#one hour episode with two production numbers

[idolomantises]

Wasn't sure when it would be the best time to discuss this, but since the ending is drawing near... yes, Bugtopia is ending.

It was a decision I really wrestled with myself for months over it, before finally concluding that letting it end after 40 episodes was the better option. Just to be clear, webtoons did not force me to end the series. They even offered to give me a pay raise to continue the series. It was my decision due to a multitude of personal factors. I'll just repeat what I said on my patreon:

I just want to say, first of all, thank you all so much for patiently waiting for my series to release and for supporting my work as I began developing the series. Bugtopia was a series I genuinely loved and adored and it made me feel so incredibly happy that people were turning their heads towards a series about weird bugs and their natural lives.

However, as you can probably guess, it pains me to say that I am concluding the series after season 1. I had 4 seasons planned with new characters to introduce, but unfortunately, I cannot see myself continuing to work with Webtoons and I want to pursue other projects.

This decision was due to a compiling number of issues with the company, the final straw was when they had a mass layoff, fired my editor that I've been working with for two years, and did not inform me for a week, leaving me in the dark until they randomly assigned me with someone else. My new editor is great and I'm glad I'm working with someone so patient and understanding, but this decision to fire my previous editor, the one who got me the job to begin with, without prior warning made me feel disrespected and disregarded, and it killed all motivation I had for properly completing the series.

I also felt incredibly overworked, I was spending vacation days working on comics and avoiding time with family just so I could get something done for webtoons once I come home. I feel like so much time was being wasted away for a company that paid me so little that I had to work twice as hard building up funds on my patreon. Bugtopia just ate up so much of my time. The pay also didn't make up for it. It's commonly assumed that webtoons authors make about $800 for the episodes they do, but that's not true. In fact, you can make far less depending on the amount of panels expected for your contract. It doesn't help that the artwork i did for banners and promotions were all things I had to draw and didn't get paid for, and the work I gave was either tampered with or scrapped, making me feel like I spent more hours of my day wasting time. There were also comics I had to censor and scrap, likely due to another series being in hot water for its racially insensitive content. But it was just extra work I wasn't being paid for. It also frustrated me because I was seeing other series with far more explicit content getting away with a slap on the wrist (turns out you can't say "fuck" anymore without it being hit with a mature rating, disappointing!)

In all honesty, it just felt like webtoons needed me more than I needed them. I was making more money from patreon in a week than I was making from webtoons in a month.

Personally, while I don't really regret my time with Webtoons and met some great people along the way, I honestly don't think any artist should work with them. You will be severely overworked and underpaid, and will barely be featured in ads unless your series becomes an instant hit immediately. It doesn't really matter how successful you are, you're just a product to Webtoons, put yourself above the corporation.

I have tried my best to provide you all with a satisfying conclusion to Bugtopia, even if some episodes may feel rushed or incomplete, but I completely understand if the conclusion isn't to your liking and I do apologize, but I could not continue working on this series if this was the mistreatment I was going to continuously get. I owe a massive thank you to my editor and assistants for helping me complete the series, I truly don't think I could have ever finished it without them.

Though I am done with Bugtopia, that does not mean I want to stop projects entirely, so please don't feel bad for me. I have a lot of upcoming projects and ideas in the works, and I'm still continuing the Monsters and Girls series.

Will Bugtopia ever return... possibly. I retain complete ownership of the series after a few years, and I wouldn't mind continuing the canvas series (or possibly starting over). Unfortunately I don't think I can continue the Webtoon Original as it belongs to webtoons now, but never say never I suppose!

[guster-animations]

Kamen Rider Gavv Episode 20 Production Blog

taken from this website

TOKU TRANSLATION MASTERPOST HERE

Looking at the Next Episode

Episodes 21 and 22 are done by Director Ryuta Tasaki. I just wrote that “Gavv” has a director rotation between Sugihara, Shibasaki, and Morota… but sometimes guest directors come in to help out, like Director Kamihoriuchi did for episodes 11 and 12. It’s also been announced that Director Tasaki will direct the pilot of the new series “Number One Sentai Gozyuger”. (You should definitely watch the show’s trailer, too!) You’re probably wondering, “So, when did you film it?”, but this sort of thing was possible because “Gavv” is filmed ahead of time compared to previous years. It was after the end of “Gotchard” and before he began preparing for the new Sentai season. I secretly wished that he did the arc to broadcast after this one, which would make it “Super Tasaki Time” (one hour of non-stop Tasaki direction)… it’s unfortunate.

Speaking of Director Tasaki, he has directed several pilot episodes for the Kamen Rider and Sentai series. [TN: i actually noticed this while making his wiki page. he’s directed so many pilots and just ducked out for most of the show] Especially many in the Heisei Kamen Rider series: Agito, Ryuki, 555, Den-O, Kiva, Decade, Double, OOO, Gaim, Drive, Build, and Zi-O. The cast members who were raised on Heisei Rider are also growing in numbers, so I say, “Director Tasaki is coming; good luck!”.

What does a pilot director do? They attend the cast auditions, meet with them, and do rehearsals (?). Throughout the year, they are the one in charge of decisions on art direction, sets, props, clothes… basically anything. They take about twice as much time filming the pilot compared to any other set of two episodes. The pilot director for “Gavv” is Director Sugihara. They guide the young cast members, so they are someone we need to trust.

“Gavv” is already at episode 20, so while they say that Director Tasaki “really feels like a visitor”, he filmed fairly important moments in the story. He spoke highly of Hidekazu Chinen and Yusuke Hino’s performances. Yay! Next episode, some kind of strange bitter Gavv will appear. Please look forward to the first and last Tasaki episodes.

(Written by Naomi Takebe)

The Episode in Short

Thank you for watching episode 20! Last episode covered the fierce battle between Gavv and Vram, and this time, they finally break into the Dark Snack factory!

It’s been four episodes since Vram first transformed, but we’ve now reached the apex episode of Vram’s main arc. “Gavv’s” main director, Teruaki Sugihara, was in charge of episode 20, which reaches a main turning point in the story.

This undercover drama could have only been made by Director Sugihara, the leader of creating the Granute world! And he showed a pronounced human drama between Shoma and Rakia.

Episode 20’s audio commentary done by Rakia’s actor Kohei Shoji and Director Sugihara has been released on Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club. There are many behind-the-scenes stories they talk about that haven’t been written here, so those interested should definitely check it out!

What Is Lage9’s Name?

Because of the battle with Shoma last episode, the pudding wavers, or rather Rakia’s heart does. Then Vram’s creator, Nyelv, comes to Rakia’s hideout to give him a Gochizo.

The second Nyelv-made Gochizo is the “PuruJelly Gochizo”.

Its slightly smug-looking appearance similar to the Doppudding Gochizo is cute. Ayu Shoji recorded its cool female voice.

Shoma’s red bean soup Gochizo scouts out Rakia and leads Shoma to confront him again. Shoma brings Rakia outside to show what the captive Takeshi’s parents are feeling as they search for their son.

Rakia was troubled by what Shoma said last time, and now finally makes up his mind.

It’s an important scene where Rakia, once shown as an enemy, joins hands with Shoma for the first time, so the pilot director Sugihara was assigned to be in charge of this very significant moment in the story. Director Sugihara put passion into the direction, and he retook it over and over again before moving on.

Shoma had a family member die because of the Stomach Company just like Rakia did, and he has special feelings toward Rakia since he’s also a Granute. Because of Shoma, the feelings of wanting him to stop what he’s doing and turn back reached him in this scene. Shoji’s performance of Rakia conveying his true emotions back to Shoma was also impressive.

And he finally tells Shoma his real name. The name “Rakia Amarga” was revealed last week in the article, but this scene is the first where he actually calls himself by it, and it’s packed with emotion…!

The third edition of Kamen Rider Gavv’s transformation tutorial, the Vram volume, is available to watch on YouTube starting today. It has a transformation lecture from Rakia, and then an explanation of the Vrastam Gear and Vram Breaker from Vram’s creator Nyelv! Please watch it.

Big Dark Snack Factory Break-in!

It was also mentioned in last week’s “Looking at the Next Episode���, but another reason that we asked the pilot director Teruaki Sugihara to direct episode 20 is that there’s a break-in to the Granute world. He’d always wanted to do that in “Gavv”. There was a feeling of tension that makes your palms sweaty!

Previously, the problem of how to open the door into the other world was an obstacle. Does it need a blood relative of the Stomach family? Shoma gets by the security and the door is opened.

In the same unexpected place as the door system, there’s a working toilet with an automatic sensor. The tension, relief, and the toilet seat’s smile were wonderfully explosive. As you’d expect from the director. By the way, the opening and closing isn’t automatic. It’s remote controlled by the assistant director. They have perfect timing!

It’s the second time since episode 1 that we’ve seen the dimension nicknamed “door space”. It connects the two worlds of the humans and Granutes, and seems to randomly connect to anywhere in the human world with a countless amount of doors. There are still many mysteries…

For the filming, it was of course shot live on a green screen, but there are also real doors made by the artists. The assets (CG space) themselves have a complex structure, so it also seems difficult to film, but Director Sugihara originally proposed the idea for this realm, and he did well when he shot footage in episode 1, so this episode could also use it abundantly!

It wasn’t part of the same scene that was filmed, but this valuable off-camera photo with all of the Stomach family actors and Chinen was taken on the same filming day and set!

They have a cold-blooded relationship in the show, but what a kind world. If there were a parallel universe like this… (cries)

Mask-off action on the way there! Rakia’s big-brother energy in taking on the guards in hand-to-hand combat is very reassuring! Shoma’s memory flashing at this moment is also interesting…

And naturally this lady was waiting for them. The factory’s boss, Miss Glotta—Glotta Stomach—makes an appearance.

Jelly Vram and Serious Grotta

At the end of the fierce battle in the factory, the setting changes and they go to a live concert somewhere. Since the doors can be connected to anywhere, we had a lot of freedom when searching for a filming location. At the time we were filming, it was sometimes hot outside and we could do action indoors, so we decided on a concert hall which would draw attention.

They also helped in the last episode, and the concert venue guests here are played by TTFC (Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club) members. It was filmed a considerable amount of time before broadcasting, so they were all definitely surprised when they saw Vram’s appearance!

By the way, the hip-hop artist seen here is a fictional group called the “koiki boys” (Laughs). Even the song that played during this scene is a composition by TEEDA called “Home town”. If you’re interested, please go check it out!

The posters were made by the art department too. It’s elaborate!

And now Glotta’s monster form appears for the first time this episode! You can see the difference in Glotta, who’s already incredibly strong in her human form. Gavv and Vram can’t match her strength even when they’re working together, she’s suuuuuuuper powerful!

Her monster design is based on a sea monster from Scandinavian folklore, the Kraken. The character has roots in Scandinavia like Jeebh and Shita’s “Hati and Sköll”.

The molds were made with a lot of care and detail. In order to match the tall stature of Machi Chitose, who plays her human form, two kinds of shoes were made—one kind with tall soles for close-ups, and one kind that’s easy to move in for fight scenes.

Thanks to them, her appearance is beautiful and the whole body’s balance is very good! The action director Fujita looked at the finished model, and he said that it’s more complete than most female monster form models in past generations.

Vram uses a new ability in order to fight the strong enemy Glotta. He uses the “PuruJelly Gochizo” received from Nyelv at the start, and transforms into the Jelly Custom!

The English word for Rakia’s motif animal is “jellyfish”! Jelly is translucent like a jellyfish! Jelly was chosen for its deep relationship to Lage9!

The full pink body with a cherry flavor gives a fairly strong impression. The Gochizo design is like that too, but the pale pink in the upper layer of the two-layered jelly is like Bavarian cream. (The Rider form introduction accidentally became a snack report, haha)

As always, Action Director Butsuda’s transformation sequence was full of surprises. Unlike the pudding, the reversed trapezoid-shaped jelly lid is torn open, going completely opposite of my expectations…!

In accordance with to Director Sugihara and Action Director Fujita’s plans, Vram Jelly Custom’s special ability is the one to turn invisible when the belt is operated.

The power isn’t unconditional. There’s the cost of his heart being stopped in his invisible state. I thought, it’s not just to be strong; Fujita is truly skilled at managing logic and balance.

He thinks over Glotta’s fighting style and personality very thoroughly while reflecting on it, and some pro-wrestling components are actually sprinkled in. According to what I’ve heard, this was used because Machi Chitose likes wrestling (Laughs).

At the height of the battle, Hanto arrives and witnesses what’s happening.

He sees his partner working alongside someone who was previously an opponent, and he wears the expression of a married woman during relationship difficulties, like, “Who the hell is that woman?!”… setting aside that joke, Hanto hears Shoma’s true identity, which Shoma could never tell him about, coming from Glotta.

This event will make big waves in the story. Please look forward to how their relationship turns out in the future!

(Written by Ryohei Takahashi)

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: October 2024 ~ 

☔️ Happy November!!! 🍂 (and Happy Halloween 🎃👻)

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Fourever You - October 3rd (Thailand)

🌟 Uncle Unknown - October 4th (Taiwan)

🌟 My Damn Business - October 5th (South Korea)

🌟 Every You, Every Me - October 6th (Thailand)

🌟 DMD Friendship: It Takes Two (reality show) - October 6th (Thailand) 

🌟 Eccentric Romance - October 10th (South Korea) 

🌟 Blue Complex - October 10th (South Korea)

🌟 Taming the Bad Boy - October 15th (South Korea)

🌟 Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo - October 17th (South Korea)

🌟 Love in the Big City - October 21st (South Korea) 

🌟 See Your Love - October 23rd (Taiwan)

🌟 See You (movie) - October 25th (Taiwan) 

🌟 Perfect Propose: Dream Edition - October 25th (Japan) 

🌟 Blue Canvas of Youthful Days - October 26th (China)

🌟 Perfect 10 Liners - October 27th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Stealing From My CEO - October 27th (China) 

Monthly Likes / Dislikes

❣️ - Nothing overwhelming going on lately lol but I'm currently enjoying Peaceful Property a lot, it's so unique and fun and I really hope they consider adding more stuff like this in their 2025 lineup!! 🥺

New series & movie announcements

🎥 8 Hours (sequel to 4 Minutes) - Coming 2025

🎥 A Perfect Match - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 Knock Out - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Who Can Define Popularity - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Haunted Hearts - Date TBA (Philippines)

🎥 About Faith - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Love Casting (BL reality show) - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 Eyes on You - Date TBA (Hong Kong)

🎥 Winter is not the death of Summer but the birth of Spring - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Beloved Enemy (novel adaption from the author of My Stand In) - Date TBA (?)

🎥 Match Play - Date TBA (South Korea)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ The Korean BL Love Class will get a third season, allegedly with the same cast from the previous seasons. Further details are unknown.

❗️ A second season for the Thai BL 4 Minutes was announced titled 8 Hours. The author Sammon will partner with Be On Cloud again and the show will go into production in 2025.

❗️ Actors Mew Suppasit and Tul Pakorn publicly got engaged at the launch event of Mew's new single "Absence".

