#that totally enhance the rewatch

[buggachat]

this shot in season 3 ikari gozen of tomoe deciding that kagami can make her own decisions....

i... wow. yeah. i.... yeah.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

.

[taraljc]

I love that Smithers is trying to give Alex grief about his complete and total lack of surveillance skills because he spotted him in the queue at the café but doesn't really process the part where Alex knows where and when he gets coffee on the way to work which is pretty specific.

Also that he never reported his phone stolen and Kyra has just been walking around with it for like a year. It's like oh hey there's been a massive data breach---o never mind it's Alex's girlfriend she's mostly harmless.

Meanwhile John Crawley still feels deep deep shame that he did not recognise the entire reason Kyra hugged him was so she could lift the key card to the safe house. He just thought she needed a hug and he was the closest available vaguely paternal adult. Which Jack would have immediately recognised, living day in and day out with moody teenager.

also every time I rewatch the first series I'm always shocked at how sullen and surly Alex is because I think of him as this smiling sunshine boy and he really is full of a lot of anger at first. like he breaks an MI6 agent's nose. and everybody is like oh look at the cute kid! except for presumably that agent who is like seriously why did it have to be the face.

I really wish we had gotten more of Wolf and the rest of K squad because he was clearly fascinated by the fact that Ian had intentionally or unintentionally trained his foster son/nephew to withstand enhanced interrogation and yet Alex did not seem to have processed that his training was anything out of the ordinary. and neither did his friends and family.

Like, Tom thinks it's completely normal for Alex to scale the exterior of a building and break inside to get his mobile phone. Even Kyra is like well I've watched Alex shimmy up a drain pipes clearly I can do it too and she's just really lucky she didn't fall and shatter both her ankles in Malta.

I also continue to be confused by the back garden of their terrace house because it was very clearly an actual garden first series and then by the time we hit third series it's walled in and I'm guessing it's because it's a set but if it is a set, they reproduced the location identically which you almost never see. usually we are just meant to believe that characters are blind to staircases being in different places and rooms being significantly larger all of a sudden.

but I do really love the set design in as much as the set dressing changes dramatically between series 2 and Series 3 where you can really see Jack and Alex's influence in the pictures on the wall and the furniture. It goes from being a very abstract bachelor home to a real place where real people live very quickly where is previously the only thing that sort of spoke to this is a home and not just an address were all of the photos on the fridge. and I have a lot of headcanon about those photos, because I had a friend who worked for the Security Services and as a result she wasn't allowed her to have any photographs of herself online.

I imagine Ian being meticulous about this and coming home from a business trip to suddenly find the fridge covered in photographs and Jack being like 'it's so Alex remembers what you look like since you've been gone for 4 weeks, I thought it was really important that he not forget your face and think you were a home invader'.

Meanwhile Alex is 9 and cheeky as hell.

Also I need to get better screen grabs but I do love that the actors clearly brought a bunch of their own photographs to stick to the fridge.

[nalyra-dreaming]

I have to say that I’m so impressed with how layered the show is. I know that’s stating the obvious, but on first watch it’s so easy to just blame everything on Lestat including how things go with Claudia. He is an out and out and proud monster and does very obviously evil things. But the more I watch it the more I see that Louis is really not perfect. He weaponises so much of Lestat’s biggest fears and the power he knows he has over him. He loves Claudia but he also really uses her as a prop to replace first his lost chance at a ‘real’ life and then his lost sister. I find it fascinating too how he won’t break up with Lestat. He won’t tell him he doesn’t want him. He won’t leave him until he’s literally forced. Not that I’m blaming Louis for anything really it’s very clear why he does everything. He loved Lestat but can’t reconcile that so he turns his anger first inwards and then outwards. I guess I’m just saying that they’ve done a great job with things like Armand’s word during 2x05 and moments where we get Lestats pov through dialogue, at laying the groundwork for series three to actually track. In fact Louis really does lay out the problem in 2x08 (even if it turns out he didn’t say it to Lestat in reality) he was to blame for their problems too because he was punishing Lestat because he was sad. He does this to Armand and a lesser extent Claudia too so we can see it’s a pattern of behaviour. I do love Louis and as I said during my first watch I was totally on his side and remain there but there’s just so much gorgeous nuance now. Super clever! They are all monster and no one is blameless and it makes it so much more interesting.

This show is a masterpiece. A multi-dimensional, layered, staffed with in-universe-set-design-commentary (the books Louis reads), story-level outrageously well done enhancements of the source material, costume-design, visuals and actual text giving social and racial commentary, fused together by a - at first glance - clear if not especially easy bigger story. Only that the story then turns out to be a tale, and edited tale, misleading in places, drawing everything into question ... and yet - it is the truth, or a truth, enough... of the truth.

