#she honestly might be my favorite later season ‘main’ character

[litrallytyrus]

i don’t know how i feel about community adding random side characters to the main group in order to replace the main 7 in the later seasons but i have to say i am a little bit infatuated with frankie and i kinda need her bad

[fluffypotatey]

so what’s ur favorite thing abt mei that u feel like nobody else notices but it adds so much to her and you feel like everyone needs to be talking about it

everybody needs to realize that before MK was dubbed and knighted—i mean, before MK was titled the Monkey King's successor and wielded the trusty staff, Mei was the powerhouse of the group.

literally remember how our introduction to her character was her saving MK's ass while he was being chased by Red Son, and girlie only thought they were playing a game. my initial reaction to her was "oh, so she's the first hero of the city!" LIKE THAT WAS WHERE MY MIND WENT!

1x06 has a special place in my heart because it shows Mei in her element! she's the motorcycle gal, she's the OG mechanic (SHE LITERALLY BUILT AN HQ FOR MK IN S1), she's the descent of Ao Lie, she's the wielder of the DRAGON SWORD (you know, the sword nobody in her family was allowed to touch because it was a prized artifact and it chose HER)

it is honestly such a struggle (for me) to simply place Mei in the "warrior" category of the hero/warrior duo because yes, MK and Mei are a duo (a dynamic duo one might say), BUT it is so different to swk and macky's duo. they are both the hero and the warrior. their narrative pieces collide and parallel and align so well or clash and-- omg look, another topic to add to my "MK and the gang's ultimate goal is breaking the narrative structure/fate/destiny" folder! (BECAUSE NONE OF THEM PERFECTLY ALIGN WITH THE NARRATIVE EVERYONE IS PUSHING ON THEM. NONE OF THEM FIT COMPLETELY FOR FATE TO WIN DO YOU SEE WHAT I AM SEEING! DO YOU SEE- *gets dragged away*)

*comes back covered in blood* but yeah, everybody start pay closer attention to my gal because her main character energy is real and important and will be crucial for the upcoming seasons. listen, even if MK wasn't there when Red Son and the fam released DBK, Mei would still be there to screw with their plans (I mean, it would have been easier for DBK to wreak havoc because of the energy source, but also MK would still make the impulsive decision to dive into DBK's energy thingy later but this post isn't about him <3)

Mei's awesome and intelligent and intuitive but also impulsive and prone to emotions before anything but i love her

[mysticstarlightduck]

WIP Questionnaire Tag

Thanks for the tag @diabolical-blue (here)!

I'll go with Supernova Initiative for this one!

1. What’s the first part of your WIP that you created?

I had wanted to write a science fiction/space opera story for years now! I've always been a huge fan of Star Wars and similar series, and I've always wanted to write something similar! I guess that the actual first part of this WIP I've ever created was the setting - it has remained the same/similar from the first iteration of an idea of this story, while the main characters, title, and plot underwent many, many changes until it all got to the version I'm currently writing!

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Curiously enough, the Supernova Initiative book series is going to be more akin to a "TV Show" format - like Clone Wars, The Last of Us, or Game of Thrones - than a traditional novel format. That's a bit complicated to explain further, but the gist of it is - the chapters are going to be the "episodes", which in turn will be divided into acts/seasons that take place in specific time frames, with the first (5 episode/chapter) taking place 10 years before the main story!

If I had to choose, I would say that the theme song would be a rather energetic rock/pop song! With a similar vibe to these:

(Check out the full WIP playlist)

I'm Dangerous - The Everlove

Shame! Shame! Shame! - Reinaeiry

Let's Do This - Outskrts

El Dorado - Stellar

Anti-Gravity - Runaground

I think that the song would need to have this rebellious/badass energy, mixed with a generally fun beat and good lyrics that touch on the overall theme/plot of the series! Plus a generally youthful vibe!

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

I really love most of the main cast from this WIP!!!! But my Top 3 definitely are Jack Tithus, Gabi Ophyria, and Deimos Soll!

Jack is a really sweet, kind, and slightly reckless guy, who is at the same time outgoing, extroverted, and funny when he wants to be. He is defiant towards authority and fiercely protective of those he loves, to a dangerously selfless degree, all of which are tropes/traits I really enjoy in characters.

(Plus, in a way, Jack is one of the characters that kind of holds a condensation of some of my own personality traits, in good and bad ways - which was something accidental at first, but which I then embraced. )

Gabi Ophyria was one of the characters that came to me a bit later during the plotting of this book, which was surprisingly clear to me from the get-go. She's a brash, loud, fierce girl who lets no one talk her down and who believes in fighting for what she believes in. She also has anger issues - which is something she struggles with and eventually overcomes as her arc progresses, especially as she learns to let herself be vulnerable and trust others rather than try to be unbreakable all the time.

Deimos Soll is one of the most badass characters in this WIP and I just adore him. In a superficial, bad summarization, lol he's basically a young adult, alien version of John Wick and honestly is one of my all-time favorite characters I've ever written. He starts out in the backstory chapters as an awkward, fearful teenager lost in a moon he knew nothing about, but eventually grows into the deadliest and most efficient sniper this galaxy has ever seen, and one of the biggest threats to the Junction. I just adore writing introverted badass/morally grey characters who have a heart of gold. One of my favorite tropes!

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?

Definitely other space opera/sci-fi adventures like Star Wars, Star Trek, or Voltron! Those stories introduced me to the space opera science fiction genre which I love so dearly, so I think that pretty much anyone who likes that genre will probably like one of those movies lol. I also think that my future fanbase might also like Six of Crows or the Bad Guys (the DreamWorks movie), as the "found family of misfits working on a heist" trope is a pretty big trope in the first acts of this WIP as well!

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

I think the hardest part about this WIP is that its structure is something I haven't seen before - as in, it's essentially a "TV Show but make it a Book Series" at its core. That means I have to improvise a lot with how I structure the story's chapters and how I structure all the events of the story. One good thing about this format I'm trying to recreate is that it is really visual, and I'm a really visual writer/person, so that means I get to make a really vivid world and characters!

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

There are! A lot of them actually. Since this is a science fiction/spare opera adventure, a lot of the story involves the main characters traveling from planet to planet, especially during their heist mission and after the plot progresses.

They visit all kinds of planets and thus all kinds of biomes - the dusty mining moons like Cethea III, giant winter desert planets like Ivion, or flourishing forest dwarf planets like Stryxus. Cethea III - the homeworld of the MCs in the backstory chapters - is known for giant elk-like oxen that roams the dusty wasteland, as well as smaller lizard creatures and a few strange, venomous mammals. They also have giant birds, known as Harpies, which have a powerful screech capable of blowing out one's eardrums when too close.

Ivion is a gigantic winter desert, home to equally gigantic winter creatures, ranging from two-headed mountain lynx to absolutely enormous dragon-like creatures that burrow underneath the blanket of ice. It is also known for famously adorable, three-eyed, surprisingly big rodents similar to lemmings, which live in packs.

Stryxus has a biome akin to that of a tropical rainforest, which means the wildlife within it is incredibly varied despite the planet's small size, and that it has a vast variety of insects, mammals, lizards, and all kinds of animals you would expect from that environment. And even some you wouldn't expect.

The oceanic depths of Thallassen, in the heart of the Khosmonian galaxies, host especially gargantuan creatures, from pacific whale-like creatures with four, giant glowing eyes, to monstrous predatory lamprey-like creatures that lurk in the water.

7. How do your characters travel/get around?

The main form of transportation between planets, settlements and galaxies are starships/spaceships of varying shapes, sizes and fuel capabilities. Each planet has its own varied form of in-land transportation, but ranging from different animal mounts, hoverbikes, bullet trains, specialized boats/ships, submarines, and/or especially flying cars in the big cities.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

I'm currently writing the first draft of this WIP, and am around the third or fourth chapter of the Prologue Act (which consists of five chapters, or episodes). I already have an alpha reader (@sarandipitywrites) who is helping me a lot with ironing out the details of this story! I'm really happy about the progress I'm finally being able to make!

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) You think will draw your audience in?

General tropes: Found Family, Heists, Space Exploration, Whump (especially Lab Whump), rebelling against the system, Dystopian Utopia, Secret bioengineering scheme (as the main threat from the villains), loveable cyborgs/robots, etc!

