#than the og actor u had

[bylroos]

anyways enough emo textposts its time for me to talk about that the mv for history by olivia holt featured leo howard, but then they never actually got together, and thats my fucking villain origin story

[blluespirit]

Overall NATLA Thoughts

Okay, now that I've watched the series, I can give my thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was good!!! I had fun watching it! I'd rate it a solid 6.5/10. It's nowhere as good as the original, but it was definitely enjoyable and made some nice changes here and there that I liked. There were also some things I was also Not a fan of too.

I said in another post that it's best to treat this like an AU of the original. There will things that are great and things that are bad. That's the nature of adapting something.

Having said that, I need to get my initial thoughts off my chest... here we go.

Things I thought were good:

Sokka's characterisation - I really enjoyed him! I thought Ian did a good job! He played the funny moments well and retained the underlying seriousness/cautiousness. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the changes a lot and think it was overall a solid performance.

Zuko's characterisation - Like Sokka, I do think I was most satisfied with their performances. A lot of Zuko's moments from the cartoon are sometimes... well, cartoonish and definitely wouldn't translate to live action, but I think Dallas did a nice job at balancing Zuko's desperate anger and that occasional sassiness well.

Zuko and Iroh moments were great. Had me on the floor crying. As it should have.

The bending looks a trillion times better than the movie - I understand it would not have been easy for the actors but, overall, I was very happy about it.

The scenery was stunning. It just looked so beautiful. I loved it so much.

Absolutely ADORE that they made Zuko a good calligrapher and artist. I read a fic about a million years ago where Zuko is a fantastic calligrapher and I thought it was perfect and made so much sense, and now I can say it's canon. This is perfect for me.

S U K I

The Freedom Fighters were ✨ perfect

They were so real for making Oma and Shu lesbians

Koh, Wan Shi Tong and Hei Bai looked fantastic, but I have more to say about all of them below, unfortunately.

I actually like the change they made that Katara is Aang's sole waterbending teacher.

Aang is not perfect, and needed more goofy scenes HOWEVER, I did like how they've had Aang's guilt more prominent in the story. The original didn't do a very good job with that, imo.

Zuko entering is breaking and entering era by breaking into an impenetrable Earth Kingdom prison is just perfect.

In Masks, I like how Aang and Zuko got a longer conversation - that was pretty cute.

I liked how they changed Yue a bit and got her out of the arranged marriage... how Yue saw Sokka in the Spirit World before meeting him in the real world.

Things I didn't like:

Far too much info-dumping/exposition. So much spelling things out. It was not as egregious as the movie, and I get there's a lot of information that needs to be conveyed well and quickly... but sometimes it really took me out of the show.

Why are Mai and Ty Lee here.... I was hoping the live action would give them a bit more depth (and they might as it goes forward!), but why put them in season 1 at all if they're just going to stand around???

Some odd changes - putting this as one point, but there are some bizarre changes that didn't make sense to me, as they did not benefit the story or deepen the characters. I have two main examples: a) making it so Aang didn't run away from home, and b) making it so Zuko actually fights Ozai in the Agni Kai.

Characterisation of Katara was Not Great. I don't think I got many hints of the reckless, compassionate, badass Katara until the end when she fights Pakku and rallies all the women together to fight (which happens off-screen). She was sweet and kind, but she just lacked the fire that OG Katara has.

Azula's characterisation - Azula is desperate to impress Ozai and so her character is just…. brewing with anger, frustration, desperation. I was SO excited to see the Azula we are introduced too… perpetually and irritatingly calm, calculating and ruthless. She's perfect, she's terrifying! She's literally the character of all time. But this Azula had more Zuko vibes? I don't think there's anything wrong with giving Azula more concrete motivation by wanting to impress Ozai and establishing that Ozai is abusive to both his kids, but I do think trying to do that right off the bat is a mistake.

WHY is Wan Shi Tong here. I love Wan Shi Tong, but like I said: Why Is He Here? Why could we not have his iconic, ominous as fuck introduction from The Library, and instead he's introduced in a random season 1 episode giving Aang Information(tm) about the Spirit World.

When Aang gave Koh the statue, and then he just takes it and immediately lets all the villages go, and neither of them even say anything, I actually laughed out loud. Like, I am so sorry, but what in the jesus fuck was that.

Speaking of Koh - I think Koh is better the less we know about him. Roku saying ~all Koh wants is a family like the rest of us~ just pissed me off?? I like my Koh the Face Stealer Terrifying and Unknowable, thank you.

NOTHING EVER REALLY HAPPENS WITH HEI BAI!!?? where's my precious spirit bear?? Like Aang never really does anything with him and the replacement Koh story is boring and it sucks.

Bumi.... sorry I just didn't vibe with him at all.

Things I can't decide on:

Fancy spirit knife to kill the moon spirit annoyed me a bit, but I guess they wanted to Kuruk something to work with and a little bit more interaction with Aang which I get but idk. I really flip/flop on this one.

I've been very on the fence about having Azula (and Ozai) being in the show in season 1 in general. I'm not sure if it benefited either of their characters.

Azula & Ozai's dynamic - Okay, so, I think they're trying to give Azula more depth, right? They're trying to establish what it was like for Azula to live with Ozai and that she's also (like Zuko) trying to desperately prove herself to him, but Ozai using Zuko's... achievements to do that just felt so weird. I get he's doing it to manipulate her, but that just felt so wrong when in canon it's very obvious that Ozai just didn't give a single fuck about Zuko. Ozai pits Azula against Zuko by saying he's a failure, he's a bad bender etc. Azula is born lucky, Zuko is lucky to be born - like, Ozai says that to Zuko's face. I don't know if I am communicating this point very well, but it just didn't seem right to me??

Zuko vs Zhao in the Siege of the North... I genuinely do not know how to feel about it! I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I don't know how to feel about Zhao telling Zuko that his mission is a sham and that Azula is the prized one... It feels like it's saying the quiet part out loud? In the OG we all know that Ozai sending Zuko on that mission was an excuse to get rid of him, but we can work that out, no one actually says it. And then Iroh just fucking killing him/mortally wounding him instead of the Iconic scene where Zuko reaches out to save him despite everything Zhao has done to him, but Zhao's own pride gets in the way from letting him accept help from Zuko.

Zuko’s crew being the 41st is not necessarily a bad thing at all!!! But I do just want to say that in the original, the attack goes ahead, and presumably, those soldiers die. It’s horrible. Zuko’s sacrifice is in vain, and it was always going to be in vain because the Fire Nation as it stands would not allow Zuko's compassion to win. Ozai would not allow it. While not necessarily a bad choice (all the soldiers bowing to Zuko on the boat was so sweet I loved it!) but I think it does take away some of the horror of Zuko’s story (same as it does with making Zuko fight back in my opinion) because the whole point is that Zuko did the right thing - and he was punished for it, and those soldiers died anyway.

anyway...

Okay!! got that off my chest. I know I just had a big whine here, but I still had a lot of fun watching this show. I think some of the backlash is a bit over the top and unwarranted. It was never going to stand up to the original - and that's okay.

Enjoy it for what it is!

[lizzypuppet1711]

things about toronto’s production of the great comet at crow’s theatre/musical stage co that i need everyone to know about because i am obsessed with this show.

as of writing i have seen this show five times.

very long under the cut:

full cast listed here. at time of writing, donna garner replaces louise pitre as marya, tyler pearse replaces lawrence libor as dolokhov, and ben carlson replaces marcus nance as andrey/bolkonsky. currently i’ve seen the og cast four times and the replacements once.

the stage is set up with seats on three out of four sides, with front rows at tables, back of house left and right sides at barstools, and a small balcony with some seats on house right. there are balconies on either side, with a revolving platform in the middle of the stage (revolving by being pushed by cast members or stagehands). seats around 200 people or so.