It is just brilliant. As a book reader I find new references on every rewatch. The tropes they try to subvert are brilliant. The little hints and patterns and behavior traps the characters fall into. The way the first seasons set already up soooooo much.

Just brilliant :)

So happy to hear you think so, too :P

[naomijoestar]

⋆.ೃ JJBA SCENARIOS ࿔*:･

Masterlist here <3

genre: comedy, op bored out of their mind :p

warnings: cringeworthy

characters: giorno, bucciarati, abbacchio, mista, narancia, fugo, trish

notes: GN!s/o reader // guys. i have been working for uni all day long and i decided to rewatch dbz cause i love it so much and i got this idea😭 if you couldn’t tell im tired and need a nap but oh well. please enjoy because i was giggling while writing this :p (also if this isn’t a dead giveaway im genuinely running out of ideas so please if you have any requests go ahead and request them <33)

How each passione member would react to walking in on their partner trying to become a super saiyan

Giorno Giovanna

Giorno would stare at you with his usual calm, composed look as you scream and power up, completely unfazed. “I see,” he’d say in his serene voice, nodding like it all makes perfect sense. After watching you struggle for a while, he’d gently place his hand on your shoulder and, in complete seriousness, whisper, “Perhaps… you need more sunlight. The energy of the sun enhances all living beings.” He’d leave you standing there, making you wonder if he’s genuinely trying to help or just messing with you in his weird, Giorno way.

Bruno Bucciarati

Bruno would walk in on you mid-scream, furrow his brow, and pause. “Are you… trying to ascend to another level of power?” he’d ask, a bit confused but respectful. After you explain that you’re trying to become a Super Saiyan, Bruno would respond with the utmost sincerity: “I admire your dedication. Let’s talk strategy.” He’d actually help you devise a plan, suggesting you train your mind and body further. “I’ll unzip you to another location, where no one will disturb your transformation.” Bruno’s all in, even if he has no clue what’s happening.

Leone Abbacchio

Abbacchio would give you the coldest stare possible. “What in the actual hell are you doing?” he’d say, arms crossed, already annoyed. As you explain, he’d roll his eyes dramatically. “Great. My partner’s an idiot.” But as you keep powering up, Abbacchio would mutter sarcastically, “Oh sure, scream louder, maybe then you’ll magically grow blond hair and start flying. That’s totally how it works.” Despite his grumpiness, he might secretly be watching out of the corner of his eye, half expecting something bizarre to happen (get it? jojos bizarre adventure? its only jojo logic).

Guido Mista

Mista would be all about this. “Yo, you’re going Super Saiyan? I’ve always wanted to try that!” He’d immediately start powering up alongside you, screaming at the top of his lungs with a huge grin. “C’mon, louder! We can do this together!” The Pistols would join in too, floating around you and shouting “GO! GO! GO!” at the top of their tiny voices. Eventually, both you and Mista would collapse on the floor, laughing hysterically, neither of you anywhere close to transforming but still having the time of your lives.

Narancia Ghirga

Narancia would be your biggest hype man. “YES! YOU GOT THIS! YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!” He’d absolutely believe you could become a Super Saiyan and would be jumping around excitedly. “Do the thing! Do the thing with the hands!” He’d start doing Kamehameha poses, thinking that might help you, completely immersed in the idea that this could work. After a while, when nothing happens, he’d be confused: “Wait, why isn’t it working? Shouldn’t you be glowing by now?” He’d start blaming himself, like, “Was I not cheering loud enough?!”

Pannacotta Fugo

Fugo would just stare at you, deadpan, like, “Are you seriously doing this right now?” He’d probably start lecturing you about how this isn’t how physics works and how it’s scientifically impossible to become a Super Saiyan. “This is not anime, this is real life!” he’d yell, facepalming. But when you keep going, he’d lose his patience and just scream, “FINE! Keep screaming until you pass out! I don’t care!” He’d storm off, but not before mumbling something about how he’d be there to catch you if you faint.

Trish Una

Trish would watch you for about five seconds before sighing and pulling out her phone. “Okay, I’ll record this for… scientific purposes,” she’d say, clearly mocking you but also finding it weirdly entertaining. As you scream, she’d say, “Wow, you’re really giving this your all, huh? Should I start calling you Goku now?” By the end of it, she’d post the video with a caption like, My partner is trying to go Super Saiyan… someone help. But she’d also make sure you didn’t actually hurt yourself and offer you water because she’s low-key concerned about you overheating.

please give me requests im losing my mind over here

[m1ssunderstanding]

Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day Two

Paul and Ringo cabaret duo au NOW!

