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thestalkerbunny · 4 years ago

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What are your favorite twilight zone episodes?

Oh god you get me; you aBSOLUTELY get me. So fun fact about me, I LOVE the Twilight Zone. I doubt any series of horror has enthralled me in such a captivating way as the ‘Zone’ did as a kid. The Horror in that show is just so real and authentic because of the time period. So I”m gonna do you what I think is the personal best episodes for me-pictures included!

So let’s get to Stalky’s Top Ten ZONE EPISODES

10: The Masks

A dying wealthy man is down to his last few hours of life on the eve of Mardi Gras and his spoiled selfish heirs are there to watch him die and get what is theirs-with the catch, until midnight they must wear hideous masks that compliment their awful personalities. This one always stuck with me because The sheer anticipation of what will happen in the end and the fact that all their heirs are just so very unlikable, it’s very much like the movie ‘Knives Out’ but much more tame-nobody gets murdered, but just the ending thrilled me the first time I saw it

9: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

A Street full of neighbors experiencing a black out turn on each other in violent mob mentality of the blame game. This is a CLASSIC, This is true pure and realistic horror because it really asks the question ‘how well do you know your neighbors and do you trust them’ it also was very much a product of it’s time in the era of the Cold War were even in your own neighborhood, even your neighbors could be a ‘communist’ in disguise. The Ending was a real rug jerker for me. For those of you who haven’t seen the ending-you gotta go watch it. Just less than 15 minutes of your time. Iconic. They did a remake of it once but it didn’t HIT the way it did the first time.

8. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

A Bus making a stop realizes that there is one extra person among them is not accounted for and they may not be of this world. Now THIS is the originally ‘Among Us’ There is one more person on the manifesto and we gotta find out who the imposter is. This one just felt so witty and just the energy of the Moustache guy really stole the show for me as well as the diner chef. The twist was GREAT and I still catch myself thinking about it sometimes when I’m in a ‘ZONE’ mood

7. The Midnight Sun

The Earth is slowly falling into the Sun. We watch as a woman falls apart as the whole world around her burns. Now being a southern girl with a house whose ac loves to just BITE it in the DEAD of summer I FEEL this episode with all my soul. If you’re ever the littlest bit chilly, you watch ‘Midnight Sun’ and you can FEEL yourself melting along with this poor suffering woman in this apartment complex. Just watching these poor people just lose their minds to the heat is so real because just slight temperature changes just make people irrational and insane.

6. I sing the Body Electric

Children get a New Grandma! A ROBOT GRANDMA! This one is such a heart warming episode and concept, like if you don’t like scary stuff but still wanna know the Twilight Zone, you watch ‘Body Electric’ It’s very much a ‘Mary Poppins’ sort of story and it’s sweet and the way it explains what happens to the Grandmother once her job is done should be applied to all robots concepts of the afterlife. Plus the store the family goes to in order to make their custom grandma is kinda spooky. Like build a bear. But for Grandmas.

5. Number 12 looks JUST like you

In Future, You can be anyone you want to be, because the cosmetic surgery is Mandatory. One girl protests it. This one breaks my heart because for some people, this is reality, they’re pressured into changing even though they’re happy with their looks but society refuses to accept them. You know how in cartoons there’s the trope of the popular girls being surrounded by identical clones. That. It’s that. It’s often confused with another iconic episode that talks about how beauty is about perspective and what people will go thru to try and be the standard for society.

4. Night of the Living Doll

A little girl’s doll decides to teach an abusive Step Father a lesson. TALKY TINA WALKED. SHE FUCKING STRUTTED THAT RUNWAY MAMA. SO CHUCKY/TIFFANY/BRAHMNS/ANNABELLE COULD FUCKING RUN. She was the ORGINAL Doll that is up to NO GOOD. We are ROOTING for Talky Tina. She is a QUEEN. WE STAN A LEGEND. The Dad is such a douche bag I do not feel bad at ALL for what happens to him.

3. One for the Angels

A sidewalk sales man stalls for time to save another’s life from Death himself. This one is a sweet one, the salesman-Marky-is just so genuine and the ‘bumbling type that’s loved by kids’ and he’s a clever character, if you like the cheating of death story-you’ll love ‘One for the Angels’. And even if it ends a bit sad-it’s a happy kind of sad, a sad where you know that this is the good happy ending even if it’s a little bitter.

2. The Hunt.

An Old man and his Hound explore the trail to the afterlife. This one speaks to my backwoods southern heart-because there are dudes who are just that passionate and affectionate about their hounds. It also does the whole thing where the path to hell looks just as pretty as the one that lead to heaven. It feels like it’d be the kind of bluegrass song I’d hear about a guy narrowly missing ending up in Hell because he doesn’t want to be apart from his beloved dog.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtle

A Young man dies....and comes back to life? Again another southern themed episode that speaks to me, mainly because Wake Culture is a thing where you have to sit up with the body to make sure they’re REALLY dead. Just the whole set up to the ending really just fools you. It’s the kind of story I feel like I would set up. I think I HAVE set up that kind of story with ‘The Diver Boy’ Comic

1. The Obsolete Man

Nothing I can say can compare to the perfection and the dark statement that The Obsolete Man makes. Nothing hits home that hard in that way. A horrible future where people get to decide what is obsolete and once it’s obsolete, it must go away forever.

#TSB Ask #The Twilight Zone #Long #Long Post #Twilight Zone #Episodes #Anonymous

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years ago

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Top 10 Favorite Fictional Couples

Happy Valentines Day, people on the internet who probably won't read this! I'm an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. And even though I'm a lonely bastard who will absolutely die alone one day, I am also a sucker for romance. If a story decides to include a cute couple in it, then you better believe I'm going to gush over them for an unhealthy amount of time for a man my age. Even more so if they answer the three most essential questions that I think applies to every romantic couple in fiction:

Why do they like each other? (Looks don't count. It can be an option, but it shouldn't be the only option.)

Would it make sense for them to be together? (Like, if this couple would exist in real life, would you expect them to last.)

Do they have chemistry? (This is the most important one as a couple can dominate just by the chemistry alone.)

So today, I am going to rank my top ten favorite couples in fiction, who just so happen to answer most, if not all, of these questions. Now, I could be cute and make a top fourteen list...but not too long ago, I just listed off the twenty best-animated series of the 2010s, so I think it's best if I stick to the basics. Also, I should make a few things clear:

A. These are couples, not ships. The pairing has to have a canon kiss, or at the very least, a canon confession to be on the list. This means sorry, Lumity fans, but Luz and Amity are not going to be on this list...even though they would absolutely be #1 if they could be!

B. The couple has to at least spend an entire episode being together, which means no last-minute hookups because the writers wanted to drag out the romantic tension. (Sorry, Catradora fans)

With that out of the way, let's get started with--

10. Laura Hollis and Carmilla Kernstien from Carmilla (Web Series)

The chemistry between these two is on point. Laura’s and Carmilla's actors Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis are so convincing when acting like a couple that I am honestly shocked to find out they never actually dated. This is good because everything else about Laura and Carmilla's relationship is...kind of the worst. Don't get me wrong, as a couple, these two are fantastic, adorable, well-written, and well-performed. But the writers seem very fond of keeping them bickering and broken up rather than actually having them together. And that is where the issue lies. If the writers committed to Laura and Carmilla being together instead of doing this whole "will they or won't they" crap, on top of them being selfish idiots in season two, then you better believe they would be in the top three, at least. As they are, they at least act adorable enough to make the top ten.

9. Gregg and Angus from Night in the Woods

Ok, I'm gonna level with you: I just wanted to put an mlm relationship on this list, and this was the best I can come up with (I haven't seen Good Omens, nor have I finished Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts yet to see Benson's relationship with Troy. Leave me alone). As a male bisexual, I'm kind of disappointed. I know that male pairings exist in media, but for the life of me, I don't think they are as celebrated as much, or as frequent, as female pairings have been. This is sad because I would honestly love to see how more couples like Gregg and Angus.

These two act so much like a real couple. Gregg and Angus care and support each other so much, yet they still have big arguments as any couple would. They clearly love each other but still have issues they both need to deal with if they want to grow. Plus, I'm just a sucker for opposites attract. And you can't get more opposite than the loud and bombastic Gregg and his quiet and serious boyfriend Angus. There are probably better mlm pairings than these two (And if there are, then let me know. I'd love to check them out), but Gregg and Angus prove that any relationship, no matter the gender, can be the same as any other. Both the wholesomeness and the faults.

8. Peter Parker and Michelle Jones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

I put these two a little low because we barely see them spend time as a couple. Peter and Michelle got together at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and we only get a glimpse of how their relationship works in the last few minutes. However, I'm willing to argue that they count because they are guaranteed to be a couple in the sequels, and we'll be allowed to see them grow. How often do you get to say that for other fictional couples who get together at the end of a long story? Plus, Peter and Michelle earn extra bonus points for being the best couple in a Spider-Man movie. Michelle is a league's better character than the MJ in the Sam Rami trilogy, and the chemistry is still adorable but not overtly cutesy like it was in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. So even though Peter and Michelle just got together, they show a lot of promise, if you ask me. Their interactions are adorable, you can tell that Michelle likes Peter for Peter, and they are the most accurate depictions of young love you’ll ever see. Just look at that first kiss. It was one filled with inexperience and awkwardness and I just love it! I’m already interested in what these two have to offer and I can’t wait to see what happens next with them.

7. Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation

The best description you'll ever hear about this couple is that they are what happens when a dog and a cat fall in love. Andy is dopey, happy, and loyal to no end. April is intimidating, cynical, and is already plotting your murder as we speak. What I'm saying is that these two shouldn't work...but they do. Somehow, by every leap of logic, Andy and April complete each other. They are both so far gone from reality, yet at the same time, both keep each other grounded in more ways than one. It's a weird paradox that never ceases to amaze, nor does it cease to be adorable. They do go through bullcrap love triangles and a "will they or won't they scenario" in seasons two and three, but once that crap is over, the writers lean into the potential these two have as a great couple. And trust me when I say that it is all lovely to watch.

6. Rapunzel and Eugene from Tangled: The Series

Huh. I guess romance really does exist after Happily Ever After.

Joking aside, I was surprised by how well these two work as a pairing. Usually, when the Disney Prince and Princess get together in the end, there is nothing more to the relationship. And even if their movie gets a spin-off series, the dynamic is as generic and forgettable as it can be. For Rapunzel and Eugene, it is different. Their chemistry is top-notch, their constant love and support for each other are admirable/adorable, and the complete trust they have for one another is absolute perfection. I was already surprised by how good Tangled: The Series was, but the fact that the main couple is somehow better here than they were in their own movie is something I would have never expected.

5. Rigby and Eileen from Regular Show

And seeing how we're talking about surprises, who saw these two being the best couple in the series? With the number of times that the writers focussed on Mordecai's romantic hang-ups and how often Muscle Man and Starla were considered the only canon couple, I was shocked when it turned out Rigby and Eileen have the best loving relationship in Regular Show. Even crazier, their relationship is built entirely in the background of the first six seasons. Since her introduction, Eileen has been head over heels for Rigby since the beginning (for reasons I'll never understand), and Rigby slowly reciprocated. Until the big reveal in the season six finale, there was nothing but implications as they were trying to hide their relationship and not rub how perfect it is in Mordecai's face (no matter how much Rigby wants to). But once we get to see them as an official couple, it all becomes clear why they work so well. Eileen loves Rigby for Rigby, and will always support him, faults and all. Rigby pays it all back in spades, wanting to be a better person, as well as a better boyfriend, for the one person who always believes there was something good inside. Not even his own best friend had that much faith in him. And on top of all of that, they're just cute. They may not have been the central hook in the series, but they are definitely much appreciated.

4. Chris and Elise from Dan Vs./Millie and Moxxie from Helluva Boss

These four are tied because they pretty much have the same dynamic. Chris and Moxxie are these pathetic losers who somehow managed to marry Elise and Millie: Badass assassins who could effortlessly marry any man they want. And what they want are their pathetic losers. It's extra wholesome for Chris and Elise, as Chris really can't do that much right, especially in comparison to the ever-perfect Elise. Yet, she still cares deeply for Chris and will promptly destroy anyone or anything that causes him harm. That being said, while Millie and Moxxie are both equally deadly, there is an odd hilarity to the fact that these literal demons from hell are so gosh darn wholesome. Seriously, their literal job is to kill people who screw over those who went to hell, and I'm always going "D'aww" when M and M always do something cute. Explain that logic to me!

There's nothing more I can say about these four, as they're adorable couples that prove love comes in the most impossible circumstances and the unlikeliest places.

3. Ruby and Sapphire from Steven Universe

I'll always remember that Ruby and Sapphire are the first couple that proved to me that there is nothing wrong with a same-sex pairing, especially in children's media. Before Steven Universe, I wasn't necessarily told that same-sex couples are wrong, but they're not meant for kids. Then I found out that these two girls, on a kids show of all places, we're madly in love and my first response was: "...Huh." And this was before I knew I was bisexual, so I wasn't even that obsessed about it at the time. But the more I saw Ruby and Sapphire, and the more I learned about how starved the LGBTQ+ was for representation, the more I really appreciated them. Ruby and Sapphire never fail to be precious, and the fact that they barely spend any longer than a few minutes apart is downright heartwarming (and incredibly literal if you've seen the show). They also broke a ton of barriers to proper representation. Not only were Ruby and Sapphire one of the first explicit lesbian couples in children's animation, but they're also the first ones to actually get married. Because of such a power move, many networks and shows make it less of a challenge for writers to include more gay characters in their stories. There is still a lot of hard work that those writers face, but it certainly seems it's less of a challenge than it would be before Steven Universe came out (Ha!). Ruby and Saphire are the first fictional gay couple I have been introduced to and have made an incredible impression ever since.

2. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum and Marcelene Abadeer from Adventure Time

But while it's Ruby and Sapphire that introduced me to the concept of a same-sex couple, it's Princess Bubblegum and Marceline that made me root for one. In (I want to say) 2017, I started rewatching Adventure Time, knowing that queer relationships were indeed a thing. This means that not only did I finally caught the INCREDIBLY noticeable subtext in "What Was Missing," but I was legitimately chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" when I got to the episode "Varmints." And when they finally did kiss in the series finale, I full-on jumped out of my chair and screamed, "YES!" That never happens. Not even for the straight couples that I've obsessed over before this. Either I coo at how adorable they are, or just smile a warm and gentle smile. But letting out a very audible cheer that my college roommates definitely heard? That shows how deeply I cared for these two. And can you really blame me?

Not only is the chemistry on point with Bubblegum and Marceline, but it's interesting getting to see their relationship evolve through the course of the series. They have a dynamic of a couple who broke up on bad terms (long before "Obsidian" confirmed this), and you slowly get to see them reconnect to that spark they lost long ago. Plus, the more you see them interact, the more of their history is revealed, and thus it becomes clear why they fell for each other in the first place. Bubblegum keeps Marceline responsible, while Marceline helps Bubblegum learn how to loosen up. They balance each other nicely, and after some much needed growing up from the both of them, that spark returns. And they're much more of a loving unit than they were years ago. It's incredible to watch, and I would honestly see an entire spin-off series about them. But, as great as Bubblegum and Marceline are, there is a reason they are not my number one.

(There’s no art for this one because they’re characters from a book and I don’t want to steal someone else’s fanart for the sake of my crappy Tumblr post)

1. Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus

And that reason is that I can't resist the first-ever pairing that I obsessed over. Percy and Annabeth might just be the example I live by for how couples should be written in media. Dynamic wise, of course. In terms of telling a story, their relationship was handled poorly in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was filled with agonizing love-triangles, a very long wait, and they were one of those couples who didn't get together until the end of the series. Which is a major no-no, in my opinion. But, when they finally get to be a couple in Heroes of Olympus, it is downright perfection. Percy and Annabeth are what happens if these two badass warrior heroes fell in love. They worry about each other and are willing to die for each other (if need be) but still have an intense amount of faith and trust for one another. The number of times Percy or Annabeth knew they would be alright because they have each other is incredibly high, no matter what series of books they appear in. They work well together, as well as off each other. Percy is this bumbling idiot who wins his battles through a mix of luck and skill, where Annabeth is this intelligent warrior who has trained since the age of seven. They compliment each other perfectly, and their constant playful bickering is always fun. I love these two, I love their love, and they will always be one of my favorite fictional couples in media.

(That is until Luz and Amity from The Owl House become cannon. In which case, you better believe they'll be number one.)

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And those are my favorite couples. Out of curiosity, what are yours? Or, at least, what are your top five? Don't feel afraid to let me know or even make a list of your own.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, with whoever you want to celebrate it with and however you want to do it.

Now, if you don't excuse me, I have an entire to-do list of s**t I have to do, and I gotta figure out which to work on first.

(Should I review Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles next, or do that scene breakdown for Amphibia? Oh, the possibilities are killing me...)

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geckosong · 4 years ago

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Anime Recommendations

Here is a list of ten anime (in no particular order) that are definitely worth watching, yet don’t seem to get nearly as much recognition as they deserve.

Terror in Resonance (2014)

This is my personal favorite anime and I push people to watch it whenever I can, which is exactly what I’m doing here.

This show is set-in present-day Tokyo, which has been decimated by a terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identities of the culprits is a bizarre video uploaded on the internet. For the majority of the show the plot follows two different narratives: those of the investigators tasked with bringing down the terrorists, and of the terrorists themselves.

My Rating: 10/10

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun (2020)

This anime is probably one of my favorites, if not my number one, in terms of art style. I love everything about the character designs and the colors used. It is just so soothing to look at.

The famous "Seven Wonders" that every school seems to have are a staple of Japanese urban legends. One of the most well-known of these tales is that of Hanako-san: Rumors claim that if one successfully manages to summon Hanako-san, the ghost of a young girl who haunts the school's bathrooms, she will grant her summoner any wish. When Nene Yashiro, a girl hoping for romantic fortune, dares to summon Hanako-san, she discovers that the rumored "girl" is actually a boy! After a series of unfortunate events involving Nene's romantic desires, she is unwillingly entangled in the world of the supernatural, becoming Hanako-kun's assistant. Soon, she finds out about Hanako-kun's lesser-known duty: maintaining the fragile balance between mortals and apparitions.

My Rating: 8/10

Kids on the Slope (2012)

If you love jazz, or history, or even heartwarming tales of friendship then this is the show for you. I will admit that is has a bit of a slow start, but by the time you get to the end you’ll be wishing for more.

In 1966, introverted classical pianist and top student Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year. That is, until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi.

Sentarou's immeasurable love for jazz music inspires Kaoru to learn more about the genre, and as a result, he slowly starts to break out of his shell, making his very first friend. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop. As he discovers the immense joy of using his musical talents to bring enjoyment to himself and others, Kaoru's summer might just crescendo into one that he will remember forever.

My Rating: 6/10

Hyouka (2012)

Energy-conservative high school student Houtarou Oreki ends up with more than he bargained for when he signs up for the Classics Club at his sister's behest—especially when he realizes how deep-rooted the club's history really is. Begrudgingly, Oreki is dragged into an investigation concerning the 45-year-old mystery that surrounds the club room.

Accompanied by his fellow club members, the knowledgeable Satoshi Fukube, the stern but benign Mayaka Ibara, and the ever-curious Eru Chitanda, Oreki must combat deadlines and lack of information with resourcefulness and hidden talent, in order to not only find the truth buried beneath the dust of works created years before them, but of other small side cases as well.