the actors are EVERYWHERE. it is so incredibly immersive

the music is very punchy

during prologue, everyone is taking shots as they’re introduced, except dolokhov, who drinks straight from the bottle and sprays it into the air

i’m a dolokhov girlie through and through and once he nodded hello at me during the prologue and i legit swooned

mary is walking around holding a program showing off the family tree, actors will point to them on tables etc

once anatole pointed at his face on it, pointed to himself, all in a very flirty manner

he winked at me during prologue once and i’m still thinking about it

evan buliung is acting his ass off as pierre

he is definitely is more gruff and acting focused (think dave malloy over josh groban)

at “hours at my screen”, pierre takes an audience member’s phone (from one of the tables… or once out of someone’s hands LMAO) and mimes tapping, scrolling through it etc

two stagehands move things on and offstage (such as the sofa, church props etc) and they are also in little costumes. it’s very adorable

dolokhov’s little soldier walk thing??? during moscow????? i’m sure there’s a reason for it bc both of them do it but i have no clue why it’s there???? love it tho

heeyun park as mary is also acting her damn heart out

private and intimate life has a faster tempo and is SUCH a banger as a result

an audience member gets briefly pulled up on the platform to be the cheap french thing, he typically kisses up their arm, hugs them, and sometimes sits on their lap a bit

pierre is playing the tambourine in the background during natasha and bolkonskys and it is honestly kind of funny

hailey gillis plays natasha very emotional and headstrong. her no one else has a sense of urgency, desperation, and deep longing

the platform is spinning and people are walking around and she is singing like an angel…

basically i want to be hailey gillis when i grow up

actors are rotating the platform during no one else and it ends with andrey standing behind her and pierre standing in front of her. no one talk to me i’m losing it

as the run has continued, dolokhov’s adlibs during his intro in the opera have increased drastically

lawrence libor as dolokhov had such an air and presence (rizz?) about himself i cannot DESCRIBE. the comphet he gave me… i miss him v much. he was also very much giving toronto mans. and he made SO MUCH eye contact. he loves to look at you. i miss him. i need him. who said that

tumblr theatre girlies you would go insane over lawrence libor. if this show had ANY b roll footage i know i would be seeing edits all over the place

i am president of the lawrence libor fan club and everyone should join me

tyler pearse as dolokhov has heavy frat boy energy. he is also gayer, and somehow, sluttier. gives short king energy despite only being an inch shorter than lawrence (apparently)??? don’t ask bc i don’t know either he just does. anyway thank u tyler pearse for making dolokhov bisexual for real

either way dolokhov is doing SO MUCH in this production. he is wild he is a whirling dervish he is arrogant he is a bastard he is everything to me

“YEAH BABEY LETS GOOOOOOO” -lawrence libor as dolokhov, upon his entrance

in one performance he would go YEAH BABEY three separate times in act 1. yeahh

flirting with a girl in the balcony, dabbing up a guy in the balcony, generally being hilarious

and tyler pearse leaning over the balcony, rose in his mouth, wolf howling… i can’t.

basically i can’t with this production’s dolokhov. i’m obsessed

anatole’s entrance… he’s a whore. all i can say

rita dottor (ensemble) does the high soprano bravooooooo and she always sounds so fantastic. live laugh love rita dottor

george krissa, who plays anatole, is probably the most attractive man in ontario. like if you googled hot guy he would be the first result.

“where did they find this anatole. was he made in a lab or something. he was perfect” — my friend after seeing it

tumblr theatre girlies you would also be obsessed with george krissa. like jeremy jordan andrew rannells level obsessed. please love these toronto actors with me

i’d let him ruin my life ANY DAY. it is a fact that lesbians love george krissa. i hope he knows

the way he plays it… my friend described it like “lucas steele is like an alien david bowie, and george krissa is a bridgerton man. just a very charismatic, but normal, guy”

while i would say that lucas steele’s anatole believes he is truly in love with natasha, i would not say the same for george krissa’s. some of the manipulation happening here during the opera is. quite clear

when he is entering the box natasha struggles to open her fan, fans herself frantically, under the arms etc. then when he enters immediately shifts to fanning in a cool and collected manner. hailey gillis master of comedy

“we are speaking of most ordinary things” is especially like. this is a male manipulator if i’ve ever seen one

natasha lost was added back in!! fantastic obviously

anatole checking his hair in the mirror before waking pierre up. fucker

“look dolokhov’s coming around… and we’re off to the CLEURB”

brendan wall (ensemble) walking around during the club scene with a glowstick necklace on is peak comedy to me

i’ve said it but tyler’s dolokhov is an absolute slut at this scene. and for what AND FOR WHAT!!!!

also fun tidbit but all the glasses (other than shots) and any clear bottles have real liquid in them. i am very concerned something will spill one day

when dolokhov gets right up in the audience’s face during “known only to his intimates” i LOVE it idk

during the duel, marya and rita steal off to house left directly beside the barstools and chatter about how bad of an idea this is, they’re so drunk, etc

special shout out to divine’s “he will kill you STOOPID HUSBAND” so good

dolokhov’s adlibs during the duel… i need him. sorry

dolokhov gets shot in the side rather than his shoulder, and unceremoniously rolls off the platform as it’s moving. looks painful

hélène screams when dolokhov is shot but not pierre. so much to think about here

a life changing dust and ashes from evan. i can’t describe anything more just that he’s incredible. i’ve learned so much about acting just by watching him a few times

natasha’s face at “am i guilty…” breaks my heart she is so tormented

we are canadians we are going to pronounce our french correctly! no more charmantay

hélène has started adding some very fun runs into charming as the run has gone on. divine brown marry me

anatole is shirtless during charming. btw.

again i know he’s gay and i’m gay but.

the entirety of this rendition of the ball has been stuck in my head since december

his “don’t lower your eyes i love you” that whole section is delicious i want to eat his voice

plus “BEWITCHING AND I LOVE YOUUU” UGHHH such an ear worm but only when it’s their voices

the choreo going on here is very nice btw

i love the way he says natalie at this part idk. it’s not overly enunciated and the vowel is just right <— vocal nerd

the kiss feels like it lasts forever

music gets very very loud at the end and you can feel it in your skin

also fun fact the house music before and after the show is orchestral but during intermission it’s electronic. bc. anatole. gah details

when marcus was still in the cast you could really hear his voice during letters and it sounded sooooo.

dolokhov’s stupid little thumbs up to indicate he will be ok. pleaseee. i laughed i did

generally lawrence would grab at the place he was shot at a lot; while pushing the revolve etc. loved that detail. (tyler does too but less so)

sonya and natasha just sounds so great. like they just always sound fantastic i love that song

sonya alone. yes i am weeping. yes camille eanga-selenge is everything i want to be and more. she’s phenomenal

dolokhov sitting in a big fuckin chair at the beginning of preparations just absolutely clearly regretting every decision he’s made to facilitate this. is great.

i know i keep talking abt lawrence libor but the image of him at this part is just. really great. to me. sorry

very campy and exaggerated scowling and grimacing from anatole

dolokhov is so sick of anatole’s shit

“here feel how it beats” is NOT entertained he pushes him back immediately

lawrence dolokhov’s “dawdling” business was him tuning his guitar i miss musician dolokhov sooooo much gah

balaga truly does not sing any of his lines. he is basically yelling the entire time. i don’t know how he does it. it’s chaotic and hilarious and so fun

sonya and mary hand out the egg shakers on house right and left respectfully

near the end of balaga, four audience members are brought up to dance with the cast! (i got to dance with mary once!)

dolokhov writhing on the floor during anatole’s long held note thank u

during the goodbye section, anatole comes around to said audience members and interacts with them; dancing with them, booping them on the nose etc, and at “kiss me one last time”, invites a lucky audience member to kiss his cheek. (this once, was me. yup. still processing it.)

once he accidentally knocked someone’s egg shaker from their hand, dolokhov picked it up, laughed, gave it a shake, and handed it back, and yes i’m still thinking about it

when they sit down, balaga and dolokhov will sit on the house right stairs, though once there was an empty seat nearby so dolokhov wedged his way in between two people, guitar and all. so fucking good

anatole will squeeze himself between two audience members on house left, put an arm around each, and look around at everyone sitting in that area, out into the audience, etc. if one is going to make eye contact with him, it is now

once he threw his head back to look at the people behind him, and someone, at the speed of light, took their phone out and snapped a picture of his upside down head. i scream laughed

lawrence’s BETRAYED BETRAYEDDDD was sooooo good. so so so good

hailey gillis is an absolute powerhouse during in my house

usually when “natasha’s whole body shook” she falls to the ground silently but last time i went she YELLED and i gasped so loud

at “i have refused him” louise would go NO in shock and i FREAK OUT ABOUT IT.

and i loved her “what then? would that be alright???”

“NATASHA CRIED OUT! GO AWAY! GO AWAY YOU ALL HATE AND DESPISE ME” sounds SO FUCKING GOOD!!! I LOVE YOU HAILEY GILLIS

when the call to pierre music starts i always get goosebumps

the fight choreo when pierre grabs anatole by the collar is very good

if we’re comparing to broadway, it feels less like anatole’s life is in danger here but like i’m not upset about it

at this point anatole does not seem sad or upset to me more just. pissed off that it didn’t go his way. like annoyed

as anatole leaves during pierre and anatole the staging has him stepping around/over natasha as she is choking from the arsenic and it is such a. show of his shallowness

his petersburg note is fantastic obviously. live laugh love george krissa

marcus nance (andrey) has such a deep and beautiful legit singing voice. it’s sooo gorgeous. any word that raises against marcus nance will fall.