Their collective bitter humor about the fan mag. I think George probably appreciates Paul getting into this sort of shit with him. Even if it is only on a surface-level. A reminder that the Beatles fame journey (something that's been hellish at times for George, enough to give him PTSD and other issues for the rest of his life) has not left Paul unscathed. That Paul actually does have feelings, however buried they may be.

Could even be that the appreciation comes out in the form of "I think your beard suits you. Man." Does the tacked-on 'man' mean a sort of "no homo" type qualifier? Or is it just an added endearment. I know we don't think of George as particularly inhibited, but it was the sixties. And of course Paul loves the compliment and has no idea what to do with it.

Can you all please thank Mal as he hands you your tea next time? Not that hard, guys.

Ringo's voice is so sexy. And I love how supportive Paul and George are of this very stupid song. If either of them had written it, they'd tear it to shreds, but it's Ringo, so we laugh along and enthuse about the sentiments behind the lyrics.

The communal bitching about EMI's treatment of them. As they should.

Oh goodness, it's the "Paul has an embarrassing crush" moment from that iconic post of @jeremy-hillary-boob He totally does and you should say it. "I never used to know what it meant". It's giving "girl pretends not to know how to hold her golf club so the hot guy will touch her".

I have a theory that some of their covers ~matter~ and "What do you want to make those eyes at me for?" Is the first one for me.

Okay this look right here that John is giving Paul? Not to, like, out myself as never having experienced pure love except from my own child or anything, but the only other place I've ever seen that look is on my one-year-old's face when I come get him from his nap. So ... "A lovely little baby, John was"

"If this boy dies, you're gonna cop it." Peak older brother behavior. He's joking, but he's also deadly serious.

In love with John trying to sing out of his range. He's trying so hard, you guys.

"Everybody had a hard year. 'well, I'm not sure, actually. Put [good year]." Same, John. Isn't it always that way? Hard. And good. He's such a genius lyricist. He just captures the human condition with such specificity.

Lol at Paul correcting John on the key of his own song (yeah, yeah, gimme some truth is secretly a colab but it's still a John song)

When they put a piano in front of Paul and John's instantly like "uh-oh, red-alert my beautiful boyfriend might not get captured perfectly from every angle" vs a year and a half later when he's bitching about Paul having too much screen-time in Let it Be. Well, you were part of the problem, babe.

I love George's way of teaching his songs. Whereas Paul was shouting key changes and counts between phrases, and John doesn't even bother to give any of that information, George is just softly singing "E, to F sharp minor. E to A." Beautiful. John and Paul, take notes.

Wonder if I'll get through a day without calling Paul a whore. Probably not.

John being instantly self-effacing after suggesting that genius little let's enhancement. "My mind can blow those clouds away" is actually much more original and thought-provoking, but John just makes fun of himself. Like. Just own it. You're John fucking Lennon!

The George/Paul convo (George talking, Paul hardly flinching) is so painful actually. Because from the outside, Paul's avoidance looks so condescending and unfeeling, but avoidance feels much more like 'Shit fuck shit dodge the fight, go around, don't react, don't engage, don't start something' and i really feel for both of them.

Let John do Help for gosh sakes!

"Not bad though. Good try, that. Johnny."

The part where Paul is looking just so exhausted, and he's actually letting it show, and then he sees the camera on him and hurries and tries to do a cheeky little Beatles head-shake and smile. But then he's really just too tired (and high) and he looks away and rubs his eyes. It was like watching an old circus bear. Those poor things.

And of course John's head snapping up like a little gopher when Paul says his name

[cherrymagicake]

best thing about rewatching SOTUS yesterday was the yt comments section. It's so relatable that I feel I am binging with fellow fans. Obviously it's normal to watch and enjoy stuff on your own but some shows, books, movies are so special that you can't help but try to find people online who enjoy it as much as you do.

"Oh you noticed Singto bites his lips often in series and in real life? ME TOO." "Arthit gave 2 oranges to Kong and only 1 to M. I NOTICED IT TOO."

Even these inner monologues are fun.

The excitement to share what you love with others and reading what others think about that media is just the best. So even if you are just scrolling through the comments section not commenting yourself or just reading the forum discussions the experience of being a fan enhances so much. The sense of belonging you feel. The euphoria of letting out your emotions about that media out loud.

Fandoms are a blessing. You might find someone with same interest as you living on the other side of the world, sometimes not even speaking the same language as you. Yesterday I finally made a moot on twitter, I was so excited. YES GIRL LET'S SQUEAL TOGETHER.

Though yesterday was kind of toxic in the fandom, enjoying one of my fav shows with others made me realise why I became a fan and how enjoyable it is when done right. There is so much variety now a days that most times you and your friend group will be into totally different things so when you find a community online it's just beautiful.