❗️ The Thai network channel One31 held their 2025 lineup on October 17th. The following BL productions were announced:

Taste

The Wicked Game

Love Carved in the Moonlight

❗️ The Thai production company Idolfactory released a teaser for their upcoming lineup for 2025. The corresponding event will be held on January 12th. The teaser however revealed the following series prior to the event:

Interminable (starring BillyBabe)

My Sweetheart Jom (starring SaintPoom)

Cranium (starring BeckyFreen)

Somewhere Somehow (starring FayMay)

❗️ After it was disclosed that DMD actors Thomas and Kong would no longer participate in the upcoming series The Next Prince, it was announced that Net S. and JJ R. will take the roles of Calvin and Jay respectively.

❗️ GMMTV released a statement saying that the announcement of the winner of the Y-Find contest has been postponed from October 31st to November 30th due to the large number of submissions. Earlier this year the company announced the project as a way for Thai fans to submit original stories, one of which will be chosen to be adapted into a series. Whether or not the postponement will have any effect on the company's upcoming 2025 lineup event is unclear.

Upcoming series & movies for November:

👉🏻 Bad to Bed - November 2nd (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (remake of Love in the Air) - November 3rd (Japan)

👉🏻 Our Youth - November 5th (Japan)

👉🏻 Episode 9. Nineteen, Eighteen (special ep) - November 9th (South Korea)

👉🏻 All the Liquors (movie) - November 13th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Caged Again - November 15th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Your Sky - November 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Mhom Ped Sawan (bl side story) - November 17th (Thailand)

[therealslimshakespeare]

Dear John | Unsayable Things

Masters of the Air Fanfiction

I banged this out in an hour or two, past midnight, deep in my feels, half chatting with my baby @stylespresleyhearted who put in the initial request for this series and who is now owed a few choice lines herein. If you wanna stew in the pain of Friday’s episode- this is the angst fest for you. With a tiny bit of hope at the end. Tiny. But it’s there.

Summary: months after one drunken letter of horny (and gentlemanly) admiration was sent off by one John Egan to Miss Lana Tierney of Hollywood fame, a written rapport has formed between them, based on a refreshing freedom to be perfectly frank and even trivial in their letters -a tone set by his inarguably appaling initial correspondence. But until today, he’s never dared make use of the number she gave him to dial when he needs to say unspeakable things.

Warnings: angsty as hell? morose and possibly suicidal thought processes? it’s Egan after THAT phone call so, I imagine you can envision that it’s not exactly a stable mentality portrayed here-in.

Masterlist

Date: October 1943

The hotel lobby is as chilled as an ice box with those front doors constantly revolving, letting in gusts of autumn air that’s suddenly turned harsher than he recalled when he stepped out into the daylight this morning. His ride back to East Anglia won’t be here for another two hours and no amount of charm or haggling can get him the petrol to make the journey on his own. It’s a carpool sort of life now, every man, woman and child in Britain knows that but every minute he stays in the great metropolis feels like a betrayal to those boys who just got-

-he will get back in time.

He vowed it, he arranged it, now all there’s left to do is wait until it can be enacted. John was never good at waiting but now all the activities and pastimes he’d once relied upon to fill a slow hour seem intolerable. Imbibe any more booz and he’ll be unfit to fly, seeing the sites could get him more sights than he’d like, polite conversation makes him want to scream in the face of the next passer by that he’s lost something precious today -don’t they know? -and it would be just his luck today of all days to get answered by someone who did know, some parent with a dead child, pulverized to bits while he fucked his demons out.

So John keeps his mouth shut in a stern line and stares venomously ahead at the charming little Renoir hung in the lounge. No one has troubled him yet and by the spooked face of the desk clerk who offered him a menu, he dares to think he won’t be in future.

He is sick to death of it all, of the death itself and the brave faces and the lack of bravery he suddenly feels now and the necessity of it all. He hardly recognizes the hollowed out sinner he’s become with a head full of too many griefs to even formulate a prayer.

He was close to catatonic, eyeball deep in his self abhorrence, when he realized he was spinning round the little lacquered card she had enclosed three letters ago.

“If you ever need to say those unsayables, here’s a private line. Don’t call it if you don’t want me to answer, only you, my mama and my hair stylist have it. Xoxo, Jeanie.” 💋

The unsayable would be to call one of the most successful, desirable and busy women in the world only to admit John Egan has run outta words. But with the mounting desire to do something stupidly productive, and without the kind fist of a friend to dissuade him -he knew walking in front of busses wouldn’t get him any closer to Thorpe Abbots- a starlet’s withering rejection just might do the trick. Just might hurt enough to slice through the fog. His fingers were sweating as he spun the rotary, thumbnail tracing the underside of her extension.

God knows it would be unlikely to get through even the first connection, much less get overseas, much less find her at her home. What time of day was it back there anyway? And this entire conversation would get bugged to hell, he’d have to be careful and this was a terrible idea to start with and-

“Hello you,” the airiest voice he’s ever heard warbles over the static, teasing and warm, “I’ll admit it, that lilac did nothing for my color last night. You win, I’ve got the front page of the Whisper to confirm, please, don’t rub it in.”

John stares out of his little alcove in the lounge with watery eyes, mouthing a silent -what the fuck- to himself before recalling the obvious: only her mother, her hairstylist and him. With this line, Jeanie -or should he call her Lana on the phone?- didn’t expect a stranger. This was an anticipated call and he about hangs up in mortification at not being what she expected.

But then, the hollow idea of one and a half hours of waiting for the ride catches up and John recalls that he had in fact phoned in order to be humiliated and he was a rare sort of chump to take so poorly to a plan gone off to so dazzling a start.

“Can’t imagine a shade that wouldn’t suit you.” he finds himself saying smoothly, the flirtation on autopilot.

He can hear an audible gasp on the other end of the line and a breathy sputter and what might be sheets rustling, or perhaps it’s a dress or paper or-

“JOHNNY?” she all but squeals and he winces at the blare of the receiver in his ear, the flinching crinkle of his blue eyes not without some pleased merriment at her unabashed excitement. “This you? Finally you used it, you silly old thing! Oh gosh, oh gosh say something again, your voice is divine! Oh, I can’t believe I’m finally talking to you. I thought you were my mother! Oh say something! You’re there, aren’t you? Johnny?”

She sounds so pleased he finds his eyes smarting and suddenly this feels like the worst idea in the world. He needed her to be harsh, to fit with every other disillusionment that’s rained down on him this past month, instead he’s met with -care. His stomach roils and not even the mean suspicion that she’s putting on an act can make it calm. “Well, I’m finally somewhere I don’t have to share a line with the whole group.”

“Where’s that, Johnny?” She sounds as eager as if he’s got a lot of options.

“London.”

“Oh!” There’s a waiver to her voice, he’s not sure why, but either way she sounds unsure if she should be merry or sober. “Business or pleasure?” she inquires levelly and it’s got all the sultry teasing he’s read into her scrawled writing hundreds of times, John finds himself flushing despite the morose sentiment that comes up right behind it.

“That, well, uh, that uh“ he picks at the sleek paint on the phone base and questions whether he’s going to use precious time on the phone with the hottest dame on planet earth to throw a pity party, “-I think the intention was a rehabilitation for the nerves. Ironically the guy who suggested it is now toast.”

“Oh John.” she sounds wounded and he bites his lip in savage pleasure at hearing what he wishes he could feel. “Was it -was it someone close?”

“A couple hundred, more like.” he sulks, his jaw ticking so hard he might break a molar if he keeps on. “But yeah. Yeah today was-“ he tries to think of the censors and that makes him laugh at the thought of all their previous filthy correspondence making it through but some slip of the tongue about a dead friend could land them in the hot spot, his following laugh is snotty and he could gag at himself for it.

“Johnny, darling man, are you-“ she shifts course and he holds his breath, depending on her for something, he doesn’t even what, “-does this happen to have something to do with our duet’s harshest critic?”

He smiles at her cleverness, she’s not a complete airhead then. And she recalls Buck. Of course she does, she hasn’t stopped sending him kisses via Egan’s letters even though she didn’t recall meeting either, not even when John had sent back photographs of the both of them to jog it. The flow of correspondence hadn't stalled despite this strike out and neither had the morale boosting glamor shots of certain of her assets which John kept locked in the false bottom of his footlocker and one small one folded in in the hollowed heel of his boot.

_“keeping it handy for the emergency tug off?” Gale had scorned him but Egan liked having her with him._

“Yeah, Shirley Temple- he’s been uh, he’s been traded, ya see.” Egan manages the metaphor once more and winces at the truth it hides.

He hears Je-Lana?-Jeanie?- suck in a breath on the other end. “Gosh. John. Any sign of, of-“ she begins to stammer, “of chut-“

-chutes, she’s going to say. John coughs loudly into the reviver and her voice trails off in recognition of his warning. “This was a mistake.” he decides, “I just -you can see why- I just thought I’d like to hear a-a-a voice, a-“

“A friend!” she replies eagerly, “I’m here, I’m here don’t go, not yet, not unless you have to, Major. Are you waiting? You’ll be wanting to get back, no? Or will you be staying on? In London?”

“I’m not staying.”

“Of course.” she whispers, “I’m so terribly, terribly sorry.”

His grip on the receiver has turned white. “No,” he decides, “I’m the one who’s sorry. Bringing this up, never even talked to you before and I go and make it this the call. Pretty girl like you doesn’t need this.”

“I told you to call.” she reminds him gently, “And Johnny, I’m ever so happy to hear your voice, I’ve imagined it a million times rereading your letters and looking at your photographs. I can concede that my imagination failed.”

“You reread them?” he is amused.

“Yes. Don’t you reread mine?”

“Mhmm you bet.”

“Gosh your voice gives me shivers.” she whispers into the phone and he feels an odd rising of the hair on the back of his neck. “Are you having to beat the London women off with a baseball bat?”

“I just let ‘em swarm.” he admits and she makes a noise of intrigue, “I was with a widow last night.” He blurts. “Polish. We watched the bombs from my hotel room.”

“How relaxing.” Without missing a beat Jeanie’s soft tease comes through, “Did the one balance the other for the nerves?”

“I’m dehydrated and hungover.”

“And grieving.” she adds.

That’s an unsayable. “I just needed to talk to someone.” he decides.

“Did she not speak English?”

He’s gone this far, he might as well be honest. “She didn’t know Buck.”

“Mm.” She makes a mournful noise of assent.

“I-I’m tryin’ not to do something stupid Jeanie,” he hates how his voice shakes but to her, it sounds more like rage than fear, “and I thought if I could hear your voice I’d -id get some peace. And wait for my ride without bustin’ up the Carleton.”

“Yes, I forbid you to bust up the Carleton without me, Major.” she warns and his pulse leaps at the simple direction, it’s a joke of course but it lodges heavy and wanted in his chest. “Promise me, Johnny, one day we’ll cause a great scandal there, you and I?”

“Miss Tierney,” he bites at his lip, “it’s a kindness for me not to make promises. To girls -to anybody.” She’s got to know that, she’s just being nice. “Especially not to special little ladies with nice long futures ahead of them.”

“It’s Turner, actually, Miss Turner if you’re going to be so formal.” She corrects, not a single part of her name Hollywood hasn’t meddled with. “But you must know, it’s far too late for that John. I miss you like mad.”

“We haven’t even met.” he reasons.

“What, and you don’t miss me?”

He curses under his breath fondly and shrugs. “I adore you.”

There’s a beat of silence in which he thinks he may have blown it by being so gushing but in fact, Jeanie finds herself milking her throat to dislodge the lump of painful glee settling there.

“Then you do whatever you have to, Bucky Egan,” she commands him, imperious but fervent, “you punch and get punched and drink as much as you need and bed as many girls as it takes and go after Buck-“

“-hold up, how’d you kn-“

“-but you come home. It’s much too late to tell me not to get my hopes up. You’re all I dream about anymore. There’s got to be some future for us, there’s got to be, Johnny, I’m not asking you to promise I’m asking you to try. Do what you’re good at.”

The pause is long and heavy and Bucky thinks he hears her sniffling on the other end. Unmoored by the unprecedented honesty he’s receiving and the juxtaposition of being someone’s risky bet for happiness when just this morning he’d come to resign himself to letting go what could only ever be a passing night's comfort- “Hell of a business.” he finds himself repeating.

“But you’re the best at it.” she retorts, “So stay the best.”

Everything certain, everything he thought was a given got blown to hell with Gale’s plane today. “Used to tell him if everybody else went down it’d be just him and me. I believed that.” He mumbles into the phone, turning to tuck his neck into the device like it’s the soft crook of her neck, “Now to be the best- that’s just me, and charred Europe under me and no one else in sight. That’s what you’re asking? ‘Cause that’s how this ends.”

The sun is shining bright and brutal in California, a cheery morning to mock her cocktail hangover and now she thinks it’s to hurt him as well, everything is so far removed an ocean away. Such bleakness is hard to even fathom for her, but the man she’s come to know, to love even, on paper is hoarsely spilling his guts to her over the phone and she’s not sure what one says to such a prediction. Her agent hovers in the doorway, the angry swats of her hand not sufficient to deter him from fretting with the press conference approaching. “So what, this is a suicide note?” she winces as soon as she says it but honesty has always been their currency.

“No.” he replies at long last and her shoulders sag. “I thought- i just wanted to hear your voice once before I go up again, Jeanie.”

“And I’m glad you called.” she swears, “And now I’ll have a voice to go with all the wicked things you do in my dreams.”

“Oh fu- Jeanie that’s unfair.” He balks and she grins at the little victory.

“Alls fair in love and war, Major.” She reminds, “Now tell me, do you want to tell me about him? Buck-“

“No, fuck no!” he hisses, angry at himself, “I wanted to talk to you to forget. I wanted to hear your voice.” He repeats it like an idiot.

“Then tell me,” she soothes, unphased by his outburst, “what would you like to hear in my voice, Major? The latest score? Perhaps the front page of the Times? They brought it in with my toast. Or some dirty line from one of your letters? I’ve got them here under one of Salinger’s books. They’re safe from the fiancé there, he’s a complete ignoramus with a phobia for learning.”

Bucky chuckles at her unabashed derision for her hotel scion intended and grins at the idea of her sleeping so near to his scrawled professions of lo- obsession at the very least.

Love is another unsayable.

“Just -tell me about your day, sweetheart?“ he begs, hoarse with the need to teleport elsewhere for the remaining forty minutes of his wait.

“If you’re sure.” she sounds only mildly skeptical, “It’s been very loungey, rather frilly.”

“Perfect.” he sighs, closing his eyes.

“Well, it’s actually morning here so I haven’t been up to much,” she begins and he feels guilty for just dialing away, damn the timezones, “I’ve not even dressed.”

“What color are you wearing?” he begs before he even realizes it.

“White.”

Hey sucks his teeth and nods approvingly. “White what?”

“A silk top and- no! Go away Herbert, for the last time!” Some interruption seems to occur on her end as a man’s voice comes through in snatches and Jeanie’s raised one drifts through the hand she’s cupped over the receiver, “Herbert, for the love of God, I am talking to one of the men protecting our country, the reporters can wait!”