I MISS HIMMMM ok sorry.

i am more sympathetic to ben carlson’s andrey, however. marcus was Incredibly stoic ben has a bit more emotion to him i think

i could swear sometimes hailey is actually crying during pierre and natasha

her “pytor kirillovich” sounds so tiny and fragile ugh my heart breaks

and his “…pierre” is so assuring AUGHH

it’s such a beautiful scene obviously. i love the two of them so damn much i hope only good things happen to them forever

“it was clear and cold” also. chills EVERY TIME

“having traced its parabola” and “like an arrow piercing the earth” hit me so hard i cannot explain

genuinely evan buliung gives the most effective inspiring fantastic mind blowing performance i maybe have ever seen on stage. he is such an incredible actor and he inspires me beyond belief

the end when the lights get really really bright and then fade out. god. so simple and so fucking beautiful

now this post is very long. thank u for reading it all if you did! (will update after seeing it more times if there’s things to say!!)

if you’re anywhere near toronto i BEG of you to go see it!! it’s closing march 24th :(( so if you get the chance i deeply implore you. beg borrow or steal a ticket just get there! best comet production ever in my biased opinion :)

[wrongcaitlyn]

i wanted to know if you have any plans for the og campers???? like luke, clarisse, silena, beckendorf, etc etc

this is SO funny bc i was literally JUST talking to @wronghuntress about them like a few hours ago😭😭 BUT to answer your question,,, it's sort of complicated. bc i didn't realize that i was doing it until like a good way into the series, but i've been unintentionally picturing pretty much all of the og campers/people from the main pjo series as part of the acting side of hollywood, whereas i've been leaning more toward, like, toa/side/minor characters for the rest of the main cast! this makes sense to me because like, nico and will get their big moment in toa, and apollo's a huge character too. percy and annabeth are actors obviously, but i did give them some connections to nico - but either way, i guess i just saw all of those characters as not really having any sort of connection to nico & will (even though i'm the hugest fan of will being close with clarisse and silena and beckendorf- he was totally will's bi awakening it's canon u heard it from me)

but anyway im getting off track, i've sort of had like a completely separate plotline for them going on in my head (not really detailed at all, i'd have to think about it more), dealing with more of those og characters, including percy annabeth and grover! i'm not entirely sure if that'll ever be included in the main fic seeing as they don't have much connection to nico's storyline specifically, but who knows... maybe a spinoff fic one day? i definitely won't be able to write some long 100k fic for them but i'd love to dive into that!

the only thing that i DO see happening is - if you remember this, a while ago, i mentioned the possibility of a third fic or some future plans for nico to write a musical to get that egot, namely hadestown. while the idea was being organized in my head, i've been thinking of silena as helping nico write the musical and playing eurydice, and then ofc i'd love having beckendorf play orpheus - i think he gives the vibes?? or is that just me???

and then jenna (wronghuntress) gave me the BEAUTIFUL idea earlier today of this... silena and charlie as actors, specifically broadway/musical theater actors (though im sure they have also been in some other projects), clarisse as silena's bodyguard,,, and im usually so against love triangles but like. there's so much potential there - again, nothing's finalized, i dont even know if i'm gonna write it, i don't really have ANY plans other than potentially making nico contact silena when he wants to work on his musical and having them + beckendorf work together for the demo recording - it's all VERY vague and blurry so we'll see if i come up with anything more to fall down that rabbit hole!

and as for luke, i pretty much have this: he's an actor, at some point he was prob friends with annabeth after working on a show together or smth, and ends up getting cancelled. for what? i'm not entirely sure yet, but it's probably very shitty for the internet to turn against a hot white guy. actually that fact might make him getting cancelled very unrealistic. but like it's my fic so that's what i'm saying happens! unfortunately he prob still gets roles and he's prob still like a millionaire and stuff but in general: bad person. though he probably (and thalia, because she used to be an actress too before running away) were in a movie/show/something with annabeth when she was young and they kinda mentored her/helped her learn the ropes before her big break. they started a club of neglected child actors which eventually turned into just annabeth, but at least she has percy and reyna and jason and piper and magnus on her side now :)

so long story short: i don't have specific plans, but they're all actors and definitely have a lot of lore that one day i would like to try to figure out!! for now i'm still very focused on tgol/the side stories that take place in THAT main timeline (so right now it'd be 2020-2024), whereas all of the main drama/plot in the actors' timeline would be happening BEFORE talk your talk (percy + annabeth + thalia + luke + silena) (around 2008-2015) or AFTER the greatest of luxuries (silena + clarisse + beckendorf + chris(??? i have no idea what's going on with him?? he's prob famous somehow but idk??? or maybe like childhood friend tis the damn season vibe. god there are so many fame tropes i have yet to unlock and so many characters i have yet to mess with) (around 2024-2026)

thank you for the ask!! i hope that one day when i have some more time to make some playlists, properly listen to hadestown, and learn more about musical theater/broadway/acting in general, i'll be able to answer the question more thoroughly!!

[shellxrls]

cast made too many rafebarry jokes last press tour so netflix and the writers straight up just nuked barry right off the show. the cast talking abt potential queer arc is also why every pogue is shoved into straight relationships when there is more chemistry between two characters of the same gender imo.

this is not even exclusive to obx at all, but the way with so many incredibly popular shows, they will dance around queerness in the characters. sometimes leaning into it but almost never fully committing. and like... do i think the writers could give us genuinely good and deep and interesting queer rep? no not particularly. but it'd be nice for obx to not exist in a world where every singe character is heterosexual and no one even knows what being gay is.

im abt to out myself as a stevebucky here but honestly ... i feel like if they tried to do "gay rep" it'd be like marvel pre-endgame where they inadvertently had this crazy ass storyline abt 2 characters whose love and dedication spans decades apart and actual mind erasure that soooo many people where recognizing as The foundational relationship of one of the most relevant og 6 avengers, and they adamantly refused to lean into it at all despite the blatant queer-coding of the characters. instead they had one guy who's on screen for maybe 2 minutes talk about missing his bf/husband - and then this character is never heard of again. [plus SEVERAL more stevebucky atrocities were committed but that's not the point]

like there was soooo much potential there and they fucking squandered it. which (if the obx writers ever let their characters learn the word "gay") is exactly what i think the obx writers and netflix would do. just have a gay character exist in passing and then we never hear from them again so netflix can be like "see! we had one (1) gay!!! you can't be mad now!!!!"

anyway yes im still mad abt stevebucky in the year 2024, but patterns repeat and i am nothing if not a pattern-noticer, AND i can see obx falling down this rabbit hole.

bigots and homophobes die mad every character on obx is fucking gaaaaaaayyyyyy

marvel is the most talented at creating the most queer coded characters ever (some of which have been confirmed queer in comic canon mind u) to send the fandom into a frenzy without confirming anything.

in all honesty nobody hates this show like the fucking pates do. it is only what it is thanks to actor chemistry and character dedication. all the relationships formed and the life we see in the show is solely because the cast is so talented, and they convey what they want (even if it means warping it somehow around a shitty script).

& on that note so many of them desire queer relationships ! hence who is to stop them from imbuing it into their character even if it’s not a confirmation. i believe all the queer chemistry we see is #real and #true because the actors see it too, and who better to know the character than them, even if the show is homophobic and refuses to confirm it in order to conform to bigoted 13 yr olds.

i kinda love seeing it this way too (in which it’s. girly implied thanks to the actors immense emotional dedication to each other), cause like u said if they did put some rep into there on purpose it wld be cringy, unrealistic, and immediately brushed over.