[paigemathews]

So I just finished rewatching Hocus Pocus (bc I'm planning on reading Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel and wanted to refresh my memory) and honestly, this movie works really well in the Charmed verse?

The strongest point is that the Sanderson sisters are totally evil witches. They betray the Wiccan Rede but don't steal powers, so they remain witches rather than warlocks. They each have a dominant magical power like most witches in the series do. (Winifred has electrokinesis, obviously. Mary has an enhanced sense of smell, which. proof that they're not warlocks bc what power is that to steal? I initially thought that Sarah's was suggestion, but it's actually enhanced allure or luring like the Siren and Darla the succubus.)

Their book, which would technically be a grimoire, has similar magical protections and abilities like the Halliwells' Book of Shadows. Whenever the sisters mention their mother, it's implied that she was also a witch who passed her magic and knowledge on. (You could even theorize that she was a good witch which is why the sisters keep calling their book Book bc of habit from when it was a Book of Shadows.)

Instead of being responsible for their powers or something, they could've made a deal to serve someone who went by the Devil moniker or the master for more power/immortality, especially since Winnie seems to be able to use necromancy like a demonic alchemist.

Additionally, Thackery, while not technically a familiar, may have been acting as one anyways because of his curse. If he interacted with other familiars (such as Kit/Katrina), that might help explain how he learned more about magic in the meantime.

I also have always loved the idea that Allison is actually a witch. There's the way that she's called a "good little white witch" at point in the film, which is admittedly loose evidence but great inspiration. Her mother apparently worked at the Sanderson sisters museum, but it's also been closed down for seemingly quite a while with the amount of dust and cobwebs, so why would she be so familiar with it? It could be a situation similar to Paige's storytime where her mother tells her about it to prepare her in case. Allison's family could be witches guarding the book and candle to keep it from falling into evil witches' hands.

Allison may have not been told that she was a witch bc of the possibility of it skipping generations in her family, but she was still taught that would be relevant. If she did develop a power, I'm actually partial to intuition because a) she sensed something was wrong before they knew that the witches were back which is why they grabbed the salt in the first place and b) she seemed to know that Max was going to do something reckless to his life before he did anything. (None of this is strong evidence lmao, but it's fun.)

Dani would totally become a witch practioner after finding out about it. I don't think Max would, but I think he'd learn a lot about it to prepare in case anything else happened and bc Dani and Allison are into it.

But I definitely think that the film could've happened in the Charmed universe!!

[big-tees-and-short-skirts]

now that ive rewatched p3 as an adult i cannot believe we still have fans that believe yukari is a bitch (negative) and that junpei is only annoying and stupid. these two are some of the most developed and nuanced characters in the persona series imo and theyre introspective and mature very well throughout the story

like yukari is my new new favorite in p3 and anyone that thinks that her being 'bitchy' is a negative????? it literally enhances her for me. i fucking love her and she and junpeis friendship and struggles together are so fucking good man. even if junpei fumbles in the usual altus male character that is too comfy with his method of talking about girls, it actually feels way less bad and he actually has many other interesting story things to him that are easy to focus on instead. still insane that u still cant have a social link w him. at least p3r allows u to hang out w ur male teammates bc the actual male magician link sucks total ass and i dont even get how it fits in the theme of nihilism and death and whatnot

[lurkingshan]

Hi Shan!

I hope you're doing well and thank you for all your metas and recs. They are always such a great read!

I have realised that I am quite anxious about currently airing shows not sticking the landing (IFYLITA mostly, I only seem to care about this one recently). You may have previously written about it(?), but which dramas (BL or otherwise), do you think have the most satisfying endings?

Oh, and bonus question, do you have an ending that you approve of, was really good and all, but you would never ever rewatch it because of *too many feels*?

Hey Kat! Thanks for the ask. I totally get the fear of a bad ending, it has soured many a drama experience, and sometimes it really does take you off guard. I feel like when most dramas end I'm just happy if the ending doesn't retroactively ruin anything, let alone it actually being meaningfully good. I had to think about this for a minute, but I do think there are some dramas where the ending is so good it actually enhances the overall story and watch experience.

First, a few that I would classify as having really lovely happy endings that feel very well-earned after lots of pain and strife

My Lovely Sam Soon

This drama is a classic from 2005, and it caught me off guard with how invested I got. It's a pretty standard romcom about a quirky "fat" (*stares into the camera*) woman who gets hired by a chaebol restaurant owner. They start out adversarial before eventually falling in love, with the hero working through his surprising feelings for this woman who does not fit his image of his ideal partner and the heroine overcoming her own body image and self-esteem issues. Sounds basic, right? But something about it just works. At the end, the heroine sings a love song to her beau with her terrible singing voice while he looks on adoringly, and something about it was just so touching that I actually burst into tears.

