needed to realize that. So clearly — “ 

“No! He’s supposed to be a classic dictator, he’s only bad!” 

And ‘round and ‘round we go. RWBY’s writing is atrocious yet the fandom pushes this narrative that it’s all a complex, multi-layered story that requires taking every part into account to understand the “real” message... but when you try to do that with certain characters like Ozpin and Ironwood it’s, “No, actually, they’re just simple archetypes of Bad Men.” Nuance exists for the bees, but not other ships. It exists for the characters fans like, but not the ones they don’t. And RWBY’s inspirations have to predict the ending for this character... but not that other character. It’s a nonsense grab bag! 

Fans are right that Ironwood had a lot of red flags to set up this downfall. Fans are also right that those red flags were severely undercut, thus reversing their impact. Fans are right that Ironwood becomes a 100% bad guy who kills because he can and threatens to bomb a city. Fans are also right that this characterization feels absurd for Ironwood, both in terms of his morality and his intelligence (how does bombing Mantle help you now??) Ironwood is badly written. He was badly written in 7 and 8, if he was always meant to be a dictator in the making then he was badly written in 2-6, and he’s conclusively badly written when it comes to lacking a backstory and a canonical semblance  — two things are are supposedly driving all of this characterization. That’s the answer: not that he’s good, or bad, but that RWBY can’t write a consistent character, let alone a nuanced one, so it’s no surprise the fandom can’t decide on anything. What’s there to decide on? It’s that nonsense grab bag. In a different show I think making the dictator appear cool would be a crucial bit of commentary, but RWBY doesn’t have the skill to pull that off. 

[hello-yue-here]

because none of my irl friends watch stranger things/arent caught up and i need to make my predictions somewhere ive decided to share my volume 2 predictions here because i need written proof somewhere if im right:

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD CUZ I REFERENCE VOLUME 1

-

-

-

-

-

-joyce hopper or murray is gonna die. one of the major deaths will be the three of them. my money is on joyce.

-steve and robin will survive. steve is too popular a character to kill off, people will literally stop watching if he isnt in it. plus im p sure some netflix head or producer or something said steve will never be killed off. i saw this in a screenshot of a news article on twitter that i can no longer find so its possibly fale but i still think its unlikely for steve to die. robin wont die because shes (so far) i think the only canonically confirmed lgbtq+ character and that would look BAD for the duffers. plus we need to see where she and steve work in szn 5. these two i think are safe.

-now. nancy eddie jonathan and argyle. one of them is gonna go. nancy dying would be a HUGE twist considering shes one of the strongest characters (do not tell me shes not. she is.) the end of volume one however makes me think this wont happen because we still see nancy in the trailers so either the trailers are a fake out to make her seem safe or shes actually safe. im up in the air. eddie is a classic case of likable character getting introduced and built up so his death will be more painful (remember bob and alexei? yeah. like that) BUT since hes so heavily queer coded and well liked by fans this could look like killing ur gays again and the duffers may have steered clear. in all honesty my gut is telling me eddie is safe but i know not to trust my gut so out of these four i dont think hes the most likely to die but its still possible. jonathan might go just to give will more angst but at the same time he hasnt been relevant enough this season to make it impactful. however if a jancy break up happens OR nancy dies vecna could use that against him and give him the boot as well. argyle is either totally safe and wont even be all too involved in the season or fighting and remain a comedic side character for szn five or hes gonna make a huge and shocking sacrifice that no one sees coming because of his comedic presence. its a toss up for him. out of these four i think eddie and nancy are the most likely to go because one of the four teens in the upside down is probably gonna go i think.

-dustin. im sorry yall but i think dustin is gonna die. hes been too safe this entire series. hes a lovable character and the glue of the group. they might kill him off to make everything seem hopeless until someone begins to rally behind avenging his death. the glue almost always dies people. im scared for dustin but i rlly think this is the end for him.

-were gonna get a new couple. it wont be steddie or ronance sorry to break it to ya but theyre rlly pushing stancy and honestly i think they might do stancy so steddie and ronance are out of the running. robin and vickie is a possibility for me. i think theyd go for that one.

-mileven wont break up im sorry its not gonna happen millie and finn both have said that theyre like soulmates or some shit in interviews so i dont see that happening anytime soon

-seeing as vecna has never targeted the same person twice (yet at least) i think max and will are both safe and all the theories and ‘evidence’ pointing to will being vecnad are just a red herring

-HOWEVER i do think mike is gonna get vecnad. like dustin he has also been too safe in this show and i think that if something bad happens to eleven or mike (likely) mike is gonna blame himself and vecnas gonna get him

-lucas might also get the chop. i dont have any reasoning for this other than my gut feeling. so maybe not.

-lumax gets back together before tho

-008/kali is gonna return. if not in szn 4 then szn 5. theres just so much left that could be done with her character that could be discovered.

-the painting is gonna be of mike (and possibly the rest of the gang as their dnd characters) and this is gonna lead to will coming out

-jasons gonna get the chop cuz he was what steve was originally meant to be. steve was supposed to die szn one as a typical douchy all american boy but he was too charming and layered ao they kept him. jasons gonna get the chop.

now. what do i WANT to happen?

-everyone survives. ronance. steddie. lumax. mileven break up. i dont know if i want byler to happen or not. i just dont hc mike as anything other than straight but hey if byler ever does happen id be down for it. i just think a mileven break up would be good for mikes character development. dustin and susie reunited. jason getting the chop. argyle and eddie become stoner besties. el and hopper reunion. everyone is happy happy happy. will any of this actually happen? most likely not.

[salvatoreschool]

Vampire Diaries Universe: The 25 Best Characters, Ranked

For the first time since 2009, we’re entering a fall season devoid of any new offerings from the Vampire Diaries universe. And like Stefan Salvatore without his daily diet of forest friends, we’re insatiable.

Like so many longtime TVD enthusiasts (those of us to whom the word “thesmatos” really means something!), we’ve spent much of quarantine revisiting the weird, wonderful universe — from Mystic Falls to New Orleans and back again. We’re suddenly spending a lot of time with characters we haven’t seen in years. And we’re having a lot of feelings about them.

In celebration of the franchise’s 11th anniversary, TVLine has assembled another totally non-controversial ranking, this time of the 25 best characters from the Vampire Diaries universe — a category that also includes familiar faces from The Originals and Legacies. (In Legacies‘ defense, the franchise’s latest offshoot hasn’t been around as long to endear itself to us, but that didn’t stop four Salvatore School students from making their way onto our list.)

In lieu of new content from the TVD universe this fall, TVLine is looking back at our 25 favorite characters from the entire franchise, including stand-out favorites from its two spinoffs.

SPOILER ALERT: This ranking discusses major plot points from all three shows. If you haven’t finished The Vampire Diaries (Season 1-8), The Originals (Season 1-5) or Legacies (Season 1-2), proceed at your own risk. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

25. VINCENT GRIFFITH

Thanks to the magic of body swapping, the Mikaelson siblings have inhabited multiple physical vessels throughout the years, but none have remained in the family’s orbit quite like this Southern gentleman. Powerful, thoughtful and downright Shakespearean in his delivery (Yusuf Gatewood, ladies and gentlemen!), Vincent always has the greater good in mind. And as we learned in The Originals’ series finale, he helped Freya and Keelan pass that good along to the next generation.

24. LANDON KIRBY

Even though we’re still getting to know him, there’s already so much to like about this pure-hearted Mystic Falls townie. Not only is he the franchise’s first-ever phoenix, but he also looks like he could pass for Damon and Elena’s offspring — and that’s never a bad thing. We could tell he had a long future in this universe the moment he danced with Hope in The Originals’ final season. (So far, so good!)

23. JENNA SOMMERS

Like so many paved paradises, we didn’t fully appreciate what we had with Jenna until she was gone. Her death marked the end of Elena’s innocence — which is saying a lot, considering she was still mourning her own parents when The Vampire Diaries began. And if we’re being honest, Jenna was the ghost we were most excited to see again in the series finale. (For the record, Joseph Morgan has apologized on Klaus’ behalf for killing Jenna several times.)

22. TYLER LOCKWOOD

The First Son of Mystic Falls was kind of a jerk when we met him in The Vampire Diaries‘ first season. He was arrogant, aggressive and reckless — so it actually made perfect sense when he was revealed to be a werewolf. Fortunately, Michael Trevino’s character developed a little more nuance from that point on, especially via his Romeo and Juliet romance with Caroline. (After everything that’s happened since 2013, can you believe that they were once in a love triangle with Klaus?)

21. JEREMY GILBERT

Elena’s little brother (er, cousin?) went through a number of different, wonderful phases during his tenure in Mystic Falls. We loved him in The Vampire Diaries’ earlier seasons as the human embodiment of all things emo (he literally dated a ghost!), and we… um… appreciated his unexpected evolution into a shirt-ripping, wood-chopping vampire hunter.

20. CAMILLE ‘CAMI’ O’CONNELL

The Clarice Starling to Klaus’ Hannibal Lecter, this brave bartender was able to tap into the show’s darkest, most complicated character’s psyche in ways that no one named Mikaelson (or even Forbes) ever could. She helped him conquer a number of his demons in the few short years they spent together on The Originals, and like most people who play a significant role in Klaus’ life, she suffered the consequences. (Side note: Are we the only ones who really dug Cami as a vampire? Justice for that short-lived story arc.)

19. SHERIFF ELIZABETH FORBES

Of The Vampire Diaries’ many maternal figures, none put us through the emotional ringer quite like Caroline’s mother. We weren’t her biggest fans in the show’s early seasons, given her penchant for hunting the undead (including her own daughter), but hey, what was this show if not an endless series of redemption arcs? Also, if you don’t get a little choked up when Caroline felt her mom’s presence in the series finale, you don’t have a soul.

18. FREYA MIKAELSON

The long-lost fifth Mikaelson sibling was a little rough around the edges when we first encountered her on The Originals, but the poor woman was in the midst of escaping a centuries-long imprisonment, so we cut her a little slack. And we’re glad we did, because Freya has since become one of the strongest, most inspiring and all-around likable characters in the Vampire Diaries canon. #FreelinForever

17. MARCEL GERARD

While it’s easy to get swept up in Marcel’s charm and swagger (we were robbed of a second karaoke number, by the way!), it’s important to remember just how far back his time with the Mikaelson family goes. When you consider that Klaus literally freed Marcel from slavery and raised him to lead New Orleans as his right-hand vampire, it adds a whole other layer of tension to their passionate power struggle on The Originals. Though he’s treated like an unofficial Mikaelson sibling, Marcel often feels like more of a Mikaelson than Kol — and definitely more than Finn.

16. REBEKAH MIKAELSON

Arguably the funniest (and most glamorous) member of the Mikaelson family, the woman Damon once referred to as “Barbie Klaus” never fai to tell it exactly like it was, beginning with her thoughts on then-lovebirds Stefan and Elena. (“Honestly, I don’t get you two as a couple.”) And Bex only became more complex as the years went on, from her desperate desire for humanity to her undeniable love for Marcel. Just don’t call her insane — she prefers “spontaneous.”

15. ALARIC SALTZMAN

In hindsight, Alaric’s journey from hot history teacher to hot headmaster of a supernatural school makes perfect sense. Still, it was impossible to predict back in The Vampire Diaries’ first season just how much of an impact the man formerly known as Warner Huntington III would have on this franchise. A drinking buddy to some, a father figure to others and a literal father to a lucky pair, Alaric has truly woven himself into the fabric of this universe like few others. (That said, we still wouldn’t recommend dating him if you value your life.)

14. SHERIFF MATT DONOVAN

Only one full-blooded human survived all eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries, and you’re looking at him. The pinnacle of mortal goodness, this blue-eyed patriot hasn’t always been on the same page as his vampire brethren, but that’s only because he didn’t want to see any more his friends and family get eaten. And we can sympathize with that!