[ariihen]

some thoughts on netflix's adaptation of atla:

kiawentiio was done dirty cause she has so much of katara's bite and sass in her interviews

u can really tell the writing is the series' weakest point because the actors have what it takes to bring those characters to life but they'll only be able to do so much with the script and direction they're given

the wigs are SO ugly. yue had it the worst imo. she deserved better

suki was perfect

LET SOKKA WEAR DRAG U COWARDS

why the fuck are ppl just bending without bending forms and stances. why is aang able to fly without needing to lose his earthly tethers

why are they randomly cutting and pasting scenes in weird places

why is the swamp scene combined with the spirit world????? that was important in setting up toph's introduction????

the fact that the writers knew it made no sense for katara and sokka to end up in the spirit world with aang so even the characters said it and they just handwaved it bc plot lol

so much exposition. clearly the mark of a good story is when the character have to TELL u everything that's happening 🫠

the writers are such big kyoshi stans

like why is she taking other characters' roles

why is gran gran doing katara's intro

iroh and zuko are cute

zuko's choreo is so good

zhao is still a dumbass

his death is unsatisfying. what happened to getting fucked by the spirit world if u fuck with it. where's the ocean spirit dragging his ass to its demise. why is iroh providing his sentence

mai and ty lee are doing nothing but have terrible wigs and give exposition on ozai's motives that they somehow knoe about

aang: *gets told there's no easy way out in being the avatar*

also aang: *gets told everything he needs to know*

badgermoles are empaths now????

bumi they nerfed u

aang they nerfed u

gyatso u deserved a cooler fight to the death they really nerfed u

it's so fucking stupid that aang has to be in shrines to talk to his past lives

kinda cool they go into more detail of the past avatars' lives ig. even if only slightly

katara vs pakku was so lackluster

these bending fights are so lackluster unless ur zuko ig

no srsly how are some ppl just bending without forms. like sozin in episode 1 roasting that dude by just holding him

jun exists only to flirt w the dragon of the west and good on her, me too girl

what's the point of sokka getting suki's fan if he's not even gonna use it...

there's no stronger relationship than sokka x momo

oma and shu are gay i think. love that for them

why tf did aang spend this entire story not even trying to pick up another element. katara literally offers to learn with him a few times and he just didn't feel like it lol

OG azula was impressive and scary. netflix azula feels more like the eldest asian daughter trying rly hard to get her parents' approval. idk she's just alright

so much expositions

ok sure let's have time sensitive plot A not conclude in one episode, have it stretch to the next episode, and still only rush in concluding it at the very end in the backburner of plot B. let's just handwave the fact that those people definitely should've died in like the three days it takes them to resolve plot B

the cabbage merchant is cabbage merchanting

effects are good

[absolutebl]

Hello, let me begin by saying that I love your posts and I love your opinions, analysis, and point of view, I think you have a rare mind and I'm glad you're covering BL as I think it's a very complex and dynamic genre in today's industry.

I work as a middle management business consultant, related to management of PR and marketing although not for film industry, but i've had experience in handling products as a brand manager so i imagine the case with GMMTV and other TV productions are smiliar if we can replace 'product' with 'artists' in this case.

I have some questions relating to the branding of First and Khaotung as a CP by GMMTV, for the life of mine I just could not understand the business reasoning behind it for several reasons:

1. They are both versatile actor with good experiences on their belt and so far has chemistry every other actor they played with. it might be a bit of a waste for GMM to lock them both in a pair.

2. At the time it seems Gawin and First was more popular than FK, it should be easier and less risky to market and sail this pair, this pair also have the advantage of being in a more well known series (Not Me).

3. Both First and Khaotung relationship dynamic seems to not fit any existing mould that current BL pairs have (e.g. there's no clearly defined S/U between them), this seems risky and might not be well received by typical BL fans (esp. Thai Fans).

4. GMM has been trying to replicate OffGun formula a lot, all of GMM other CP seems to follow OG formula to an extent, which is not the case at all with FK.

5. All of the series that both acted as a pair in (Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken, and OnlyFans), are series that i think contain mature themes and not generally something that caters to the taste of Thai BL fans.

This question has been bugging me for awhile. The funny thing is: I am personally a SomSom, an FK stan :D I love them both very much and I absolutely love them together, but the decision to pair them together just doesn't make sense to me, I don't understand what GMM is trying to do here with both of them.

Sorry it's a bit long and thankyou so much if you decided to answer this :)

Hi! Thank you!

(As usual I did this and then Tumblr ate it. I am so tired of this bullshit, why can't they fist the undo bug in the new editor? OR stop forcing us toe USE the damn thing.)

1. They are both versatile actor with good experiences on their belt and so far has chemistry every other actor they played with. it might be a bit of a waste for GMM to lock them both in a pair.

I don't think they will in the long run, I think they are just co-branding at the moment, probably because of all the sponsorship offers. And because they've been recast a few times as a pair since The Eclipse.

They seem to be having a good time with it.

I could be wrong. I picked K a while back as one of the GMMTV stable who was too versatile for them (and valuable to them because of that), and they'd never co-brand him in a big way (after the failure of Tonhon Chonlatee). Then The Eclipse happened.

But to be frank? From the actor career perspective? If they can co-brand into consistent leading roles... F & K are probubly gonna - it's better money than character work and solo or side couple gigs.

2. At the time it seems Gawin and First was more popular than FK, it should be easier and less risky to market and sail this pair, this pair also have the advantage of being in a more well known series (Not Me).

Gawin doesn't co-brand. Never has. Seems like he never will. He clearly doesn't like shipping culture or anything about it. (Doesn't like reality TV shows or variety or anything like that, either.) Which I get. Oh boy do I. I wouldn't be surprised if it's in his rider that he won't cater to performative ships. I've always suspected this is because he's half American. (And East Coast to boot.) He's... tough.... reads as a little grumpy and reserved. Won't soften his IRL image to cater to the public. It's a very individualistic attitude.

It's certainly clear he's turned down sponsorship gigs (as a co-brand), and if he took one in the future it'd have to have a dump truck of money attached. I was legitimately shocked he took on Be My Favorite.

So far as Not Me is concerned? Now it's too late, that ship has sailed. So to speak.

3. Both First and Khaotung relationship dynamic seems to not fit any existing mould that current BL pairs have (e.g. there's no clearly defined S/U between them), this seems risky and might not be well received by typical BL fans (esp. Thai Fans).

Yep, they are more like Nanon & Ohm. I'm actually pleased that GMMTV is letting them do this and not trying to force seme/uke on the brand.

It's a model set up somewhat by TayNew. I mean GMMTV tried to force that one, but as Tay said, "Just look at him, he's huge."

They always managed a very brotherly casual fun ship.

4. GMM has been trying to replicate OffGun formula a lot, all of GMM other CP seems to follow OG formula to an extent, which is not the case at all with FK.

Yes, because it's the most profitable formula. Especially in country. I would put EarthMix in as their clearest successors.

Parent houses always lack imagination.

Find a money-making formula. Repeat it until the audience gets tired or supersaturated or both. It's how market capitalization works.

To change is to impact the bottom line and that is dangerous. Generally speaking, it takes small upstart companies to truly effect change in this regard.

OffGun is an interesting case because Off was so resistant to the brand at first. He's come around, but it took a while.

5. All of the series that both acted as a pair in (Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken, and OnlyFans), are series that i think contain mature themes and not generally something that caters to the taste of Thai BL fans.

Yes, it would be interesting to chart their sponsorship gigs. My guess is it's more global brands or those with an eye to the global market that use them.

I'm thinking it's a lot more like KARD in Kpop (performing better outside of country than in-country). Or the way Ukiss was for Japan. (An expansion intended group tailored to that market).

A country with an active and intentional soft power usually has subdivisions of effectiveness in the ranks of that power's product (in Korea's case Kpop, in Thailand's case BL). Stars that do better overseas - individuals, couples, groups. Ones that do better in specific countries.

A clever product manufacturer looking to contract with one of these branding elements, tracts this (popularity figures and market reach) and picks their representatives accordingly, and in accordance with their expansion interests.

[drumlincountry]

in the og script patrick's character description says he's jewish 🤷🏻‍♀️ and zweig is a culturally jewish last name anyway

all this to say i think it's meant to contrast art's WASPiness. art has a superrr american name, classic easy to market good old money american (which helps his pro career). Patrick being catholic would contrast this pretty interestingly as well tho given the catholic - protestant dynamic.

but with either interpretation, Patrick's first and last name's etymology cement him and his outsider status in the world of tennis, despite his family's wealth since tennis is considered a WASPy game. but he's still a rich white man at the end of the day and is able to float around the pro circuit aimlessly without having to try. unlike Tashi who is seen as the true successor to women's tennis and was able to get there all on her own, no pretenses. she's a low/middle class Black woman and not some rich tennis boarding school kid (like art and patrick). culture, class, and race are just barely explored in this film but it's all very interesting

anon I am kissing you on the mouth, if you're into that kind of thing!!!

I am fascinated by the class aspects of the film but as u say they are lightly touched on & for myself I don't know USA class markers except thru media so I probably miss a lot.

