#kinda campy but felt like doing something different

[vivispec]

Hello there! I'm not even sure how to start. So I felt very disappointed by DA:TV, because of various reasons. Not trying to dampen the mood, I am super happy for you if you actually enjoyed the game! If you do not mind, could you list the things you liked/loved about the game? Help me see the "bright side"? Just gush a litte about it, I could use some positive input around my favourite gaming series of all time. :') thank you <3

Absolutely! For me, I think I always figured I was going to like this game, even if it wasn't my fave of all time? Trick Weekes always writes characters/quests that I like, and for me, story/characters come before anything else. I liked Andromeda, flawed as it was. Even if the gameplay was mediocre, I was certain I'd find something I'd like.

But the gameplay wasn't mediocre. It was actually really, really fun. I played Spellblade, and honestly, the gameplay might be a highpoint for me. I don't really like action gameplay, I tolerate it. I loved this, though.

The biggest thing that really sold me is the fact that the big choices in this game are difficult in a way Bioware has been trying to capture since Origins, but I don't think they've ever nailed until now (except maybe in Mass Effect). Even in Origins, when they had big choices like what to do with Connor, or how to deal with the werewolves, there was always a cop out choice. There isn't one in this game, so far as I can see. At the end of EVERY companion quest there was a choice I couldn't choose, something that made me wonder just what would've happened if I'd picked something different, and don't get me started on the endgame. The endgame was brutal :')

I love the characters, too! I do think some of the writing can get a bit campy or be a bit on the nose, I think some subtlety is lacking for certain characters especially in the beginning, but once shit hits the fan just about every companion has their gutwrenching moment. I felt for every single character in this game, during their act 2 personal quest moments. In all the other games there was at least one character I just couldn't care about, but even the ones that I thought wouldn't tickle my fancy snuck up on me. By the end, I loved all of them so much. I only wanted more.

I like Rook, too. I think I can see how their characterization might be disappointing, though. I think the key for me and my friend @sweetmage was finding the right Rook to play. We both had lots of concepts and while I plugged in the right one first, I know they struggled until they found the right one. Rook is kinda like Hawke in the way that they have a bit of personality already and a defined character path, which can get in the way of true RP. Once I stopped fighting it and let Rook be Rook, I liked the game a lot more, and I liked my character a lot more.

Then there's lore. Oh, lore. I have listened to or read every codex. I have a treasure trove of theories I keep locked in my head. All I need is a corkboard and some red string. Getting to see so many of those theories come to fruition? Things they've been teasing since Origins, that I picked up on when I was 12? Absolutely magical! Some of it I think they bungled--there's one reveal I've been waiting for for 15 years that I found in a note, not codex, on a bridge in Minrathous, no fanfare or anything--but the majority of it punched me right in the face with so much force I had to pause the game and do a little pacing. I won't get into specifics for spoiler reasons, but seeing all those little dots connect? seeing when I was right, and when I was wrong? SO euphoric for me!

A lot of the things I didn't like, too, like making the Crows less shitty--so easy to headcanon around, in ways that don't contradict canon! It's one of my favorite things to do, it feels like a puzzle to me, making everything that is for certain and everything I want fit together. That one, for instance, Zevran totally gutted all the shitty Crows, and left only the good ones :)

I will say, it's clear they were trying to wrap things up. I got the sense while playing it felt that they didn't want to leave any loose threads in case this was their last DA game, so that felt a bit rushed. But I loved it. To me it was a love letter, saying goodbye. Wrapping everything up in a nice little bow. I've always struggled to choose a favorite game in the DA series, they all do something I love so differently that I can't pinpoint one singular favorite, and I think this one is right up there for me, tied for 1st place with the other three games. Like DA2 and DAI I think it could've cooked just a little bit longer, there's a lot of potential for it to be a 9/10 game imho if they'd smoothed a couple of things out, but there's a lot in there for me to love.

Thank you so much for the question, I hope the wall of text will help you see a bit of the light haha. I don't mind that people didn't like it--that's just how it goes sometimes, and I think there are a lot of valid criticisms to be had. For me I was just super bummed that it was the only thing I was seeing online. I'm following lots of positivity now, so the occasional disenchantment is not a problem. Idk if it'll work for you, but @sweetmage was similarly disappointed until they streamed it with a friend, and then just having someone there to converse with it on really helped them to enjoy it. I hope you can find something to love in it, too!

[steveharrington]

i love your taste in movies, do you have any recommendations for scary movies that are on streaming right now? i just moved and i'm planning to get a library card this weekend but until then i need something to tide me over :)

oh thank you!!! yes! this is just from taking a look around at some of the horror streaming guides i’ve seen online so hopefully these are accurate to which service they’re said to be on!

on netflix:

•train to busan (2016) is an all timer for me that i really think is just a masterpiece. even if you’re a little burned out on zombie media, i still say give train to busan a chance because it does zombies in a way that felt really refreshing and different. the characters in this movie are so well done and it makes me genuinely emotional every time i watch <3

•as above, so below (2014) is such a fun movie like omg….i simply was having the time of my life watching it. really leans into as many scares as it can possibly think of, doesn’t take itself or its subject matter too seriously, genuinely gives me sweaty palms sometimes with the claustrophobia of the paris catacombs. also has the rlly cute guy from cloverfield/super store who i have a big crush on

•some honorable mentions: zombieland (2009) is forever a comfort movie for me, scary stories to tell in the dark (2019) did a genuinely great job imo of adapting the book series, and pearl (2022) is just a great time

on HBO max:

•poltergeist (1982) is an underrated fav of mine <3 weirdly i think of it as like a family friendly horror movie? like i think you could sit down kids in front of poltergeist and they’d generally be okay, which i love and find so compelling in movies that genuinely are scary but also kinda work with younger viewers. feat. the iconic zelda rubinstein

•trick r treat (2007): THEEE halloween movie. its literally a movie ABOUT halloween and about the love of the holiday and the season. genuinely makes me feel so emotional about halloween and the beautiful lovely meaningful holiday it is for so many of us. just a fun campy time, everything ties together in such a clever way, and sam is a little baby. what more could you want?

•honorable mentions: of course the scream franchise (1-4) are classics and so worthy of rewatching, and i’ll recommend open water (2003) because to me it is absolutely terrifying and i find myself thinking about it very often

on hulu:

•the omen (1976) always hits for me. i love this movie and find it so effective in its horror. i LOVE a creepy kid. a bit of the omen trivia: in the final shot, damien wasn’t originally intended to be smiling. he was supposed to look dead ahead at the camera. but the actor was told to be serious and look stern, which made him giggle, so the smile at the end is genuine in that he was trying to suppress a laugh. they kept it because it came across so sinister and tonally perfect in the context of the movie :)

•sea fever (2020) listen no one EVER talks about this movie but i was blown away by it. ocean horror is one of my moms fav subgenres so if we can find a horror movie about the ocean you better believe we will be watching. i thought the concept of this movie and its monster (? if you can call it that) were so fresh and original. compared to its predecessors like leviathan or deep star six, i honestly think sea fever is more effective in its scares

•honorable mentions: hulu has so many good choices! alien (1979) and the fly (1986) are obviously beloved classics for a reason. also if you’re looking for a series, castle rock is near and dear to my heart and is very well done

on prime:

•hell house llc (2015) is another one of those classic Halloween movies to me like it truly is a love letter to the holiday…mwah. found footage is my fav subgenre and this movie does it very well. it has one of the most effective scares that truly took my breath away upon first watch and stuck with me ever since

•10 cloverfield lane (2016): ohhh the cloververse my beloved….i often speak highly of cloverfield (2008) because it’s one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, but i don’t as often talk about 10 cloverfield. not sure why tbh because i love it as well! holy FUCK john goodman is scary in this. it truly sets up a horrifying situation, does so much with a small limited environment, and again john goodman has me shakin in my boots. you don’t have to have seen cloverfield to watch this one! you can watch em out of order no problem

•honorable mentions: of course the thing (1982) is immaculate and gets me every single time. just getting reports right now that lisa frankenstein (2024) is already on prime, HIGHLY recommend, wish i could go back in time to the day i watched this in theaters alone in a new windbreaker i had just thrifted and felt so at peace

honorable streaming service mention: shudder is worth a subscription if you’re wanting to go all in on horror this halloween season. it’s got such a fun eclectic collection and amazing movies like late night with the devil (2024) and series like history of horror

[dokidokitsuna]

im really endeared by your concepts for re_rise, i was unsatisfied by return of the mammilians and you’ve put together a really sound story! about to say what i’ve taken from it, so sorry if there’s some innacuracy…

my favorite part off the bat is switching the splatoon for deep cut. imo they’ve been the unquestionable good guys for way too long. plus accidentally working against an oblivious/aimless squidbeak splatoon who’s goal is just to get their gramps back, when youve been investigating grizzco and alterna all game is just a refreshing and well contrasting take on a story. it feels like acknowledgment for the previous campaigns story flaws (being it’s in-general non seriousness!!!)

i always felt deep cut always had the potential to be a bunch of very cool and laid back mentors. they just seemed experienced in what they do, and working alongside them sounds VERY cool for a 14 or so year old cephalokid. (additionally, thered be a break in formula by not making the new kid an agent, rather a personal member of deep cuts heist squad. WAY cooler!!!) always felt their dialogue and personalities are pretty exaggerated when they’re on-air, so seeing what they’re like without an audience sounds more than interesting. if that’s the route you go, itd be another way to set them apart from the previous idol bands, who are always their authentic entertainer-type selves when cameras are on. in that case, what would they be like? what things would they feel like talking about? how different would they really act? all things you can answer if you want. but that was my love letter! thanks for writing up such cool concepts, and making such amazing designs. i even made little analyses on them for the color choice… this is long enough already though. tldr thank you!!! 🩷

Okay so first: thanks so much for this; I love it when people analyze my work (you gotta explain the color choice thing to me sometime, because that has me really curious) ^^

So I totally agree with you about the idea of the player character not being an agent for once…even though I still technically call them Neo/New Agent 3. ^^; I just couldn’t think of my own thing to call them; I feel like such a huge break away from the series’ convention is something that should be determined by the canon…and probably will be soon if my predictions about Splatoon 4 turn out to be correct. ;)

I guess it would be cute if Deep Cut gave them a funky nickname instead, like ‘Shark-bait’ or something. Although that would work better if they all had nicknames for each other; like true alter-egos for their bandit work…I would like that~.

Anyway, as for the main question: tbh I didn’t really put much thought into how Deep Cut’s personalities might change…but that’s mostly because I felt a ton of added depth would be inevitable, by the simple act of elevating them from roadblocks to actual characters you can interact with. ^^; So this is basically what I would do:

-Shiver kinda has a ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’ girlboss thing going on (I think?? Tbh for a series as campy as Splatoon, her characterization is really weak…) so I think her alter-ego should have a more grounded, ‘wise mentor’ persona. Like, she can still trash-talk you and keep that ruthless attitude that she has, but here we’d supplement that with real teaching moments and positive affirmation to show why people should really be drawn to her.

-Meanwhile, Frye has this hyper-cute yet ‘rough-and-tumble’ personality, so I think her alter-ego should be more laid-back and relaxed. This way she can keep her positive demeanor; she’ll just express it in a different way, maybe showing the audience more of her mature and sensitive side. 

-Last but not least, Big Man is characterized as a typical airhead, with hints of a responsible ‘parent friend’ (eugh) underneath…so I would let him be more serious as a bandit, maybe even a little edgy. Of course, seeing as he’s a giant manta ray with an (owo) face, ‘edgy’ is probably still gonna come off as comedic for him, but I think that’s fine as long as he has actual moments of gravity to ground them. I want him to feel like a real ‘senpai’ for the player character, not just a funny mascot…y’know, occasionally commanding the respect that you’d think a ‘parent friend’ would have.

[proximasc0rner]

Okay it's not quite liveblogging but i found the left right game qcode podcast yesterday and wanted to share my thoughts (just finished the first 3 episodes)

OKAY SO!!! Somewhat mixed but still positive feelings i think! So far!!!

My thoughts (spoilers under cut):

It makes me sad that a good chunk of the narration was dropped in order for a more immersive listening experience, but i suppose that's just how it goes when you're trying to translate stories to different mediums

Speaking of immersion oh my GOD i had my first Apollo kinshift ever and it is SOLELY because of how good this podcast is at making you feel like you're there. Like it hit me the minute Apollo stepped out of his car talking about the Hitchhiker. I was shaking and had to take a break from listening until today 😭

Also speaking of immersion. The Ace death scene was unfortunately fucking PERFECT. It was EXACTLY as gruesome as it felt in the og version, and scary in the way that it makes you feel like time is slowing down as it happens and it was just unbearable the whole time listening and AAAAAAAAA (it was good).

I also REALLY liked the added touch of actually getting to hear the conversation between the Jubilation Recovery Service guys as they're capturing Ace and hanging him from the tow hook. Like in the og story the narration just says they're casually talking but in the podcast you get to HEAR it all happen. Except the conversation was... weird, because it felt like each individual statement felt like it was being taken out of context??? Like one minute they're talking about people growing up out of their uniforms too fast and the next thing they say is something about like. Calling off work????? Or something????? It's really hard to describe how off it was, it was like when you put two cleverbot chat ais next to each other and make them converse. It added to the uncanny effect ✨

Also i lOOOOOVED the whole bit where Rob was freaking out at Bluejay for going so slow around the tree because it reminded me why all good people HATE Denise "Bluejay" Carver /silly

THE HITCHHIKER WAS SO FREAKY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH (i would not touch him with a 39 and 1/2 foot pole)

I appreciate that the stellar characterization of everyone wasn't lost in translation. The voice actors have really brought the cast to life.

However, I do not think Tom needed to be expanded upon. like this guy is just the middleman he does NOT need his own story and the lengthy preamble just kinda detracts from the horror for me.

The one good thing abt Tom's end of things tho is that I enjoy the added detail that Tom seems to be the only one who can remember Alice ever existing

WOOOOOO ALICE IS ONLY HALF BRITISH NOW

In seriousness tho. Idk exactly why the details about Alice and her parents were changed-- like in the OG version she was British with Indian parents, but now her dad is American and her mom is British/Caribbean. It's not a negative by any means I'm just curious as to what the reason was for this change. Also Sharma -> Sharman happened too so 🤷

Final criticism: the whole scene with Chuck Greenwald was slightly worse for me than on first read and first listen via CreepCast. Like genuinely Hunter conveyed him better I think 💀. Like the "they're going to hurt now" line was played straight on CreepCast like it's a serious thing. But then on QCODE Chuck sounds borderline mischievous? Like don't get me wrong I loooove me some hammy, campy evil characters (see: my obsession with disney villains) but even i can admit that there is a TIME and a PLACE for cartoon villain behavior and Radio Jubilation is NOT IT. Also the screams were surprisingly lackluster and the weird metal clanking sounds just really confused me 🥲

BUT ALL IN ALL IT HAS BEEN GOOD SO FAR! I'm excited to see where it goes from here!!

