#still kinda cool to rewatch those first few episodes

[motleyflash]

tis' but a dream within a dream

[fischyplier]

Misfits and Magic Season 2 Episode 2 "Magma and Mingle": My Thoughts and Analysis

So here are my thoughts on Evan and Sam. Am I the only one that doesn’t see their relationship progressing into romance? I can understand that in this season Brennan and Danielle are having more scenes together. At this point, Evan and Sam's relationship feels platonic to me, but who knows what could happen in the next few episodes. I prefer platonic relationships because they feel more interesting than just romance. Also want to take the time to say, I love and appreciate all the hard work that went into this and every season of D20. Thank you to the crew, the players and Aabria cause misfits and magic has become very near and dear to my heart!

Click below to read more, warning long post:

Anyways, Evan has gone through a LOT of traumatic experiences since childhood and continues to till this day. Evan's body is riddled with scars, broken bones that healed wonky, etc. He got stabbed on a bus at night trying to retrieve a talisman for Boodle 10 months ago. And I would not be surprised if he's been through more but hasn't had the opportunity to tell his friends or elected to say nothing. I can't help but to read too deeply into the quote "dream small". Is it cause I feel that Evan has learned to dream small in order to not get his hopes and expectations too high? Just a theory... A game theory! I'm sorry.

After 3 years of no contact the pilot project are back! But they haven't really had the time to sit down and catch up. In the video below, Sam says "I feel like there's a lot of things that when we talk you don't tell me." Which kinda leads me to believe, Evan doesn't want to worry his friends so he bottles up his feelings and doesn't open up. And when he does it's always with a smile and jokes to mask the hurt. He isn't just sad, he feels like a burden and tries to not take up space. I can really relate to this.

Even Brennan says Evan is in deep pain. The breakup he went through didn't help but there is more under the surface we as the audience still don't truly know. The experiences of being a lonely unhoused teen is the reason why Brennan chose "belonging" as Evan's ideal track. Because that is the one thing he's been deprived off, humans are social creatures and need to interact with others. What happens to a developing brain when that is taken away? When all you know is your shadow, loneliness and hunger? So when his friend says we can talk, he takes that as a serious invitation. Evan now surrounded by friends wants to do everything in his power to protect those he loves. He doesn't expect it to be reciprocal. You can see that when he says "if I've ever done a bad job about being here for you, I'm always here for you" after Sam says we can talk. When Brennan tears up with that incredible delivery of "I missed you"... I keep rewatching that part! Evan is always on the go, needs to be prepared, needs to be ready when shit hits the fan. Sam has created a safe place where he doesn't need to be hypervigilant and can relax, maybe open up and be a little vulnerable.

Sam is rightfully concerned that something deeper and terrible is going on with Evan.

When Evan continues kicking a half dead Salamander that isn't a threat to any of his friends, a darkness in him wants to kick it mercilessly for pure enjoyment. That even his eyes turns black. The first thing Sam does when she sees this is to attempt to drench it in water like Jammer did. Cause she said that this has become "unnecessarily dark" and that "this is freaking her out". That she'll even resort to spitting on the creature if it means that Evan will stop kicking that crap out of it. The water cools and stops the creature. Sam is a great friend that sees Evan do something twisted and wants to help so desperately. You do not have to be falling in love with someone to do the right thing! I still think they should just be friends.

I love that in this season we can really see their friendship blossom and not just be surface level chit chat. As they get closer hopefully they can help each other in ways they really need. In the preview for the next episode Evan says, "I don't see you the way you are afraid people see you." Sometimes it takes someone outside of your point of view to see aspects of yourself you are too close to see. And I think that's beautiful.

That leads into my next point, no I don't think the progressing of their relationship means that romance is in the air. I can't remember where I read it but another person said it best, intimacy doesn't mean romance. You can get close to someone, be a shoulder to cry on and depend on without developing feelings. You can love and respect your friend and keep it at that level but develop on that intimacy of a great friendship. I feel like it made the most sense for these two to get closer in this season because they have more in common now. Before it was just the fact that they were students learning magic at Gowpenny and being NAMPS (non magical person or let's be serious MUGGLES!). But now Evan and Sam have both underwent break ups and that's something they can really connect on. I really hope they don't get together right after cause that sounds like a rebound and to me, story wise pretty boring. And in my honest opinion, jumping into another relationship right after being with K is a little too soon. Evan needs a friend not a lover, at least for the time being. He needs to keep his inner darkness and insecurities in check. That or a therapist.

Hopefully this doesn't age like milk, and if they do get together I guess I'm wrong! :3

Thank you if you read till the very end, here is a gif of Brennan giving you a thumbs up!

Why? Cause you are pretty cool!

Please consider liking or reblogging this post if you liked what you read. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode and if I should continue!

[tis-the-marmot]

Just some of my thoughts on The Bad Batch finale or, well, The Bad Batch in general under the cut

You know, I can still vividly picture my old self back in 2020, awaiting Ahsoka's return when Season 7 of The Clone Wars had just been released. Then I began watching, and The Bad Batch made their very first appearance. I was like "who the hell are these soldiers, I couldn't care less about their arc. where's Ahsoka. Oh is she coming later? Fine, I guess I can put up with these clones for a few more episodes."

And as I kept watching I could feel myself gradually warming up to them. "Hm. I guess they're not so bad after all. The sniper is kinda cool. And they all have their interesting little dynamics with each other. Echo's back yippiee!! And he's joining the Bad Batch, good for him, good for him."

Still, that wasn't enough to shake my initial indifference, and I quickly went back to wanting them gone. "Okay seriously you guys have stolen too much screentime, I'm ready to see Ahsoka kick Maul's ass now, so byeee"

Who. Would've. Known. Who would've thought I was talking about the same clone squad that would reduce me to a crying mess four years later.

Would 2020 Marmot believe present-day Marmot if I told her that snarky sniper would become one of her favourite Star Wars characters? Would she nod along with uncertainty if I advised her not to get too attached to that guy with the goggles, only for her to grow fond of him anyway?

Would she laugh in my face if I counted all the occasions she would've rewatched those four TCW episodes in the future - the same ones she couldn't wait to get over with the first time - just to recall the simpler days of Clone Force 99?

How would she react if I described her excitement when they first announced that The Bad Batch was going to have its own show, and her absurd feeling of emptiness now that everything's over after three seasons?

I really wish I could delve into a deeper analysis of the last episode and comment on everything that happened, I'd really love to. But I just can't. Not while I'm still trying to process the fact that this series has officially ended.

And what a bittersweet ending to an equally bittersweet story. I've always recognised The Bad Batch for what it is, with all of its strengths and flaws, and I admit there are some narrative choices I still don't fully agree with. But despite everything this show means the world to me. The characters mean the world to me. I've seen Omega grow, change her brothers for the better and let herself be changed by them as well. I've seen how the presence, or rather the absence of certain Bad Batch members affected and shaped the rest of the squad. I laughed with them, cried with them, got frustrated alongside them and sometimes WITH them too. I will forever treasure every single moment I spent with the Bad Batch in mind, from the anticipation and the cryptic tweets the day before every airing, to reading all the different theories and admiring the fanart right after finishing the episode of the week.

Saying goodbye is unbelievably difficult, but I'm so, so grateful for the experience. The Bad Batch will always hold a special place in my heart. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in creating this wonderful show, and to the fellow fans who shared this unforgettable journey with me from beginning to end. ❤️🖤

[alltrap]

Hazbin Hotel Song Tierlist

Ranking Explanations-

S Tier (my favorite songs)-

Loser Baby: Do I have to explain myself?