The way class/race/gender plays into Tashi's story is soOooo!!!! Tennis was something she succeeded at in spite of the ways ppl look down on her. It's in her first lines in the film - her competitor was a racist bitch and a sore loser! She's aware how her race influences how ppl treat her on the court and she is not afraid to speak on it.

Typing it now, I wonder if that was a bit of a test for the boys. Like "you seem interested in me. Can you be normal about me experiencing racism? Can you be normal about me being angry about it?" All that as a teenager!

Tennis was a way to force people to see her not just as an equal, but in the sport, as a better. She's better than all of them! She's the best. And then she loses that. Ugh this adds so much more to the "you're not a member of my fan club?" Scene.

Patrick can be both Jewish and irish American! I vote we explore that one. There's so much to say about the conditional nature of the white privilege Jewish ppl can have in the global north - I usually leave that to my Jewish friends to explore but I Have Heard About It! The actor has Jewish & irish heritage fwiw.

Also fascinated with Patrick's relationship with his generational wealth. Like, clearly he has it. Ppl reference it. But he has eschewed it to pursue tennis. His family have decided he can be a rich man or he can be a tennis player (third option=getting a different job. Unexplored). He has made the choice that results in sleeping in his car and not EATING between competitions.

Like that seems like dramatics of a man who has never known true precarity. and yeah partially! But also, have you heard of financial abuse? I had friends in college studying degrees they didn't want for careers they hated the idea of. Because generational wealth meant they didn't qualify for financial support from the state. Leaving them dependent on parents who can withdraw their support at any time if they do something which looks Bad for the Family. The capacity for abuse in these situations is staggering. And yeah, he could get a "real" job. He'd have an easier time doing that than ppl without his class background. But the man would literally rather starve. And he is.

I would love to know what u think of Art's class background! I feel its least explicitly explored of the 3. I saw someone saying he didn't come from money at all and I thought That's Not Right I Saw His Grandmother's Ring. But I really can't say beyond that

[thealfalfamale]

i really have a hard time trying to understand one of the main talking points from anti kataang people (and ig zutara shippers as well)

this is coming from someone who mildly enjoys both zutara and kataang but that used to be a full zk shipper back in the day-

many anti kataangs go after aang's age and looks, saying that, had they been in katara's position, they would never have looked at a younger male friend romantically at that age. ig there is something to say there about how often afab teens do tend to look older than most of their amab peers (even when they are the same age), but i'd prefer to shed some light on how many of them have been stealthly socialized to desire a "young man" at that age, not a boy, especially one that looks younger than them.

(not maliciously excluding the dating preferences of sapphic/lgbt teens to this convo -i honestly do not know enough about it yet to contribute anything here and i don't want to talk over their experiences)

upon my rewatch of teen sitcoms and dramas, i realized how many underage female characters were paired up with male characters played by actors many years older than the age the character is supposed to be *cough sometimes not even a teen character* (yes many teen female characters are played by adults as well, but let's not downplay the big number of adult male actors playing teenage boys who also get paired up with characters played by minor female actors). of course, liveaction shows and animated shows are completly different mediums with, alledgedly, different kinds of impact on their audience's perception of reality and potential consequences for the real, breathing people involved, but the point still stands: why, then, are some anti kataangs/zk acting like they get a pass to disregard aang's canon appeal to katara by the end of the series mostly on the basis that real teen girls tend to skip younger/younger looking boys... while also saying that, clearly, girls at that age are looking for m a t u r i t y (mental and physical) instead -something that they themselves (fictional teenage girls, to be clear) lack???

"maturity" meaning older/older-looking (good-looking) guys, of course.

now, i think i do get to ask why. why are (paper doll) teen girls expected to prefer older/older-looking guys? why are (paper doll) boys the same age too often so unappealing on the get-go to the girl paper dolls and to the audience?? (that is, disregarding personal preferences, getting to know them and yeah, sometimes finding out they're actually in the in-universe equivalent of their skibidi era.) there's really no guarantee the older guys won't be gross, yet to achieve emotional regulation or, yk, a good partner (as nice and kind as teens can get, ofc) either.

open to dialogue and reading new points of view.

just to be safe:

yes ik this might not be that deep

nobody can force you to like what/who you don't like or who you didn't used to like back when atla was airing lets be real.

no this isn't either against or pro those who cling to the argument of (narrative) "sibling coding" for either character/ship

no i'm not saying nor implying that kataang is perfect or that their relationship development was all that great in the og show.

[blueiight]

i love you so much. please continue with the good work of feminising louis and calling him breedable. i didn't know a part of the fandom hated it and now that i do any chance i get i will not stop talking about it.

i cannot stop giggling at this because it's right there in the show louis being all these things.

and thank you for mentioning thr body proportions. i think the height is what is getting people. the way their bodies are built you can even tell they got different briefs about what the show needed them to look like physically

lestat has naturally broad shoulders and louis has narrower shoulders.

lestat built a lean body with little body fat and a flat as concrete torso (sam didn't drink beer for a year) and muscle definition

louis has a slim body but his torso is soft with little muscle definition (jacob got into running)

lestat has longer and slimer legs from the hip down while louis is shorter from the hip down and thicker

and then carol dressed them to accentuate this so louis looks smaller than lestat

hey anon love ya<3 ima be honest idk much of what or who hates what & idc but itd be funny if this backlash against the feminization of ldpdl came from og vc fans cuz lewis also wanted to be wifed n plays roles more typical of female charas in parts of the source material lol.. not to mention rice also wanted cher to play lou n she initially saw louis as her id b4 pivoting to les. i can sympathize w a fanbase of predom. women/ppl aligned w certain experiences being disillusioned w talks about pregnancy/sum1 being ~breedable~& that not being their prerogatives in fictional content but they should understand louis the chara wants to be wifed up lol #takeitupwannerolinnem #notme #beingdesiredbylestatwastheoverturetothatsideofhisnature. a black male chara on ldpdl caliber esp in media w a predom. nb cast [so far] is v subversive to a lot of the one note stereotypes associated w bm in fiction.. a hypocrite of a pimp turned into a hypocrite of a vampire housewife. but i digress lol.

ur right & i think👆🏾these pics do a good job of showing the specifics of the build each actor put on to play their respective charas.. thats so funny jacob said he got into running bc i always joked about how amc louis had the body of a trackstar lol yk how trackstars rly lean all around narrow willowy torsos n shoulders then bam just ass n leg definition out of nowhere. #vindication sam not drinking for a year str8 hes so much stronger than me💔 yea les is lean with definition more around his upper body chest shoulders arms shorter narrow torso both of them r lean just a matter of different proportions. & i think the costuming is genius. early louis rly favored flamboyance & swag in the sense of a black man in his era and les after lou took him to rubensteins [ik the store didnt open until 1924 but shh] n dressed him in tune for the century [what the hell was amc les up to for a hundred years to come in town dressed for his era?] lou rly brought out les finer qualities in the wardrobe just as lou wardrobe brought out his own then as the relationship becomes more #toxic u get costuming that reflects those roles. personally rly love prime mack daddy lou giving savannah james seeing lebron break the scoring record [but ur the lebron of the streets] and brown suit gold tie halo of blond hair lucifer wanting to draw u out of hypocrisy of maintaining humanity as a vampire les in ep2 & mobwife who snitched on her hubby lou and piano recital looking ass les from ep7

[gunsatthaphan]

Hello, let me begin by saying that I absolutely love your blogs and all your posts!! I am an FK stan also and absolutely love them to bits, but I have a topic about them that I hope you'll be willing to share your opinion on.

I work as a middle management business consultant, related to management of PR and marketing although not for film industry, but i've had experience in handling products as a brand manager so i imagine the case with GMMTV and other TV productions are smiliar if we can replace 'product' with 'artists' in this case.

So relating to the branding of First and Khaotung as a CP by GMMTV, for the life of mine I just could not understand the (business) reasoning behind it for several reasons:

1. They are both versatile actor with good experiences on their belt and so far has chemistry every other actor they played with. it might be a bit of a waste for GMM to lock them both in a pair.

2. At the time it seems Gawin and First was more popular than FK, it should be easier and less risky to market and sail this pair, this pair also have the advantage of being in a more well known series (Not Me).

3. Both First and Khaotung relationship dynamic seems to not fit any existing mould that current BL pairs have (e.g. there's no clearly defined S/U between them), this seems risky and might not be well received by typical BL fans (esp. Thai Fans).

4. GMM has been trying to replicate OffGun formula a lot, all of GMM other CP seems to follow OG formula to an extent, which is not the case at all with FK.