12-13. LIZZIE AND JOSIE SALTZMAN

Asking us to choose between Jo (by way of Caroline) and Alaric’s daughters is an impossible task, which is ironic, considering the Gemini twins are literally destined for a fight to the death on their 22nd birthday. Besides, these sisters have always felt like a package deal, from the moment we witnessed their birth on The Vampire Diaries to the day we reunited with them as teenagers on Legacies. (They also popped up in The Originals’ penultimate episode, putting them in the prestigious category of characters who have appeared in all three series.) Despite their inherent connection, Lizzie and Josie really have grown into two very different people, a journey we hope will continue for years (and shows) to come.

11. MALACHAI ‘KAI’ PARKER

The fact that this remorseless, pork rind-loving psychopath ranks so high on our list speaks volumes about actor Chris Wood, who brought a refreshingly sassy vibe to The Vampire Diaries’ sixth season. The guy was so likable, fans were even ‘shipping him with Bonnie… as if that poor girl hadn’t been through enough already! You also have to give Kai points for longevity — even after his head got knocked off, he managed to make two encore appearances on TVD (Season 8) and Legacies (Season 2).

10. HOPE MIKAELSON

As we mentioned with Lizzie and Josie earlier, we feel like we’ve watched Hope grow up before our eyes… because we have. Given the epic circumstances surrounding her conception, birth and upbringing, an adult version of this character had a lot of hype to live up to, and Danielle Rose Russell has proven herself more than up to the challenge. Imbued with her parents’ best qualities, Hope’s power and passion make her both a formidable foe and an invaluable ally. Besides, Legacies showed us what the world would be like without Hope, and it was not a good place.

9. HAYLEY MARSHALL

We can’t even think about this fierce, fearless mama wolf without shedding a single tear. Hayley’s story was basically one long tragedy, from her complicated marriage with Jackson to her tumultuous relationship with Elijah. And then there was her untimely demise in The Originals’ final season, which… actually, let’s not talk about that. From the moment she gave birth, Hayley’s heart belonged to Hope, and it was in her most extreme maternal moments that Hayley’s true strength was on display. That’s how we’ll remember her.

8. ELIJAH MIKAELSON

Suits? Pressed. Hair? Immaculate. Vocabulary? Thicc. With his smooth moves and cunning intellect, Klaus’ extremely respectful brother could do it all — well, except keep the people he loved from meeting horrific ends. (Seriously, this guy’s track record for dead lovers is right up there with Alaric’s.)

7. BONNIE BENNETT

Simply put, this is the witch you want in your corner when things go south. Endlessly powerful and selfless to a fault, Kat Graham’s character spent eight agonizing seasons sacrificing herself — often literally, hence her multiple deaths — in order to keep her friends and family safe. No amount of bloody noses or dead boyfriends could stop this badass from crushing her enemies.

6. CAROLINE FORBES

Getting smothered to death was honestly the best thing that could have happened to Caroline, who evolved from a basic, boy-crazy cheerleader into a bad-ass vampire overnight. And that was just the first phase of her franchise-long evolution into the empowered, globe-trotting mother of two she is today. She’s also responsible for all of The Vampire Diaries’ memorable musical moments, from her sweet song for Matt to her devastating performance at Sheriff Forbes’ funeral. (Now if only she’d pay her old pals at Legacies a visit…)

5. ELENA SALVATORE

She may not have Katherine’s chaotic flare, but Elena deserves credit for carrying much of The Vampire Diaries’ dramatic and romantic weight for six years. And for that pink hair she experimented with in Season 4. On top of that, Elena also rolled with the punches better than almost anyone. (You’re vampires? I’m a doppelgänger? Now I’m a vampire? Now I’m human again? Now I’m in a coma? Sure, let’s do this.)

3-4. DAMON AND STEFAN SALVATORE

Two sides of the same brooding coin, these brothers were as proficient at breaking hearts as they were at breaking necks. And while their love triangle with Elena will remain the stuff of TV legend, their relationship as brothers was revealed to be the real heart of The Vampire Diaries in its final two seasons. Honestly, it’s too hard to choose between them, so we’re not going to.

2. KATHERINE PIERCE

Come on, when were you not excited to see this leather-clad lunatic on your screen? Deliciously twisted and infinitely more interesting than her human doppelgänger, Katherine was behind many of The Vampire Diaries’ most jaw-dropping twists, from her iconic encounter with John(’s bloody fingers) to her long-awaited return in the series finale. Honestly, putting Katherine on hell’s throne in Season 8 was merely a formality — she was always a queen.

1. KLAUS MIKAELSON

The man, the myth, the legend. To think that the monster who slaughtered poor, defenseless Aunt Jenna on The Vampire Diaries is the same person who gave it all up to save his daughter on The Originals… well, there isn’t a clap slow enough to commend that kind of growth. (Again, Joseph Morgan is very sorry about the whole Jenna thing!) By the time Klaus evaporated on the streets of New Orleans, it felt like we had explored every conceivable nook and cranny of his existence, from his traumatic childhood to his fatal romances — and we relished every second of it.

[tanukyclaws]

@keysstylus​ alright, sorry in advance that this isn’t that much, it’s what I found in an hour. I could find more but I’d have to go through a lot of posts, since some were instagram stories that I cant search for anymore. And keep in mind this is only recent stuff and stuff you can find easily, there’s lots of things like this. Maybe I’ll search more today, but you can also ask around, there’s lots of instances where they post a bee emoji or tease the bees before a volume/episode.

But aight. You see this? It was a popular post, do you know why it happens? It’s not just crazy fans taking things out of context. Surely some of those are a reach but people in this fandom reach for a reason. I’m pretty sure the heart is from one of Arryn’s insta story. One reply or tweet on its own doesn’t hurt. But when they keep adding bees into it you just can’t help but ‘piece things together’.

Gonna put this one under a read more cause it’s lengthy.

This is to show that they know what the bee means and use it when they refer to the ship. I think this was for chapter 12 when they reunited. When she does this or she retweets fanart that’s alright. And imo sometimes Arryn can do it unintentionally, but not all the time.

And here’s an example of how people will predict and theorize just off a tweet of theirs. Sometimes they do things like this where they accidentaly reveal that something will happen during the volume. But you never know when, what and if it will happen. Just like the picture I’m gonna discuss next. But now it happened, our theories came true, Blake did scream after Yang. And this gives you hope that next time they tweet about the bees it must be true and the bees will become canon, but they dont.

Here’s another example on how big of an influence they have on the rwby fandom, and why this harms the fandom. Before v7 aired Arryn tweeted this, fans had theories about all kinds of crazy stuff including an Atlas Ball. We all knew it was just that: a theory, but when Arryn posted this we all thought there would be some dancing this volume, and everyone was crazy about the Atlas Ball, and then disappointed it didn’t happen. But that’s the thing, we got NO hints whatsoever in show that it would happen, it was a theory and ALL fandoms have those, but when someone directly working for the show fuels into it it becomes a bit more than a theory. And once it doesn’t happen it disappoints you. Not only did we not get an Atlas Ball, but also the Yang and Blake party scene with FNKI. 

Teasing the ship. It’s clear that Arryn insinuates she would cosplay Blake so they both could do a couple cosplay, except that in show they’re not a couple. Intentional or not this teases the ship and brings in more views. Fans trust those 2 so much, if they tease it like that then ofc it’s happening. Except it doesn’t, it just stagnates.

Stuff like this is honestly what makes me think they’re onti it too. It’s CLEAR that they’re using bumbleby here for views, it’s clear that they’re teasing it. They’re talking about bumbleby but nothing gets confirmed, not in show or outside. What’s the point? Do they talk about renora? Or any straight ship for the matter? They know how big bumbleby is and how many bumbleby fans are in the fandom, I don’t think this is a coincidence. Renora is a popular ship as well, why aren’t they doing this with it? Why isn’t Neath teasing it the same way those 2 do?

Here’s the v4 example I’m talking about. She knows that being a fan will only burn her. She did it before, she knows how important her words are to the fandom and how people will reach for anything. As I said, she’s been here before and she knwos what she’s doing

I hope I can find some other stuff and show you. There’s lots of tweets of just a bee emoji, or them hyping up the next episode and dropping a hint about the bees (like again a bee emoji, once she posted a gif with a canon firing, a yellow heart etc.) and I don’t think that’s unintentional. I’m not saying they’re crueless monsters, but they’re not exactly your best friends either. After all some things they do harm (and did harm in the past as well) the bumbleby fandom, they set up exceptations and hype up things that never happen. And it’s not just them. Remember VRV? The valentine’s cards? Remember the merch, the tshirts with blake and yang? Why so much hype, why doesn’t renora (who even kissed and confessed!) get as much hype?

Sorry but I refuse to believe they, and all those people from RT, VRV and everything else, just love it so much and are excited about it. I refuse to believe that the ship that gets the most hype, tease and hints with little to no development/no confession/no kiss/no nothing is the LGBT ship while the straight canon ship that lots of people love doesn’t get shit. Is it simply just a coincidence? Again, they know that they can’t interact like they’re normal fans. Why do they do it. They’re the only ones who do it. Neath doesn’t do it, or Lindsay, or anyone else.

But they do it, and considering how much RT and VRV teased the ship I don’t think it’s entirely just them being excited about the ship. Sure a part is like that, Arryn at least loves the ship and it’s clear, but what a coincidence that only the wlw ship gets teased and only the voice actresses of the wlw ship that’s not canon yet hint it so much while the other voice actors of already canon ships didn’t ever say shit about their ship, RT didn’t ever say or hint or tease it either.

Is it really just a coincidence? Can’t they simply just retweet fanart and stop teasing the ship with tweets and instagram posts and all kinds of hints? I never said they’re monsters or evil, I just said they don’t give any fucks about us. And considering all this shit and how it happened in the past it wouldn’t be impossible to believe. The bumbleby fandom is like this because of them solely. Their disappointment? It’s because the voice actresses teased the ship too much and set up some standards/ideas that never happened. The crazy theories? Every fandom has them, but not to the level of the bee fandom, because the VAs feed into them. I’ve literally watched She-Ra, LoK, Owl House and many more and I never met a fandom that kept posting and begging before every single episode “bees will kiss this ep” but then when it clearly doesn’t happen say “it’s alright them sharing a glance was much more intimate I’m glad they didn’t kiss it would’ve been rushed”

And this happens for a reason. Just think about it, think about how much the VAs of the only relevant LGBT ship interact with us (and only they, no any other VAs), how much RT teases it, alongside other companies, how much merch they have in comparasion to other ships/characters, and how much hype it has for something that stagnated for 2 volumes now. It’s hard to believe it’s just a coincidence and that they’re not, at least sometimes, doing it intentionally.

[soul-music-is-life]

I'm kind of with you on the lackluster Pilot episode of "The Perfectionists". I don't know whether or not I'm into it either. And not because of Emison (I'm more of an Emaya fan myself). I just thought it was cheesy and boring. I don't know if I should keep watching. What about you?

I have actually gotten several asks about whether I plan tokeep watching and why/why not. So I’m going to answer it here and just referback to it if it keeps coming up.

I don’t mind the asks at all. I love conversing, but because of the volume of asks about thisparticular opinion this is another long driveling post, and I’m sorry. You can mute my ass if you’re sick of me. I get it.

First of all OP, thank you for not ripping into me about notliking it. Also, Emaya had my heart. I loved them, too. Maya deserved better.