[kitzatara]

I know fans using the term Logomancy to refer to her backward magic, but I felt like there's more meaning to the title itself. The suffix "-mancy" actually refers to divination and prophecy. Therefore, any word ending in "-mancy" describes a form of divination, such as cartomamcy, which uses cards or tasseomancy, which uses tea leaves. So, Logomancy here basically means divination using words.

Just some thoughts about this! Also, I felt like only speaking backward to do magic is quite limiting to the term. Consider my interpretation, Logomancy could do much more like for example, with word play and riddles and stuff, IMO.

Okay so I have lots have thoughts about all this. I have a farfetched explanation for the logomancy, i don’t think backwards speaking is limiting, and she has cast spells lots of different ways in the past, so let’s get into it!

So with the mancy thing, I think it’s really funny/interesting how any type of mancer has come to mean that’s the type of powers they have as opposed to meaning divination. Like across all modern fantasy media everyone knows necromancers as people who raise the dead and have death magic powers. I do kinda wish it would go back but, not

With Zatanna i like that it’s called Logomancy because it’s a pretty unique type. Not many other characters are referred to a logomancer. It sounds cool, it’s camp lol. But you can kinda make it fit as “divination” because everything she says backwards comes true. So you can almost classify her spells as predictions that just immediately come true. It is a stretch but it’s technically true. She also does have the power to see the future and can do tarot so she can canonically divine with her magic, which helps it be defined as a divinatory power lol.

And she has cast spells with rhymes, through song, palindromes, runes, she’s done a whole lot.

Moving on to logomancy being limiting, and sorry this will get a bit ranty but I disagree. There’s this weird discourse around Zatanna speaking backwards to do magic and this idea that because she speaks it’s not practical, or that it means other magic users have an advantage of some kind. Which just isn’t true, and even if it were I think people forget that supeheroes are inherently impractical. They’re all a little silly, a little campy, it’s entertainment and we don’t need to logic our way around speaking backwards to cast spells.

And I’ve noticed characters with vocal powers in particular catch a lot of flack, “they need to use their voice/mouth” as if super strength doesn’t require muscle, or speedsters don’t need legs, or green lanterns don’t need appendages, or that psychics need brains, etc. All of them need something to use their powers, yet Zatanna and vocal heroes get treated like it’s a weakness which goes back to her powers being constantly disrespected.

Yes, Zatanna can do magic without speaking, but I don’t think that should be the norm,and I don’t want her doing nonverbal magic more than her backwards spells. She shouldn’t have to do nonverbal magic in order for her to be taken seriously or not be treated as a threat and powerful. And I feel that these discussions about having to prove she can do magic without talking shouldn’t really be a discussion. Logomancy is as old as Superman, it’s a tradition as old as DC’s premier Superhero and I���m tired of pretending that she’s somehow limited by using it.

Writers constantly gag her to depower her and if we want to talk practically it’s actually so difficult to prevent someone from speaking. And even if it weren’t, Zatanna is one of the top escape artists in DC continuity. Her Batman and Mr Miracle are the trinity of escapology, and we’re saying rope and duct tape can hinder her? And if it really were her weakness she could very easily take precautions to prevent that from happening. And then all of that is moot because she really can do magic without speaking and does it all the time.

It’s just frustrating because there’s so much to unpack with the discussion and so much history to disprove it. That’s the end of the rant part lol

Sknaht rof eht ksa!

[flung-out-of-asgard]

Ok but why did you like madam web? I have no opnion on the movie and I'm not planning to see it but I do want to see why the few people that enjoyed it did

There’s many reasons. For starters it is extremely campy, and I love that. I kinda miss superhero movies that go the extra mile to be different, that they even become a little bit cheesy. I guess that’s why I also liked Multiverse of Madness, it was refreshing to have a different story AND visual storytelling, which takes me to my second point.

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about how superhero movies became kind of static, no camera movements, no different shots or angles to push the story forward. I am a professional story board artist, so I appreciate a lot when a movie isnt just telling you what’s going on just through dialogue, but composition and camera work. Yes, it’s a little sloppy in madame web, but I’m so glad it just isnt green screen 24/7 and its the editing and the cinematography what «shows you» Cassie’s abilities. That’s super creative!

Then I loved Cassie as a character, I related a lot to her. The snarky comments, the acid humor, the not knowing how to «properly» interact with other people. That felt so real! She felt like a real person, like someone I can be. I also enjoyed her connection to the girls, them all had great chemistry even if the script made their scenes trip a little, but the way them all shared things in common and became a family, I liked that, I’m a sucker for the found family trope. And also Cassie’s relationship with her mom, I understood that, and that hit me deeply.

Then as for the superhero part. I love that Cassie’s power isnt questioned or dismissed because she’s a woman. I’m VERY tired of movies having these hollow speeches of: ‘Oh, but I am a woman and that makes me strong’ or ‘we’ll take you down with female power’, or having male characters underestimating them for being women and then ‘learning their lesson’. This story never goes there and I appreciate it a lot.

I have many other reasons, but I’ll end just by saying that I’m a huge greek mythology nerd. And I enjoyed a lot Cassie’s story connecting with Cassandra, the seer whose visions weren’t believed. And also Oedipus as Ezekiel trying to avoid his fate.

Is it the best movie? Definitely not, but it’s not as bad as people have said. I believe that every movie has something good to highlight and enjoy and I enjoyed this one a lot! Also. Britney Spears and The Cranberries in the same soundtrack, that sounds fucking awesome.

[paradoxgavel]

@istherewifiinhell tagged me to list off nine movies that're important to me! ty for the tag! ^^

okay, so... I'm gonna list em off here, and elaborate under a read more, bc i kinda wound up infodumping ehehe

i picked coraline, the thing (1982), lilo & stitch, matilda, into the spiderverse, lord of the rings (yes, all of them), mamma mia, klaus, and everything everywhere all at once!

Coraline

i absolutely loved the book when i was like. 10? 11? and when the movie came out my brother and i were just completely obsessed. like, he and i just wound up hyperfixating on it together for a while. I'm pretty sure i just. straight up have the majority of the movie memorized. it's always gonna hold a special place in my heart. <3

The Thing (1982)

my hands-down, all-time favorite horror movie. i somehow managed to go into watching it completely blind, no idea even what the premise of the movie was, all i knew was the title. and UGH it was so much fun watching it that way!! it's one of those horror movies where, the first time i finished watching it, i felt like i just got off a really crazy roller coaster. like, i was STRESSED, but like. that fun horror movie kinda stress. y'know?

Lilo & Stitch

awh lilo & stitch meant a whole lot to me growing up, and probably means even more to me now as an adult. i really related to lilo in a way i couldn't really figure out when i was little, and when i revisited the movie when i was older, it was just like "... oh. damn. i get it now. little mary was going through it, huh." it's just such a sweet movie and it makes me so happy every time i watch it.