Jeanie’s snappy loyalty soothes some raw edge he’s felt since watching *her* leave this morning without more than a kiss. “Reporters, huh?” he sympathizes, fully ready to give her an out.

“You’d think they’d have enough to report, there’s a war on.” she seethes and he has to smile again, “Anway, where were we? Oh, my pajama shorts.”

“White.”

“Yes Johnny, white.”

“Send me a picture?”

“Awfully demanding for a man who hasn’t even promised me he’ll try to live and see them in person.”

John puffs out a laugh at being snared so easily. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“Promise?” Her voice sounds so small.

“I promise.” He’s dazed by the shift, how did he end up being the one begged by Miss Hollywood herself? Perhaps he’s still drunker than he thought.

“It’s all any of us can do, Johnny,” she says, “but we’ve gotta try. You got your pinky up?”

“What?”

“For your oath- pinky swear.”

“You're not even here.” he laughs.

“I’ve got mine crooked, come on Major, meet me halfway.”

And so John Egan finds himself sporting a watery, helpless grin as he lifts his finger into thin air and crooks it around her imaginary little digit. Her sigh sounds as if she can feel it a ocean away. Perhaps he’s gone fully looney in the way he thinks he can, too.

He doubts she’ll appreciate his choices in the next few weeks, maybe even doubt his intention to keep his oath, but what matters is he’s going to try. Even if it’s an angry, furious, blind sort of determination, it keeps him firmly out of the London bus lane until Hobbs and his transport arrive and then it’s goodbye Jean Turner, hello again Thorpe Abbots.

Taglist: (I’m sorry for tagging y’all twice in a single day, oops)

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

@blurredcolour

@steph-speaks

@crazymadpassionatelove

@rubyfruitjungle

@taestrwbrry

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Every Episode of Miraculous Ladybug Season 5 Ranked (Part 1)

(Meme made by @eddo-tensei)

I'd like to apologize for this post taking so long, and my lack of activity this year in general. I've had a lot of things going on. I've been trying to search for a new career, I've been taking on more hours at work, I've started working out more, and I might be considering going back to school to pursue one of my career options. I've been very busy, and I know this isn't an excuse for the lack of content. I'm going to try making more posts on this blog when I can, because after this ranking post and the movie review, I won't have as many big projects to work on. With that being said, let's get to the main event.

I had very few positive things to say about Season 5, and it'll be reflected here. With Season 4, I at least had some clear outliers for the best and worst episodes, but because so many of these episodes blended together, it's hard to really rank them. At best, there were two or three episodes I thought were good, and not even really good like the highlights of Season 4. So this time, I'll be taking a page from one of Schaffrillas Productions' ranking videos, specifically his Illumination Entertainment ranking video. Rather than rank every episode from worst to best, I'm going to rank them from best to worst.

In a way, I'm giving you the quintessential Season 5 experience, starting off with high expectations before a gradual descent into mediocrity.

#1: Intuition

Season 5 really needed more episodes like this one. A good chunk of the season just defaulted to the same old Akuma of the week formula while Monarch stayed cooped up in his lair as usual. Yes, while it was justified thanks to his Cataclysm wound, it kept the writers from really capitalizing on his expanded arsenal other than giving Akumas powers he didn't need Miraculous to give them in earlier seasons. This episode is built on the three major aspects established at the beginning of the season that the writers should have been focusing on instead of Love Square drama: Gabriel secretly dying, Gabriel having access to over a dozen Miraculous, and Ladybug and Cat Noir needing to fight an uphill battle against Monarch.

For the most part, Monarch's plan is well thought out and the stakes feel high as a result. Not only does Monarch get creative with the Miraculous he has at his disposal, he exploits the heroic nature Ladybug and Cat Noir have by forcing them to choose between saving an innocent astronaut or the people of Paris. The meteor threatening Paris feels like a threat precisely because Ladybug and Cat Noir can't get any help to deal with something this big, and have to deal with it on their own. The fact that Monarch also essentially has a hostage trapped inside Bugfighter helps add to the drama.

This is the episode that arguably does the most with the space power-ups. Ever since they were introduced in the New York Special, they were mostly used by Ladybug and Cat Noir to fly across long distances, and even then, there were episodes where the writers forgot they could have used those forms to resolve the conflict (Crocoduel). Here, because most of the action is primarily set in space, the abilities of Cosmobug and Astro Cat are on full display, and it's a nice shakeup from the usual fights set in Paris.

But the best part of the episode is arguably Gabriel. While he does make multiple questionable decisions (whether they were intended to be seen as stupid by the writers is up for debate), this episode is a pretty decent character piece for Gabriel, and fleshes him out the most this season. Putting aside my problems with the writers changing the rules of the Snake Miraculous specifically so Gabriel can't use it like with the Rooster, Gabriel's behavior and body language really sells the fact that his days are numbered. For most of the season, Gabriel's Cataclysm wound was a mild inconvenience at worst, but this episode shows just why he can't go out to fight Ladybug and Cat Noir himself.

It's pretty ironic in a way. Even though he has fifteen Miraculous and is arguably the most powerful character in the show at this point, Gabriel's paranoia and arrogance prevent him from taking full advantage of his arsenal. Gabriel is so dead set on achieving his goal, he's willing to abuse the Snake Miraculous' power to find a way to win, despite the risks it has to his health. He can't trust any regular Akuma with Second Chance, and even a close ally like Tomoe isn't above being tricked by Gabriel using that same power. It's that same sense of narcissism that leads to his downfall, as while Gabriel has more power than Ladybug, he just can't outsmart her.

It's a really good episode, and was an exception to the kind of lousy writing we got during Season 5, instead of being the norm.

#2: Action

You know, it says a lot about the show when not only is arguably one of the most universally loved episodes in recent memory is the first in years to not have Astruc in the writing team, not only is it not connected to the ongoing story in any meaningful way, but it's also an environmental PSA, episodes that are usually not viewed in a positive light.

The characterization is somewhat strong here. Other than Nino being the one to lead the protests, nobody is really annoying or out of character, which works in the story's favor. There's no melodrama, no Marinette needing to learn some contrived lesson, or no Adrien being portrayed as being right about everything. It's the kids versus Big Plastic, and nothing else.

The thing that makes the story work is that compared to other environmental PSA episodes, it actually acknowledges how complicated of an issue the nature of pollution is. There aren't any characters who want to keep polluting the environment. There are just circumstances in place that prevent them from taking a stand against an injustice like this. Influential figures in Paris like Gabriel, Andre, and Nadja have connections to the company enabling the pollution, and whether it be for financial or political reasons, they're essentially dependent on it.

This kind of approach to the pollution extends to the antagonist, Bertrand. What I like about him is that compared to other rich people on this show, he's not incompetent or actively malicious. He just sees what he's doing as a business, and he can't think of any other ways to make money. He even points out how much plastic is used in modern society and that his company makes plastic for a reason. He's kind of like a less overtly antagonistic version of Mr. Waternoose from Monsters, Inc. in a way. He's aware of what he's doing, but he views profit as more important. The difference is that unlike Waternoose, Bertrand realizes the error of his ways and starts finding ways to change how his company operates.

However, this extends to one of the bigger problems I have with the episode. Because it spends so much time trying to flesh out the opposition's argument, it doesn't really give the audience enough reasons to support the heroes protesting. Yes, it's morally correct to protest, but there's nothing else to make the audience understand why they're in the right to oppose pollution. Considering how this was meant to be used to educate kids on pollution, I guess I can give it a pass for at least doing a decent job getting the point across, even if I personally would have given more of an explanation as to why the heroes are right.

What I can't give the episode a pass for is how the conflict is resolved. For an environmental PSA episode, I cannot for the life of me comprehend why the writers thought it would be a good idea for the Akuma of the week to be defeated by plastic and pollution. Like, my brother in Christ, you're supposed to teach kids about why pollution is a bad thing! Did nobody think about the implications this would bring? Actually, given the other things that happened this season, that probably checks out.

A pretty decent episode if not for the ending polluting the moral.

#3: Migration

While this one is one of the better episodes of Season 5, it still has its fair share of problems.

The most obvious one comes in the lesson its trying to teach with contrasting Bob and Jagged. It clearly wants to talk about redemption and self-improvement, but as I discussed in the overall analysis post, this show really doesn't have a good grasp on writing redemption arcs. For one thing, I really wouldn't compare Jagged becoming a better father to Bob being a selfish asshole because while Jagged abandoning his family was a terrible thing, since it was done more out of selfishness than outright malice. Bob on the other hand, is just a dick who wants to make money because this show's views on the business world make the Ferengi in Star Trek seem nuanced by comparison.

The episode spends so much more time showing how easy it is to be tricked by people rather than showing how important having trust in someone is, and it really muddles the lesson as a result. “See? Jagged changed easily, so that's a good enough reason to justify characters like Bob being irredeemably evil!” If you wanted to teach kids about trusting others, don't have it be in the same episode as the lesson about others taking advantage of your goodwill.

Putting that aside, Luka had a pretty decent swan song that tested his loyalty to Ladybug and Cat Noir. You can really buy his determination to keep their identities a secret from Monarch and his decision to leave his home to make sure this information stays a secret makes sense. Well, as long as you don't count Luka announcing the fact that he knows their identities to plenty of potential hostages and victims for Monarch, but then again, that moron never does anything smart with the intel he gets. We really needed more focus episodes showing the former temp heroes helping out Ladybug and Cat Noir in their own ways, not just having them all form a stupid resistance that does almost nothing useful all season.

The conflict with Gold Record also worked well here. I like how Monarch's simple plan to akumatize Luka turned into a plan to figure out Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities that just happened to use a different Akuma. I'd argue it was done better than in “Truth” because of how the victims aren't just forced to tell the truth, they're thrown out into space, so the stakes are pretty high. I'll admit the way they stop Gold Record is pretty anti-climactic, and you could argue Luka didn't even need to tell Ladybug he knew her identity with out easily the situation is resolved right after he's turned into a record. I think it would have worked better if Luka's secret was that he said he was jealous of Adrien for managing to be the one Marinette loves over him instead of just knowing the heroes' identities.

It's a flawed, but still okay episode to rewatch. It's a good thing Luka knew how bad this season was getting so he headed out the first chance he got. If only he stayed out of Paris instead of becoming one of Su-Han's students offscreen before the finale.

#4: Elation

You know this season is abysmal when, of all things, a Glaciator episode ends up making the top 5, and you know how much I love those episodes.

Of all the episodes to feature the Adrienette drama, I feel like this one had the best execution of it. You can really understand the emotional turmoil Marinette is going through and how hard things are for her. You also get how hard it is for Cat Noir to have to turn down the girl he loves after having so much fun with her. Remember, as far as he knows, he's taking advantage of his status as a superhero to make a move on a civilian like Marinette. The fact that he's aware of this and is willing to break it off himself is a far cry from the entitled little twerp he was last season. While I think Marichat could have been explored more, the fact that it ends here makes for a pretty solid transition into Adrienette becoming official next episode.

Alya also has some decent characterization here. Yeah, she goes against some of the things she said earlier this season, but we get a little glimmer of her Season 4 self by having her realize the error of her ways and actually make an attempt to support her friend. Of course, she goes back to the same old Season 5 Alya, but it's something.

Something I didn't really think about until after I originally posted the review was how confusing the episode's stance on shipping is. Like, we're supposed to side with Marinette and be against everyone trying to dictate who she's supposed to be in love with... but the people trying to tell her who she's in love with are technically right by pointing out her feelings for Adrien. Yes, nobody else knows that Adrien is Cat Noir, but with how much buildup Adrienette has gotten over the years, it's really confusing that the writers are acting like it's weird that people are obsessed with Marinette's love life. Pointing out how annoying Alya and Andre are by refusing to believe Marinette could have feelings for someone who isn't Adrien is basically the pot calling the kettle black.

Maybe if this was a Season 2 or 3 episode focusing on Marinette's growing feelings for Luka, this kind of story could have worked, but as it stands, it's a very confusing stance for the writers to take. Overall, a pretty decent episode.

#5: Evolution

It's the first part of what I like to call the “Remember When This Season Looked Kinda Promising?” Trilogy.

This episode really seemed like there was going to be a change in direction for Season 5 with how it was structured. Rather than immediately go back to the Akuma of the week formula, the characters, for the most part, make choices most people would make if they were in their shows. What does Gabriel do as soon as he gets all the Miraculous in the Miracle Ball? He whips out the Rabbit Miraculous and immediately decides to travel through time to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous before they can even stop him. The best part is that Ladybug almost immediately catches onto Monarch's plan and isn't too confused when Bunnix shows up to bring them along. Of course, both Ladybug and Monarch still do stupid things that contradict these smart decisions, but it's the thought that counts.

I like how this episode is taking advantage of its premise and makes it about a race through time to stop Monarch before he screws up history. It's a decent idea to call back to older episodes, but the issue is how they don't really do much to explain why nobody noticed this. Even events where the past versions of the heroes were right there when the current versions were fighting Monarch don't get so much as a mention. I think it could have worked more if they stayed undetected, but during the chaos of the fighting, our Ladybug accidentally sets up things past Ladybug could use for her Lucky Charm. That way, it would help sell the idea of this being more of a self-contained time loop.

Something that I actually thought was clever foreshadowing was when Monarch went back in time to save Emilie. He doesn't just steal the Peacock Miraculous or tell his past self to not use it. He specifically plans to give instructions to fix the broken Peacock Miraculous, as if to say one of its creations is too important to be erased from history...

Speaking of Sentimonsters, Cat Noir and Ladybug have some good teamwork here, confirming that we're finally done with the Cat Dour drama from last season. While I feel like it could have been handled better, I like the idea of Ladybug's guilt being what motivated her to trust Cat Noir with the Rabbit Miraculous, and when they go to see the younger version of Master Fu, they feel more like equals while choosing a Miraculous.

So with all the positive things I had to say, why isn't this episode higher on the list. Well, the thing is that when there weren't moments I enjoyed, most of my thoughts on this episode were like this:

A good chunk of the episode is the characters making stupid decision after stupid decision in order to make sure we get twenty-six more episodes. I can at least buy Monarch getting overconfident with all the new Miraculous he has, but Ladybug and Cat Noir don't get that excuse. They get a total of five chances to get back the Miraculous, but other than just getting the Rabbit back, Ladybug keeps choosing to say she's going to take the Miraculous back instead of just GRABBING THEM FIRST AND THEN GLOATING. There are James Bond villains who think you're taking too long. We're really supposed to see Monarch as a threat when the only reason why he keeps getting away is because the heroes are too stupid to do what any sensible person would do in their position. Seriously, if the Winx Club were the ones chasing Monarch throughout history, they'd most likely be spending more time discussing who's paying for milkshakes after they drop his bruised and battered body off at the police station.

And then there's Monarch himself, who has to be told to go back and save his wife instead of getting the Miraculous to make a wish. The episode tries to imply that Gabriel has more selfish intentions, but the finale pretty much throws that away and makes it so he just misses his wife. I'll give you a moment to process the shock of this show setting up a character arc and doing nothing with it. The fact that he blames Ladybug for his own mistakes is pretty much the only thing that connects the two, since Ladybug acts like Monarch is too powerful to stop in a fight when she kept screwing up chances to take back the Miraculous.