My Rating: 6/10

Tonari no Seki-Kun: The Master of Killing Time (2014)

I absolutely adore this show. The episodes are only about 8 minutes long, and there is very little talking, yet the story still comes through perfectly. It never fails to brighten my day when I’m feeling down.

All Rumi Yokoi wants to do is focus during school, but she is constantly distracted by Toshinari Seki, her neighboring classmate. Paying attention during class is the least of Seki's worries, as he obsesses over intricate setups created using an assortment of items, from an elaborate domino course on his desk to a treacherous war played out with shogi pieces. Yokoi desperately attempts to focus in class, only to be repeatedly sucked into his intriguing eccentricities; however, they always seem to end up with her getting in trouble with their teacher. Fortunately, lessons will never be dull with Seki's antics around!

My Rating: 9/10

Classroom of the Elite (2017)

On the surface, Koudo Ikusei Senior High School is a utopia. The students enjoy an unparalleled amount of freedom, and it is ranked highly in Japan. However, the reality is less than ideal. Four classes, A through D, are ranked in order of merit, and only the top classes receive favorable treatment.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji is a student of Class D, where the school dumps its worst. There he meets the unsociable Suzune Horikita, who believes she was placed in Class D by mistake and desires to climb all the way to Class A, and the seemingly amicable class idol Kikyou Kushida, whose aim is to make as many friends as possible.

While class membership is permanent, class rankings are not; students in lower ranked classes can rise in rankings if they score better than those in the top ones. Additionally, in Class D, there are no bars on what methods can be used to get ahead. In this cutthroat school, can they prevail against the odds and reach the top?

My Rating: 7/10

The Morose Mononokean (2016)

The start of Hanae Ashiya's high school career has not been easy—he has spent all of the first week in the infirmary, and his inexplicable condition is only getting worse. The cause of his torment is the mysterious fuzzy creature that has attached itself to him ever since he stumbled upon it the day before school began.

As his health continues to decline and the creature grows in size, Hanae comes across a flyer advertising an exorcist who expels youkai. Desperate and with nothing left to lose, he calls the number and is led to the Mononokean, a tea room which suddenly appears next to the infirmary. A morose-sounding man, Haruitsuki Abeno, reluctantly helps Hanae but demands payment afterward. Much to Hanae's dismay, he cannot afford the fee and must become an employee at the Mononokean to work off his debt. And to make things worse, his new boss is actually one of his classmates. If Hanae ever hopes to settle his debt, he must work together with Abeno to guide a variety of dangerous, strange, and interesting youkai back to the Underworld.

My Rating: 6/10

Beyond the Boundary (2013)

Another of my favorite aesthetically pleasing anime, this show has been the one that I show to friends who claim that anime cannot be beautiful (yes, several of my friends have actually said things along that line).

Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase.

As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches.

My Rating: 7/10

Mekakucity Actors (2014)

I think about this show far more than I’d like to admit. The way they bring different plot lines together continues to amaze me 6 years after watching it for the first time.

On the hot summer day of August 14, Shintarou Kisaragi is forced to leave his room for the first time in two years. While arguing with the cyber girl Ene who lives in his computer, Shintarou Kisaragi accidentally spills soda all over his keyboard. Though they try to find a replacement online, most stores are closed due to the Obon festival, leaving them with no other choice but to visit the local department store. Venturing outside makes Shintarou extremely anxious, but the thought of living without his computer is even worse. It's just his luck that on the day he finally goes out, he's caught in a terrifying hostage situation.

Luckily, a group of teenagers with mysterious eye powers, who call themselves the "Mekakushi Dan," assist Shintarou in resolving the situation. As a result, he is forced to join their group, along with Ene. Their abilities seem to be like pieces of a puzzle, connecting one another, and as each member's past is unveiled, the secret that ties them together is slowly brought to light.

My Rating: 8/10

Angels of Death (2018)

You totally want to get emotionally attached to cereal killers, right? Of course you do, that’s why you should totally watch this anime.

With dead and lifeless eyes, Rachel Gardner wishes only to die. Waking up in the basement of a building, she has no idea how or why she's there. She stumbles across a bandaged murderer named Zack, who is trying to escape. After promising to kill her as soon as he is free, Rachel and Zack set out to ascend through the building floor by floor until they escape.

However, as they progress upward, they meet more twisted people, and all of them seem familiar with Rachel. What is her connection to the building, and why was she placed in it? Facing a new boss on each floor, can Rachel and Zack both achieve their wishes?

My Rating: 7/10

Bonus: Stars Align (2019)

I am adding one extra because this anime deserves so much more than it got. I adore every single character in this show and want nothing but to see them be happy. There is so much I adore about this show that I can’t put it all into words. I would recommend you watch this so you can share in my rage that the story was cut off halfway through with no current plans of completing it. There is no manga. There is no way of knowing what happens next. This recommendation is entirely for the purpose of generating more public outcry in the hopes that that causes them to finish the show. Please anime gods, if you are reading this I need to know what happens to my smol tennis boys. Are they safe? Are they alright?

Constantly outperformed by the girls' club, the boys' soft tennis club faces disbandment due to their poor skills and lack of positive results in matches. In desperate need of members,

Toma Shinjou is looking to recruit capable players, but he fails to scout anyone. Enter Maki Katsuragi, a new transfer student who demonstrates great reflexes when he catches a stray cat in his classroom, instantly capturing Toma's attention. With his interest piqued, Toma ambitiously asks Maki to join the boys' team but is quickly rejected, as Maki doesn't wish to join any clubs. Toma refuses to back down and ends up persuading Maki—only under the condition that Toma will pay him for his participation and cover other club expenses.

As Maki joins the team, his incredible form and quick learning allow him to immediately outshine the rest of the team. Although this gives rise to conflict among the boys, Maki challenges and pushes his fellow team members to not only keep up with his seemingly natural talent, but also drive them to devote themselves to the game they once neglected.

This story focuses on the potential of the boys' soft tennis club and their discovery of their own capability, while also enduring personal hardships and dealing with the darker side of growing up in middle school.

#anime #anime recommendation #zankyou no terror #terror in resonance #toilet bound hanako kun #kids on the slope #hyouka #tonari no seki kun #my neighbor seki #classroom of the elite #the morose mononokean #beyond the boundary #mekakucity actors #angels of death #stars align

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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 3 years ago

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i’m an idiot. i screw everything up.

Titans 3.03

still here, still doing this. these reviews take a fair bit of time that i cobble together across days (like, ten minute chunks during breaks, etc) and i tend to struggle to keep up with episodes as they come out. this means that by the time i’m done with one, most of my stuff is jossed (or geoffed in this case? idk) or outdated and the post sinks like a stone into oblivion. so! i’m going to change things up a bit with this one and write as i see the episode rather than collecting my thoughts later. in my experience with spn, that was a faster way to get them done.

anyway. let’s see how it goes! *shadowboxes*

SPOILERS ahead.

1. an auspicious start with some grave-digging!

digging up a grave and breaking open a coffin is some serious, back-breaking work--that dick did it on his own, likely straight after that fight with red hood, is a testament to the sheer intensity, stamina and discipline that he’s capable of. like, we like to joke about dick cooking cauliflower crust pizzas and making gar and rachel spar and memorise sun tzu--and despair at the obvious consequences of some of bruce’s parenting skills--but imagine crime-fighting almost daily without any superpowers, performing some of the most intense parkour in bulky, uncomfortable armour, doing detective work, pushing through every last barrier of exhaustion and then getting up to repeat it all over again the next day. dick probably thought he was going extra-easy on rachel and gar.

1.5. then again, dick probably had a hundred different easier ways to confirm whether jason was still buried or not, from using equipment to merely asking connor to have a quick look with his x-ray vision. but, no, he’s too caught up in confusion and terror, not really having come to terms with jason’s death in the first place, leave alone the possibility that he could be alive after all. he can’t possibly let the others know until he’s confirmed it himself, even if it means digging all through the night until his arms are jelly, thinking over and over again about jason’s eyes, jason’s voice, from behind that red mask.

... besides, dick has good reason to believe that he could’ve been hallucinating. wouldn’t be his first psychotic episode, after all.

that just imbues this sweaty, desperate, fingers-scrabbling-in-gravedirt scene with that much more poignancy, and a fair bit of bone-chilling terror. dick is horrified to realise that jason’s grave is empty, but a part of him is also probably relieved.

1.75 (... also it’s curious that we’re never shown any of the team asking to see jason’s grave after they come to wayne manor. i guess it’s because the writers--and the audience--know that jason is actually alive, but these people don’t know that. i don’t know if it’s sad or infuriating or both that they’re barely shown mourning him.)

2. oh GOD the sheer TENSION in kory saying, “i don’t want to say it, but--” and dick quickly interrupting, “it was jason. i saw him,” and hank giving him this loaded sidelong glance. i love how dick’s precarious mental health from last season is still this big elephant in the room but at least nobody’s blowing up in his face and questioning his every decision yet

2.25. i love the relative matter-of-factness with which they’re discussing a possible resurrection. and, of course, ra’s al ghul is brought up and quickly dismissed

(still wouldn’t put it past this show to bring him up at the very last second as the real real mastermind)

2.5. “maybe they can bring donna back” OH KORY

2.75. didn’t they have this same conversation about killing/not killing rose last season? man, the og titans make me tired.

and i don’t know if it’s just hank, but there’s a definite in-group/out-group vibe going on with the og titans, where they’re not only ready to consider killing anybody who threatens the group but makes it difficult for new people to fit in. donna and kory got along well with each other, but the dynamics between hank/donna/dawn and gar/rachel/rose were somewhat strained, and with jason, they were really fucking terrible. it makes sense when you think about how the titans started and how they broke up the first time--both were fairly disruptive events, i’d imagine, in that they probably got together to break away from their mentors and strike out on their own, and when they split up, it was the first time they felt directly responsible for the loss of an innocent life.

but the titans that dick is leading now is explicitly about mentoring a young generation of heroes, about second chances and found family. dick definitely wants to reach out to him first, and i have a feeling he’s going to be forced to make some sort of terrible Choice later on in this episode.

2.8. (honestly tho, this also seems like hank struggling with his own guilt re: jason; if red hood is not the kid that he failed, it’d be easier to fight him.)

HANK NO

4. honestly this season is already ticking off so many things on my wishlist, but i really wish dick would sit down with the newer members of his team and trust them with important information the same time that he’s telling them to the other members. gar searching for help and reassurance from a man who just dumped all of his responsibilities on his son overnight and went AWOL is a sad sight

4.25. has it only been just 48 hours????? wow! jason’s definitely been planning the red hood gig for a long time now...

5. ezekiel, my man! shady looking guy gets into your cab without a destination in mind... no problem, get right in! said guy gets a call to go to the observatory when he’s barely even looked out of the window so far at gotham... yep, a damn tourist! i want more ezekiel in this show.

5.25. (of course jason has upturned table lamps all along the floor... we have to *gritted teeth* balance the TEAL with the ORANGE don’t we?)

5.5. “dick’s a fucking psycho--he could be following you right now.” hank... has no objection to that lol

5.25. hank, hank... this is bad-decision-palooza. i can’t imagine that hank actually thought that jason was reaching out to him for help, given that the last time hank and jason had any substantial interaction hank had been one of the people accusing jason of sabotaging the team. but for him to go seek out jason and go along with his demands without any backup, weapons or equipment? not the best idea he’s ever come up with.

(add to that getting into the swimming pool of a condemned gym... oh yuck.)

((yes, i have enough self-restraint to not cap his ass.))

(((cap his ass! HA!)))

5.5. do you think jason has bugs/monitoring equipment planted in wayne manor to monitor the titans, or remote access to the cave’s systems? wouldn’t put it past him.

6. oh man, hank came back before dick and the others could meet ezekiel! this is TRAGIC

6.25. i mean, it’s plot-convenient that connor was able to give so much information about the bomb from just looking at it once, but i also like to think it’s the luthor-side of him coming to the fore. it also reminds me of that (in)famous scene from the new52 run of Nightwing comics, where a bomb was attached to nightwing’s heart and luthor disabled it by killing nightwing (temporarily). it’s a neat little callback.

6.55. “where i come from, you go after family? there’s no mercy.” BUT THAT’S THE PROBLEM ISN’T IT

6.75. i mean, dick’s making sense: this is a game, and they need to get it off playing out on jason’s terms. but having a member of his team in his face, doubting his reasoning and every decision? a very familiar sight.

6.8. krypto with an a+ sense of humour? also a very familiar sight.

7. wayne enterprises... providing the military with... bombs that can be implanted in humans? a BIIIIG yikes. i guess it’s not too many steps above developing clandestine intra-dermal trackers and implanting them in your own sons, and bruce probably thought they could be used as part of negotiation tactics, but still... YIKES.

7.5. on the other hand, conner being asked to build a deactivation advice seems part of a growth arc that started from last season... he knows so much, but part of growing is learning, and part of learning is using what you know to create something new.

8. oh man, my heart broke at hank going “i’m an idiot... i screw everything up.” like. for him to go like this, after being brought down to such a low last season? struggling with pain and addiction and his relationship with the love of his life? it’s so sad.

9. oh, oh, oh! ronnie from schitt’s creek! i love her!

9.5. “one of jason’s minions” took his body out of the morgue... how deliciously morbid that he planned out his own death like this!

10. TALK TO HANK, DICK

honestly, tho, i’m quite impressed with dick here. trying to think beyond just the most alarming part of the crisis at hand, keeping his cool, delegating tasks, frequently touching base with different members of his team... well done.

10.25.... whoops, spoke too soon. i’m genuinely confused here, tho. where did the van full of gold bars come from? why did they stop there and get out? how did dawn even know about this?

on the other hand, it’s cool to know dove has bulletproof feathers!

10.5. eh... curran walters isn’t really selling red hood’s menace to me so far. but then again, if titans version of red hood is vulnerable-kid-with-father-issues-trying-to-overcompensate, then yeah! yeah, it makes sense.

11. “when bats have sex, they gotta have something to hang from” OH GOD HANK

... because i want smiley!gar on my blog :)

11.5. awww. i feel sorry for hank but NONE of these fuckers deserve gar except maybe kory

12. ohhh FUCK! look at jason being exactly one step ahead of the titans at every turn. nice.

no really, i love the building stakes and the building mystery - i feel like the deathstroke arc from last season should’ve been more like this. the flashbacks about jericho and rose came too late and after too much build up, which resulted in a very underwhelming and confusing season throughline.

13. HANK AND DIIIIIICCCKKK

“you’re doing your best by me. always have.” WAILING HERE

it also kills me to think that hank thinks that his imminent death is because of his failure to keep the team together (when he was clearly struggling with his own issues and was spiralling towards rock-bottom) and his fear that he will once again be the cause of the team falling apart.

also:

14. “i grew up... you can, too. you just have to face your fear.”

yep, got scarecrow’s grubby little fingerprints aaaaalllll over this.

14.25. nightwing’s got specialised batarangs! yay! (somehow i can’t see this universe’s dick calling them “wingdings”)

15. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

oh man, that was devastating. well done, show. fuck, well done, jason.

this is going to bring up all sorts of “if onlys” for the team. i can’t wait for some fucking aftermath.

#titans #titans spoilers #dick grayson #hank hall #dawn granger #garfield logan #conner kent #jason todd #a tragic jalebi #meta

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secret-engima · 4 years ago

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Today in “SE works through the Chuunin Exam Arc and gets increasingly incredulous over how a show so beloved can have so many GAPING PLOT HOLES and also wow you can actually tell when the animators were getting paid to be enthusiastic or not can’t you”:

1. Sarutobi why did it take you so long to realize that the stadium and village were under attack.

2. Sarutobi why did you let Orochimoron take you hostage for even a hot second KAWARIMI IS A LITERAL ACADEMY BASIC TECHNIQUE JUST SWAP OUT WITH A NEARBY TILE YOU IDIOT I’VE SEEN IT DONE BEFORE FROM THAT CLOSE RANGE. KAKASHI DID IT. SO CAN YOU.

3. Sarutobi I don’t want to say you DESERVE to be trapped in a giant purple death box with your failed student and two dead guys trying to kill you but honestly you deserve to be trapped in a giant purple death box with your failed student and two dead guys trying to kill you.

4. Anbu. My guys. My dudes. I KNOW that the barrier is deadly and made of horrible purple fire and you can’t jump in but like- the barrier holders are right there. Wasting chakra to make an extra barrier around themselves. The barrier protecting them can’t be that thick. You have these lovely things call FLAME RESISTANT STEEL SWORDS you could be using to try to crack open the barrier. Or if you were REALLY smart you could, I don’t know, TUNNEL UP THROUGH THE CEILING??? The barrier is just a box that’s been turned upside down, there is no sign of a barrier floor underneath the tiles and even if there is you guys could have checked. You don’t need to just- sit there. Watching an old man, two dead guys, and a snake wearing makeup beat each other up.

5. Who let Kakashi make the plan. Why did Kakashi decide that it would be better to send the civilian girl he hasn’t bothered to train, the loud blond who he also hasn’t bothered to train, and the boy who tried to fake sleep to get out of helping go alone with just a tiny pug as escort. There were other genin RIGHT THERE who could both help AND be conveniently out of the line of fire in Kakashi’s fight. He was sending them after Sasuke, who was chasing three genin we’ve already seen wipe the FLOOR with the average genin. Having more numbers would be HIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS.

6. And don’t tell me “he did it because Stealth” he sent the girl with bubblegum hair and the boy in neon orange out there, stealth is a non-factor and also it’s AN INVASION, nobody is going to care about a bunch of wacky kids running by they’re too busy trying not to die to the blur of green spandex that is Gai.

7. Where is Lee in all this anyway he just kinda vanished from the screen. Or was he passed out on the floor and I just missed him. I know he can’t fight, I just wanna know if he’s okay.

8. Was it bad that I didn’t know Asuma could actually fight? I knew he was one of the Guardian Twelve or whatever but mostly fans only talk about him getting owned by Itachi or murdered by Hidan so I guess I just assumed he was ... kinda a sucky fighter. I have been proven wrong. Nice job saving your deer boy, Asuma, I’m impressed.

9. There’s an actual budget for the Hokage fight? Nice. Also who gave Sarutobi the right to actually be cool NOW when he’s been acting senile for the past 10+ episodes excuse you.

10. EXCUSE YOU SARUTOBI YOU DON’T GET TO MAKE EPIC FEELS-INDUCING SPEECHES ABOUT THE WILL OF FIRE AND THE VILLAGE AS YOUR FAMILY, NOT WHEN YOU HAVE FAILED ON BOTH THOSE ASPECTS SO HARD.

11. How dare you make me regret your impending death even a little bit Sarutobi. How dare.

12. There’s a monkey king? That’s an actual THING? I mean I knew there was a monkey king but I didn’t expect him to be so amazing. Now if he would just stop waiting for Sarutobi to grow a spine (because we all know he won’t) and actually kick Orochimaru while the snake was distracted taunting his old sensei maybe we’d actually get somewhere with this show.

13. Seriously Monkey King you turn into a adamantine pole or whatever that can change shape and size, just play dead on the ground for a minute then expand and extend to the size and length of a tree. You don’t even have to do any damage yourself you just have to shove him/wack him into his own barrier and let him go up in flames. It probably won’t kill him, since Plot and also Orochimoron, but hey at least it will do damage and distract him for a few seconds.