Matilda

very much in the same vein as lilo & stitch. a protagonist i really related to when i was little, and really appreciated a whole lot more when i watched it again as an adult. just an absolute comfort movie for me. and I'm kinda including the musical version as an honorable mention bc. i really love that version of it too. <3

Into the Spiderverse

UGH it's just!! such a creative movie in all its little details and different animation styles and its characters, and just. it's one of those movies where every time you rewatch it, you notice something new. it was such a fun, creatively refreshing movie when it came out, and it's still just so much fun to watch. (also dr. liv octavius pls call me)

Lord of the Rings (yes, all of em.)

just!! fuck dude!!!! like!!!! "It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

Mamma Mia

this is just. me and my mom's movie. this movie is just inextricably linked to hanging out and laughing and being best buds with my mom. it's just so goofy and campy and silly and just. never fails to put a smile on my face. it's just a good time, and brings back happy memories and just. makes me happy. (except for when the Slipping Through My Fingers scene starts. that's when i either fast forward or leave the room or else my mom and i wind up just bawling our eyes out together ldfkjsldfjsd)

Klaus

my favorite holiday movie, hands down. beautiful animation, really lovely story, really fun characters. one of those movies where it's become a yearly tradition to watch it on christmas eve. <3

Everything Everywhere All At Once

ough. this movie just means a whole lot to me. just. the assertion that the antidote to despair and hopelessness is just. silly absurdity and sincere kindness. finding joy in the littlest, silliest, simplest things and sharing those things with the ones you love. it's so good! and the movie's just. an absolutely buckwild, nonstop ride, i love it so much. the first time i watched it was on my birthday last year! and i... kinda wanna make this another annual thing. watching eeaao on my birthday. <3

[monstersandmagicians]

June Reading Recap

Is it September 10? Yes. Did I start writing this recap in June? Yes. Did I only read 5 books? Yes. But look, sometimes, the most important lesson in life is that you finish. I think.

Anyways, onto the books.

Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland - Liza Schneidau What it says on the tin: a collection of British and Irish folktales that involves plants. Additionally they were arranged roughly to correspond with wheel of the year and the aim of the book was two-fold: to encourage oral story telling and encourage conservation efforts. A decent collection with a solid writing style. I also enjoyed the short prefaces to most of the tales, adding a little context or fun fact to the reading experience.

The Vanished Birds - Simon Jimenez The library system would not let me but Jimenez's other book on hold, so I decided to give his debut a go. This is a clever, complex speculative novel that I'm sure other people have much smarter things to say about; I don't know if it was a timing thing or an aesthetic thing but I just didn't mesh with this novel. That said, there was enough good about it that I'm still looking forward to reading The Spear Cuts Through Water when the library decides I'm allowed to.

The Scratch Daughter - H A Clarke (book 2 in a trilogy) Speaking of the library, I had to wait forever for this book to be acquired - but it was worth it. A fun, pulpy, queer YA novel about teenage witches who curse fuckboys. All-round good time. Daisy Brink my beloved - every book needs a rich girl who bites people, alright. Now, something interesting. This book is very much a queer YA novel in a way that often really grates on me. Furthermore, beside Daisy-the-biter, a lot of the characters seem to lean on therapy-speak (especially Shiloh). Normally that would result in a DNF for me and I tried to work out why I was still enjoying myself. I think it is because of how campy and fun this novel is. Clarke isn't lecturing us, they're having fun and it shows. I'll have to see what else I have to say when I get my hands on The Feast Makers (which the library does have).

The Awakening - L. J. Smith The first book in The Vampire Diaries. Not that the vampires are writing diaries. Now, I read this book because I do have a slight obsession with how the YA industry had developed, and I mean, this is one of the big vampire romances. It even predates Twilight. To be honest, that was interesting. There were scenes and concepts in the book that felt very similar to those in Twilight. I would be fascinated as to whether this was because Meyer had read the book, or that she and Smith were trying to tackle different things. That said, this is not Twilight. At the start of the book, our protagonist, Elena, is her schools Queen Bee. The Ice Queen. She goes after our vampire lad - Stefan - with a single-minded determindess. Unfortunately, once she gets the guy, her personality starts to flake away. Which sucks, because I don't actually think she is into guys - with the way she discusses her past experiences, plus her feelings about other girls, I think she should actually be hooking up with Meredith and making a kinda scary power couple there. As it is, Matt (Elena's ex) and Stefan have more chemistry. Reading it I did wonder if there was in fact another set of immortal Renaissance-born brothers called Stefan and Damon running around hating each other or if I had read one of the later books or a spin-off when I was younger. The thing is, I would swear that that book was about angels and demons, not vampires, and an important plot point was that one of the brothers was an actual bastard. Like, that is where I remember learning the technical meaning of the words. I did have another point, but this is getting long and I can't remember it, soooo... Overall, this was a quick, fun read, though it felt like only half a novel. Very 90s YA.

The Book of Love - Kelly Link Through no fault of its own, this book took me forever to read, but that did not hamper my reading experience. On a craft level it was brilliant, it was engaging, I adored it, I look forward to reading Link's short stories, she is a very masterful story-teller. Please, go read this.

[savage-rhi]

Person A: ❝Did you do this on purpose?❞ | B: ❝My chest hurts. My chest really hurts.❞ + Higgs and... Your pick!

Coming right the fuck up you beautiful anon :D!

“Did you do this on purpose?” Sam breathed out, feeling his legs go numb as he lied on the field of grass. He could barely feel anything, save for his own heartbeat as Higgs was lying closeby, giggling up a storm. 

“Somethin’ like that, yeah.” Higgs said as a matter of fact, taking another hit of the cigarette he had been sharing with Sam for the last ten minutes. The former terrorist having spiked the tobacco with a potent strain of marijuana, something he had stolen from a fellow porter hours ago. Higgs too was lying on his back, looking up at the sky as the air around him grew heavier as did the feeling in his chest. As much as the sensations were weird, the experience had been rather pleasant. 

“I outta kick your fucking ass.” Sam said, his voice no longer gruff but more or less timid. 

“As if you could get off your fucking ass, Bridges.” Higgs countered sarcastically as he stretched his arm out to pass the cigarette to Sam. Sam looked at the cigarette and sighed deeply, this was probably one of the stupidest things he had ever done, especially with someone like Higgs but he wasn’t going to lie: chilling out in the nice weather, not worrying about packages, not worrying about Louise being in danger, it was pretty good. He took the cigarette from Higgs, putting the bitter end of it to his mouth and inhaled slowly, taking the smoke into his lungs as he exhaled whatever fears he had out of his system. 

“Why are we even talking to each other again?” Sam asked, feeling a haze form over his eyes as he somewhat quirked his lip into a smile, watching some birds fly overhead. He hadn’t seen such creatures for a long time. 

“Beats the hell out of me. I was gonna fuck you up and ransack your deliveries, but one thing led to another and now we’re here gettin’ lit like old chums.” Higgs said with a shrug, letting out a chuckle as he closed his eyes for the moment. “You know, it's a damn shame we never met before Amelie used us as puppets.”

The sincerity and moroseness in Higgs's voice took Sam aback as he peered at his former rival from the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back up. The air was light, the clouds gently flowing by, no signs of anything like Timefall or BTs in sight. 

“We could have been a hell of a team as porters.”