I also really don't like the way Master Fu and Alix were used in this episode. For one thing, if Ladybug and Cat Noir can easily use time travel to borrow Miraculous from the younger Fu, why can't they just do that until they stop Monarch? Yeah, they gave the Rabbit Miraculous to Alix, but why can't they just call her up to go to Fu for some Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir need? Speaking of, is nobody going to acknowledge the fact that Alix was just forced to become Bunnix after getting the Rabbit Miraculous? Last season made a big deal about how stressful Marinette becoming the Guardian was, and now we're just okay with Alix being forced to bear what is arguably an even bigger burden?

Overall, while not a terrible start to the season, it still had a lot to work on while still having its fair share of positive moments.

#6: Destruction

Much like with “Evolution”, there seemed to be some improvement here on the writing and characterization, but fell apart towards the end.

I like how Marinette, Alya, and Cat Noir all work together to outsmart Monarch with Alya distracting him long enough to follow the trap Ladybug and Cat Noir set up for him. It's a pretty clever gambit, and it's nice that Cat Noir actually gets to play a part in it. “Evolution” showed that Monarch was too powerful to take on in a fight, so a battle of wits is the best option to stop him, something that fits Ladybug perfectly.

I also like how, once again, the writers explain why Monarch can't use something as powerful as the Rooster Miraculous to win, even if it's a really stupid explanation. But hey, I'm just some moron who thinks that the Rooster Miraculous shouldn't be a diet version of the Power Cosmic.

Something that was very clever was the reveal of the episode taking place before a previous episode, “Multiplication”. It adds rewatch value to earlier episodes, it allows kids watching to figure out what happened without explaining every single part of the twist, and it's something this season really should have done more often.

However, that's where my compliments end here. The main problem with this episode is how the climax pretty much ruins the clever plan Ladybug set up. She takes forever to explain her plan to Monarch in great detail, and we're supposed to be surprised that Monarch managed to escape. She didn't even think to just pull off his Miraculous first and then gloat about how awesome she is. Hell, she somehow showed more concern over Monarch escaping thanks to her incompetence instead of Cat Noir accidentally Cataclysming him. But then again, this is the same person who will try to Cataclysm Monarch several times in the season finale. Something that's also weird is that they set up the idea of Monarch escaping with the Lucky Charm, but nothing ever comes of it. You'd think it would be important with how much emphasis is put on nothing else being able to heal Gabriel, but it's never mentioned in the season finale. It could have been an easy way to show Marinette resolving the conflict, by healing her greatest enemy and giving him the chance to better himself... instead of having Gabriel die and Marinette choosing to wash her hands of the whole “I let the universe end” thing.

This episode also showed just how forgettable the Kwamis are as characters. The show wants to make a big deal about how cruel Gabriel is to have control over them, but none of them have any real personality other than “Annoying toddler on a sugar high”. Even putting aside how insufferable they were last season, there's just not enough in this episode to really get you invested in their plight. Not even Trixx, the Kwami who got the most screentime other than Tikki and Plagg last season, gets a single line here.

This episode had promise, but the way it fumbled the landing really ruined it for me.

#7: Multiplication

I swear, I didn't intend for the first three episodes of Season 5 to be ranked like this in chronological order of all things. It was a happy accident, almost miraculous if you will.

Anyway, this episode was okay. It was a decent follow-up to “Evolution”. I like how it's more of a slow character piece for Marinette as she tries to deal with her guilt and conflicting feelings for Adrien after the betrayal. This was the few episodes that I feel really nailed the emotional moments with Marinette this season. There's no overdramatic dialogue, there's no exclusive focus on Adrien (at least at first), and it's played 100% seriously. I also thought it was a decent idea to have the people of Paris prepare for the worst with Monarch, even if it went nowhere. Even the Akuma was handled pretty well, as it allowed the writers to show off the gimmick this season with Ikari Gozen using Multiplication while Ladybug and Cat Noir get to show actual teamwork for a change.

But the problem with this episode was how nobody really seemed to care about the threat Monarch poses. Not only does Alya go back caring more about Marinette's love life, not only does everyone else in Paris seem to forget about Monarch after a few weeks, but Adrien's only role this episode is to realize his feelings for Marinette instead of thinking about the role he also played in Monarch getting all the other Miraculous. Yeah, who cares about serious introspection from someone who spent an entire season trying to show he's just as capable a hero as his partner while inadvertently being part of the reason why she lost her other allies? I want to see him try to kiss someone multiple times without their consent!

And yeah, let's talk about the kissing joke and how it's more than just unfunny, it's almost disgusting with how it's presented. We're supposed to laugh at Marinette for resisting Adrien's attempts to kiss her multiple times when she has every right to not want to be kissed without her consent. The entire joke is that it's happening just as Marinette is trying to get over her feelings for Adrien, but even if she still liked him, it's still against her consent Remember, this is the same show that tried to teach kids about the importance of consent in episodes like “Felix” and “Lies”, yet it never applied to Adrien in this episode, to the point where Alya tries to restrain Marinette so she can't resist or run away.

“But IOTA! It's a cultural thing in France!” Fine, maybe it is, but there's three problems with that. First, Adrien made it clear that he sees Marinette purely in a romantic light, not just as a acquaintance. Second, even if it was meant to be platonic, he didn't do it with Alya or Nino. Finally, if Marinette didn't want to be kissed the first time, that should have been it.

I don't care how socially stunted Adrien is, or how much everyone in the entire world ships Adrientte, if you see someone looking like this when someone is trying to kiss them:

DON'T SMILE, AND MAKE THAT PERSON RESPECT HER PERSONAL SPACE!

It's just such a terrible joke to make, and it this is coming from the season that tries to tackle serious issues like mental health and child abuse. How this episode didn't run into controversy like “Ephemeral” did, I'll never know. Just not a good episode, yet somehow, this still made the top ten.

#8: Perfection

This is an episode that had a decent Akuma, a pretty wholesome resolution, and... uh... Yeah, that's about it.

Of all the Kagami-centric episodes the show has ever done, this is the one that really shows us how she thinks. Because of the high standards her mother places on her, she believes that she can't have friends, and she has only herself to rely on. I like how rather than just default to her being constantly angry while akumatized, she's much more depressed, and most of the damage she causes is unintentional. Granted, I don't get how Monarch thought a giant cloud monster who can't see a thing will be able to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, but I still like how Ryukomori is presented.

On the other hand, despite being a Kagami focused episode, the writers somehow forgot what Kagami was like. She's usually a no-nonsense person who can see through lies and deception with ease, like what happened when she dumped Adrien in “Lies”. Here, she takes things so literally thanks to Lila's “friendship test”, I'm pretty sure Amelia Bedelia would tell her stop taking things so literally. The fact that this isn't just a one-off occurrence doesn't help at all.

If there's anything I could take away from rewatching this episode, it's that I finally understand the problem with this show's humor. The cow bit made me realize just how often this show will drag out its jokes to pad out the runtime, and the cow joke is a perfect example. It's mentioned a total of five times during the first half of the episode. It would have been just an unfunny joke if it was just a one-time thing, but the writers will take a joke and repeat it multiple times until it becomes incredibly annoying. It's like if Patrick kept asking Squidward if mayonnaise was an instrument in that one SpongeBob episode. The joke stops being funny if you keep reusing it over and over again in such a short timeframe.

The song Adrien sung before the Akuma was also incredibly forgettable and comes out of nowhere. I don't even get why they had him do this when Luka is usually characterized as the musician. Even Marinette is surprised Adrien can suddenly sing. Besides, I think we can all agree on what the perfect love song that would sweep Marinette off her feet is.

But yeah, for an episode titled “Perfection”, it's anything but.

#9: Protection

Again, I didn't intend for the direct follow-up to “Perfection” to be ranked right below it. I also want to clear up any confusion people have with this one, since Season 5's episode titles have been hard to memorize for some people. “Perfection” was an episode where Kagami got akumatized thanks to Lila's lies, only for Ladybug to peacefully resolve the conflict thanks to the power of friendship. “Protection” was an episode where Kagami got akumatized thanks to Lila's lies, only for Ladybug to treat her like any other Akuma because the power of friendship was meaningless. I hope I made things easier for you.

This is such a nothing episode. Pretty much everything that happens here is either reused from previous episodes or will continue to be used for the rest of the season. Gabriel tries to break up Adrienette, Lila is a liar, and Kagami is an idiot. There's just nothing to talk about here. The only thing that really stands out for me is the brief moments Marinette and Adrien shared as a couple. They're cute and have believable chemistry, but they're so few and far between. Nothing is accomplished in this episode, and even the stuff with Kagami and Lila is pretty much dropped after this.

Even the Akuma was forgettable. It's just Riposte with a meat cleaver and a diet version of Penalteam's powers. It lacks the emotional weight the resolution with Ryukomori had. It feels like these episodes were meant to be the same one, but were split up to fill the 26 episode count. Overall, just a boring episode, yet still one of the season's better outings if you can believe it.

#10: Jubilation

Yes, this is the one that made the top ten. I'm just as surprised as you are.

Putting aside the dream scene, the episode had some decent ideas, like Marinette struggling to deal with the stress that comes with being Ladybug, and other ways Gabriel can use the Alliance rings to his advantage. Even Cat Noir's emotional reaction to having to leave the dream was decently executed, even if there was no buildup to it. This is the kind of stuff I think we should have gotten more of this season, more character focus and Gabriel actually being a competent villain.

With that being said, there's still a lot of problems here. Socqueline comes out of nowhere, Mr. Damocles' portrayal here doesn't match up with how he is in other episodes this season (much less “Derision”, Socqueline's only other episode), and the dream sequence was creepy as all hell because the animators didn't have enough money to design older models for Ladybug and Cat Noir so they wouldn't be teen parents.

Just an average episode with a few memorable parts, for better or for worse.

#11: Reunion

Riddle me this, my dear readers: How do you write an episode where you want to utilize a fictional version of Joan of Arc, but can't include the visions from God or how she was burned at the stake, the two most well-known things about her? The answer? Turn her into a generic knight who speaks broken English even though she's supposed to be French, duh!

I don't know how you manage to take a concept like Joan of Arc being a former superhero and screw it up this much. She's pretty much only there to bitch and moan at Marinette, essentially body shames Adrien, and only becomes relevant because the Akuma of the week happened to be asking questions about history.

There really could have been done more with the Reunion concept, but this is the only time this season where it's used, and I'm sure it has nothing to do that Joan of Arc's model was used in “Ephemeral”. But when has the show ever come up with excuses to reuse older models this season? I mean, besides young Master Fu in “Evolution”, the other temp heroes in “Determination”, Mister Bug and Lady Noire in “Passion”, and Scarabella in “Revelation” that is.

This episode also tries to tackle conspiracy theorists with Jalil, but it fails because you understand where he's coming from. He is literally the only character in the entire show to think, “Hey, isn't it kind of fucked up that my little sister was forced to become a guardian of time before she graduated middle school while not even getting to say goodbye to me, her only brother?” Yes, the moral isn't a bad one, but Jalil isn't wrong to be paranoid about Ladybug given how she evidently never talked to him about this, much less give Bunnix the chance to say goodbye herself.

The Akuma also really made no sense for Jalil. If he's supposed to be seeking the truth, why is he asking random historical trivia questions? How does knowing the year Sputnik was launched into space relevant to finding out if Ladybug is honest or not? It's almost like the writers have already created multiple Akumas with powers connected to honesty, so this is an overused idea (Oni-Chan, Truth, Lies).

It's just a very forgettable episode, much like how much the writers just forgot the Reunion idea for the rest of the season. Seriously, did anyone remember Plagg gave Adrien a Kwagatama at the end of this one?

#12: Passion

In my opinion, this was the episode that set up two of the biggest problems with Season 5: Extremely contrived Love Square drama and Nathalie's incompetence preventing her from ending the conflict then and there.

While I'm glad we're finally getting a Nathalie focused episode, the issue I have with it is just how the writers are clearly trying to portray her with Adrien's best interests in mind, she still doesn't do anything to actually stop Gabriel other than complaining about how evil Gabriel is while still going along with his plans. She willingly accepts an Akuma from the same man she's claims she's protecting Adrien from and still follows his plans for absolutely no reason. Why Gabriel still keeps her around, much less trusts her with an Akuma, is beyond me.

Rewatching this episode made me realize just how pointless Nathalie is this season. It feels like the writers needed to have Nathalie oppose Gabriel but didn't know how to do that without having her rat him out to Ladybug and Cat Noir. All they really had to do was have her fall into the same coma Emilie is in, and it would not only take her out of the picture. That way, it would remove any concern that Nathalie could expose Gabriel and it would better justify Tomoe's inclusion this season. Instead, a good chunk of this episode is Nathalie and Gabriel making it clear that they hate each other while still choosing to work together for no reason.

The actual backstory for Nathalie was okay. I like how she's more than just some secretary who was informed of the Miraculous and later teamed up with Gabriel, instead being a treasure hunter who specializes in locating magical artifacts like the Miraculous. It's a clever bit of character development and I like how it ties into her Akuma form for the episode. Of course, it's somewhat ruined by the fact that we still don't know why Gabriel and Emilie wanted to find the Miraculous in the first place, not even after five seasons.

Putting aside Nathalie generally being an idiot, the rest of the episode was pretty mediocre. It's more Love Square drama, with Marinette's concerns about how her feelings for Adrien led to Monarch getting fifteen Miraculous being brushed aside as her denying how she really feels. Only now, the episode is going out of its way to make it seem like all Marinette can do is all but lust over whoever she's in love with, in this case, Cat Noir/Mister Bug. Because actually acknowledging character flaws and how they affect the narrative while playing them for laughs is how Miraculous Ladybug rolls. Decades from now, episodes like this will be commonplace, I just know it.

The Akuma fight was also pretty lackluster. I don't get why Safari's arrows only targeted Ladybug and Cat Noir, and only Ladybug and Cat Noir while they were transformed instead of, you know, targeting their Miraculous. It just felt like a cheap excuse to get some more mileage out of the Mister Bug and Lady Noire models. Well, that, and more of Lady Noire prioritizing her romantic feelings over the mission at hand.

While I can appreciate the attempt to flesh out Nathalie's character, it's not enough to salvage this episode.

#13: Deflagration

Before I start this section, can anyone tell me why the hell it's named a chemistry term of all things?

The wiki claims that it's referencing what Tikki and Plagg do in the episode, but I don't think that continuously creating and destroying stuff counts as deflagration. Then again, I'm some schmuck on the internet, not a chemist.

Anyway, this episode is clearly trying to come across as an event, but nothing is really accomplished here. Marinette and Adrien already got together in the last episode, the Akuma didn't do anything to advance Monarch's plan, Zoe's character development as Kitty Noire is nonexistent, Alya being exposed for the third time ends up being pointless since Scarabella appears in “Revelation” a few episodes later, and no progress is made in stopping Monarch. It's just one big fight scene that lacks real tension because Monarch is reduced to a joke in this episode.

