#that show made me cry every single season on so many episodes for so many reasons

[diari0deglierrori]

Just finished Merlí

[emo-batboy]

Battinson on SNL

Idk how popular Saturday Night Live is outside of the US so there will be some links for context. That said, as a New Jersey native, I think Battinson would totally watch the show. And since he's a celebrity...👀

SO

To promote WE’s newest charity fund, Alfred signs Bruce up to be a guest host on SNL (à la this post) The announcement is made, and everyone’s like “oh this is going to be a disaster. That man can’t even hold eye contact or speak a full sentence without crying.”

But oh, that’s why it’s so funny.

Now, hear me out. Bruce’s strengths are displayed best when he’s himself. That’s why he’s so popular in Gotham. That’s why the internet calls him Relatable TM and a Disaster (Affectionate) and “Poor Little Meow Meow.” It’s his ✨ essence ✨

But he tends to get overwhelmed or self-conscious onstage, right? Because he can’t be Himself himself if he has time to overthink something. So after a few meetings with Bruce, the writers of SNL figure out the perfect way to keep Bruce from getting anxious.

They decide to load this episode with as many skits where Bruce plays different caricature-like versions of himself as possible. The objective? Make him break character and laugh so he doesn’t overthink. And if he breaks character, he’ll still technically be in character because he’s playing himself, you know? Genius.

So that’s how they go about structuring the show. During the few days they have to write, they decide to take everything about Bruce’s public image and either ramp it up to 11 or turn it on its head.

He speaks quietly? Turn it into a running gag. He dresses in all black? Make him emo. He tips well? Add that in too. He’s “depressed” and “sad?” Literally, all he does on screen is laugh and break character. What’s not to love?

Of course, Bruce also gets to decide what skits are in each episode as well. (Refer to this if you have no idea how SNL works.) He loves the idea, though, and he has a surprisingly dark sense of humor which bleeds into some of the sketches. They add in a few skits without him, and they’ve got their lineup.

It’s the wildest episode of the season. Here are the highlights:

OPENING MONOLOGUE

It’s the big night, everyone’s excited to see Bruce Wayne hosting a live sketch comedy show with no idea how it will turn out.

To begin his monologue, Bruce walks on, opens his mouth to start talking, and immediately two cast members appear as stagehands to set up six microphones in front of him. He is already struggling to keep himself together.

Bruce: “You may be wondering why I’m host- Cast Member: *adds one more tiny microphone to his chest* Bruce: “You may be wondering why I’m hosting tonight.”

It’s working. The audience loves it.

Halfway through, Kate McKinnon comes out in a dark cloak with a chalice. “Your sustenance, my lord.” *sees camera* “Oh. Sorry. Carry on.” And she shambles off. Bruce has to take a second before continuing.

Bruce knows when (most of) the jokes come. It’s literally on the cue cards, but he still falls into a fit of giggles.

There are a few more gags, including Lex Luthor peeking out from behind the band set-up, all teasing the show to come.

Overall, an amazing way to set the tone for the episode. Expectations have been set. Then the skits begin!

(Oh but before I forget: During every single live skit with Bruce, the writers have scheduled for one of the cast members to run in dressed as a stagehand and put an extra mic on him. They do not tell him when it will happen.)

SKIT #1

Between the monologue and the first skit, he has to do a really fast quick change, but to everyone’s surprise, Bruce is a natural. (Huh, wonder why.)

The skit is called Gotham PTA Meeting. We open in a meeting room full of stereotypical PTA moms setting down baked goods and gossiping. And apparently, there is a new PTA member attending today 👀

Right as the meeting starts, he enters. Bruce walks in wearing the most emo get-up imaginable. He’s got a Nirvana shirt, a comical amount of eyeliner, black skinny jeans, chain accessories, metal rings, AND a clip-in extension to give him fringe.

Someone immediately runs in and puts another mic on him.

PTA Mom: “Oh, Bruce! You made it! Did you bring a snack?” Bruce: “I brought lemon bars.” PTA Mom: “Why are they black?” Bruce: “They match my soul…they’re also vegan.”

He talks like a moody teenager. HE CONSTANTLY has to brush the fringe off to the side to read the cue cards. And because there’s so much eyeliner and he’s sweating a bit from the lights, it starts running everywhere.

PTA Mom: “Bruce, you’re a little quiet. What are your thoughts on increasing the school lunch budget?” Bruce: *eyeliner dripping down his chin* “I think it’s a great idea.”

SKIT #2

For a pre-filmed skit, they bring back the Chad character with Pete Davidson.

It’s 2 am, and Chad is working at a 24hr drug store in Gotham. He’s reading Twilight (the book is upside down) when the lights begin to flicker.

He turns around and tries the light switch, turns back around, and JUMPSCARE it’s Bruce dressed as Edward from Twilight.

Yes, he IS sparkly.

Bruce is awkwardly holding a bunch of items, all concerning. He plops down a few knives, several raw meats, Sudafed. Chad: “Oh hey.” Bruce: O_O “I’d like to check out please.” Chad: “Lit.”

Chad’s “No Fucks Given” energy and Bruce’s “Please Do Not Perceive Me” energy clash like titans. The whole skit centers around it.

Bruce: *sweating bullets* “Oh. You’re reading Twilight?” Chad: “Just the title.” Bruce: *throws the book through the window at lightning speed* “It’s not very good. You should probably read something else.” Chad: *shrugs* “Okay.”

Chad: “ID?” Bruce: “ID? For what?” Chad: “Sudafed.” Bruce: “Oh. I don’t really need that, actually.” Chad: “Already scanned it.” Bruce: “Haha. Of course.” *awkwardly produces a scroll from his pocket that says Bruce Wayne DOB: 1901* Chad: “Okay.”

Bruce checks out, Chad picks up a porno mag or something, and we see Bruce turn into a bat and fly off through the window behind him.

SKIT #3

The next skit they have is Celebrity Family Feud: Billionaires Edition. Again, Bruce plays himself, but he’s more of a background character. Instead, the skit makes fun of billionaires as a whole.

Bruce’s team consists of Kylie Jenner, Lex Luthor, and Oliver Queen. So just imagine three Lucille Bluths standing beside one another. 

Bruce’s bit? He just keeps handing cash to Steve Harvey every time he breathes in his direction.

Host: "We got the richest man in the world: Bruce Wayne!" Bruce: *hands him a roll of cash* Host: "Oh, what’s this for?" Bruce: "It’s your tip. I always tip." Host: "Oh, Mr. Wayne, you don’t usually tip the show host. I’m also a millionaire myself." Lex Luthor: *snatches it* "Well, if you’re not going to use it, I will…for charity, of course." Host: "Uh huh, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Just a ton of fun quips, the usual.

At some point, Harvey says, “That’s batty.” Bruce: *ducks* “Where?!” Host: “Oh, I don’t mean Batman. He’s not here.” Bruce: “You don’t know that.”

This time, the mic bit is a bit different.

Host: “We asked 100 billionaires: How much does a loaf of bread cost? Top three answers are on the board.” Bruce: *hits buzzer* Host: Bruce, your answer is? Cast Member: *runs in with a megaphone and holds it in front of Bruce* Bruce: “TEN DOLLARS?”

Board dings! That was the #1 answer

Brucie Wayne for the win

SKIT #4

Next is a skit that dares to ask Gotham, “Why would anyone live here?”

The skit begins with someone opening a press conference for Wayne Enterprises. “And now presenting: Bruce Wayne!” Bruce walks in…

But it’s not him. Instead, it’s one of the cast members dressed in a black suit with horribly gelled brown hair.

Everyone in the audience is wondering where the actual Bruce is before another cast member runs onstage crying, “Help! Help! I’ve just been robbed! Somebody call Batman!”

A mini version of the bat-signal lights up…

We hear some generic hero music play…

And there he is: Bruce Wayne dressed in a horribly cheap Batman costume

(They got the cowl ALL wrong btw)

Bruce puts his hands on his hips in a weird superhero pose. Bruce: “I’m Batm-” Cast Member: *runs out to attach another mic to his costume* Bruce: “….I’m Batman!”

Cue all of the gags and digs against Batman. The fake Bruce faints then starts crying under a table. Someone calls Batman a furry. Bruce is barely keeping it together the whole time. Lord help him, but he asked for it. He approved the skit.