For romance: Friends to Lovers, Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, etc

Familial/Friendship Tropes: Wholesome father-daughter duo (who are a former assassin and his feisty adoptive daughter), Protective Older Brother & Willful Younger Sister, Adoptive Siblings, general group of misfits fighting against an oppressive government, etc.

For more tropes & details, check out the WIP Intro!

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

I hope I'll be able to finally finish the first draft of this story this year and that I'll publish it (probably self-publishing or something similar!) in the near future! I generally also hope to have a lot of fun writing it, and that other people will have fun reading this too (especially my friends)!

Tagging (gently) @your-absent-father @ray-writes-n-shit @drchenquill, @saltysupercomputer @agirlandherquill

@sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart @sm-writes-chaos

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

@the-golden-comet, @elshells

And OPEN TAG

[phantomoftheorpheum]

my favorite book to show changes in Shelter

*obviously spoilers for the first season of Shelter, as well as the trilogy, though I will be putting anything that relates to plots they may do in later possible seasons below a cut.

The Friendship Group - I really, really like the way they updated the friendship dynamics for the show. This is probably my absolute favorite change. In the books, Ema & Mickey are very much besties and the center of the story, while Spoon often feels like an addition, and Rachel doesn't have much content. While they do technically end up as a group by the end, there are very few scenes with the 4 of them and the main dynamic focused on is Mickey & Ema's.

Shira Bolitar - in the books, Mickey goes to live with his uncle Myron, and Shira doesn't exist. Myron is fine in the books (and he clearly exists in the show, even though we don't meet him), but I like the added focus on Shira (and Hannah, who also isn't a character in the books). They do give Shira some of Myron's material from the books, but she also has a lot of new stuff for the show. I guess some audiences might not think her added material is necessary, but I liked her being a more fleshed out character (I mean, Myron has his own books, which I haven't read, so he's probably very fleshed out in those, but he doesn't have much going on in these books).

Spoon - I think they nailed Spoons characterization, like he feels very much like his book counterpart (aside from a couple of repeated jokes/comments in the books that I didn't love and I'm glad that they didn't use in the show), but there's so much more of him in the show. He honestly does not have enough scenes in the books. I'm glad they recognized his potential in the show.

Dylan Shakes (spelled Shaykes in the books) - This one isn't that big of a deal, but I like that they threaded that mystery into the main plot of the show. This character has a (less fleshed out) very similar plot in the books, but it's very background and his disappearance doesn't feel that important to the town.

Ema's Romantic Arc - Whitney doesn't exist in the books. Ema has other stuff going on romantically in the books, I'll go a little more into this in the more spoilery section of the post.

One thing I think the books did better than the show is that Ashley and Mickey know each other for several weeks before she goes missing, as opposed to literally one day. While I understand that the show addresses that there's some transference going on with Mickey and his desire to save Ashley when he couldn't save his father, his fixation feels weirder in the show than in the books, where he'd gotten to know her a little bit better and they were tentatively dating.

*****spoilers for some book plots that could come into play in additional seasons of the show below!!*****

Ema & Mickey - Okay, honestly, this is a big one for me. It could be because I watched the show first and had that dynamic in my head going into the books, but I was very much not a fan of Ema & Mickey's feelings for each other in the books. While they never actually get together (unless he's going to write more?), we get confirmation that they both have feelings for each other and both know it. I don't know. This just didn't work for me. Maybe, partially, because Mickey spends a lot of the books being jealous whenever Troy & Rachel are brought up, but then will flip into being jealous about Ema liking someone else and back and forth so much. It might be realistic (since Mickey is mainly just like distracted by how hot he thinks Rachel is a lot), but it kind of taints the vibe of "Ema & Mickey are so emotionally connected and their bond is so deep" that it feels like we're supposed to believe at times. IDK. I very much prefer their friendship in the show.

Rachel - Show Rachel is so superior to the book version of Rachel. And it's not that book!Rachel is bad, it's just that she really doesn't get much time on the page, despite being central to the second book mystery, which basically revolves around her family dynamics. While her season 1 plot is pretty similar to her book 1 plot, that's about all the action we really see out of her in the books, and I think that the show did a great job increasing her presence and agency.

[citnamora]

Loonatics Unleashed is honestly nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. I'm a big critic when it comes to writing but I mostly had no issues with it. The characters, at times, can be bland but they're not atrocious or annoying. The re used jokes can get old fast but it isn't a crime against humanity calling back to something. And sometimes loose ends are left untied (ex: Pink the Pug and Danger Duck) but it makes sense considering the show had a horrendous first impression which resulted in the hate sinking it. A lot of the problems the show has are a result of it being canned too early. It's clear from the second season that LU listened to its critics so I believe, if given the chance, a third season would have showed great improvement in all of the above.

So now that I've got my nitpicks- that are just that, nitpicks!- out of the way. One of my favorite aspects of LU is the animation. Which is, ironically, one of the more criticized aspects. Is it perfect? No. Does it have its wonky moments? Yeah. But does it do the job of portraying what needs to be portrayed? And does it treat us with cute little details sometimes? Absolutely! I might have skipped the season 2 intro every chance I got but it wasn't for the animation. The new clips they had were charming! The LU style in particular is reminiscent of anime, a common trend in shows at the time, but it's also got some twang to it that helps the characters really pop.

My favorite animation in particular is the final fight scene in the series. Intense, fast, with incredible choreography. And the shot moments later of Ace, sharp ears shriveled, weakly holding himself up with a smile as his teammates rush to him. It's full of so much character! You can feel the emotions in the scene!!

The backgrounds, too, are very gorgeous! The lush, subtropical forestry of the Apocalypso come to mind. That entire episode is an ethereal palette! It's also a great detail how well Lexi's pink and green blend so well with her environment- making her appear as if she belongs there, which can work as foreshadowing for her strong connection with the plant life.

And of course the cheesy dialogue with sometimes nonsensical reference but ultimately silly intentions. It's fun, it's snappy, and it's maybe a bit dated- but who said there was anything wrong with being a product of it's time? Maybe what everyone says isn't the most memorable but Rev's rambling, Tech's techno babble, and Ace's play on words are a distinct aspect of their characters. And distinction is very important with your cast- especially your main characters!

Lexi is Lola's descendant but not once in the show is she sexualized. She's a respected member of the team who is viewed highly by Zadavia and the other Loonatics- so much so that she took over for Ace as leader one time! She's the action girl who is kind and fierce and incredibly dedicated to her passions. And, it's a small detail but after watching lots of shows with the sole girl ending up with the main guy, it's refreshing that her relationships remain wholly platonic! She and Ace are more like best friends than future (romantic) partners. Small, I know, but for an aro like me who is sick to death of that trope it's such a cool thing!

LU is far from a perfect show. Everyone and their grandma seems to have slready swung a bat at it. But there's a lot to praise the show for! Moral of the story- WATCH THE SHOW!!!

[tohjwcc]

Who am I? INTRODUCTION

Alright, so I've been here for like..half a year now? I actually don't entirely know, but ish 6 months. But I feel like I want to introduce myself. Idk why.

- So. Hi. I'm tohjwcc.. I honestly wanna change it, but I'm scared people won't recognize me if I do so haha. So, I guess I'm stuck with it for a lil while longer. Guess I'm just a "normal" (heck I'm not, I'm weird as f-) teenager...ehm, well, going to highschool after summer. Yasammy/cc/ct nerd, basically.

- My personality is complicated. For any camp cretaceous fan, I can easily describe myself as a softer version of Yaz. I have a strong Yaz side, but another big piece of my personality is just quirky and weird and funny (people say I'm funny.. so I hope they're telling the truth lol). But also, I've been told... SO. MANY. TIMES.... That I'm too nice for my own good. I'm kind and nice to everyone. I can't be mean to anyone. At least not on purpose. That is one thing that separates me and Yaz from being completely identical (personalitywise) (which again isn't entirely true, my quirky and weird side is bigger than my serious/Yaz side. I'm basically the yasammy icon. That quirky side could be referred to as Sammy lol.) But ofc there are other small stuff that also separates us two a little but yeah. (Tbh idk... I haven't really figured myself out yet. Idk what I am like, I just wanna be like Yaz cuz I love her so deeply and I can really relate to her in so many different ways. Idk, maybe I'm just not like her at all. Maybe I just wanna be like her...? Ugh, I don't know, I don't know myself. Dang it. My dream is to be cool. Like my girl Yaz. Okay, enough rambling).