Hell’s Greatest Dad: What’s better than watching 2 prideful ass men fighting? Nothing.

A Tier-

Stayed Gone: Love this song so much. Debated on putting it in S tier but I’ve been replaying those songs more than I have this one.

B Tier (Songs I like but I’m picky)-

Respectless: At first I didn’t like it but it kinda grew on me. I don’t like Velvet since she’s kinda dumb but she absolutely ate during this scene.

It Starts With Sorry: Super sweet and I really liked it. Not in my playlist but I wouldn’t mind listening to it.

Hell is Forever: It’s fine. I love rock so this song could’ve gotten into A tier but most of it is pretty mid. Even though I know Adam is supposed to be an asshole he just makes the song annoying. I only really like the last part of the song. Plus most of my other complaints aren’t really about the song, mostly writing of the actual show and Adam’s design. Adam’s design sucks.

C Tier (Mid songs that I would only sit through when watching the show):

Poison: Don’t get me wrong, I love Angel Dust and his story but I feel like this is such a bad song to convey his feelings through. It’s like it’s trying to be a catchy pop song but also trying to convey abuse and deep feelings and it just falls flat. Some of the lyrics just get on my nerves because of how much they’re repeated. “Yeah” doesn’t even feel like a word anymore after this song. Reminds me of Cotton Candy from Helluva Boss. It would be a good song if the words “cotton candy” weren’t 90% of it. But like I say with most music, everybody is subjected to their own music taste and it’s cool if you like this and I don’t. I just wouldn’t listen to this unless I was rewatching the show.

Happy Day In Hell- Again, this song is fine. There’s a few seconds where I kinda vibe but most of it where I don’t. It’s a mid tier song.

More than Anything- It was cute and all seeing Lucifer be there for Charlie but it felt a little rushed. Plus it didn’t really stick out to me. If I listened to it again maybe it could grow on me but for now it’s mid tier.

You Didn’t Know: Like I said with More than Anything, it didn’t really stick out. I liked the Seraphim taking Charlie’s side and stuff but it didn’t really do anything. They were trying to protest and stuff but the song kinda felt useless after Sera made her final decision. Still mid.

D Tier (Songs I literally forgot about):

Whatever It Takes: No joke, forgot about this song only a week after I watch the episode. That’s how bad this song was. I didn’t like the pacing in the song. Charlie and Vaggie’s conflict felt rushed too so Vaggie’s part felt unnecessary. Plus, we still barely know anything about Carmilla except she makes weapons and she loves her family so this song really falls through. I think the show’s writing sabotaged this song but I don’t want to get into that.

Welcome to Heaven: 😐. My face during this song. Such a bad song. I guarantee to you that I’ll forget about this next week. I also just don’t like most of the designs from heaven. They look so tacky and rushed. I literally let out a disappointed sigh when I saw the seraphim. Most of my gripes about this is mostly just the character design. I know Viv put thought into some of the demons but the angels have me dead.

Here’s me ranting again about the show that doesn’t have anything to do with the songs. I just have so much stuff I want to rant about this show, some of it good and the rest bad. But that’s my tier-list so far.

[adracat]

GWitch 23 thoughts

Sorry for the wait on this, I had to rewatch a few times to really drink in everything that was going on. I didn't have the best knee-jerk reaction initially ( I enjoyed it ofc but was a bit ambivalent about some things) and wanted to give it a fair shake.

First up, seeing Suletta zip around like the ace pilot she is was quite rewarding and fun! Now all those auto-pilot rumors can be laid to rest. However, the circumstances weren't the best and it broke my heart she was gasping for air the entire time. I had no doubt she'd live but it's still miserable to witness that

Ah Lauda. Your tomfoolery knows no bounds. We knew this was coming after the last ep, but it's still a bit frustrating. On a technical narrative level, it works since we're seeing two sets of siblings confront their simmering tension with one another. On a personal level, I wasn't very amused. I first saw this at 4 in the morning and had no patience for Lauda lmao. But rewatching it a few times gave me a deeper appreciation for what's going on. He's really intent on scapegoating Mio for everything wrong in his life. Fitting for her role as the Rose Bride and Lauda's demonized witch

This little aside from Chuchu is so suspicious tbh. Considering Mio's failure at piloting, this seems to imply either she does not have a permet implant of any sort or a flat intolerance. I have a sneaking suspicion it'll become a factor in the next episode.

Mio staring wistfully at Cool-san/etc memento of Suletta will always grab me by the throat. Girl wants to wife up Suletta so bad. And really, who could blame her?

Schwarzette is so pretty and cool. Unfairly so. Like, why did you make that thing so unique and cool? For dipstick Lauda?? Who is that pink permet for and why does it look like Utena??? ANSWER ME OKOUCHI

That's nice of Delling to rise from his sickbed to try and negotiate with the SAL. Unfortunately, this would be for naught because they're here to purge and replace. Not make nice. It was the thought that counts, I suppose.

Speaking of, the debut of a solar ray blindsided me. I mean, yeah it's Gundam, but I kinda thought we were skipping the big death ray lmao. After sitting on it, I think I know where it's headed. Totally on brand for SAL too in hindsight. They like to act removed, but they're just as entrenched as Benerit in the skeevy corpo politics. Allying with Ochs and now Peil cements it

Check the link above to see my Utena related thoughts on this moment btw. It might be the highlight of the episode beyond the Prospera confrontation. Stunned they finally stopped playing coy and seemingly confirm Notrette is indeed a GUND entity residing in pseudo hell, and likely a GWitch newtype like Eri

This was very sweet and I enjoy it more on a rewatch but I also understand why I and so many people had a gut-deep aversion to this subplot. The issue is entirely investment based imo, and tbh I just don't care that much about the Jeturk family dynamics. At best, I don't mind them. Guel is a bro but Lauda is SO exhausting on multiple levels. His misogyny and gross negligence of Petra in favor of revenge doesn't help.

If something came of this other than Lauda/Guel sibling closure, I'd consider it fulfilling. But if you lack investment in the conflict, it's going to feel limp or frustrating in comparison to the siblings you want to see. So while I appreciate the parallel with Suletta/Eri and the continuing subtext of witch coded Mio, that's it for me. But hey, it serves a purpose. A tragic cycle was broken after all, thanks to love and MVP Felsi!

The one big gripe I have after consideration is this man's continued existence. Kenanji doesn't deserve to play buddy buddy with the cast. He's a dirty space cop who bullies children and murdered Nadim, now he's joking with 5lan? The hell. I get the theme of the show is forgiveness and not perpetuating the cycle of revenge but... really? KENANJI gets to be happy but Norea/Sophie don't? Sigh

It was so dirty of Eri to use Suletta's love for Mio against her. She knows Suletta would panic over their mother possibly 'gaining two'. It's crafty and unrepentant, but Suletta holds fast. Her faith in Mio is greater than her idle fears

Mio scolding Prospera over her favoritism was great. We love a fiancé willing to take a stand against her shit in-laws. Speaking of, looks like Mio has fully embraced becoming a Mercury one day. 'All of us will be family' YEAH YOU WILL so suck it up Prospera. The holidays are gonna be so awkward

Btw love Mio was shouting at her while having an emotional breakthrough deciphering her mother's QZ riddle. This moment was excellent and easily superceded my minor gripes. UGH when will you reveal Notrette's whole deal GWitch? We're waiting

Such a bittersweet moment. We know from the Blessing and Cradle Planet that Eri loves her sister but it may not have been until this moment that Suletta understands her feelings. Now, I don't think she's 'dead' tbh. Or deader anyway. I suspect it's a false flag to hook you until the finale. It would be quite anti-climactic if she passed without a proper goodbye. I'm still holding out on a Tempest end where Prospera voluntarily sets her free.