5. All of the series that both acted as a pair in (Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken, and OnlyFans), are series that i think contain mature themes and not generally something that caters to the taste of Thai BL fans.

This question has been bugging me for awhile. The funny thing is: as mentioned above I am personally a SomSom, an FK stan :D I love them both very much and I absolutely love them together, but the decision to pair them together just doesn't make sense to me, I don't understand what GMM is trying to do here with both of them.

Sorry it's a bit long and thankyou SO SO MUCH if you decided to answer this :)

hi anon!

first of all thank you for your kind words!! 🥺 I'm glad that you enjoy my content!!

thank you for sharing your thoughts, however I can't say that I understand all of these concerns lol. here are my thoughts:

I would never call anything related to them "a waste" lol it's actually the opposite; pairing them was a very wise decision, especially because they're both highly experienced actors. They're versatile and talented on their own and they bounce very well off each other. And as I mentioned before I hope to see them act separately as well, as being in a fixed pair can limit their opportunities. But to call pairing them a waste is an insult dfkjgdf sorry. .

Not really. DanYok and GawinFirst were very popular at the time but it was kind of nipped in the bud by gmmtv; I still don't know why they never bothered with them but since they never gave them a platform or any sort of promotion, you can't really compare the 2 pairs imo. But if we still look at their general reception then no, they were not more popular than FK are now. I don't know what would have happened if they had fixed them back then but I imagine Gawin would not have been on board lol. He avoids the big spotlight so I don't think they would've gotten anywhere tbh. They were undeniably a hot moment though lol. .

Disagreed. A pairing shouldn't fit any "mould"; if they have good chemistry and work well together then that's all the premise they need. And speaking of which, what is the "mould of current bl pairs" anyway? The S/U dynamic sure isn't one and should not be a factor with any pair to begin with. But since we're on the topic, Gmmtv has never thematized this with any of their couples which I highly appreciate lol. And they don't need to because the Our Skyy lineup is fairly popular as it is. They're pushing the bro-narrative over the T/B-narrative but that's another can of worms lmao. The S/U thing might still be something that some fans care about but there are enough other couples in the industry which make use of that lol. .

What's the "OffGun Formula"? I've never heard of that lol. If this is about the same dynamic again then idk what to tell you. This should not be an issue. .

Nope. The times of bland high school vanilla shows is long gone and the fandom is not the same as it was 3-4 years ago. I've been on board for almost 6 years and more mature plots is something that is greatly appreciated, so shows like Not Me, The Eclipse or Moonlight Chicken and also other non-gmmtv shows got an appropriate amount of popularity because of that, not in spite of it. .

Generally I don't think any pair has to fulfil a purpose or "make sense" - if they work and have a good and healthy dynamic on and off screen then that's all that matters. at least to me. Just because they don't fit a certain stereotype or whatever doesn't mean they're an odd couple. They don't have to comply with anything. So that ideology seems a bit outdated to me.

However - I'm repeating myself again - the fixing should not get in anyone's way. gmm likes to overdo it with the promotion and the events etc. and especially with A-list actors like FK and some others, I fear that the overexposure might have a negative effect on their careers, i.e. typecasting and other issues. Which is why I hope they can find a balance between their couple works and their individual projects. And this goes for the other pairs as well.

xxx

[drawnaghht]

"Wait hold on is there a Japanese dub? Or am I reading wrong oop"

@freakova Yes! yes there is! :D :D whoever edited that TVtropes page I mentioned is wrong, I'm not sure if they just didn't have the track available bc of region-restrictions on Netflix (like here for example, we don't get some shows) or bc they have some downloaded version which only has other tracks, but whoever recorded/ripped it originally, didn't have the JP dub track. I suspect it might be the latter.

I know I watched a bit of the japanese version in august, so I wonder if it's those 2 options or maybe even that most people don't watch netflix on PCs/laptops on their browsers, and so they miss out on the extra dubs on TV. That's smth that I often miss on our Netflix, i.e. some shows will have a finnish dub (the closest language to estonian where I don't need subtitles myself), but if it's smth super popular, it won't show the option for the finnish dub on the TV version of netflix at all. Japanese is a language very often missing in the TV version for many things, doesn't seem to be related to how J is in the middle of the alphabet, but rather, whatever system of regions Netflix uses to give suggestions to users. But if I switch to finnish on my PC, it will continue that show/other shows with available dub in my selected language. This goes for subs too!

Lol if u have a friend with Netflix or have it yourself, you can check it out. I have watched it with japanese dub + sub on at the same time to get any interesting language/delivery differences but also just to watch it out of curiosity. this is what I base some of my posts on too like the one's about names, but when I was just curious to see what the JP subtitles were like I got curious abt the dub too and then switched to both. It's

I also added this on the TVtropes page as a source to avoid ppl changing it, but Usagi's japanese VA, Kengo Takanashi, actually tweeted about his involvement for the airing of S2 (for those unfamiliar with voice actors there, like I am, he plays Link in the newer Zelda games. But also, fun TMNT trivia: he plays Donnie in the Bayverse japanese dub hehe x3 )

I think I found this randomly while going through twitter searching for something else. Definitely did not know about this VA before, but it's cool how happy he seemed about tweeting abt this show.

He sounds really nice as Usagi! He has that youthful and curious but annoying quality to it which makes Usagi unique and he sounds just as excited as the original, so the acting is on-point too. I've heard some people say that they like the JP dub over the EN original, but I honestly like both. There is a bit of a difference between Kengo (JP) and Darren (EN) with how different of a timber their voices have, but it's a very subtle difference. I've also watched the finnish and german dubs (both languages which I actually understand/speak more than japanese) and those also had very good Usagi voices. The russian dub versions sounds a bit deeper/ older but otherwise, the acting itself is fine, so it doesn't really bother me. In some versions, either Tetsujin or Gen sound either too young or too old for their roles, but otherwise, most of the dubs for this show at least, sound pretty good and similar to the og.

Anyway, I am not thinking of doing a spring cleaning on TV tropes now to clean up any more old/misleading info hehehe >:3c

[unnamed-proxy]

What happened in gobb? If u wish to ramble I'm all ears! /gen /nf

AAAAH re-entering fandoms am I right? TvT

OKAAAY OKAY SO WHERE DO I START (spoilers under the cut in case anyone cares)

First off, menu music? Kind of a banger, also the voice actors popped off with this one oh my stars. Especially the lady voicing the safety tapes I love her voice so much

Second off, and this is the most unbelievable part I know, it was actually kind of??? Tense??? Eerie even??? At points which is shocking enough on its own

Oh oh! Syringeon made his debut here too! His voice actor was killing it too, pretty decent model as well imo, I like the stupid eye movements it does

Anyways Syringeon tells us about his plan to capture Josh in order to defeat sir Dadadoo, and it turns out it’s kinda his fault that Dadadoo has control of everyone right now as he’s the one who gave the queen’s scepter mind control abilities (somehow??? For some reason???) so he’s kinda stupid but it’s okay

I have nothing of importance to say about these guys I just think their dance moves rocked and their designs are goofy as hell (/aff)

Oh, Uhyeah is here too, he voices this guy. Nice hat dude

Toadster is back!!!! Banbalena (is that how you spell it? Still don’t know) is corrupted though, L

He’s still awesome, his VA deserves more recognition I’ll just say it

Bittergiggle’s back!!!!! They look like this now :), chase music also slaps

Anyways Bittergiggle gets toadsted (fuckign dies)

Times like these I wish the models were more expressive (and that Toadster didn’t look like that. Ew) because this whole scene is just Ty and Paul popping off for literally no reason

This part’s mainly what my og post was referring to cuz I saw it all over Twitter and it sucked me back into this fever dream 😭

SPEAKING OF FEVER DREAMS (I’m so good at transitions oh em gee)

Y’know that one scene from Penguins of Madagascar where all the penguins are falling out of the plane? Okay now imagine that but it’s stinger Flynn and Banban bickering like an old married couple for the 5th time leading to the plane starting to crash and exploding (worlds tamest stinger-ban interaction)

No comment

“I will stop consuming slop” I say before inevitably consuming more slop once a new banban game comes out /hj

Honestly I think this might’ve been the biggest step up so far! The puzzles were pretty neat, I always liked the color puzzle from the first game and the memory match from this one is just that but better, even had my photographic memory ass struggling at points

Game ends off with Jumbo Josh just… beating the shit out of Sir Dadadoo and his army???? Really easily too. Damn, Josh, didn’t know you were(n’t) chill like that. And he eats the scepter cuz of course he does, good job sir Jumbonious J. Josh

AND BEFORE I FORGET APPARENTLY BANBAN ISN’T EVEN BANBAN???? I THINK???? There’s a whole other banban that’s blue with a yellow beard thing?? And yellow eye lashes?? I reached the image limit so I can’t show you but I promise I’m not making this up I’m so serious

The mural in the end bit has the red banban as a sticker thing overlapping the blue one which you peel off, revealing the blue “original” banban, than Syringeon makes you unconscious. Blue guy is on the cover of the next game so that’s gonna be…. Something.