Second, this is a full-scale look at the show from a critic’svantage point. I watched the first episode twice because I thought maybe I hadn’tgiven it a fair shake the first time because I was in a weird mood. But even onthe second viewing I found a lot more that I disliked than I liked. Lots ofpeople are going to disagree, and that’s fine. Just don’t @ me. I’m legit notlooking for that. I’m just a girl (cue NottingHill music) standing in front her ask inbox asking those askers to love her.

Will I keep watching? I doubt it. Given that it only got a10-episode order and The Pilot wasn’t that interesting to me, I don’t see myselfsitting through it for 9 more episodes. My reasoning is two-tiered. Part of itis disinterest and the other part is the creative aspect of it in the media. Saddleup for my “truths” (I can’t remember who said that. Marlene maybe). I gave it afew days and considered it, and what I ended up with was this:

1) I’m just not into it. For the same reasons you (OP) stated.But I’ll also add that for me…it was predictable. I called the twists longbefore they happened. If I’m already doing that in The Pilot I can guarantee I’dbe doing that as the show went on. I’m like 93% sure I know exactly how it’sgoing to end this season. I tend to do that to myself. Being a writer suckssometimes. Because you see the way things are going to go from the beginning. You just have to decide if you want to go on the journey anyway.

2) While the characters were likable (I was surprised by howmuch I liked Ava), they are a bit one-sided and kind of bland (except I foundNolan’s duality extremely intriguing). There is the argument that can be madehere that they will grow, and I do agree with that. But when I watch a show’sPilot I need to care about at least one character to see what’s going to happenand where they are going to go (In PLL it was Em/Aria for me). None of the characters in TP did that for me (noteven Mona and Alison, which surprised me, because I’ve been super-hype for thisshow not only for them, but for the newbies, too).  

3) The plot (so far) just feels like a rehash of everysingle YA mystery novel/TV show that is hot right now. And I am aware that thisis based loosely on exactly that (Sara’s series), but I think maybe I’ve justbecome desensitized to the same cheesy soap-opera-y murder mystery plots. Or perhaps I’m just desensitized to this particular kind of storytelling. It doesn’tfeel new and different to me and it was very strangely paced with too muchgoing on and not enough time to care about it. It just felt disjointed. Everythingabout the first episode just fell flat for me.

4) And lastly, yes, I’d say there is a tiny part of me…likemaybe…6% that doesn’t want to watch because I’m not about that off-screenEmison drama. I knew it was going to happen and I’m not mad about them beingsplit. I’m disappointed (hears “that’sjust ‘mom speak’ for mad!” echoing somewhere) that the marketing team isusing it for ratings. When you have decent writing you don’t need to play games like that to try andget viewers. It would be one thing to be decisive about what happened toEmily/Alison (Split them. Don’t split them. I don’t care. Just make a fuckingdecision because you’re creating a war between fans and you know it). It’sanother thing entirely to draw it out because you need people to watch and talkabout it.

I am also particularly bothered by hearing the excuse (several times by MK) that “Shay was busy”because Marlene literally planned the spin-off in season 6 (confirmed by bothher and Sasha). It. Was. Planned. I say this as a critic and not an Emison fan: Everything about the way they’ve tried to use Emison to generate buzz was underhanded. And saying shit like that opens the door for people to hate on Shay, and that’s really not cool.

Personally, I think it speaks volumes that the producers felt the need to addthe off-screen drama on top of the really decent plot they already had. Theycould have kept it unproblematic with simple writing choices and less inflammatorycommentary. They could have left the PLL drama in the PLL-verse and given thespotlight to the new drama. I don’tagree with creating old off-screen drama with zero chance of satisfactoryresolution all in the name of ratings. I hate marketing shit like that. It’s acheap amateur tactic and it turns me off.

I think the show could have been something special had theynot marketed it as PLL. But they did, so of course there was a certainexpectation. And of course there is some backlash. Because there are these twoworlds that have nothing to do with each other and so far I don’t feel likethey’ve blended it together well. For me, it was like watching PLL, but with less magic and less chemistry. If I had to describe it I’d say it feels alot like a recipe where you’re just throwing a bunch of ingredients into a bowlwith no idea what you’re making and you’re just hoping it’ll be edible by theend. Rather than focusing on the new universe the marketing team chose to focuson Ali/Mona’s new world and the drama that comes with them. And to me that almost says they don’t have faith that TPwould have been able to stand on its own without the PLL universe. Part of methinks I’d be more interested if this had been a completely fresh start. I wasactually more compelled by the newbies than I was Alison/Mona (though I adorethem, too).

That being said, I really wish the best for the cast/crew. I’llcontinue to watch the behind the scenes games/cast antics. I’ve been a fan ofSasha since I discovered PLL (everything about her seems very sweet and genuine andjust positive all around). And Janel as Mona was one of my favorite castingchoices of all time. In fact, I think my very first PLL post here was praisefor Janel. I’ve been following Sydney since she was a smol lil bean on theDisney Channel (and loved her in Tia’s Mowry’s show “Instant Mom”). Sofia seemslike a sweet girl, and I have enjoyed her other work. And Eli honestly justseems like he’d be a cool dude to kick back and have a drink with (is he evenold enough to drink? Jesus, they’re all babies). I love them all. In fact, I’veenjoyed the fun behind the scenes stuff more than I enjoyed the show. I’dwatch a reality show of them all day. That’s where I’ll get my fill. Watching them being goofy.

Final verdict: No, the show will not be getting my views. I’llprobably just watch the absurdity of Riverdale instead. Cheryl is fucking wild,y’all. And I’m kind of living for mean-dark-snarky Betty. And Sweet Pea is like…myfavorite character ever. My dumb asshole child.

As far as whether or not youshould watch it, I have no idea. I have a lot of people asking me my opinion onthat (which, I’m like the worstperson to ask, please don’t give me that responsibility. I don’t even likebeing responsible in the real world. I literally had a cookie and Cocoa Puffsfor dinner). I will say that if you’re only watching for Emison then I’d changethe channel. Because guaranteed it’s just going to make you rage. You’re not going to get anything out of it. Fill yourevenings with something more pleasant and positive for you.

And be nice to others on social media. At the end of the day, it’s only a show. You like it or you don’t.

[aerikimi]

Just Breathe | 1

➵ min yoongi was a bad guy with expensive taste. eight months from your return to daegu, things start to get strange and dangerous again. nobody falls for the same fuckboy twice, specially if he’s your friend.

➵ pairing: yoongi x reader;

➵ genre: friendswithbenefits!au, fuckboy!au, smut, angst, a bit of fluff;

[1] [2] [3] [4] -

1 • The Issue

“Frankly, Y/N.”

Yoongi pushed his tongue on his cheek, scanning you as if you were some nasty piece of bubblegum he has just found sticking on the back of his shoe.

His mood dropped from a 3 to -3 very quickly only in the thirty minutes of waiting for the train to Seoul city. Of course the Min Scale goes up to 10, but Min Yoongi never went beyond 6 and he’s almost always between 4 and 1, -1 when he needs to socialize pretty much like tonight. And finally, -3 when you wore tiny skirts at the peck of winter.

“What? You said you wanted to go” You blinked slowly, pretending not to understand the reason for such annoyance as you calmly analyzed Yoongi’s angry face enlightened by the subway’s parlor light.

Although your voice was muffled by the thick scarf wrapping your neck and mouth, Yoongi could cap every word of yours with absolute despise on his face.

“‘I’d rather die than leave home Y/N’ is not exactly the definition of wanting something. Are you deaf?” He grunts, throwing his head back and squeezing the top of his blonde hair, his eyes tightly closed in a clear sign of frustration.

Min Yoongi could only think about how hard he’d fuck you after all this bullshit ends. He was the kind of guy who would always bring his frustrations to bed, and believe, it was far from being a bad thing. ‘I’d rather stay at home, Y/N, I’m not going at all. I don’t like crowded places and you know it. Stop looking at me like that, it’s making me uncomfortable. Are you dumb?’ were the exact words, but you decide not to contribute to Min Yoongi’s bad mood and remain silent as he kept his grumpy-pouty face on.

You knew underneath all that annoyance was a far greater reason than Taehyung’s birthday party, and you, as always, were painfully one step ahead of it all.

You knew Yoongi had planned to spend the rest of the night off watching the worst of South Korean TV, asking for delivery every two hours after an incredible round of the best kind of fuck. It could be brutal, depending on the volume of sexual tension hovering the air in the past few days or how much you’ve been naughty to him — walking around his studio in spectacularly tiny lingeries while he tried to work, or not using one at all, as you sat on his lap like he always liked when he was too stressed to move from his studio chair; everything could turn into a hot, punishing foreplay with Yoongi —, or it could be slow, slow and lazy and yummy, the one that makes your stomach chill through the whole thing; Yoongi wasn’t much of a fan of this one, and that was probably one of the reasons why it was so good and special when he wanted to do it with you.

Although he usually doesn’t appreciate food a lot — and runs the risk of starving to death if no one checks on him in Genius Lab every now and then — this was the kind of night both of you were craving so much the past weeks. Yoongi doesn’t like things he isn’t able to understand, and at the moment he didn’t understand why should he exchange a night of overwhelming sex with you for anyone’s birthday party, specially Taehyung’s. To be honest, Yoongi would trade pretty much nothing for any activity involving you and multiple naps on his couch.

The issue always started with dinner; If you two didn’t come up with an agreement between noodles or Japanese food, Yoongi would rather starve to death than go out for dinner, anywhere. “It’s too intimate, Y/N. And what if I suddenly feel like fucking you?” Yoongi had an argument there, even though you usually would fuck long before ordering anything to eat. You understood with that grotesque comment Min Yoongi was trying to say, 'I can’t kiss you in front of everybody, sorry’. Min Yoongi wasn’t the kind to be affectionate.

Friends with benefits seemed to be a very unfortunate term to define what you meant to each other; it’s not just sex. The sex could end or not even exist, and yet you still would be Y/N and Yoongi, without strange silences, awkwardness nor embarrassment. It just became inevitable and the tension was nothing less than excruciating. Painful, in his words, — “Congratulations, you’re the first woman to give Min Yoongi blue balls”. There is no reason not to have sex if its existence does not make things any more complicated — in fact, for you and Yoongi, sex only made you two more human.

Now, inside the train, Yoongi was leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he played with a piece of paper between his fingers. Seeing him sitting on the red seat of the train, wearing black pants with holes in his knees and an earring in the first of his three spaces, so calm and serene in one of the rare moments his hermetic mind isn’t working on wire, you were sure Yoongi definitely didn’t belong there; he wasn’t even human. Min Yoongi belonged to distant afternoons of spring when you both took the train in Daegu on the way to school, or the ride back, when your mom would expect him with rice cakes for luch just as she knew he liked so much. Min Yoongi was now dark. And since you’ve came back from Seoul University eight months ago after three years far away from Daegu, — and from Yoongi —, things have quite changed. Not just the fact that you both started to fuck (it was quite predictable it would happen once you’ve left for so long), or that you came back and found a relatively well known producer, whom it’s mental health has always been in the middle of his way, unbelievably stable, but Min Yoongi was a completely different whole now. You still hadn’t figured out what was it yet, though. Min Yoongi was just... different. Less kind. Less open.

Still, he was the most magnificent and mind-blowing handsome human being you’d even laid your eyes on.

You’d give the world to know if he still writes.

•••

“Well, the truth is, once you start having sex it’s not friendship anymore, and if you’re not smart enough to run away when the right time comes in, one of you will eventually go nuts. If you aren’t the one developing feelings, good, as long as you keep it that way. On the other hand…”

Yoongi was now sure, Taehyung sucks at giving advice. His knuckles, already white with the tightness he’d put around his beer grew even whiter and more painful as he spotted you, a few tables away, and the idea that he had really refrained from fucking you to be at someone’s party whom in addition to all the inconvenience entailed couldn’t articulate a single useful word to Min Yoongi’s ears would certainly perpetuate the list of choices which he deeply regretted, Volume 5.