Higgs had a point that Sam couldn’t deny. It had been something he had contemplated on for the last two years. What ifs never solved or helped anybody, but in this case, it was an idea that never left Sam’s mind after leaving Higgs to his alleged fate on the beach with Fragile. Sam sighed, handing the cigarette back to Higgs who was quick to puff on it.

“You know, for what its worth, you’re not actually that much of a dick.” Sam said with a shrug. The compliment made Higgs smile big, feeling accepted for once though given his stubbornness and trauma, he had a hard time reconciling it. 

“You’re just saying that cause you’re high like me,” Higgs said softly then before he could counter, he accidentally inhaled too much smoke and started to choke, bolting to the side as he gagged. Sam couldn’t help but start laughing as Higgs gasped for breath. 

“My chest hurts. My chest really hurts.” Higgs said, starting to laugh himself in between coughs. 

“Serves you fucking right.” Sam said as he reached over and punched Higgs’s shoulder, causing him to let out a gasp and a final cough. 

“The fuck was that for?” Higgs asked bitterly as Sam shrugged and let out a small grunt, Higg’s attention now fully on him. 

“Just showing you I care in my own way.” 

Higgs smirked, rolling his eyes as he could feel his stomach churning over itself, feeling light and flighty much like his head. 

“You gettin’ touchy-feely again on me like you were on the beach?” Higgs questioned jokingly as Sam let out a quiet laugh. 

“Nah, that was for my daughter. She would have wanted to hit you had she not been trapped in a pod.” 

“Poor thing.” Higgs sounded remorseful then as he sighed, thinking back to when he took the shots at not only Sam but his Bridge Baby too. That was probably one of the lowest things he had done next to forcing Fragile to walk through Timefall. The memory didn’t sit well with him regardless of whatever the drug was doing. 

“When she’s older, and if she ever sees my ugly mug, I’ll let her personally beat my face in.” Higgs offered as Sam turned his head, looking at his former rival. He smiled. Though there was still bitterness between them, he appreciated the thought. Higgs was trying at least. His eyes looked away, facing the sky yet again. 

“Just repent for your bullshit, then we’ll call it good.” 

**A link to my ko-fi account. If you enjoy my content and want to support me getting my monthly medication for fibromyalgia and arthritis, I would be eternally grateful. It is NOT a requirement however! All my work is free to read!**

[farrahfawcettshairspray]

red dawn 1984 and stranger things vol 2

you know, i'm honestly kinda shocked no one is talking about this. it seems like such an amazingly spot on parallel, or direct reference.

these photos are from the 1984 movie red dawn. the story is described as a kind of teen rambo, in which a group of high schoolers led by one of the group's older brother (patrick swayze) are faced with arming themselves while on the run in attempt to save their small town from russian troops who have landed in america.

costume wise, i have a lot to say.

first off, we have steve who directly parallels patrick swayze's character and costume. like swayze, steve is the older brother character tasked with looking after a group of kids who look up to him as they face an evil far larger than they can handle. here we see steve wearing the iconic brown leather jacket, much like swayze. this initially made me fear greatly for steve in volume two, as swayze's character unfortunately dies in red dawn.

next, we have dustin. dustin wears another one of swayze's iconic outfits with the sweatshirt and headband combo, as well as the use of plant matter as camouflage, another trope used in red dawn. here, i think it says a lot about dustin because he is wearing an outfit that steve's character parallel is known for, saying just how much he admires and looks up to steve.

next, we have robin. robin is emulating lea thompson's character here. we see the beret, the camo pants, and the vest. i don't have much to say about the parallel character wise, but before watching volume two, i felt like robin's character was safe as thompson is one of only two survivors in red dawn.

finally, there is nancy. nancy is an obvious parallel to jennifer grey, as she has a perm which is ruined, the scarf or thick neckline of her shirt, the gun obviously, and the puffer coat. while the colors differ, it is undeniable. this, granted, made me fear a lot for nancy in volume two as grey's character unfortunately dies.

with such intensely consistent parallels, i was frankly terrified for volume two. much in the way that there are two survivors of the original dnd game at the start of this season, and two survivors of red dawn, i was expecting more carnage with the end of season 4. though, i fear that this carnage is likely to come with season 5 as the party is faced with saving hawkins on the whole, much as the teens in red dawn must do.

and the parallels don't end there. we see in both teens wearing letterman jackets while fighting, arming at local stores for something much greater than the small town is equipped to handle, eddie wearing a bandolier, and so much more.

i'd love to hear what others think, and if anyone else has seen this movie. i found myself watching it in preparation for volume two as a friend of mine spotted the parallel before i did. it's worth a watch (campy 80s military movie at its finest with a frankly incredibly surprising cast). i find myself pretty confident in this observation, especially since we get such overt and confirmed parallels with other characters this season (eden being ally sheedy in the breakfast club and vickie as molly ringwald, her outfit in the war zone my favorite as that seemed like a pretty obvious parallel to andie in pretty in pink, my favorite 80s movie haha)

i have also seen robin's outfit compared to the frog brothers in the 1987 movie the lost boys (the 80s movie i probably recommend the most to anyone who asks) and all i have to say about that is RIP eddie, you and the fruity four would've loved that movie.

tldr, look into red dawn for more insight into plot for stranger things 4 volume 2, and potentially season 5

[purposelynana]

WHAT DID I WATCH: #26

I watched Love In The Air, made commentary post out of it, and at the last minute decided to delete it because I don't think it deserved to get out there. I consider myself as a rude person but that kind of post will solidify me as the evilest person on earth.

All I can say is that wow I've got so many rants about this. I mean this is downright bad. Not in any campy way, but morally bad way. I want to defend this because there were some parts that just good (ahem, Sky, ahem). But, how could I defend something which challenged me to confront certain stuff. Especially, of how we define rape and consent.

I've been in abusive, gaslighting, victim-blaming kind of relationship. Watching Love in The Air has been an exhausting experience. Not only because it reminded me of some of the bad times that I've had, but also how ridiculous this kind of relationship got resolved in the series.

But then again who the hell am I? I don't even know Mame and why she kept writing this kind of story. I do feel a little bit pity towards her. Is something going on with her personal life and resulting in this form of entertainment?

And the sound mixing is just downright bad. Like I can't comprehend what the hell is going on in the post-production. Probably Mame and her team threw whatever they could salvage from the shoot. I tried so hard to shut my brain off but then nah, it still felt dumb.

In order for me to enjoy this series, I had to throw all of the moral guides I've been taught on. But, we as human, if we lost our principal that means we already cost our humanity and I don't want that. I don't want to be a not-human.

The only thing that I could appreciate from Mame.

Meanwhile, been spending time to watch Big Dragon which is nice surprise in the sea of toxic relationship that get represented on TV. It was nice to see just a jerk meeting jerk. And that's Mame wouldn't understand. I'm not trying to justify rape but at least if you want to include rape into your scene, do it to the equally bad people. God, I think I'm not going to forget Mame's mistakes, am I?

Perhaps one of the strengths of this little pulpy series that rarely got mentioned is how beautiful sometimes dialogues flow between characters. It's so true to the characters and it felt real, not some made-up wattpad-y type of dialogue. Because the very reason why some of adaptations from Y-novel felt flat to me, is they just copied whatever on the paper and not trying to make it believable in today's world.

One of the best dialogue is happened on this very scene. Kinda wish it took a little bit effort from the actors but yeah...