- English is sadly not my first/native language, so any bad grammar or wrong wording could appear, so I apologize for that. I also like to make up new words, so if there's a word you've never heard before, it's probably one of my new creations. Confusion can appear, you've been warned.

- On this blog.. is it a blog? I don't even know. Anyways, on this account thingy I mostly post about camp cretaceous/chaos theory. That is where my main interest is. That leads us to my next.. ugh, me and words. I don't even know what it's called in my language. Paragraph, maybe? Let's go with that. That leads us to my next paragraph.

- Favorite shows. I've got a LOT, but the ones that might appear on this account are probably just Jwct/jwcc and the owl house. There's a chance like stranger things and heartstopper could be joining us too. I know nothing. I could be posting/reblogging random crap as well, so nothing is for sure.

- I started watching camp cretaceous when season 3 had been released. I was in my "Jurassic world era", so I had been watching all the Jurassic world movies (ish), so I guess I just wanted to rewatch some of them again, and then I saw it. "Jurassic world camp cretaceous". I was like "OoO". I began to watch it, and fell in love with it IMMEDIATELY. Also, a funny fun fact, I started watching it when I was 12. And now I'm 15. This means I was as old as the youngest character when I started watching it, and I am NOW as old as the OLDEST characters are in the show. This show has been with me through all my teenage years so far. I'm so greatful for this show and these campers. They helped me through so much, and I could never thank them enough.

-The jwcc character i can relate most to is Yaz. 10000%. Like I said before, she is so me. My friend says I'm a Yaz, and she once said I even looked like Yaz, which is cool, but idk how cuz I'm not a brunette haha. But these are the bestest compliments I've ever gotten.

Shoutout to anyone who even bothers to read this lmao. I might add stuff to this later, who knows.

Have a great day ^^

[muthaz-rapapa]

Hirogaru Sky Impressions (3/5)

Alright~

So we're more than halfway there. Excited for leaks season yet?

Show is still going good despite the last 10 episodes being mostly filler. I don't have anything to really complain about since as far as fillers go, the quality of HiroPre's is definitely better than those of previous seasons.

But me being me, of course there is going to be some form of criticism so let's gogogo~ and get that over with.

Again, the fillers are quite enjoyable but ever since the recovery of Captain Shalala, doesn't it feel like we've gone too long without any plot-related episodes?

Thankfully, it seems they're getting back to that with ep 31 next week. But even so, the lack of clues or hints about the Undergu Empire and the reason for its antagonism dragged the show's momentum slightly. So it felt longer to get through these 10 weeks.

"Filler doldrums" as I'd like to call it because tuning into Precure weekly became more of chore than something to look forward to.

But it wasn't that bad so let's hope the next 10 episodes will be more balanced.

Moving on.

I spoke too soon on not having to worry about the handling of Mashiro's character arc anymore. Why am I surprised, though? Whenever I let my guard down, my expectations are always betrayed. Oiy.

But honestly, they got me all hoping and excited since they actually gave her potential content to work with. Like her taking an interest in creating picture books. Or even her cooking skills or passion for makeup. Or her long distance relationship with her parents. That's quite a bunch of material to expand on for her.

Instead, she's been regulated to the passenger seat again to let Sora drive.

On one hand, I understand and can accept that Sora would receive more focus since the she is the main character of the overall story. Her coming from another world and therefore being a fish out of water bird out of Skyland when it comes to most things Earth-related...along with being someone who's never had friends before due to spending most of her time training are all prime real estate for development.

However, you can't deny that there is a blatant amount of lead favoritism.

It's not as bad as previous seasons since the writing for HiroPre is a lot better. But when the rest of the cast individually gets one episode of spotlight for every five or so the lead gets, it can be tiresome or even suffocating to sit through.

...on another note, my theory about Captain Shalala possibly being a double agent for the Undergu Empire turned out to be wrong after all. But I think having the enemy take Shalala hostage was the more suitable direction to go for breaking Sora down in order to let her renew and restrengthen her resolve as a hero. The loss of respect for your idol can be a really difficult thing to bear and that might be too harsh a topic for Precure's target audience. It achieved similar effects to the Broken Pedestal trope anyway so no complaints there.

Anyways, we may have broken the Pink trend this year but I'm not optimistic it will stay that way as long as there's always one primary lead in each group. Frankly, I think we're going straight back to special Pink treatment for another 4 years before 25th anniversary but that's a thing to worry about later.

As for Tsubasa and Ageha, I was more satisfied with their focus eps. Mostly.

Tsubasa's always teaches you something new. I really liked the one about branching out your dream, which is something we all need to hear should we ever reach our goal or get stuck on what to do next. And Ageha's most recent one with her older sisters and her parents' divorce when she was younger provided more depth into how she became the person she is today.

But I wasn't pleased when the Peach airline promotion ep that should've been about Mashiro spending time with her parents went to Tsubasa instead. I mean, Tsubasa showing off his airplane knowledge is always amazing but...ngh, they really don't care for Mashiro, do they?

Another thing. I became a little concerned about the portrayal of Ageha. She is shown to be consistently confident and composed in most things she does...but most 18-year olds aren't like that. So I worried for a bit if that might've sent an unintentional message that "you should be as competent as Ageha when you reach adult age" which is like ehhhh......not true.

Though it's only a flaw you notice if you're incredibly scrutinizing like I am. And given Ageha's personality, there's nothing wrong with presenting her as such cuz she wouldn't be Ageha without those traits. But definitely think of her more as a role model instead of one to emulate, that's all.

Right so, next week...is not the debut of Cure Majesty.

YET.

But very soon. Maybe even the week after? September titles haven't been released yet (as of checking right now) but with only...wow, 18 more episodes to go, they better make the best of it.

I don't think Ellee-chan suddenly getting older will become too much of an issue with pacing...as long as they don't put her in school if she still largely retains the mind of a toddler.

Or maybe she'll only grow older when transforming into Precure and return to being a baby during off-hours? That'd be interesting...it wouldn't be as fun as seeing her more grown up, yea, but it'd be unexpected, at least.

Whatever. Just give me more lore and I'll be good.

Finally (haha), let's talk about the future of Precure for a bit.

This season is obviously not going to be the last of 'em. If it was, they wouldn't try to scare you with it in an All Stars movie preview of all things. They'd likely do it the boring way by just announcing it in the news. :P

Anyways, we can definitely expect the franchise to continue for another 5 years. 25th anniversary is something Toei absolutely has to aim for because it will be a double milestone.

Quarter of a century run for the Precure franchise.

And (if my projected calculations are correct), if we keep to teams of 4-5 every year up until till 2028, we will hit over 100 Precure total.

Pretty exciting, yes?

With mixed-gender teams no longer being just a dream (look, Cure Wing even made the news! WAAAAHHH!!! xD) and upcoming projects like the Otona Precure series and the all-male Precure stage play in the works, it's definitely a confirmation that this franchise has no intention of ending any time soon.

If you want more consumers of your product, you need to accommodate for a variety of people and all sorts of new and different ideas, aspects and tastes.

Formula they probably won't budge on too much (not for the main tv series anyway) but there always will be other rooms to explore, y'know?

Ok~ So Precure won't be ending but summer is~

Hope everyone enjoyed it in spite of the heat and best of luck in school or whatever your future endeavors are!

See you in another 10 eps! (^ _ ^)/"

[be-side-my-self]

Rewatch of Only Murders In The Building to prepare for season 4 (II)

<Part I> Block #OMITBRewatch if you don’t want to read notes that will have spoilers up to seasons 3. Just to make it clear, while quoting, I use M, O, C for the main characters.

S1 E5

C: "You're a simpleton." O: "Damn it! I didn't get that! Can you call me a simpleton again?" C: "You're a simpleton." O: "Thank you!"

Oscar and Mabel meeting again! ... but certainly there could have been better ways than creepily following her in a bright hoodie. Well, at least it wasn't a black hoodie.

It is so cute how Charles wants to believe in Mabel. He is right though, but it certainly does not look like Mabel is innocent that moment. She is after all driving away with Tie-dye Guy.

New York traffic looks like hell.

Again, it's great that Charles wants to believe in Mable and Oliver is like "it has to be her!"

Oscar: "I saw you once with those guys that look like retired cops. Was one of them that Brazzos guy?"

O: "Search 'Charles-Haden Savage fat.' Ooh! Look at the ass on papa."

The car is really beautiful though.