Monarch is seriously dogpiled by several middle school students, and the show still expects us to take him seriously as a villain. I can at least buy Sole Destroyer, given how Chloe is supposed to be seen as harmless sometimes, but the main villain getting beaten by kids with no superpowers? It just really breaks the suspension of disbelief. It'd be like if Kevin McCallister somehow defeated Godzilla with one of his traps. You're not impressed by Kevin taking him down, you're asking why Godzilla went down so easily.

This was the episode where the writers started making dumb blonde jokes by making it so Chloe doesn't understand the meaning of the word “Generous”, and it's just as unfunny as it sounds. Not only is this hypocritical because this “girl power” show is now using one of the most misogynistic writing tropes in history, it's the same episode with a title named after a chemical reaction that most children watching don't understand. Chloe didn't even serve a purpose this episode because nobody ever fought Sole Destroyer onscreen. It's just another “Ha! She's blonde and rich, so that means she's dumb!” joke... which came before a certain episode that showed her as being capable of pulling off several complex schemes to torment Marinette.

I also love how despite making a big deal about them being worthy to be Ladybug and Cat Noir's replacements last episode, Alya and Zoe are taken out of commission before the action even starts. I feel like the episode could have at least been elevated if Alya and Zoe at least tried to help. It would have better justified them temporarily replacing Ladybug and Cat Noir instead of the cheap ratings grab it was.

But yeah, it's a pretty dull episode, and the only reason why I don't have more to say is because the first part has more glaring issues in my eyes.

Part 2

[catch-me-hello]

No Mercy, Episode 1: Americans could not handle this.

Today, we begin our deep dive into K-pop band assembly shows. We are starting with No Mercy, which ran from December 2014 to February 2015 and brought us Monsta X, one of my favorite groups. The first episode is called “The Cruel Debut War Gets Started.” And right off the bat, after seeing just the first episode, I realized I needed an attitude adjustment when it comes to these shows.

I thought calling No Mercy a survival reality show was a bit overdramatic before I actually started watching it. I was seeing the concept through American eyes. While losing an American survival reality show can mean death in the wilderness, I now know that losing No Mercy means death of your dreams and your pride, not to mention the realization that you have sacrificed years of your life being a trainee in the K-pop system, only to be eliminated.

Honestly, if I had exceptional musical talent and was given the choice of competing on either Korea’s No Mercy or America’s Alone, I’d take my chances in the wilderness of Northern Mongolia for the American show. Being crushed by falling boulders is preferable to having my soul crushed and then being shown the door. Losing the American show means you only die once.

Yes, it is that serious.

Just to provide some context, K-pop idols spend years as trainees, hoping for a chance to debut. They train from morning until late at night, taking lessons in dancing, singing, rapping, and acting, as well as interviewing, songwriting, production, and other practical skills. They can spend up to ten years of their lives as trainees, getting very few days off and working themselves to exhaustion. In the end, only a very small percentage of them will debut. And even if they do debut, there’s no guarantee that they will catch fire with the public and become famous and successful.

Landing a spot on a Korean survival reality show is the chance of a lifetime for these trainees. On No Mercy, there are only twelve spots. Which is why the rankings are so important.  Making it on the show is just the first step. If you get ranked last on the very first episode, it’s considered a failure, even though you don’t get cut in the first rankings. Never mind the fact that it’s an incredible accomplishment to get on the show in the first place. The trainees don’t see that. All that matters is the debut.

If you rank dead last, even if you don’t get cut from the show right then, it means that there are eleven people between you and the debut, and only the top few will get chosen. In other words, you may as well be back in the dorms, still anonymous, getting ready for another 14-hour day of gruelingly relentless dance practice.

No Mercy only ran for one season, and I already know who the winners are. That does not spoil the show for me in the least. Just from the first episode, I’m seeing the band members in a whole different light, and I’m also learning way more about the K-pop machine and how cruel it can be to someone with a dream.

Take Shownu, for example. He’s currently the leader of Monsta X, so I know he’ll make it, but this first episode shows me what he’s been through just to compete on this show. The show focuses mostly on him for right now, and we open with the initial rankings. We only see a few seconds of their initial performances in a small room in front of the judges, and right away, Shownu gets the top spot.

If this were an American show, two things would happen here.

We wouldn’t be told the top spot first. They would start with the last spot and build up to the top two spots, with the remaining two trainees clutching each other and freaking out. In fact, naming the number one spot right away seems anticlimactic. But there’s a reason the first spot gets named first, and it’s spelled out in Shownu’s reaction. He is somber.  He quietly and calmly walks over to the judges’ table to accept his first-place badge and bows to them.  The reason for this reaction is Difference Number Two:

Getting ranked first isn’t just an honor for Shownu. It’s a weight on his shoulders. Out of all the trainees, he now has to spend the rest of the competition trying to prove that he’s worthy of that number one spot. He also has eleven other trainees now gunning for him. The man does not crack a smile once, not even the moment when the judges say his name. For us, the suspense isn’t finding out who got the first slot. It’s finding out the order of the other trainees, whose rankings now indicate how badly each one wants to trip Shownu on the stairs.

Knowing how this is all going to play out, I’m surprised to see how low some of the eventual winners rank in this first round. While Jooheon and Wonho rank #2 and #4, respectively, Kihyun, Hyungwon, and Minhyuk come in at #8, #9, and #10. Kihyun’s relatively low ranking really surprises me, because he is now known for having one of the most amazing singing voices in the industry. We don’t get to see him or the other singers audition for these rankings, so the competition must have been insane.

The trainees then split up to work with different industry experts, who are helping each one prepare a three-minute performance for the next round of rankings. Emotionally, the process is run like a military boot camp. From here on out, the trainees are referred to by their numbers, not their names. The trainee named Yoosu, who is ranked last, is called “Number Twelve” during this process, a constant reminder of his failure. It’s not much better for Shownu to be referred to by “Number One,” considering it’s a constant reminder to watch his back. They may as well call him “Target.”

The experts working with them can be worse than Simon Cowell with severe hemorrhoids. Here is a partial transcript of one expert’s rap lesson with four of the trainees:

Expert: I have to call you by your numbers. #7: Here, too? Expert: Yes, at all times. #2: So I’m Number Two, and not Jooheon? Expert: Yes, you’re Trainee Number Two. #5: I’m 5-Yoonho. (laughs) Expert: (stone faced) I want to call you Number Twelve. You have to do better from now on.

#7: I tried to think of it as Lucky Seven. Expert: Don’t give me that. You’re number twelve in rapping.

This is not friendly banter. The expert looks like a fed-up high school teacher who just caught four students cooking meth in the chem lab. If any of the contestants on The Voice or American Idol faced this expert, they would sue the network.

All four trainees now take turns rapping for the expert, and despite the show’s title, putting Jooheon last is an act of mercy. None of the other trainees should have to follow his performance. If Kihyun is known for his singing voice, Jooheon is arguably the best rapper in K-pop. His lyrics in the Monsta X song “Gambler” and the cocky way he delivers them is one of my favorite musical moments, period. (“ME? I’m a handsome sum of moNEY, I got a vesper marTINI...”)

So I am excited to see young trainee Jooheon perform, and he does not disappoint. At least for the few seconds we get to see. The expert cuts him off after just a few lines and begrudgingly says, “Okay, that wasn’t too bad,” and even though that is this expert’s verbal equivalent of giving Jooheon a Billboard Music Award, I still want to smack him upside the head with his own clipboard. YOU do not tell Jooheon when to stop rapping. HE decides when he’s done.

We then switch over to the vocalists in their session, and this expert is a bit more encouraging. Again, we only get snippets of each performance, but we do get to hear Kihyun. His singing takes my breath away. I don’t see how he’s ranked at Number Eight, unless he really bombed in the first round. I’d love to see him do a rock opera.

Now we get to a segment on Shownu alone, and this is the part that really made me see him and what he’s been through. We learn that he used to be a trainee in a different entertainment company called JYP Entertainment. (No Mercy is run by Starship Entertainment and features their own trainees.) During his two-year stint at JYP, he trained with a group called GOT7.  Instead of debuting with the group, Shownu was cut. He was twenty years old at the time. GOT7 went on to become very famous, touring several times and winning many worldwide music awards.

He's still friends with GOT7. No Mercy cuts away to follow him as he waits for them outside a venue. After their performance, they come out and embrace their old friend. They go to dinner, and right away, even though we feel their chemistry as friends, Shownu is still a million miles apart from them.

GOT7 talk about how surprised and upset they were when Shownu left JYP. Shownu looks sad. He says he’s used to seeing everyone around him go on to debut. The emotional gut punch actually brings tears to my eyes. In a confessional clip, Shownu says that the pressure got to him at JYP, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Later on, he says that every time he sees his GOT7 friends, he feels pathetic.

The show’s title isn’t just about what the trainees go through. This program shows no mercy for the viewers’ emotions.  This is heartbreaking.

GOT7 and Shownu leave the restaurant, and as they walk down the street, fans gather to take pictures. Shownu steps back a bit so he doesn’t get in the way of the cameras. In the confessional cutaways, he’s pragmatic about it, but he’s clearly uncomfortable in the actual situation.

As they part ways, he hugs his friends goodbye, and the fans temporarily stop taking pictures, waiting for the unknown guy to get out of the way. He stands alone in the street and watches them walk away, trailed by their adoring fans.

I hate this show for doing this to me. If I were still drinking, I’d be typing this from inside a bottle of Barcardi right now. My only consolation is knowing Shownu is going to make it. Most trainees don’t get a debut or any kind of happy ending. Shownu is going to be one of the lucky ones.

Back to the competition. I never thought I’d be so happy to see the grumpy experts from hell again. We have arrived at D-Day 1. Our trainees will perform on a concert stage for the original judges and some new ones who are actual K-pop idols. Jooheon is excited. He wants Shownu’s spot.

The trainees are driven to the venue. They are all nervous, except for Jooheon. He is confident. He is ready. I love him so much. Sorry. That was unprofessional. Where was I? Right. D-Day 1.

The trainees line up on the huge stage. Only the stage is lit up. The seats are shrouded in darkness. As the trainees stand there, trying to control the jitters, a spotlight suddenly beams onto the judges’ table. They have been sitting there in darkness, waiting to ambush these poor trainees like angry parents waiting for a teen who is way past his curfew.

But that’s not enough. Large cubes suddenly light up in front of the stage, showing the numbers one through twelve. The trainees have to go stand behind their numbers. I actually wrote “psychological warfare” in my notes. This show isn’t just trying to rattle these trainees. They want the weakest ones to just collapse and be dragged offstage to save the judges having to vote them off.

Honestly, they should just give each trainee a cyanide pill and a shot of tequila. Then they could at least go out with some dignity.

Except for Jooheon. He’s got his game face on. He looks ready to take a bite out of the stage and spit out the splinters.

Shownu is up first, and I can’t believe we’re only 26 minutes into this show. I have already been through the emotional wringer and taken six pages of notes. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

Shownu takes the stage while the other trainees wait backstage, and right off the goddamn bat, one of the judges says, “When I first met you, I didn’t think you were Number One material, but look at you now.” He is not giving a compliment. His tone of voice implies that Shownu got away with something. And Shownu, to his enormous credit, simply says, “I must have gotten lucky at the first evaluation.” If that had been an American contestant, there would have been hands thrown.

The judges also bring up that Shownu was cut from JYP after two years, and I wrote in my notes, “WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS??!!”

But our guy pulls himself together and sings a lovely rendition of John Legend’s “All of Me.” Then he shows off his skills in a dance routine that foreshadows the incredible precision moves we’ll be seeing in a couple of years.

The judges clap. Their attitude is reserved, but they liked the performance. One of the judges who knew him when he was at JYP says she didn’t know he could sing so well.

Shownu bows in gratitude. I stress-eat an entire box of Belvita biscuits.

Next up: Jooheon. We get a confessional clip in which he says he wants to become such a good rapper, he will drive people crazy.  Again, I think of his performance in “Gambler” and get chills.

He begins, and the lighting crew does not let him down.

The song is mysterious, chilling, aggressive. Jooheon moves like the song has possessed him. The judges are mesmerized. The other trainees backstage are mesmerized. I’m mesmerized.

After the performance, the judges tell him that his performance is already at a professional level. All I can think is, wait until you see him in a couple of years.

Backstage, Shownu says Jooheon did well, and we can see he’s concerned. All the trainees are concerned. They can hear the judges showering praise on Jooheon. Considering that a few of these judges have a default setting of “you suck,” they have every reason to be worried.

After Jooheon leaves the stage, the female judge, who I think is a K-pop Idol herself, says, “He scares me when he raps. He’s scary. The way he looks at me.” Again, check him out when Monsta X is on tour. He can be dangerous.

We’re getting close to the end of the episode, and No Mercy knows how to end on a cliffhanger, although this is an even more effective one for viewers like me who already know the outcome. Our next trainee is Hyungwon, another eventual winner.

As a fan of the group that’s being formed, I’ve always found Hyungwon to be an enigma. He’s stunningly handsome and has a cool, quiet vibe about him, yet the fans also love him for his clumsy, adorkable personality and how he’s often the butt of the jokes in the band. For now, the handsome and cool vibe is on full display, and it’s having an obvious effect on the female judge.

I am on the edge of my seat for this. If you’ll remember, Hyungwon is currently one of the lowest ranked members, at Number 9. The reason for his low ranking is because the judges only remembered how handsome he is, but nothing about his singing or dancing stood out to them.

We the viewers didn’t get to see any part of his performance during the initial rankings. But fans like me know what Hyungwon is capable of. His solo stages during Monsta X concerts are some of my favorite moments of the shows, especially when he performed “Wildfire” on the band’s No Limit Tour in 2022.

“Wildfire” has always been a fan favorite from this tour, and it’s not just because of Hyungwon’s good looks. He could be wearing a paper bag over his head, and his dancing, combined with the set design, still would still have the audience enthralled. (His singing would be a bit muffled.) While I do understand the judges getting distracted by how handsome he is, I want them to see more.

The judges settle in. Hyungwon lifts his microphone. And then, No Mercy kicks us in the metaphorical balls by ending the episode.

Audiences at the time this show was being aired would have to wait another week. Because No Mercy is cruel. No Mercy is a bully. No Mercy is the Korean equivalent of Eric Carmen giving us amazing songs that lift our spirits while simultaneously calling us libtards on Twitter.

And I will be watching and recapping every single episode.

Stay tuned.