Then, I've been trying to get through episode 6 of Ghost Host Ghost House. (weird choice of title, by the way). Strangely, after the talked about episode 4, it kinda bummed out a bit. I mean, I don't really like watching it for no particular reason. In other language, yes it is boring. For me, it was too fast in pacing. But yeah whatever happened on episode 4, was convinced me to continuing this.

AND LASTLY, THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN INVESTED INTO MY BRAIN LATELY IS...

what the hell, season 2, what the hell.

to me personally, this way better than S1 because its pacing and the acting. oh my god, edvinnnnn!!!!!! my sonnnnnn!!!!!

maybe because i'm so biased to exes-to-lovers kind of trope, that's why i'm so glad. knowing on fiction your gloomy love story could end up having a different outcome if everyone willingly to just fight. not just yourself. story of my life.

it takes losing one another to find each other.

bismillah mantan hayuk.

[stackthedeck]

hello friendly neighbourhood stackthedeck uuhh ive been seeing tiktoks about the sinister six (whom mcu peter previously helped) sort-of like adopting peter as their science/vigilante son or something of the sort and my first thought was, "i wonder how stackthedeck could feel about this." because i, personally, really hate this idea of older vigilantes 'adopting' younger vigilantes the mcu has been perpetuating (thank you kamala khan for being the exception) and much prefer the classic where a younger vigilante would be inspired from afar... or by, y'know traumatic experiences.

Okay I’m opposed to the idea on principle because of how the mcu massacred Peter Parker’s character with the stupid tony stark mentor bullshit but here’s my thing… Peter is allowed mentors

Like this just doesn’t work for Tom Holland’s Peter. Like I get it he’s completely alone there’s an impulse to give him someone anyone to cling to. But Peter kinda needs to be alone right now and he needs to make mentors that are just about him! Because the sinister six of the mcu are thinking about their Peter’s. Max and Connors had a close relationship with their Peter and felt betrayed by him and they would project that onto Tom’s Peter. Flint has a weird relationship with his Peter because Spider-Man 3 rushed his whole thing. Flint is the only one that I could see this working with because he lost his daughter and he needs to atone for killing the Ben of his universe but like it’s still not about Tom’s Peter it’s about Tobey’s Peter. Same with Norman and Otto who were like fathers to Peter, but not this Peter. Peter didn’t grow up with Harry and he didn’t know Otto’s wife or know him before the arms. This doesn’t work because these villains do have mentor relationships and friendships with their Peters and that’s what makes their villainy so impactful but it’s once again not letting mcu Peter be the center of his own story.

Like Peter has a fantastic father son/mentor relationship with mysterio in far from home and that betrayal was so good but it was tied back to tony and it really soured it for me

Like Peter can have mentors but you gotta understand why they work. It’s because they’re similar. Peter and Otto both see a brilliant scientist in each other same with Peter and Connors. They come together because they're all scientists that are ignored or given few resources and Peter's character really gets to shine because he's doing the right thing when his mentor couldn't. Norman tries to do the father-son thing with Peter but it doesn't work because Norman is rich and uncaring and greedy and Peter is anything but. The reason Tony and Peter don't work as a father-son duo is because they are so different. Peter doesn't get to rise above Tony's flaws because Tony and Peter come from very different situations. Tony doesn't get to be bettered by Peter because he was already on that track by iron man 3. Peter isn't bettered by Tony other than new tech. Like their mentorship is so surface level and narratively they don't add anything to each other. Tony and MCU!Peter wish they had what Otto and Tobey's Peter have!

also we don't need to domesticate the sinister six, let them be sinister campy villains and also Matt is clearly the one that should be mentoring mcu!Peter

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: May 2022

It’s getting warmer out and yet I’m still inside watching movies and reading books. Maybe in June I’ll at least read in a park or something.

……….FILM……….

Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (1982) So close to being a film I’d recommend. It starts with really great visuals and a big expansive world but by the end I felt like that had all melted away into a sort of Saturday morning cartoon. Certainly not terrible but I’d say the first 20ish minutes are lts best.

The Virgin Suicides (1999) Oof I was not ready for how sad this movie was. The life those sisters had? Feeling like there’s nothing left to live for? Ugh just so sad. It beautiful and  felt so personal and poetic; it really captured the spirit of reading someone else’s diary. So great and so SAD!

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) The more interesting visuals (and by that I don’t mean the CG stuff but rather the portrait overlays and wonky camera work) really clicked for me and the whole thing had far more personality than I expected. Exasperated Strange paired with a plucky sidekick was a fun choice. Lots of fun choices here. But it still felt like a cotton candy movie. Maybe that’s okay.

……….TELEVISION……….

Fleabag (Episode 1.01 to 1.04) Have you ever just started a show and immediately known you were going to love it? This is that. The characters, the editing, heck even just the music sting at the start and end of each episode: it’s all perfect. Really trying to savour the series knowing there’s only two seasons but also really respect that it has a goal and will wrap when it’s ready.

Our Flag Means Death (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) It took a long time for this to click with me. I was told it would take a few episodes to get into the groove and that’s partially true. For me it wasn’t about the plot or tone, but rather the...genre? I went in expecting a much sillier and funnier show (of which it certainly has moments) but once I adjusted to a light-hearted character piece, it was more enjoyable. It wasn’t quite a comedy in my books but that’s okay. We’re moving into an era of television where nice people doing nice things is celebrated and I’m into it.

……….READING……….

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Complete) So great. This series is only two books deep and already so so good. The first one was great, then the second one comes in with a different protagonist, a slightly different style, and a totally different tone and yet it all feels entirely cohesive. It’s fantasy. It’s sci-fi. It’s meme culture. It’s everything I want out of a book.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and what Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (Complete) I always catch something new with each reread. Just great stuff and so inspiring.

The Secret Service Vol. 1 by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons (Complete) Turns out the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service was based on this so I was excited to dive in! The premise and threat are loosely adapted from this volume but the most charming bits (gentleman tech, the themes of class, the trainee conflict/camaraderie) is mostly absent. Eggsy isn’t much of a character here and the overall tone feels a little more mean-spirited than campy. Your mileage may vary but for me, it’s a case of the adaptation improving upon the original.

Dorohedoro Vol. 2 by Q Hayashida (Complete) Having already watched the anime on Netflix, most of this volume was familiar. The new stuff was fun and has me looking forward to continue with this series! 

……….AUDIO……….

The Fundamental Slimes and Humours by Nekrogoblikon (2022) Big fan of their previous album but this one isn’t connecting with me yet. It just feels like each song kinda...happens? Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re noisier but it feels muddled. Hopefully that changes with further listens.

No Second Chances (Podcast) Nothing has gotten me more amped to vote than listening to this podcast. 

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) My weekly game just reached their 100th session in Neverland! They’re currently pursuing the youngest Pirate who fled with information and a magic sword. Meanwhile my biweekly group (the Mof1 crew) have returned to Neverland after a few months in Oz and are hopping around the island using magical whirlpools to get to know the area better.

And that’s it! If you have anything to recommend then send it my way; I’m always looking to discover new stuff.

Happy Tuesday!

[puthyflapps]

Do you think the l word is going to get cancelled? The numbers aren't great but it seems like a show that doesn't care so much about quantity

Tbh it wouldn’t surprise me because this last season was, and I say this with peace and love, fucking bad.