So, why did the first call go on voicemail and the second one not? Didn't Mabel had reception? But why did Charles? ... shouldn't they all use the newest iphones?

O: "It's tough... to believe that she could be... this duplicitous, I know. Tougher because you're a closed-off person. And Mabel made you... open up and trust people for the first time. So now, the thought that she might not be who she seems has you questioning it all." O: "Okay, I gotta try that again. That was very fake sounding." C: "You fucker!"

Yeah well how could you have missed that, Mabel? You were sitting on the floor, surrounded by jewelry.

Charles and Oliver really are besties.

Lucius: "Sure I follow people all the time." - ... it surely will be fine...

Honestly though I celebrated Roy Wood Jr. having a small role.

Love how the two black guys show off to the two white guys.

Also I respect Oscar's dream of starting a Yoga-studio.

The scene in the tattoo shop is great... confusing and everything is happening at the same time.

S1 E6

Detective Williams... got it.

"Herman's Head" sounds like "Inside Out" ... I never saw " Inside Out."

The scene of the Detective and her wife is really good. Because the detective is a great character. She gets so many plus points later on. She might be one of my favorite characters.

Whoop Dee Doo, Mabels Mom

Mabels Mom: "Have you ever felt that there was something you screwed up so bad, you will never fogive yourself." C & O: "... well...." Mablels Mom: "For me it was letting her spend time at the damn apartment. Please let her be. Let her move forward. Not back."

Okay but maybe Mabel needs that as a closure?

M: "Don't do Tik Tok." <- Good advise for anyone!!

C: "You know it's a law of nature. Nothing good ever happens on Long Island."

You might not know each other a lot but you are still best friends, Charles and Oliver.

Mable had a crush on Stabler from CSI: SVU... i've watched a few episodes but I don't remember much.

M "Why was Tim after the ring that Zoe had on the night she died?"

Now I remember what happened. Sometimes it just takes some time.

Gotta say that the romance between Oscar and Mabel is cute... even if tragic. They liked each other before the whole awful thing happened.

Really... Jimmy Fallon shout out for the podcast. Everyone will go listen to it.

Teddy is hardcore... good character but holy shit.

O: "You know my phone settings... I am not a rando!"

They are besties!

Food is really the best peace offering.

M: "But you guys... Are you really gonna make me say it?" C: "I kinda like to hear the words, yes." O: "Also rank us. I'm dying to know who your favorite is."

It's Charles, Oliver. Mabel likes Charles more.

It's Tim Kono's phone!

C: "That is right, our prime sponsor is now our prime suspect."

S1 E7

Gosh, it's so sad and weird that Bobby tries to make Theo listen to music.

Because I was curious I looked up "Carousel" and it's a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

"My boy Bill, I'll see that he is named after me!"

"And you won't see nobody dare to try-- to boss him or toss him around. No pot-bellied, baggy-eyed bully will boss him around--"

The moment Bobby realises that he did exactly that to his son that moment.

And continues to do so.

I actually love the different perspectives... from Theo's point of view everything is muffled... and then he talks with the watchers. XD I'm just glad they translate the important parts of the ASL.

The whole episode is great because almost nothing or nothing is said?

Teddy is still bullying his son.

Teddy: "If there is a problem, I'll fix it."

I guess Zoe really was a troubled child...

"Scary" - "Sexy" - "Hard" - "Wet" - "Woody" - "Yum"

How to flirt with scrabble?

"Teddy is a Gray Roger!" - "Are you having a stroke?" - "Grave Robber! Teddy is a Graverobber!"

It was all an accident.

O. PUTNAM & MABEL - 78 Messages O. PUTNAM - 11 Missed Calls

I love that Charles has Oliver as O. PUTNAM in his address book.

Uh Oh.

S1 E8

Love that Jabouki Young-White is also having a part.

O: "Do you know that I was the first director to use areal cadaver on stage? In Tuesdays At Bernie's. It was my dual adaptation of Tuesdays With Morrie and Weekend at Bernie's." M: "What?"

Yeah, Teddy. I'm sure the deaf son was more responsible for the failing of your marriage than all the whores.

Lmao, Jen is a freak.

Jen: "Brazzos was our safe word." M: "And what's the safe word for me to get out of this conversation?"

LMAO... Detective Williams is so cool.

Incredible that Jen and Oscar get added to the roaster and then the fans too.

... it was not the Dimas'ses

I think I now remember who it was... though I though she was the one who did it in season 2? I got it all confused... that is why I need the rewatch. xD

[popculturebuffet]

Next up for Nickelodeon era of shows, who is your favorite character from each of the early 2020s Nicktoons shows you've seen like: It's Pony, Glitch Techs, Kamp Koral, Rugrats 2021, The Patrick Star Show, The Middlemost Post, and Star Trek Prodigy? While the last batch had signs of it with The Casagrandes spin off and Pinky Malinky being on Netflix instead of Nickelodeon, this is when Nickelodeon really started to get heavier on Nicktoons based on the older IPs over original ones. This was also when they began premiering Nicktoons on streaming such as Netflix and Paramount Plus before the main Nickelodeon channel, likely with streaming getting more popular.

Okay to get this out of the way this time I haven't seen Glitch Techs (Heard it was good), enough of Middlemost post to properly talk about it, or Progidy, though I do want to see those last two. I also haven't seen shared between this and paramount+ show earthspark or the just release paramount+ show but counting it here since i talked about nick's other three tmnt shows, tales of the tmnt. By the last era we'd already cut the cord and most of these shows didn't last long enough or in progidy's case.. I've just procastinated. So i'll be throwing in two brucy bonuses to compensate.

Anywways

It's Pony: didn't see as much as i'd like, hope it's on plus, but I thought it had a nice cozy charm to it. Dont' raelly have a faviorite character but did want to mentoin it as it was quite good I just never had a chance to catch it.

Kamp Koral: Honestly Iike the fact the Sardines are a cabin.. larry may be close second as his fitness cabin is wholesome. But honestly.. .there isn't a lot here for me to grab onto despite having seen a LOT of this with my neice with watching her back when it first started. This show is meidocre at best which is disappointing as I LIKE a good summer camp set show (I'ts weird I never watched more of summer camp island with that in mind), or film, but this.. is just nothing. It has good ideas: the various other cabins, letting side characters like lady upturn, larry, kevin, or the sardines return or have a sizeable roll, and the retcons are at least given an explination (Sandy rewrote history). It's hampred both by the impressoin that this show happened quite ltierally over stephen hillenbergs dead body.. and just being mid as hell. The animation is cheap, as tmnt 2012 already proved nick COULD do a cgi show on a tv budget that looked really nice and would prove it again just a few years later. Without the expressivenes spongebob has in it's 2d form (something that sponge bout of water and the sandy cheeks movie were able to copy much better), this feels lifeless and it feels like they really didn't have a ton of ideas to do with this unique setting that hadn't been done before aside from the sardines episode. It's just kinda there at best. It's so boring.

Rugrats 2021: Hadn't seen this one either, still gets it's own entry as I tried part of the first episode.. but couldn't get into it. Not knocking the voice actors too hard, but It just never really caught on with me. We stan Betty being an out of the closet lesbian in this house and Susie getting upgraded to main cast, but it dosen't seem like there's anything I really want from this reboot not helped that I didn't appricate the original at the time, so why would I watch a version that was okay. Might watch it this holiday season for some reviews coming up but that's about it honestly. Still sucks it was removed from paramount +, hope they sell it to someone else instead same with something.. else we're going to get to

The Patrick Star Show: Squidina: she's adorbale, compliments pat well and while her inclusion is a retcon, honestly spongebob continuity is so paper thin it just dosen't matter. At this point how he met sandy has been changed entirely by time travel, patrick's had two sets of parents and another sister who dosent' exist. Making what I was shocked to find was an unrelated side character his nerdy adopted sister to make his show work better is fine by me. The first episodes were fine, just nothing really specail to me, but I heard the show did get better and do want to try it in this form as the soft reboot seemed to have worked and seems to be more in the spirit of the classic seasons while being i'ts own thing.

It's why while this show was also made over stephen hillbergs dead body, it feels less souless... Talented people did put genuine effort into saving it unlike Kamp Koral which is just.. there, and it seems to have worked. And honestly while I like a good camp story.. the patrick star show is the more unique concept. Kamp Koral is just "spongebob but a child at camp" . It COUDL work but it's hampred by using almost the entire same cast as the parent show.