14. Turning to Naruto real quick because clearly Sarutobi’s Senile Damsel Syndrome is contagious- Naruto. You are an Uzumaki. You have so much chakra you can barely do chakra control exercises. I know you’re tired from the Neji fight, but I ALSO know via fandom that you’re going to summon a freaking Boss Summon in a few episodes. When Shikamaru says “someone needs to stay behind and be a diversion” why didn’t you, I don’t know, SPAM A FEW SHADOW CLONES? You didn’t even have to use only shadow clones for the diversion, you could have just dropped off a few to help out Shika in his rare moment of self-sacrifice. Half a dozen screaming orange genin would go such a long way in providing a distraction so Shika could make a plan (may I suggest, catch the sound ninja in shadow possession and then have the Naruto’s slit their throats before their ninth member has a chance to catch up?). But no. We can’t possibly spam clones the one time a comrade could find them terribly useful, let’s go back to running through the trees worrying about the boy who knows an A-Rank assassination jutsu and would be totally fine surviving on his own for another several episodes of dialogue and reaction shots ten minutes.

15. Where the ACTUAL freak is Jiraiya. He came to Konoha specifically because he heard Orochimaru was planning something. There is an INVASION HAPPENING. GIANT SNAKES. BUSTING DOWN THE WALL. ENEMY NINJA EVERYWHERE. YOUR SENSEI IS TRAPPED IN A BARRIER JUTSU WITH THE GUY YOU SPECIFICALLY CAME HERE TO LOOK FOR. You don’t suppose you could leave your drinks and women and pity party long enough to- I don’t know- HELP? I mean I know it would be hard for someone who has such niche skills like SUMMONING GIANT TOADS and USING FUUNJUTSU THAT COULD PROBABLY BREAK THE BARRIER YOUR SENSEI IS TRAPPED IN but come on man, put forth a little effort.

Maybe you show up in a later episode miraculously doing something important to help stop the invasion, who knows.

Pros of this arc tho:

1. When they decide to actually use their animation budget THEY REALLY GO FOR IT. The fights that have a budget are epic.

2. Sakura got to be useful! For 20 seconds! She fended off a genjutsu and woke up Naruto and told him what was going on! That counts as useful! *devolves into sobbing because why are the girl characters not allowed to be both good guys AND competent onscreen*

3. I genuinely cheered when Asuma swooped in to save Shika. That was cool.

4. Some of the exam fight bits were cool. Naruto vs Neji dragged on a bit but the ending tactic was as rewarding as I’d hoped it would be from reading about it in the fandom. Also I really enjoyed the Shikamaru vs Temari fight. A-tier victory from the resident Deer Boi.

5. Sasuke using Chidori first time on screen was cool, and even though I’d read about it ahead of time, Gaara wigging out over seeing his own blood genuinely startled me.

6. I was glad to see that Sasuke still remembers how to use other jutsu than Chidori. When Temari started fighting him I was afraid the show writers would forget he HAD any jutsu other than Chidori tbh. Like Naruto and his many versions of the same jutsu (see: all the clone spam variations, all the harem jutsu variations, and all the many MANY different rasengan variations).

#Secret Engima Rambles #SE rants #naruto #SE watches anime #Salty SE is Salty #surprisingly I am actually enjoying the show #i just get a steady build up of salt and eyerolling over the plot holes #and need to expel it before continuing to watch the show #still confused why people think this is somehow better than boruto #at least boruto remembers that its characters can DO THINGS #other than sit and look shocked at different angles for minutes on end

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simul16 · 4 years ago

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Low Effort in Their Own Way

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina"

I've been watching a fair amount of D&D content on YouTube of late, for varying reasons, and if I may paraphrase Tolstoy's famous quote above, I've learned that all good D&D channels make high-effort content, while each bad D&D channel makes low-effort content in its own way.

Low-effort content tends to be:

Content that is or can be created quickly; it doesn't require a lot of prep time (and the presentation usually allows this limited prep time to show)

Content that copies current trends; while a certain amount of response to significant events in the gaming world is to be expected, low-effort channels regularly feature content that basically boils down to 'here's my reaction to whatever rumor or scandal is currently being talked about among the community'

Content that does not spark or contribute to a discussion; when such channels go beyond simply recapitulating a recent event, they frequently spend very little time explaining their own reaction and seldom spend any time at all explaining or exploring contrary opinions except to make jokes or elicit emotional reactions from an over-simplified or straw-man version of the contrary opinion

Now let's start off by saying that I'm not knocking low-effort content per se; anybody who knows anything about online marketing can tell you that low-effort content has a role to play in any marketing strategy. Ideally, though, your low-effort content, the stuff that you can get out the door quickly and easily and get in front of your potential customers, exists to guide those customers to your higher-quality content that convinces them to buy your product, order your service, or otherwise become someone who believes that you have something of value to say. Because it's cheap and easy to produce, low-effort content can be cast far and wide to serve as a net to capture many potential viewers and guide them to the gold mine of the really important stuff you have to say. Unfortunately, when your low-effort content is what you have to say, it very much begs the question of what exactly it is people should be coming to your channel for.

Here are a few but by no means an exhaustive list of the YouTube channels that to me seem to feature way too much low-effort content.

The Dungeon Dudes

The Dungeon Dudes are two guys (Kelly McLaughlin and Monty Martin) who mainly do scripted back-and-forth style discussions of D&D-related topics. I've talked about the Dungeon Dudes before, when taking apart one of their recent videos, but they also stream a D&D game they play in on Twitch (and frequently post recordings of those sessions on their channel), do product reviews, and generally do whatever they can to maintain a consistent pace of content output, generally a minimum of twice weekly. They've been around for nearly four years now, and have amassed about 273 thousand subscribers on their channel, with over 44 million views for their content, which seem like decent numbers for a niche content channel. (Contract with CinemaSins, which exists as a viral content manufacturer, and has amassed over 9 million subscribers and over 3.3 billion views. I'm not trying to say the Dungeon Dudes are the CinemaSins of D&D; if they were, their numbers would probably look a lot more like those of CinemaSins.)

The big problem with the Dudes as content creators is that, despite being a niche content channel, they are clearly in it to try to eke out some kind of income or living from the work they put into the channel: they've got a Patreon, they use affiliate links in the descriptions of their product review videos to gain some additional referrer income, and they do sponsored content when they can get a sponsor. They started back in the summer of 2017 with a very 2016-era plan on how to succeed at YouTube: put together a bunch of short (5-10 minutes, occasionally longer, but go over 15 minutes at your peril) videos and release them on an iron-clad schedule to get people used to coming back to your channel and looking over your new content, and to their credit, they've kept up their content production schedule very consistently over the past four years.

They've also learned a few things during that time and have adapted the channel in response: their videos explaining rules and reviewing new products tend to be more popular, so they work those topics in on a more regular basis. They've learned that the YouTube algorithm has subtly changed over the past few years to reward channels that can provide longer 'engagement' (which gives YouTube more opportunities to run ads), and have expanded their video length to an average of about a half-hour, with their re-broadcasts from Twitch being extra-long videos (between two and two-and-a-half hours) which, while drawing fewer total views, probably draw as much or more 'engagement' from the algorithm for the views they have.

But the need to spit out so much content on such a rigid, unforgiving schedule means that they have to aim for quick-creation and easy digestion: putting subclasses into a bog-standard tier ranking, making 'top five' and 'top ten' lists that seem like they're being cribbed from a more thoughtful resource, and generally getting stuff out the door (like their 'Powerful Spell Combos Using Teamwork' video) without spending too much time thinking about how valuable or even accurate their advice happens to be. More to the point, it seems to be taking its toll on the guys who serve as the hosts of the show: Kelly McLaughlin has a fairly dour expression in general, but lately he seems to have the countenance of a man who's about to post a 'very special episode' discussing the dangers of YouTuber burnout.

The Dungeon Dudes feature low-effort content because they have to in order to support the publishing frequency they've chosen; if they were to take the time to put together a truly high-effort piece regarding one of their traditional topics, their Patreon subscribers would likely be asking why their release schedule had slowed down before their work was even half-done.

Dungeon Craft

The Dungeon Craft channel is run by a fellow who refers to himself as 'Professor Dungeon Master'; I have not yet found any reference in his channel or elsewhere that identifies who he actually is, so I'll just refer to him as Prof. Prof has been on YouTube a bit longer than the Dungeon Dudes, having launched his channel in October of 2016, and has put out 185 'episodes' (as of the time of this writing), thus averaging between three and four episodes per month. Prof's own 'trailer' video explicitly states his channel's concept: "Some channels focus on running the game, others on building terrain, others on painting minis. I do it all!" You might think, then, that this would be a place to find quite high-quality content, especially related to terrain and miniatures painting tips, but it seems like the main effect of Prof making his channel be about multiple topics (and there are plenty of topics he discusses that don't fit into any of those three categories above) is that he can't successfully communicate what his channel is actually about, other than about his specific opinions. Maybe that's the reason he's sitting at about 65 thousand subscribers and just under 5 million views.

However, being at a slightly lower 'tier' of content production than the Dungeon Dudes is not itself any kind of crime or even indicative of poor quality -- after all, one of my favorite D&D lore channels on YouTube is RavenloftTravelAgent, and she's got just over a thousand subscribers and only about 50 thousand views on her videos. No, Prof could have a very high-quality, high-content channel with the subscriber numbers and views he has, but he doesn't.

Prof's issue is almost exactly the opposite of that of the Dungeon Dudes: instead of cranking out a rapid-fire, breakneck volume of content to keep up with an arbitrary content production schedule because that's how you make a living producing content for YouTube and you have to keep feeding the hungry algorithm, Prof cranks out content that's very easy for him to write because he's been involved in the game for a long time and already knows that the way he learned to play the game is the best way. Any topic that comes up related to D&D, he's got an opinion and can spit out a script explaining his opinion quickly because it's the same opinion he's held for decades. Classic D&D didn't have skills, so the next edition of D&D shouldn't have them either. Classic D&D had slow advancement, so slow advancement is better than fast advancement. This becomes even more obvious in the videos that have very little or nothing to do with running a D&D game, such as where Prof explains why he thought Avengers: Endgame sucked, or why he thought Season 8 of Game of Thrones was 'nearly perfect'.

Some of the oddest episodes of Dungeon Craft have to do when Prof makes admissions that make him out to be, well, the D&D channel for 'that kind' of old-school gamer: the ones who can make comments to each other that they can't make in front of their wives or significant others because the latter find the comments sexist, the kind of guys you can complain to about not being able to tell a Polack joke at work, the guys who treated D&D in the 1980s and 1990s the way that guys in the 1950s and 1960s treated golf where they could build a wall between the world as it existed and the world as they wanted to believe it was (and, if we're being honest, the way that they believed it should actually be). Nowhere is this more evident than in the video where Prof starts by discussing the hot, rich girlfriend he had once who tried but never got into D&D who he just had to break up with, and which by the 3 minute mark has him "calling bullshit" on the idea that relationships are built on compromise and negotiation. (I mean, you saw this coming, right? Right there at the end of the last paragraph about how the ending of Game of Thrones was so good? You knew that's where this was going, right?)

And, of course, he's not immune to just jumping on the latest bandwagon to contribute his drone to the chorus of voices talking about things just to be talking about things. It shouldn't be surprising that Prof jumped on the bandwagon of the lawsuit brought by Hickman and Weis against Wizards of the Coast over the upcoming Dragonlance trilogy, which turned out to be a nothing-burger. Even weirder is the tag in the description of that video which says "Analysis you can't get anywhere else", even though the video doesn't contain anything that hadn't already been discussed over the three weeks between the lawsuit and Prof's video other than Prof's own opinions about it. My favorite howler that Prof makes in this video is his assertion that, because Hickman and Weis got a lawyer to file a lawsuit, that means there's definitely fire under that smoke, because "big law firms do not accept cases they don't think they can win", which both ignores the existence of SLAPP suits as well as the existence of authors who seem to take perverse glee in suing rival authors just to drive them out of the industry. He's also responded with multiple videos in response to Cody at Taking20s controversial 'illusion of choice' essay, and his response to Ginny Di's essay on making online D&D suck less didn't include any of Ginny's solid advice on making online play more compatible with an in-person mentality (recognizing interruptive behavior, or using text chat to maintain side-conversations that would otherwise not be distracting in person), but instead gave these recommendations to players:

Keep your camera turned on

Mute yourself when not talking

Don't distract yourself with technology during the game

Nothing specific on recognizing how online play differs from tabletop play and suggesting ways to bring those two styles closer together, just commands because he's the DM and he says so. Or, in other words, low-effort, opinion-based content.

Nerd Immersion

Nerd Immersion, a channel by Ted that started in May of 2014 and has amassed over 70 thousand subscribers, starts his "channel trailer" video by leafing through a book, then looking up and saying, "Oh, hello" as if he'd just noticed that there was a camera on pointing at him while he's sitting in his orange-trimmed gaming chair. That, sadly, is roughly the level of thought that goes into the actual content contained on this long-tenured but seemingly still super-niche channel.

The weird thing is that at some point, it was obvious that Ted put some real effort into this channel. There are defined sections of the channel that focus on particular things, avoiding the Dungeon Craft problem of 'what topic is our channel about this week?' On Tuesdays, Ted posts a top-10 list. Ted comes up with an idea for a series, like 'Fixing 5E' or 'Reviewing Unearthed Arcana', posts regular articles until he's said what he means to say, then ends the series. (There hasn't been a new Fixing 5E video in roughly a year, meaning that Ted isn't wasting his own time and that of the viewer continually beating horses he's long since killed.) And he comes up with some great ideas for series, such as his series reviewing products on the DMs Guild; that particular series comes out somewhat irregluarly, but not so irregularly that you think he may have stopped doing the series without telling you.

Nerd Immersion's big problem can be summed up by simply looking at the list of videos on his channel and noticing that when he puts his own face on the thumbnail of the video, the startling frequency with which he's shrugging or has a puzzled face or just seems to be presenting himself as if he's not sure what's happening in his own video. I mean, I get it -- that's his image, the personality he wants to present to his audience. He doesn't have all the answers (a refreshing change from Dungeon Craft, honestly), but has some things to share if you're interested, so go ahead and take a peek. But then you take a look at those different sections we spoke about earlier and see that the 'Fixing' series all have the word Fixing at the top of the screen, the Nerd Immersion logo in the top left, two images underneath the text, one on the right side of the page and one on the left, separated right down the middle, and they all have Fix-It Felix on the far right. The Top 10 videos always have Top 10 at the top of the thumbnail. The Unearthed Arcana reviews all have 'Unearthed Arcana' at the top, then 'Review' in an odd off-set to the right beneath 'Unearthed Arcana'.

In other words, Ted has a formula, and he's damn well going to follow it.

Now it's not a bad thing to have a workflow -- if you're going to be cranking out videos at the volume that Ted does (not to mention the others on this list), you'd better have some kind of process for making the video, getting the thumbnail on it, etc.; otherwise each new video is a horrible nightmare of effort as you re-invent the wheel for every project. Nobody wants to do that, and the results would likely be unwatchable. Having a process is a good thing. But the Dungeon Dudes clearly also have a process -- they've put out at least two videos a week for three and a half years, so they damn well have a process or they wouldn't have been able to get out that much content. Looking at their channel, though, shows you that while they have a brand, and one that's evolving over time to boot, they're not just making the same video over and over again, or at least you wouldn't think that from looking at the thumbnails.

Ted's most interesting videos are where he's interviewing another person or even just having another person in the video, because having another person around clearly takes him at least a bit outside his rigid formulaic comfort zone. The problem is that those videos are few and far between -- the review of the infernal tiefling is about eight months separated from his interview with Celeste Conowitch about her Venture Maidens campaign guide. Also interesting are his unboxing videos, because Ted clearly likes minis and takes some degree of joy in cracking open and looking at new minis. His unboxing videos aren't as irregular as his interview videos, but they are fairly recent, with the first appearing just a few months ago, so it's still not clear if this is going to be a new regular part of the channel, or just another series that goes until he says what he wants to say about minis and then stops.

Most of the stuff on the site, though, is just, well, stuff, cranked out on a formula and thrown out into the digital void with the same soft-spoken volume regardless of whether it's major news or a press release. As an example, while pretty much everybody had an opinion on the Dragonlance lawsuit, Ted covered when the suit was announced, when it was dismissed by Weis and Hickman, when the actual trilogy that was the subject of the novels was announced, and the official release date of the first book in the new trilogy. When it came time to get ready to announce the newest campaign book, Ted was on the job, posting a video preparing for the announcement, another video later the same day when his original prediction of a Feywild adventure book seemed to be contradicted by other rumors that the book would be a Ravenloft book, then posted yet another video when the actual book was leaked on Amazon at 11:24pm later that same day confirming Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, posted the video discussing the official announcement of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft the next day, and then the day after that followed up with more details on Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft revealed in Dragon+. That's five videos in three days, for a grand total of just over 100 thousand views combined. The intention seems like Ted wants to be the CNN of the D&D news scene, but with those kind of distribution numbers, the result is more like your local home town's shopping circular that occasionally also features stories about the latest project to fix the potholes on Main Street. Just like nobody's doing 24/7 news coverage of your local town council, nobody is (or probably should strive to) doing 24/7 coverage of the gaming industry and Wizards of the Coast. At some point it just becomes running a script, pressing a button to upload the next video, because it's news, and while you don't have to think about news to quite the same degree you have to think about more opinion-based topics, once you stop thinking about the process and what it is you're making, all you have left is executing the formula, over and over again, and both the input and the output becomes repetitive.

Repetitive videos, in repetitive formats, with repetitive text, to keep the monster fed for another day. I can admire the effort that goes into it, but the overwhelming presence of the formula involved in cranking out this content keeps me from feeling that it's worth engaging with. It's low-effort, because the effort has been meticulously removed from the process.

I could go on, but I think I'll stop here. There's not really any constructive criticism I could provide to these channels because, as I hope I've pointed out, it seems like low-effort content is pretty much the only thing these channels have to offer or in truth can offer, and anything that might cause their owners to re-consider their channels to improve their content would almost certainly lead to a very different if not wholly different channel. With things being as they are online, there's no guarantee that any new, higher-effort channel would be any more successful than the old low-effort one (remember the RavenloftTravelAgent channel with absolutely miniscule numbers; effort doesn't automatically equate with success). I can't even claim that being low-effort channels necessarily makes these channels bad (despite what I said in the intro); after all, they all have at least some good ideas, especially Nerd Immersion, and they each have subscribers and a following. I guess this is just my way of putting some small amount of effort into explaining why I don't feel like doing more to help these channels succeed, because I'd rather put my support toward channels making higher-quality, higher-effort content, especially because its not the content itself, but people engaging with that content that really drives a channel's success.

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babywinkz · 4 years ago

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Back to School Sleep Tips : Help Your Child be ready (2021)

Alright, let me just start off here by saying, no judgment for what might have gone down in the last couple of months.

I know… I’m a child sleep consultant and you may think that I’m going to tell you off for the late bedtimes, inconsistent schedules, or any of the many naughty things that may have taken place over your summer holidays and during lock down.

But I get it. I really do.

I’m a mother myself and I know how precious these summer months are. You want to squeeze every minute of joy and togetherness you can from these glorious days. If it’s a choice between consistent bedtimes and staying up to watch as a family to watch Netflicks

That’s no choice at all.

So no matter what might have happened over the summer holidays and during lock down, all is forgiven. The mission now is to get your child back on track so that they can get back to sleep at a reasonable hour the day now they have gone back to school.

So I hope you’ll keep reading without fear of any finger wagging or talk of what you should have done differently.

I promise you, it’s not in here.