How many times had he seen you dancing like that? Ten? Twenty? You always did it the same way, and every single damn time Yoongi felt his chest pinch. No, not romantically speaking, really pinching, as if someone really poked him inside with a needle. He swears to God next time he fuck you he’ll make you dance like this on his lap.

“It shouldn’t be allowed to have you two in the same campus, though. Thank God Yoongi hyung stayed in Daegu. How many places they would’ve baptized? I’d be scared just to sit in the waiting room there” Jimin smirked as he intruded the conversation, making Yoongi munch his cheek in annoyance.

“Don’t be fucking stupid, Y/N will never be anything but a friend, either me fucking her or not. Are you deaf or just stupid?”

You definitely noticed Yoongi’s deadly gaze watching you from afar. Now, in the bathroom, listening to Aeri blabbering through every sniff of whatever she was doing behind the door did not seem so bad after all.

“The truth is, Y/N” Aeri interrupted herself after a long final blow, finally opening the door shortly afterwards “Is that there is no next step for girls like us. This is all a big fucking lie.”

You rolled your eyes, propped up beside the sink while your friend adjusted her blue fringe in the mirror. Aeri had spent no less than thirty minutes talking about how her relationship with Taehyung would never improve, because Taehyung would never see her beyond an easy girl and a casual fuck (a divine one, she said, but casual), and how girls are always the most impaired part of the relationship, despite what kind of relationship they are in.

You didn’t even bother trying to explain that with Yoongi things did not happen that way when the friend let out a spiteful “You’d better do something, before it’s too late for you too”, cracking her tongue between her teeth before leaving the bathroom.

•••

“Taehyung told me something really funny tonight. You wanna hear?”

Seoul has some great avenues, but hundreds of smaller boulevards. Everything the avenues had in extravagances — lights, signs, advertisements, buildings, big screens, movement — the little streets had in mediocrity. Poorly lightened, sometimes tortuous. But don’t fool yourself — it’s where the best of the city is hidden.

The walk back home was always incompatible. Even though you two were strangely connected in a freakish mental bond during your time together, sometimes being around other people seemed to pull you two apart, just like you were any other girl casually coming out with a boy, and honestly, it was frustrating.

At that point of the night, you weren’t even able to decipher a single expression on Yoongi’s face, and it felt as if he had left forever.

Not in a literal sense, of course, Yoongi’s presence has always been strong — he was not the type of guy to go unnoticed. It was unanimous that Yoongi’s singular dark and tuff appearance ripped off any woman’s panties whenever that rare and precious gummy smile decided to appear. Not being able to feel the usual bond between you and Yoongi made you feel like one of the other women — and it sucks.

Despite your frivolous silence, Yoongi continued, not even bothered. “Taehyung said the world has a bad sense of humour.”

“What’s fucking new?” you mumbled to yourself. Yoongi stared at the floor, hands in his pockets and a sneering smile lifted the corner of his red lips. It’s not like he’s going to remember anything the next morning.

“I know, right? He’s fucking pathetic, Y/N” Yoongi laughed behind his scarf, turning slightly red from the neck to the tips of his ears, part from the cold, partly from the amount of alcohol in his veins. You couldn’t help but find it extremely appealing, something you would never say out loud, fearing running the risk of not seeing him like this ever again. Knowing Yoongi, he would never smile again if he knew you admire him so much when he does. It’s not like he’s an asshole about it, it’s just his shy perspective of things. “Apparently, the world has a bad sense of humor because people like us are together.”

“What?” A cloud of steam escaped your lips to collide with the cold air. “What are you talking about, we aren’t even—”

“In his thesis, and apparently another twenty-one people in his shitty art class agreed with this bullshit” Yoongi stated, bittersweet “Besides the ridiculous amount of people who fall for someone who doesn’t give a fuck, the world places those who don’t want to be loved face to face, and then split up the lovers.”

Yoongi glanced at you just to see you wasn’t picking up anything. “Look, as far as he told me, it works like that, it’s simple unfair. He even used us as an example. You see—”

Hearing him referring to you two as us sent chills down your spine. Of course you two were a thing, everybody knew it. Maybe not everybody, at least not in your social lives; but your friends did. Hearing him affirming the fact and being so soft about it for some reason was just beyond pleasing to you.

“—there’s Jimin, right? Who broke up with that Eun-Ji girl after three months because she was getting on his nerves and vice versa. They do still love each other. Well, at least he loves her or whatever, the fuck I care anyway. But then there are us, who don’t belong to anyone but ourselves, we have an understanding and we still get to fuck. Got it now?”

You couldn’t help but smirk under your breath, you two now close to the subway. Knowing Taehyung well, he probably did a whole explanation on his point to Yoongi.

And besides, you could really understand what he was saying. It was a point, though.

“So am I glued to your crotch my whole life?” Your question made Yoongi frown his forehead. “What about the moment I find someone, like, romantically speaking, everything starts crashing down? Because, you know, it’ll eventually happen.”

Yoongi takes a few seconds to think, his usually annoyed resting face really pale as a ghost under the subway parlor light. “The fuck would I know?” He looks drunkenly pissed off as he takes off the tickets from his pocket. “Call him. And also use the opportunity to ask him why being glued to my crotch didn’t seemed to be a problem yesterday.”

Smart, you didn’t stick around to hear the rest, Yoongi was done with all the explanatory stuff and would probably start randomly cussing at anytime. But now, as you patiently waited for your coffees a few meters away, the view of a sleepy sluggish Yoongi melted yourself inside, badly. He was lazily propped on the wall, his tiny, cold eyes looking forward the rails. Yoongi was stunning, and no one could say otherwise. His frivolous angst from early that night hadn’t eased not even a little, though.

“Aeri told me something funny too” you cautiously mumbled as you approached the wall handing one cup to Yoongi, his venous pale fingers full of rings immediately wrapping tight around the plastic.

“Taehyung knows she’s madly in love with him, he’s not fucking blind” he sips his pure black coffee without hesitance as you set yourself beside him, shrinking.

“And don’t you have any empathy for her?”

“Of course I have, it’s fucking stupid and sad.”

“And where does his thesis come in? You know, with his and Aeri’s relationship. Because, you know, despite anything they are in one.”

Yoongi suddenly tilts his head a bit, only to look at you. For maybe a second you think he’ll kiss you, but he just remain silent, watching your face. His earnestness became goneness, the buzz of the train echoing and its blinding lights coming off of the tunnel straight to his face. It was heartbreaking seeing him drunk, tired and distant.

“I don’t know, Y/N”

A/N: Things start to happen next chapter! Thank you for reading! & feel free to leave some feedback here :D

[flakandforay]

뱁새 Silver Spoon Analysis

this is the analysis for 뱁새 - the 6th track of bangtan’s 4th mini album, 화양연화 pt. 2

i will be analysing several components - music, lyrics and choreography. 

disclaimer: this is just my personal opinion, feel free to disagree. do let me know your thoughts in my ask box

overall: talk about a really hyped song that could easily be on par or even overtake dope. the heavy bass and lit song is what we all need once in a while to let loose.

music: the song already starts off with some heavy bass and synths that are so intense - one could already sense that this song is going to be hardcore without any lyrics yet; it’s just how it is. for some reason, the synths kinda sound really creepy and this underlying muffled bass complements the whole beat. not to mention this creepy keyboard melody that just seals the deal. it’s a full 10 seconds worth of soaking in the beat and ive never felt so hyped for it. then at 0:10, here comes the impending crescendo percussion that would lead to the chorus.

the chorus drops already with namjoon and one could hear how there is doubling already to enhance the sound of the song especially songs like this where people could easily sing along to etc. not to mention how namjoon’s style of doing this chorus with his volume of the voice only complements the song even more. not to mention that short adlib of ‘whoo’ at 0:19 and that part before yoongi continues at 0:22-0:23 to hype up the chorus even more ( who knew one could hype the chorus even more than it should !!!! ) also i love how the impending percussion comes around to signal the end of the chorus as well.

then hoseok starts off with his rap at 0:35 with a more relaxed tone to complement the beat that is less intense now. yet even at hoseok’s rap, there’s a lot of adlibs as well inside such as at 0:42 and 0:46. then it transitions quickly to namjoon taking over at 0:47, but the way he raps here is more enunciated to go with the beat now and interestingly namjoon’s part can be seen as a link between the rap and the prechorus especially since it’ll be repeated later on. then this quick synth comes in at 0:57 to signal taehyung’s part for the prechorus.

interestingly this prechorus is not driven so much by the percussion but rather driven by the brasses and synth that gives it a unique sound together with how taehyung does his part slightly differently as well. then there’s this percussion rhythm at 1:03 that becomes quite important as signal markers throughout the song. there’s this quick line at 1:12 before taehyung continues his prechorus again but with a voice slightly lighter; yet it still sounds full because of jungkook doubling for him.

the song then quickly transitions to 1:21 with the vocal line but more on jimin and taehyung as their voices stand out more here. oh, and that riff at 1:30 by jungkook and jimin that leads into the chorus by hoseok this time round- yet keeping the same intensity as the first chorus as though it hadn’t even changed. unexpectedly, there is no synth or percussion that builds in the intensity unlike other songs where one could easily predict the drop but for this case, it seemed as though one would already know when the drop would happen honestly- really interesting if you asked me. namjoon then come back to take over the second part of the chorus and one could hear the more prominent creepy synths being used.

then it moves on to yoongi’s part at 1:55 with namjoon doing a bit of doubling as well. but here the beat is less intense again, pushing the emphasis this time round to the lyrics of yoongi much like hoseok earlier on. then at 2:05, there is that quick hype before it moves on to namjoon again being the link of the rap verses to the prechorus. interesting how namjoon has no actual rap verses here but rather does the links between the verses and the prechorus.

taehyung then comes in swiftly at 2:18 and talk about the use of brasses right here and it suits taehyung’s timbre of voice as well. not to mention the percussion inside is great as well and then short line at 2:29 before taehyung resumes again together with the creepy synth back again.

then there is this nice switch in which the bridge comes around with jungkook singing it at 2:42 and there’s his slight breakdown as well in the beat without the synth but more on percussion. then namjoon comes in at 2:48 with ‘you must be kidding me’ before taehyung comes in again at 2.51. interestingly at 3:06, one could hear jungkook singing this time round and taehyung doing the doubling for this one. then at 3:17 with jimin and seokjin wrapping it up with that nice riff at 3:27 before the last chorus comes in at 3:28.

the last chorus starts off with yoongi as he goes with the beat that is heavily driven on the percussion before at 3:38, the beat slightly changes as hoseok does this part with the beat being more focused on his voice rather than the beat. then the song ends with this synth from 3:49-3:51.

lyrics: okay so honestly i am in love with the lyrics because theres so many underlying nuances inside; it’s like a subtle diss. 

but anyway, for some general information, 뱁새 = crow-tit is a type of bird that is found in Korea, it’s a really cute bird with long legs

but it also has another meaning which is ‘try-hard’; the meaning that bangtan is using for this song. 

There's a phrase in Korean "뱁새가 황새 걸음을 걸으면 가랑이가 찢어진다", which means "if a crow-tit walks like a stork, it will break its legs." The meaning is that you’ll ruin yourself if you try to imitate someone better than you. ( Reference ) 

so this is the meaning that bangtan brought across, sort of dissing the older generation etc since many looked down on the current generation - the millennials 

They call me 뱁새 욕봤지 이 세대

=

They call me a try-hard. Our generation has had it hard.

here namjoon already talks about how the current generation is already under pressure from the older generation by being different etc especially now with the different way of thinking and a lot of technology being infused in the current generation. 