In contrast while Spongebob, Sandy, and Squidward are also present here, their not the main focus. Patrick is. And while that honestly sounded like living in a living nightmare... in the pre revamp episodes it worked okay. Unlike planet sheen it's clear even in it's larval form, they got what made pat work as a character, so simply switched up the dynamics slightly: squidward is still annoyed by him, but the main foils instead the oft annoyed but far more patient with her big bro squidina. Spongebob and co are there.. but their there in support of patrick, flipping thingsj ust slightly enough and it makes sense his best friends would be there. It helps they have some really fun designs as teens. I love spongebob's slick backed hair and squidwards acne and shirt. Small changes on his and sandy's front but it' smore than kamp koral.. just making them smol and giving them outfits. So a show I honestly want to see more of as it geninely seems like it turned a corner. Could be wrong but evne then it's at least a worthy side dish to spongebob and feels less like digging up a corpse for money.

Big Nate: This one also DOES count in my eyes as it was reaired on the network, but is one I hope gets transfered somewhere. Faviorite is the boy himself, as they transitoined him well and ben giroux does a great job, though Gina as always as close. i've bene honest about loving comic strips before in this retrospective, and at the time this show aired big nate.. was fine. Stuck in a rut it's since got out of, but kinda stuck as some strips gets going through the motions and repeating gags that didn't work the first time.

Big Nate the cartoon... is a great adaptation in part because it takes some of the strips weaknesses and does away with them. Not all sadly as yelly outdated coach sterotype coach john and nate's stalker kim are kept for reasons I can't process. The former maybe, as he's useful for jokes and faculty plotlines, but the latter..

But for the most part it instead fixes a lot of aspects of the strip that didn't quite work anymore or needed a refresh: Nate's friends Teddy and Francis are more loyal and more resonable foils than "assholes who constantly insult him", with Francis in paticular being far less insufferable, instead being a truly fun friend group you root for. Gina is added from the jump and god bless them for it. I love that theater kid. (With Chad also there and pretty much a member of Team Awesome, as he should be). Nate's "hit on women like a jackass" tendnenices, while sadly relaistic to a 5th grader, are toned down, and his family gets more to do: Marty is still pathetic but it's not his oly schitck and dove cameron does a great job as his sister.

Overall the show was really good having a gorgeous peanuts movie style art style that matched the strip, it got the tone down right while adjusting it and while it wasn't always perfect I have a LOT of respect for it. Sadi it got screwed over. Hope it gets another chance

Fairly Odd Parnents: A New Wish : I need to watch more of this but... man is this good. Faviorite is Cosmo with Peri a close second as he was my faviorite in the og and that's still true as while he keeps the voice that can be mildy grating but is fine by me from the later seasons he's back to peak idiot and back to half a whohle idot.

After what I hear was a diaster with fairly odder, A New Wish is everything a revivial should be: it respects the original amazingly with TONS of callbacks I wasn't expecting thus far or have read about, and a premise that's so obvious i'm shocked it took this long to try it: Timmy's gone having moved on naturally at some point as the series constantly hinted would happen which is sad, as he looses his real parents, but means he's doing okay for himself as an adult instead, and we get Hazel instead, a new kid for a new decade. Hazel is the perfect foil too lacking Timmy's arrogance and selfishness , but still keeping the short sightness that comes when you give a child the power of a god. Hazel is a kind, wonderful little bean who like Timmy will often use her powers to help others, but due to the series having a heavier continuity, actually learns from her wishes.. it dosen't always work but it's nice that it's not a death loop of terrible mistkaes. Not saying that death loop wasn't funny, but it works better in this era

The show keeps the basic premise that works but weeds out the stuff that didn't: gone are the sadistic teachers (not saying those don't still exist but we've been there), and neglectful parents (the only one left is played dead seriously), kept is the magic hyjinks. It seems like the bulk of the cast from the original who'd make sense to show up (and i'm sure more could), do. The revamp of peri got a ton of buzz and rightfully so having him be the seemingly suave but really just very tired foil to both his own god kid and his parents is perfect, especially with wanda rest from the nag to half of a whole idiot and having the very plausable reason for him not having been around simply been them smothering him a bit much, which fits both perfectly. He dosen't hate them, he just wants to find his own way while honoring the family buisness.

As youc an tell by the several paragraphs.. I love a new wish. I hope it does well and gets to go on a while, the creators certainly have the ideas for it and frankly we could all use a little magic.

[nolanhollogay]

i am very out of date on all of your obx ocs bc i have not been crazy interactive on here lately, but i would love to hear- literally whatever thoughts you want to share about any of them.

yesss getting to talk about my favorite thing <3

ok this will be long bcuz i have So Much going on but for context my obxverse, dog days of summer, is canon divergent bcuz i know better than the pates 😌

starting with our main character my favorite special little guy, edgar ramirez

he's deeply tragic (family trauma up to his eyeballs) but he's just a little lover boy!! his family owns a church in the cut, saint lucia's, and he gets wrapped up in the plot bcuz he has huuuge crush on jj, and then ends up in a secret relationship with him <3

in the later seasons, things get very complicated for him romantically (it's a whole thing, rafe is involved) and his faith is tested and he's just overall not having a good time </3

but he survives bcuz his heart is full of love

next we have nova morales!

edgar's complete opposite fgdgf she's the biggest hater girl in the obx!

her plot revolves around her issues with her family – her mother left her and her father about a year before s1 to start a new family on the figure 8 with a kook guy – and how that bleeds into her relationships with everyone around her

she's possessive and loyal but hates change and people trying to worm their way into her found family

she's a kie love interest and their very much enemies to lovers they cannot stand each other!!

next we have mikey caswell

his main plot is that he has no personality or interests of his own and just has no idea who he is <\3 bcuz of that he gets into a situationship with rafe (in his eyes they're dating, in rafes eyes they're just hooking up And he's using him to get close to edgar, it's a whole thing)

prior to s1, he was adopted by a kook family and the pogues feel like he abandoned them, and he honestly kinda did, so he's also trying to get back on their good sides!

also he's a john b love interest

next (again) is mags báez

mags is Also a pogue turned kook, but she moved when she was wayyy younger than mikey, around five years old, bcuz her dad got rich through computer shit

she's edgar's best friend, though they don't see each other much, and novas step sister thru marriage (it was her dad that novas mom left them for – im sure you can imagine how this might strain their relationship)

she's dating kelce in s1 and her story is about her coming to terms with her lesbianism and also trying to shed her people pleaser tendencies

she's a sarah love interest and she and her and kie are involved in a homoerotic girl best friend to enemies love triangle though none of them will call it that

we're almost done i promise!!

next is manny espinoza!

they moved to kildare at the beginning of the summer with their family and are trying to get accustomed to kook life which is hard when everyone around u is insane

he accidentally becomes friendly with rafe, topper and kelce, which is bad for a variety of reasons but mostly bcuz they bully them All The Time and basically haze them, it's a mess

they're a pope love interest and are just a little smitten kitten with him

last but not least! stella feng & lennon yang

they're minor characters but i love them!!

stella is a pogue, lennon is a kook, can i make it anymore obvious?

they have a star crossed lovers plot in the background!

also stella is a drug dealer & lennon is rafes only female friend! they're very normal and sane!

[neerons]

Good evening. Have you read Kazuomi's Ultimate vacation? Would you say it's worth the money? Also, who is your favourite parental figure in the masquerade kiss series?

Thanks,l.

Good evening ❤️

Yes I have, and I would recommend it, definitely. It’s part of the main story too so it’s quite important if you want to be up to date with his story before the next season (edit: I was mistaken, It’s not part of the MS but it involves information related to it. Overall it’s a great read but not a must-one if you only want to catch up with the MS). These are the hearts I’ve spent on this story, I’ve bought every option but as usual, not all choices have to be purchased to get to the SHE

Little heads up, in the first choice you’ll have, you’ll be able to choose between Kazuomi’s PoV or the Boss’. While cheaper, I don’t recommend choosing the Boss’ option for the simple reason that his PoV is extremely short and is related to his own past. Unless you’re curious, this choice might seem less worth it

About who my favorite parental figure is in MK, mhmmm it’s hard to say because they’re all so good! If I really had to choose, I’d say maybe Zack for his carefree and intimidating aura. He inspires respect and admiration. He’s very observant of others, and just like Kazuomi, he has a way of getting what he wants from people

However, I love Chad, Anne, and Jun as well. I’m so happy to have discovered Chad’s and Anne’s true nature in Kei’s story. It was quite a shock, in a good way. I love that they all have layers to their characters as well ❤️

About Jun, she’s very similar to Zack in some ways in my opinion. She has that carefree and confident aura, I love her style and how she was there for Yuzuru. She’s like the cool aunt you’d like to have. I love her hot temper too, since she doesn’t let herself be disrespected by others

For a game that is Japanese, I’m really happy that these characters have personalities that are very singular as well as linked to their culture, or to the culture they later learned to adopt (Jun is Japanese but later lived in Italy, and seeing how she is, I can’t help but think that she was more influenced by Italy in her personality). I think the writers nailed their characters

They’re all so freaking cool and well written honestly 😩

Thank you for the ask, and I hope you’ll enjoy Kazuomi’s story if you decide to read it!