Bruce: “Looks like a job for my bat taser!” Cast Member: “Isn’t that just a taser with a bat on it?” Bruce: *whispers* “You shut your mouth.”

He saves the day, the police take the thief into custody, then Batman myStErioUsly disappears. Bruce: “Look over there!” *runs off* Cast Member: “Oh my gooood, how did he do that?”

CLOSING SEGMENT

Finally, they have the Weekend Update where Bruce comes on as himself for the final time.

Since they got his permission, the writers switch out some of Bruce’s jokes last minute. (Think Bill Hader’s Stefon which notoriously caused him to break character because the writers would mess with his cue cards.)

News Anchor: “Here to promote his newest humanitarian project: Bruce Wayne!” “Mr. Wayne, what a pleasure to see you today.” Bruce: “Thank you. This is probably the longest I’ve been out of the house.” News Anchor: “Since the Riddler catastrophe?” Bruce: “Since ever.”

News Anchor: “So Mr. Wayne! Before you make your announcement, any life updates?” Bruce: “Yes, actually. Just a few days ago, I adopted five- *starts losing it* five more children.” News Anchor: “Wow, really? So you have eight kids now.” Bruce: “Uh huh. *tears streaming down his face* One more orphan and I get the tenth one free.”

News Anchor: “So where can people find you online?” Bruce: “Well, I don’t have social media because I’m afraid of people, but sometimes I’m on Twitter.” News Anchor: “What about a phone call?” Bruce: “Oh no, phone calls- *giggle* phone calls give me fainting spells.”

It’s a great way of finishing the show, with the most genuine version of Bruce. Then, he gets to what’s really important!

News Anchor: “So if they can’t reach you on social media or on the phone, what else can our viewers do, Mr. Wayne?” Bruce: “They can donate to the Wayne Foundation’s newest charity called The Arts Initiative. It funds programs for the arts in underdeveloped school districts nationwide. I’ve already donated $30 million, and I’ve pledged to match every dollar donated within the next week.”

And that’s what he’s here for :) They share a link for where and how to donate. The anchors praise him for his charity, which he deflects because he can definitely afford this, and the 90-minute broadcast is over.

The camera pans away with the whole cast waving goodbye, and Bruce is seen keeling over with laughter.

Along with some of the other skits, these four specifically go viral. WE raises a fuck ton of money, and everyone loves Bruce.

THE END

LOVE YOU ALL!! Let me know what you think :D

[kawaiibunnora]

Top 10 Game Changer Episodes

In lieu of the recent WatchMojo video, Top 10 Best Game Changer Episodes, I feel like making my own top 10 Game Changer eps in spite of them. (fyi I will be grouping any repeating episodes into one unit. Ex: Sam Says, Sam Says 2, and Sam Says 3 would all count for "Sam Says")

10. Bingo The reason this episode makes it into my person top 10 is because of how many times I was caught off guard. The plot twist AFTER the plot twist made this episode such a fun watch. Also I love seeing the cast torture Brennan by making him "defend" Elon Musk /lh

9. Deja vu Everybody do the Wenis! The Wenis is a dance. Everybody is a genius who knows it in advance! This episode has such a great cast and the reoccurring bits were so fun. I loved how they started bribing Brian to stay quiet, and I'm personally just a huge sucker for time loops (one of my favorite games is In Stars and Time)

8. Yes or No Do I even need to explain this one? Just go watch the clip if you dont know why this is here. Look up "Brennan Lee Mulligan monologue" and you'll understand why this episode is in the top 10. The only reason the episode isnt any higher is because the bulk of the episode is pretty forgettable.

7. Second Place Another Brennan monologue!!! Honestly, If Brennan stares into the camera and monologues for a solid minute or two, that episode is guaranteed to be in the top 10, but, what puts this episode above Yes or No is the episode itself. The cast is so full of life and passion, and Brennan's consistent philosophy throughout the whole episode makes it one of the greats.

6. Don't Cry I have been a Dropout member for 2-ish years now. When I first became a member, I binge-watched all of Game Changer. Or at least I thought I did. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I saw someone mention Don't Cry and I had no idea what episode it was. So I went back, watched the episode, and was in tears by the end of it. Not only is the episode a beautiful gesture for an amazing writer and comedian, but every word spoken felt genuine, which made the entire episode so much more impactful.

5. A Game Most Changed Every single Dropout cast member is extremely talented, but not once have I seen an improve show as breathtaking and skillful as A Game Most Changed. The amount of skill and talent that is required to improvise an entire Shakespearean play while being thrown those curveballs- the insane coordination between the three actors, with each setting the others up for points. Despite playing for points, the cast frequently set up the others to succeed, favoring storytelling over winning. Absolutely beautiful.

4. Escape The Backroom Pure, unadulterated entertainment. Watching 3 grown adults go ape shit trying to solve puzzles and escape an escape room while unsubtly threatening their captor. Brennan, Lou, and Siobhan have such good chemistry as a team, leading to some of my all-time favorite Game Changer clips. The creation of an entire story for the escape room was inspired, and Sam's switch at the end was just the cherry on top.

3. Sam Says Whenever I have a friend over and I want to show them one Game Changer episode to represent EVERYTHING that Game Changer can be, I show them Sam Says. Each episode has an amazing cast that bounces off each other, and each episode continues to surprise and delight me. Personally, I think Sam Says 2 is the best, but all 3 are fun, high-energy, and insane. Perfect for comedy television.

2. Survivor The tension. The trust. The drama. The betrayal. And, most importantly, the funnies. These episodes have it all and more! In a game where relationships ARE the game, we, as the audience, get invested in each player. And as Brennan seemingly schemes and plots his way to victory, Lou manages to rival Brennan and best him in a game of trust and loyalty. Survivor truly shows what Game Changer can be, and as we see in later seasons, the show keeps evolving from there.

1. Make Some Noise Season 1, Episode 2. SEASON 1, EPISODE 2. Clipped so much that it got it's own show which is now clipped even more. The reason many people sign up for Dropout (and for good reason), this episode puts 3 of the most talented comedians in a space to just be funny. These episodes not only contain some of the best Game Changer moments, but they contain the best Dropout moments, the best impressions, and the best jokes I've ever heard. It's no wonder that these episodes got spun-off into its own show, which is now one of the primary advertisements for Dropout in the form of YT shorts. Brennan, Zac, and Josh are all so talented in drastically different ways, and by putting all three together, something magical happens. Make Some Noise is the gateway into all of the amazing content on Dropout. It is the best episode of Game Changer without a doubt. Season 1, Episode 2, Game Changer, Dropout.tv.

[vintagetvstars]

My Babylon 5 thoughts

Here are my thoughts on Babylon 5 after watching it for the first time. I could talk for ages about this show but unfortunately that is too long for a text post (I tried going season by season but it was about as long as this post and I hadn’t even gotten to season 3 when I realized it was way too long). So I will try my best to keep it brief and just my overall thoughts.

Overall I really love this show! It’s definitely become one of my favorite sci-fi shows out there! Babylon 5 has an amazingly rich world full of life and inhabited by some of the best written and performed characters in all of sci-fi. I could talk forever about some of my favorite moments in the show and every single character but I’ll try to narrow it down to just a few, but know that there is so much else I love about it. There will be spoilers ahead!

Thoughts under the cut

What is there to say that I’m sure others haven’t already said about Londo and G’Kar and the relationship between the Narn and the Centauri and that arc the show takes us on. By far one of my favorite arcs and relationships on the show. The Narn and Centauri conflict played out through seasons 2 & 3 is chilling. G’Kar made me cry so many times not just in that story arc but in his own personal arc as he grew throughout the show. Londo’s story arc is haunting and a beautiful tragedy you can’t look away from. There relationship throughout the show and how it changes and grows as they do is something that will stay with me forever. Truly one of the best parts of the entire series! G’Kar specifically is one of my all time favorite sci-fi characters right up there with Kira Nerys! Just overall two of the best written and performed characters with some of the most compelling story arcs and relationship to one another that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing!

While the shadow war was the biggest thing introduced by the show and it was fascinating and overall very well done, I found the stuff going on with earth and the fight against the rising and eventual full on fascism there the most compelling major plot in the series. The whole earth fascism arc was really well done and just horrifying and eerie to watch unfold. I really don’t have more to say about it other than that it was so fantastically done and it speaks for itself and you should go watch it!