The next Sunday will be our last. Hard to believe tbh. Feels like just yesterday we set out on this spectacular journey. Que sera sera! I'll see y'all in the finale~

[spinnysocks]

spinny!! I’m curious, what got you into the lion guard?

EHEHEE YAY I LOVE ASKS LIKE THIS!! don't mind me rambling about how i got into it :3

i watched the lion guard originally as a young teen! my memories are foggy, so i can't say how much i liked it, but i do remember ono being my favourite and that i watched enough to remember a lot of the episodes when i revisited it a few years later. i rewatched it out of childhood nostalgia and curiosity - i wanna say around 2020 maybe? - and developed a hyperfixation on it, specifically on janja! back then, i kinda only cared about his character and a few others such as timon, pumbaa, scar and kiburi, though janja was the character who i was actually interested in. i had even bought a lion king notebook to write a snippet of an au i had for him, i still have it lmaoo

because of how my hyperfixations work, i get obsessed over one fandom for a while until it switches to another. for instance, most of last year i hyperfixated on the madagascar movies - those periods of hyperfixating would last anywhere from hours to months until shifting to, for example, the lion guard. it also wasn't my main fandom at the time, madagascar was. that changed in november last year, when i found that there was a LOT of cool lion guard content on here (especially @devilsrecreation's outlanders posts!). i began to interact a little bit which made me hyperfixate on it even more. i made my first lion guard post in december, and that's where my posting and very long hyperfixation on it began!! since then i've had like a landslide of constant thoughts about this silly show, and i've picked up a lot of new favourite characters along the way (such as kiburi and his float, beshte, goigoi, dogo, literally all of the outlanders...). i've barely shifted hyperfixations since then and the show has very swiftly become a favourite media of mine! :3

so, i guess seeing content being made AND making my own has made me hyperfixate on it endlessly (/pos btw). i've specifically hyperfixated on the outlanders as you can probably tell lol. essentially, ✨the power of hyperfixations✨ lead me to being on and posting on this site, but the show has always been for me since i was a teen c:

[mgarmagedon]

Ninjago? Ninjago total Slay what's you'r favourite season ( for me Seabound it slaps) Also troughts on newest season? For me too little of Jay WHAT DO YOU MEAN 20 seconds?!

It was like one of my first fandoms ever and to this day I dearly love it :333 but after season 10 i unfortunately stopped watching because of my awful life situation at that point of mu existence... and after that, there was so much new media that i couldn't get to that easily...

BUT I'm trying for last few months rewatch whole series including new season :DDD

But I can still tell you which I liked the most anyway!!!

Season 5 with Morro and season 6 with Nadakhan, also this (IG special because at least in my television it was showed between two different seasons) episode where Cole is dying and becoming a ghost :DD that was very dramatic for my young teenager self.

(I saw a lot of ppl that are kinda shipping Morro with one of ig beta versions of Zane and it interesting, because since I was like 13-14 I shipped Morro x Lloyd, and idk what happend with this emo motherfucker after he literally died second time)

But i need to at least acknowledge even if season 3 wasn't my favorite one, as a 12 year old I cried like little baby when Zane died :))

Season 2 also SOOO cool, but I think it would me my 3 favorite, because of the whole action in it!!!! Like man every episode was so epic. I even have bootleg figure of Pythor, he is almost looking like original one uwu (and ik it's his second design, because first one was this purple with black stripes, but yeaaaa... I still love him tho, I also have somewhere Garmadon figure :D)

And my thoughts about new seasons??? Actually i don't have any, because yk i heard a lot of negative opinion about everything after the movie (which i was on premiere, in cinema full of uncultured, awful, disgusting, yelling children), so I don't have any expectations much but if they are good, I will love it with my whole body :DDD

Yeah too little Jay is always awful for Jayfandom, they can't simp for their favorite simp /j

And yes, I hung my ninjago dragons on the lamp and I have so small amount of them because those my parents bought me when I was minor and lego is so FUCKING expensive... (i have also this lego ninjago castle from lego ninjago movie)

Funfact: I polish version Kai has the same VA as Wheeljack and Steeljaw, and Cliffjumper with Zane, and Bulkhead with Garmadon????

Or that Jay is sharing VA with Finn from adventure time and Master Wu with Jake??? XDDDDD

[tantei-armin]

ANIMES I'VE WATCHED - WINTER 2023

I'm going to make these from now on, just for fun. This is about the animes I've watched this season, my short opinion and my rate on each. This is just my personal opinion.

-

DROPPED SHOWS: Tomo-chan is a Girl! (2 eps), The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Collegue (3 eps) and Kaina of The Great Snow Sea (1 eps).

First, let me be clear that none of these shows are bad. I will not rate them, coz I don't think it's fair since I've watched less than 3 episodes of each.

Tomo-chan was funny, but after 2 episodes it just felt generic to me. Ice Guy is a super pretty show and rly cute, but I just got bored and not rly invested to want to know more. Kaina, idk. Obviously the CGI animation can't be compared to Trigun Stampede, but it's not by any means bad. It wasn't the animation that made me drop the show, it simply did not hooked me at all, and after the first episode I completely forgot about it. Let me know if you think I should give them a second try.

Now here are the animes I've finished and my ratings for each (in no particular order). Beware for a few spoilers!

High Card

This one was good, but tbh, I couldnt really connect with any of the characters in the show. I actually enjoyed the episodes where it was just dumb fun with getting to see new characters and their weird powers, more than the episodes with actual plot. So the whole thing with Chris at the end, didnt rly appeal to me much, I felt like I barely new anything about him to actually care. Would I watch it again? Probably not, but I did enjoy it and will most likely give S2 a try.

Rate on MAL: 7/10 (Good)

Bonus: Favorite ED this season.

-

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

I didn't expect to like this show as much as I did. I assumed I would lose interest quickly like it happened to Ice Guy and Cool Colleague. But the show, aside from being visually super pretty, have a nice (even if not the most creative) premisse and I rly liked the characters. It was one of the few anime that I was actually excited to watch a new episode every week. The only downside for me, is that the plot became repetitive halfway through. Ann gets screwded over by others, coz she is a girl and they are jealous of her talent. That made it get quite tiring near the end. But I am still excited for S2 and I hope the plot moves on a bit more.

Rate on MAL: 8/10 (Very Good).

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In/Spectre S2

Tbh, I feel like this show might be better in manga form than anime. Because there's A LOT if talking. This season (so far) did not have much of a plot, more like 3-4 episodes arcs, that you can watch in random order and it will not affect the experience at all. I like the puzzles and the mystery, but thats about it. I actually waited for each arc to end and watched those episodes on a row, rather than watch weekly. I didnt have to force myself to watch the show and I quite enjoyed each arc. But I wouldnt rewatch it, specially since I know the answer to the mysteries now.

Rate on MAL: 6/10 (Fine).

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Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari

Went into this one completely blind. I actually kinda loved it. Unlike other shows that I started losing interest by the end, with this one I started to enjoy more as it went. The first episode gave the impression that it would be just another dumb shounen. I didnt expect the romance and actually rly liked it. The characters are very endearing, and it was refreshing seeing a MC that started as an edgelord and turned out to be a complete awkward dork instead of the other way around. Whats so funny to me is that practically nothing big happened by the final episode. It started as classic shounen and kinda ended like a Slice of Life. Would watch it again, and will definitely check out if theres a S2, since it's clear this was just the beginning of the story.