[tongue---tied]

HI!!! Red Dwarf or the ask meme please! I'd much like to know your interpretations and thoughts! <3

Im throwing this under a cut because, boy, this is gonna be a long one

❤️Favorite character

This won't come as a surprise to many of any of you but, yeah, it's rimmer. I want to put him in situations, I want to take him out of situations, there's the full duality there. I relate to him a lot (which probably isn't a good sign lol) and I strongly believe you cannot have red dwarf without him (i mean, look at the ratings for season 7 even with the girlboss that is kochanski). His character itself has such good potential, the angst that comes with being a hologram, the touch-starved-ness (?), his entire childhood, his need for academic validation even 3 million years into the future when all who would care anyway are dead, I could go on forever.

👿Least favorite character

Don't do this to me man 😭 I don't even know if I have one?? At least not out of the main crew. There's no character that actually makes me vibrate with rage in a bad way... If I did really have a think it would probably be a one-off character that was only in one episode and never mentioned again. Oh! I've just remembered, some fanon interpretations of Toddhunter honestly made my skin crawl with how horrible he is, but obviously that's just fanon, and some fanon interpretations have him as honestly a really good meaning guy- looking at you, Work Thing ;)

💐Comfort character

If you can't guess at this point I honestly don't know what to say. It's rimmer, look I know I know, the comfort character who has had no comfort in his entire life/death but *slaps roof of car* this baby can fit so much projection! He's so varied, he's gay to me, he's bi to me, he's autistic to me, he has ptsd to me, he's yearning, he's in denial, he's just- HE *I am dragged away by a lone hand through the doorframe before I can continue*

😍Character you have the biggest crush on

Are you sensing a theme yet 😐 I'd say I don't wish to be perceived for this but let's be honest, my tags reveal all, and the majority of the fandom agrees. It's Rimmer. Again. Slightly outing myself as an x reader enjoyer here. *shaking him* I could fix him I really believe I could. (I'm glad you're the one who sent the ask, Lexie, we can both bond over being self shippers lol)

🤝Character you relate to the most

WHY IS IT ALWAYS RIMMER ON THIS ASK GAME PLEASE HELP😭😭😭 Hes a stickler for the rules (as long as they benefit him), he's probably autistic, he loves hammond organ music (very disappointed that he hates my main man Glenn Miller though 😔), he was an outcast for most of his childhood, he was bullied, he spirals at the slightest bad thing. I'm starting to really sense this isnt a good thing 😭 (I swear I'm doing okay I've got a good support system please don't worry)

🔥Character you think is overrated

I don't know?? 😭😭 I think all of red dwarf's characters really add to the material as a whole, and hey, it's not like this fandom is really big enough for overrating anything. I might say Duane Dibley, because yeah he's funny, Danny really performs well as that character but I don't really understand as to why he was so much of a fan favourite that they brought him back (for season 6 I think it was?) So if I had to say one character it would be Duane.

🧨Character you love to hate

*smacking my face against the doorframe* its rimmer again 😭😭😭 he's such a prick, especially in the early seasons man, I simultaneously want to look after him and throw him against a wall. I contain multitudes, it's okay

🙈Character you always forget exists

I guess I'd have to say Holly? He's got brilliant comedic timing and delivery (as Lovett and Hayridge) but the fact she was cut out in the later seasons and then brought back in season 8 and then gone again in the more recent ones just feels disjointed so she's easily forgotten sadly. (Yes I use she/he pronouns for Holly, she's genderfluid to me <3)

🐰Favorite non-human character

I'm gonna be honest, it would really have to be Holly. (I'm discounting Hologram Rimmer because he still sees himself as human in some way and he's had far too much screentime in this post). The comedic timing, the deadpan delivery, that amazing scene where she counts by smacking her head against the screen always makes me howl.

❤️‍🩹Character who deserved better

All of them. All of them. Rimmer, for reasons we've already gone into. Lister, the survivors guilt, he was SA'd at 12?!!, his entire relationship with Kochanski, his alcoholism, crushing loneliness, I could go on. The Cat, his entire species left him and his family because they were old and/or disabled, again loneliness. Kryten, literally in denial about his crew being dead, left alone for over 3 million years and still somehow hanging onto his sanity through episodes of androids, the need to do anything, literally anything to make sure he doesn't think to hard about anything other than laundry, honestly people need to talk about him more. Kochanski, losing her dave, stuck with this dave who looks exactly like hers but is so different, watching him destroy himself, having nothing in common with any of the crew, LONELINESS MAN.

Thank you so much for the ask! This was a long one phew

[suuho]

Now that you finished Hospital Playlist may I ask who is your favourite character and which aspects did you like about their personality as well as their ark through the show?

hey!! funnily enough, i did kind of immediately go back to rewatching it, because my brain is built that way, i guess. embarrassing to admit, but it is what it is, and i am putting it here in case i might add something later on, after the rewatch. a new comfort show has entered my life, and is sitting firmly in my top 3, right along with twenty five twenty one, which is incredibly high praise coming from me.

first of all, everyone around me was actually surprised that it took me so long to watch it. my favorite tv show growing up was grey's anatomy for the longest time, it's one of those shows i put on in the background of doing anything. like, when i write, i will have an episode of grey's anatomy playing. it soothes my brain. anyway, hospital playlist has been on my watchlist for like two, almost? three years? now, i think? around the time the second season premiered. i just never gave in, lol. huge mistake, turns out, because this show is like everything i love wrapped into one. it is like the most kaz-esque show ever, everything is so specifically catered to me, i cannot believe it even exists.

i thought my favorite characters would either be ikjun (i have seen jo jungsuk in hyung (with kyungsoo in a co-lead as a blind judoka) and he made me sob buckets, so i was already a fan and i know that man can sing like it's nobody's fucking business, my moritz and hedwig... i used to audition with moritz material, so naturally he is dear to me.) or seonghwa, because she is the only neurosurgeon in the main squad. fun fact, i wanted to be a neurosurgeon up until my ophthalmologist ruined all my hopes in 9th grade when he told me i could never be a surgeon. rip. i never cried so much in my life up until then, it really changed my life forever. sigh. that's what you get for having absolutely no depth perception!

so, imagine how surprised i was when i was naturally drawn to kim junwan. i love the fact that he was introduced as a cold-hearted and strict character but is revealed to be actually quite soft and very dedicated. that we see him as brutally professional and occasionally cutting, but rarely actually harmful. it is not often we find a character depicted like that, and i could relate to him in many ways as someone people seem to fear on first glance, and always having to convince them of the opposite. he is insanely smart, but not as smart as ikjun, and he is so fiercely loyal while intensely, yet quietly, emotional. so many aspects of his character were gradually revealed and it felt less like a change of his core and more like aspects of him we have earned to experience over the course of the show. i love a reflection of characters that is caused less by a seismic shift in their lives or daily events, and more like just us being allowed a window to sit in and navigate their narrative like real people. hospital playlist felt very much like that.

so many little things i've loved about him... the different hairstyles growing up, the fact that apparently he has lived with jeongwon for so long, and they have worked at the same hospitals? that he can barely stand to live on his own, something you would never quite expect from a forty year old man who is as revered and feared as kim junwan. how generous and kind and loving he is. how quirky and occasionally impulsive, especially around his friends. i thought the romance between him and iksun shoehorned and wooden at times, but they won me over, mostly by the end of season two. honestly, i put it more on chemistry than storytelling, to be honest. same goes with jungwon and gyucheol; for some reason i did not particular enjoy the romantic chemistry between either of these pairs (or maybe it was just the actors?) and saw them being better off as friends. that's just me nitpicking, though.