I also was extremely pleasantly surprised with the shows handling of religion and spirituality. So much of sci-fi disappointingly either entirely ignores it or exclusively uses it for their villains. Both have always been pretty disappointing takes for me and don’t take advantage of the kind of roll these things can take in peoples lives or their full storytelling potential. Babylon 5 plays with these concepts fully and beautifully and it makes the story, the cultures within it, and its characters so much richer getting to see how religion and spirituality are at play in this world. I still cry thinking about the end of the episode with the religious festival where Sinclair showcases all of earths religions, it was a beautiful moment and touching to see that in Babylon 5’s future all these different religions, ways of thinking, these cultures, still exist, we’re all still here and we are all very human and I found that beautiful.

I’ve said a few things I loved so I’ll quickly go over some of the things I found lacking or flawed before wrapping it up with the rest of what I loved.

While I know a lot of this is due to a lot of behind the scenes production issues, that doesn’t change the fact that this show had a huge issue with wasted characters. There are plenty of characters I liked that got their time cut short that I could talk about but I will only focus on the ones that I’m actively still mad about.

I hate what they end up doing with both Marcus and Lennier and their unrequited love storylines. It’s not even that they went with unrequited love storylines, there are plenty of ways I think they could have still written them with unrequited love storylines that weren’t the in my opinion absolute character assassinating ways they ended both their arcs. I liked Marcus and Lennier but they never used Marcus very effectively then just absolutely take him out in the worst way possible that not only was a disservice to him as a character but completely tainted Ivanova’s exit from the show and her blaze of glory moment which was really upsetting as Ivanova is one of my favorite characters in the series. And Lennier’s unrequited love was actually going in a direction I would have liked, loyal to the end friendship and love but then season 5 happened and they just completely ruined Lennier as a character and his and Delenn’s wonderful relationship of loyalty and friendship and a form of love up until that point. I am upset on behalf of both Marcus and Lennier as characters that didn’t deserve that and Ivanova and Delenn whose own story’s were impacted in the aftermath of these bad storylines.

The only other major thing that bothered me was season 5 and the subsequent movies and spin off not really going anywhere or getting wrapped up in any way. I saved the final episode to watch til last which really worked cause even tho a lot of the stuff introduced in season 5, the movies, and spin off don’t get wrapped up, the Finale was emotionally cathartic and wrapped the show up perfectly on an emotional level. It was just odd to me to introduce a bunch of storylines that weren’t going to get finished, and I get that a lot of it was due to production issues but they did know the show was ending so they could have avoided some of it. Still that was mildly annoying but I suppose I can hopefully find out what happened on some wiki articles or maybe some of the B5 novels.

Okay back to more things I loved for a B5 positivity sandwich! Can we talk about Alfred Bester?!?? I desperately want to go into detail about how much I love this character and especially how phenomenal the performance was but in case the actor gets nominated for the men’s bracket I won’t. I will just say Bester is one of the best Sci-fi villains I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness, right up there with Dukat on Deep Space 9. And it is the best showcase of acting skill and one of the best if not the best performance by the actor who portrays him (who I can’t talk about cause I don’t want to induce a bias but if you know you know)!

While I found a lot of the movies to be bad with some okay/funny bits, to good but flawed and unnecessary, I really adore B5’s spin off Crusade. While some of its early episodes weren’t the strongest they were still fun and enjoyable and its later episodes were great! The characters were delightful and it had an interesting set up and premise. I am genuinely really sad we only got a single season of Crusade as it was better than a lot of other sci-fi series first seasons that did go on to get multiple seasons. If I had a choice to bring back or renew one thing from the Babylon 5 franchise I would genuinely bring back Crusade so we could see a full finished series cause it was cut way too short and I would have loved to see a full series of it. It wasn’t as great as B5 overall but it was good and I really enjoyed it. Plus I had a childhood crush on one of the leads of the show who I won’t name in case anyone nominates any of the guys on this show for the men’s bracket but that certainly biased me towards liking the show 😅.

Also possibly unpopular opinion but I didn’t hate The Legend of the Rangers. It was definitely a bit cheesy and didn’t really feel like it fully fit into the B5 universe so I understand why it wasn’t picked up as a show. But it was fun cheesy for me, very Babylon 5 does Power Rangers and I totally would have watched it had it been picked up. But I also like Power Rangers and how cheesy it can be so maybe that’s just a me thing. I similarly loved the Vorlon encounter suits and the Mantis character from season 1 for similar reasons of them reminding me of the suits and puppet effects used on Power Rangers and other similar media that I think are really fun and always love to see!

One final kind of small thing but B5 actually found a way to make dogfight style space combat interesting to me. I’ve always found the more submarine warfare style ship to ship combat more compelling as when things become a space dogfight it often devolves into just a bunch of space lasers and fast ship unintelligible nonsense and I loose all interest and stakes in what’s happening on screen. B5 found a way to keep the stakes and emotions high so even when they went into more aerial combat I was still fully engaged in the story and what was happening. So thanks for that B5, I genuinely thought it couldn’t be done well but they proved me wrong.

Overall I found Babylon 5 to be a phenomenal show and definitely one that’s certainly become a favorite of mine! I could talk so much more about every season and every single character and the things I love about them but this post is already long enough 😅. I definitely plan to rewatch it many times over (and attempt to perfect a watch order I personally like best cause I see why watch order is so debated now) and am already immediately trying to get mod violet and my partner to both watch it with me in the future (that’ll be two excuses to rewatch it)! It certainly has its flaws but all of my favorite things do and they certainly don’t remotely outweigh the absolutely phenomenal parts of the show.

Finally, I apologize to the Mira Furlan fans that she did not make it far in our tournament. I get it now! Her performance as Delenn is phenomenal and she is absolutely captivating every second she is on screen. She has the beauty and grace of a Disney princess and the terrifying ethereal presence and power of the sun and the moon.

- mod vintage

[crowscauldron]

Okay so I’ve finally got my thoughts together. I’ve been watching the show the day each episode came out, within the hour and I am a very very big fan of the books. HOWEVER, there are many aspects of the show I loved, but I’m going to focus on my main critiques. 1. In all of the marketing campaigns, everyone had said that this was an absolutely faithful adaptation. That though there were a few changes, they were minimal. That was not true at all. Every single episode had some minor or major change, and I enjoyed some of them, and was pissed about others.

2. The shows pacing and decision making in the writer’s room made my teeth itch. They are talking and talking and talking to explain everything, and I want to be SHOWN, which is like the main point of TV. The talking also leads into my next point:

3. These characters were not allowed to have “flaws”. They knew everything going into it, and there was no sense of wonder, no build up, and no sense of discovery because these are kids. I was so disappointed every time Annabeth was deprived of being soft (like crying over Cerberus) or naive, at Aunty Em’s. They just didn’t seem natural enough. And this critique has nothing to do with the acting. I think the acting was phenomenal, but the writing left things to be desired. And I’m sort of wondering if they were worried about displaying characters of color in a “negative” manner.

4. There were many many changes that made absolutely no sense to me. I think it has to do with the fact that this show takes its self so seriously. One of the reasons PJO was so popular is because of how funny and engaging it was. And the show, apart from a couple jokes here and there, just lacked it. There were some scenes where I honestly thought the movie had done better.

5. Episode 7. They changed so much, and the characters were made to be so flat. I know that the kids are meant to have all this background knowledge, but god do I wish they were allowed to be dumb. This was my cracking point.

Overall, I am very very very much hoping for a season two. The actors and the books deserve it. I loved so many parts of this show, but I truly am begging they fix at least a couple of these things. That is all I need.

(Also Disney, you’re absolute cowards for not making the Charon scene fun. I don’t care how much you want good publicity for not paying your workers well but this was cheap and so horribly hidden).

[nijigasakilove]

Perfect capstone to a decade long journey. Kyoani thank you for this magical experience. I had my doubts about whether or not everything could be wrapped in one episode, but they were unfounded. This took me on an emotional roller coaster and by the end I was crying tears of joy.