1. The new group we’re supposed to be invested in are apparently friends but it doesn’t feel like it and I think that’s one of the main issues with Gen Q. The original had a group of tightly knit friends at the core of the show and gen q has???? people who give me headaches????

2. The original was fun and embraced the campiness of it all. Miss chaiken took some creative liberties to say the least but it was always a good time and I don’t think the show ever took itself too seriously. Gen Q comes across like an after school special because it wants to touch on all these different social issues but the writers are incompétént. You know Marja Ryan-Lewis, sometimes all I want is to watch lesbians play a game of pick up basketball. Is that too much to ask?

3. The gen q writers, godbless them, do not know the meaning of show, don’t tell. Y’all don’t want to hear it but it must be said. Shane x Tess and Bette x Pippa were made out to be these super romantic soulmate type couples but like in actuality the math simply isn’t mathing. You’ve got all of Shane’s friends talking about how in love she is with Tess and how they knew from the start and babes,,,,that’s just not true.

The writers had the right idea about doing a lil slow burn build up that shows them growing closer and shows them developing feelings but it’s like they got lazy and didn’t want to put in the effort anymore so they just started having everyone say Shane and Tess are so in love instead of actually showing us this.

To this day I still don’t understand Bette’s relationship with Pippa like the whole reasoning behind them possibly becoming a couple is that Bette loves her art and therefore they are soulmates??? Like what?? How does that translate to compatibility? Both these couples went back and forth on whether or not they even liked each other. Pippa couldn’t stand Bette from the jump and they were arguing like every other episode. Tess went back and forth on whether or not she thought Shane was a good person and she could be kinda mean but I digress

4. The writers have taken the concept of The Chart™️ and just ramped the idea up 10,000 notches. All the characters are swapping partners every other day of the week like no one can hook up with someone outside of the group pls???

5. Some of the plot lines were feeling recycled like they took a plot line from last season and just gave it to a different character and pretended it was something new that the audience hadn’t seen

6. Some OG characters are actually imposters. That’s the only explanation for some of their behavior. Bette has always had a,,,,certain way with the ladies but this season she was just down right awful. She was just fucking mean as hell for no reason.

Shane has money now which means she’s lost all her brain cells and can’t do anything herself. Also her being apprehensive about taking care of a drunk Carrie felt a little ooc because Shane was honestly the nicest out of the original group and was often the very progressive voice of reason. I just find it odd that she would just like lose all her emotional intelligence like that

7. What does Shane do? All of the things the writers could have chosen to recycle from the original and they chose to reuse the Shane doesn’t exist trope. She’s an og but the way they constantly shove her to the background and give her nothing to do is heinous and it feels like a hate crime directed against me specifically. Like she has a whole bar and they can’t think of a single thing to do with that? Shit why does she not try to idk find her younger brother and reconnect or find her mom and older brother that were mentioned in the original? She’s got the money and the means now. Do something bitch!!!

8. This is probably the most important point of all:

No Carmen. They bring Carmen back and boom, 10 season renewal immediately 🥰

[gaylonelydyke]

if it’s not too late, 12 for episodes and ships, and 17!

its never too late! thankyou for the ask 🥰 oo damn this is gonna be a hefty one, just to prepare you this is gonna be long 😅😅😅

spoiler alert for my friends who are finishing up season 2 rn, be careful if you look at my top five episodes, pay attention the the episode numbers, i will put [ ] in bold at the beginning and end of spoilers!

12. Top 5 ships

5. faith x myself because have you seen faith? shes such a babe! spare consensual kiss maam?

4. willow x oz, i dont know if this is an unpopular or not but i feel like if the 90s had been more accepting of term then willow wouldve been bisexual, but like even now tv shows will rarely let characters say that word :( but anyway i love them! theyre both quirky and kinda awkward but its such a sweet relationship and you really see how they go from awkward crushes to an actual deep relationship, oz is one of my favourite characters too what a dude!

3. giles x jenny, mlmxwlw solidarity in this bisexual couple! there is no an ounce of straight between them and i love it, i love their dynamic, i love that giles *respects women* (im staring daggers at xander rn), also the original girlboss x malewife couple askdjaksjhd

2. drusilla x spike, these two!!!!!! once again a bisexual couple with zero straight between them, the vibes are off the charts. sexy vampires, goth x punk love, i just love them man, and their relationship is so interesting to delve into. like theyre vampires, theyre soulless and yet they have a capacity for love, they care deeply for eachother, theyre so tender towards eachother in season 2 in the way they take turns to care for one another, also drusilla picking spike up with one hand made me gay and thats on that

1. willow x tara!!!!! lesbians man lesbians! they have a beautiful relationship, until a certain point wink wink, they feel like a perfect match, willows become more outgoing due to buffy and xander snd having a proper group of friends, so its cool to see her as the more outgoing independant one in the relationship, and tara is such a honey 🥺 the biggest sweetheart in the world what a babe!!!! also like how groundbreaking was their relationship? as a queer couple, they had p much the dame amount of screentime as a aueer relationship today! and willow says the word lesbian so many times and is always making gay jokes which is something shows today are too scared to do, its honestly refreshing which is weird for a show in the 90/00s

12. Top 5 episodes

this is so hard because its such a damn good show so i had to rlly be picky about this but here we go

5. 6x22 ‘grave’- i watched buffy for the first time last year at work coz i worked with one other person just packing shit, and THIS was the episode that made us cry infront of eachother. the scene with willow and xander at the end is one of my all time favourite scenes and like legit we were watching and we starting going like ha.. this is so sad Q_Q and we looked at eachother and we were both crying akdjdjsjdhs its SO GOOD, like this is a friendship ive been so invested in and [seeing xander be able to pull her back from that dark place was so heart wrenching and amazing god its so good]

4. 3x12 ‘helpless’ - im finishing up s2 in my rewatch rn so i havent rewatched this one to double check but i remember loving it man. buffys father daughter relationship with giles is my favourite of the whole show they make my heart ache, so i love that this is an episode that really shows you how dedicated giles is to her, [its the breaking point where he finally disregards the fact that hes a watcher and acts as her father once and for all, its a turning point for their relationship where he is finally embracing the fact that shes like a daughter to him and i just love to see it Q_Q get you a dad who will leave his lifes calling for you]

3. 4x22 ‘restless’ - season 4 is interesting coz it has really good episodes and them some gd awful ones 😂😂 but this one just blew me away, i love a good character study episode and this is THE SHIT! its so weird and creepy but in the most perfect way, its not on the nose its so subtle, it feels like an uncanny valley version of buffy almost, i like that they finished the season first and then took this episode to do something out of the box and different i feel like it lets them fully explore this idea without the pressure of needing plot included. [also the cheese man is iconic. dont however like xander being all nasty with willow and tara but whats new there man]

2. 1x12 ‘The Prophecy Girl’ - for my first watch of buffy i wasnt that into the first season, like i enjoyed it but i didnt think it was anything super special? but this episode changed EVERYTHING for me. up until now buffy had been fun, witty, charming, but not anything new atleast for me, maybe in the 90s it was but right now its your average teen supernatural show. but this episode!!!! the emotion! buffy facing her death, her speech about how shes just 16 and shes scared and she doesnt want to die, that is what i wanna see!! its heartbreaking and it made me cry, and then it gives us the wonderful moment of giles trying to take her place and buffy realising that she has to be the one to do it, man its so good! basically anything with buffy and giles being a duo is gonna make it an automatic yes from me and this is indeed the case for this episode, i just love that the show remembers that shes a child! shes not brave all the time, shes not strong all the time, shes just doing her best and sometimes its overwhelming, 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 i bow to this episode