i also particularly loved seokhyeong's character development, and his romance felt well-earned and natural. such great growth here! and more justice for cripplingly introverted people, we deserve the spotlight as well! and the romance! and to be a little mean and spiteful and very smart, and kind-hearted and soft-spoken but strict as well, when needed! i loved him in his role at the hospital, and his backstory interested me the most out of all doctors, considering he worked in the states for quite some time, and all his family issues. sooooo dashing, too.

now, here comes perhaps my highest praise for the show. hospital playlist gave us the best friends-to-lovers trope in all of kdrama, possibly of all time. so insanely well done, oh my god. by the time ikjun and seonghwa kissed in the car, i thought i was gonna turn to dust. the chemistry! the realness! the ROMANCE! these two are so grossly meant for each other and their entire development from best friends to lovers was absolutely expertly written. i loved the season one finale, when ikjun visits seonghwa in her new apartment and confesses his feelings for her. so elegant. jo jungsuk has this talent for really deeply emotional acting that never feels like a gimmick and always just earnest. anyone else might have forced too much there, or played it too heavy-handed, but he met the perfect balance between earnestness, and yearning, and gracefully-resigned. it was beautiful. how seonghwa allowed herself to open up to those feelings over the course of the second season, and how naturally they have taken care of each other from the beginning... god. couple of all time, for real. the fact that ikjun is such a singer and seonghwa is the complete opposite, but he loves her so much that to him, she sounds impeccable. what a contrast to his sharp head turns in the first episode whenever she fucks up a note. hospital playlist you magical show, you.

honorable mentions to sunbin and seokmin, my favorite neurosurgery side couple. precious, precious sweethearts. and my beloved choi yungjoon as the dishiest side character of them all, initially why i even gave in to watch the show. he did not disappoint, and he will always enrich the visual tapestry of any ensemble cast (see also: vincenzo). i just love his work in anything, so he was such a welcome addition here and, as always, a sight for sore eyes. also, park hyungsoo as seokhyeong's family's lawyer, famously of the devil judge (lawyer go, anyone? i spy a type cast and i welcome it) and crash landing on you (one of the nasty brothers).

the music was outstanding. the singing, jesus christ. jo jungsuk never met a key he couldn't transpose into a tenor dream, or a song that he couldn't elevate by adding his perfectly measured vocals. watching everyone learn and play their instruments was such a joy, and i have soaked up all the behind the scenes content. the first time they played rain and you in season two, i started to bawl. man. i fucking love this show, and i would take five more seasons to see how this group of friends navigates their lives together. that it's my life performance changed my soul.

ranking: 10/10

so, where is season three?

[monstrumpuella]

What Moment made me fall in Love with The Owl House

There's been so many discussions on what's everyone's favorite moments in the series- be it because of a fav character, amazing scene or artistic design- I thought it would be nice to share one of my own.

Keep in mind, I was already excited for The Owl House when it was unveiled as a new, upcoming show for Disney and I really, really liked the first episode when it premiered. Yet I didn't love it. At least not yet.

I related a lot with the main protagonist, Luz, and so I was intrigued with where her journey in the Boiling Isles was taking her. All the characters that Luz met were wonderful and interesting and I enjoy watching her explore and learn magic and becoming a witch all the while trying to survive a world that is more or less trying to kill her.

But it isn't till "Agony of a Witch" that officially made me a fan.

You see, this episode is the culmination of everything that we learned in the beginning of the story and what happens just before the finale for the first season and beyond season 2 and 3.

Honestly what can I say about this episode that others haven't already?

It's great, it's suspenseful, it had amazing cinematography, and it solved one of the show's own mysteries (while uncovering some new ones) and then left us on a tearful end.

In truth I love it and I could rewatch this episode over and over again.

I could argue everything in this episode is my favorite moment especially how in the beginning of "Agony of a Witch" it starts off with Lilith, the sister of Edalyn Clawthorne and Headwitch of the Emperor's Coven, trying (and failing) to capture the rebellious wild witch once again. Meanwhile we have Eda enjoying the show of seeing the Emperor's scouts and her own sister getting their butt kicked by the house demon Hooty.

It isn't anything new because we already saw how determined and caring Lilith is to her sister in the previous eps despite the estrangement over the past few years. We do see the stakes risen though when Eda finds out that the potions she's been taking are losing their effects on her curse and that it's only a matter of time until the Owl Beast takes over completely. Which leads to Luz wanting to try to figure out and find a cure for her owl witch mentor.

All in all it seemed to be turning into an interesting and enjoyable episode just before the finale.

Until we officially meet him.

Emperor Belos aka the Villain

He was already established to be a mysterious character with sinister intentions and it was already highly anticipated to his first appearance since he was all but alluded in the story.

He was exactly what I imagined and more.

He was threatening and intimidating which showed he was a true threat to our characters well being. He had shown that he was extremely frightening to both our heroes and antagonists making him dangerous to cross.

But he is but one half of the aspect that made me love this episode.

When Lilith and Eda have an all out witch's duel in front of the Emperor's Castle with Luz as hostage, all hell breaks.

Everything in this fight was a masterclass of animation.

We see Eda seriously overpowering Lilith and we start to wonder if Eda was the one holding back all this time. Lilith though hangs tight and continues to press on despite the differences in power. We do see however Eda begins to weaken due to her curse and it may seem that Lilith might win this fight.

Until their sisterly argument reveal that it was Lilith who was responsible for Edalyn Clawthorne's curse.

To imagine your sibling, your friend and family Someone who you always had your back and you theirs To have done something as unthinkable of placing a curse on them

All because you were jealous of the other

That might have been so painful for Eda.

And this scene is being shown before the Emperor.

(I already had my suspicion that Emperor Belos might have had some relations with Eda and later Lilith. Especially given how hostile Eda was against the Emperor and the coven system. I had presumed perhaps he was their estranged father or uncle. How wrong and so right I was with this theory.)

The duel ends with Eda using all of her magic to save Luz and fully turns into the Owl Beast. She accepts her defeat and uses the last of her strength to reassure her and thanks Luz for being in her life until the curse takes over.

Eda until this moment had always been selfish in keeping her freedom but she gives it all up to save this human girl who brought her so light back in her life.

As Lilith drags her sister away to the Emperor's Castle, she tells Luz these chilling words:

"Edalyn is finally with her family. Her real family. Go back to your world. This one is ours."

There is just so much to unpack with this line but it gave me chills.

It wasn't known then but this was foreshadowing of the fact that Lilith was doing it for her family. She wanted to save her sister and so believed that if Eda joined the coven, Lilith could save her sister from her curse. She truly thought she was doing it for her sister's wellbeing but in truth Lilith simply wanted to redeem herself for the selfish mistake she made years ago. Sounds very familiar to another pair of siblings, hmm?

As the episode ends with Luz returning to the Owl House, she is greeted by Hooty and King who have yet to realize the grave events that had occurred hours ago. For all they know, Eda was coming back with Luz so that they could give her the surprise party that they had been planning for her. To thank her for all the laughter and joy Luz had given them in the short time she's been at the Owl House.

And Luz, without saying another word, begins to cry.

[rainbow-arrow]

Something Bad is going (or Has) happened to Luka Couffaine

 a theory!

Listen. Few love Luka Couffaine as much as I do. And there’s been a Good Deal of foreshadowing that something Bad is going to happen to him. Or, since we already have episodes 16 and 18, something already has. It begins in season four, and I think, most accurately, his downfall begins after Wishmaker. 

My theory here is that something bad happens to him in season five, and I’m predicting it’s going down Episode 15, which is ‘Intuition’, named after Sass’s powers, iconically, the only miraculous he ever used (he should’ve gotten one in the kwami swap i will die on this hill, regardless of their reasoning). As of right now, all we have of this episode is the name and the rest is mere speculation. Could happen later, could happen not at all (doubtful), but this is what I’m predicting, and if I am wrong, well, I’ve been wrong before lol.

This ended up a Bit longer than I anticipated, with the pictures (there are pictures for evidence under the cut lol i’m not one to do a CHUNK of text) and ngl overwhelming number of ominous signs pointing towards him, so it’s under the cut. I do also acknowledge my biases- I think he’s a much more main character than the creators are allowing him to be. In my defense, I love him?