My Mister

One of my favorite endings of any drama ever. Our heroine Ji An has been through it, and via a platonic relationship with her older boss, she gets the support she needs to turn her life around. I spent half of this drama white knuckling in fear that they would try to turn the relationship romantic, but they stayed true to the purpose of this narrative. Instead of a romance, we end with the two of them running into each other on the street after a time skip. They meet eyes, he sees that she is happy and well and they just smile gently at each other. Perfection.

The Untamed

Possibly a controversial pick, given that this is significantly altered from the novel, which has a much better resolution to the romance. But given the constraints this adaptation was under and the need to keep the relationship ambiguous for censorship reasons, I think this show did a remarkable job of getting the romance across. This ending where they meet again on a hillside, Lan Wangji calls his name, Wei Wuxian turns and we see a smile slowly light his face up is absolutely beautiful and a very romantic note to leave us on.

This second group of endings are more bittersweet resolutions, but ones I thought really added to the poignancy of the stories and made the relationships feel all the more epic

Bad Buddy

Something that always surprises me about the way people talk about BBS is they often seem to...forget that the ending is actually really fucking sad? I guess because the couple is together and still happy with each other, folks overlook the deep melancholy of the circumstances under which they are able to maintain their relationship. So let me remind you! Pat and Pran are in a long distance relationship, they are still not out to anyone but their closest friends, and they are forced to put on a charade in front of their families so everyone can carry on pretending. They are still hiding, their family relationships are irreparably altered, and we know it's a constant strain on them. It's a perfect bittersweet note to drive home the serious sacrifices they are making in the name of filial piety even as they refuse to give each other up.

Crash Landing on You

Switzerland, the true MVP of this story. Se Ri and Jung Hyeok do not have the option of simply choosing one of their home countries to live in together, and both have obligations they cannot abandon at home. And so in the end they settle for being mostly apart, taking time together in neutral territory as often as they can manage. Is it enough? No, but it's better than moving on from each other.

Goblin

This story is a tragedy and it stuck to its guns on that while also finding a way to give the characters (and the viewers) some kind of happiness to hang onto. Shin is doomed to live forever and watch Eun Tak die over and over again, but at least he also gets to meet and be with her before each death. Him meeting her again in her second life, with the looming knowledge that he will outlive her again and be left alone, is a perfect combination of joyful and mournful, very appropriate for this story.

I Promised You the Moon

One of my favorite romance endings ever, because it does what the genre rarely allows in acknowledging that the couple may not, in fact, stay together forever, and that's okay. Oh-Aew decides to take Teh back because he wants to be with him and he hopes they may be better equipped to deal with their issues in the future, not because he feels confident things will not go wrong again. In fact, he directly acknowledges that they probably will. It's a very mature resolution and a fitting end to a coming of age story.

Someday or One Day

This time travel story ends with the leads deciding to break the loop they have been living in, sacrificing their romantic relationship in the process. It's a brave and selfless choice made to protect others, and the narrative rewards them by giving them some hope of another path to each other in the future. We leave them meeting again at a different time with a significant age gap and no memory of each other, and a hope that they will find a way to each other in this new reality.

These next two kind of stand on their own as unique, as I have not seen other dramas that pull off what their endings do

The Glory

The best thing about this drama is that it's a revenge story where the revenge is fully carried out, no one is given unearned redemption, and every character gets exactly what they deserve. That probably shouldn't be revelatory, but in my experience, it is! Asian dramas love to hand out unearned redemption to villainous characters, but this drama was simply Not. Having. It. It was such a satisfying watch.

Utsukushii Kare

The ending of this one pulled off the neat trick of reframing everything that came before it, flipping the perspective so that nothing about previous events actually changed, but our understanding of what it all meant was turned on its head. This is a difficult writing trick that requires deep understanding of your characters' psychology and full command of every detail of your story, and it was incredibly impressive. It instantly turned it into one of my all-time favorites.

Bonus question: Dramas with endings that were fantastic, but that made me never want to watch again because of the feels

I had to think on this one a bit because I actually really enjoy getting into my feelings over dramas and regularly torture myself by rewatching sad shit. But I did come up with two dramas that I probably won't ever watch again for different reasons: The Red Sleeve and Secret Love Affair. With TRS, it's rooted in a specific kind of pain that I found quite brutal as a viewer: the total denial of any moment of happy catharsis, which was an intentional and appropriate choice to underline its message. This is a love story that the heroine did not want or choose, and so she never gives in and embraces it, and neither can we. The show refuses to romanticize the concubine life and I respect it, but boy was it hard to watch.