First of all, so good to see Mayu and Kumiko finally on good terms. Only took a few months but the two of them practicing with Kanade was so sweet. Everyone needed to be on the same page going into nationals and after Kumiko speech last week the mood was noticeably better.

Love that every single club member got their name and face showed on screen during the final speech from Kumiko. We only focused on a few students for the sake of the show, but there’s so many people whose hard work and dedication made this possible and they deserve to be recognised. They all had their own stories and paths here and I wish we could’ve got more of them. Our final “Kitauji fight!” Gave me pure chills.

I’d been critical about them having almost no musical performances in this season. They saved the performance for last and WOWZA it was worth it. I’m always a fan of flashbacks during climaxes and seeing all of the highlights of the first two seasons again was chef’s kiss. Goosebumps. The club’s performance truly carried their hearts and souls and the totality of all the hard work and sacrifices they’ve made. The determined looks on their faces.. yea they refused to lose this one and were deservedly rewarded at the end.

We all knew that Kitauji High Gold announcement was coming, but that didn’t make it any less emotional. So much work, so many tears, so many people who contributed to this victory that didn’t get to be on that stage.. it means something to all of us fans who’ve been here since 2015 and ofc to the club members in the show. Seeing Reina and the others cry out of pure elation was incredible.“I’m so happy I’m going to die” is how we’re all feeling after that. I just wish all the senpai could’ve been there to see! Sucks that Natsuki got turned away :/

😭 timeskip Kumiko is so beautiful omg. The animation during her walk to class was so good too as you’d expect from Kyoani. But, cmon, was there ever any place you’d expect her to be than in that classroom as the advisor? She was born for it. As Occam’s razor dictates, oftentimes the best choice is the easiest one.

And the clip?? She an Shuuichi are married!!? Perfect ending. I would love an OVA to see what Reina is getting up to in the states and Mayu and the other girls. Mayu especially lol. But if they leave it here, I’m satisfied as well because this was mission accomplished. What a ride, been a pleasure sharing it with all of you.

review

[what-gs-watching]

"If that's a joke, I love it. If not, can't wait to unpack that with you later."

So, here’s a thing - winter makes me sad. I mean, it makes a lot of people sad, but also me. When I was younger I used to just cause a whole bunch of drama to get it out of my system but I’m an adult now and I’m still mostly fruitlessly job searching and I can’t really just go around starting fights anymore so I’m just sitting in my ennui, feeling unmoored. 

Which made me realize: I need Ted Lasso. Desperately.

Wherein, a low level American football coach moves to England to coach actual football (aka soccer) and ends up creating something so beautiful it’ll make you laugh and cry until you just can’t anymore.

If you’ve never seen Ted Lasso, first of all - how dare you? And secondly, start it now. Like, literally right now. It’s everything you didn’t know you needed. 

I will admit I didn’t get into it until my husband watched it and encouraged me into it because of my love for Jason Sudeikis. I tend to pick up unnatural obsessions for SNL alumni, I just want all of them to succeed, so I gave in and instantly lost my mind over it. I couldn’t get enough.

During the second season run, I literally had a standing weekly fifteen minute meeting with my engineers to talk about the latest episode and our theories on what would happen next, or what our favorite joke had been. There were MANY heated debates.

Before the third season came out, I made my family binge the first two seasons while we were on vacation. I remember my mom calling me after she and my dad had watched the series finale so we could talk about it - she’d never bought into a show like that before.  

Ted Lasso just brings people together, and I find it absolutely ridiculous that this poignant, wonderful, life affirming show came out of a bit that Sudeikis wrote in 2013 for an NBC Sports commercial. It’s mind boggling. 

You guys know, it’s all about the relationships for me, and that’s the entire show, really. Ted is unrelentingly positive and charming and understanding and the reason he likes coaching is because he wants to help his players be the best versions of themselves and wooooph throughout the show, you get that, for every single character, even Ted himself. It’s about loving each other and loving yourself and also somewhat about football and it’s just so fucking…delightful. 

And I’m obsessed with all of the different dynamics. Ted and Beard, and Roy and Ted and Beard, and Roy and Jamie, and Roy and Keeley, and fucking Keeley and Rebecca! If you need to see a perfect incredible WONDERFUL female friendship, it’s Rebecca and Keeley fucking Jones. Someone needs to write a long-winded essay about these two, because dear lord, I want a best friend like that. Everyone wants a best friend like that. Like, I just can’t with all of the messy, hilarious, beautiful relationships. I want to be part of them all.

Also,  it’s funny. Like, properly funny. Laugh-out-loud-no-matter-how-many-times-you’ve-seen-it funny. The bits are layered. And you’ll get something different out of them every single time. Nuance, gang. It’s all so nuanced. 

The first season is absolutely perfect. You get to know all of the characters and you get a general sense of what’s up. Everyone is kind of charming and you’re immediately annoyed with Rebecca and charmed by Roy even though he tries his best to be threatening, and you think that Nathan is adorable and you’re pulled into Ted’s unwavering enthusiasm and Beard’s silliness indulgence and straight-man stoicism and Keeley’s adorableness. And it’s WONDERFUL! I’ve seen season one at least four or five times, likely more. It’s everything.

There are so many good moments. At one point, Ted says he’s having salads for lunch with Higgins who is communications director or something and as Ted goes to leave Higgins says “Cesar you later!” and Ted BURSTS back in through the door and just yells “YES!” and it’s hilarious every time. 

When Ted and Beard realize that Roy is a bristling motherfucker who wants to hate everything, Ted says something like “wait til we win him over”, with Beard announcing “He’s. Going to be. Furious.” (And he was.)

It’s the little things in the first season that really endear you to Ted Lasso. It just wraps you up and makes you feel warm and appreciated, like there are people out there that are pure and good and they can make you feel pure and good too. 

And then you get into season two and you start to see behind the curtain. Ted’s really not okay with his divorce (which, I still think is because his wife couldn’t deal with his optimism? Which is so insane to me and I can’t even, I never forgave her like, what the fuck is that) and in general and they tackle a lot of mental health issues and social issues and it’s a bit hard to get through.

But at the same time, season two has some of my favorite bits? Which is confusing??! The scene where Sam asks Isaac for a haircut - everyone gets a single cut from the captain once a season - and the entire team watches and whoops and freaks out and it’s like, an intricate performance and everyone is just so fucking thrilled to be witnessing it? It’s weirdly beautiful. 

Ted and Beard teaching the entire team the choreography to NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye so they can send off the team shrink in a ridiculous way? Incredible. When they finally get the dance right, they lose their fucking minds. It’s so JOYFUL.

The episode where Roy finally realizes he wants to join the coaching staff and he makes a dramatic trek to the stadium while “She’s a Rainbow” blares? The theme of that one was believing in rom-communism - to rouse the team Ted tells them “Fairy tales do not start nor do they end in the dark forest” and yo that’s so TRUE - and when Roy finally showed up on the pitch he said, “You had me at ‘coach’.” I cry every single time I see that one. I literally watched it twice in a week when getting the family into the show and I cried both times. Hard. 

I think part of the reason this show is so resonating is because dark shit happens, but a lot of really sweet things happen too. There’s an episode wherein Rebecca’s dad dies and they’re all attending the funeral but it still is somehow achingly funny too, even though you learn some terrible things about Ted and Rebecca both in that one. They really ride the line of darkness and light and it’s messy and that’s life.

And then season three is hard.  So much happens. And you know that you���re barreling toward the finale. There’s only 34 episodes in the entire series and it’s not nearly enough but they do try to make the most of their time. 

Watching the finale season in real time was really interesting though, I’ll say, because the fandom was so nuts at the time. So many random theories and outrage over some of the story points. And at the time I did kind of agree, but seeing it all back to back now in my first true binge, it all makes sense. Everyone had their own journey and some of them were ridiculous and maybe we just wanted things to stay the same because that’s how we fell in love with the characters but that’s not the point, gang. Shit is forever changing.

I’ll never get over the moment when Roy finally relents to the diamond dogs. Or Jamie teaching him how to ride a fucking bike in Amsterdam. Or when the team comes together to help Sam put his restaurant back together after it’s completely vandalized. Or Beard explaining to Nate his background with Ted, and offering his forgiveness to Nate as a way to honor everything Ted has done. Or Rebecca calling Roy out on his shit, saying that instead of helping himself he’d rather “eat shit soup and then complain about the portions”. 