알바 가면 열정페이 학교 가면 선생님 상사들은 행패 언론에선 맨날 몇 포 세대

=

At my part time job, it’s “all for experience”.* At school, there’s the teachers. My superiors use violence. In the media they go on about “the generation that’s given up.”

i really love hoseok’s verse because it’s something that many of us can relate to. in korea, it is commonly known that this current generation are ones who give up too easily, similar to the strawberry generation where we are so called ‘easily-bruised’. really love how hoseok literally brought the fact that last time teachers used violence as punishment etc, last time the popular, hitting the hand with the ruler etc, but of course, now it’s different. love how he made comparisons that feels really nostalgic to me. 

룰 바꿔 change change 황새들은 원해 원해 maintain 그렇게는 안 되지 BANG BANG 이건 정상이 아냐

=

Change the rules, change change. The ones who came before us want to, want to maintain. But we can’t do that, bang bang. This ain’t normal.

this verse by namjoon that could somehow be considered as a pre chorus or possibly a hook ( now that i think about it, the structure of this song is a bit different and is more repetitive ) 

namjoon brings up how we change the rules yet those in the older generations wants to keep them, clear polar opposites. he even talks about how the current generation cant do what we want and it’s abnormal. 

아 노력노력 타령 좀 그만둬 아 오그라들어 내 두 손발도 아 노력 노력 아 노력 노력 아 노랗구나 싹수가 역시 황새!

=

Ah, stop going on about ‘effort’ and more ‘effort’. Ah it makes my hands and feet cringe. Ah, try harder, ah, try harder. Ah, you really don’t have a chance. As expected of the ones before us!

okay this pre chorus lyrics are amazing because look at this diss!!! literally bangtan talks about how the older generations mostly talk about putting in effort so much that the younger generations just gets annoyed, hence the ‘cringe’ line. yet the younger generations already know that they dont have a chance to stand out, hence the older generations could easily talk about effort.

(역시 황새야) 실망 안 시켜 (역시 황새야) 이름 �� 하네 (역시 황새야) 다 해먹어라 (역시 황새야) 황새야

=

(As expected of them*), they meet your expectations. (As expected of them), they’ve earned their name. (As expected of them), they can just take it all. (As expected of them), those that came before us.

the ‘them’ here refers to the older generations, saying how being the older generations, they could say all this but they should have known that generations change.

난 뱁새다리 넌 황새다리 걔넨 말하지 ‘내 다린 백만 불짜리’ 내 게 짧은데 어찌 같은 종목 하니? They say ‘똑같은 초원이면 괜찮잖니!’ Never Never Never

=

I’ve got a crow-tit’s legs, and you have a stork’s legs. They all say their legs are worth a million bucks. My legs are shorter, so how do you expect me to keep up? They say it shouldn’t matter since we’re coming from the same place. Never, never, never.

in yoongi’s lyrics, he already makes the stark comparison in terms of their legs and already saying how the current generation is already at a disadvantage, though people say it shouldnt matter, but of course in reality, it does matter, some just have it better than others when they were born. 

hence this line in the chorus, 금수저로 태어난 내 선생님 = My teachers were born with it all.

내 탓이라니 너 농담이지 공평하다니 oh are you crazy 이게 정의라니 you mu be kiddin’ me! You mu be kiddin’ me you you mu be kiddin’ me!

=

It’s my fault? You’re joking, right? This is fair? Oh, are you crazy? This is right? You must be kiddin’ me! You must be kiddin’ me, you you must be kiddin’ me!

then this bridge is the final mockery that bangtan has for them, more like subtle mockery because it is known that the older generation literally blames the younger generation for everything and making comparisons that aren't even having the same base to be compared. hence in reality, it is not fair to the younger generation.

but this line as well in the chorus, 황새 덕에 내 가랑인 탱탱 = thanks to those that came before us I’m spread too thin - in which they talk about how before the younger generation does anything, they are already pressured by the older generation etc. 

i really love the witty lyrics that bangtan delivers here, truly remarkable, especially when seen in context as bangtan talks about the current problems of the youths. 

Reference: Colour Coded ©

choreography: so the choreography was actually released on their 3rd muster 22920, in early Jan where the world of hip thrusts was introduced and we are all deceased ( let’s be real ), no one saw it coming, no one could even prepare themselves emotionally and mentally, let alone spiritually. 

but anyway, i really like how this choreography is just really intense to go with the beat of the song and using hip thrusts to actually relay this out. 

like these hip thrusts are even amplified in hoseok’s rap apart from the chorus ( why more?? ) 

but i love how this dance already starts off, talk about some big movements and when they all do it together, it is more pleasing to look at 

love how bangtan does this move too in which they gather together in sync, for some reason it looks as though they are going to gang up on you with all these powerful moves, coupled with their facial expressions; talk about an impact to the audience

also, one could see that throughout this choreography, they found some spaces in between the song to actually just groove to the song without having to actually have full dance steps every step of the way ( for eg. in dope )

such as here

but what’s interesting is also the pre chorus where namjoon is getting it and showing his great leg proportions with everyone behind him, especially when he does this move when he raps a more elongated part ( if you know what i mean )

also, this iconic dance move that hoseok created ( the horse dance in 2014 during their promotions for war of hormone ) and to think they incorporated it in this dance in Jan 2016 !!! ( a legend !! ) a nostalgic dance move!!! somehow i guess hoseok was inspired by the iconic nae nae. 

i really like how they included something to goof around ( a true trait of bangtan ) by even having them kinda hi-five their hands before they do the move, clearly seen by the maknae line

last thoughts: really love this hyped song because it never gets old despite it possibly being on repeat.

[Photo Source] Bighit Entertainment Credits: maxine ☕️ DO NOT REPOST ©

[patheticphallacy]

It was a busy bee month for me!

While I took a semi-break from blogging- which means I limited myself to only 1 or 2 posts a week, instead of my usual 3 or 4- I took that time to plan out future blog posts (June, specifically) and read a lot.

#PanelAThon happened, which was the absolute best time. I smashed my TBR, in my opinion. Comic-heavy read-a-thons seem to suit me best, so I know how to sort my TBR for future read-a-thons now!

I also started up a brand new Bookstagram which I’m very proud of, even if my sister is helping me with most of the pictures due to her better camera quality. It’s like a project for us both, really: I provide the books and the good cat content, and she helps me position the shots and take pretty pictures!

Towards the end of the month I went to a gig that my best friend’s boyfriend was doing with his band, which was a great time. I also moved my things out of my Uni house! Next year, I’m living in a flat by myself, which is very expensive but will hopefully be worth it.

In June, I’ll be predominantly reading LGBT+ books, which I talked about more in my Pride Month TBR post! I can’t guarantee I’ll finish everything, though, as my twentieth birthday is on the 18th June and I’ll be spending the last two weeks of the month basically with only friends and family for the entire time, which I’m really looking forward to.

Also, last off: all my posts this month are twenty themed. So it’s all lists of twenty things, catered around my birthday and also my general life. I really hope you’ll check the posts out as they come out, I spent a lot of time making the lists and formatting everything for maximum good content.

READING WRAP UP

      This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers– this was a very human look at the way teenagers would cope in the apocalypse, extremely dark and very upsetting, from the point of view of a suicidal girl. It did let me down in that I wasn’t fully immersed in the story, but it definitely picked up towards the end.

NENENE by Shizuko Totono– while I really wanted to love this, the massive age gap between the two characters really ruined it for me. It tries to make up for the age gap by saying the characters will wait till the main girl is 20, but that honestly makes me quite sick thinking that the only reason they haven’t done anything is because the rest of society are telling them it’s nasty, not because they have any understanding of the massive imbalance of power in that relationship.

The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin– I’ll be honest, I read this because of BTS’s Spring Day music video, but I’m glad I did. It’s a very dark look into a utopian-esque society that only thrives based on the suffering of a child. I really love the distant narrative voice in this piece. 

It Only Happens In the Movies by Holly Bourne– this is one of the most disappointing reads of all time for me. I did a long review of this on my Goodreads breaking down issues I had with the characters and the narrative that really ruined the whole experience. I know I don’t drop star ratings anymore, but this was a definite 1 star. 

      The Case For Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro– This had probably the weakest beginning in the series, with it not picking up until the 160 or so page mark as it relied a lot on info-dumping about Charlotte’s life and didn’t really have much happen. However, the last 150 made up for the weak start, and I really ended up enjoying this and I cannot wait for the final book!

The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman– I really didn’t enjoy this and I am sad. I’m pretty sure it’s a ‘me’ thing, for the narrative, but I will say that there’s a lot of telling instead of showing, which really does lessen my enjoyment as we don’t see characters have any major realisations bar a few. 

By Night #7-#10 by John Allison– this series has flown by! There’s only two issues left now, and I’ll be very sad to see it go, but I definitely think it’s coming to its end.

Labyrinth Coronation #12 by Simon Spurrier– I AM DISTRAUGHT that this series has ended. So so upset. I’m not completely content with this conclusion because a character does something that seems very OOC for them, after their development throughout the series, but I don’t really know how I could have been 100% satisfied with a beloved series coming to a close. 

      Why Photographers Commit Suicide by Mary McCray– this is a poetry collection I’ve had for literal years, a lot based on space and Mars. I was disappointed with this one and didn’t really connect with it overall or gleam anything valuable from it, although there were a few decent poems in there.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden– I love this! Very atmospheric and creepy middle grade horror about some kids, terrifying scarecrows, and a long history of mysterious deaths and disappearances. 

Nuclear Winter Volume 1 by Caroline Breault– Nuclear Winter is a fun story about a Montreal full of mutants that is in its ninth Winter after a power plant exploded. I love Flavie, the main character, and the art style is perfect for a slice-of-life adventure full of mutants, partying and bagels!

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell– God, I’m still scared of this book. It’s basically like the terror of the weeping angels, combined with commentary on female hysteria, and is one of the most Gothic settings I’ve ever read. It’s honestly a masterpiece.  

    Haikyuu!! Volumes 1-  by Haruichi Furudate– This is a GOD TIER sports manga, and probably my favourite, volleyball is just great. I absolutely adore these characters and their dynamics, the competitions, the illustrations– it’s all amazing. I have watched the first season of the anime, which means I was already familiar with most of these volumes, but I honestly do prefer the manga over the anime and highly recommend it.

The Walking Dead Volume 2 by Robert Kirkman– OK writing although it’s nothing special, but the art style change was very evident and I highly dislike it. Has a terrible case  of ‘tiny font’ that really ruins any reading experience for my short sighted ass, so I don’t know if I’ll carry on. I just don’t think I carry about the characters enough.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James– this completely blindsided me. It goes from a sci-fi romance to a sci-fi horror survival story, and I think it’s great. Definitely my favourite Lauren James, she truly is the queen of UKYA sci-fi stories. Apparently her next one is a soft-apocalypse novel, which, YES. 

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson– really disliked this. I think I’ve grown out of the picture perfect beautiful YA characters. Clark never leaves the house and never exercises but apparently has perfect abs and the most chiselled of jaws. It’s just unrealistic, fellas! It doesn’t appeal to me at all. Also suffers from a case of ‘long-book-itis’ and is at least 200 pages of unneeded scenes too long, and is very predictable. 

    Lore Olympus by Rachel Smithe– this is a very pretty adaptation of the abduction of Persephone myth. The art gets better the further you get in, and I really do love the personalities of these Gods and other miscellaneous mythological creatures personified (EXCEPT FOR APOLLO APOLLO SUCKS). Content warning for rape and victim blaming, as well as a character being roofied (unrelated to the rape, though). 

Uzumaki by Junji Ito– very strong first two thirds, but a very dissatisfying conclusion. However it is suitably creepy and has stunning art, and Kirie and Shuichi have a great relationship that I loved seeing develop throughout the story. 