[sydneys-adamu]

the bear

the bear episode

the bear episode 2

the bear episode 2 of season 2

the bear episode 2 of season two is so chalk full of important references and motifs and symbolization for sydcarmy’s relationship as well as their individual character arcs from sydney’s conversation with her dad to carmy meeting claire again (and giving her the wrong number) and this wall that’s built up between them this way. LOL u thought that was it no you also have the chef whites conversation, the introduction to the I’m sorry sign and sydney volunteering new information about sheridan to carm AND him attempting to ask about her dad before she cuts him off. it’s funny right that carmy asks about her dad and her dad asks about carmy and neither person gets a clear answer from syd? it seems so deliberate that these two don’t meet this season anyways-

and then this isn’t episode two but shut up you have the tearing down the wall motif and how unsettled sydney is about the fact that carmen does that without her and what “tearing down walls” usually symbolizes is immense bc she wanted to be there ! she wanted to be there with him ! and he did it without her bc he wanted it to be done when she got there ! he thought she would be happy with a finished product instead so he did the ugly process it takes to get there. he wants it to be perfect for her so much so that he leaves her out of a say in that. he thinks she wants things she actually doesn’t. she cares about this restaurant in every way it is, ugly, broken down, health hazard and all.

aaaaand what else does carmen consider a work in progress damn near a lost cause? himself! so does he think that she doesn’t deserve to have to stick around and watch while he figures himself out while he “fixes” himself up? does he not think she can handle it? does he want to be perfect for her even though that’s not what she wants?

but no “this is what you wanted and it’s what I’m giving you” because it’s gone over his head at this point that there’s love in the process. there is an understanding in the process, there is a merging of souls in this process of building a literal restaurant from the ground up. carmen focuses so much on making everything perfect for sydney that he forgets that’s never something she asked for. not perfect just *better*

and under that table, less than an hour before opening he finally fucking understands how to slow time down. if the food’s bad they’ll work on it. if no one comes then no one comes. it’s okay. it’s okay if it’s not perfect because we’re doing this together and that’s what matters. what matters is this moment where I get to tell you I’ll be here for you. where I get to tell you I care about you every way you are, full stop.

[nemonoonesuch]

Ergo Proxy Opening: In search for the artwork's source

Ergo Proxy's Opening is a fascinating piece of artwork characterized by it's kaleidoscopic mix of scenery, images from the series and subtle references to pieces of art and literature. The whole design reminds me a bit of the style of Kyle Cooper in intro sequences like Se7en . Some are very clear while others are quite cryptic and frankly unreadable. This post will summarize a few of those references and their sources:

Holy Images

First we have the apparition of some glass panels and a statue in a column, and the image of some industrial complex. The statue have a chalice and appears to be a young man, and an eagle at his feet. Those are the attributes of Saint John the Younger. With that in mind, the search was easier... and after almost 14 hours of reading and searching, I found two of the three artworks.

Both the statue and the stained glass comes from the The Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule at Brussels.

Stained Glass, probably made by Jean-Baptiste Capronnier (c. 1870):

Another decorated window appears, this time with a more modern artwork. The decorated window was designed by Alfons Mucha, c. 1930, for the reconstruction work for St. Vitas Cathedral in Prague.

The Power of Seven and the Lapis Philosoficus

The occasional image of complex astrological or alchemical heptagrams flashes many times during the opening, being this one the most clear snap I could get. The text in the center of it reads "Ma Te Ri A Pri Ma *" that confirms the alchemical nature of the illustration.

After many attempts to find the source of the illustration i had to dive into my older alchemy notes. Suddenly I remember the works of a notorious alchemist obsessed with number seven, none other than Sir Isaac Newton. And Eureka!

the image comes from a set of notes on the processes behind the achievement of the philosopher's stone, titled "Lapis Philosophicus cum suis rotis elementaribus" and dated to c. 1690

Landnámabók

Some of the decorations that appears on the opening comes directly from the icelandic text of settlers, a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement (landnám) of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.

La Glorification de l'Art

This one was relatively easy to find. It is a quite common allegorical representation.

The building housing the Royal Museum of Ancient Art in Brussels is a masterpiece designed by Alphonse Balat, the Court's favorite architect, the sculpture flanking the main entrance is the work of Paul de Vigne, and was made around 1885. La Glorification de l'Art depicts Art as a winged youth, accompanied by Glory and Fame. It also appears on the opening. Art, represented by a winged man, receives from the hand of Glory a palm and a crown; while the Fame, with trumpet and bumper, publishes her exploits.

Rhyme 247

notice the words on the right side of the screenshot: "e vero", "Non Veder" "Gran Ventura"

Michelangelo Buonarroti was an exceptionally good artist, and a passionate poet too, even when he preferred to keep most of his literary production quite obscure. One of his works for the Sagrestía Nuova at the Medici Chapel in Florence was a representation of the Night, placed over the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Nemours. Night was singularly praised by his contemporaries, especially Giovanni Strozzi, who dedicated an epigram on 1544:

La Notte che tu vedi in sì dolci attidormire, fu da un Angelo scolpitain questo sasso e, perché dorme, ha vita:destala, se nol credi, e parleratti.

Michelangelo responded in another epigram, today known as Rhyme 247:

Caro m'è 'l sonno, e più l'esser di sasso,mentre che 'l danno e la vergogna dura;non veder, non sentir m'è gran ventura; però non mi destar, deh, parla basso

This Rhyme appears on Ergo Proxy in another occasion:

The poem as appears on the beginning of the first episode

NIGHT DAWN DAY DUSK

Donov Mayer's Collective Entourage are embodied by the four sculptures from the allegorical monument (Sagrestía Nuova) of Michellangelo. A pair of the statues were located over the sarcophagus of Giuliano de' Medici, (Day and the Night) and Lorenzo de' Medici (Dusk (or Twilight) and the Dawn) respectively. On the series, each have the name of one prominent occidental philosopher:

Lacan: as Night, Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Barbara Goodson (English)

Derrida: as Dawn, Voiced by: Yōko Sōmi (Japanese), Melodee Spevack (English)

Husserl: as Day, Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (Japanese), Michael McConnohie(English)

Berkeley: as Dusk, Voiced by: Yuu Shimaka (Japanese), Doug Stone(English)

[Unknown]

Some artworks or pieces of literature used are still unknown (for me)

The industrial landscape

The cursive text

And this arabic/persian texts

Thank you so much for reading so far

[twelvroses]

cw: death.

INOUE MIO (generally stylised as MiO) was born in Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, on May 10th, 2001. Both of Mio's parents were regular, white collar workers, who lived paycheck to paycheck and worked hard to make ends meet. This meant that they weren't often home, and from a young age, Mio had grown used to taking care of herself. Socially awkward and unpopular among her classmates, the living room television became Mio's greatest source of company. It didn't really matter if it was anime or music shows, award-winning movies or trash TV; Mio consumed and studied it all, and from a very young age she developed her first dream - to be on television.

In late 2013, at 12 years old, Mio achieved her life's goal on the first episode of HOMETOWN IDOL, a reality singing competition show, open to 12-19 year olds across Japan without professional entertainment experience. Mio was the youngest on the show, and became a popular contestant for being initially underestimated by the others due to her shy and nervous demeanor, only to unveil a powerful and emotional singing voice. After six weeks, Mio won the show in a landslide public vote. Alongside a hefty cash prize deposited straight into her parents' bank account, she was awarded a contract with Pantheon Entertainment’s Japanese subsidiary, EPONA.

In 2016, Mio released her debut album, MELT♡, alongside it's title track WORLD iS MiNE. The track shot to number one on the Oricon chart, and the album's following singles all ranked within the top ten. Mio would tour the album around Asia. Although in the two years between the show and her debut Mio had taken supporting or smaller roles in children's shows or pre-teen dramas, which had helped maintain her popularity to a degree, MELT♡ would launch her to new heights, making her a household name across Japan. EPONA were quick to capitalize on Mio's new brand recognition, signing her up for every CF and variety show that came their way.

The trajectory of Mio's success would continue upwards; as the years passed she would continue to release more music, embark on more tours, and diligently pop up on television screens again and again, promoting anything from sneakers to soft drinks to life insurance. Initially popular amongst younger audiences, she would officially break into the Japanese mainstream with her second full length album MiOLOGY, which had a more serious and personal tone, with far more emotional depth than Mio's previous work. The album marked her first collaboration with producer Kobayashi Kentaro, who would act as executive producer for the remainder of her releases. Kentaro was close in age to Mio, only a year older, and encouraged her to become involved in the writing and production of her music. By her request, he was made a member of EPONA's in-house production team.

In 2022, Mio scored her first starring role in a movie, which had been a box office success and received rave reviews. She was set to begin work on her fourth studio album, for which anticipation was high. Unfortunately, upon arriving at the studio for a recording session with Kentaro, Mio stumbled upon him dead at the soundboard. As she was the one to report his death, she was interrogated by the police, though was very quickly cleared of any suspicion as security cameras confirmed her discovery of the body. The cause of death was later ruled as cardiac arrest, suffered in the early hours of the morning. Speaking of Kentaro before his death, Mio often referred to him as her best friend and the closest thing she has to family.

Mio announced an indefinite hiatus following Kentaro's death, ceasing all schedules and social media activity. Her final, unwilling, public appearance saw her mobbed by cameras at Kentaro's memorial service, and then, she was gone.

It would later be revealed that EPONA had quietly let Mio out of her contract in 2023. As far as anybody knows, there's no reason to believe she has anything to do with Valentine Records ...

NAME : Inoue Mio.

BIRTHDAY : May 10 2001.

ZODIAC : Taurus.

NATIONALITY : Japanese.

HOMETOWN : Hongo, Tokyo, Japan.

FOCUS OF TRAINING : Vocal, Dance.

FC : Kondou Chisa.

[theflagscene]

I don’t think the number of shows in the Gmmtv 2025 line up will reduce but I do think most of them will be released in 2026. This is because they still have a backlog of series from 2024 part 2 that either have not filmed yet or are currently in production.

Oh, I doubt the shows will reduce either. But I wouldn’t be against it if they did, I feel like the poor actors/actresses are constantly overworked what with filming, hosting, concerts and fan meets. Also, there is a huge roster of criminally underused talent in GMMTV’s stable because everything stars the same two dozen or so actors and actresses. I’m not against seeing my faves yearly, but I could go a year without seeing OffGun together if that meant they give a headlining project to one of the secondary pairs, like AuoBoom or WinnySatang. Or maybe stop putting Mark in every other series—he is so overworked, the poor dude!—and let Louis, Fluke or Sing do more.

Also actually use their newly hired talent that they got from Wabi Sabi. They now have Ohm, Sammy, Soodyatch and BounPrem, use ‘em! So far Santa is the only one getting screen time and that’s because of last minute changes with Perth’s pair branding.

GMMTV is first a foremost a company and their bottom line is money, which fine, yeah, that is important to keep things running. But in the last few years because of the amount of series they’ve squeezed in, a lot of the writing has dropped in quality. They get you with a hook, but then the series is an absolute slog to get through. Most of GMMTV’s series I end up skimming and only watching the full episodes that have major plot points.

I am excited to see what’s the plan for the upcoming year (or two), because let’s face it, half of what they’ll show in a few hours probably won’t air until 2026 lol! They’ll just start filming in 2025, but I digress. As I said, I am excited but I’m also not against them slowing down and giving everyone more time to make really good shows instead of half-assed lackluster shows.

Fingers crossed we get some good stuff! Everyone get your bingo cards out, I know I already have mine 😉😉😉

[escapingrealtiylovinginsanity]

Rewind, Remix, & Replay Jay & Kim 5x18 

You can read the rest of the series here

This was an episode where Kim and Jay actually really did interact. It made it more fun. Everyone saw the chemistry of the look between them in the car, right? Or is it just my shippy little heart <3 (I was sad I couldn't find the right gif for the episode)

Kim typed in the license plate Jay was reading off to search for the owner. It was a little strange to be in his truck with him, and not just because they were parked across from a funeral. They rarely worked together as partners. When it was decided that Hailey was going undercover- Kim was floored when Voight paired the two up and sent them out with little more than their last names strung together and a “watch out for Upton”.

It wasn’t that Kim didn’t want to work with Jay. The thought of it happening had just never really crossed her mind. She could count the times they had been paired together on one hand and still have fingers left over. Now adding their after-work actives… it just made her feel a little out of sorts.

They had moved quickly and professionally to her work SUV. Jay’s lifted GM Sierra would draw unwanted attention. Kim pulled her keys out of her bag climbed into the driver seat and started the car. Jay had just sighed and shook his head when he settled into the passenger side. When she had given him a confused look, he had just chuckled, shaking his head. They had been halfway to the cemetery before she realized even though he had far more seniority he had let her drive.

They had fallen into a comfortable productive silence after she had parked. It was just strange. Kim had seen him less than eight hours ago primal and naked taking her roughly from behind as she watched in her floor-length mirror. The small bruise just peeking out of his shirt sleeve is where she had turned and bit him, lost in her pleasure and trying to keep from screaming. Now he was drinking his coffee and she was pretending she didn’t know how it tasted on his lips.

Kim read off Tyler Whitlock's information, “And he is Booth’s nephew.” Jay shifted to look down at the screen. He was worried about Hailey. A little too worried. Kim didn’t understand why- Jay had backed her going back undercover. She didn’t want to press; it didn’t seem like it was any of her business. Jay and Hailey were partners- one of the strongest bonds she knew. They were just-well whatever they were.

“A family business, how quaint.” Jay was distracted by the way Hailey had been acting during the opening of this case. Something wasn’t adding up and the weight of it was sitting like a pit in his stomach. It was the only reason why he hadn’t caught Kim's touch of awkwardness yet.

“So, is there anything that runs in the Halstead family? The military, maybe?” The question catches Jay’s attention and he looks over at her- he feels the twinge of her nervousness. He chuckles, his hand purposefully dropping to her thigh for a gentle but reassuring squeeze. His hand lingered on the denim of her jeans. It works like magic. Kim gives him a soft smile and settles. He can almost see her overthinking slow, her insecurity washing away. He had felt that way with Erin, never knowing if it would be a hot or cold day, and he refused to let Kim feel the same. Especially when he felt guilty for not being able to give her a real answer the prior week on what they were doing.

Jay was a relationship man. Not that he hadn’t had his Casanova days when he was younger. He had gone through his fair share of women. But when Jay decided he liked a girl and wanted to build a relationship he was quick to lock them down. He wasn’t keen on sharing and even less of a fan of hiding how he felt.

He had become jaded in the years he had been in Intelligence. Lindsey had done a number on him. He loved her to his detriment. He was willing to overlook what he wanted, like living together, to try to make it work with her. When she had left without even a goodbye what Jay wanted had been so scrambled that he wasn’t even sure of what he wanted himself anymore. He had started to sleep around again, even going as far as fucking around with one of his CIs who didn’t even know his real name. It was a mess that Jay was still trying to untie with the help of his therapist. “No, just me. The only thing that runs in the Halstead family is trouble, the blue-collared kind.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Oh really? Because I’m so warm and friendly?”

“No, because Will doesn’t seem like he has it in him. He is too sweet.” Jay's eyes shined with mirth as he shook his head lips pressing together to suppress his laughter. “What’s so funny about that? Your brother is adorable.”

“Nothing just that my brother has you and most of our colleagues completely snowed.” Kim’s eyebrows furrowed, as Jay focused back on the funeral proceedings. “Oh yeah. You know, sometime you should ask him about the real reason he left New York and that awesome shiner he got as a parting gift.”

“No way,” Jay's blue eyes flicker back to her briefly, a genuine smile coming to his lips as he cocks his head to the side. “Seriously?” Jay's grin is mischievous then his face goes blank as he sees Booth make his way over to Haliey. Kim feels unsettled by their interaction and suddenly understands Jay’s worries. There is something off about the situation, she can feel it in her gut.