There are so many little beautiful pieces. So many things that will pull at your heart strings and make you realize things that maybe have been niggling around in your brain but refusing to come forward because you were scared of them. Ted Lasso helps you be less scared of them. Ted Lasso helps you be less scared of everything, because it encourages you to accept yourself as you are.

In the final episode, Higgins says “Human beings are never gonna be perfect. The best we can do is to keep asking for help and accepting it when you can. And if you keep on doing that, you'll always be moving towards better.” 

And that’s what all of us need to understand. This show will ingrain that thought into you, and it’ll buoy you, and you won’t even realize it. 

So maybe now I’m feeling less ennui. Because I’m still laughing at the hijinx and basking in the wholesomeness and the amazingly perfect relationships  and the belief. Ted Lasso makes you fucking believe.

[zonatcannibalism]

Ok so i just finished Netflixs the decameron and youre telling me there is only 1 fic in the archives about this thing????? Must i do everything myself here?????

(no, i haven't read the book but i think that probably dosent matter since the show has no shame about doing their own thing and being anachronistic as fuck)

Anyway. Incredibly relieved this was clearly only meant to have one season bc it would have definitely gotten cancelled. The way the show mixes the petty sex&money drama and the socioeconomic horror of the entire setting is incredible and extremely smart. Every single character made me cry at some point. All the deaths were amazingly executed and earned. What really stands up to me in the show is the pacing of it: the entire thing is 8 episodes long, each one of them about 45 minutes- an hour, yet everything feels naturally developed and every single character shows so much depth and layers that will make you relate to them and hate them so fucking bad. Nothing is ever rushed. With a big character cast like in this show, using a 7 hour run time like that is nearly impossible. Most shows/ writers can only develop 1-3 character so much in 7 hours. This show has 10 (!!!!!) incredibly well developed main characters. And like 50 different canon relationships between them. These people fuck in basically every combination possible, yet for many of them, their most important relationship is not the romantic one. Its chaotic and insane and will make you cry. I promise you, literally any one of these characters could be your blorbo. They are all fucking insane and problematic. But at the end of the day, the show only works because the illusion of a dramedy that is just slightly more bloody then usual fades as everybody fucking die (spoilers?) and you remember that these are all incredibly sheltered ultra rich people who are fighting about a fancy villa as the less fortunate die. That element is always constant, but it does hit you like a sack of bricks when you realise this cutsey drama show is much more horrifying then you thought. One of the main characters gets fucking burned to death. Anyway. This show is a genius mix of brilliant character writing, gut wrenching relationship drama and way to real socioeconomic horror. Go write some fanfiction about it.

[wannab-urs]

Gin's 2023 sappy post

It's hard for me to believe that at the beginning of this year, I didn't know a single one of my best friends in the world existed. But it's true!

How we got here

I'm not quite sure exactly when I started looking up Pedro Pascal on Tumblr, but it was sometime after February. I'd watched Game of Thrones and Oberyn was my favorite character, but I was in one of my periods of not being on Tumblr (I've had this account for about 10 years, but it's seen many fandoms and I haven't always been active).

I watched the first few episodes of The Last of Us that had come out - I was 3 episodes behind I think - and immediately looked up Joel Miller on Tumblr. How could I not? Anyway, give me ten minutes on this hellsite and a middle aged man with a huge imdb and watch me develop a hyperfixation.

So then I looked up interviews. I watched basically every interview this man ever did, but I remember that the Lie Detector interview and his appearance on the Talk Easy podcast are really what did me in. I went from admiring this man as an actor and thinking he's pretty to basically being in love with him.

Anyways....

I didn't mean to start reading fanfic? I come from the world of Destiel on AO3. I never wrote it, I just read copious amounts of it. I'd never read reader insert, much less straight reader insert, and I'd never written a word of anything even resembling a fanfiction.

But I found @prolix-yuy, @frannyzooey, @joelscruff, @fuckyeahdindjarin, and @ezrasbirdie (check the spreadsheet, y'all are at the very top!) and I was hooked.

Then I read Psychomanteum by @whatsnewalycat and Celestial Navigation by @write-and-buried and was inspired to parade my trauma around in a Dieter shaped trench coat: AGOY was born.

@beskarandblasters is the first person I really talked to on here. In fact, Kel is the one who introduced me to most of my friends on here. And we've been harassing each other on the daily since. I hope to 🦵 her in real life someday soon ❤️. I love you, bitch. You mean the world to me.

I could never ever ever list all of my dear friends I've made on here. Seriously, there are so many of you that mean the world to me. But I'm gonna list a few.

My cannibal crew @pr0ximamidnight and @atinylittlepain, without whom Love as Violence Dave (starving season), Head up his Ass Javi (in the a.m.), and the later editions of loser druggie Dieter (AGOY) would not exist - or at least they wouldn't be as good as they are.

My darling soup snake, the loml, my spider twin, my forever partner in making bitches cry (it's us, we're bitches, making each other cry in an endless loop) @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin. #1 AGOY stan forever, you may love my own magnum opus more than I love it. Thanks for listening to me scream about every pedro boy on the planet and thanks for screaming right back at me. I love you.

The random college student I found by accident, decided to take under my wing, and then was subsequently taken under their wing bc it turns out they have more fandom experience and life advice than I can ever hope to have @idolatrybarbie. Bea, my darling, thanks for always letting me bitch, for showing me fics I never thought I'd be into (The Santa Claus AU Frankie Morales Free Use Kink, anyone) but that I often was into, for encouraging my writing, and for being fucking real with me.

The pedrostories crew, but especially @pedrorascal - I love screaming about Pedro with you at... 2:30 in the morning my time (we love time zones!). Thanks for letting me be a terrible mod for your fic archive blog and never getting mad at me for not doing my job. And for being a wonderful, kind, amazing person all the fucking time.

I'm being so serious when I say I could list at least 20 more people. People who brightened my day with a reblog or a message. Or who wrote a fic I still think about at least once a week. Or who made a gifset that is permanently etched into my brain. People I talked to in discords and most likely trauma dumped on and they listened and they cared and they let me hold their trauma in return. I love you guys so fucking much.

Conclusion

I never could have imagined I'd be a writer and run a fic rec blog at 24. Especially not for Pedro Pascal Characters. But here we are -- and I can honestly say it has been the highlight of my year. And I bought a house this year.

I have so many new friends and a new hobby (I never wrote at all before this) just because I wanted to Fuck That Old Man. Incredible.

[paleio]

dude.... DUDE...... DUDE

OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY

FIRST WATCH HIGHLIGHTS/GENERAL EMOTIONS

> the attic looks IDENTICAL to how i imagined it in my head. i literally screamed and punched the arm of my chair

> every single thing percy says to the oracle. the halloween decoration line made me go hee hee.... that is my boy :)

> OH AND THE VOICE CRACK...... IM GONNA THROW UP HES SO PRECIOUS TO ME

> love love love the way they split the prophecy into 2 scenes. fucking cinema

> annabeth trying to hide her excitement when percy immediately picks her. the quiet pride in her eyes. this twelve year old girl really does think shes THE shit

> GROVER TALKING TO..... BLACKJACK???? I KNOW NOT EVERY SINGLE BLACK PEGASUS HAS TO BE BLACKJACK BUT LIKE. WHYD THEY MAKE THE HORSE SPECIFICALLY BLACK WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY COLORS A HORSE CAN BE. YA KNOW

> grover not believing percy actually chose him and then how much it affects him when he realizes its not a joke... oh boy... i will be making multiple posts exclusively about my beloved g man. aryan you CANT be doing this to me you are irreversibly altering my brain chemistry

> "that's bees" GROVER!!!!!! 💖💘💖💖💕💕💖💘💘💖💕

> different monsters being able to smell different aspects of a person FUCK THATS GENIUS. THATS GONNA BE RELEVANT FOR THE REST OF THE GODDAMN SERIES. i wonder if it will connect to the fatal flaws thing..... i wouldn't be surprised but i would be delighted

> consensus song 🥺🥺🥺🥺 and... like.... the way all of them interact with each other. the way you can see their entire personalities, the way they were raised, their weaknesses, just in the way they talk as a trio. im really emotional thinking about

> every second of annabeth in the gas station. you know what im talking about. yeah. fuck you and your evil mean fucked up foreshadowing mr richard riordan and jonathan e steinberg

> the babygirls!!!!!! (furies) (im so faceblind i cant figure out which is which

> the second she started talking to annabeth i fucking CLOCKED IT. i was like OHHHH.... this is a SHOW. these are EPISODES. they have contained ideas and conflicts. there are episodic arcs WITHIN the seasonal arcs WITHIN the series-long arcs. goddamn it now i have to personally kiss every writer and producer and director on the mouth

> im in love with the trio dynamic because it fucking sucks. there weren't many communication issues or interpersonal conflicts between any of them in the book. even percy and annabeth got along for the most part, despite the awkwardness and bickering. here, though, annabeth is bossy as FUCK. she's acting like this is her quest. percy is whiny and impatient and he deflects every time he's questioned. grover is an ineffective mediator and is clearly uncomfortable being around both of them at once. the vibe feels so beautifully off the whole time and it makes the eventual reconciliation SO much more impactful and compelling

> medusa hot. awooga and all that.