Welcome To Wanderland #1-3 by Jackie Ball– such a lovely series! It’s about fantasy realms and theme parks, magic and rebel princesses, and is very great. Unfortunately #4 won’t be out for a while as the illustrator had to leave for health reasons, but I’m hoping the new illustrator will be able to give this series a good end when it eventually comes out!

Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei– a very cute manga about gay sixteen year old Nakamura and his pursuit of Hirose, a boy in his class. While this doesn’t end with a romance, it’s still a soft read seeing these characters become friends, and I can only hope another volume will one day be released.

    Coady and the Creepies by Liz Prince– not one of my favourites, but it was enjoyable to read. This follows triplets on the road with their punk rock band collecting pins from all the biggest punk venues in the country, and also has ghosts. Probably my favourite part was commentary on punk rock being inclusive and how so many dudebros have lost sight that the movement was built going against a a discriminatory regime, not upholding it!

I Want To Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino– this manga literally knocked me TF out for absolutely no reason at all other than wanting to purposefully break my heart. The last 100 pages made this one of my favourite manga of all time just for how slyly it managed to make me care about these characters.

When I Arrived At the Castle by Emily Carroll– an erotic, Gothic graphic novel from a literal master of her craft. I love everything Carroll puts out, although I don’t think this ranks above Through the Woods. It’s very unnerving and has wonderful art, although I’m still just a tad confused by it. 

Nuclear Winter Volume 2 by Caroline Berault– I’m not putting this with volume 1 just because I didn’t like this one as much. It moved way too quickly and I wasn’t as invested in the storyline. However, I do enjoy seeing older-younger sister dynamics, and Flavie and her younger sister Elsie really reminded me of how I am with my younger sister. 

  Teen Dog by Jake Lawrence– an incredible, quirky coming-of-age comic with anthropomorphic animals, best friends, chess, prom, and a dope pug called Thug Pug! I really loved this, it’s one of my new favourite all-time reads. 

Honey So Sweet Volume 1 by Amu Megura– this was OK; not my favourite shoujo manga, and I’m not a big fan of this kind of art style, but it was fun to read and I like the softness of the main boy!

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu by Junji Ito– SO TRUE TO LIVING WITH CATS. Cannot express how much I could relate to this, I giggled so much. Ito and his wife do have a little bit at the back talking about Yon’s passing, however, so prepare yourself for that, I ended up crying.

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 9 by Hiromu Arakawa– I don’t want to talk about it. I’m heartbroken this series is over. I loved this ending, but I’m heartbroken. I cried so many tears of joy, especially at the ending it gives Hohenheim. 

  Smooth Criminals Volume 1 by Kiwi Smith– another OK read! It wasn’t really stand out in comparison to a lot of the other comics I picked up this month, but it’s a quick read, and it has sapphic spies and hackers, if that’s your jam!

Turf Wars Volume 2 and 3 by Michael Dante DiMartino– Finally picked these two volumes up after procrastinating for months! It’s a really cheesy and much deserved conclusion to this graphic novel series, and I’m very much looking forward to the next series coming out. I’m keeping my hopes out for Wu to return, I miss him.

Bungo Stray Dogs Volume 1 by Kafka Asagiri– Very funny detective agency manga where all the characters are inspired by famous literary authors, each possessing powers that aids them investigations. It quickly gets into the main arc and villains. My main issue is that it has that creepy manga trope of having that sibling relationship that’s a bit too close, just for laughs, and it’s something I absolutely despise, so it kind of ruined how much I was loving it for an issue.

My Hero Academia Volume 16 by Kohei Horikoshi– it’s the start of the Overhaul arc, properly! Some decent character development in here, especially for Tamaki, Kirishima and Fatgum, who are the ultimate team, to be honest. 

The Avant-Guards #1 to #5 by Carly Usdin– Carly Usdin genuinely writes some of the best diverse comic series currently. I love this as a sports comic, although I wish there were more issues to develop the characters and their relationships gradually as it does come across as quite rushed at points!

No.6 Volume 1 and 2 by Atsuko Asano– I really love the anime, so I figured it was about time to read the manga! It’s really fast moving, with great characters and a wonderful breakdown of the Utopia/Dystopia dynamic, and I really enjoy it. Shion is genuinely one of the best characters in manga in my opinion.

Faithless #1 by Brian Azzarello– A very dark new series about a woman who experiments in magic and accidentally summons something very dark. It’s strange and unsettling, and I really loved this first issue!

Slam Volume 1 by Pamela Ribon– This wasn’t that great, to be honest. It’s told in a very third person voice that stopped me from ever connecting with the characters, and although I love the roller derby parts and enjoyed the art, it’s not really a standout comic.

And finally, I read the Save Me Webtoon! Pardon my French, but this was so fucking good, and it’s really reminding me why I love both friendship-focused stories and time loop narratives. I think the art is great and I love the story, but I would not recommend this if you’re unfamiliar with the BTS cinematic universe and basic theories. Not all theories- I only knew basics so I could form an opinion on timelines, conclusions, etc.- but just the basics on the time loop theory. I talk more about all this later on in this post, though!

And my June TBR Jar pick is…. HUNGER MAKES ME A MODERN GIRL by Carrie Brownstein!

ESSAYS/ARTICLES

I read this article analysing BTS’s Spring Day, one of my favourite music videos of all time, and it really hit me hard. BTS in general have stunning music videos, so I highly recommend them for anyone who wants interesting visuals and/or a brand new narrative to invest themselves in with the BTS ‘cinematic’ universe.

TV SHOWS/MOVIES/VIDEOS

BTS’s Spring Day music video. Are any of you surprised?

THIS AMAZING CYPHER PT.3 ANIMATION. There are so many little easter eggs! Fans are amazing.

Another BTS video: their Go Go dance practice video is amazing. They all dress up as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Literally my whole month was spent watching BTS videos. Their whole cinematic universe with their music videos? INCREDIBLE. It starts with the uncut version of I Need U (content warnings for most of the videos discussing suicide, abuse and has a lot of violence), and I realised later on once I’d watched them that the Japanese versions of some of the songs are part of the series! You can find playlists and lists online to help you navigate which videos to watch first. I look at Spring Day as being the conclusion to the cinematic universe with Jin finally saving them all by helping them save themselves, as dramatic as it all sounds.

MUSIC I’VE ENJOYED

I basically spent all month listening to BTS. Particular favourites include Silver Spoon/Baepsae, Answer: Love Myself, Mikrokosmos, Cypher Pt.4, and GoGo!

Nightmare by Halsey is top notch, I got really into Halsey’s hopeless fountain kingdom again this month literally a day before Nightmare came out, so I recommend her! Obviously Boy With Luv is great too, I decided to get into BTS just because the Boy With Luv MV was so great and now look at me!

OTHER POSTS I’VE DONE 

Graphic Recommendations: #PANELATHON

TTT: Characters That Remind Me of Myself

TBR Alphabet Tag

MM: Playlist Book Tag #2

TTT: Books That Should Be TV Shows

Panelathon TBR

TTT: Favourite Books Released in the Last 10 Years

June 20th Announcement

May Wrap Up & June TBR Jar Pick It was a busy bee month for me! While I took a semi-break from blogging- which means I limited myself to only 1 or 2 posts a week, instead of my usual 3 or 4- I took that time to plan out 

[theconservativebrief]

The world doesn’t make sense anymore.

The wrinkles in the simulation were inconsequential at first. The Chicago Cubs won a World Series. La La Land was the Best Picture for about two minutes, until it wasn’t. The Atlanta Falcons gave up a 28-3 lead and lost a Super Bowl. These events — which all happened within six months of each other — were weird, to be sure. Unless you were directly involved in one of the aforementioned properties, however, you probably just enjoyed the oddness of it all.

But the wrongness of the world has turned more sinister, to many. The exit of the UK from the European Union, the rise of alt-right nationalism, the election of Donald Trump — these are things that aren’t supposed to happen. And yet here we are, in a world that feels like it’s tearing itself apart, a 2-year-old caught in an eternal temper tantrum.

If you spend time on Twitter or Facebook, this voiceless howl becomes all the more inescapable. If you doubt me, click on literally any tweet announcing major political news from a media personality and watch as the chasm deepens the further down you scroll. The message is clear: There has to be a failsafe. There has to be a button to press, a piece of footage to find, a magic word to speak, to put everything back on track, to get back to the world as it was — safe and predictable and a little taxing but largely fine, right? Largely fine.

Enter Tom Arnold, the ’90s comedian and ex-husband of Roseanne Barr, who’s going to find that magical bridge back to the world we thought we lived in, or utterly tank his reputation trying.

What’s a show like this without a giant wall of evidence? Viceland

The most 2018 thing about Viceland’s new series The Hunt for the Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold is how impossible it is to tell which portions of it are self-promotion and which parts of it are sincere. On some level, I really do think that Arnold wants to take down Donald Trump, by any means necessary. On another level, though, I don’t understand why he thinks he’s the guy to do it beyond the fact that it will get him back on TV.

I’ve only seen two episodes (out of a proposed eight), and each of them is at once 22 minutes and 13 years long. In the course of watching the first — in which Arnold tracks down tapes of Trump’s appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show, tapes that he gets from clandestine operatives in a motel room in the middle of the night, but which he probably could have just torrented if he really wanted them — I was pretty sure the episode was just wrapping up, only to realize it hadn’t even reached its first commercial break.

Yet there’s something oddly watchable about Arnold throwing himself against the rocks of reality, trying to wear them down. He possesses the same lack of shame that Trump boasts, which means he’ll do anything for his show, or to promote his show. And he at least targets not Trump directly but those who enabled him on the way to the presidency, men like Apprentice producer Mark Burnett, who is rumored to possess a bunch of footage of Trump saying racist and/or sexist and/or homophobic things on the set of that show. (Now Arnold is reportedly claiming this footage has made it into the hands of Ronan Farrow, the New Yorker journalist.)

But it’s here where things become even murkier, because Arnold and Burnett had … some sort of confrontation at an Emmys party over the weekend, which Arnold claims involved Burnett attacking him, while Burnett’s wife (Roma Downey) claims the reverse. (Arnold, at least, has filed a police report.) And presuming an altercation happened (and there are enough witnesses to suggest one did), it’s not clear if Arnold got into a fight to promote his show, if Burnett did so because he feels rattled by Arnold’s irritating persistence, if one man was goading the other, or if it was some combination of all of the above.

Having watched the series, I find it possible to assume any of those scenarios is true. It seems at least plausible to me that Burnett has something to hide. (Rumors of Apprentice outtakes that contained jaw-droppingly offensive statements from Trump predate the man’s run for president.) But watching Arnold in his show is like being cornered by a Trump-hating relative at a family barbecue on one of those long, hazy days in August. He has his hand on your shoulder, and he’s in your space, and he’s talking at way too loud of a volume. And even if you agree that Trump has to go, boy, you wouldn’t mind talking to literally anybody else for a while.

This is Arnold’s “strength” as an “investigative journalist,” I guess. He keeps chiseling away at the wall he’s certain separates him from the truth, using his lack of shame and too-big personality as his tools. But the best moments of the show come when he tries to enlist others in his circle — his wife, his millennial writing partner — into his adventures, and they seem uniquely uninterested in whatever it is he’s doing, hitting their marks for the camera but little more.

Perhaps the most telling sequence involves Arnold staking out the favorite restaurant of his old True Lies costar, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the second episode. When Schwarzenegger appears, Arnold tries to get him to open up about Trump, to say something inflammatory on camera, but he forgets to ask Schwarzenegger if he heard anything from the crew during that one season when the former governor hosted The Celebrity Apprentice.