With SLA, it's more a matter of the anxiety it provokes. That drama was, hands down, the most stressful watch experience of my life, even more than thrillers that are intentionally trying to stress me out! The romance is actually super compelling but you can't relax for a moment because everything is on a knife's edge. And the ending was not at all happy, but somehow still managed to feel like a breath of fresh air for both the heroine and us, because we finally escaped that confining dynamic she was trapped in. A perfect ending to a brilliant drama and also a watch experience I am not looking to repeat.

[lingeronyourhazeleyes]

thanks for your tags on that nowhere boy post! I'm so curious what your thoughts are on the movie. When did you first see it? Are you a John girl? What are your thoughts on Mimi and Julia?

aww thank you for this ask 🥰🥰 (and i'm terribly sorry, i'm gonna leave a wall of text here, cuz I just can't resist the opportunity to yap about my Beatles-related experiences and opinions xd)

first of all, i don't really get why this movie tends to get so much hate (aside from the part where John hits Paui, and i really liked your insight that it was necessary to make the subsequent hugging and crying on each other's shoulders less gay - god i hate you late 2000's), because tbh this is my favourite Beatles biopic. Aaron Taylor-Johnson captures John's whimsical spirit quite well imo and even though Thomas Brodie-Sangster wouldn't have been my first choice for Paul, he's really good at being a charming motherfucker and a lil shit at the same time :D

i think i saw it for the first time in my late teens/early 20s with my mom and her husband, but i didn't pay much attention to the details then (given that i only had a very surface level of Betales-knowledge back then). I rewatched it last November though (in the midst of a full-blown Beatles brainrot).

Am i a John girl? Huh, i guess i'm something that people around here would call a John-coded Paul girlie xd nevertheless I aspire to be a Ringo in the lives of my loved ones

And omg your last question led me very far, but I'll try to be brief (edit: i failed lol) :D so, as i read your notes, i was very surprised that it's considered an anti-Julia and pro-Mimi film (and seeing the points you have raised, now i can totally understand why). For me (even on my first viewing) it was never a Julia vs. Mimi thing. I've read it as a John vs John conflict (and this is the point where i start talking bullshit and/or total banalities. Feel free to correct me or argue with my points :D i always fancy a good argument). I've always seen him as a man with two conflicting sides: one is the whimsical, creative, free but overly emotional (consequently kinda unintegrable (i'm not sure if it's a real word lmao i hope it is :D) into modern western society) side (enabled by Julia), and the other one is the abandoned little boy who only wants to be loved, and is therefore ready (or even needs) to be controlled and steered in "the right direction" by others, hoping that they would not abandon him this way (and this side of him is fed by Mimi in a way in my opinion).

In my reading, both mother figures embodied and enabled one side of John, while actively trying to suppress or outright hurt the other side -- as, I think, John did in his own mind, constantly berating and hurting himself in the process. I thought Julia was so antagonistic (and i guess i was waaay more forgiving of her than i think an average person would be, because unfortunately in many ways her behaviour reminded me of myself), because imo society tends to frown upon overly emotional, somewhat detached and destructive, but free-spirited and creativity-enhancing behaviour, while supporting Mimi's "behave according to unspoken social rules and expectation, don't change the status quo, and suppress your emotions"-mindset, that she represented in the movie and tried to instil in John. (Seeing Mimi handle (and making John handle!!) Uncle George's death with coldness and complete suppression of emotions was just as painful and infuriating for me as the scene where Julia sent John away after all the (sometimes creepily inappropriate) lovebombing.) I have a theory that Paul was so important to John because he not only accepted but straight-up embraced (dare i say served) both sides of him. But probably i just see too much into all this xd

Sorry for the long, messy (and probably borderline meaningless) reply 🫣 i happened to have waaaaaay too many thoughts 😭😭

[alittletasteofweirdness]

Reading Lockwood & Co...

So, after being totally in love with the TV show, I finally got my hands on the first book and let me tell you...

I can see why the original fans of the books were so happy with the TV show. It is so incredibly respectful to the source material and the changes that were made served to enhance the story. I love how they expanded on Lucy's backstory in the TV series and gave a storyline to Norrie.

As a writer myself, I can see why they took out some scenes in the book to move the storyline in the TV show along. (I do wish they kept the part where Lockwood was ghost-touched in the first case and George telling Lucy about Lockwood's worry about her)

In the meantime, I'll be reading the second book and rewatching the TV show...