Set a Time For Bed and Stick to it

So first things first. What time should your kids be going to bed? Well, a lot of parents I work with are surprised to hear that I recommend somewhere between 7:00pm and 8:00pm at night.

They’re even more surprised when I tell them that I suggest they keep that bedtime until their child is about 12 years old.

There are two reasons why I think kids should be in bed, and by that I mean sleeping, by 8:00 at night.

1 – Kids Need SleepFirst, kids need at least 10 hours of sleep a night.

An extra hour or two on top of that is never a bad thing, but you obviously have to make those adjustments based on your own observations.

Regardless, if your toddler needs to be up by 7:00 A.M. in order to get ready for school, they should be asleep by 9:00 at the latest.

Factor in the time it takes them to get to sleep after they get into bed, plus the inevitable request for a glass of water or a totally silly insistence that they need to use the toilet half an hour after you close their door, and 8:00 is pretty much the latest they can get to bed and still get the sleep they need.

2 – Mummy and Daddy Time

Second, you, as a parent, and your partner if there’s one in the picture, need to exist child-free for a few hours a day. You need to be able to watch TV with swear words and sexual innuendo, to be able to eat some junk food without fear of being spotted, to just do grown-up things and to recharge those parenting batteries.

It’s vital to your relationship with your partner and with your kids.

Alright, so now that we know when to put our kids to bed, let’s move on to the significantly more difficult issue of how.

Don’t leave it to the last minute.

If they’ve been going to bed at around 9:00 for the better part of their holidays, try moving bedtime up by about 15 minutes every 4 days until you’re back to their normal bedtime.

If this requires a little deception on your part by adjusting the clocks in their room, you just go ahead and get deceptive. Sometimes the ends really do justify the means.

Establish a Bedtime Routine

If you had an effective bedtime routine before your summer holidays and the pandemic threw everything into upheaval, then try to re-implement it as much as possible.

Familiarity will definitely help your child settle back into the schedule quicker and with less resistance than trying out something new.

On the other hand, if this is your first go at implementing a bedtime routine, let me just stress how much easier a repetitive, predictable bedtime routine can make your life.

When your child’s body and brain start to associate things like baths, stories, brushing teeth, putting on PJs, all done in the same order at the same time every night, it cues up their melatonin production, making sleep come easier.

I seriously can’t recommend bedtime routines highly enough.

Use a Timer

Of course, things like baths and stories are super fun, so there is a tendency for your toddler to try and negotiate for more time in the bath, or one more story.

If you find yourself constantly having to play bad cop, a timer can be your best friend for keeping things on schedule, and as silly as it may sound, takes the blame off of you and puts it on the timer.

Mum can be reasoned with, but the timer is downright unwavering.

Turn of those screens

Along with the slack enforcement of bedtimes during the summer, we also tend to ease up on the rules surrounding TV, video games, or otherwise staring at screens in the hours leading up to bedtime.

After all, there’s no homework to be done, so maybe we can allow a little leeway for an extra episode of In The Night Garden or Peppa Pig

(Which, quite honestly, is as enticing for me as it is for my kids. )

The thing about screens, whether they’re phones, TVs, computers, or tablets, is that they put out a massive amount of blue light.

Our brains associate blue light with sunshine, and therefore daytime, so screens before bed can actually have the unwanted effect of firing your kid’s system back up when it should be powering down.

Try to avoid any screen time for at least two hours before bed.

TOP TIPS.

This also applies to adults, so if you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, try reading instead of watching TV before you turn in.

Turn to the dark side

And while we’re on the subject of light, for many of you living in the northern areas of the planet, you may notice that it doesn’t get dark until significantly later at 8:00pm, and the only thing that simulates sunlight better than a TV screen is actual sunlight.

If your child’s bedroom is still lit up like a Christmas tree when you’re putting them to bed, I suggest investing in a set of blackout blinds.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can get a six-pack of blinds on Amazon, or even something called non-adhesive window film, which is just plastic you can cut to size and slap up over the glass.

If you’re concerned about aesthetics and willing to spend the money, there are plenty of color options besides black that still block out the light. Whichever way you choose to do it, get that sunlight out of the bedroom.

It’ll make a world of difference, I promise you.

KEY INFORMATION.Having experienced some leniency regarding bedtime can suddenly transform your child into an astoundingly sharp lawyer.

Arguments for why they should be allowed to stay up later are likely to be heard for at least a few days and, potentially, the next eight or ten years. Luckily, parenting is not a democracy.

It is a glorious dictatorship where “Her Highness, the Momma,” makes all the rules.

Don’t give in to the pressure, because as I said earlier, this 8:00pm bedtime is going to be in place for several years. The sooner they accept that as the norm and their summertime hours as a special circumstance, the easier this whole bedtime thing will be for you and for them.

So there it is, folks! I hope you had yourselves a wonderful summer holiday, and that your children are safe and back in school or starting school again soon.

I promise you that, no matter what grade they’re headed into, nothing will help them go into the new school year with a better attitude and positive outlook than getting plenty of sleep.

And if this is your first experience with the kids out of the house since you became a mum, oh baby, let me tell you about the sweet days ahead. (Once you’ve gotten over the initial heartbreak, of course.)

Jennifer L. Vriend, PhD Fiona D. Davidson, MA Penny V. Corkum, PhD Benjamin Rusak, PhD, FRSC Christine T. Chambers, PhD Elizabeth N. McLaughlin, PhD (2013) Manipulating Sleep Duration Alters Emo- tional Functioning and Cognitive Performance in Children – Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Volume 38, Issue 10, 1 November 2013, Pages 1058–1069, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jst033 Mindell J, Lee C, Goh D, Leichman E, Rotella K (2017). Sleep and Social-Emotional Develop- ment in Infants and Toddlers. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology 46:2, 236-246, DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2016.1188701 Sleep efficiency (but not sleep duration) of healthy school-age children is associated with grades in math and languages – Gruber, Reut et al. Sleep Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 12 , 1517 – 1525.

#Child sleep consultant #child healthy sleep habits #child

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jess-rewatches-prodigalson · 5 years ago

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Episode 13: Wait and Hope

Here are my thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD

1:00 - I love this scene. I know it’s all in Martin’s head but I really wish Malcolm was this honest with Martin all the time. Plus it shows that Martin is aware, on some level, that he’s been hurting Malcolm for years.

2:19 - Okay. A couple of things here: 1) Something about having Under Pressure play right now is genius. It’s fun yet truthful. 2) Listening to Mr. David and Martin’s exchange is really interesting to me. It’s almost like Mr. David is friends with Martin. I mean Mr. David is being way nicer than a professional respect requires. AND 3) Watching Tom Payne do planks/yoga is very attractive. Dang.

3:00 - So, we get a close up of 5 thin, tall pill bottles here. In about 4 seconds, when Malcolm is throwing pills into his mouth we will see 4 pill bottles of varying heights and thicknesses. So one of two things is happening 1) these scenes weren’t filmed on the same day and someone in the props department goofed or 2) Malcolm takes 9 different pill bottles worth of meds and this is just round two. BUT considering the 4 bottles of varying thicknesses reappear when Jessica shows up - I’m going to assume this is some minor on-set goof that they figured no fan would be neurotic enough to care about. They were wrong. I care deeply. In fact - I really want to know exactly what pills Malcolm takes.

3:11 - So is Malcolm’s fridge empty because he just got out of the hospital? Because there was definitely food in there during 1x5 when he made grilled cheese with Dani. And there were frozen foods in his freezer in 1x8. Does Jessica stock the fridge/freezer? Is that why there’s usually food? Because it’s cannon that Malcolm doesn’t eat much... I’m way too invested in the contents of Malcolm’s fridge. Furthermore - I love the fact that Malcolm reaches for a handful of of licorices from that massive container - it’s just weird enough to be completely endearing and totally in character for Malcolm. It implies that there is no other dry, perishable foods in his loft - because you know, he could’ve eaten some dry-cereal or instant oatmeal here. But nope. The boy goes for candy. Why do I love this dysfunctional lunatic? He can barely keep himself alive.

3:21 - I love that Malcolm watches Ainsley’s reports like a Good Big Brother. I mean, given Malcolm’s job, he probably would watch the news daily regardless of who was reporting it. But there’s something just so sweet about the fact that he watches Ainsley instead of any of the other reporters. Ugh - something about it just warms my cold, dead soul.

3:41 - hahahaha Ok. We all love the white suit because it’s weird, funny as hell, and just the right amount of attractive - but why does no one talk about the shoes? Malcolm isn’t wearing socks. He’s become one of those hipster dudes who wear fancy shoes without socks. I’m loving it. ALSO why is no one admiring Jessica? This woman is so extra that she knows her grown-ass son’s suit measurements and goes to buy him a suit that fits perfectly without his knowledge. Then she forces him to wear the white suit out of the house. It’s just. Wow. I love her.

3:50 - I love that Jessica totally only bought that suit for Malcolm because she didn’t think he would be caught dead anywhere near the precinct in it.

4:09 - Check out the look that Malcolm gives Jessica here. He’s sad. He’s sad and feeling guilty that he’s worrying his mother. That’s why he put on the ridiculous suit for her. That’s why he’s not getting mad at her for waltzing into his apartment unannounced (again). That’s why he’s letting her fuss over of him. Because he wants to make her feel better.

4:28 - This. This is why Jessica is being extra. She knows that if Malcolm is left alone he will skip his flight in order to achieve a “staycation in New York”. And if he takes a staycation he will inevitably end up hanging out at the precinct; working. She’s being extra but it’s justified - she’s trying to ensure that Malcolm takes care of himself. She said it herself - she doesn’t need him to love her, she just needs him alive. Right now - Malcolm is scaring her because she’s not so sure he wants to live. She’s not an idiot, she knows that Malcolm won’t take care of himself unless she literally removes him from the country, effectively taking away all of his opportunities to work. So. She. Does.

4:31 - Soooo is no one going to talk about the fact that Jessica is pushing Malcolm out the door - with luggage - while his meds are sitting on his counter?!? Has she checked that he has meds packed in secondary containers? Just seems like something that Jessica would stress about, especially in Malcolm’s current mental state.

4:46 - I love this. Jessica called Gil to come and pick up Malcolm. The one person she knows Malcolm won’t fight about his vacation. He’ll whine but he won’t fight Gil - not after their fight last episode. This also implies that Gil and Jessica had a long discussion about forcing Malcolm to take a vacation due to his current mental state. They totally had a parenting conversation about their grown-ass child and I am living for it. I also want to hear it.

4:54 - I’m not sure we’ve seen Gil this happy since he greeted Malcolm during the pilot. It’s precious. When Gil says he’s proud of Malcolm I’m pretty sure my heart grew two sizes. Why can’t we have more soft moments like this?

5:00 - This scene in the car is awesome. Malcolm is pouting like a petulant child and Gil is doing everything in his power to convince Malcolm this vacation will be good for him. It reminds me of a parent trying to get their toddler to eat vegetables.

5:06 - “We all just want you to be happy.” Did you hear that? It’s the sound of my heart racing with joy. Malcolm looks confused and hurt after Gil says it. Almost like he’s not sure how to be happy or who this “we” includes. Gil can see right through it - look at the concern on his face.

5:15 - hahaha When Malcolm hears the word “DOA” his face lights up like a Christmas tree and Gil’s contorts with annoyance. You can almost hear an Gil think “This is why we can’t have nice things” in an exasperated voice....also it is JT’s voice on the radio right?

5:22 - I love how Gil caves here. He starts the conversation stern but you can see that the minute that Malcolm says “I’m taking care of myself” he starts to waver. Even though you can tell that Gil knows Malcolm is lying through his teeth it’s the sincere desperation and hope in Malcolm’s eyes that make Gil cave.

6:04 - haha this is so great. I love watching Dani and JT tease Malcolm because a) it’s funny but b) it’s making Malcolm happy. Look at Malcolm’s smiles. He’s so happy to be included in this banter and he knows they’re teasing him out of love rather than hatred. Plus look at how amused Gil looks watching his kids interact. ALSO - side note - JT’s outfits are awesome in this episode.

6:45 - Can we all just take a minute to appreciate how far JT and Malcolm’s relationship has come? JT couldn’t stand Malcolm in 1x1. Now they’re casually squatting next to each other talking about guns. JT even looks impressed when Malcolm mentions owning a gun like the one they’re looking at. You can see that this conversation will continue later. JT wants to know more about Malcolm’s weapon collection. My heart is full.

6:47 - Edrisa teasing Bright is a real turning point for her character. It’s hilarious. Plus, watching how amused JT, Gil, and Dani are at Malcolm’s expense is awesome BUT 1x1 Edrisa would’ve never made jokes like this about Malcolm. She’s getting over her school girl crush and their relationship is developing past professional and into friendship. I’m a fan.

7:14 - How much time has passed since the end of 1x12? Malcolm looks a lot better than he did last episode. He looks happier, more relaxed, way less manic....and you know, no cast on his hand.

7:18 - Look at Gil when Malcolm says “The Tale of Monte Cristo”. That’s a look of recognition. Gil knows that Malcolm loved that book. I want to know why. We know that Martin was the one to read the book to Malcolm. In about ten minutes Gil will ask Malcolm to tell him about the plot because Gil doesn’t seem to be familiar with it. Did Gil watch a mute Malcolm read it countless times after Martin’s arrest? How does Gil know that Malcolm loves this book?

7:55 - Look at Malcolm’s face when Gil tells him that he’s still going on vacation. He looks so annoyed at the fact that Gil is going to take away his fun. I almost feel bad for him - but Gil is right, our boy needs a vacation.

8:00 - I don’t care if it’s crazy that Malcolm would hear the click of the landmine and react before our US armed forces veteran JT. I don’t care if it’s insane that the whole room didn’t blow up while shaky hands was holding the unstable landmine. I don’t care that there is no way JT got that vest on Malcolm without having Malcolm accidentally trigger the mind. I don’t even care that the fact that Malcolm answers his phone without blowing up is ridiculous. I love this scene. It’s amazing.

8:24 - Look at how panicked and scared everyone is. Look at how our sweet, neurotic Edrisa takes charge of her medical staff - this is a side of her I’d like to see more of. Check out the fear present in Gil, JT, and Dani. They’re not scared for themselves - they’re scared for Malcolm.

8:40 - Gil’s fury and concern here are perfect. He’s scared out of his mind that everyone in the room is going to blow up but he’s still present enough to be pissed that Malcolm is making jokes about his own life. Even though Malcolm often uses humour as a way to mask his pain and fear. It’s just confirming Gil’s belief that Malcolm’s mental health is in shambles, that Malcolm needs a vacation, and that Malcolm is seriously depressed right now.

8:43 - Malcolm’s brave mask is slipping. He’s looking more and more scared as this scene progresses. Look at the utter disbelief and horror on Dani, JT, and Gil’s faces when Malcolm suggests that they all leave him to die. They know he’s in a bad place mentally but they’re still shocked that he’s being so caviler about the importance of his life. They’re horrified that Malcolm still doesn’t truly understand how important he is to their team.

9:00 - Are JT, Gil, and Dani even processing what Malcolm is saying? They all look so shocked and concerned that Malcolm is still trying to talk about the case when he’s literally holding a live mine that I’m pretty sure they aren’t truly processing to Malcolm’s words. But seriously, look at the terror and concern in their eyes. It’s heartbreaking.

9:20 - Look at the way that Gil has to lead Dani out of the room. She’s frozen in panic and fear. Gil sees it and thinks “Oh hell no. I’m not losing 2 kids today.”

9:26 - Malcolms eyes here. That is mania. That is terror. That is the beginning of a panic attack. My heart is breaking but I’m also living for the whump.

9:34 - More proof that Malcolm is suicidal. He thinks he’s going to die but he picks up a call from his serial killing, manipulative father who has, for all intents and purposes, scarred Malcolm and emotionally abused him? Yo. That’s not right. ....but I will say that the fact that Under Pressure starts playing again does something good to my heart.

9:49 - More proof that Martin is a monster. His son tells him that he’s holding a live mine and Martin is more excited than concerned. Hell - Mr. David looks more concerned about Malcolm than Martin does. It takes a minute for Martin to realize that Malcolm might die. I will give Martin some credit here - once the realization sets in he does look a little scared that his son might die. Once again, I’m having a hard time figuring out if Martin actually cares about his son.

10:33 - He. Jumps. Out. A. Window. What a move.

10:48 - I love the team’s reaction to Malcolm falling on the Le Mans. They all look concerned about Malcolm BUT they also each have different secondary reactions. JT looks impressed. Gil looks like he can’t figure out if he’s panicking more over his car or his kid. Dani just looks shocked.

11:00 - That’s pure unfiltered relief on the team’s faces when they see that Malcolm is conscious, lucid, and talking. I’m in love. The only problem I have with this scene is that no one even mentions any injuries that Malcolm inevitably got from this for the remainder of the entire episode.

11:22 - Why is Martin allowed in these therapy sessions? They just feed his narcissism and give him an audience. He doesn’t let anyone else talk.

11:40 - I love that even the other serial killing prisoners look done with Martin.

12:12 - 1. Poor Hector. 2. Hector is “always Malcolm” OMG. How often does Martin turn these therapy sessions into a fantasy production of his relationship with Malcolm?!?! THIS IS NOT HEALTHY WHY IS THE PRISON ALLOWING THIS!??

13:30 - Can we all just take a moment to revel in the fact that Martin Whitly is such a bad person that even Hector - a prisoner in a serial killer prison - is afraid of Martin. I don’t blame Hector either. Look at how downright nasty Martin gets when things aren’t going his way.

13:48 - soooo everyone changed between the crime scene and coming to the precinct? JT used to be wearing a burgundy shirt, Gil was wearing a black (maybe navy?) turtle neck and Dani was wearing a green T-shirt (not the green blouse she’s wearing now). With Malcolm it makes sense. Did everyone else just change because they were dusty? At 18:26 you can see that they all have different jackets too...Ok. I’ll accept it....WAIT. I assume Dani, JT, and Gil have changes of clothes at the precinct? Does Malcolm too? Or is Malcolm wearing what he had packed for his vacation?

13:53 - Poor Gil. He loved that car. Look how sad he is. :( Look at how guilty Malcolm looks about it in the background. He looks so sad and scared. He’s looking at Gil like he’s waiting to get screamed at. :( I mean Gil’s obviously also upset that he watched Malcolm throw himself out a window but I don’t think Malcolm sees that.

14:15 - hahaha Malcolm is getting so excited about this story and Gil just does not have the patience for one of Malcolm’s manic rants right now. Check out Dani - she is living for Gil’s annoyance at Malcolm’s rant.

14:44 - “It’s my father.” This is concerning on a couple of fronts. It’s concerning because of how completely drained Malcolm looks when he says it. Malcolm just looks done which is scary because not 2 minutes ago he was bouncing around with energy. That dramatic of an energy change that quickly is not healthy. Our boy needs a vacation. Also, check out the fear and concern in Gil’s eyes right after Malcolm tells him that Martin is on the phone. Gil is scared 1) because of Malcolm’s behaviour but 2) because he doesn’t think Malcolm can handle Martin right now - it’s part of the reason that he and Jessica were trying to get Malcolm into a different time zone and country for his vacation. Finally, Dani looks concerned too. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t reach out and hug Malcolm because it looks like she really wants to.