Btw yes absolutely, always a wild ride rejoining a fandom TvT, like reuniting with a childhood friend every time, a friend you can ramble about (you’re always welcome to do the same @ me if you’d like btw! :D /nf)

[maelstroms-blog]

OK, so here are my thoughts on NATLA....

I'm a long time fan of the OG show, so much so, planning to gwt a tattoo of the element symbols which is why I was so hesitant to watch it

But I did....

SPOILERS UNDER CUT:

Firstly, Katara. They did my girl so dirty. She was the one to break Aang out of the iceberg by being, justifiably, angry at Sokka. She was also the one to bring Aang out of the avatar state at the air temple, with her declaration of friendship and the bond that would grow between them. I just feel like Netflix Katara is more of a background character. Maybe that will change? Who knows.

Next Sokka, one word, BLAND. Sorry netflix boy but u will never be him

But other than that, the characters so far were well casted. Looking at you, uncle Iroh-you dropped this king 👑

The costume design...Loved. its a perfect callback to the cartoon.

Atmosphere? Pretty good. I could definitely feel the unease whenever the fire nation sting played, just like in the original. The music was spot on. Leaves from the vine stabbed my heart everytime.

A lot of times the show had me smiling, I liked the extra moments between aang and gyatso, getting to know aangs sorta father figure, it reminded just how much aang lost at such a young age. And Lu Ten's funeral... crying 😭

Aangs actor does a pretty good job, he captured both Aangs goofiness and his burdens.

Finally, the bending. I have watched the OG show numerous times, pretended to be the avatar on the playground as a child, I have all the art books and watched the behind the scenes

And Netflix, I think you did a pretty good job. The effects do look a bit awkward in places but it was accurate and that was the most important part. Shout out to the battle between aang and zuko, it perfectly captured the goofy action of the OG.(also zuko getting attacked by a woman was show accurate)

Also, Cabbage merchant...need I say more?

Netflix avatar the last airbender I rate it 6.5/7 out of 10

It's miles better than the other adaption that did definitely did not happen. Hopefully it can bring more fans to the original.

[I'm sick of ppl thinking of the stupid blue thing when I say I love avatar]

ALSO, I WILL NOT FORGIVE SOKKA NOT WEARING THE KYOSHI WARRIOR OUTFIT

[twilightofthe]

gonna put my random liveblog reactions for Ahsoka Ep 1 here

okay so the rebels fam are literally some of my favorite star wars characters i've loved and missed them since 2018 and if anything this show will give me them

i am going with zero expectations except a plea, a plea to just not make me hate it lmao idc what happens just let me have fun

just press the start button coward ass come ON

okay i'm startiiiing Now!

oooh they didn't name it interesting

kk cool drums that's neat we like that

whoa was that sabine's helmet in the intro????

OPENING TITLE SCROLL?????

WE REALLY LIKE THAT????????

y'all the new republic's about as stable as a human jenga tower don't u have anything better to do than find thrawn i'm p sure even the imperials didn't like him THAT much they were xenophobes

former jedi knight? HMMMM

why is it always a secret map

also appreciating the OG "let's open up on big ass ship in space" makes you feel small

ok have i heard this new republic(?) captain actor before he seems familiar

bitch literally anyone could have an old jedi clearance code clearance codes were passed around like

yeah he doesn't trust it either

but i feel like he's actually dickish and we're not supposed to like him so

ah yes rebel soldiers and their stupid-ass egg helmets

wait old white bearded guy you ain't obi wan you AIN'T a jedi

his voice sounds familiar too

i have such face blindness lmao

oh whoops that's a darkside saber his friend has!

she kinda looks like Merrin from JFO

Eh probs some kinda Nightsister of sorts

I'm guessing he's some Inquisitor who got forgotten

Hmm we really paralleling ANH with darkside guy slaughtering all the egghelmet guys on a ship xD

Ok his name is Baylan

And hers is Morgan and the intro crawl mentioned her but my memory is shit so I don't quite remember what she was about except vague Thrawn-related reasons

ooooh name drop!

aaaaaAAAAA RIGHT IN THE EMOTIONS NOOO NO THE AHSOKA AND ANAKIN LEITMOTIFF TWILIGHT OF THE APPRENTICE THEME

ok i'm good lol

ohh wait so there IS a title

master and apprentice

alas it seems like the thing i didn't want is gonna happen but we are staying OPEN MINDED we are going to SEE

ok lots of tall pillars in what looks like another fuckin desert lmao

ey there's Snips

something on the ground? That kinda looks Sith-ish but also I have like no clue

hmm did they kinda fix her montrals or not i can't tell

Ehhhhh slightly

eyyyy wait are those the world-between-worlds lines

the statues kinda look like nightsisters but also like old sith statues

mmm caress the whispering pillar

ok indiana jones time to get your ass out of there before the booby trap

what am i saying she's anakin and obi wan's spawn she LIKES this shit

oh hey she made something happen

i feel like all of these pillars should have been turned at once

the force likes teamwork and that kinda thing

but it also kinda echoes maul and ezra's little teamwork exercise lifting those walls in the sith temple that one time

ope she found something

guessing it's the Magic Maul Map

ooh it's one of those bakugon balls or whatever they were we played with as a kid i had one that turned into a dragon

H U Y A N G

SHOW ME MY ROBOBITCH

armor person hello

what's the mask that's not a mando is it

nah i don't think it is

nah

is it a person in armor or a droid i can't tell

oh subs say droids they're droids

you poor bastards curbstomping droids was her high school internship job she is WAY more qualified than you

wasn't quite expecting ahsoka to play whackamole but good for her that sounds fun

oh hell yeah we stan the droids that self destruct xD

waiiiit yeah i forgot she had a B-wing they're cool!

STILL LOVE ME HUYANG

ahsoka there was NO way you didn't wait till the last moment to jump away from that explosion except to be dramatic

"the order doesn't exist anymore" you shush missy we KNOW you know who luke is he's trying his best

ahsoka lbr do you even know what standard jedi protocol is

Fulcruuuuum

DAMN FUCKING RIGHT HUYANG IS FULCRUM HE DESERVES IT

also he looks so good in live action i forgot to mention that!!!!! <3

"T-6" girl u need to name your SHIP anakin would be APPALLED

well if that's the same ship with the darksiders on at least

h3ERA

HERA

HERA HERA HERA

HERA MY BELOVED

wHERES CHOPPER

WHERES CJASON JACEN WHATEVERTHE FUCK

H E RA

oh right this is mary elizabeth winstead oh boy i hope she does well!

i wonder if ewan was there

aNYWAY HERA

ok unpausing sorry had a Moment

General

Ok so the voices aren't quite matching but we'll see

ooooh hera has a patch on her jacket let's go back to that later

"abilities like you" hera kanan told you what darksiders were like inquisitors tried to kill y'all

she has sabines firebird on her jacket

don't mention thrawn around hera she'll just think of ezra ;_;

oh so morgan was thrawn's

EZRA NAME MENTION

GONNA DIE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ok this is nothing on mary's performance she's doing fine but hera's dialogue doesn't quiiiite seem her? we'll see

oh yeah and rosario's doing better this time more natural

IT’S LOTHAL LOTHAL LIVE ACTION LOTHAAAAAAAAL

ITS BEAUTIFUL SO SO BEAUTIFUL

wait who's speaking

THEY SAID EZRA AGAI

THAT'S FUCKING RYDER

RYDER AZADI HELLO YOU WONDERFUL BASTARD YOU LOOK GREAT

Hi Clancy Brown good to see you do you know you have an evil Devaronian twin who's running around bothering Din Djarin as we speak

well at least sabine still hates politics

my dude ryder you know her tf did she say to make you think she was coming at all lol