Rate on MAL: 8.5/10 (Very Good)

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Revenger

Another show I went in completely blind and enjoyed it... for like half the show. Would not rewatch it. It's okay, I'm not big on historical shows, but it was interesting for most of it. To be honest, I would have rated this show higher, wasn't for the last episode. If tristamp had the best finale of this bunch, this show had the worst.

(Major spoilers ahead)

There was a whole lot of complicated built to the finale only for it to be SUPER BORING. The villain was so generic and during the entire show he was like this super smart guy, always one step ahead of the heroes... only to die in the dumbest way possible. Seriously he literally standed in front of the guy trying to kill him and say "hey come on join me" and got murdered. And then there was this whole thing during the entire show about having the main dude, forgive himself and find another reason to live and whatever. It kept building up and then in the last moment he was just still depressed and got killed by a character that appeared like twice and they never explained why the kid even did that or why he was so angry at him to begin with. Look, I'm all for sad endings and stuff, but this one just felt like the ending basically made half of the show's point completely useless.

Rate on MAL: 6/10 (Fine)

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Buddy Daddies

This one was great! Very wholesome. It was a lot of fun, but also with some quite good drama. Not gonna lie, I teared up more than once. I expected it to be just dumb comedy, but it turned out to have quite the right amount of fluff and angst. A lot of people expected it to be SpyxFamily Gay Edition, but thats not it. I do have to say though... probably unpopular opinion, but I do NOT like Miri. Honestly she annoyed me to no end. Which makes her more realistic as a kid I guess. Do not go into this if you are expecting some homoerotic tension between the two guys. It's not about that, it's about found family for all parts involved and it's absolutely wholesome. I'll definitely rewatch it some day. Highly recommend.

Rate on MAL: 9 (Great).

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To Your Eternity S2

Aw man this is hard. I absolutely adored the first season, it have probably the most beautiful first episode of all anime. Unfortunately... S2 did not do it for me. I desperately wanted to love the show as much as I did the first season, but it just didn't happen. By the end of the season, I felt detached from it and also disappointed. It didn't give that rush of feelings from season 1, and by the last couple episodes I felt like all the things about loosing people were thrown in the trash with all the revivals. The big reunion was kinda boring too, I was so excited for it, and yet it was just, meh. There were definitely some great highlights, but overall this season was incredibly inferior to S1 imo.

Rate on MAL 7/10

Bonus: Best character development of the season: Bon.

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Trigun Stampede

Listen. LISTEN! If you follow my blog you know. But listen. This show! I'll say it right now: Anime of the Year. Haven't hyperfixated on anything this hard since Banana Fish.

No, I did not watch Trigun, I tried years ago and dropped after like 3 episodes for a bunch of reasons that I''ll not gonna go into rn. Tbh the main reason I decided to watch Stampede was over the visuals. I am a big fan of Studio Orange. I find their shows visually beautiful and just really pleasing to the eyes (where's my Houseki no Kuni S2, Orange!??), and I was instantly attracted to it when I watched the trailer. So I hopped on the first episode for the eyegasm.

But boy, oh boy this show is gorgeous. After the first episode I was hooked solely for the visual experience and the fun ride. By episode 3 I was hooked by the plot, and by episode 4 (with Wolfwood's introduction), I was in love with the characters.

I love the visuals, the designs, the story, the music, everything. Some of the changes people complained about werent actually changed, just postponed (which I theorized would happen halfway through the show), and some of the stuff that is actually different from the 1998 anime are actually the things I did not like in Trigun 98. And thats just a personal preference. But I do think that the fact I didn't watch the 98 show as a kid (it wasnt even released in my country) gave me the opportunity to fully enjoy Stampede without nostalgia getting in the way and clouding my opinion on it. I'll say that I agree that the pacing was quite fast, but I also understand why Orange and Kenji Muto did that, specially after we realized this entire season was a prequel. I do hope S2 slow down the pace a little bit.

But guys. The finale. Holy shit. The finale. I was rendered speechless. The final episode alone was a masterpiece. That's how you raise the bar on how to do a finale. The second cour of 86 had an AMAZING finale, but this here was something else. The animation was stunning, the music (ohmygod the scene they fell from the tower holy shit, when Vash's wing appeared), everything was absolutely incredible.

This was the show I couldnt wait for a new episode. This was the show I kept rewatching the episodes over and over while waiting for the next. And every time I did, I would find a new detail that I didn't notice in the previous watchs. Look, preferences aside, it is crystal clear how much love and passion was put into this show. From the gorgeous animation, to the character's expressions, to the small details everywhere, to the way the studio's staff interacted with the fans on twitter, this show was put together with a lot of effort, passion and thought.

I can say right now that Trigun Stampede easily became one of my favorite shows of all time, and this is coming from someone who have been watching animes for over 20 years. I'm not really planning to try watching Trigun 98 again, but I am planning on starting the manga, specially since I already got spoiled about some big events.

Bonus: Favorite OP of the season.

Rate on MAL: 10/10 (Masterpiece)

Anime of the Year for me 100%. I do not see any anime taking Tristamp's place, not even SnK's finale, and this is coming from an originally SNK obssessed blog. Thats how much Tristamp impacted me.

-

That's it!! If you think there's an anime I missed this season and should check out, pls leave it in the comments which is and why I should give it a try.

[fanfic-inator795]

I was rewatching the "Stay Cool" ep of I Heart Arlo, and while the episode plot itself is pretty cliche and predictable, the episode itself is still pretty fun and fairly enjoyable - though my favorite part is definitely the ending.

You get to Arlo telling his dad about said yacht-sinking and Ansel not seeing an issue with it at first, saying how he often looks for those who "ask for forgiveness instead of permission" in his building managers. In a way, it kind of reminds me of the movie where he's giving Arlo advice that, while it may help him get ahead in the business world (a world Ansel is MUCH more familiar with than parenthood), isn't necessarily good advice in general.

Immediately Arlo is naturally confused, which prompts Ansel to kinda just be like "Oh right, I'm a dad now, gotta say something Dad-like", prompting him to try scolding Arlo, with his tone not sounding nearly as natural or as confident as it was prior (the vocal delivery and animation really sells this). But even if Ansel is still only acting stern and isn't actually mad or even that disappointed, it's still enough for Arlo to continue being super hard on himself, not necessarily needing Ansel or anyone else to tell him that he messed up big time. (and oof, you really do feel for him here...)

That then leads into Ansel fully realizing how distraught his son is and doing what any good parent should do in a situation like this: comfort and letting their kid know that mistakes don't erase love, and that things can be replaced. That the important thing is that Arlo is safe and that he still loves him no matter what (and all while an instrumental version of "In The Blue With You" plays in the background. Just, d'awwww!), ending things off with a hug and a quick joke about Arlo getting an allowance + the squid falling for the Ansel statue, lol.

Though, while I love this whole ending and how sweet it is, Arlo being so worried about disappointing or being hated by his dad (that bit where he says "Ansel" instead of "Dad" because he's "practicing for when he gets disowned". OOF) definitely hits a lot harder than the typical "my parent's gonna kill me!" jokes you see in TV shows when you remember that Arlo was literally abandoned by Ansel as a baby. Additionally, in the next episode, you briefly see Arlo admit that he still worries about one day disappointing Ansel.