There’s something approachably sad about this whole sequence, about Arnold trying to be best pals with someone who’s still so much more famous with him, about how he forgets his core mission in that moment, perhaps because he still longs for fame, too. Schwarzenegger became governor, and Trump became president.

But what happened to Tom Arnold? He disappeared. And now he’s returned to rebalance the scales of justice. Honestly, if he did, it would make about as much sense as anything else that’s happened of late.

Tom Arnold (left) and executive producer Jonathan Karsh discuss The Hunt for the Trump Tapes at the 2018 Television Critics Association summer press tour. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for A+E Networks

In its own way, The Hunt for the Trump Tapes underlines a certain brand of the anti-Trump #resistance, a brand that believes Trump is a once-in-a-lifetime aberration, a nightmare that can be stopped if the right piece of information can be found to wake everybody up — and not, instead, a manifestation of a certain American id that has always and will always be there. These arguments seem, to me, to ignore that the right piece of information has been found over and over and over again, and yet those who support Trump continue to support him because he has no shame.

Maybe this makes Arnold the ideal person to bring Trump down, then, because someone with a similar lack of shame might be just the person to fly into the maelstrom, Captain Ahab style. (This ignores, of course, that Captain Ahab dies, and he drags nearly everybody else on his ship to the bottom of the ocean, too, while Moby Dick presumably escapes.) Maybe if Arnold turns the end of a presidency into just as big of a sideshow as its birth was, everything will revert to normal.

I’m not holding my breath, though. The Hunt for the Trump Tapes is illuminating in that it underlines how much Arnold’s qualms with Trump stem not from policy differences, but from the thought that Trump is just kinda, well, gross. He doesn’t want to find the tapes of Trump saying racist and sexist things on the set of The Apprentice because he deeply believes those things should not be said — though that’s one of his motivations. No, he first and foremost wants to find the tapes of Trump saying racist and sexist things because he believes that’s the easiest way to end a presidency.

As with much of the knee-jerk, anti-Trump stuff that floats around social media, there is a kind of grief in The Hunt for the Trump Tapes: a grief that never got past the bargaining stage, that never could accept the idea that so many citizens voted for a man who bragged about committing sexual assault, who made fun of a reporter with a disability, who early in his campaign called Mexicans rapists.

It is a grief of a man who seems to believe that if just the right piece of footage is found, if just the right sequence of images is exposed, Trump voters will cower at the sheer, bright, dazzling light of its truth, then be forced to admit they were wrong.

But throughout Trump Tapes, Arnold runs into people who say, “Well, uh, what could you possibly find that’s worse than [insert damaging piece of Trump footage here]?” and Arnold admits that he doesn’t know, but he has to keep going. He has the TV show, sure, but he also has his certainty. He must know, on some level, that even the worst footage he finds would be rationalized away by Trump supporters within a news cycle and that Trump’s vilest behaviors are treated as added value by many of his supporters.

But he keeps going, because at some point, he’ll bump into the thin curtain that separates this reality from the one that must exist elsewhere, where no Chicago Cubs World Series victories exist and where the president is some boring woman everybody complains about, and then he’ll be able to pass through and maybe bring the rest of us along with him. Tom Arnold wants to ditch Trump, sure, but what he really wants is a sense that the world he once thought he lived in wasn’t a lie.

The Hunt for the Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold debuts Tuesday, September 18, at 10:30 pm Eastern on Viceland, which is a cable channel you might get. I didn’t mention that every time the show cuts to commercial, you get to see some old-school VHS tapes getting splashed with a yellow-ish liquid, so presumably there’s going to be a Very Special Pee Tape Episode. Get excited, America!

Original Source -> The Hunt for the Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold, explained

via The Conservative Brief

[totesmccoats]

Dark Nights: Metal #1

This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).

The League returns from the new Warmoon to find a mountain has sprung up in the middle of Gotham city, a hollow mountain filled with advanced technology emitting a powerful and unknown energy. Also investigating the mountain are the Blackhawks, in this iteration led by Kendra Saunders to recover Carter Hall’s research with his Challengers of the Unknown.

Bringing them to Blackhawk island, Kendra explains to the League about Nth metal, the multiverse (borrowed from Morrison’s Multiversity interpretation), and Batman’s prophesized role in the end of everything.

And that really is just the beginning. Go into this issue as fresh as you can and let it wow you with its references, deep cuts, and surprise character inclusions.

  Batman #29

Bruce Wayne invites the Joker and the Riddler to his home to try and make peace over a traditional French nine-course meal. It goes surprisingly well, especially after Bruce offers a billion dollars to whichever side can convince him that they should be the ones to kill Batman.

I’m feeling like this issue is a bit of an intermission in the arc, the eye of the hurricane, a brief peace before the war rages on. It’s nice from a pacing standpoint, while also giving King a great opportunity to just have Joker and Riddler talk almost directly to the reader in explaining their motivations and modus operandi. Riddler is arrogant and verbose, while Joker predictably doesn’t take any of it seriously.

Janin’s layouts in this issue are amazing, symmetrically dividing certain pages, spreads, and the book in total intro equally weighted Joker and Riddler moments, with Bruce doing his best to literally come between them and mediate. He’s also stacking the panels on top of the background plane, which gives the effect of the dinner being a polite formality for what each guest is really thinking – what they’re really hoping to accomplish.

  Superman #29

Following a spate of missing kids puts Superman on Parallax’s – the universal embodiment of fear and the power-source of the yellow lanterns – trail, but even if Superman can conquer his own fear, it may not be enough to stop fear itself.

Honestly, my favorite part of this issue may be how the Zoo Crew is a fictional property in the DCU, and how it had its own Zoo 52 reboot, and a Pokemon Go! Inspired app. The rest of the issue feels very on the nose, with Superman’s inner monologue going a little overboard on telling us how afraid he is for other people while “fear” is spelled out in various backgrounds. Also, considering the way that Parallax tries to enter Superman, I have a feeling that someone on this book may have a vore fetish going on.

Regardless, I generally do like Sinestro whenever he shows up in stories, which is weird as I’m generally not a fan of Green Lantern, and I’m hoping having Sinestro and Superman together leads this book into some fun places.

  Green Arrow #29

Holy hell; I did not know how much I needed Ferreyra drawing Batman in my life until this issue but I need more of Ferreyra drawing Batman. The opening pages where we slowly zoom into a puddle of blood only to see Batman perched on a building, reflected in red is the coolest goddam thing in comics this week.

Green Arrow follows Luthor’s advice to Gotham, where, as Oliver Queen, he pals around with the blue bloods long enough for them to lead him to the Ninth Circle partners in the city – the Court of Owls, who have begun using their Talons to hunt the poor for sport. And, of course, no trip to Gotham is complete without a visit from the Batman.

This isn’t as strong an issue as the last one, with Superman; but being in Gotham and around other rich people does give Green Arrow plenty of opportunities to just go off on how terrible rich people are, which I do always enjoy. Angry socialist Arrow is best Arrow.

  Wonder Woman #28

My favorite of Fontana’s issues of Wonder Woman so far, probably because it’s the simplest, plot wise.

Diana takes Etta home from the hospital to give her some in home care, but before she can even finish the dishes, they’re attacked by a sniper hunting a bounty on Wonder Woman’s head.

That’s it. A little bonding over hamburgers, then a fight scene, some background on the fight scene, and we end with promise of more fights. I still don’t like Fontana’s inner dialogue for Diana; the idea that there’s a peace in the bonds you make while at war is heavy on the bullshit; but Shea can script a good action heavy issue.

  Spider-Men II #2

The Spider-Men fight Taskmaster, who can more than handle both of them, making a clean escape while knocking Peter and Miles around for good measure. And, overhearing Taskmaster use his name in conversation, Miles finally begins to wonder who his 616 doppelganger might be – and what they have to do with Taskmaster.

In-universe, Spider-Man’s banter is supposed to be insufferable; not just to villains either, even other heroes think he talks too much. With Peter and Miles giving this a stereo effect, the insufferableness may even get to the reader. Even if you like the banter, which I do, it really is the rapidity and volume of it that gets to you. This thread is beginning to feel like a criticism of Bendis’ writing which, I guess goes to show why he’s kind of perfect for this book. Peter and Miles are two guys who, in-or-out of costume, are never off; always able to find something in the last thing someone else said to riff on. A scene with just Miles talking to his crush, Barbara, is much more charming, with Miles on the other side of the quips, but able to finally speak up enough to ask her out to the movies.

  Black Panther and The Crew #5

In ’69 (nice), Ezra begins to lose control of the Crew when they discover they can use their powers for personal gain. In the present, Manifold defends his block of Harlem from the Americops when they try to arrest a couple of kids out past cerfew.

There’s no arguing against the fact that Marvel’s mutants have always been analogues for minority peoples, but this may be the first issue I’ve seen to directly relate the treatment of mutants in the Marvel universe with the treatment of black people in the Marvel universe. Manifold narrates the issue, explaining why he’s decided to move to Harlem, and it’s because he realizes that people are afraid of black people in the same way they’re afraid of mutants in the Marvel universe. He finds kinship not through his powers, but through his skin color, and when he’s lost one family, is able to find another to protect and who will have his back.

Manifold expresses that Harlem chose him, and we get the feeling in this issue that it really did. Harlem didn’t have the same protections from violence under the law that other neighborhoods in the city did, so they elected vigilantes like Manifold, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, etc to be their protectors.

  Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #3

Another strong group of anthologies to the Bitch Planet spin-off series. Those People follows a soldier on his first mission out to arrest a group of terrorists that his CO’s make out to be demons, but – as we find out, aren’t nearly has harmful has he will be to them. Big Game is slightly similar in structure and tone, with a first time ranger out with his mentor on their first hunt of a “man-eater,” whom also, doesn’t live up to explanations. Love, Honor & Obey rounds things off with a noir inspired scene of a detective investigating a manslaughter case where a woman is blamed for the heart attack of a man having sex with her. All strong stories, all equally terrifying by how close they are to the lived reality of women and minority peoples. It does kind of weaken the second story to come right after such a similar one, but both have different enough endings, and work well enough on their own. Can’t really blame the writers for how the issue was structured, and I really don’t want to blame anyone working on this series because they’re all doing such great work with it otherwise.

Comic Reviews for 8/16/17 Dark Nights: Metal #1 This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).