15:00 - Gil was scared before now he’s panicking. You can see that he’s worried about why Malcolm would answer Martin’s phone call when he thought he was going to die. The “I was in a weird place” comment is not reassuring. You can also see that Gil is scared of what the phone call’s effect was on Malcolm’s already fragile mental state. I have a feeling that Malcolm’s current behaviour is reminding Gil of when Malcolm started visiting Martin in prison at age 11 which is scaring Gil too. Gil’s probably just waiting for Malcolm to completely shut down and go mute again.

15:06 - I love this move. JT and Dani are concerned and a little scared to talk on the phone with Martin Whitly but Gil stands firm. He’s not letting his emotionally fragile kid speak to Martin Whitly alone one more time today. He’s too afraid of what Malcolm might do to himself if he’s alone with a Martin phone call. I love the gentle but firm way that Gil reminds Malcolm that he’s not alone. That the team is here for him. I also love that Gil is honest with Malcolm - he doesn’t know if this is a good idea because he’s not sure he should be letting Malcolm talk to Martin at all right now.

15:24 - I want to point out that Martin is not chained to the wall here even though Mr. David is in the room. Is that allowed? You can actually see his restraints lying on the floor, unattached to him at 16:43. Martin is technically staying behind the line though. I just want more details about when Martin is and isn’t chained to the wall.

15:30 - This conversation is really interesting to me. Malcolm looks uncomfortable throughout the whole conversation. It’s as though he doesn’t want the team to see how dysfunctional his Dad and their relationship truly is. I love how confident and calm Gil acts and how freaked out JT acts. I love that Dani gets over her fear really quickly and is casually looking up stuff on her phone in the middle of the conversation like nothing weird is happening. This woman is a treasure. I find it interesting that Martin is peacocking. He’s having the time of his life because he’s talking to a larger audience and Mr. David looks so done with him. I love that when Malcolm starts showing obvious signs of discomfort and frustration the whole team starts shooting him concerned looks as they watch the effect that Martin has on his son. It’s heartbreaking and perfect. I’m in love.

17:01 - hahaha Malcolm hanging up on Martin is amazing. Malcolm is so scared that his dad is going to ruin his relationship with one of his only friends. Look at Malcolm’s face right after he hangs up - he looks detached and scared. Dani sees it too - check out the way she jokes with Malcolm afterward. She’s trying to reassure him that they’re good and it’s not his fault. Hell - JT and Gil given Malcolm some concerned looks at the end of this scene as well. I think the whole team is riding the “Malcolm is more depressed than usual and he needs a vacation” train.

17:38 - Look at how proud Jessica is here. It’s sweet. I wish she were this affectionate to Ainsley more often. Ainsley needs it.

17:55 - This is heartbreaking. Jessica is so lonely. She misses her social life. She really lost everything except Malcolm and Ainsley when Martin was arrested.

18:25 - This is such a messed up, convoluted set up. The dude is going to die by sword. Dang. This show is weird. Why do I love it so much?

18:55 - When Malcolm takes off his coat, the team looks very concerned and confused. I’m genuinely surprised that Gil didn’t have JT take Malcolm outside with force. They all had looks on their faces that said, “Our boy is passively suicidal. He’s going to try and kill himself again. He must be stopped.” And when Malcolm tells them that he’s going to “save this guy” they look so shocked and resigned like “of course that’s what you’re doing. You are a giant moron with no sense of self-preservation.”

19:37 - “Who are we going to call? The department of falling sword death?” hahaha Gil looks so done with Malcolm’s bullshit.

19:42 - I want more information on this one. Malcolm throws axes...competitively. Why? When and how did he get into it? It’s the most obscure hobby I can think of.

19:56 - Am I supposed to believe that JT and Dani carry wire cutters on all of their cases? Because I don’t.

21:00 - The way that Malcolm looks at Gil here is concerning. It’s almost as though Malcolm is just realizing that Gil is still in the room. Malcolm has become so consumed by the case and his mania that he forgot that Gil was in the room.

23:08 - This is so freaking cute. JT is going to watch the wedding with his wife. She’s going to wear a hat. JT looks so happy and excited about it. I don’t think he cares about the wedding but he cares about his wife and that just makes me happy. And Gil looks like “I work with weirdos. All of them.” My heart. <3

24:16 - Gil is so annoyed that Malcolm is lying to his mom. You can see that Gil is also grateful though - it was his responsibility to make sure Malcolm got on that plane and an angry Jessica is a scary Jessica.

25:00 - William called the George Taylor? Dick move.

25:50 - For once can Gil please just call out Malcolm for projecting his personal issues onto suspects? Can we please just see Gil confront Malcolm about it?

26:20 - Why does Malcolm know so much about bootlegging?

27:00 - “They’re thinking Ecuadorian” hahahahaha OMG. Malcolm needs to stop using humour to hide his pain and fear but it is damn funny.

27:50 - Dang. Gil is a badass. Malcolm looks so grateful to Gil here. <3

28:30 - Gil has had it with Malcolm avoiding his vacation. This is full on dad mode right here. Gil is worried. Malcolm isn’t taking care of himself. Look at the way Gil guides Malcolm out of the precinct. Ugh. I’m in love with the father/son moment here.

29:00 - I love how vulnerable and honest Malcolm consistently acts around Dani. Look at the pain in Malcolm’s face as he admits his problem with going on a vacation. Dani looks sad and concerned for Malcolm but she doesn’t judge him. She just comforts him with a stupid joke and lets him skip his flight. That’s true friendship. I stan this woman.

30:30 - This whole interaction between Martin, Dani, and Malcolm is awesome. Martin is ecstatic with the extra large audience. Dani looks a little scared at first but she really holds her own against Martin. She’s feisty, brave, and determined to do her job. Plus the concerned looks she’s giving Malcolm when he starts talking about the camping trip are A++.

32:05 - I love how angry JT gets during interrogations. This boy really supports the law.

33:15 - Ugh. Martin is so shady. He has a history of acting like a happy, sarcastic, manic dude who may or may not be lying to you. But then in the same conversation he will become either a) angry and threatening or b) serious and kind. It actually looks like he’s trying to convince Dani that Malcolm is the bad guy here - not him. That look of pure hatred that Malcolm shoots back at him is worth it though. Also - hell of a lot of foreshadowing for the next couple of episodes. Like dang.

33:45 - “You can take her shopping my boy. On me!!” ....I’m sorry does this mean that Martin has money somewhere? Jessica was rich. Martin was not. Something tells me that all of Martin’s money should’ve been spent on defence attorneys. Is he getting paid for his consultation work? Is that even a thing? OMG. I have so many questions about this.

34:00 - That is a very angry and disappointed father. Malcolm is in so much trouble for not going on vacation. I’m living for it. I also love that even though Gil is so angry at Malcolm he still reluctantly helps him because Gil is a Good Man of the Law.

34:30 - hahaha this is precious. Malcolm looks so shocked by Dani’s beauty here. Almost like he’s noticing that she’s a woman for the first time. AND Dani’s reaction is so cute. She’s flattered, a little awkward, and a lot happy that he thinks she’s pretty. Also - can we please take a minute to admire how respectful Malcolm is to Dani here. This boy has manners. Dani is not his girlfriend and she’s not an object to be catcalled at. So he calls her “amazing”. Not beautiful or sexy or hot. Amazing. A completely respectful compliment from a man who is not dating Dani. I love this.

35:00 - Well Dani - he was going to tell you that you’re really pretty and he has feelings for you..and you probably guessed that...sorry. I ship Brightwell.

35:17 - hahaha Malcolm is like “Damn. I’ve been exposed.”

37:50 - I feel really bad for Jessica here. Can’t this woman go to one (1) social event in 20 years and have to be judged for Martin’s misdemeanors?!? This poor woman just wants to enjoy legally herself and no one is letting her.

38:06 - JT sent Dani those pics....soooo he’s at home with Tally watching this right? Somehow I think JT’s night has become more interesting than he thought it would be.

38:45 - OMG. This speech was hard to watch. Malcolm is awkward, manic, and totally projecting about his daddy issues. Despite all of this, all I can think about is JT and Tally watching this on a TV somewhere staring at Malcolm in horror/amusement.

39:06 - Poor Jessica. She had one request. “Don’t embarrass me.” She looks utterly mortified.

41:30 - I love this. I love how happy Malcolm just made Jessica. I love watching Jessica be proud of Malcolm. It’s so sweet.

42:10 - This conversation between Malcolm and Ainsley is precious. Ainsley isn’t a bad person. She makes some bad decisions but she loves her family and I’m so proud of her for doing this for her Mom. My heart grew about 6x watching Malcolm be proud of his little sister.

Sorry....this one got REALLY long. Thanks for hanging out if you have. Happy Prodigal Monday!! :D Hope you’re all going to watch 1x19 tonight!

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duhragonball · 5 years ago

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The 10 Best Episodes of Dragon Ball and DBZ

Back in October I wrote up a list of the ten worst episodes of Dragon Ball, and I always meant to go back and do a ten best list to go with it. Well it’s the last Sunday of the year and I got nothing better to do, so I’m gonna knock that out today.

Honestly, I’m not sure which one of these was tougher to do. The main reason I made a worst list was because I noticed a small handful of episodes I just didn’t like, and I realized that even with a show I like this much, there had to be at least ten stinkers, so I liked the challenge of picking them out. On the other hand, picking the ten best episodes is like finding really good pieces of hay in an awesome haystack. And I’m a horse, so I’m already super-into hay. This analogy is getting tortured, so I’ll just move on.

Honorable Mention: Dragon Ball Z Episode 125.

I think the fandom has unanimously agreed that this is the all-time best episode of Dragon Ball, but it didn’t feel right putting it in my list. I don’t know if that’s because I sincerely believe it’s the 11th best episode, or because I just don’t want a predictable choice taking up space on my list. That’s how Dragon Ball rolls sometimes. Past a point, you can’t tell if you’re liking something ironically, or just plain liking it.

Without question, this is the all-time best filler episode. We all know the tale: Goku and Piccolo are busy training for the upcoming Androids battle, but Chi-Chi is sick of them not helping around the house, so she wants them to take driver’s ed so they can drive her to the grocery once in a while. Well, mostly Goku, but Piccolo somehow gets roped into it too. Honestly, I don’t think he really needed to go through with this. He pouts like Chi-Chi made him do this somehow, but she was clearly only interested in getting Goku licensed up. I think he just sort of invited himself into this situation because he wanted to feel like part of the family.

Anyway, the boys dress up in stupid/awesome civilian clothes, and somehow manage to be great at driving and terrible at driving at the same time. It’s a very zen kind of show. Also there’s a smidgen of Vegebul goodness, and Icarus shows up for no apparent reason, so there’s something for everyone.

10. Dragon Ball Z Episode 120

This the one where Future Trunks kills Mecha Frieza. There’s no shortage of fans who think reviving Frieza in the 2010′s was worth it, but for my money, nothing they do with the character can possibly top his (first) death scene.

Leading up to this episode, everyone just assumed that Goku killed Frieza on Namek, but he survived, got rebuilt as a cyborg, and invaded Earth for revenge. The implication is that Goku will have to fight an even stronger version of his greatest foe, except he’s nowhere to be found, and no one else stands a chance of holding the line until Goku can arrive.

But then the story ups the ante again by having a totally new character show up, turn Super Saiyan, and shrug off Frieza’s attacks like they’re nothing. When he finally attacks Frieza, he whips out a cool-looking ki blast, and that turns out to just be a feint. No, his real attack is a simple swing of an ordinary sword, which cuts Frieza in half like he’s made out of butter.

Meanwhile, all the major characters are standing on the sidelines wondering what the hell is going on here. There’s a Super Saiyan besides Goku? Aren’t all the Saiyans extinct? Where did this new guy come from, and how did he even know to be here?

It’s a brilliant episode, because it serves as a coda to the menace of Frieza that loomed large over the previous 119 episodes of Z, and it also serves as a prelude to the next 75 episodes, which promises a crisis far beyond anything that’s come before. But it also works as a stand-alone story. Frieza’s body tells the story of why he wants revenge on the Super Saiyan, and when Trunks reveals that there’s more than one Super Saiyan, he completely self-destructs. He goes from the tyrant of the universe to just another corpse in a matter of minutes. It’s amazing to watch.

9. Dragon Ball Episode 67

Strictly speaking, Goku’s assault on the Red Ribbon Army base is three episodes, so maybe it’s gauche to include one and not the others, but this one is the climax of the Red Ribbon’s downfall, so I think it stands out.

By this point, Goku’s already entered the RRA headquarters, and is just having his way with the place. Episode 66 was full of guys trying to shoot him, but he just kicks all their asses and moves on. Staff Officer Black has finally realized what they should have accepted from the beginning: that Goku is too strong for them to defeat by force. But Commander Red can’t quite bring himself to give up the fight. Maybe it’s because so much of his identity is tied into the Red Ribbon’s supposed invincibility, or he just can’t fathom how a small boy can do all these things.

I think what really hurts his pride is when his soldiers start deserting en masse. Before, he could keep them in line because of the Red Ribbon’s fearsome reputation, but that’s over now, whether he believes it or not. When Colonel Violet loots his treasure vault, not even bothering to disable the security cameras, he has to know that it’s all over.

Then we find out that he only wanted the Dragon Balls so that he could make a wish to become taller, and Black is horrified. He wasted all those lives and resources for something as petty and selfish as that? What makes this episode so great is how the world around them is crashing down, and they’re arguing over a plan that’ll never happen anyway. And Red absolutely doesn’t get why Black would think his wish was stupid. He’s like “Um, you need to check your tall privilege?” And Black shoots him in the face because he’s just done.

But this episode’s not done, because once Red is out of the picture, Black sort of loses it and tries to fight Goku for possession of the Dragon Balls. It’s really amazing character development, because Black was the calm, collected center of the Red Ribbon Army, but then he just flips out, forgetting all the lessons his comrades learned the hard way. The lure of the Dragon Balls is just too seductive for him to give up.

Also, Colonel Violet is super cute.

8. Dragon Ball Z Episode 135

A few episodes before this one, Vegeta debuted his own Super Saiyan transformation, and kicked the shit out of Android 19. It was a big deal, because up to that point, Goku and Trunks were the only Super Saiyans, implying that jerks like Vegeta couldn’t do it. It was also a big deal because it was assumed up to that point that the androids might just be unbeatable, and Vegeta clobbered one of them in a single episode.

But that episode didn’t make the list, because this one is far more important. Here, Vegeta tries to press his luck by challenging the even stronger Android 18, even though everyone else tries to tell him this is a terrible idea. What follows is one of the coolest fights in the series, and the best classic Dragon Ball battle to feature a woman. For a while it looks pretty even, but then 18 reveals she was hustling Vegeta the whole time, and defeats him with no trouble at all.

Why is this such a big moment? For one thing, it’s the next step in deconstructing the Super Saiyan Legend. Vegeta had already proven that you don’t have to be a good person to turn into a Super Saiyan, and that it’s not just a once-in-a-millennium thing. Here, he proves that Super Saiyans aren’t as invincible as he liked to believe. We’d already seen Goku lose to Android 19, but he was sick at the time. Trunks was no match for he androids in his own timeline, but those battles had happened off-screen. This is a much more visceral demonstration. You’ve got the Saiyan Prince, in perfect health, fresh as a daisy, comfortably transformed, and it doesn’t do him a damn bit of good. 18 breaks his arm like it’s not even hard.

For Vegeta, this was a big deal, because it finally cemented the fact that there is no finish line. From his first appearance, he seemed convinced that he could become the supreme being in his universe, simply by killing Frieza, becoming immortal, or transforming into a Super Saiyan. Here, he thinks he’s finally pulled it off, only to lose even more decisively than ever before.

7. Dragon Ball Episode 99

I debated whether to go with this one or Episode 101, where Tien finally beats Goku to win the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, but I think this episode deserves the nod. The Goku/Tien championship bout spanned several episodes, but this is the one where Tien finally decides that he’d rather win the title than avenge Tao Pai Pai.

Let me back up a bit here. Goku (seemingly) killed Tao in a prior episode, and Tao was the brother of the Crane Hermit, Tien’s master. So going into this fight, Tien was planning to defeat Goku, win the championship, and then kill Goku in front of the live audience, just to get that extra bit of revenge. But once the fight actually got rolling, Tien began to develop a begrudging respect for Goku’s talent, and then this episode happens, where Tien starts winning, and Goku accuses him of cheating. Tien doesn’t know what he’s talking about at first, until he realizes that the Crane Hermit is using Chiaotzu’s psychic powers to paralyze Goku at key moments.

Once he figures it out, he tells them to stop, since he wants to prove his own superiority, but Crane just wants Goku to die, title or no title. He orders Tien to stop clowning and kill Goku at once, but Tien refuses, and turns his back on the life of an assassin. Chiaotzu does the same, since he was enjoying the match before all the interference started. Crane flips out, but Roshi Kamehameha’s him out of the stadium, allowing Tien and Goku to finally fight without any outside interference.

Tien’s first order of business is to let Goku have a bunch of free shots, in order to make up for all the hits Tien got in while Chiaotzu was cheating. Then he grows four arms, because he still wants to kick Goku’s ass, even if he doesn’t hate him anymore.

Tien’s reform isn’t unique in the series, but I think his particular transformation is very neatly accomplished, inside this one episode, during a single epic battle. Like so many other characters, he figures out that revenge, power, and bloodlust are hollow pursuits compared to the thrill of pushing your own limits through the sacred art of gonzo anime violence. Being a bad guy isn’t just morally shameful, it’s downright boring. Piccolo and Vegeta would eventually learn the same lesson, but it never gets spelled out quite as eloquently as it does in this episode. Also, Launch tries to kill Chiaotzu with a giant cartoon mallet.

6. Dragon Ball Episode 147

On the other hand, you’ve got this episode from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, where Piccolo doesn’t learn a damned thing, except how to take an epic beating.

This episode is just wall-to-wall nuts. Piccolo blows up the entire city where the tournament is being held, and that’s just for openers. Tien uses his Ki-ko-ho to make a foxhole for the others to hide in, and Launch kicks Kami into it when he doesn’t jump in right away.

Piccolo’s city-busting blast was intended to finish off Goku, but it doesn’t even scratch the lovable bastard, and it just gives Goku and opening to pound the ever-loving crap out of Big Green. Goku just goes sickhouse on him, in one of the most satisfying and well-animated sequences in the whole series. And to add insult to injury, he continues to play by the tournament rules. Once he has Piccolo laid out where the ring used to be, he asks for a ten count.

And that turns out to be a huge mistake, as Piccolo has enough juice left to zap him with a mouth blast at the last second. The attack leaves a baseball-sized hole in Goku’s pec, and Piccolo just starts stomping on the wound. Worse, he’s still strong enough that no one else can come to Goku’s rescue.

And then, just when Goku looks to be finished, he gets back up anyway, still looking to win this battle. Is he overconfident or just stupid? Neither actually, as he has the whole fight under control, as the next episode reveals.

5. Dragon Ball Z Episode 281

Oh mannnn, this episode ruuuules. One of my pet peeves with this fandom is people crapping on the Buu Saga, simply for coming at the tail end of this franchise. It’s bullshit, just like how Star Wars purists act like Empire Strikes Back is the best movie ever made and Return of the Jedi is a cinematic bowel movement. They’re both good, you just lost interest before the series ended.

The Buu arc isn’t my favorite, but it’s balls-to-the-wall awesome, and when I was making this list I had a hard time picking a favorite episode from the Kid Buu fight. It’s just such a beautiful battle, packed with story and character development. I can’t blame viewers for getting burnt out on Dragon Ball if they watched the preceding 433 episodes first, but to say these episodes are bad is just flat-out wrong.