If the show had more episodes, I have to wonder if the show would fully address these fears that Arlo has - to acknowledge that, while Arlo may have forgiven Ansel for everything and for as much as Ansel is trying to be there for him now, it isn't exactly easy for Arlo to just forget about how Ansel not only gave him up as a baby but also took forever to finally accept him. Even if he understands WHY Ansel struggled so much with accepting both his son and himself and how Ansel's backstory/trauma led to Ansel making decisions he regretted, Arlo was still impacted by these decisions and still felt the hurt in them.

While we got to see a few instances of Arlo and Ansel bonding with each other/Ansel learning to be a dad, we never really got to see these two have a full-on argument or fight. But if we DID, I have to wonder if the climax of it would be Arlo blurting out something about being abandoned again for not being the perfect son - something he would immediately regret, but also something that Ansel, for as hurt as he would be to hear it, would still understand.

Frankly, I would love to see a scene where these two have a heart-to-heart where Arlo admits that while he isn't mad at his dad, he still feels hurt and afraid. He loves his dad wholeheartedly and has loved getting to spend time with him and get to know him, but there's a small part of him that doesn't fully trust him just yet - and Ansel completely gets it, saying that he doesn't blame Arlo for not being able to just forget about his abandonment and, what's more, that while he's grateful for Arlo's forgiveness, he doesn't necessarily deserve the full forgive-and-forget treatment. "I spent years trying to make myself forget what I did, to make it easier on myself... It wasn't right then, and it wouldn't be right now."

And in the end, this missing trust is just accepted as one more thing they have to continue working on, with Ansel promising that he'll do - and keep doing - whatever he needs for Arlo to know that not only does he love him, but he won't ever turn his back on his son again, no matter what.

It's not a perfect solution by any means nor does it completely fix things, but they both agree that it's at the very least a good step forward ^v^

[piganatur]

THE EIGHTH SENSE EP 1

The eighth sense is: - the type of production that I tend to inhale - giving me such k-indie film vibes I’m humming with joy

I watched the first two episodes like two days ago. Rewatched them again the next morning. Pondered for a day, then watched the first ep again. At that point I accepted: this show lives rent free in my brain.

It’s something about: - the opening sequence because it literally plunges us into the middle of what this story will tell and what it’s about. It’s the wave crashing over our heads and after seeing nothing but the confusing (but crucial) bits, much like the white crest of said breaking wave, the scene in the bar slows down. We’re up at the surface again, waiting, building for the next wave

It’s something about: - how funny it is that in the bar, there’s noise, everyone chats loudly, there’s ought to be the dynamic of life and fun – a certain kind of rush to the scene – yet it’s the opposite. I’ve seen people describe it as too boring and long of a scene. It’s fascinating to think that it’s our timeout before the next wave. Two conversations from the bar: 1, about getting dumped/love life and 2, about getting rejected/ finding a job AND THEN we have the table with Jaewon who’s about to look for a job + broke up with his gf + is about to meet Jihyun... I already love this sm

It’s something about: - how everything Jaewon’s friends say about 1, him being impressive (for not taking time off school, for interning at a foreign company, for doing his military service then getting certificates and straightaway acing TOEIC… so things he had to do) and 2, him being backed up (by connections, family, money… essentially the reason why he had to do those things – bc they’re expected of him *just think about his mum’s messages*) COMES INTO FULL CIRCLE His friend says ‘when I see you I feel like I’m suffocating’ >> man… imagine what it’s like for Jaewon. He’s angry but stifles it and it builds in him. He’s trapped in that scene (background sounds and music fades out as Taehyung’s accusations echo through his head) until he’s literally knocked off his seat. And that’s when he shows his anger. And Jihyun embraces him and pulls him away from that (and the scene slows down again!!!)

- Jaewon knows what they say about him is true but that’s a double edged sword when others only see the positive side of it. Seeing how korean media represents university friendships, the way his friends act is (sure, shitty… but also) kinda typical. If they all met at the start of university, besides attending school and working on their social connections they drink/have fun together. The mention of someone’s connections or money (especially in their final year) is simply their drunken-jealous bitching about how easy it is for Jaewon, how he has no worries. And Jaewon also pretends to be drunk so he can let it go and make up with them but he’s obviously so fed up like… ppl just look at him and see

It’s something about: - the scene where Jihyun and Jaewon first talk. Jihyun not only gives Jaewon two cigarettes… he also has the lighter on him while he hands Jaewon those cigarettes but chooses to light one for him with his very cool bbq lighter instead. So then he can give the lighter as a farewell gift a few minutes later!

It’s something about: - Jihyun’s allure and that it’s his lack of preconceived assumptions about Jaewon. Jaewon doesn’t have to be any certain way around Jihyun and sometimes that’s the best someone could wish for

It’s something about: - Jihyun drinking with his boss lady. That scene is so magical because Jihyun is portrayed as a quiet countryside boy full of fears but he still pulls people in, connecting with them even when he doesn’t try (also I’m pretty sure boss lady is the tteokbokki shop owner from WYEL, where are my fellow WYEL enthusiasts at?)

It’s something about: - the scene w/ Jaewon at the gate of his house. Everything about that scene is just *chefs kiss*

It’s something about: - Jihyun trying to follow Jaewon and losing him vs Jaewon catching Jihyun eating lunch by himself (yo, I’m vibrating on a cellular level)

It’s something about: - Jaewon almost pissing his pants when caught talking w/ Jihyun in the cafeteria. It’s too funny to me

It’s something about:

this damn shot that makes me go feral - Jihyun follows Jaewon out of the bar to talk with him, they’re framed together yet there’s a line between them with the mirror/double images (I’m biting the edge of the table) BUT the moment Jihyun talks to Jaewon it’s all gone. Jaewon’s 'I didn’t see you earlier' is so telling

There’s also the scene with Jaewon and the therapist lady but I’ll come back to that in ep two

[writebackatya]

4, 9, 12, and 26 for the writer's ask

4. What's a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Nevertheless. It’s three words in one! The neapolitan of words!

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn't about writing I just wanna know?

Eh. Not so much these days, but I don't want to dismiss the existence of ghosts entirely. I do have this one memory as a kid that still haunts (ha-ha!) me to this day. I forget what age I was exactly when this happened, but it was definitely before I was 10

I remember waking up early on day that I didn't have school don't know if it was Summer or just the weekend, but I believe I was the only one up at the time. Anyway, I went downstairs to the kitchen and went over to the fridge. I don't think I ended up grabbing anything, I as just looking

Once I was done looking, I closed the fridge door and when I turned around I saw this girl standing a couple feet away from. She was pale and had long messy black hair, she was also wearing a pajama gown

She didn't say anything at all, she just looked at me and opened her mouth as a raspy moan came out. I screamed and ran back up to my bedroom and just stayed there until I heard a few other family members wake up

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don't make the rules

A million good genies.

Writing wishes, eh?

1. I wish I was multilingual.

It would be nice to let characters like Fenton speak Spanish every now and then and make it sound natural. Plus it would be cool to know a language that isn’t English. (Currently I’m learning Tagalog on some language app so I hope that goes somewhere)

2. I wish I wouldn’t rush myself when I get close to finishing a WIP

Has this every happened to you? Have you ever been struggling with a WIP for a long time, just days of writing, reading, re-reading, re-writing, going over every sentence, sharing early peeks and with your beta reader(s) to get feedback on some areas, and then one day you realize that you are so close to wrapping it up but then you suddenly realize that you are SO CLOSE TO WRAPPING IT UP that you gotta finish it RIGHT NOW OR ELSE?’!