[shesmore-shoebill]

not to be parasocial but something Very interesting/fun is how much amanda, a character actor, Does Not Like vanessa lachey at all because of her supposed fakeness. i guess for me it really goes to show: how much amanda value’s earnestness/being true to yourself and how at their very core her characters are all grounded or stem from people with Very Real Experiences and how much she cherishes those? idk it made me go ‼️‼️‼️ when she highlighted the fact that the reason why she doesnt like vanessa was because of the veneer she puts on as a tv personality like i wanna talk about ‘being a personality/influencer/etc’ with her soooo much

okay i went back and rewatched this section and first of all like. GOD its so funny and Im glad tommy and shayne and even amanda herself all were laughing about how funny amandas deep abiding hatred for vanessa lachey is. its great. like its totally understandable, but its v entertaining esp coming from amanda bc its such distinct energy from what we usually see of her in videos.

Anyway, I mean, ur take feels pretty accurate to me, and yeah, I'd also love hearing Amanda talk about this stuff. Im also probably being a little parasocial about this but, yeah, I think Amanda has explicitly stated how much she values directness and authenticity for herself and in others, and tbh, more than that, a sort of sureness of self.

I found it really interesting the way she emphasized her dislike not just as Vanessa being an awful person, but also as someone who was not owning that. Like, not only is Vanessa Lachey an awful person, she's doing it while pretending/faking being a good person and being two faced about it in a way that implies she can't even stand behind/own up to her own shitty behaviour, which is really the WORST part of it. Amanda basically going "you can be awful and I can respect it if you really own it and understand it and live with it, but if you're awful and cant even be unapologetic in it/usehide behind it as a veneer that my dislike goes to full hatred" and i think thats so funny. and fascinating lol. I hesitate to ramble on about this for too long bc it probably WILL get parasocial but. I love it and I think it ties back into some of how Amanda's own charisma and acting abilities seems to stem from a sureness and willingness to be authentic, that is enhanced and embraced through characters/acting, not using acting/characters as a way to avoid vulnerability and authenticity. Its fascinating. Amanda tell us more.

[piratekane]

okay where are you watching ncis hawaii bc i am now intrigued

oh friend. oh pal. you can get it on CBS or Paramount+ (which is where i watch it, being in the US) but i’m sure you could find it somewhere online.

if you’re watching only for kate/lucy there’s good compilations online (that i can’t link because i’m on my phone and refuse to go across the room…) that give a good overview of their journey.

BUT i do have to put it out there that this show is incredible and the whole team deserves more love. a badass female-led team of agents with a very big family vibe? a leader who supports them wholeheartedly? a team that goes to hell and back for her? young agents finding their footing? vets leading instead of commandeering? a weirdo tech guy with a heart of gold? a new guy who is just the sweetest homegrown boy? a mean girl who becomes part of the family? you’ll find all of this and more in this show.

kacy is amazing, their journey is great, they both grow so so much. but their story is totally enhanced by everything else going on around them and you’d be missing out if you didn’t give the others a shot. i just finished a s1 and s2 rewatch myself. don’t regret a minute.

[azazelsazaleas]

I finished watching through DS9 a few weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to do a rundown of my thoughts on it. Here goes:

- Oh my god that was fantastic. I really wish it’s given it a fair shake back when it was on the air; I was a dumb teenager who resented it for not being TNG and was going through a weird self-loathing phase where I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was the massive nerd that I am. This seriously lived up to the hype. I may have to do a TNG rewatch because this might just have upstaged it as my favorite 90s Trek.

- Andrew Robinson should’ve been made a full cast member. Ditto Max Grodenchik and Aaron Eisenberg.

- Damar’s transmission at the end of The Changing Face of Evil lives rent-free in my head. I cheered out loud at that.

- One thing the show did fantastically that a lot of other SF/fantasy properties don’t quite get right is that it lands a pitch-perfect balance of “these characters are major, important figures in the larger multinational conflict” and “this conflict is absolutely massive and not everything revolves around the same small group of people.” The fact that Sisko, Worf, Kira, Odo, et al are so important is entirely plausible and it never feels like the writers are trying to gratuitously bring everything back to them.

- That said, I kind of love that Admiral Ross’s leadership approach during the Dominion War eventually consists of doing whatever the hell Sisko tells him to do.

- God, the acting was incredible. Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Marc Alaimo, and Louise Fletcher were real standouts, but everyone was just so damned good.

- Actually, I really need to give special mention to Shimerman. The man went above and beyond to make Quark be something more than a joke character, despite how obvious it was that basically the entire production team wanted him to just be cartoonish comic relief. He worked harder to flesh out his character and show his race as a race of *people* (not just caricatures) than just about any actor playing an alien on Star Trek before him except for maybe Nimoy. Give the man a goddamn Emmy. Don’t believe me? Go rewatch the iconic root beer scene from The Way of the Warrior.

That said: I do have a few criticisms:

- Pretty much all of the (canon) romantic subplots were just…yikes. The only major exception I can think of Sisko/Yates, where they actually seemed to have a healthy dynamic, fall legitimately in love with each other, and generally treat each other like adults in a serious relationship, not bickering teenagers.