WAIT JAI

JAI KELL HELLO EZRA'S EX BOYFRIEND

YOU'RE SO HANDSOME MY BOY ALL GROWN UP WONDERFUL

wait ryderrrr c'mon don't be a dick again you were so well

OH HELLO GWEN STACY SPIDERVERSE VIBES

not quiiiiite liking how sabine grew her gay haircut out in this but still digging the bike fit

also hello Natasha good luck pls treat my dear well i love her greatly!!!

hmmm not sure how much i like other non-OG ghost crew giving themselves Spectre callsigns yes i AM being gatekeepy fuck off

good sabine is running from authorities we do love that

hey her voice kinda matches that's great!

oh i'm liking her acting already

i think

SHE HAS A LOTH CAT ON HER HELMET

that's my GIRL

also it's very interesting how the pilots call each other by their spectre callsigns but address sabine--an ORIGINAL spectre--exclusively by name

lothkitty LOTHCAT

LITHCAT WITH THE FOOOOOFYTAIL AND LITTLE SPINDLE LEGS

im gonna DIE

it's so cute i can't even

also getting Emotions(TM) at ezra's old tower

hmm you think sabine has depression

FUCK OFF WITH THAT SABINE SEES EZRA MUSICAL CALLBACK

oh hey hey it's his original message to theeeeem

wait shit yeah it's the new one just to her

ooh it's eman! i can't see his faaaaace expressions but the voice sounds similar? like it seems like he's tryna match taylor's way of speaking good for him

ok yes but ezra is a jedi show pretty please for me don't go there with sabine

ok ok that's enough complaining from me lmao

ACTUALLY NO WAIT ONE MORE *inhales*

i would prefer sabine and ezra to stay platonic friends. no hate to shippers but i just personally would like them to be friends/siblings, that's what would make me happiest because i like to imagine sabine as a lesbian and also their dynamic as friends/siblings just makes me happy

but shippers are of course still welcome here and if they do become a couple i won't begrudge you your fun :')

ok ok ok ok ok NOW i'm done lmao

back to Best Boy sorry bby you were speaking and i interrupted you <3

oh hey hey he did say sister! i'd like that!!!

but also ezra when tf did you have the time to record those both weren't u a bit busy planning the attack on lothal

oh it's darkside goth girl

nice smoky eye

oh wait fuck she's got a PADAWAN BRAID

heyyyyyy i was RIGHT about the temple statues looking like nightsisters!

but wrong about darkside goth girl being one then tho

well masked emo fucker following bryan or whatever his name is is probs an inquisitor

wait wait wait does MORGAN have gold eyes?

ooooooo

oh no wait darkside apprentice has gold eyes again

ugh okay so we ARE getting force sensitive sabine then

alright fine i'll make my peace with it this episode

even though it makes no SENSE

no no pe not going there we are going to have FUN

aaaaa repeating ezra's final dialogue from the rebels finale ;_;

love the mirroring shots to rebels ep 1 RIGHT DOWN TO SABINE WEARING EZRA'S ORANGE

ahsoka and anakin leitmotiff coming back hmmm

oh wait fuck i think ezra drew those lothcats oof ;_;

ok good good we going back to sabine being the rightful art expert in the gffa take second place and DUNK urself thrawn

ok i get they're tryna make them ex master and apprentice but imma say it. imma SAY IT

ahsoka and sabine give awkward exes vibes

BIG awkward exes vibes

m a s t e r

you both know damn well she's gonna take it anyway or at least try who are y'all even kidding urselves

oooh surprise surprise the darksider are former jedi-associated

oh right his name's baylan not bryan

WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED

oh there's goth darkside girl

if anyone hurts sabine's cat i will kill the entire world and then myself

i swEAR TO GOD

WHY DOES THE SHOW KEEP MAKING AHSOKA AND SABINE SEEM LIKE ANGRY EXES LMAOOOO

COME ON

ahsoka ur being emo so hera is allowed to make a dig at anakin

hera you're trying your best girl lmao

it's always rule of three it seems

kinda gives me that mortis trinity vibe

this reminds me of the time i got one of those 3D puzzles from barnes and noble and i was supposed to take it apart and put it back together and failed utterly

ope she did it!

again if someone even TOUCHES that fucking cat wrong i go full john wick

bitch NO SHOOTING NEAR THE CAT

ope they smashed the map

ahsoka my dude i'm guessing you know where sabine lives why didn't u just go find her lmao

wait does sabine have ezra's green lightsaber i can't tell from the hilt because i'm shit at recognizing hilts

i can't even appreciate the duel because i am admittedly pouting but they are both very pretty at least

sabine how r u not getting ur hair chopped off

oh fuck she got stabbed?

maybe shoulda worn ur mando armor

oh and she's still MOVING

oh nope there she goes

oh wait who's Ray? :(

okay

okay okay okay

dave my dude.........

okay so i am going to take some time like a few minutes or so

and process this sabine thing

like if i cannot find a way to come to fucking terms with it i will not be able to enjoy this series

ik ik that sounds dramatic i'm just

hmm ok five minutes

[scalproie]

I'm not really like. Upset at the pure fact of Kuai being scorpion, more just that Hanzo might be gone. He really is a tragedy, and it was fun seeing his arc in both timelines. Mostly, besides when Raiden called him Q-C's slave and present Hanzo death. I liked that he became the face of mk but wasn't a chosen one or a altruistic hero or something like that, hell he wasn't even supposed to be popular, just a fun lil thing for the og cast cause his rivalry with Subz.

He just became the popular one cause hes just really fucking cool. He Is good, but unrelenting about what he wants, he's not above killing yet shows restraint for the special forces and Kuai in X. Everything he does is for a reason, maybe not a good one but one you can see the reasoning behind. He's not the most complex character to exist but he's a really fun character.

Plus, I miss the old man yaoi, more on the Old part. Everyone looks so young in 1. My wrinkly old farts are gone ✊️😔

yeah no hanzo being completely MIA so far is a valid concern. but I would like to trust that nrs are not completely clueless over why their characters are beloved in the first place and know that half the appeal of scorpion was hanzo's story and not just his general aesthetic, so I dare hold onto the hope that he's gonna make an appearance in the story, or at the very least, I would settle for a solid justification in-game over why he's missing.

Hard agree on your take on scorpion too, in the great mk universe he is at his core Just A Guy with a storyline thats compelling and could be standalone. Like for exemple, you cant take liu kang, raiden and shang stung (and goro) out of mortal kombat because they ARE mortal kombat, you could technically take sonya (and jax) and kano out of mk but in my personal opinion it wouldnt make for a super interesting story cause its like, standard military mumbo jumbo. Johnny is an outlier and should not be counted, his whole appeal is that he is an actor, adaptable, and is more than he seems. But I genuinely think the ninja storyline with scorpion AND sub zero could be divorced from mortal kombat and still be extremely compelling, even if it does lose a significant amount of meat bc of it.

Also yeah he wasnt meant to be the mascot but im glad he is (alongside subz kinda but he really takes the forefront since mkx) bc like i said before character favoritism is okay if i like said character. Which i do. Also since he really wasnt meant to be mk's face, its funny to imagine if another character got the spot, like imagine reptile on cover bc he was a secret boss back in the day and people (and ed boon) loved him so much he blew up in popularity, while sub zero was relegated to a jobber, and scorpion was dlc like ermac is nowadays (🥹👍)

(Anyway the lesson here is when two characters are so intricately linked in their storyline like scorpy and subz are, they lift each other to the top.)

Anyway back on scorpion, I really enjoyed his arc in the second timeline as well bc yeah, he isnt as shackled in his morality as other characters and I really love that they let him fuck up massively, like killing bi-han ib mk9 when he swore not to, and when he killed quan chi in mkx, its very accidentaly "scorpion and the frog" of him and I like that "he couldnt change his nature" :) he's a really really enjoyable character to watch partly bc hes been through a lot but also bc he genuinely is conceptually so cool. Also I will not be the first to say that his relationship with kuai liang/sub zero in the second timeline was the best written arc they did, that spawned over three whole games too.

SPEAKING OF Im gonna miss the old man yaoi sooo much too, its was about the "finding love again/for the first time in your forties" yknow? Esp with someone u had a complicated history with. Man.

And finally. Technically I understand every character going back to their 20s with the new timeline thingie, I even could understand our resident old man raiden not being old anymore with the whole divinity switch with liu kang but LIU KANG ISNT OLD TO COUNTERBALANCE. HE DOESNT EVEN HAVE HIS WHITE GOD HAIR ANYMORE. and take of depending temperature but Ive always enjoyed shang stung as an old evil man so much more than him young and him not even being old anymore is such a loss to me. So yeah Im mourning my fucking dilfs and senior citizens man😔