> i like that they all realized immediately who aunty em was. im sad they abandoned the pseudonym so quickly but it makes sense that they'd understand seeing as they all know a good amount of mythology. i think it would've been a scream-at-your-tv moment otherwise

> this is exhausting why am i doing this on my phone

> the plan they came up with is fantastic. i audibly gasped. once when the hat came out and once when i realized they were gonna kill alecto with the head. SMART AS FUCK even though it's not quite a perseus reference anymore

> grover crying over uncle ferdinand.... i can't decide if im sad they didn't make it a funny moment because it's so iconic in the book, or if im glad they played it straight because it gave us a SAD GROVER MOMENT AND ALSO FORESHADOWING. not that i like seeing grover sad... i just like seeing him. i like to look at his haunted eyes and go damn boy... you are one sad boy. good luck with your feelings of inadequacy and trauma repression <3

> writing this is draining my sanity. cmon almost done

> HE SAID THE LINE HE SAID THE LINE HE SAID THE LINE!!!!!!! i am impertinent. top 5 percy jackson quotes of all time. i feel sick just thinking about the other 4 in that list.... im not gonna survive

> cue drive from tlt musical as they leave aunty em's

> oh hey thats lin manuel miranda. im sure he wont be crucial to the overarching plot of the series

> i will be honest the vibe IS kinda perfect. he does look like an emotionally immature divorced dad who complains about his job all the time but constantly works overtime for no reason. its just that he also looks like lin manuel miranda

> love the song choice for the credits

> i will talk about the ep4 preview in a different post im too tired

FINAL (very sleepy) THOUGHTS:

best one yet by far. the more screen time our trio gets the better. grover is a dork and id die for him. its so cool that we get to see the story and characters from a slightly more omniscient perspective, even though i do miss percy's narration. i cant fucking believe this show is real and that they made it just for me

I AM IMPERTINENT!!!! AND IM ALSO GOING TO BED!!!!!!

[crowsandturtlesandbatsohmy]

ALRIGHTY HAIKYU RAMBLE TIME (you asked me about my favorite character but you have opened a large can of worms) (as I’m gonna talk about the show and my fav characters so this may get long)

I literally hate playing volleyball so much. When my sibling sat me down and forced me to watch this rando me anime about volleyball I was grumbling and complaining so much bro. I thought I would HATE it.

How was I so wrong????

this show has no right to be as AMAZING, WONDERFUL, BRILLIANT, CAPTIVATING, FANTASTIC, as it is!?!?!!!!

I was HOOKED after just a few episodes.

And fun lil fact this is the only show that has made me nearly cry! I had tears on the edges of my eyes!!!! I never cry during movies or shows! WHY DID A VOLLEYBALL ANIME NEARLY MAKE ME CRY!?!?!? (I’m not complaining I love it so much)

A volleyball anime with four seasons? That’s gotta get repetitive right? WRONG. I do not know how on earth they do this but. every. Episode. Is so thrilling. EVERY ONE OF THEM. IT NEVER STOPS!!!

And to answer your question about my favorite character and why:

I love all the characters SO MUCH like I have a good couple of really good favorites. But I’d say (and to avoid spoilers for later seasons) Tanaka takes the cake.

HE IS SO GOOFY AND INSANE I LOVE HIM SO MUCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! AND YES YES YES BIG BRO VIBES!!!! (I have so many specific scenes I wanna scream abt but I don’t think they take place in season 1 so no spoilers for youuuuuuuuuu!) but asuhdgadgiauscbiwudcbiwcydbiwydcbwuicbwuicbiuwd Tanaka is literally amazing. And he only gets better. All of the characters get so. Much. BETTER.

And me saying I love Tanaka this much does NOT mean I don’t love all the other characters almost the same. THEY ARE ALL SO AMAZING HELP

All of the third years are so kind but also so hilarious and older brothers to the whole group!! Hinata is the goofiest lil guy and I LOVE watching him in the backgrounds! He’s always jumping around and doing goofy stuff!! Hinata is definitely up there with my favs (as I write this so many scenes are coming to mind) and Nishanoya has so many wonderful moments with Asahi and Tanaka it’s WONDERFUL!!

Also have you seen the tall blond guy with glasses yet and his friend? I love them very much, especially in later seasons!!

Also after you watch the season one finale, I’d love to hear your thoughts because that is one doozy of an episode. (It’s my fav episode I think)

I love how you’re only on season one and love it it so much (from what I can tell)! Every season just gets better and BETTER and more intense!!!!

Welp thank you for reading my rambles! I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

(Hehe my feeling that this was gonna get long was correct! Hopefully this made some sense if any XD)

Putting my response under the cut for the moots who will see this on their dash and don’t particularly want to read a super long post about Haikyuu XD

YES EXACTLY!!! I’ve never played volleyball (I’ve wanted to learn for a while though and this has gotten me excited about that again XD) BUT I GET SO EXCITED AND I LOVE THE SHOW MORE WITH EACH EPISODE!!!

OH!!! That’s interesting! And also as someone who gets way too attached to characters for my own good and cries way too easily over shows, I appreciate the heads up XD

GOOD TO KNOW!!! Right now I’m so pumped for every single match (they’re doing the tournament right now? I think?) and I’m getting energized just by watching them all be so hyped! So I’m so glad that continues and it doesn’t get boring!!! :D

YESS TANAKA IS GREAT!!!! I’m SO GLAD he proved me wrong!! Like my initial reaction was just “oh. Look. It’s the angry one. You’re gonna be a loud and irritating jerk, aren’t you?” THIS JUST CLICKED IN MY HEAD and I don’t know if you’ll get the reference or not, but he reminded me of Pin from Kimi Ni Todoke! That’s where that instinctive “I don’t like you” came from! But yeah, I WAS SO WRONG AND I’M SO GLAD!! YES HE’S SUCH A GOOF!!! He’s just so endearing and HE GETS BETTER????? HOW? IS THAT?? POSSIBLE????

YES YOU GET IT!!!! Like, Hinata and Nishinoya are tied for being my favroite but only by like a sliver of an inch!!! The others are all SO GOOD!!!

YES!! I didn’t talk about Daichi and Asahi in my post but I love them so much too!!! Daichi is so reliable and level-headed and I LOVE that he’s just an older brother to the whole entire group!! And Asahi is such a subversion of expectations!! I love that he’s one of (if not) the least inclined to pick fights and start yelling at people despite being the most physically intimidating!

AGGHH I LOVE HINATA SO MUCH!!! His energy and excitement are contagious!! Same with Nishinoya! (He just has the added bonus of being the shortest member of the team AND big brother vibes [I’m a sucker for sibling duos who aren’t actually siblings XD])

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, right? Yes!! Right now Tsukishima gets on my nerves, but I like Yamaguchi a lot!! I feel kinda bad for him honestly? Like the vibe I’m getting from them as a duo is that Tsukishima is Yamaguchi’s comfortable person and Yamaguchi follows him around like a duckling as a result. But then Tsukishima kinda just ignores him?? Idk I could totally be misreading this. REGARDLESS, I can’t wait to see Yamaguchi’s serve in action! I haven’t seen anything about it since he asked to be taught, so as much as I love the others I’m kinda hoping something happens so he gets some game time here soon? And I’m sure Tsukishima will either get better or more tolerable over time! Right now I just don’t like him because he’s being mean to the sunshine XD

ABSOLUTELY!! I’ll probably need to get it out of my system anyway, so that works out well!! :D

Yes! I get invested in shows for the characters, so for me watching Haikyuu is just

THEY’RE ALL SO GOOD!!!! WHY DID I NOT WATCH THIS SOONER!? I get what you’re saying but like that’s so hard to imagine because it’s SO GOOD right now!!! XD

Thank you for rambling!!! I don’t have anybody to talk to about Haikyuu irl so getting to be excited about it with you was SUPER FUN!!