I hate it

I’m kinda the same way about reading sometimes. When I’m close to reading a story my mind reads faster at a rate where I’m not retaining the information I should be while reading. I hate it. I gotta remind myself to slow down at time

3. Built in thesaurus/dictionary in my brain

Just would be nice is all.

26. How do you get into your character's head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

I like to rewatch clips/episodes that focus on said character or features them heavily. Besides that I will look at other roles the actor has been in as well as think about other characters that remind me of that character and look at how those characters are similar and different

And besides other fictional characters, I like to think about how I personally relate to the character. Thinking about how I feel in that situation and what my reaction would be vs. a character’s. One thing I’m always trying not to do is turn someone’s blorbo into me, because they came to see their blorbo, not me. So I love thinking about differences and stuff that I like that I think the character wouldn’t like

I admit I sometimes think about my writing too much, but eh I’m easily distracted. I just listen to music or play video game or just move on with my day

Nope. Then again I’m just getting into the heads of fun Disney characters. Not like…uh, Lisbeth Salander or someone with a messed up backstory

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

I have to confess something

I still really like it, I like every Yugioh series, but honestly my love of Arc V (even before I started this rewatch) has waned on account of realising just how much of a mess the story really is.

Synchro arc bored me a lot more this time outside of a few banger episodes and it's a third of the show. Not liking almost an entire third of a show is kind of a big deal. Fusion/XYZ arc meanwhile... I think on my first watch, I was just so overjoyed to be seeing two of my favourite GX characters again that I didn't realize just how awful they are here.

Asuka has a really cool introduction and honestly I really love her new ritual monster. Even in that scene though, she's upstaging Yuzu and stealing what should've been her victory (which Yuzu desperately needed after how shitty the Synchro arc treated her and how badly she's about to be treated by the narrative) and after that introduction, Asuka is pushed to the side until her frankly insulting duel with Yuri that I complained about even back then but... Kinda for the wrong reasons. Because I don't like genuinely complaining and was trying to find some humour by complaining that "my pride as a fusion summoner had been tainted by this duel," when really, my biggest problem was that Yuri used a practice deck to beat her. A PRACTICE DECK to beat who even GX considered to be a very skilled duellist. Or whatever term they used, it was clear it wasn't Yuri's personal deck and it makes that loss insulting: Yuri used a deck he had no clue how to use to beat an experienced duellist who had years of practice with a deck she trusted.

Edo meanwhile barely resembles who he was in GX at all. In GX, he was using the last cards his father made as a tool to get revenge on the person who murdered his father, who he spent the entirety of season 2 searching for. He was blunt and gruff because he was obsessed with revenge and likely being busy balancing a strenuous schedule of trying to stop Saio, attending Duel Academy, and being a pro duellist added to that stress. He did cause Judai a lot of distress but he was never a villain, just a confused angry kid with a lot of his mind. Arc V meanwhile makes him a full blown villain that led the invasion force to the XYZ dimension. And no, being under orders isn't an excuse, it's an indictment. Edo knew full well that this was wrong, and says as much later after... his honestly really dumb and rushed redemption. Kaito's earlier turn around is also rushed but not quite as bad since he has actual history with Shun, Yuto, Alan, and Sayaka to back it up.

Tldr: I still really like Arc V but barring 5Ds, it is the most flawed Yugioh series and those flaws really stick out on rewatch.

[cherrywperson]

I watched the show from the beginning to the end. Can I get some Tina Rex Headcanons?

Something I like to think about is if the entire world is as weird as Elmore. We see humans a few times in the show but Gumball +co kinda freak out if they see any of us. There are references to “flat countries” where some of the 2D people might be from… (Was a one off line from the time Gumball tried to prove that Alan wasn’t so pure hearted/ruin his life.)

The Sun, Moon (which might have DID if the Dream episode was any indication) and even the freaking planets are sentient. Tis a weird weird world.

okkay okay okay (btw very cool that you watched the show like that damn i gotta rewatch the show..)

first of all TINAAA omg shes so silly i love her <3 the writers didnt do her justice after season 1 im so mad they dont understand her like i do 💔💔 umm anyway as for the headcanons:

she likes to scavange!! (this is canon but still) she has her own silly collection of cool stuff she finds. she also likes plushies :] and spents time looking for some at the dumpster :3c i'd also say she likes manga LOL especifically the cutesy romantic ones , sarah would let her borrow some . uhhhhhhhhh maybe she could be friends with anais (bcuz of jamie) that would be funny methinks ^__^

uuhhhhhh for gender and sexuality idk she might as well be allocishet <×_÷*& umm anyways i think those are all my hcs sorry its so little

also abt what you said abt the world yeah i totally agree with you! their world is very very weird but its an amazing world <3

but yeah abt that line you mentioned it kind of got me thinking that like... they know theyre cartoons but dont know theyre IN a cartoon does this make sense???? damn idk

[miradanii]

Yeah I'm gonna be a temporary transformers blog while I go on a journey watching and reading nearly ever transformers show, movie, comic out there before Transformers One comes out. Just sharing my unnecessary thoughts cause I need an outlet somewhere while I'm in the middle of these series.

Rewatched:

Transformers the movie 1986 -

That's a movie I can rewatch a lot. Always shocked Orson Wells is in it. Didn't watch it until maybe around college? My first exposure of the film was I think Nostalgia Critic's top 10 saddest cartoon deaths.

Currently rewatching:

Transformers Animated -

It's what really got me into Transformers (after the 2007 Bay movie). I was really into the style and automatically knew it was the same person who did the character designs for Teen Titans (Derrick Wyatt).

Transformers Prime:

Was much darker than Animated (at the start). Just the level of quality (aside from some of the humans kinda looking off) was insane and today I still think it looks pretty good.

Watching for the first time:

Cyberverse:

I had passed on two Transformers series due to either being too jarring (Robots in Disguise) after Transformers Prime, or too serious and outrageously long monologues (War for Cybertron. Sorry I fell of on the first few episodes of Kingdom I'll try again maybe.....).

When Cyberverse came out on Netflix...yeah I knew it was for kids but man the first time it came out I really wasn't into it. Which sucks because it's the second series I passed on with Windblade in it. And she's one of the main characters too. Took me until 2 weeks ago to try it again because the clips I found of Soundwave and Perceptor were really funny. On season 2 now. Very annoyed two women can't be in the same room together and Arcee so far that gives her a full episode of screen time sharing with Grimlock and I would LOVE to see more interactions with these two. Especially in this show...maybe in other shows who knows.

Reading for the first time:

IDW and MTMTE

Wow. Just..yeah the first time I tried reading a Transformers comic it was just...too much. Around 2016?? I started with Dark Cybertron because I had the assumption you can just pick up from anywhere and I thought it would lead to Windblade. Cause I had seen her around and thought she was cool. Those comics were expensive so I never really picked any up until now..when I found out Rachet had a Canon Conjunx, Megop was a lot deeper than I had thought, and Prowl just goes sicko mode or something?? Sorry I'm not there yet. Someone reddit said to read MTMTE and yeah 10 issues in wow. I did stop to take a break but I do love getting to know Hot Rod outside of the 1986 movie. Bb boy Tailgate kskfjfjrdjd. Rewatching Prime never knew I heard his name before but wow this guy wow.

Next on my list to re/watch:

The Bumblebee movie

Rise of the Beasts

Beast Wars (I stopped a quarter way in. The animation I just...but honestly I wanna go through because of just how incredibly sassy Optimus Primal is and I heard the writing for the rest of the show is really good. Also Cheetor is in Cyberverse. I am curious about his character in Beast Wars even if it doesn't really relate. Or it does. I'm not done yet.