Anyway, I went with 281, which features the tail end of Goku’s solo effort against Kid Buu. Vegeta steps into give Goku a pep talk, and Goku admits that he can’t gather enough power to blow Buu away. To do that, he’ll need a full minute to charge his ki, and Vegeta offers to buy him that minute, even though he’s weaker than Goku and doesn’t stand a chance against Buu by himself.

What follows is a solid ten minutes of Vegeta getting clobbered, but he keeps getting back up and forcing himself to find new ways to play for time. He doesn’t try to beat Buu, because he knows he can’t. Instead, he keeps him busy, and psyches him out so he won’t bother Goku while he charges up.

What makes this work is that it’s the counterpoint to Episode 133, seen earlier on this list. Then, Vegeta thought his Super Saiyan form made him a guaranteed winner. Now, he’s using Super Saiyan 2 in a desperate bid to just hold the line until an even stronger fighter can make his own last-ditch effort to win. Vegeta’s fighting for a chance at victory, and it’s a slim chance at that. One of my favorite things about this episode is how tragic it is. By Episode 282, it becomes clear that Goku’s plan was never going to work, so Vegeta’s efforts were in vain. But he doesn’t seem to mind much, because at least he got to throw down against Kid Buu and see exactly how long he could hold out.

4. Dragon Ball Z Episode 184

This is the one where Gohan finally snaps and turns into a Super Saiyan 2, but when you put it like that, it seems so pedestrian.

From his first appearance in Episode 1 of DBZ, Gohan was shown to have hidden potential, which was gradually brought out over the course of the series. By the time the Cell Games rolled around, it was sort of implied that he had finally realized that full potential. Goku trained him to be a Super Saiyan like himself, and how much higher could he possibly get than that?

But Goku’s secret plan was for Gohan to fight Cell, and if he got in a pinch, Gohan would then tap into the same hidden potential he used to turn the tables on the Saiyans and Frieza. Goku’s theory was that if he trained Gohan to be a Super Saiyan, then any power boost Gohan experienced during the fight would rachet him up to an even higher level never seen before.

This suited Cell just fine, so he pooped out an army of mini-Cells to torture the Z-Fighters until Gohan’s rage pushed him into this higher level. And that’s what this episode is all about, except it doesn’t really work. The Cell Juniors clobber the heroes from pillar to post, but Gohan doesn’t change, and he doesn’t know how to make himself change. Then Android 16 has an idea to talk him through it, and he convinces Mr. Satan to toss his severed head over to Gohan to he can make his speech. Cell stomps on 16′s head in an impulsive act of cruelty, and then then “Unmei no Hi - Tmasahii Vs. Tamashii” starts playing.

This is a huge moment in the series, not only because of the advent of Super Saiyan 2 and the turning of the tide in the Cell Games, but also because it marks the fufillment of the promise of Gohan’s character. We all knew he would become something great, and now it finally comes into focus.

But this episode also gets high marks for how all the other characters are handled. Goku’s “foolproof” plan collapses, and he’s forced to apologize while they all get beaten down; Android 16 sacrifices himself after already losing his body; Mr. Satan does what little he can, proving that he’s more than just a gloryhound; and Cell seems to have second thoughts once he finally gets a glimpse at Gohan’s hidden power.

3. Dragon Ball Z Episode 94

Maybe it would make more sense to pick the episode where Goku turns Super Saiyan for the first time, but I think the false-finish that precedes it deserves the spot. I’ll try to explain.

There’s really three things going on in this one. First, Goku’s trying to assemble a Spirit Bomb powerful enough to kill Frieza. In the previous episode, Frieza finally noticed what he was up to, and he decided to kill Goku before he could use the bomb. But the bomb still isn’t big enough, so Goku needs more time.

Second, Piccolo has jumped in to keep Frieza busy long enough for Goku to get the time he needs. Much of this episode is Frieza beating up on a defenseless Piccolo, and then Krillin and Gohan jump in too. It’s just awesome seeing all these guys throw everything they can into this effort.

Third, there’s a filler subplot featuring the dead Z-Fighters on King Kai’s planet fighting the dead Ginyu Force members. It’s goofy, and kind of inconsequential, but it’s fun. I just like seeing the whole gang getting to worth together in the same episode.

So when Goku finally deploys the Spirit Bomb and Frieza finds himself overwhelmed, it really feels like a team effort. King Kai reports that Frieza’s been beaten, and this inspires Yamcha and the others to put the Ginyus away for keeps. On Namek, only Krillin and Gohan are left standing after the Spirit Bomb explodes, and they wonder if Goku and Piccolo could have survived.

I won’t sugar-coat it, a lot of DBZ episodes go pretty light on plot points. So when you get one like this, with so many things going on all at once, and so many characters joining in, and so much suspense and drama, it really clicks. This would have been a brilliant finale to the Frieza Saga, and the icing on the cake is that it’s all for naught. Frieza’s fine in the next episode, which is all-the-more frustrating because of how satisfying this episode was.

2. Dragon Ball Z Episode 179

Huh, I got a lot of Androids/Cell episodes on this list. It’s almost like the Androids/Cell arc is the best one and it rules over all. Nah, that can’t be it.

This is the high-water mark of the Goku/Cell fight, which the whole series had been building to since Cell was first introduced some thirty-odd episodes earlier. Here’s the new big-bad final boss, the next Frieza, essentially, so naturally it’s going to be up to Goku to put him down in a 19-episode brawl. Only that’s not what happens. Goku goes into the Cell Games admitting that he’s no match for Cell, but he wants to fight the guy anyway. No one understands what he’s planning, but he seems pretty upbeat for a guy who expects to lose.

The fight itself only goes four episodes. The first is a feeling-out process, the second is mostly Cell showboating, but in this third episode, they really go at it. The animation is beautifully handled by Keisuke Masunaga. He’d supervised a handful of episodes before this, but this one is the first action-heavy episode, truly serving as a demonstration of what he could do.

Plotwise, there isn’t a whole lot to say. The battle goes pretty evenly here, and the main appeal is that all the other characters are still trying to figure out what Goku’s strategy is. He said he couldn’t win, and yet he’s hanging in there with Cell, so what’s the deal? You might think Goku’s aiming to win on a technicality, using Cell’s own rules against him, except Cell enjoys the fight so much that he blows up his own ring to prevent any chance of an out-of-bounds finish. From here, the Cell Games can only end by surrender or death.

So then Goku goes up into the air and tries a Kamehameha, similar to the one Cell used earlier in the battle. Cell thinks it’s a bluff, since he knows he can dodge it, and from that steep an angle, Goku would just end up hitting the Earth and destroying it. But Goku doesn’t blink, and just when Cell isn’t sure what’s going to happen, Goku teleports right in front of him and unloads the Kamehameha into his face at pointblank range.

It’s another false finish. Cell survives, but he has to grow back his head and arms first. But for a moment, it looks like this was Goku’s big plan. He knew he couldn’t outpower Cell, so he out-finessed him by using the Instant Transmission to get past his guard. And you know, if the ring hadn’t been destroyed, maybe this would have worked. Goku could have tossed Cell’s decaptitated body out of bounds and Cell would have regenerated to find himself outside the ring. I always wonder what he would have done in that scenario. I mean, Cell’s kind of a sore loser, but he seems to respect clever ploys, and the tournament was his idea.

Anyway, Cell rules, this episode is wall-to-wall action, and the Warp Kamehameha is the best move in Budokai 2.

1. Dragon Ball Z Episode 31

Personally, I find the Saiyans Saga to be slightly overrated, but dammit, this episode has just about everything. I’d go so far as to say that when people praise the Saiyans Saga, they’re really only thinking back to this one episode, or maybe five of the best episodes that include this one.

Here’s the deal: Vegeta has invaded Earth and all of the Z-Fighters are dead or badly hurt. Only Goku is left to stop this guy, and he’s armed with the Kai-o-ken technique, a power multiplier as effective as it is risky. King Kai warned Goku never to go beyond a double Kai-o-ken, because anything more than that could cripple his own body. But he tried that in the previous episode, and Vegeta laughed it off. So in this episode, Goku reluctantly goes for a Kai-o-ken times three.

And for a few glorious minutes, Vegeta gets completely wrecked. Goku just picks him apart with hit after hit after hit. It’s enough to humble Vegeta and it’s enough to draw blood, but it doesn’t actually put the guy down. Instead, Vegeta becomes so outraged that he flips out and tries to destroy the entire planet with his finisher, the Galick Gun. This leaves no choice for Goku to keep using the Kai-o-ken times three, and he’s gotta fire a Kamehameha to block Vegeta’s shot.

And when that turns out to be too weak to push back Vegeta’s attack, Goku is forced to turn it up even higher and use a four times Kai-o-ken. So now we’re beyond anything King Kai had imagined when he taught him the technique. It works, and Goku manages to shoot Vegeta into space, but his body is terribly banged up from the effort.

Which is a real shame, because Vegeta manages to save himself from being blasted into space, and he’s still got enough juice to pull his own trump card: turning into a giant ape! Saiyans need a full moon to do this, and Piccolo helpfully destroyed the moon before Vegteta’s arrival, but that doesn’t matter, because Vegeta can make his own artificial moonlight with a special ki technique! So the episode ends with an exhausted Goku staring at a hundred-foot tall Vegeta-ape.

And hopefully I’ve made my point. You’ve got three big BIG moments in the series here. Goku’s Kai-o-ken X3 offensive against Vegeta was what made their rivalry. Before that, Vegeta never came close to sweating Goku, and afterward, every time Vegeta thought back on their battle, this was the part he remembered. The Galick Gun/Kamehameha beam struggle was an iconic moment all by itself, and it’s the standard by which all other beam struggles are judged. And then you’ve got Vegeta using the fake moon trick and turning into a giant ape, setting the stage for the final leg of the battle. Any one of these things would earn a spot on this list, but DBZ #31 has all three. It’s gotta take the top spot. It’s just gotta.

There’s a lot of really great episodes I didn’t cover. I’m a big fan of the Pikkon episodes, and the one where 16 fights Cell is a personal fave, and the Vegito episodes are awesome too. But there’s only so much room at the top. I bet I could have a completely different list in a couple years’ time. In conclusion, Dragon Ball fucking rules.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #top ten best episodes #frieza #goku #piccolo #trunks #vegeta #cell #perfect cell #gohan #majin buu #tien #android 18 #commander red #staff officer black

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biointernet · 5 years ago

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The End of Time

The End of Time (Doctor Who) Doctor Who Christmas special Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One & Two (DVD) This action-packed two part finale is the blockbuster final story of thetenth Doctor, David Tennant, written by Russell T Davies, the mastermind behind the rebirth of the modern Doctor Who. The story will culminate in the dramatic regeneration of the Doctor, givfans their first glimpse of the eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. A milestone in the history of the enduring UK sci-fi series Doctor Who is reached with this two-part serial: David Tennant, whose portrayal of the iconic Time Lord is arguably the most popular since the program's launch in 1963, ended his tenure as the Tenth Doctor, along with writer-producer Russell T. Davies, who revived the series to great acclaim in 2003. The End of Time pits the Doctor against his greatest foe, the Master (a terrifically wicked John Simm), as well as the Time Lords themselves (led by Timothy Dalton as an imperious Lord President), who seek to reverse their destruction at the hands of the Doctor at the end of the Time War. The crux of the plot is good old-fashioned adventure, with the Doctor and companion Wilf (Bernard Cribbins) attempting to stay one step ahead of the universe-wide doom the Time Lords hope to unleash, but the real raison d'être for The End of Time is to give Tennant a hearty sendoff for his four years as the Doctor. Davies provides a fond and, at times, quite emotional conclusion for his hero, complete with return engagements by many of his friends and companions (among them Billie Piper's Rose, Freema Agyeman's Martha, and even Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith) before his regeneration into the Eleventh Doctor, the much-discussed Matt Smith. As finales go, The End of Time is solid science fiction from start to finish, and most likely, will leave a few Who fans feeling a bit choked up after Tennant's final scene. The supplemental features on The End of Time are more plentiful than on most of the Tennant/Who DVD releases, though still not quite on par with the archival disc presentations. Tennant is front and center, naturally, for most of the extras; he's on both commentary tracks, with Catherine Tate (Donna) and director Euros Lyn on part 1 and Davies, the amusing Simm, and Lyn on part 2. Both are exceptionally light and upbeat, as are his video diaries, which cover all of the 2009 special episodes. Then it's off to Comic-Con with Tennant and Davies for a 20-minute capsule of their appearance at the 2008 edition of the pop culture juggernaut, as well as some cute BBC Christmas IDs and a handful of deleted and mostly forgettable scenes. Episodes of the behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Confidential round out the two-disc set. --Paul Gaita

BBC Presents: Doctor Who End of Time - In US Cinemas 8/7/19

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly ten years since David Tennant left Doctor Who in his heart-breaking finale “The End of Time”. To commemorate the occasion, BBC Studios and Fathom Events invite you to relive the agony and ecstasy of this absolutely thrilling story on the big screen. You’ll see the full two-part “The End of Time” including appearances by fan favourites Billie Piper, Catherine Tate, John Simm, Elisabeth Sladen, John Barrowman, and many more! In “The End of Time,” the Doctor’s psychotic nemesis the Master (Simm) has been reborn. Reunited with his friend Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins), the Doctor desperately tries to locate the Master only to find that an even greater danger is approaching. As a terrible shadow falls across the entire universe, an ancient trap closes around the Earth. With the sound of drums growing louder, the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone. But sacrifices must be made, and a deadly prophecy looms: “He will knock four times.” The evening will also feature a brand new interview with David Tennant in which he reflects on his time in Doctor Who and all that has come since. You won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime special cinema event!

The Full History of Time

Exhibition MHC by Kirill Korotkov and Lena Rhomberg Soon The Full History of Time Main Topics: Art, Science, Love, Magic, Technologies, Human Light System, Time Philosophy https://vimeo.com/55459718 Working at the limits of what can easily be expressed, filmmaker Peter Mettler takes on the elusive subject of time, and once again turns his camera to filming the unfilmmable. From the particle accelerator in Switzerland, where scientists seek to probe regions of time we cannot see, to lava flows in Hawaii which have overwhelmed all but one home on the south side of Big Island; from the disintegration of inner city Detroit, to a Hindu funeral rite near the place of Buddha's enlightenment, Mettler explores our perception of time. He dares to dream the movie of the future while also immersing us in the wonder of the everyday. THE END OF TIME, at once personal, rigorous and visionary, Peter Mettler has crafted a film as compelling and magnificent as its subject. THE END OF TIME does Detroit January 10/11/12 & 16! Friday, Jan. 10: 7:30 p.m. - Tickets $5 Saturday, Jan 11: 7:30 p.m. + Q & A with Peter Mettler -Tickets $7 Sunday, Jan 12: 4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. - Tickets $5 Thurs, Jan. 16: 7:30 p.m. - Tickets $5 http://cinemadetroit.com/ THE END OF TIME opens theatrically in NYC Nov 29th through Dec 5th @ Film Society of Lincoln Center The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents: PICTURES OF LIGHT, a retrospective of Peter Mettler's work. THE END OF TIME screens Saturday, November 9, 2013 as part of The White Light Festival. PICTURES OF LIGHT runs November 8-12, 2013. The film is now showing in theaters in Germany. Please check local venues for ongoing schedules. May 9, 2013 BERLIN - Central, Eiszeit May 9, 2013 DRESDEN - Kino im Dach May 9, 2013 FRANKFURT - Mal Seh'n May 9, 2013 FREIBURG - Friedrichsbau May 9, 2013 HANNOVER - Kino im KÅ¸nstlerhaus May 9, 2013 HERRSCHING - Breitwand May 9, 2013 KIEL - Kommunales Kino May 9, 2013 Kâ€¦LN - Filmpalette May 9, 2013 LEIPZIG - Cinematheque May 9, 2013 Mâ€ NCHEN - Werkstatt Kino May 9, 2013 STUTTGART - Arthaus May 16-19, 2013 ERLANGEN - Manhatten May 16, 2013 Nâ€ RNBERG - Filmhaus May 17, 2013 KARLSRUHE - Kinemathek May 20-26, 2013 LEIPZIG - SchaubÅ¸hne May 23-29, 2013 HALLE - Puschkino May 30.2013 HEIDELBERG - Karlstor May 30 - June 6, 2013 KAISERSLAUTERN - Union May 30, 2013 MAGDEBURG - Moritzhof May 30 - June 6, 2013 WASSERBURG - Utopia CANADA Theatrical Release Starts Dec. 12, 2012 TORONTO - Run Extended to January 13, 2013 TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 350 King St. West Daily Screenings CHECK: www.tiff.net Click: Films & Events - See Schedule for THE END OF TIME MONTREAL - Opens 12/12/12 EXCENTRIS 3536 Saint Laurent Blvd Check Local Listings for Showtimes The film is now showing in theaters in Switzerland. Please check local venues for ongoing schedules. Peter Mettler will be in attendance at the following screenings. SWITZERLAND Oct 10, 2012 ZÜRICH PRE-PREMIERE - RiffRaff, 20.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A (M.Goldberg) followed by apéro Oct 11, 2012 BASEL SPECIAL SCREENING - kult.kino, 18.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A (Eric Facon) Oct 11, 2012 RiffRaff - ZÜRICH, kult.kino camera - BASEL, cineMovie - BERN, stattkino - LUZERN, Kinok - ST.GALLEN , Freier Film -. AARAU, Orient - BADEN WETTINGEN Oct 14, 2012 BERN SPECIAL SCREENING - cineMovie, 10.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A (M.Goldberg) Oct 15, 2012 ST.GALLEN SPECIAL SCREENING - Kinok, 19.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A Oct 16, 2012 LAUSANNE PRE-PERMIERE - Bellevaux, 19.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A (F.Maire) Oct 17, 2012 GENEVE SPECIAL SCREENING - Les Scala, 19.30h Peter Mettler in Attendance - Q&A (J.Perret) Oct 17. 2012 Les Scala - GENF, Bellevaux - LAUSANNE, Apollo - NEUCHÂTEL, ABC - LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS http://www.theendoftimemovie.com/ See also:

Time symbolism

Time is…

Time in physics and time Science Symbolism of Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer

Time and Text

Text, Time, MHC Extinction Rebellion – Time against Life Hourglass and Death on St Thomas’ Church Hourglass – symbol of Death Hourglass and Skeleton “Hourglass and Cards” Exhibition Father and Mother of Time Time Hub The Hourglass, Hourglass History Hourglass symbolism Hourglass Body Hourglass Tattoo Symbols of Time Father of Time Hourglasses Read the full article

#DoctorWho:TheEndofTime #EndofTime #HistoryofTime #Hourglass #TheEndofTime(DoctorWho)#TheFullHistoryofTime #Time

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waezi2okko · 5 years ago

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Top Ten OK KO episodes

In the "Incredibles" movie, the bad guy Syndrome plans on staging a fight to become a famous superhero. And when he eventually becomes too old for that, he plans on selling his technology so anyone can become super, arguing that if EVERYONE is super... no one is.

"OK KO, Let's Be Heroes" has a different view on this. In the show, EVERYONE is super, so everyone are AWESOME!

"OK KO" is one of those shows that are so wholesome and fun that you stop thinking about logic and just accept this strange world of heroes and villains who takes inspiration from video games, comicbooks, action movies, mangas and more stuff hero-related. It has a feel of a game being played in a sandbox by kids who brought their random toys and are just going with it.