(Also explanation: You mentioned in the tags that your ears were ringing, so that’s what I was asking about. I probably should’ve clarified that XD)

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

k, m, n, t for pd and/or suck!!! >:33333

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

-> you know i gotta say wiwi. i have to. that character was Made For Me i swear to GOD . genuinely i cannot think about prime defenders season 2 episode 39 without feeling physically sick bc i love it so much. its the only one i havent relistened to since i heard it the first time. i KNOW its gonna make me cry again so i genuienly have not touched it even though theres things in there i need to hear again for character research. his arc is so like. narratively satisfying in a way that hits me so fucking deep to my core in an extremely personal way. and like. there were definitely some Decisions that i was REALLY ANNOYING about hating when they were brought up because im used to media with bad storytelling/creators that do not care about their characters but. looking back on it i would not change a single thing about it. i love you wiwi so much.

-> FOR SUCK.... its not over yet. so i cannot definitively say. campaign finale comes out tomorrow so my answer may change depending on that but for right now i think i gotta say arthur. i joke a lot about hating arthur for no real reason in particular but. man his story is just REALLY good. not going 2 give you suck spoilers (hehe) but i also really like how shilo has grown through the campaign. hes my little guy :]

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

-> TIDE. TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIDE TIDE TIDE I LOVE TIDE SO MUCH. thats my dad thats my best friend i love tide so much dude. every time he is mentioned or on screen i am just like :D HI TIDE I LOVE YOU TIDE

-> grefgore :] light of my life this is how i feel anytime i think about grefgore

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

-> CHARACTER STUDIES. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. I LIKE A GOOD SHIPPING FIC AS MUCH AS THE NEXT GUY BUT PLEASE GOD WRITE THEM IN CHARACTER. EXPLORE THEIR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS AND WHY THEY MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS THE WAY THEY DO. this doesnt even go for just pd and suck this is like. true for every single fandom ive ever fucking been in. do you know how hard it is to find character studies in the danny phantom tag on ao3. nobody has even fucking watched the show how are they going to write character studies they just want (<< i cannot legally finish this sentence without getting in so much trouble) I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MY FUCKING SELF AROUND HERE. ALL I EVER WRITE ARE CHARACTER STUDIES BC THATS THE WAY I THINK ABOUT CHARACTERS. I LOVE THEIR MOTIVATIONS I LOVE TO GET INSIDE THEIR BRAINS LIKE A LITTLE PARASITE AND IT IS ALWAYS SURPRISING TO ME WHEN OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT THINK LIKE THIS. (edit im just now reading through this and realized the question says three things. i did not process that. my three things are all more character studies please)

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? 

-> oh dude i have so many hmmmmmmm how to choose just one. i have a LOT of feelings about wiwis original death and i might write something about that when i can get over my shrimp emotions about him. dakota cole audhd truther but that ones pretty much canon anyway so i dont think it counts. vyncent and his relationship with growing up in fantasy world and then being thrown into prime and how he adjusted to that. I think he really lies shitty syfy channel type horror movies that are so stupidly bad. and also plays a lot of video games but again i think thats mostly canon already. i think tide listens to dad rock but also like. ocean man by ween. you already know about my william and ashe being each others emotional support at concerts. i think william and ashe should hang out and do emo kid things more. i also have a lot of feelings about ashe and coping with the crippling loneliness of basically growing up alone and how the pd becoming like INSTANT best friends was so much for him in sooo many ways. you already know how i feel about mark i am in the middle of dissecting him like im in a high school biology class as we speak. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i know im gonna think of something really good after i hit the post button so stay tuned

[akkrosu]

Thank you, @recentadultburnout, for tagging me and asking for my nine favorite TV shows! I might have gone a little overboard because I haven’t been tagged a lot before, but please indulge me.

This is going to be limited to QLs, if only because I couldn’t think of a single piece of Western (or straight) media I love and/or remember well enough to be able to put on this list. The ones I have chosen are below, in no particular order.

1. The Untamed

This one belongs here both for being a fantastic story and for being the reason I even discovered any of the other series on this list. My entire “obsessed with Asian queer media” thing started all because a friend once told me, “Let me show you what I’ve been watching recently.” What can I say, drunk Lan Zhan got to me.

2. Moonlight Chicken

One of the most beautiful, thought-provoking and mature series I’ve ever seen, QL or otherwise. P’Aof is a genius and I would have to hide in shame if I didn’t have at least one of his works on this list. He created a narrative of six real people trying to figure out life and how to be happy and there is so much strength in every single one of them.

3. Not Me

With at least three watchthroughs one of my most-watched BLs. I mean, OffGun and the social commentary and political action and the queerness of it all and the characters. Ugh, I love this show. Plus, the music and musical editing were phenomenal.

4. Where Your Eyes Linger

Probably my favorite Korean BL ever? Also the KBL to really get me into KBLs, so it already deserves a medal for that (I was missing out on so much). I’m a sucker for good yearning and forbidden relationships, and this series gave me everything I wanted. And, again, the soundtrack. The instrumental of See U playing as Kang Gook storms Tae Joo’s dad’s house lives rent-free in my mind.

5. HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count

Yes, it’s the other HIStory 3, the one everyone ignores because ‘he went out to buy salt’. Look, don’t judge me, I own up to my love for this series. It’s not the show’s fault all anyone ever remembers is the tragic ending. It’s also such a beautiful story about a total dork falling in love with a lonely nerd and defying all odds to be with him. Plus, the best sibling relationship ever. And (spoiler) said dork dying doesn’t invalidate everything else the series tells us. Yes, it was sad, but I can deal with the sadness. And sometimes, the sadness is as much part of a show as it is of life.

6. The Eclipse

This series haunts me to this day. I was obsessed with it, and I still am. Akk is one of my favorite characters ever written, and First portrayed him beautifully. So did Khaotung with Ayan. The sheer existence of P’Golf baffles my mind to this day. These 12 episodes gave me everything I’ve ever wanted.

7. The Eighth Sense

I take back what I said about Where Your Eyes Linger. This is my favorite KBL. I’m not even sure I can explain why. It’s just so honest. And so, so queer. It made me cry so many times, and the storytelling was magnificent. Plus, it’s one of the few full-length KBLs we have.

8. We Best Love

The cups in my profile picture are the ones Yu Zhenxuan and Pei Shouyi drink out of in the flashbacks of the second season, so... yeah.

This was my very first QL that wasn’t a bromance, and so I’m very biased. I’m almost mad at myself for making this my first one, because sometimes it feels like nothing else could ever live up to it. I admit to having a special love for season 1, even though season 2 seems to be the one people talk about a lot more. It’s just perfect, everything about it. Especially Gao Shide’s mom.

9. My School President

What a phenomenal show. I remember how much I was looking forward to Fridays during the time this was airing, and each week it gave me everything I wanted. Gemini and Fourth are fantastic actors, the friend groups made me cry all the time, it’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, and there are some absolute bangers in there, musically speaking. Gun and Tinn will always have a special place in my heart.

Some honorable mentions because it’s really hard to pin down exactly nine:

Never Let Me Go – I spent a lot of time debating whether to put this or MSP in this list because I love them both equally. And because they aired around the same time, they are sort of irrevocably tied together in my mind.

Big Dragon – I loved this significantly more than I ever expected to, and I can’t be impartial about Yai to this day, because I love him with all my heart. This was such a messy, weird, chaotic show, and yet it somehow gave us such beauty and sappy people in love.

Step by Step – It doesn’t get to be on the list because it hasn’t finished airing yet, and so it could still fuck up, but if it keeps going like this, it is definitely going to become one of my favorites. (Same with Be My Favorite, honestly.)