But I am done with this post.

[noblechaton]

some further thoughts on 73 Yards since I haven't stopped thinking about it yet. some spoilers

honestly I think this is easily one of my favorite like. standalone episodes of Doctor Who ever maybe? it's up there with Turn Left and Midnight for me. the sorta one-offs that do tie back into the main stories but otherwise feel disconnected enough that u could just watch it alone without any further knowledge of anything

I just loved how uncomfortable it felt even as Ruby set into her decades long routines. how as a viewer I still felt the woman lurking around even when she wasn't on screen. genuinely felt like the best of Midnight at times where it's just this gradually intense feeling of uncertainty and annoyance and frustration, very much went through what Ruby went through in the story and I think that's cool

the tone of the episode was just spot on throughout the entire runtime and felt perfectly unsettling and tense while never coming across as all that forced. the lack of title sequence immediately freaked me out right from the start too and I even thought I'd accidentally skipped it or something for a bit lmao

I think the direction really helped with this as there were a few times - particularly on some of the closeups during the cafe scene and some of the wide shots of The Woman stood behind Ruby - where I actively thought to myself "This feels like a real horror movie" and I think the camerawork while perhaps simple proved very effective. definitely one of the most well shot episodes of the show in a while I feel

and upon further reflection on the episode I've come to realize just how incredible a story based on abandonment it is. how we can push people away without meaning to, how isolated life can be when one is alone, how it can feel when those that leave seem to do so without reason. I can't speak on how it might feel for someone adopted like Ruby but I can imagine the feelings conveyed here could be pretty intense

it isn't perfect tho of course. I do think when it starts leaning into the political side stuff and when that overtakes the narrative it's a bit janky and strange, but I also like how Ruby does what she feels she was meant to and believes that's a victory enough to save her from this situation....only for it not to be. I think that's a solid twist on expectations - with the episode kinda full of those - but I do feel as if it was put together a bit roughly

similarly I think the final time jump was fittingly sudden but it also made me think the episode could have used those extra ~10 minutes or maybe done with some restructuring (cut down on the pub stuff given she's not there all that long maybe?) and I also think they're sorta inadvertently painting a pretty back picture of Ruby's mom lmao. between Ruby Road and this Carla might start coming across as someone who gives up easily and generally sucks but I don't think that's meant to be her characterization - maybe The Woman should have somehow spoken instead to Ruby's grandma? and thus Carla would have had to make the choice?

there's definitely odds and ends that could have been ironed out but I really loved this one. I felt genuinely unnerved and even scared outright as it went on and the twist legitimately got me as I'd never even considered the chance of that being the answer given the constant Susan Twists and obvious Fuckies going on in the background of this series' plot which I will say I'm totally onboard for - I adore how something that happened as a quick, immediate solution in Wild Blue Yonder appears to be haunting the Doctor even into their next incarnation but that's a ramble for a different post

ultimately for 73 Yards it's easily my favorite of the series so far and maybe an instant classic of a sort. gonna rewatch it down the road to test that but as it stands I loved this one

do gotta say tho this was the first 15 outfit I don't think looked that great LMAO he felt as if he were dressed up like Caillou or Arther to me. think it was the shirt that did the look in and maybe the one from Space Babies woulda worked better

[mellxncollie]

hiiii alex and now i have no choice but to drop all the process info and the outtakes :)

overall impression: very lovely and moody and spooky!! i kinda expected more blood-reds from devlin house but i should've known better, you wouldn't go for something that cliché. as always the shots you chose are SO good, love the combo of very dramatic shots with way more subtle ones!

aaaaa okay okay yes definitely not a lot of 'expected' shots in this one. couple reasons for this:

episode 3 is not one that i can watch very much, there's too many triggers in there for me. it's only very recently that i'm now able to rewatch it in its entirety, and i still have a hard time screencapping for it. so... not too many gifs from inside the devlin house

not a lot of shots in these episode work well for these palette sets. unlike all the other episodes, this one does not have many establishing shots or wide shots, which are the ones i like to use for these gifs. of the few establishing shots that are used, many are relatively static, so they don't look great as gifs. plus a lot of the devlin house shots have flashing lights and/or are very short. this made it really difficult to just find scenes that would work

so, this is a little less of a cohesive set than the other two, and i think the rest of the episodes will have more cohesive palette sets than this one as well. i love how this episode is shot, cheryl dunye's avoidance of 'filler' shots really reminds me of her film the watermelon woman, and while that movie does have more wide shots and more cohesive colors, the focus in on the characters as opposed to the backgrounds is what makes this episode feel so much like her work. it really drives home this episode as a standout in terms of writing, visuals, and direction.

it just also... breaks out of a form that i rely on to make these gifs work. so: less cohesive colors. i'm glad that this didn't exactly come across, and that we still have a kind of moody vibe :)

gif 1: cindy my beloved!! oh my god i need to see edwin laughing like that. i need CHARLES to see edwin laughing like that! and niko is so precious, i love her and her green coat. speaking of! love the way she moves past the colour blocks and almost adds contrast to them until she reaches the green and basically blends in?? SUCH a cool effect. and i love the colours themselves, the green + goldish vibe is everything. the green in the shot is so dramatic that it's like a fun little puzzle to find the rest of the colours! and then you realise, oh wait, that's the majority of the picture. ceiling, chairs, cabinet, niko and cindy's hair. and cindy being represented by the colour palette, drawing her undeniably into the picture because she can actually be seen by everyone around her, the opposite of ghostly, is SO cool. and then the contrast of the bright (blueish?) white?? the way it contrasts so much with niko's coat that at first i couldn't see where you got it from, only when niko moves back it blends perfectly into the window in the background?? olly you are a GENIUS

honestly i didn't really realize how this looks with niko's movement adjusting how the green and the blue all suddenly mix in with the rest of the gif!! but you're right, it's very cool!

this gif was a bit of a challenge, and with all those browns i initially thought it might be on the chopping block. but then i came around to liking it enough to make it the first gif in the set.

here's a before/after of the colors i put on it, and you can see that the blue is basically not even in the original shot, and it was only after i adjusted the blue channel to decrease that yellow tint that the blue really showed up.

gif 2: JENNY JENNY JENNY! this is a wild one because it's such a mundane part of the scene and yet i can't stop looking at the dramatic colouring. SHE!!! also the colours you chose feel very similar to the jenny gif from ep1, which, to be clear, i mean SO positively. i love that it ties them together! also something something jenny in her black clothes being surrounded by so much colour as symbolism to what crystal and niko bring to her life. brb crying

out of all the gifs in this set, this is definitely one of my favorites. mostly just cause the shot is really cool, nothing to do with the colors or anything. but speaking of the colors!! yes they're a lot like the ep 1 gif, and it's so fascinating to me how they pack so many hues into jenny's shop via the lighting.

gif 3: HI SPOOKY SHOT OF ALL TIME 😍😍😍 one of those dramatic ones i NEVER want to look away from. loveeeeeee the red-orange reflections on them, the purple of crystal's coat, the blue of edwin's shirt. also getting into the symbolism again but the way most of the colours are drawn from crystal and the background (even the blue is present in her grey shirt/jacket/whatever that is) and it makes the boys feel even more ghostly. ESPECIALLY CHARLES?? WHO ONLY RECEIVES RED BACKLIGHTING?? AND SPENDS THE EP GRAPPLING WITH HIS OWN HELPLESSNESS?? THE ONLY ONE UNTOUCHED BY BLUE (AKA SYMBOLIC OF HEAVEN)?? I'M MAKING MYSELF SICK WITH THIS OH GOD

yipeee!! one of my favorite shots of this episode, but one of my least favorite shots in the whole series to gif (that i've been making gifs of more and more to force myself to figure out how to do it best) and honestly because of that, i wasn't sure if this would make the final cut either.