Jay is distant all week. Hailey is focused on nothing other than nailing Booth and Jay is on her ass trying to keep her from getting herself killed. Jay catches up with a detective on the old case, doesn’t tell her the specifics and she doesn’t ask. It wasn’t good. Kim was just glad that it was all over. She and Hailey weren’t super close but she considers her a friend and watching her isolate and spiral had frayed her nerves.

When Jay knocks on her door she isn’t surprised. He looks as exhausted as she feels. She gestures him in, heading to the kitchen instead of the living room. “I’m making dinner,” Jay inhales smelling the stir fry cooking. Smelling the food makes him realize how hungry he is. He lingers at the counter leaning back against it silently. Kim glances over him briefly before closing the distance. Her hand slides up between the open ends of his jacket smoothing over the soft cotton of his t-shirt. His hand comes up to catch hers rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

“Why don’t you get comfortable and sit down? You look like you're about ready to fall over.” Kim presses a kiss to his neck. His hand cups her chin lifting it to steal a kiss of his own. It is light and tender, the barest whisper against her lips. Kim lingers in his space. She can smell his musky cologne mixed with the sharpness of the leather of his jacket. Her hand moved down his chest feeling the hard muscles as she stepped away to stir the food. She can hear the swish of him removing his jacket as he heads back down the hallway.

When he returns a few minutes later he is down to his t-shirt and jeans, feet bare against the wood floor. “I need to talk to you.” Kim faulters mid-stir, anxiety shooting through her system, body tensing involuntarily.

“That doesn’t sound good.” His warmth washes over her as he steps behind her. His hands land on her hips giving a gentle squeeze as he urges her to lean back against him.

“It’s nothing like that.” He soothes and she twists to look at him. “Just after this whirlwind of a week. This thing with Haliey and her going completely off the books…” He lets out a deep sigh and Kim turns full to look at him. “I just want you to know I always have your back.”

“Jay I know-”

“No, just listen. Even if I don’t always understand or when I think you're doing something you shouldn’t- I will try to stop you- but if it becomes a situation. If you need me- I will be there. I will always have your back. I never want you to go into an unsafe situation alone because you think nobody will help you get out of it. I will always help you. Always.”

Kim feels tears blur her vision. She would blame it on the emotional week. She pulls Jay into a hug, resting her cheek against his chest, arms locked tightly around him. “I know. You already have been. And I will always be there for you Jay. No question.”

[beyondmistland]

I read through all your posts about Alysanne Targaryen as Maegor's daughter and am now in a rabbit hole. Thank you. I've been thinking about Maegor's wives and which one of Henry VIII's wives they represent. Ceryse is Cathrine of Aragon and Alys is Anne Boleyn. The others are hard to pin for me since there isn't a lot. What do you think? Would Maegor's reign have been more interesting if his marriages had more similarities to those of Henry VIII?

I think this is where we run into a number of problems regarding the way GRRM wrote Fire & Blood specifically and the way he setup Westeros more generally.

For one, the fairly homogenized nature of southron culture as well as the oversimplification of religious institutions and history means you can't quite get the same dynamism as from real life European history, with its dizzying array of languages, cultures, cuisines, fashions, etc., to mention nothing of the then-ongoing Protestant Reformation. I suppose GRRM could have had Maegor convert to the Old Gods a la Julian (II) the Apostate or the Drowned God (you just know the Ironborn are the one race on the surface of Planetos that would say King Maegor the Good with a completely straight face) or even R'hllor, which would be the best choice in terms of worldbuilding opportunities in my opinion.

Moving on, we run into a handful of problems with Maegor specifically, one of them being the length of his reign. Look, while I can't deny Maegor ruling for 6 years and 66 days is incredibly cheeky, it also isn't anywhere close to Henry VIII's 36 years as king. With so little room timeline-wise, there isn't a lot of flexibility when it comes to telling new stories and fleshing out preexisting ones and all that is before you factor in Maegor himself.

I won't hold back. For all GRRM's talk of moral ambiguity, the human heart in conflict with itself, good men who were bad kings and bad men who were good kings, etc., his Targaryen monarchs are, for the most part, numbingly one-note. Aegon I is a literal enigma, Aenys is weak, Maegor cruel, Viserys I a party animal, Aegon II and Rhaenyra mirror-images of each other in their disqualifying vices, etc. As I've written before with my post reimagining Maegor as more of a Ivan (IV) the Terrible figure there was room to make him a genuinely controversial figure of historiography but instead GRRM doubled down on sensationalism and apathy-inducing slasher porn for lack of a better word. The fact Maegor is also the first and last of Visenya's line just adds more salt to the wound but that's part of GRRM's more general (and for me personally, vexing) habit of keeping family trees incredibly small.

(I do recall another alternative someone once brought up to the late Steven Attewell. Namely, turning Maegor into the Westerosi version of Macbeth by way of Der Untergang.)

This brings me to my semifinal point. GRRM didn't have to write Fire & Blood as Procopius' Secret History on steroids with a dash of Suetonius' Lives of Twelve Caesars and I, Claudius (the entire Saera episode is practically lifted wholesale from the scandal that envelops Augustus' daughter, Julia) but he did, which is doubly disappointing because not only does the final product suck quality-wise as a result but also because there were so many other avenues available to him.

He could have written Fire & Blood as a proper history (with less focus on the sex lives of teenage girls for one) or as a mirror for princes or as a dialogue between two characters or even as a character study. You can even see GRRM struggling with the constraints imposed by his use of Gyldayn in certain sections like the death of Maelor and the entire Hour of the Wolf episode, where you get reams of dialogue and characterization as well as more traditional narrative trappings like build-up, mood setting, etc.

Now, to answer your actual question (lol), I don't think any of Henry VIII's other wives map well onto Maegor's. Tyanna is, more or less, his female counterpart in terms of cruelty and zero redeeming features and entirely a fantasy construct. Elinor and Jeyne are both married to Maegor for only a year (with poor Jeyne dying in childbirth because Jeyne Westerlings, like the Brackens, Peakes, and Florents, cannot catch a break in Westeros) and before said marriage takes place neither appears on the page. As for Rhaena, well, credit where its due, she was a rare (and unexpected) highlight of Fire & Blood.

Thanks for the question, anon

[utilitycaster]

What are some of your favourite podcasts / podcast recs?

It's hard to pick a favorite though I will say at the moment Midst is the one I think I look forward to the most, so I'm just going to go through basically all podcasts I currently or relatively recently previously listened to and sort them by rough genre. Note that as with all recommendation requests it helps to know the vibe of what you're going for and what's important to you (I know I just was like hey I'll take most music recs but the commitment for music is like the length of a song, whereas podcasts/books/movies/tv are a bit more time put in)

Actual Play:

Longtime listener of NADDPod and TAZ which I'm guessing if you follow me you are broadly aware of but if not feel free to ask more; I also post about Worlds Beyond Number enough that you might know what it is. I checked out Burnt Cookbook party a while ago both because I liked Jenna Stoeber's work with Polygon and because someone asked me for Actual Play podcast-only recs with more than one woman or nb player that weren't RQG and I was like oh I should find some. Anyway it's quite good! it's definitely lower production values than bigger podcasts but the plot is highly original and really good, the vibes are fantastic, the characters are a lot of fun, and all in all worth checking out. I also do listen to the Re-Slayer's Take which I've really enjoyed! Everyone's good but while I was familiar with (and a fan of) Jasmine Bhullar and Jasper William Cartwright's work, Jasmine Chiong as Farah speaks to the Grouchy Old Hunter Woman fan in me and has been a personal standout. It is very heavily edited, which does take some getting used to. Also, I mentioned RQG (Rusty Quill Gaming). It comes with the caveat of "very good but slow to start and then doesn't really stick the landing, imo, though the epilogues help" but I can recommend with that warning.

Scripted Fiction

Camlann. Modern post-apocalyptic Arthuriana/Folklore of the British Isles, with some hints of other folklore as well. 1 season; hoping they get funding for a second because it was very well done and also I want Gwen and Morgan to kiss.

Midst. Hard to describe but if you follow me you've seen a lot of posts that might help. Extremely good! About to finish in a bit over a week's time! Check it out and I advice you check out the first 3 episodes at once to get a feel for it; the three-narrator thing is also "get used to it and it will be fine".

The Penumbra Podcast. Originally envisioned as an anthology podcast but then two specific settings (noir-y space opera and medieval court monster hunters) were very popular. Also nearing its end.

The Silt Verses. Quite literally everything on this list would be described as "New Weird" and "has queer characters" and this is maybe the New Weirdest. Anyway, set in a world where gods are real, require human sacrifice to live, and society is both very complicit and also uses the gods to sell shit. I think people who are mad about D20 or CR not being explicitly political enough should listen to it. Extremely good. Also in its endgame, but they've had a very drawn out schedule as of late.

Welcome to Night Vale. You are on Tumblr; presumably you know the drill. I can't say I'm like...super following what happens but it's one of those things that's been a constant in my life for over a decade and takes up a very pleasant hour-ish per month. This feels like damning with faint praise but the earlier stuff was great and it's still strong, it's just, you know, the inevitable slowness of an indefinitely long slice-of-life-ish show vs. the more plot-driven ones above.

Within the Wires. By one of the Night Vale Creators. I have a post about it but it's set on an alternate history Earth where a cataclysmic war/plague/various other bad things absolutely destroyed the population in the early 1900s, leading to a very different global society. Some people say the seasons are very uneven in quality. They are incorrect. The seasons follow different people and all are in the form of found audio, so they are all quite different, but it's entirely a matter of personal preference if you like a season or not; it's not that some are Objectively Better.

Wolf 359 finished a long time back and I haven't relistened since my original listen in like...2018, but of "podcasts that have finished" it's worth it. Weird space stuff.

Informative(?)

Home Cooking by Hrishikesh Hirway and Samin Nosrat; was a pandemic project that now only airs yearly, really, but worth checking out if you like cooking.

I found out about Home Cooking via Song Exploder, which is just Hrishikesh Hirway talking about songs. Great podcast; the editing is fascinating and I have found a lot of good music from it!

I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats. Has only two seasons but they are both very good if you like The Mountain Goats as a band.

No Such Thing as a Fish: the QI (British quiz show) (if you're British you know this better than I do) researches talk about weird facts and riff on them.

Sawbones: Justin McElroy and his wife Dr. Sydnee Smirl McElroy talk about weird medical history and dumb wellness trends on tiktok. This is one of the earliest podcasts I subscribed to back when I did not drive nearly as much.

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Has also completed and there's a book that's basically covering the same ground. It's not like, purely informative; it's very anecdotal (as is I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats) but I learned a lot from it.

Honorable mention: I just didn't have the time or energy to keep up with Ologies by Alie Ward but what I listened to was fun and interesting and my sibling is a big fan.

Comedy and Miscellany:

Beef and Dairy Network: also British, on the Max Fun network with the McElroys. Fucking weird. I debated putting this in the scripted fiction because it's basically "what if Welcome to Night Vale was a little less story focused but still had throughlines and was specifically about the cattle industry in some absurdist alternate version of our world" but stuck with comedy bc the absurdity outstrips the plot. It's weird!

My Brother, My Brother, and Me: you probably know this one; either you love it or you don't.

My Dad Wrote a Porno: also British and from what I understand a bigger deal over there. Has uh. reached completion, in that they decided they were done, but the books apparently go on (sorry Rocky I'm not buying them). A guy and his two good friends read and roast his father's self-published erotica e-books about Belinda Blumenthal, Pots and Pans saleswoman, ft. bad accents, corporate espionage, and, of course, The Duchess.

The Empty Bowl: Justin McElroy and Dan Goubert of Cerealously's ASMR podcast about cereal. legitimately has helped me calm down when anxious at night. I am not even a big cereal eater it's just entertaining and chill.

Anyway any other podcasts I have listened to I've either forgotten, weren't good enough to recommend, just disappeared without any conclusion [*cough* king falls am] or involve way more reservations than I am willing to go into without knowing more about what you are looking for.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks listening to this, and found it very interesting. It’s a Radio 4 show called Fresh From the Fringe, where they took a few comedians who were performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in a given year, and had them each do short sets. I’ve heard lots of stuff like this before – Radio 4 shows that showcase a mixed bill of comedians from a given year – but mostly, I’ve heard older versions of that, from the 00s and the late 90s. This is more recent, and in fact is still running.

Between 2012 and 2024, there have been 17 episodes of Fresh From the Fringe (one episode for the first few years, then two in later years). And across them all, they’ve featured 88 different acts (a bit more than 88 different sets, because some comedians have appeared on the show in more than one year, but I decided to remove the duplicates and count how many different acts there were in total, because – look, I bet whatever you do with your free time isn’t all that productive either, so it’s fine). Of those 88 acts, only 16 were people whose work I was unfamiliar with before hearing this radio show. That’s a pretty low number, isn’t it?

I find that interesting for the same reason why I found it interesting to make that list that I made of all the Comedy Zone lineups, and then be surprised by how many people on those lineups I knew, even though the people in the Comedy Zone haven’t done their first full hour yet. And yet, Avalon consistently picked people who would go on to be successful enough to be on the radar of a Britcom-obsessed Canadian many years later. I’m sure that Comedy Zone lineups have a far higher rate of people I’ve heard of, than if you picked four random comedians who were doing debut hours at the same Edinburgh year. Maybe Avalon is excellent at spotting talent, or maybe they really do control the media.

Anyway. This BBC thing isn’t the same as that, as it had plenty of people who were well into their comedy careers. But it also had a lot of people who were pretty new to doing solo hours, in the year their episode was recorded (of course, by the time a comedian does their first solo hour, I know they’re usually still at least a few years into their actual comedy career, so it may well be obvious even by then who’s going to be successful, hence Avalon knowing how to pick them). And many of those people are far more famous now than they were when they recorded their Radio 4 Fresh From the Fringe episode.

That means that Fresh From the Fringe is a great way to hear early sets by now-famous comedians, from before they were famous, and that’s always fun. It’s also an interesting way to get a layout of what comedians were around in each of those years, and where they were at in their careers. It gives a nice rounded mix of comedians who were new rising stars, and comedians who were established and successful, and if you’re looking for a way to get to know the layout of British comedy, you can hear small bits by all those different people and then go seeking more from the ones you like best.

I found a few things while listening that I’d like to follow up on. I found the Massive Dad sketch hilarious, and I’ve been meaning to look them up for a while. I rather like Tessa Coates (woman who had a fairly entertaining 2022 Edinburgh hour streamed on NextUp, and now she runs a really cool comedy night with Amy Annette), and I greatly enjoyed Stevie Martin’s show in Edinburgh last year (also, and this just a vague guess on my part, don’t even know why I’d say it, I have a feeling that Stevie Martin might be about to become a lot more famous in 2025, so if anyone wants to get on her bandwagon, now would be the time). Massive Dad was a sketch group with Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates and another comedian whom I don’t know about but I’m sure she’s good. Anyway, I loved their sketch on that radio show so much that I’m going to look up their other stuff and hope they’ve recorded a full show at some point. I’d call that my main discovery from this radio show, though I was also reminded of how much I liked the sketch group Egg, based on that one short thing I saw them do some time ago, and need to look them up as well. Oh, and I was slightly underwhelmed by the Christopher MacArthur-Boyd stand-up hour that I saw, but I loved his short set on this radio show, so I’ll now be more inclined to give him another chance.