I don’t know many people around here, and certainly not many I wouldn’t feel awkward tagging, but I’ll just be awkward anyway and kindly ask @ellaspore and @biochemjess if they feel up for it. I wanna know! (No pressure, though.)

[lemotmo]

Hi! I just wanted to say thank you for being in this fandom and sounding so calm and reasonable💓 you are such a soothing voice in these tumultuous times!

I'm uncertainty personified, so I really love your confidence (even though I'm scared of it sometimes because in my experience my overconfidence only proves I'm wrong most of the time - so I'll rely on other people here😂), it's like a balm for me when I want to cry in defeat after reading through so much (unearned, in my opinion) love towards Tommy in Instagram comments...

I really hope it wasn't just bait when they promoted s7 with Buddie, that our suffering will end soon (sorry for being overdramatic, but I feel like Buddie shippers have been spat on for all 6 years, and this time it's reached some peak levels of hate with bucktommys, but we somehow persevere 😅), I really do hope so, even though it's really hard sometimes.

(and I realize that it's stupid to worry about a tv show so much, but I can't help it😅)

Oh Nonny, believe me-- I'm constantly biting my tongue these days. xD

But yeah, overall I try to stay calm when it comes to fandom. Real life is already complicated enough. I don't want to add extra stress to that from fandom.

I don't think it's stupid to worry about a TV show. If it's a show you love and you care about the characters of course you'll worry. That is what the showrunners want you to do. They want you to care about these fictional people.

As for my strong confidence in Buddie happening? No headcanons there.

It's all based on what we have seen on the show so far. The storylines, the narrative... there is only one logical outcome here.

Buck and Eddie got so many scenes in season 7. In only 10 episodes they gave us the maximum of Buddie scenes.

Then there is all the Buddie PR they got out before and all through season 7, without really putting any focus on Tommy at all. It was always just about Buck being bisexual and how wonderful that was. Tommy could have been any other guy. It doesn't matter who Buck kissed. It just had to be a man to get him out of the closet.

Ryan and Oliver love Buddie. Oliver especially always roots for Buddie and shows support for Buddie. He has never shown any support for BT. Not one single time.

And as for Ryan? He is so much more subtle about it. But his Buddie support is there. For example: the whole 'One step at a time' comment on instagram after that 'Babysteps to Buddie' article came out? He was so real for that.

All of the above facts combined, kinda lead to only one possible outcome: Buddie canon.

I have no answer to when or how, but I'm pretty confident at this point that it is happening.

As for all the BT love in Instagram accounts? Well, they made these comments on the very specific BT posts, which is a logical thing to do. But if you compare the amount of likes and comments to what the Buddie posts get? Doesn't compare. Also, I highly encourage you to go check out the official Instagram account's season 8 announcement. Buddie fans and comments are all over that post! They practically drown out every single BT comment. Love that for us! We sometimes forget just how big the Buddie fandom is, but it's at times like these that it becomes obvious again.

Also, check out this post. It's a highly interesting read.

Hope this helped a little to ease your uncertainty. :)

[travichughes]

Top 5 Travic moments and why?

i thought you'd never ask... these choices change every day but currently:

shower scene (4x01)

genuinely anyone who knows me knows that this is my favourite scene. i think it has just the right balance of comedy and softness. it has the first direct 'i love you', the hug is amazing and both travis and vic's heart eyes during the scene? ohhh i cry every time. it really shows that travis can be stuck in one single thought for ages, not being able to see another side, but when vic is there, she can get him to think differently. shower scene supremacy

2. the bunk room scene (7x06)

i rewatched this scene yesterday and it is simply perfection. season 7 was not good to them (7a specifically) but oh my godddd having this wonderful resolution after vic had a breakdown in front of everyone was just perfect because I'm not being funny, if this scene happened with someone other than travis i would have been livid. how intimate it was... it wouldn't have worked with anyone else. its no secret that travis knows vic. travis knows vic more than anyone, he knows her more than he knows himself sometimes. he knew that she was hurting way before anyone else did. he knew that after her breakdown she needed some weird analogy, some comedy, but she also needed to know that she could 'be the baby' and get taken care of. his soft voice as he spoke to her? lives rent free in my mind. 'i love you and i will always take care of you' is soooo important to me, and then the cheek rub, forehead kiss and the hug... i will never recover. travis, vic and their fans needed that scene.

3. the airport scene (7x10)

there has not been a single day since the finale aired that i haven't thought about travis saying 'so as it turns out, my life is wherever you are'. that scene, their whole arc in the finale eps, was the perfect ending to travic's story. travis realising he's stuck, having vic ask him to move to dc, saying no but later changing his mind, leading to him surprising vic at the airport?!?!!? its just amazing. we all know travis isn't a very romantic guy, but I'm not being funny, him turning up at the airport and surprising vic is the most romantic thing he's ever done. they both need each other so badly and I'm so glad he realised before it was too late. and no, he is not 'codependent' on vic. there's a difference.

4. first meeting (4x09)

4x09 is a masterpiece of an episode, the best episode in the whole show in my opinion. the entire episode should be highlighted but their first meeting is just so special to me because we see two people meeting for the first time, not knowing that their lives are going to change forever. travis probably was gonna leave firefighting because it was too painful for him until vic showed up. vic made a damn joke, not even a funny joke, and she made travis laugh. she had no idea what the significance of that was. she had no idea she changed his life with one joke. it's just how travis assigning her a locker changed their lives. and now they're in dc changing the country. together.

5. slowdancing at marina's wedding (4x16)

travic went through a lot in season 4, individually and together. but how peaceful this scene was, it was the perfect send-off for the best season of travic there ever was. travis was prepared to put aside his grief and his anger for his best friend because he wanted her to be happy. 'i love you. you're my person. and you always will be' changed so many lives. she's his person. no guy, no fight, no job will ever change that.

honourable mentions: travis taking vic to see ripley for the last time (2x15), travis waking up from the nightmare (6x12), all the travic scenes in 2x01, vic reassuring travis that she's okay after her electrocution (5x05), suuushiiii for breaakkkffaaasstttt hug (7x10)

thanks for reading and pls feel free to discuss in the comments!!!

[shiro-s2e2-erukinzu]

Today was episode 24 of the Spy X Family anime, and here are my thoughts:

OH MY GOD...!! IT WAS AMAZING...!!! 😆

Today's episode covered Missions 35 and 36 of the manga and I loved every single minute of it...!! 😆 From Loid being kicked in the face...:

...To Anya and Becky's shopping trip...:

Everything that WIT and CloverWorks did for this episode was just FANTASTIC!!! 😍 They even made me cry at the same spot that I did in the manga...:

This scene of Twilight talking about his mother never fails to tug at my heart stings... And I think that the anime capture it beautifully...! 💗 (Gosh, I can't even read what Twilight says without getting a little choked up... 😢)

Now, as for changes... There wasn't really too many that I remember, except for Yor saying "Woid" in the anime instead of "Roid" like in the manga:

But it's drunk talk, so it doesn't really matter what is being said...! 🤷

And this isn't really a big change, but... I just liked this little Anya that showed when Becky and Anya were talking about the school uniforms in the manga:

I just thought that it was funny...!! 😁

But before I go, I would like to discuss the preview for episode 25:

Now, I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of manga readers (myself included) that are a little disappointed that a certain chapter didn't get adapted in this set of episodes... But, I gotta be honest... This is EXACTLY where I wanted Cour 2 to stop at...!! 😌 And that's all I'm gonna say...! 🤐

Anyway, that was episode 24 of the Spy X Family anime...!! Like I said multiple times, I loved this episode, it was absolutely fantastic...!!! 😁

As for next week's episode (which will be the last episode until we get a second season 😫), it will premiere on December 24th, AKA Christmas Eve... Which means I'm probably not gonna talk about it until like Monday or Tuesday because Christmas is my favorite holiday and I just like to spend it with my family!! 😊 The same goes for the next chapter of the manga as well, not gonna talk about it (if there is a new chapter that day) until Monday or Tuesday...!! 😤

Well anyways, that's all I gotta say...!! So until next time, I'll see guys later...!! 👋😄 Happy Holidays to all and take care everyone!!! 💗