[ragtimedandies9-blog]

The Wild West

Two years into my job and I feel it from time to time. Going to work day after day and falling into that repeatability starts to get to me. I’ve talked before about how I feel on this topic. It all just starts to blend together and becomes almost torture. I’m still in the beginning of my career so I don’t have many resources to work with when it comes to being able to go and do things. However, each year I have saved up for an annual snowboarding trip. It is literally a much needed get away from that daily routine everyone gets sucked into. When I took the time off from work for the trip in late January, everyone thought I would be going somewhere tropical to sit on a beach. I was in fact far from. For the annual snowboarding trip, we drove out to Bozeman Montana. There’s not much to the city but it still offers the essentials for a good trip. It has a few good local breweries that established a good name for themselves and are producing some damn good beer. And most importantly, there’s Bridger Bowl right on the outskirts. Bridger Bowl as a whole has a lot to offer for the price. I honestly think it has the best worth for what you pay. It’s cheaper to board at Bridger for a day then it is to go to Buck Hill just south of the Twin Cities. It is a local resort so much so, that I was running into people that were there last year. Honestly it’s one of my favorite places. There are so many good memories from Bridger that it’s almost become a special place. A group of us met up and began our run. It was almost like we never left the place from last year. One of my favorite things is that my cell phone has no service on the mountain. I’m just with my friends and the mountain. There’s something about just being completely detached from everything that really immerses you into the surroundings. It really sets me free and allows me not to have a care in the world. It’s so crazy the thought of two years ago I would always need my phone on me and now I can’t wait for periods where I don’t have it. This trip had it all for boarding. One day we went from going on of the fastest runs I’ve even had, to some of the deepest powder I’ve ever floated on. Powder riding is like no other. It’s a special occasion that can’t really be planned for. In some unfortunate situations, one might not even get a good powder day in a season. It’s what all skiers and snowboards dream of in a season. Every time I’ve rode Bridger, I would at least get two days of fresh powder. With solid days of riding various conditions and terrain, one can get drained. Lucky for us, there’s a nice hot spring close by that has many tubs to choose from. Nothing beats a cold beer in a hot tub after a long day. One could say it was the perfect trip, but it gets better. For our last day this year we decided we would do something additionally. Driving down to West Yellowstone is where we found our next adventure. At eight in the morning we mounted up on some snowmobiles and set off into Yellowstone National Park. This was my first time in the park and I can honestly say it was worth the investment. Words can’t describe just how beautiful it all is. It’s almost unbelievable at first. As we rode deeper in, I started to notice a trend. Everything in the park just seems super emphasized. The vegetation is thicker than I’ve ever seen. The mountains and cliffs are elegant and sharp. The wildlife is massive in size and volume. It was just one extreme after another as we got more in. Then we ran into our first buffalo. Grazing solo, this creature was around 50 feet out from the trail we were on.  This was my first time experiencing a buffalo in person and in the wild for that matter. This beast was massive. Even standing in what seemed like my hip level snow, it portrayed itself as a boulder. This is why we coined him the name Fortress. We still make jokes about Fortress to this day. Being on a sled provided us the ability to see more and to be out in the elements, really experiencing it all. I’m glad this is how my first time there went, because the trip only got better. Soon herds of buffalo were popping up everywhere. The occasional eagle and swan were spotted as well. Getting more into the park, the real features were starting to show themselves off. Elegant waterfalls can up more than the buffalo at this point. Each were a sight to see, but were nothing compared to what was next. Yellowstone preserves the most extraordinary collection of hot springs, geysers, paint pots, fumaroles, and travertine terraces on Earth. More than 10,000 hydrothermal features are found here, of which more than 500 are geysers. As we rode through the Firehole, I feel like I saw half of them. Tons of steam clouds could be seen even off in the distance rising up from the ground. Soon we arrived at Lower Geyser Basin. Three of the larger geysers could be seen here along with many paint pots and fumaroles. Here you can see a calm pool that’s the strongest color of blue, then walk a few feet and see a rumbling spout that’s the sharpest color of red.  It’s truly a beautiful location in Yellowstone that has a lot to offer. Apparently even some of the features are new as they started to form last year and years prior. From there we rode to Old Faithful. It erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for 2 to 5 minutes.  Its next eruption time can be determined from its previous eruptions length. It’s pretty spot on estimation. It was like 20 seconds before their prediction when it really started up. Old Faithful is not the biggest or the most regular geyser in Yellowstone but it is the biggest regular geyser making it more popular. It seems like the biggest reason people visit Yellowstone. I feel a majority couldn’t name any other features there besides Old Faithful. However, I feel there are a lot better things to see besides that. Leaving there, we began our ride back. At this point it was around two in the afternoon and it was a bit of a ride back. This is where my dream came true. We were maybe an hour from exiting Yellowstone when we can back across a lone buffalo. Only this time, this beast was on our thin trail. With my buddy behind me and a few other sleds behind him we approached. I was five feet from this massive animal. As I passed it began to walk forward and stared to cut off my buddy. He squeezed by but right than he flared up. As he passed the beast reared up on its two legs and moved aggressively forward at the other two behind us. As I looked back it had got right up on the last guy and he held down his throttle and got out of there. I was more giddy than a kid in a candy store. Once we were a good distance away we stopped. I rolled of my sled laughing uncontrollably. I will never forget that experience. As if the whole trip in Yellowstone wasn’t amazing enough, the icing on the cake was as we left, a buffalo tried to ram us. It’s so much more when you’re up against one of those beasts with nothing between you but nature itself. From there we made one other stop. An elk was spotted just across the river. By this time I was really worn out. It was eight hours of riding and sightseeing with a week of snowboarding under my belt. As I pushed through the deep snow up to the river, I came across a downed tree and sat down on the natural bench. I looked across the river at the grazing elk as snow lightly fell. The scene was straight out of a novel or movie. It was calm all around me as I watched on. My mind wasn’t even thinking. I was just at peace as I soaked in all the environment. The picture above can’t capture that moment at its fullest, but it truly brings me back to one of my favorite moments. The day in and day out bull shit that I put up with in a given week can be canceled out by one ten minute moment. I am sold on going back out to Yellowstone in the summer. It seems like there’s a whole other side of it to seen. It will have to be pretty great to top this trip however, what with the buffalo high jinks of 2017.  Overall the trip was a much needed get away. I highly suggest checking out Yellowstone if you can. It’s a worthwhile experience.

[totesmccoats]

Dark Nights: Metal #1

This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).

The League returns from the new Warmoon to find a mountain has sprung up in the middle of Gotham city, a hollow mountain filled with advanced technology emitting a powerful and unknown energy. Also investigating the mountain are the Blackhawks, in this iteration led by Kendra Saunders to recover Carter Hall’s research with his Challengers of the Unknown.

Bringing them to Blackhawk island, Kendra explains to the League about Nth metal, the multiverse (borrowed from Morrison’s Multiversity interpretation), and Batman’s prophesized role in the end of everything.

And that really is just the beginning. Go into this issue as fresh as you can and let it wow you with its references, deep cuts, and surprise character inclusions.

  Batman #29

Bruce Wayne invites the Joker and the Riddler to his home to try and make peace over a traditional French nine-course meal. It goes surprisingly well, especially after Bruce offers a billion dollars to whichever side can convince him that they should be the ones to kill Batman.

I’m feeling like this issue is a bit of an intermission in the arc, the eye of the hurricane, a brief peace before the war rages on. It’s nice from a pacing standpoint, while also giving King a great opportunity to just have Joker and Riddler talk almost directly to the reader in explaining their motivations and modus operandi. Riddler is arrogant and verbose, while Joker predictably doesn’t take any of it seriously.

Janin’s layouts in this issue are amazing, symmetrically dividing certain pages, spreads, and the book in total intro equally weighted Joker and Riddler moments, with Bruce doing his best to literally come between them and mediate. He’s also stacking the panels on top of the background plane, which gives the effect of the dinner being a polite formality for what each guest is really thinking – what they’re really hoping to accomplish.

  Superman #29

Following a spate of missing kids puts Superman on Parallax’s – the universal embodiment of fear and the power-source of the yellow lanterns – trail, but even if Superman can conquer his own fear, it may not be enough to stop fear itself.

Honestly, my favorite part of this issue may be how the Zoo Crew is a fictional property in the DCU, and how it had its own Zoo 52 reboot, and a Pokemon Go! Inspired app. The rest of the issue feels very on the nose, with Superman’s inner monologue going a little overboard on telling us how afraid he is for other people while “fear” is spelled out in various backgrounds. Also, considering the way that Parallax tries to enter Superman, I have a feeling that someone on this book may have a vore fetish going on.

Regardless, I generally do like Sinestro whenever he shows up in stories, which is weird as I’m generally not a fan of Green Lantern, and I’m hoping having Sinestro and Superman together leads this book into some fun places.

  Green Arrow #29

Holy hell; I did not know how much I needed Ferreyra drawing Batman in my life until this issue but I need more of Ferreyra drawing Batman. The opening pages where we slowly zoom into a puddle of blood only to see Batman perched on a building, reflected in red is the coolest goddam thing in comics this week.

Green Arrow follows Luthor’s advice to Gotham, where, as Oliver Queen, he pals around with the blue bloods long enough for them to lead him to the Ninth Circle partners in the city – the Court of Owls, who have begun using their Talons to hunt the poor for sport. And, of course, no trip to Gotham is complete without a visit from the Batman.

This isn’t as strong an issue as the last one, with Superman; but being in Gotham and around other rich people does give Green Arrow plenty of opportunities to just go off on how terrible rich people are, which I do always enjoy. Angry socialist Arrow is best Arrow.

  Wonder Woman #28

My favorite of Fontana’s issues of Wonder Woman so far, probably because it’s the simplest, plot wise.

Diana takes Etta home from the hospital to give her some in home care, but before she can even finish the dishes, they’re attacked by a sniper hunting a bounty on Wonder Woman’s head.

That’s it. A little bonding over hamburgers, then a fight scene, some background on the fight scene, and we end with promise of more fights. I still don’t like Fontana’s inner dialogue for Diana; the idea that there’s a peace in the bonds you make while at war is heavy on the bullshit; but Shea can script a good action heavy issue.

  Spider-Men II #2

The Spider-Men fight Taskmaster, who can more than handle both of them, making a clean escape while knocking Peter and Miles around for good measure. And, overhearing Taskmaster use his name in conversation, Miles finally begins to wonder who his 616 doppelganger might be – and what they have to do with Taskmaster.

In-universe, Spider-Man’s banter is supposed to be insufferable; not just to villains either, even other heroes think he talks too much. With Peter and Miles giving this a stereo effect, the insufferableness may even get to the reader. Even if you like the banter, which I do, it really is the rapidity and volume of it that gets to you. This thread is beginning to feel like a criticism of Bendis’ writing which, I guess goes to show why he’s kind of perfect for this book. Peter and Miles are two guys who, in-or-out of costume, are never off; always able to find something in the last thing someone else said to riff on. A scene with just Miles talking to his crush, Barbara, is much more charming, with Miles on the other side of the quips, but able to finally speak up enough to ask her out to the movies.

  Black Panther and The Crew #5

In ’69 (nice), Ezra begins to lose control of the Crew when they discover they can use their powers for personal gain. In the present, Manifold defends his block of Harlem from the Americops when they try to arrest a couple of kids out past cerfew.

There’s no arguing against the fact that Marvel’s mutants have always been analogues for minority peoples, but this may be the first issue I’ve seen to directly relate the treatment of mutants in the Marvel universe with the treatment of black people in the Marvel universe. Manifold narrates the issue, explaining why he’s decided to move to Harlem, and it’s because he realizes that people are afraid of black people in the same way they’re afraid of mutants in the Marvel universe. He finds kinship not through his powers, but through his skin color, and when he’s lost one family, is able to find another to protect and who will have his back.

Manifold expresses that Harlem chose him, and we get the feeling in this issue that it really did. Harlem didn’t have the same protections from violence under the law that other neighborhoods in the city did, so they elected vigilantes like Manifold, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, etc to be their protectors.

  Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #3

Another strong group of anthologies to the Bitch Planet spin-off series. Those People follows a soldier on his first mission out to arrest a group of terrorists that his CO’s make out to be demons, but – as we find out, aren’t nearly has harmful has he will be to them. Big Game is slightly similar in structure and tone, with a first time ranger out with his mentor on their first hunt of a “man-eater,” whom also, doesn’t live up to explanations. Love, Honor & Obey rounds things off with a noir inspired scene of a detective investigating a manslaughter case where a woman is blamed for the heart attack of a man having sex with her. All strong stories, all equally terrifying by how close they are to the lived reality of women and minority peoples. It does kind of weaken the second story to come right after such a similar one, but both have different enough endings, and work well enough on their own. Can’t really blame the writers for how the issue was structured, and I really don’t want to blame anyone working on this series because they’re all doing such great work with it otherwise.

Comic Reviews for 8/16/17 Dark Nights: Metal #1 This is how you start an event series. Specifically, giving the Justice League a Megazord they use to defeat Mongul is how you start an event series (even though, technically, it started with The Forge).