here's two recent(ish) uses of this scene in various gifsets, both of which i don't really like how the final gif turned out.

this is because the original shot is....

so aggressively blue/green on their faces and that it is very difficult to make this look good.

i wanted the final gif for this set to be a bit more orange and a bit less red, but i'm glad i kept the more red toned backlight, since that allowed gif 8 to feel different enough. and i'm actually pretty okay with how this one turned out, espeically because you get the purple and the blues in their costumes.

also, just for fun, here's what this gif would look like if i did some normal brightening and coloring, but didn't do anything to fix their skintones 🫠

and yeah. god. thinking about charles 'untouched by blue.' fuck.

gif 4: SUCH a lovely little shot! the blues from edwin's outfit, the greenish-gray i'm guessing from the stripes (very nice and subtle, love the choice to emphasise them!), the white from his shirt. and then BAM, gold for the bracelet of homosexuality. but even then it's a very subtle colour choice for it, i can see some of the background is the same colour, even the darker parts of edwin's shirt cuffs. it's like you, via the palette, are helping him hide the bracelet and. i'm just in love

one of my favorite gifs in this set! it is really fun, and you got all the color sources right! i did want to include another color from the bracelet, but most of the colors i was sampling just didn't look too good with the blues, so i used the white from his shirt and i think that really worked.

gif 5: monty!! the return of niko's green coat!! love the cool (ha!) colours, mixed in with the warmer browns. the blue is so subtle in monty's plaid shirt (and the port townsend sign if i'm not mistaken?) the brown/burgundy in monty's scarf and shirt and the trees in the background really draws it all together! plus the green in both niko's coat and the trees' leaves! also interesting to see here the colours you didn't choose for the palette, like the white of niko's hair and monty's books. not to get too deep into it but it feels like a sign that it's not niko monty's trying to connect to, even though edwin isn't even in the frame! and the darker brown feels sort of similar to edwin's coat but that might just be grasping at straws lmao

the blue is from monty's shirt, yeah! this one was hard to pick colors for, and you totally got it with all the colors i'm leaving out. also because of the 540px x 500px frame size, we're also leaving out edwin from this shot. so maybe there's something there too about leaving out colors. (and now that i'm looking at it again, i do think that off-white would have been a great way to tie this palette together)

gif 6: OH DEVLIN HOUSE WE'RE REALLY IN IT NOW. obsessed with the way you subverted expectations with the devlin house being so blue and monotone, vs how we tend to read it as this dramatic high-stakes situation with so much blood spilled. again with the symbolism but it feels like it speaks so much more to the nature of the thirty-year (!!!) loop and how to the victims of it it's not dramatic but just the same cycle they can't get out of. over and over and over. and crystal and charles' expressions in this one OUGH. crystal trying immediately to find a way to help, to free these women, and charles is seeing his worst nightmare and trying desperately to suppress it. again, charles' helplessness represented by none of his colours making it onto the palette, even though his shirt is still pretty red. his hero colour is represented only as its worst in this house

i wanted at least one mostly monotone gif in this set, and the devlin house is predominantly teal and yellow, so it's such a strong contender for a monotone shot. problem with the yellows is that they're hard to make look good if there's a person in frame, so blues it was! i had a lot of blue shots to choose from, because every time the loop resets the power cuts and they're plunged into darkness. and i think there's something really symbolic there for charles (oh and now i'm thinking about the way that he drops into the water in the next episode when the night nurse forces the flashback)

and yeah, the first two colors are sampled from crystal's clothes, and the final three are from the wall. and now that i think of it, none of these palettes use colors sampled from charles/his clothes, despite this being really his episode. makes me think about what you said for the tube gif in the ep 1 set, how not sampling from them makes them more of a ghost in their own gif. anywayyyysssssssss

gif 7: can i just say. obsessed with the parallels of the last two gifs, showing the pre- and post-devlin house feelings? at first i thought this one was from the end of ep3, after gif 8, but just from seeing charles and crystal's interaction it's obviously not OUGH. love the wide shot of them (and the cinematography lessons!! the focus falloff at the top. i am Looking), the greens of the trees and the brown of the leaves and the purple of crystal's coat (ooh and the sign!). some of the purple even seems to come across in charles' jacket! and the blue of the statue also being in edwin and charles' socks and crystal's shirt. it ties them all together in a way that contrasts so much with the effect devlin house has in breaking them apart. forever emotional about ittttt

so this one is actually post-devlin house. it's right as charles says he's fine and right before niko shows up. it's the last gif in this set chronologically, but i don't really go by chonological order in these sets, since i want the first and last gifs to be strong, and i don't want any two palettes side-by-side to feel too similar.

i am now thinking about how charles and crystal's interaction in here realllllyyyyy doesn't feel like post-devlin house.

anyway. colors. yeah. that purple being the same in crystal's coat and the sign was such a blessing. and every time i throw a surprise blue in to these palettes i think of you. it definitely is the bit that pulls this palette together.

(yes i was also thinking about the focus falloff here, it is soooo wildly intense in this shot)

gif 8: AND FINAL SHOT. devlin house is over (or is it??) the colours nearly blending in with the background and then contrasted against charles' coat. i'd say SYMBOLISM but i'm sure you're sick of hearing it by now lmaooo. the bright lights in the background are SO striking. and the green??? the way it reflects so dramatically against the orange specifically on edwin's face??? i know that's not death's light shining on them but it sure is interesting how often edwin is the one bathed in that colour of light.......... also this might be a reach but the way crystal's jacket/hoodie/whatever seems to be a similar shade of green-grey, tying her and edwin together as having found common ground in the devlin house, vs charles again being the least represented by the colour palette -- devlin house might be over but he still feels helpless. i'm sure nothing bad will come of that!

the first 10ish frames of this gif are some of my favorites in this entire episode. i just love how this shot looks, and if it was a bit longer, i wouldn't have even had them running into frame. but that little bit of the trio that we do get is so interesting to get to hear you talk about. because i was not paying attention to how they blend in (or don't) to the palette.

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so. what about the outtakes? first we have this one:

really like this shot. couldn't figure out the palette. i wanted some of that green from the interior wall of the attic space, but it doesn't sample as very green (yay for color theory!) and the few pixels that do sample as green do not look very good next to the rest of the colors.

here's the other outtake gif:

now that i'm looking back at the whole set, i think this one would have been a really good addition to make the whole set feel more cohesive, but i'm not sure which gif i would have cut instead to keep it at 8, so that's probably why i cut it in the first place. this one is kind of fun since the green is not from niko at all, but from the grass below. i initially made this gif with a monochrome palette, but right before i exported it, i noticed just how much green is in there, and decided to use some of it. glad i did, and i am really happy with this gif.

i'd say i can never be normal about this but you already know that. love this, love you, thank you forever for blessing us with your gorgeous gifs!!!

i'm so glad that you can't be normal about these because i also can't be normal about making gifs and i love that i get the opportunity to do this kind of breakdown for them. thank you thank you thank you alex. you're wonderful!!

Dead Boy Detectives (2024) 1.03 — The Case of the Devlin House (insp)