- Seriously, Worf/Jadzia got so hard to watch and then the fallout with Ezri was just ugggghhhhhhhhh stop please for the love of god

- Why did the writers need to try to romantically pair off all the female characters? Just, why?

- Kira had more sexual tension with that Romulan lady in half an episode than she did with any of her bucket-of-paint boyfriends over the course of seven years.

- I totally get the behind-the-seasons reasons why things panned out the way they did, but (hot take) I think Dax’s whole arc would’ve worked better if they had killed Jadzia off after the first season or two and brought in Ezri earlier. Jadzia was fun, but she was just too perfect to get many interesting stories and her relationship with Worf felt too much like manufactured drama. Having a trill who didn’t want to be joined, agreed to in a life or death emergency situation, and now has to reckon not only with taking on this symbiotic relationship with no preparation whatsoever but also succeeding this beloved person in the eyes of her loved ones is such a better setup for a character and it’s a pity we didn’t get to see that play out properly.

- Sisko deserved a better conclusion to his story. Give the man his damned house on Bajor and let him raise his kid with Kasidy. He’s more than earned it.

- Next time I rewatch the series, I’m skipping the mirror universe episodes and the ones with the genetically enhanced walking-90s-neurodivergent-stereotypes.

Other random thoughts:

- Dukat’s storyline should’ve ended with him getting killed at the end of Waltz. Either by Sisko, or by deluding himself so thoroughly that he does something suicidal. The pah-wraiths subplot felt like a lazy afterthought (except for the episode where he pretends to be Bajoran and starts fucking Kai Winn) and as much as I liked watching Marc Alaimo act, his story arc was basically over at the end of Sacrifice of Angels….which, incidentally is when Damar actually starts to get interesting.

- I loved the O’Brien must suffer episodes but I thought Hard Time was kind of overrated. Mostly for the plot line with the cellmate; I think I’m a little burned out on seeing stories that have a moral of “deep inside us is a line between humanity and savagery and when pushed to the limit, even the best of us would turn to murder.” It’s been done to death, and it’s really not truthful, at least for many people.

- I think I may have a little bit of a crush on Major Kira. It would never work out if I met someone like that in real life, though. I’m a laid-back, atheist, creative type; she’s a deeply devout former insurgent. Given certain real-life crushes I’ve had recently; maybe I’m just into strong women with big, expressive eyes who wear their hearts on their sleeve and have a spine made of fuckin’ steel. I have no idea what this says about me.

- MORN

- Favorite Episodes: In the Pale Moonlight, The Visitor, Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast, In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light, In the Cards, Duet, The Wire, Civil Defense, The Magnificent Ferengi, basically the entire Dominion War arc.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

The ongoing rewatch got me thinking about Felegami and how to make Felix feel like less of a consolation prize/Adrien replacement, which reminded me of an idea that I am never going to write, but wanted to toss out there: Adrigami fake dating AU where it's legitimate fake dating with no romance involved.

We introduce the arranged marriage stuff as early as season two or three, but it's immediately clear to almost everyone that this relationship is dead in the water. Adrien's heart is already Ladylocked and Kagami thinks that Adrien is too soft, silly, indecisive, passive, etc. However, Kagami also wants to do normal teenage things without upsetting her mom, so she's like, "Adrien, we are going to enter a non-romantic dating relationship so that we can experience traditional non-romantic teenage milestones and activities without upsetting our parents. Do you have any issues with this arrangement?"

And Adrien is totally onboard because he also wants to do those things, especially once he learns that Kagami doesn't care if he invites his friends along. Friends are a standard part of being a teenager, so clearly they will only enhance the experience. (Up to you if Marinette knows all of this from the start or if you want to have some drama in this part of the story as she tries to do a Frozer and support Adrien's new "romance" which mostly consists of Kagami wanting to do things like try every flavor of ice cream at Andre's while Adrien sighs longingly over his Ladybug ice cream, firmly cementing Kagami's initial reaction of "hard pass").

So we stick to canon for the most part, there's just no angst for Kagami and Adrigami never has a breakup arc in season 4. Kagami keeps "dating" Adrien until mid season 5 when Felix shows up. That's when Adrigami publicly breaks up because Kagami is like, "Sorry mom, there's a overly-dramatic dark broody version and that is everything that I've ever wanted, why am I only learning about him now? You have all failed me! I must go to him. Besides, Adrien's in love with Marinette and I don't want people to think that he's cheating on me. She can have the pretty-boy pushover. I'm gonna go make out and do crime!"

Meanwhile Felix is just like "No! I thought Adrien got all of the simp-for-powerful-woman-in-red genes! What's happening to me?"