Now, when I say something bad, I’m preparing myself for them just killing him (they wouldn’t, right?) but it could be a vague injury or sending him away, just something that keeps him off my screen, which is, arguably as bad as death? The thing is, everything points to something ‘vague bad’, and from that I can’t predict more, so I’ll keep it vague.

Season 4, Episode 22- Ephemeral

Ephemeral is the First Time we get to see him after discovering their identities in Wishmaker (a moment I have written separate essays on before). As far as I interpret the episode, his initial plan is to tell Marinette he knows she’s Ladybug (eventually) and accepts he’s instead going to ‘know’ Chat Noir’s for everyone’s benefit. 

I’ve written other posts on the Importance and Luka’s positioning in Ephemeral (and how the whole thing could’ve been solved with a simple conversation or. believe it or not. the Truth), so I’m not going to say much here, but the One point to be considered is:

It’s not safe for one person to know both Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities.

Which is why she can’t know his, and he can’t know hers. And Luka finds himself knowing both. From this very moment I knew something bad was doomed to happen to my favorite blueberry. He got put in a bad situation after, honestly, a very bad season for him. 

Season 5, Episode - Determination

 This one is. A Reach but someone rb and tagged one of my posts so I cannot just move on from this. We know there’s a Viperion wax figure, we see it covered and also lined up to fight (BUT THEY DOn”T aCTUALLy FIGHT HIM), and he’s just straight up not included on the poster. Seeing the wax figure it’s clear that they Know of his existence, but he’s just...not there.

Some attempt at foreshadowing? I personally, do not know, but have been, without my consent, told it might be. (don’t write bible spoilers in the tags of my posts i read them okay???????) I am simply acknowledging this.

Season 5, Episode 12- Perfection

Luka has been in two (2) episodes so far in season five (LESS THAN WAYHEM MAY I ADD), and Perfection he’s bARELY there. (in his defense if I was in his exact situation, I would Also keep my distance), but he Is playing when Adrien’s singing, and they focus on him....at an interesting point.

(first. funny bc he was silencer lol) First for real. Lukanette fans are always allowed to mourn the ridiculously short dating time on my posts- the emphasis on him and Adrien using the melody talk that’s taken verbatim from Wishmaker is also another essay for another time.

Second, he knows. Which, in general, makes most of his appearances in the show post Wishmaker (only twice in season five so far) hilarious, but in this situation, why they chose to emphasize him on the heart beating line. The silence one I get, but why would they linger so long on such a line? Foreshadowing. that’s my answer. They’re going to kill him. /j

I could also point out how far apart he stands from everyone but I’m also aware his animation budget is like $5 and half a pbj so I’m not looking too much into that, but here:

Season 5, Episode 16- Protection

This episode is the first After when I think things are going to happen, immediately following Intuition, and Luka is...very oddly not there.

It’s clear they had Every Intention of Luka being there when they planned this date, even including him in the comic, but he was replaced by Nino at last minute (Luka and Nino are the same person truthers really got a +1 on that line lol), which is...a choice but more on that never.

Luka was obviously abruptly replaced, which continues to lend to the idea that something in the immediate past (previous episode- oh! That’s Intuition!) and based on the leaked ideas I’ve stumbled across for episode 14, I really don’t think he’s in that one. 

What gets to me in this scene is that, yes, they’re uncomfortable (with every right to be), put on display by their friends, but they look at each other right when they say his name. Like they know something happened. This scene adds more fuel to my ‘vague bad’ idea than straight up killing him (they wouldn’t), where likely, Ladybug and Chat Noir know More as to what happened (as well as Juleka, but she has no reason nor desire to speak up regarding her brother).

The Tweets

I, cannot for the life of me find the tweet that this is originally mentioned in (in my defense i did screen shot it and i have over 1200 images in my miraculous folder, but it might be in my screencap folder? we’ll never know). But I do have the Gloob post regarding it:

[translation: who was that phrase for? ‘Your heart has been broken, you will never use the power of second chance again’]

Oh, he’s never gonna use the power of second chance again, that’s for certain, but I do have reason to believe it’s not because they don’t get the miraculouses back (haven’t read the bible spoilers on that I’m just assuming that’s how it all ends), it’s rather that he doesn’t get to use them.

Luka has a lot of potential built up as being so important to the plot, with the ideas of the four being foils to each other (Kagami is getting plenty of screentime for this (in a good way)), but because he knows. I can’t fathom when this is going to play out, or why they would make him know unless something important comes from it. Then again, between seasons they could’ve just changed their mind about his role in the show (*cough* the Couffaine’s always *cough*).

Then again, they also could have them find out each others identities before Luka gets/wants to tell them and then it’s just a waste but. I’ll write another essay on that if it happens.

I keep saying ‘I can’t believe they’re going to kill Luka Couffaine’ to prepare myself that something Very Terrible is going/has happened to him, but I honestly don’t believe that Fully. The people I have discussed this with have all, for the most part, agreed they’re likely going to send him away at least until the end of the season, and with this idea there’s so many different reasons they could use. Go on tour with Jagged? Sure. Let him learn more about being a luthier? I could see that. Study abroad? I’m still confused as to what type of school he actually goes to but why not. Something involving Monarch based on that last idea? God I hope not, but it’s a reason.

also, since I began working on this, this was revealed:

Which is something I personally have been saying this whole time, but also Big Yikes, I’m just worried for my favorite blueberry. I hope he’s okay.

[ariminiria]

You know...even the live action Scooby Doo movies from the 2000's were MUCH more enjoyable then the crap that Hollywood throws at us now. Those people who worked on the LA Scooby Doo movies totally went all out!

They were a little bit bad in some ways, but at the same time they were so charming. And they weren't trying to be edgy, or anything more or less than the source material. They set out to strictly make a live action Scooby Doo, and they did.

I also think that Scooby Doo is a better candidate for live action than many things that have been adapted as such recently, because of the "monster of the week" nature of the show. Most of the episodes were unrelated, unconnected, and rarely referenced each other, except to sometimes mention old cases. But there wasn't a huge overarching plot to drag the pacing down and detract from the main focus, aka whatever case they were currently working on.

That's why I personally found the Mystery Incorporated reboot to be severely underwhelming. Definitely my least favorite iteration thus far. They focused too much on a "big" mystery instead of just. Ya know. Monsters. And they added too much supernatural element. I'll get into why the live action one gets a pass for that later, but the original cartoons and the What's New Scooby Doo phase only ever winked at supernatural realism. Like the cornfield episode where the creepy cat disappeared except for its red eyes at the end. But it was never really taken super seriously.

The live action movies came out to do their own thing and they set the bar from the get go. So sure, we're having Scrappy Doo try to eat Scooby's soul and the gang gets their bodies all swapped around, why not. They kept the tone consistent with the original material and that's what matters. And you didn't have to watch the other movies to understand whichever one you were watching, much like the original monster-of-the-week setup of the series.

Mystery Incorporated tried too hard to be dark and gritty, yet it still pretended it was being faithful to the original. But they reduced all the characters down to the most one dimensional cardboard cutout caricatures of themselves, taking one trait and blowing it up into their whole personality. Fred is a dumb jock who knows nothing but how to make traps. Velma knows nothing but books (and also she's a controlling emotionally abusive girlfriend now??). Daphne is overtly obsessed with Fred and that's her whole personality.

And then they tried to add an overarching plot in the background of each season. They imply that its similar to the cases they've solved this far - ie realism - but just a bigger threat pulling the strings. They're never ever clear of what is supposedly going to happen. Some vague and generic bad guy is planning something. What something, you might ask? What is the culmination of three seasons of insulting material and vague hints? Maybe a real estate scam? An inheritance scheme?

No. Quite literally out of nowhere at the end of the last season, they go through a portal into a shadow dimension and a whole bunch of people get eaten by a shadow demon that can only possess talking animals (for some reason) and it wanted Scooby but only managed to snag some pathetic bird. But it still wants Scooby tho! Anyways the shadow demon is literally consuming their town and the people in it (including the gang's parents cause yeah let's give the kiddies some nightmares) and somehow the power of friendship defeats the shadow demon but also sends them back to an alternate reality like Back to the Future and they all have really cool, better lives now. For some reason.

Honestly, it was insulting that they tried to even call that a Scooby Doo show. If they had made original characters and done their own new thing it would have been kind of interesting. But nah. Just something else where you can tell the creators hated the original material and were determined to twist it into what they wanted to watch instead of being faithful to the source.

The movies understood what they were doing and they didn't try to make it something that it shouldn't be.