In the show, our main character is KO, a 6-11 year old kid who wants to become a hero. In order to get experience and be more familiar with the world of heroes, KO takes a job in a bodega run by his idol Mr. Gar. KO befriends Enid and Rad, the teens who works in the store as well, and assists them in running the bodega as well as defending it from destruction whenever the evil scientist Lord Boxman(who lives at the other side of the street) attacks the bodega with his evil robot children.

Yeah, it's kinda silly:P But in an awesome way.

Besides the humor, the creative character designs and the many references that will make you feel old if you get them, it is also the modern cartoon show that I think does the best relationships as well developing said relationships(sorry Steven Universe). Anyways, made this blog because I feel my main one has too much OK KO stuff, so I will start of this one with a top ten of the best episodes of the series.

Number 10: We Messed Up.

I HAVE to include this episode on the list since it was the first I watched.

Mr. Gar is out, and he has SPECIFICALLY told his employees to stay away from his office.

... So they go to his office. And breaks his stuff. The three friends must figure out how to stall their boss as well as how to replace the picture of KO's mom(that he for some reason has) so Mr. Gar won't be... disappointed!

I HAD to include this episode on the list since it was the first OK KO ep I watched. Also, a lot of lore was revealed in this episode, leading up to future episodes and storylines as we learn that Mr. Gar used to be on a superhero team with KO's mom Carol AND that Mr. Gar apparently used to be a masked wrestler. That, and the episode is just plain funny, mostly because of Mr. Gar being extra as heck!

Number 9: Whacky Jaxxyz

When KO gets introduced to the game and toy Whacky Jaxxyz by his cool classmate Nanini, KO jumps aboard the trend and even enters a tournament with Nanini.

Buuuut then they meet other people who play Whacky Jaxxyz as well and realize that the game's fandom is rather toxic.

And by "rather", I mean "VERY".

As a kid from the late 90s and early 00s, I can relate to this episode since I collected stuff such as Bayblades, Yugioh cards and such. I still feel cheated sometimes by the Yugioh franchise as well as being irritated by the fans of it who can sometimes ruin it for me. This episode shows how something fun can get ruined by both the people who provides it as well as the people who obsess over it.

Also, famous YouTuber ProZD is guest star:)

Number 8: Let's Watch the Boxmore Show

When KO and his friends are about to defend the bodega against another robot attack from Boxmore, they realize that they don't have to lift a finger since the robots are fighting EACH OTHER. Wanting to know what is going on, Mr. gar gives his employees permission to use his monitor room since he has hacked the surveillance cameras of Boxmore, allowing them to see what is going on in the robot factory. Our heroes realize that there is a competition in Boxmore, EXTREMELY similar to a reality TV-show. KO, Rad and Enid ends up getting addicted to watching the "show", even rooting for their favorite robot and ends up quarreling about who deserves to win or lose.

I grew up in the golden age of reality TV-show and can recognize the stereotypes WAY too well, both the contestants as well as the fans who obsess over the shows. This was just such a stupidly hilarious episode to watch. And Christopher Niosi who voices minor characters was on the top of his game in this episode.

Also, if you don't know Christopher Niosi, you should check out his YouTube channel.

Number 7: My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad

KO gets in an insult contest with another kid named Chameleon Junior. And like all kids, Chameleon Junior argues that his dad could beat up KO's dad. And this specific insult gets to KO since... well, he DOESN'T have a dad. So he tells CJ that he might not have a dad, but that his mom Carol can beat anyone up. The two boys part ways to get their parents to fight to prove who has the stronger dad/mom. Carol tries to teach KO a lesson about talking things out, and... yeah, things escalate when a godzilla-sized chameleon dad is involved.

I was tempted to place this episode on the number one spot imply because watching a very angry hand-to-hand fighter mom beat up a giant lizard was amazing. But the ending twist that is a reference to old Godzilla movies was clever as heck. Chameleon Senior is revealed to actually being a giant man in a lizard costume, kinda like how old Godzilla movies had a man in such a costume.

Number 6: T.K.O.

KO is frustrated since he still doesn't have powers like Rad and Enid and worries that he will never become a true hero.

But then he meets a shadowy figure who tells him that he can help him reach his true potential.

... Yeah, KO shouldn't have trusted the guy.

I kinda knew from the start that KO would end up having an evil side that made him powerful, especially since he looks so much like Ryu from Street Fighter. But the way his dark side(AKA Turbo KO) is introduced is actually rather creative. It isn't anger that makes KO go dark, it is a combination of a whole lot of negative emotions that appears when he feels insignificant. That means that TKO has much more potential than just being a little angry monster, he is all of KO's negative emotions, including sadness, frustration and depression.

Number 5: Red Action To The Future

One of Enid's friends is a timetraveler called Red Action. When Red is getting a call from her Power-Ranger like team that tells her to return to the future, Enid is too proud to tell her not to go, fearing that Red would think less of her for being "clingy." But all Enid gets out of it is that Red is busy fighting a war in the future, and whenever she sees her again, it is only for short visits, and Red has aged months and years every time Enid sees her. Red ends up having lived a whole life in what was minutes for Enid.

With a show like OK KO where timetravel is a thing, you can have episodes that tackles with friends who doesn't say things to each other due to a mix of pride and shame, then realize that they missed their chance and a lifetime has passed. Enid gets to experience this much faster since Red is in the future, so time is relative.

Number 4: Rad Likes Robots

After an intense battle between the bogeda workers and the evil robots, one of the robots named Shannon gets hit by lighting and then falls in love with Rad who quickly becomes infatuated with the robot as well.

So, yeah. This is the Romeo and Juliet episode. But unlike other cartoon shows, this one does Romeo and Juliet right, if you ask me.

I actually mad e a whole blog about the episode that you can read RIGHT HERE.

Number 3: Know your Mom

KO's mom Carol is one of the strongest people in Lakewood next to Mr Gar. So it is sort of weird that she isn't a big-time superhero and instead just runs a fitness center.

When KO does research on his mom for Mother's Day, he finds out that she actually USED to be a big-time superhero. She was known as Silver Spark and was a member of the world's greatest superhero team POINT(Powerful Operatives Investigating and Neutralizing Trouble). But then she decided to quit the team 6-11 years ago. KO is horrified since HE is 6-11 years old, so he believes that he might be the reason to why Carol left POINT. So KO decides to call her archenemy and make him come fight her as the perfect gift.

What really sells this episode is Carol's old enemy Succulentus who is voiced by Jonathan Davis, the leading vocalist of the nu-metal band Korn. Most of his dialog has references to nu-metal songs, most of them I actually caught, making me feel old, especially since Succulentus is an old fart. Sure, he is old because he is a cactus, but it is still funny to be reminded of music you grew up with that is now considered "old".

Number 2: You're in Control

This was an awesome season one finale! Not only did it have an epic battle, it had been built up to through the whole season, making it that much more satisfying to watch. And it even had one heck of a cliffhanger that made me even more hyped about season two.

Number 1: Special Delivery

Enid and Rad are KO's best friends and pseudo older sibling. But they are also each others' best friend. So "Special Delivery" is an interesting episode since it focuses on Enid and Rad relationship without KO involved.

Someone has ordered a package from Mr. Gar's bodega, so Rad and Enid have been given the task of delivering it while KO stays in the store. The one who ordered it is in a town far away, so it is roadtrip time!

Rad and Enid actually has fun being together while driving to Neo Riot City... But Enid ends up having too much fun on Rad's expense.

Best friendship episode of the whole series since it focuses on communication and what the lack of it can cause since you can end up unintentionally hurt someone who is important to you. Also has the awesome and cliche song "I Wanna Get Out of Here" written by William Gibbons who is songwriter for the band Kara's Walk Home.

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loreweaver-universe · 6 years ago

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LAST EDITED ON 7/9/2020

I got @’d on Twitter about a liveblog recommendation list, so let me reiterate what I said there regarding my status on potential liveblogs that they mentioned. In fact, here’s a whole rundown!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the biggest one that they wanted me to liveblog, as I’ve only ever seen the first episode and a smattering of clips from elsewhere. Unfortunately, this is one I will almost certainly never do as a main-lineup show; patrons can pledge enough to get me to do episodes, but that’s the only way I’m going to liveblog it, as I have almost no interest in it whatsoever, and considering how hard it’s been for me to blog Wander, I can’t imagine I’ll have any kind of a good time with MLP.

Also, I’m a little scared of the fandom, as it��d be a rough time staving off the less pleasant groups. I should know, I grew up in the online Sonic fandom.

Gravity Falls is, unfortunately, not on the table. For the exact opposite reason; I’ve seen all but, like, eight episodes, and am heavily spoiled on the rest.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, to remind everybody, is the show that already replaced Madoka Magica in my main lineup. You’ll be seeing more of that as I catch up on Steven Universe and repair my shattered mental health.

Star Vs the Forces of Evil is on the potential liveblogs list for my patrons to vote on whenever I catch up on a main-lineup show and need to replace it.

Amphibia is also on that list, and is a show I’m very excited about--for obvious reasons.

They also mentioned The Owl House, The Loud House, and Victor and Valentino. I’ve never heard of any of these, so I guess when I finish She-Ra I’ll ask my staff if they’re shows I should add to the poll.

EDIT: Zombieland Saga keeps getting brought up as a liveblog possibility, as well.

THE CURRENT LINEUP

MAIN SHOWS

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power--Have done the first thirteen episodes.

INACTIVE SHOWS

Steven Universe--Completed. :’(

Over the Garden Wall--Completed.

Madoka Magica--I stopped liveblogging this show due to my declining mental health not being able to handle its pessimism and negativity. This is never coming back..

Wander Over Yonder--I wasn’t enjoying the show, and, more importantly, nobody was enjoying me not enjoying the show.

Infinity Train--Completed through the end of season 2. Waiting on season 3.

PATRON PICKS

Currently, I have three slots on my Patreon (valued at fifty dollars per liveblog) where a patron can straight-up pick a show for me to do--either a full ten-minute episode or half of a twenty-minute episode per month. Once I’m mentally able to handle working consistently again and get ahead of my responsibilities, I might do extra liveblogs of these shows in a month beyond what I’ve been commissioned for--but that’s a maybe and a someday, so don’t plan on it.

Baccano--Currently halfway through episode 10. Really enjoying how funny it is.

Paranoia Agent--Currently completed episode 10. Very high-quality.

A Place Further Than the Universe--Currently halfway through episode 8. this show is so cute you guys

OTHER POTENTIAL PATRON PICKS

Some of my patrons have backup shows they might have me switch to or do after I complete theirs. These are those shows.

Re:Zero

POTENTIAL PICKS

These are shows that are definitely on the voting list for when my patrons collectively vote on a new show. It’s not the entirety of the list, but these won’t change.

Amphibia

Star vs the Forces of Evil

DuckTales 2017

Samurai Jack

Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts

The Dragon Prince

Hilda

Mob Psycho

Camp Camp

The Owl House

Anyways, that’s the status of my shows, past, present, and future. Hope that cleared stuff up!

#bloggin #inbetween #psa

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profoundnet · 6 years ago

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Profound Member Post - February 2019

Header by @cryptomoon and is available on merch from her redbubble store. You can use all those fancy emojis (and more!) on our Discord Server!

The Masterpost is open for all creations by ProfoundBond members which are posted in entirely during that month.

MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 2019!

Masterpost below the cut.

MaggieMaybe160 - @maggiemaybe160 - MaggieMaybe160 (Pillowfort)

Listen To Me

Summary: Amara was given the thing she needed most so she gives Dean what he needs. What if John Winchester came back instead of Mary?

Tags: Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Heavy Angst

SFW

Wandering Angel

Summary: From a prompt: When Sam and Dean died, Cas was still exiled.

Tags: Major Character Death mentioned, Heavy Angst, Song Fic

SFW

Come Into My Office

Summary: Castiel goes to work for Sandover when Zachariah kidnaps and brainwashes Sam and Dean. An office romance blooms when Dean has to call Castiel into his office.

Tags: Episode: It's a Terrible Life, Explicit Sex, Top Cas/Bottom Dean, Fluff/Smut/Light Angst

NSFW

The Valentine’s Date

Summary: Cas sets up the perfect date to tell Dean how he feels on Valentine's Day.

Tags: Season 14 Spoilers, Love Confessions, Angst

SFW

Reprogrammed

Summary: Castiel can't tell what's real and what's the brainwashing from Naomi.

Tags: Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Episode: Goodbye Stranger, Heavy Angst

SFW

The Secrets That You Keep

Summary: Dean Winchester is allergic to shellfish.

Tags: Major Character Death, Allergies, Heavy Angst

SFW

I Am The Nightmare

Summary: Dean has been having night terrors and Cas is trying to help him as they become more dangerous.

Tags: Graphic Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Real Events

SFW

Defeat the Night||BAMF!Destiel

Summary: Supernatural Fan Video Tags: Demon Dean, BAMF SFW

casbean - @casbeanwrites - casbean

‘Til Dreams Do Us Part

Summary: Dean’s woken up in a hospital before. He doesn’t like it, but it’s part of the job. It happens. And he doesn’t mind it as much when the first thing he sees is his husband’s face. Castiel looks terribly grim, until he notices that Dean is awake. “Heya, sunshine,” Dean grins. His vision is still a little blurry and he flexes his fingers -- they still move. So do his toes. Good news. “Dean!” Sam enters his field of vision, the weary expression on his face morphing into relief. “Thank God, we didn’t know if--” “Hey, I’m fine.” Dean manages to stretch out his hand and pat Cas’ arm. “What happened?” “You don’t remember?” “Remember what?” “The Djinn got you. He kept you for five days, and your dream made him so strong he almost killed us both.”

Tags: Alternate Universe - Genie/Djinn, Djinn fic, Hurt/Comfort, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending

NSFW

sharing

Summary: “This isn’t how I imagined we’d first share a bed,” Dean lets out without thinking about it.

Tags: Case Fic, Sharing a Bed, Mutual PiningHurt/Comfort, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Canon Compliant

SFW

spunk

Summary: “The spell calls for… angelic… um. Spunk.” “Spunk?” “Yeah, y’know.” “I don’t,” Cas frowns. “Sperm, Cas. We need your jizz for the spell.”

Tags: Fuck Or Die, Mutual Pining, First Time, First Kiss, Blow Jobs, Case Fic, Canon Compliant

NSFW

unlucky swap

Summary: “Dude, what the fuck did I say?” Sam huffs. And rolls his eyes. And despite the fact that it’s been over two weeks, Dean’s heart still squeezes at how Cas that gesture is. Because, well, it is Cas. Just stuck in the sasquatch body of Dean’s humongous brother.

Tags: Body Swap, Established Relationship, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Case Fic

SFW

Duck and Berries

Summary: A story about a meet cute, a duck confit, and a small matter of mistaken identity.

Tags: First Meetings, Falling In Love, team switch, Castiel and Jimmy Novak are Twins, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending

NSFW

MalMuses - @malmuses - MalMuses (Pillowfort)

The Greatest International Love Story the World Has Ever Seen

Summary: Dean wasn’t the type of person who did this kind of thing. He just wasn’t. GISH?? Ugh. The whole thing was just further proof that Dean would do anything his brother wanted him to do. Why else would he be in a Stormtrooper costume, calling up his ex-girlfriend for a private yoga class? Had he been stuck in a rut that long? Given that he’d been pining for the same freakin’ guy, his professor and coworker no less, for three long years… maybe. Cas was definitely the type of person who did this kind of thing, not that many people knew that. He was one of the most well-respected professors at KSU. His students and coworkers didn’t need to know that he was captain of a GISH team, or that he knitted kinky accessories and made art with his online friends. His TA certainly didn’t need to know either. Just professionalism, of course. Nothing at all to do with the failed attempt at a relationship, three years of pining, and frequent inappropriate daydreams. A two-person love triangle with online friendships, costumes, and a lot of glitter.

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Two person love triangle, Comedy of Errors, GISH, Mutual Pining, Dean Cas Pinkest 2019

NSFW

With accompanying art by blueeyesandpie (@blueeyesandpie)

drawlight - @drawlight - drawlight (Pillowfort)

The Crane In White

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a little crane who fell in love with a human. He prayed every night to be made human to be with his love. Once upon a time, Dean Winchester finds a white crane.

Tags: Fairytale, Falling In Love, Romance, Creature Castiel, Pining

NSFW

EllenOfOz - @ellen-of-oz - EllenOfOz

Dark Blue, Dark Blue

Summary: Written for Dean/Cas Pinefest 2019. In late 2006, Castiel and Dean are in the same guild and raid team in the online game, Moondoor. They only know each other by their character names: Niteryder and Thorsangel, but they hang out and chat whenever they’re not raiding. Dean is baffled though—no matter how much time they spend talking online, Angel never reveals anything about himself. That’s because Castiel is in hiding. At school he hides behind his emo image and stays as invisible as he can, but online he’s got to be extra-vigilant. He can’t reveal anything about himself to Ryder, as much as he might like to—doing so would risk bringing trouble down on himself and his mom. There’s something about Ryder that makes him easy to talk to, though. But outside of the game, ghosts from Castiel’s family’s past are out for revenge, and going back to Lawrence, KS to visit his friend Meg could put him in danger.

Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, MMORPGs, Gamer Castiel, Emo Castiel, Mutual Pining, Bi-Curious Dean Winchester, Long-Distance Friendship, Friends to Lovers

SFW

deaniewithalittleweanie - @deaniewithalittleweanie - deaniewithalittleweanie

Valentine’s Day 2019

Summary: Dean and Sam find a strange case in Chicago about a couple who confessed their long concealed crushes on one another and both had heart attacks during the throes of passion. Castiel tags along to investigate.

Tags: First Kiss, First time, Love Confessions, Case Fic

NSFW

Building Up

Summary: As Dean and Castiel's relationship progresses, Castiel realizes that Dean hasn't exactly had safe practices in the BDSM world, and now it's Castiel's job to show him the ropes...pun intended.

Tags: Dom Castiel, Sub Dean, BDSM, Punishment Scene, Aftercare

NSFW

NadiaHart - @hartlessfiction - NadiaHart (Pillowfort)

Thunder in The Library

Summary: Castiel’s work as the Head Librarian of The Grand Library of Magic and Lost Artifacts has him away on a last minute trip for far longer than he anticipated. By the time he returns, there’s a certain book who’s less than pleased with his inability to keep his word.

Tags: Magical Castiel, magic is known, Curses, Cursed Dean Winchester, Magical Dean Winchester, Fluff, Tooth Rotting Fluff, Librarian Castiel (Supernatural)

SFW

robotsnchicks - @robotsnchicks - robotsnchicks

Gimme The News

Summary: Dr. Novak crosses his arms and glares at Dean from across the room. “If you think there’s a foreign object lodged in your rectum then I suggest you go to the emergency room so they can take an x-ray and properly address the situation.” Dean sucks his lower lip in and then releases it into a pout. “Aw c'mon doc. I've got a ten dollar copay here. If I go to the hospital I'm looking at a couple hundred minimum.” He spends some time admiring the strong length of the doctor's hands. “Besides I'd much rather have my favorite doctor’s fingers in me than some stranger at the ER.”