1. 2x17 ‘passion’ - i know i just sang praises about prophecy girl but THIS EPISODE IS THE SHIT, the best episode full stop. i wont accept any argument. angel is probably my favourite big bad, its so funny to see plain bread, mopey brooding angel become this charismatic, funny, poetic, blood thirsty angelus, hes everything i want in a villain and in this episode he delivers! rip jenny tho love her. i think the tension built around angel is so good, because of his drawings and notes left around, every scene youre worrying like is he here now? are they safe or what? its so tense! and also it is me and im a slag for buffy x giles father daughter moments and this episode fucking delivers! giles discovering jennys dead body is probably one of the best scenes on the show, the dramatic irony is heAVY, we know jenny is dead, we know that these flowers arent from her, but giles is so so happy, and i want to see him happy but you just know somehing horrific is about to happen and damn does it. its a masterpiece! i love jenny and giles so much it is so sad, but also the fact that it gave us that scene makes me almmmoost ok with it? i also love the moment where giles breaks down in buffys arms, hes been there for her and now shes returning the favour and hes accepting it i just 😭😭😭 also on a different note, angels narration of this episode is amazing! it gives us great insight to who he is as “evil angel” and like even though hes awful i was also kind of rooting for him coz hes just such a great villain

sorry this is so long lmao, last question!

17. Which characer do you wish had less of a focus on them in the show?

i dont wanna get yelled at butttttt i dont like the amount of focus on dawn. i think it makes sense for the her first season considering the story arc but that season really does double down its focus onto dawn and buffy and it barely leaves room for anyone else to have a storyline, it keeps the episodes super depressing too its like a constant level of just sadness the whole time because we’re so stuck in THEIR arc, theres no room to balance it out and have a breather, some people might like that its more serious but i really really didnt like, i love episodes like prophecy girl where it is campy and brings the more emotional notes in when the time comes, but dawns whole arc is just constantly depressing the whole time i just hate it, and also just shes not a character i felt i could connect to because of how suddenly shes introduced, so its weird to have her SO focused on in the first half of that season coz we dont know her yet so i feel like the emotional moments dont land the way that they should? basically they shouldve eased us into dawn or introduced her differently and maybe i would like her enough to want the focus on her but i really just dont

adksjakjshd apologies for the essay this is, thanks for the ask!

[palmtreepalmtree]

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and Happy Cozy Day Off to those who don’t!  It’s time for another addition of... 

The Worst Movie on Netflix Right Now™ Christmas Edition!

Today I’m going to review a sequel... The Princess Switch: Switched Again

*dreamy sigh*

Alright loyal readers, I gotta be real with you.  I liked this movie.  I hate that I liked it.  But I fucking liked it.  Like... I kept thinking the whole time, this is a campy blast!  Which was a pretty uncomfortable feeling.  Especially considering how much I fucking hated the original, The Princess Switch.  Like... I wanted this movie to be longer.  WTF!?  So after much internal confusion, here we go.

For a refresher, here are some of the key complaints from my review of the first movie:

Fake soundstage scenery

Cheap costumes

Terrible writing (duh)

Bad acting/accents (duh, again)

No actual baking (despite a baking competition subplot)

But here’s the thing -- the majority of these problems are kinda solved in this new movie.  So what the fuck happened between that movie and this one?  They got a budget!?  

Let’s walk through it.  The premise of this new movie is now Princess Stacy (the Chicago baker) who is married to Prince Edward is going to Montenaro to provide support to Duchess Margaret in the days leading up to her coronation as queen.  In the last movie, Stacy and Margaret had switched places, leading to Stacy’s romance with Prince Edward and Margaret’s romance with Stacy’s best friend and fellow baker Kevin.  Woof, that’s a lot.  Here’s a visual to help out.

I color coded it.  And added little icons.  I’m helpful like that.

Anyhow.  In the first movie, Stacy and Margaret switch places for some reason that I can’t fucking remember, and they wind up falling in love with the different men in their lives.  

By the times this movie starts, Stacy and Edward are married, and Margaret and Kevin have broken up for reasons neither can really articulate.  Stacy is convinced that if Kevin and Margaret just had some time alone together, they could work it out.  So Stacy convinces Margaret to -- you guessed it -- SWAP AGAIN!  Only this time, there’s a THIRD lookalike in the mix: Margaret’s cousin Fiona, a rival to her throne!  HIJINKS ENSUE!

There’s honestly no point in getting into the particular hijinks.  Instead, let me just point out all the ways this movie improves on the last one.  

First of all, production values.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have left the soundstage!

WE GOT THE REAL SNOW BONUS, BABY!

There’s like a real palace and everything.  If they didn’t shoot this on location at a real manor home, I’ll eat my hat. (I’m not looking it up though cause I’m feeling fucking lazy today).

The costumes have really seen a nice upward bump too.  Actors are wearing real wool coats that all look brand new (in a good rich-people sort of way).  No more unlined wannabe Chanel suits, no more glue-gunned detailing (or at least if there was, I couldn’t tell).  I felt like someone read my post about the first movie and was like “Okay, let’s fix this!” 

*dreamy sigh*

The writing is still super flimsy, duh, but at least none of these characters are being dismissive and unkind to each other when we’re supposed to like them.

But we can’t talk about this movie without talking about Vanessa Hudgens.  Like, dude.  I swear, in the first one she was just phoning in the whole thing.  But maybe being in an actual castle helped her turn up the juice on her performance or something.  Maybe she started to believe the fantasy.  I don’t fucking know.  But she kinda sells her performance this time --- which says a lot given that she is playing three roles with three different accents, two of which are completely fucking absurd. 

But nothing can really top her performance of Fiona, the obviously evil cousin Fiona.  She is absolutely camping it up and it’s kinda fun to watch her.  She is ridiculous, the character is ridiculous, and I loved every second of it.

MORE FIONA PLEASE!

Let me be clear here.  She’s not good.  This movie is not good.  But it’s so much better than the first one, I was pleasantly surprised.

So what’s wrong with it?

First of all, the conflict is resolved way too quickly and too easily.  It takes a long time for the plot to really kick off, and then it unwinds super quickly.  More than a third of this movie goes by before the switch even happens.  LAME. They could have done a lot more with this shit.  Like, come on!  If you’re going to go campy, LET’S GO CAMPY!

Also, there are couple of misplaced tropes here --- this is not the kind of movie where I want to see an airport wedding.  If you’re going to do a fantasy romance with royalty, then the clothes and the elaborate wedding are a part of that.  WHERE IS MY BIG FUCKING ROYAL WEDDING DRESS!?!?  Fucking amateur hour around here.

Last, there’s no baking.  Which is not something I really cared about, but my watching companion couldn’t help pointing it out.  If baking was Stacy’s thing in the first movie, it’s a little sad that she’s lost it now that she’s officially a princess.  

IN CONCLUSION

In the Netflix Christmas movie universe, this movie is pretty far down on the quality list.  Pretty much all of the Christmas Prince movies are still better than this one.  But this one does a better job of following that format.  And Vanessa Hudgens looks like she’s auditioning for something, and she’s doing a good job of it.  

This is not The Crown, my bitches.  

But it’s a hell of a lot more fun.