In terms of comedians I already like but it was funny to hear their old stuff – John Kearns might be the one who stood out to me the most, as being incredibly funny with stuff I mostly hadn’t heard him say before. Though he did do the dog/train/announcement joke, which I’ve seen on YouTube and love. James Acaster had an interestingly raw version of some stuff that got reworked in Repertoire. I found Phil Wang of his Radio 4 days funnier than I tend to find more recent Phil Wang. Roise Jones was delightful. Olga Koch told some stories that put interesting context on her most recent show, about her family’s ties to Russian oligarchy. Nish Kumar was so much fun that I had to post the clip as soon as I heard it. Sarah Keyworth told some stories about their Irish girlfriend, Catherine, so that dates their set. Mae Martin sounded a lot more raw and frazzled than they do now, and made a reference to erotic Harry Potter fanfiction, so that’s fun. Tom Ballard was pretty much the same as he is now. So was Kiri Pritchard-McLean. I will never get tired of hearing Desiree Burch shout about odd British customs. Rose Matafeo did not sound like she was in a great place, in 2017. Emma Sidi, on the other hand, threw herself into her character in 2015 with an impressive amount of dedication. Mike Wozniak did a version of his "animal facts" bit, which he later turned into a song on Taskmaster.

And David O’Doherty hosted one of the episodes. Oh my God, what an absolute delight. New David O’Doherty content! He did a stand-up routine that I’d not heard before, and I thought I’d already scoured every stand-up routine he’d ever recorded out of the internet. I did recognize a little bit of his stuff from things he’s said on The Bugle – particularly saying Brexit “started as an Edinburgh show”, which I remember thinking was a great line when I heard it on a Bugle episode from a few years ago. It’s a great observation, that Brexit’s many iterations – an underground/fringe idea that gained more and more traction until it got its day in the sun and took over the mainstream – followed the same basic path as something like Fleabag.

Anyway, I occasionally get messages from people who ask me where they can start, if they want to know more about the stand-up side of Britcom, but aren't too familiar with it. This radio show would be a good place to start, giving you a snapshot of each year from 2012, right up to last year. And it's funny. It's so much fun.

2012 - Jason Cook (host), Nish Kumar, Celia Pacquola, Dan Schreiber, Kieran Hodgson, Jonny & the Baptists, Mae Martin

2013 - Mark Watson (host), Phil Wang, Tim Renkow, Ellie White, Liam Williams, Romesh Ranganathan, Aisling Bea

2014 - Jason Cook (host), Alex Edelman, Funz and Gamez, Suzi Ruffell, Gein's Family Giftshop, Lolly Adefope, Tamar Broadbent, Rhys James, Massive Dad, Natasia Demetriou, Dane Baptiste

2015 Episode 1 - Andrew Maxwell (host), Larry Dean, Daphne, Emma Sidi, Tez Ilyas, James Acaster Episode 2 - Alex Edelman (host), The Pin, Sofie Hagen, Mike Wozniak, Sam Simmons

2016 Episode 1 - Nish Kumar (host), Tom Ballard, Sophie Willan, Lazy Susan, Paul Foot Episode 2 - Tom Allen (host), Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Kieran Hodgson, Loyiso Gola, Al Porter

2017 Episode 1 - Sofie Hagen (host), Phil Wang, John Kearns, Flo and Joan, Radu Isac Episode 2 - Kiri Pritchard-McLean (host), Darren Harriott, Rose Matafeo, Jon Pointing as Cayden Hunter, Desiree Burch

2018 Episode 1 - Ahir Shah (host), Olga Koch, Rosie Jones, Anuvab Pal, Egg Episode 2 - Darren Harriott (host), Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Ashley Storrie, Rhys Nicholson, Jayde Adams and Richard Thomas

2019 Episode 1 - Jayde Adams (host), Helen Bauer, Sarah Keyworth, Nath Valvo, Henry Koperski, Catherine Cohen Episode 2 - Rhys James (host), Ian Smith, Alison Spittle, Sophie Duker, Ari Eldjarn

2023 Episode 1 - David O'Doherty (host), Dan Rath, Kuan-wen Huang, Micky Overman, Pierre Novellie, Lou Wall and Adam Rowe Episode 2 - Kiri Pritchard-McLean (host), Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, Lindsey Santoro, Tadiwa Mahlunge, Lorna Rose Treen and Dan Tiernan

2024 Episode 1 - Mark Watson (host), Dee Allum, Paddy Young, Colin Hoult, Kate Cheka and Guy Montgomery Episode 2 - Mark Watson (host), Hannah Platt, Marjolein Robertson, Ania Magliano and Huge Davies

[beebopboom]

ok. ok. ok. i’ve sat with it, processed, went to bed, woke up at 5am fiending for water, couldn’t go back to sleep and processed some more. Starting writing this and then had to go to work and now i’m back.

(skip this section if you just want my very limited 90min predictions for rn and not my rant lol)

i’ve been disappointed, sad, angry and just so tired.

and yet i think ive hit some form of acceptance. Don’t get me wrong I will mourn what six episodes would have gave us, even 90 minutes is shorter than most movies now days, but at least it’s something. That it doesn’t end with them not talking and a single angst filled kiss goodbye.

and it sucks to even say that because with so much queer media that seems to be the conclusion, “at least we get something.” That’s the reality we live in and it sucks that it has touched good omens.

Amazon was going to cancel, no way around it, and while it would have sucked I would not have blamed them (ok I would have a bit.) What happened with Neil is serious and there should be consequences. As much as I love this world and how much it has helped me, real people come first. He was such a huge name behind the show and a large part of the production process, that I would not have been surprised if they pulled the plug completely.

But they didn’t. We had so many people working behind the scenes to convince them to continue terry’s story because of their love of the story and because they know of our love the story. And for that I am thankful.

(also i’m pretty sure they kept the set pieces around this time instead of destroying them so that probably helped in green lighting something, yknow on the money side of this)

I’ve been through a devastating end season kiss that then didn’t get renewed before with aloto, which was also produced by amazon and they do not give a fuck. They were not lying when they said it was a miracle to get this renewed.

Which let’s talk about aloto, or a league of their own, real quick. Yknow do some comparisons even if it’s in reverse. This went from a little over two hour movie into an 8 episode series. And guess what it worked even if people had their doubts.

The movie version is a classic in its own right, I feel like everyone at least knows of it maybe can even quote some of the more iconic lines. It’s amazing and has a good story line. The TV show probably never would have went through without the backing of this movie.

and yes with the TV show they were able to go more in depth with the characters storylines, that’s just TV and that’s specifically the idea they went into filming with, to show the queer side of history within this girls baseball league, less about the actual baseball that the movie more focused on. They even pulled in Maybelle Blair, a former all American girls baseball league player, who helped tell the story of the show through her own experiences. (ok sorry for the rant, moving on)

but the movie (especially for the time period) had well rounded female characters with nuisances that we had never seen before on screen.

and before it even gets pointed out that aloto needed a s2 to finish their story I just to point out that even though it was a different story with different character arcs, both ended after one baseball season with the girls. Fully fleshed out characters with backstories and futures and a satisfying plot to match. It really was just the shock factor of their kiss being discovered right at the end that pushed their story to continue.

and yknow if numbers help you visualize more,

120min=8eps and 6eps=90min

feels proportional, idk if it is exactly cause this particular section was never my strong suit in math and i’m still tired lol

My point is for the most part, besides like a catch up in time between s2 and this movie, this 90min time frame is not going to have to squeeze in time to introduce characters and their motivations like we are used to with movies, besides if they introduce new characters which I don’t imagine would have been a lot anyways.

We have 2 seasons of backstory and plot. This is doable, even if may not be quite as elaborate as we were expecting.

Just like what we went through with the Owl House who also had a shorter air time than projected. S2 of the Owl House ended on a cliffhanger and even with the shortened time the ending was still well thought out, compelling and was able to be pulled off, very successfully.

We did not lose set designers or costume designers. Those important people behind the scenes that actually bring the world to life (as far as I know) are still there. And of course we did not loose our beloved actors that actually bring the characters to life.

and as for the new writer, we are at the end of October and they are still set to start filming in January, they are not writing completely new scripts in two months. They are reconceptualizing the already written scripts into a shorter form and editing where it is needed, perhaps adding scenes that better fit this form of media to help the narrative flow. They are also, I am sure, are getting help from the people who fought so hard to kept this thing running, if they even need it tbh. If they were trusted enough to get the script in their hands by the people who fought so hard to continue, then I guess I can give them a bit of my trust too.

So while the unknown is scary the community is strong both behind the scenes and in the fandom, I have faith, even if may not tie up every single loose end that I doubt a full s3 would have accomplished anyways, that their story will get told and will have a satisfying ending. Maybe with less trolls now too (because let’s be honest that’s what the kiss was).

And! think of all the fan made projects and fanfiction that could come out of all this. Cause really it’s always been the fandom that’s been the true heart and soul.

(ok rant now over)

and prediction time!!

a cold open, preferably something with Crowley’s Fall. I don’t see them moving to far away from this idea tbh.

a title screen, not sequence. i HOPE peter anderson studio still works with this project after everything. I think they will end up giving this movie a subtitle and they will work something out here that is short and sweet.

Now for the actual plot I’ll theorize about another day because I realized I haven’t really done that yet??? and that deserves its own proper post. oops

but ☝️ i have a few ideas of the set up,

the pacing will be a lot more like s1 than s2, which I was already anticipating and might even work out better in long form media.

there will still be minisodes, probably not as many and will probably be more incorporated like s2 where it had a direct correlation with the plot.

number of storylines may be reduced, GO is normally set up with 3 stories that all meet at a single point finale point. I would not be surprised if it was cut down to 2 main storylines, us vs them kinda thing, that will still really work out well.

all our beloved wacky easter eggs will still be there, a lot of those were references to Terry so I don’t see those going anywhere anytime soon.

south downs is still a go, i also don’t see them getting rid of this at all. It was always the goal. Give them some goddamn peace and quiet.

the end credits, this is where Peter Andersen studios could pop off again but the important bit is….

end credit scene!!!! really this is just something I would like to happen and it’d be really cool if it was the actual actors, hell throw in the whole crew, just as a little send off.

ok wow I thought I had more…um obviously this could be all bullshit but I feel pretty good about it.

but really all this to say that to just breathe, experience your emotions as they are all we got right now. We got an answer, finally, so no more waiting in the unknown. 🫶

[canmom]

NieR Automata anime episode 6

Continuing commentary from [part 1], [part 2-3], and [part 4-5].

Ooof, I left myself with a big not-so-live blog backlog again. Never done that before! [shoves The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere under a blanket]

So where we left off, I'd covered the Simone episode and the Pascal episode. OK! Next up we have... the YoRHa stage play episode!

episode 6

This episode recounts the story of the YoRHa stage musical! Putting it alongside four different productions of the play, the official novelisation, the text version in the game from Anemone's point of view, and the ongoing manga YoRHa: Pearl Harbour Descent Record. You can never have too many.

In the present frame story, Lily walks with 2B (who looks almost the same as her old friend YoRHa No. 2) and tells her of the past events.

If you're not familiar with the play by the way, it's just about the sickest shit. Youtube won't embed this for some reason but here's the intro number Normandy...

Just like in the play, this episode of the anime tells the story of an experimental YoRHa unit on a mission to attack a machine lifeform server in Hawaii, and the android resistance unit they encounter, the gradual process of building trust between the two groups of androids, and their eventual brutal deaths as it turns out that the YoRHa command never actually intended for any of them to survive the mission.

The cast is broadly similar to most versions of the play, but in keeping with this version of the story, here Lily rather than Anemone is the focus and sole survivor of the Resistance unit. Not that this really makes a huge difference in practice.

Where the anime really benefits is that it can convey the setting a lot more clearly than a play or even a manga. This episode is full of lush forests, and the mountains of Hawaii loom in the background.

Given they're compressing the events of a two hour stage play into a twenty minute episode, naturally a lot needs to be cut, but they do a very solid job of making it flow through montages and character moments. And of course we get the key moments in the play still: Lily getting infected with the Logic Virus and being saved from a mercy-kill by the intervention of YoRHa No. 21. Added in this version are some embellishments; when No. 21 hacks Lily, she gets a brief glimpse of some memories:

These flash by too quickly to really see what's happening in the episode, but it appears that Lily was being sexually assaulted by another android, but Captain Rose intervened and invited her to the Resistance unit? I believe this storyline is further elaborated in the manga, but I haven't read that far.

The portrayal of the Logic Virus, and the earlier Red Eye Disease (basically the same thing), varies across the series. Often it's just mindless violence disease, but at its best, it exposes the simmering tensions and resentments in the character - something emphasised to great effect in the YoRHa Boys play. Here, Lily resents her helplessness - that she is always the one who has to be protected. We also get a new physical symbol of a relationship: the bullet which Rose fires at Lily and No. 2 deflects. The addition of water to the scene adds to the staging.

Another benefit of the anime is that it can portray the scale of the machine army in a way the play can't. The CG in this episode is not exactly great, but we do see swarms of machines crawling up towards the mountain...

Notably at this stage the Machine Lifeforms clearly haven't yet developed the Stubby models - they're this kind of insectoid orb design, similar to Ko-shi and Ro-shi in the game (as well as the individual segments of Hegel). It's a nice visual way to show how the machine lifeforms are developing.

The final battle montage is very well edited in general, hitting the key moments of the play without getting bogged down in details. Anemone is once again the one to stay behind to mercy-kill No. 21 after she gets infected (which explains why she survived). However, as a new addition in this version, Lily and Rose are told to evacuate before the final confrontation with the Red Girls, and Rose sends Lily up alone. Lily tries to kill herself, but Rose once again prevents it, and orders Lily to preserve the YoRHa squad in memory. The theme of memory being core to NieR...

At the end, we get our first brief glimpse of A2, who survived - with Lily still unaware. A closeup of her chin mole confirms her identification with No. 2.

The credits are also different this time, a gradual pan over the YoRHa squad members, fading away in turn as the familiar ED song Antimony plays. The final shot is notable...

The timid Lily of the past reaches out and clasps the hand of the Lily of the future who now leads the Resistance.

Honestly, despite the fact I've seen so many versions of this story, it's still affecting. I watched it again to write this post and got caught up watching the episode. It's full of quite wacky turns if I'm honest, like let's be real nothing YoRHa (the military organisation) does makes much tactical sense, but the core character dynamics are strong and they're well captured here so it never really matters.

The post-credits puppet skit this time focuses on Adam and Eve getting dressed up in uniforms. Eve is in gakuen and Adam is in a suit, each of which gets a pinup-style illustration to go with it (we get a full pan up from the feet)...

Eve annoys adam until he decides to just leave...

Yeah, that's it.

That's as much as I'm up to writing up now, but lots more NieR to cover until we're caught up!

Huge props to [GLORY] for the excellent fansubs.