Tags: Doctor!Cas, Patient!Dean, Medical Kink, Humor and Smut

NSFW

Aceriee - @missaceriee

Grand Gestures

Summary: Valentine’s Day art

SFW

EmiliaOagi - EmiliaOagi

Presenting Dean Winchester

Summary: Dean finally start presenting his secondary gender, and Castiel has an unexpected reaction to Dean's new scent. A somewhat different take on a/b/o, set in a canon-divergent universe somewhere around season 8/9

Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Castiel

NSFW

elanor-n-evermind - @elanor-n-evermind - elanor-n-evermind

Pride Flags of the Oddly Shaped Empty A/B/O Universe

Summary: Secondary pride flags inspired by Jemariel's fic Oddly Shaped Empty

Tags: A/B/O dynamics, genderqueer, beta Dean, alpha Castiel

SFW

iCeDreams - iCeDreams

Dean's Top 13 Zepp Traxx

Summary: Dean's love language is told not in words, but in songs. In the notes of his favorite rock band and the rhythm of their melodies. His longest unfinished work is composed of Led Zeppelin songs, chosen for the feelings they evoke. It's Dean's life, reflected into one mix and shared carefully in hopes that he would be heard and understood.

Tags: Canon Compliant, Dean's Top 13 Zepp Traxx Mixtape, Inspired by Music, John Winchester's A+ Parenting

SFW

Darmys - Darmys

Long Road Home: Unto the Breach

Summary: Sam and Dean set out on a journey of danger and discovery. Joining forces with a band of outcasts and rebels, they plan to strike a blow for freedom against the vast and powerful empire which stole Bobby from them. This is the second part of a massive space opera trilogy. Based on the original work of Alis A. Rasmussen.

Tags: Alternate Universe - The Highroad Trilogy, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Past Benny Lafitte/Dean Winchester, Past Dean Winchester/Nick Munroe, Robot!Baby, Canon-Typical Deaths, Canon-Typical Violence, Referenced Past Rape/Non-con, Period-Typical Racism, Revolution

SFW

Salt-And-Silver - Salt-And-Silver

The Thief

Summary: The Empty’s threats echoed through his mind. Every rare happy moment, clouded with the reminder that he couldn’t let himself feel too much.

Tags: Major Character Death, One Shot, Heavy Angst, Angst & Tragedy, Love Confessions

SFW

supernatural9917 - @supernatural9917fic - supernatural9917

Into This

Summary: Dean is finally going to confess his love to his best friend. He gets quite a bit more than he bargained for. Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo 2018. Square fill: 'I didn't know you were into this.'

Tags: AU, Friends to Lovers, Cas is a professional dom, mention of past Castiel/Meg, mention of Castiel/others in a professional D/s context, These two idiots have been pining for years, Light Dom/sub

NSFW

De-stressing Mr Smith

Summary: Dean Smith's stoner hippie neighbour Castiel thinks Dean is wound up way too tight, and offers him a couple of different methods to de-stress. Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo 2018. Square fill: Endverse!Cas/Dean Smith Tags: Endverse Cas/Dean Smith, Castiel Acts Like Endverse Castiel, Dean Smith, Episode: s04e17 It's a Terrible Life Sort Of, Castiel and Dean Winchester are Neighbors

NSFW

For Science

Summary: Dean signs up to take part in a science experiment studying brain activity during arousal and orgasm. Jerking off to porn for money? Sounds like his dream job! Things get a little more complicated when the person running the study turns out to be his secret crush, Cas. Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo 2018. Square filled: For science.

Tags: for science, Exhibitionist Dean Winchester, Science, Scientist Castiel, Accidental Voyeurism that's a little bit on purpose

NSFW

Double Deaned

Summary: Tomorrow, they're gonna kill the devil. Tonight... well, they've got other plans. Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo 2018. Square filled: Endverse Sandwich (2014!Dean/2014!Cas/2009!Dean)

Tags: Endverse sandwich, Threesome - M/M/M, Angst, Endverse Dean is a dick, implied breath play

NSFW

And the Academy Award Goes To....

Summary: It's Oscar season! Will the Academy give Whisper Its Name the recognition it deserves? A Red Carpet Chronicles timestamp.

Tags: Red Carpet Chronicles, Timestamp, Alternate Universe - Actors, Oscars, Chick-Flick Moments, Fluff, Mountains and mountains of fluff, Cas is so proud

SFW

Accompanying art by delicious-irony

dean-cas-in-the-impala - @dean-cas-in-the-impala - dean-bangs-cas-in-the-impala

Fortunato

Summary: Cas finds a kitten. Dean is not happy. But for how long?

Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Romance, Domestic Destiel, Destiel in the bunker, kitten fic

SFW

Will You Bee Mine?

Summary: Whatever Castiel bakes just tastes heavenly.

Tags: Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Romance, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff

SFW

insominia - @a-insominia - insominia

Roadside Assistance

Summary: Dean Winchester is probably the most decent human being Castiel has ever met, not to mention gorgeous. But, Castiel has more baggage than an airport terminal and Dean's only being kind because Castiel broke down in a snowstorm and nothing is going to happen. Probably nothing.

Tags: AU - Modern Universe, Attempted Kidnapping, Strangers to Lovers, Love at First Sight, Fluff and Smut

NSFW

My Brother, Dean

Summary: Sam Winchester doesn't know much about Dean's secret other-half. He only has half a name to go on 'Cas'. Whoever she is, she's probably a gorgeous brunette who loves beer and pie and Sam doesn't care that Dean wants to keep her a secret, he's just glad his brother is happy. It was going to happen eventually and Dean invites Sam out, probably with an eye to introducing them at last. Nothing goes to plan and it turns out Sam knows nothing.

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Coming Out, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Implied Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Family Fluff

SFW

Chick-Flick Moment

Summary: Dean wants to do something nice for Cas, but what do you get an angel of the lord to show your appreciation? Enter: Sam, with the great idea of 'how about you ask him if there's anything he wants?' Which is fine until Cas says, 'I want a chick-flick moment.' But Dean said he'd do anything and he intends to deliver.

Tags: Date Night, Romance, Fluff

SFW

I'm Just Not Myself (When You're Away)

Summary: It's been three years now and Dean hasn't said a word. He left so much unsaid so now he says nothing.

Tags: Angst, Post-Canon, Forgetful Dean Winchester, Growing Old, SFW

The Hunter’s Church

Summary: The gates of heaven are closed to Castiel and not even his voice can penetrate it. After the Winchesters have passed Castiel still hunts and the new hunters sometimes pray to the legendary guardian angel of hunters. He always comes when they call and all he ever asks in return is that when they pray they pass on a message - I'm safe and I love you.

Tags: Future Fic, Post-Canon, Family Feels, Angst and Feels

SFW

All in a Name

Summary: It's 5 am and Castiel wants a coffee. It's surely not an unreasonable request.

Tags: AU - Coffee Shop, Meet-Cute, First meetings, fluff

SFW

Fifty Shades of Cas

Summary: Castiel asked Dean to show him what 'Fifty Shades of Grey' meant. Dean has only the vaguest idea what those excuse-for-soft-porn-in-chick-flicks are actually about but he's not one to back down from a challenge. Unfortunately for him, Castiel knows exactly what 'Fifty Shades of Grey' means and is happy to illustrate the gaps in his knowledge.

Tags: Dom/Sub Play, Fifty Shades of Grey Bashing, Misunderstandings, Frottage, Oral Sex, Restraints

NSFW

zipegs - @ghstfcers - zipegs

Refraction

Summary: A collection of 100-word drabbles as prompted by the Profound Bond Discord’s weekly challenge. Each chapter will correspond to a one-word prompt, with at least one stand-alone drabble per chapter.

SFW

Like Salvation

Summary: That’s the kicker, isn’t it? The moment Dean wants to keep fighting is the moment it’s no longer an option.

Tags: Episode: s14e12 Prophet and Loss, 14x12 coda, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, First Kiss, cas and dean get the emotional moment they deserve

SFW

PallasPerilous -@pallasperilous - PallasPerilous

Twenty Questions

Category: General

Summary: Dean is AWOL, so Cas rides shotgun. Sam does his best to fill the silence with an entirely academic inquiry into the nature of Enochian pronouns and their relation, or lack thereof, to the gender of human vessels.

...it's more fun than it sounds.

Tags: Castiel & Sam Winchester, Ficlet, Angel Gender, Angel True Forms, POV Sam, Conversations in the Impala

SFW

Demon!Castiel

Category: General

Summary: Demon!Castiel for @bisexualdemondean

Tags: Demon!Castiel, AU, tailored suiting is hot

SFW

Canadduh - @canadduh - canadduh (Pillowfort)

Never, Always, Forever

Summary: He knew that drinking games were bad news. Especially drinking games that involved him, Cas, and a few too many shots of tequila.

Tags: Never Have I Ever, Bottom Dean Winchester, Top Castiel, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Fluff and Smut, Angst, Post-Coital Cuddling, Come Eating

NSFW

#profoundnet monthly masterpost #member post #members post #profoundnet #deancasreclist #february masterpost #member fic #member art

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captaindaddykru · 6 years ago

Text

you hurt the ones you love (i don't believe that)

for @obviesbellarke based on this photo ;)

Raven has always prided herself on her work ethic. She didn’t come from much, her parents did not plan on having a child which about described her relationship with them, and she worked part-time jobs ever since the goverment allowed her to. (Since they put her in the system and the system failed her, she felt like she could pretty much do whatever she wanted to the system. So sometimes she repaid the cards they dealt her by doing some not so legal hacking into college databases to slightly change rich frat boy GPA’s and make some extra cash.)

It paid off, because now Raven works for NASA and she didn’t even apply for the job. They asked her to come work for them. Who can say NASA asked them to come work for them? Raven Reyes can. Why? Because she is a certified genius who worked her way through high school, and college, and a master degree, and still managed to look halfway attractive, get in thirty minutes of exercise a day and keep a semi-active social life throughout it all.

She loved her job. She did, but—but it also meant long days, a lot of overtime, even more time spend on business trips and conference calls. If it wasn’t for her boyfriend Zeke working in the same building as her, she’s pretty sure she would never see him either since she barely ever goes home. She just happened to luck out and get the most amazing, understanding and supportive friends in the universe.

Besides, after spending half her life ‘being friends’ with Finn—who fucked her over and ghosted her after mere nine days apart at different colleges—Raven has come to learn what real friendship is. Emori tags her in a meme at least every other day, Harper brings over fresh vegetables from her and Monty’s garden whenever she looks extra pale and Clarke dutifully keeps her up to date on all her favorite shows she has zero time to watch. They’re as real as it gets.

Hence, when things start to cross over from a strong work ethic to borderline workaholic slash inevitable burn-out and her boss Sinclair forces her to take two weeks off, she is disappointed when the first three people she asks to hang out on her first free Saturday night that year already have plans. They barely hear from her in months beside a quick ‘what’s up’ in their group chat before she falls asleep on her couch every Saint Glinglin and they have the audacity to not keep their nights free in case she might ask them to hang out sometime? Assholes.

Since Emori and Murphy are out of town (probably robbing a house or something, she still doesn’t know what they do in their free time), and Harper and Monty have dinner with her parents, Clarke is up next. Raven texts her asking what she is doing that weekend, opening up a bottle of wine before padding over to her living room without a glass. She deserves the entire thing. Raven starts up Netflix on her smart TV while she waits for her friend to reply.

Twenty minutes deep into an episode of Homeland, her phone buzzes annoyingly on the armrest.

CLARKE [8:51 PM]:

who’s number is this?

RAVEN [8:54 PM]:

very funny griffin. drinks on saturday?

It takes a surprisingly long time for Clarke to answer her text, even though she isn’t a notorious bad back-texter unlike her boyfriend. One time like two years back, Raven asked Bellamy if he wanted to chip in on Murphy’s birthday present and he still hasn’t replied to this day. She’s pretty sure he isn’t even aware of the fact iMessage exists.

Raven has almost single-handedly finished off a bag of Cheetos before her phone buzzes again. She unlocks her phone to find a photo of a pregnancy test staring back at her, balanced precariously on what she assumes is Clarke’s knee, like the night terrors she used to have in middle school, terrified to end up like the other girls in her neighbourhood, sure a boy even looking at her could knock her up.

RAVEN [9:08 PM]:

so no drinks then???

The reply comes faster this time, Raven sure that Clarke was just jumping for her to something. Anything.

CLARKE [09:09 PM]:

i just found out and my first instinct was to grab a bottle of beer, i’m fucked

She’s not sure what Clarke wants from her here—that one always had more up her sleeve than expected—a congrats or a condolences, so she settles on the safe middle of comic relief.

RAVEN [9:10 PM]:

who’s the father?

CLARKE [09:10 PM]:

seriously?

RAVEN [9:11 PM]:

what? thought you two went to that swingers club the other month

CLARKE [09:14 PM]:

that was a teacher’s conference. he begged me to come

RAVEN [9:15 PM]:

i thought YOU begged HIM to come and now we’re in this whole mess?

A reply doesn’t come for two minutes, and then three, and when the clock ticks closer to five minutes, Raven decides to dial her number. It switches over to Facetime, but the screen is black, static commotion of the phone being moved around the only sound between their two devices for a good ten seconds. Finally, she asks, “Clarke?”

“I didn’t plan for this, Rave,” is the first thing out of her mouth, and Raven has to bite back a smile. Clarke is such a in-the-closet neurotic mess and she missed it. The screen turns very bright, then finally she can make out her friend. From the looks of it, she is on the floor in her bathroom, mascara smudged lightly under her eyes, wavy hair a mess on top of her head. “I haven’t even finished school yet. My NCLEX exam isn’t until next month—��

“Sound like perfect timing to me,” Raven snorts, keeping her tone very bored. Is this all she has? Are these her best arguments? She’s off her game. “You’ll ace the exam, get a few months of nursing experience at the hospital and then you can go on maternity leave. Your mom owns the surgical ward, I’m pretty sure she can make it happen.”

She watches Clarke draw her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead on top of them for a moment before looking back up at her phone. She does look wrecked. Raven hesistates for a second, then inquires, “Have you told him?”

“No,” Clarke replies, and then she is quiet for another second. She sounds softer this time, “What if he doesn’t want this?”

Raven almost cackles out loud. That loser would do anything for her, even if he didn’t want a baby with her—which seemed very unlikely—he would probably go to his grave swearing it was all he ever wanted. Besides, Bellamy has a few years on Clarke, is a well-known mother hen and is practically smitten with his sister’s toddler. (The only pictures he ever posts on social media are either of Clarke, his sister, that bratty little Octavia look-alike, or the three of them together—which was probably Nirvana by his definition.) He was more than ready, Raven’s sure that his old man primal hormones are just off the charts.

“Fat chance,” Raven settles on, instead of manic laughter because she’s a good friend, eyebrows practically disappearing into her hairline. “You’re talking about Bellamy Blake? The same Bellamy Blake who, when you introduced him to me and I told him I would kick his ass if he ever hurt you, said he couldn’t wait to have your babies someday?”

Clarke scrunches up her nose in disbelief, and Raven wonders if she needs to get her sight checked. Does she not see how that buffoon looks at her? “He said that?”

“Yep,” Raven drags out, seemingly unimpressed.

“He was drunk,” she argues, brushing her off as she runs a hand through her tangled blonde hair.

“That makes it more true, Clarke, not less,” Raven replies without skipping a beat, can’t help but sound a little tiny bit judgemental just because of who she is as a person. There’s more silence, Clarke chewing on her thumbnail as she stares off in the distance and Raven sighs, softening her voice. “No offense, but why are you complaining to me about this, babe? It isn’t like you to be this insecure.”

Was this not the Clarke Griffin who marched up to their arrogant orange-President-affliated professor and told him he might be an art teacher, but she was an artist? It was a popular meme around their college for weeks, black sunglasses and a animated blunt photoshopped onto her yearbook picture and plastered around the halls. The same Clarke Griffin who punched through a glass window because racist campus police let her go and took Monty into a interrogation room alone after catching the both of them with some weed brownies and still has the scar to prove it? Was she not the Clarke Griffin who got everyone to sign a petition to get Kyle Wick kicked out of school when he tweeted out a sexually suggestive picture of Raven?

“Because you know he’ll be excited,” she presses, aggrevated, blue eyes dark as she stares at her camera as if she can stare straight into Raven’s soul. “And I can’t break his heart and tell him that—”

“That what?” Raven cocks an eyebrow, figuring it’s time for some though love now. “You dont want a baby?”

“No—“ She tries to get it, but Raven doesn’t relent, keeps pressing, “That you don’t want his baby?”

“No!” Clarke blurts out harshly, cutting her off as her eyes brim with tears. “That I didn’t plan for this!” She swallows tightly, and Raven just watches her, chest heaving up and down erraticly, blue eyes darting from left to right as she tries to get her thoughts together. “You know what happened when I started medical school, why I had to drop out,” her voice finally breaks, lip trembling. “This time, I was going to better. I was going to do it right.”

“You had a nervous breakdown, Clarke,” Raven snaps, tired of the sugarcoating. She was so hard on herself, and Raven still feels the slighest pang of guilt at that because she used to encourage that quality in her, held her to even higher standards. Maybe at first because she was jealous of her, of the golden girl who got everything handed to her. When she realized that wasn’t true, it was more because Raven knew she could be brilliant. Then after everything went down, she realized Clarke had already been brilliant all along. “You were making eighteen hour days, Lexa broke your heart and then your dad died in your arms. I think not having a breakdown over that would’ve qualified you as a sociopath.”

Clarke quickly wipes at the wetness trailing down her cheek, like she is trying to keep Raven from seeing, hugging her knees closer to her chest. Quietly, she sniffs, wondering, “What if it happens again?”

“It won’t. Because you’ve learned you can’t plan everything because life comes at you fast,” Raven says, authoratively, like she’s reading it from the pamphlet her therapist got them back then. “—and to communicate about how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking. Eat enough vegetables and sleep enough hours.”

Clarke takes a deep breath, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand as she lets herself nod. Raven can’t help but press, “Isn’t that what you and Bellamy use as foreplay? A good old fashioned emotional conversation?”

Clarke scoffs. “No, like talking shop doesn’t get you and Shaw going.”

Raven lifts a shoulder, indifferent. She’s not going to sit here and pretend like him being able to name every component of a Harvey Davidson motorcycle in alphabetical order doesn’t get her all hot and bothered.

Clarke wipes her palms on her jeans-clad thighs, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “What if I’m not any good at this?”

“Then the child will have the most awesome aunt to fall back on,” Raven smirks, and luckily, Clarke finally cracks a smile too. “You’re Clarke fucking Griffin. If this is something that you want—“ She drags out the last word, pausing to get her confirmation (she’s pretty sure it’s something she does want, deep down, but it doesn’t hurt to check before she rolls out the whole peptalk), and reluctantly, her friend nods, corners of her lips turned up almost shyly. “If it’s something that you want, you’ll succeed at it. You care about everyone, Clarke, to a fault.”

Raven finds herself smirking again, pretending to be half-distracted with re-tightening her brace. “And I know it’ll be hard to care about that baby knowing it’s Bellamy’s—“

“Shut up,” Clarke deadpans, and her eyes look brighter, clearer. Tentatively, her hand comes to rest on top of her lower belly, fingers flexing on top of her shirt for just a second. Raven can’t help but smile, happy for her friends. It’s what they deserve.

“You should really call him,” Raven pushes, pursing her lips satisfactory, “He’s going to be so salty you told me before him.”

“Probably,” Clarke snorts, just the slightest bit of nervousness flashing across her eyes before they soften as she says, “But, thanks, Rave. I’m glad to see NASA lets you out on probation every six months.”

“It’s NASA though,” she responds—a little boastful, because it’s NASA, she gets to be boastful—then stretches out her free arm. “Also, mocktails Saturday?”

Clarke beams. “Deal.”

(The next time Raven gets a text from Clarke, it’s a photo of a ring on her finger.)

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