#the alliance eps are a little more fun

[fortune-maiden]

A little over halfway through Season 1 of DNT now, I thought I was starting to warm up to it.

But then I got to the Castrop Rebellion Episode.

Soulless doesn't even begin to cover it......

[akutasoda]

title - ''contemplation' beg your pardon'

╰➜they ask you for your hand in marriage and you decide to tease them

dedicated to - jing yuan!

warnings - gn!reader, fluff, confessions, teasing, ep length - 1.7k

a/n: req by @goddessofdestructionsposts! i did accidentally delete half of this last night-

the dozing general of the xianzhou luofu. a title that held a lot of respect, except the person who held that title loathed it sometimes. jing yuan had a lot on his plate, and he always had - as soon he became an arbiter general, so much had become expected of him. however, he wasn't dumb in any respect and knew exactly what his duties would've been before the title was handed to him, including those that came with leading the cloud knights.

although, throughout all his years in this position, the one expectation that he desperately tried to push to the back of his mind was that of his legacy. being the current general of the luofu meant that he was responsible for ensuring it's stability in the future when he ultimately retired - the divination commission and the xianzhou alliance did have their opinions on the matter, but jing yuan simply cared little for their expectations or suggestions.

jing yuan gave it little to no thought, sure he knew that eventually it would be a pain, but that was future him’s problem. there were many more pressing issues among the luofu and the dozing general would prefer to waste his little amount of energy on them. the general didn't even bother spending time looking for someone to love, it was such a tedious task and he'd prefer to waste his time taking a nap before someone awakens him for proper duties.

---✩

sometimes you truly hated this job. everyday you would drag yourself out of bed and down to the divination commission and work grueling hours for the sake of the luofu’s safety. most days, it wasn't so bad and your coworkers were always friendly and a pleasure to work alongside! it was simply that some days were extremely stressful but you didn't exactly have the right to complain when you knew exactly what job you were applying for.

you understand why qingque spent so much of her time slacking off and playing celestial jade - admittedly she had been demoted down to a ‘door guardian’, a title that she was still teetering on the edge of losing. multiple times you had caught her sneaking off but you never bothered to stop her, and multiple times she had tried to convince you to join her at least once but you weren't so keen on facing the master diviner's wrath.

but for today it was a very tempting offer. however, you wouldn't sneak away to pass your time wasting paychecks on celestial jade. you had a much safer option. general jing yuan himself. you'd known the general for a while, working alongside fu xuan meant meeting him quite often, but you'd known him as your lover for what felt like forever.

admittedly, you shouldn't be using your lover as a way to get out of work but you truly saw no harm in it today, nothing of importance was occurring and you were sure nobody would even notice. and thus, you started to make your way to find your lover.

luckily, you knew that he would be struck in his office around this time of day and so you found him with ease. the cloud knights recognised you every time and never questioned why you were visiting, they always would let you go see the general. you knocked, to be polite, on the door once, then twice and then a third time.

no response.

you sighed and you knew there was only one explanation for why he hadn't responded. pushing open the door, you walked in and promptly shut the door - purposely rather loud. loud enough so that jing yuan, who was asleep at his desk, would stir from his sleep.

he yawned as you made your way toward him, ‘there’s nicer ways to wake me you know?’

‘not as fun though, are they?’ you chided and he smiled before adding ‘and so what brings you here, you know fu xuan will give you an earful if she knew’

‘i could say the same for you’ you quickly responded

you had initially met jing yuan by working alongside fu xuan but you only truly got to know him when you ran into him the first time qingque had convinced you to drop some work and extend your break. and surprisingly, the two of you clicked. occasional passings and meetings eventually became intentional friendly meetings and short after, dates.

and it was moments like these that made jing yuans day. sure you both would definitely get an earful from fu xuan later but that was a sacrifice you both were willing to take. jing yuan would do anything to hold you in his embrace as you both dozed off, and he'd happily do anything to stay by your side forever.

having someone in his life forever never seemed possible, but with you? it seemed more than possible.

---✩

‘yanqing, have you seen the general today?’ you noticed the blonde hovering near the door to your lovers office, perhaps he was there for a reason.

‘no, nobody has’ he sighed in annoyance ‘i’ve been asked to wait for his return’ you hummed in acknowledgement before thanking the young man and making your way to look for jing yuan elsewhere.

it wasn't completely unusual for the general to disappear during the day, most of the time he was simply hiding away to lounge about, but today you hadn't even seen him since you bid farewell in the morning - and from a bit of asking around, nobody had seen him for a while either. concern became rather evident on your face as you searched the spots you knew he frequented on the luofu, he wasn't even answering your messages! an occurrence that could normally be chalked down to him being busy or living up to his title, but you knew that wasn't the case this time.

never in all your years of dating the general had he disappeared for this long or even gone this long without messaging you! and after all these years, you really thought you'd get used to his antics but clearly, this was a new one - a one that made you worry more than the rest.

there was one last place you hadn't checked. it was a little hideaway in the luofu that jing yuan had shown you on a date, a beautiful location that became a site of respite for the both of you. so if nobody had seen the general than surely he must be there? there'd be plenty of time for you to give him a talking to when you actually found his whereabouts.

and he was there. standing there and staring idly into the sky but he seemed to notice your presence behind him and turned to face you. ‘what brings you here?’

‘i could ask you the same’ you replied, he could tell a slight annoyance coated your words and so he made no effort to beat around the bush ‘i needed some time to think’

‘mind sharing what's on your mind then?’ he let out a small sigh before responding, ‘i could, but truth be told’ he let out a small laugh ‘im a little scared about it’

‘the general of the luofu scared? what thought could possibly scare you?’ you wanted to jeer that you just spent ages looking for him and were scared something happened to him, but you decided to save it, hold it over him later.

you'd never actually seen such worry be written across your lover's face, it started affecting you because now you were thinking something serious had happened.

truth be told, it wasn't anything serious, admittedly, for ages now, jing yuan couldn't help but imagine having you beside him forever and for the first time in forever, jing yuan was nervous - and somewhere along the line, his nerves had warped into a slight bit of fear.

he never imagined himself meeting someone like you. someone who constantly brightened his day, someone who stuck by him through thick and thin, someone that loved every single part of him. so he never imagined marrying you, and now that's all he ever wanted. he didn't know if you were ready or even thinking of marrying him but these thoughts plagued his mind for far too long.

so there was no time like the present right?

‘mm something i can't seem to figure out properly’ he tried pulling you into a hug and you obliged, allowing him to rest his head upon your shoulder.

‘is there something i can do to help?’ placing a hand on his head to comb through his hair, an action you found helped him relax and soon he pulled away and replied ‘yes, i think so’

‘i’ve been thinking about this over and over but’ he paused for a brief moment, lips pressing into a thin line as he took your hand in his and settled himself down on one knee.

‘will you marry me?’

the scene was picturesque. the general of the luofu kneeling in front of you with tenderness and admiration in his eyes as he held your hand, eagerly awaiting your response.

you wanted to say yes, and you were going to. this was the man that won your heart but he was also the man who put you through so many annoying times - from making you late on many occasions by simply refusing to let you leave his embrace, slumping himself over you while you try and do something demanding your attention, teasing you day in and day out, to today. a day like many others of making you worry about where he is.

was it cruel to do what you were thinking? yes. but nothing could've really stopped you from answering with a hum followed by ‘i might need to think about this one’

‘i beg your pardon?’ the expression on his face was enough to pull at your heart strings already ‘what do you mean?’

‘it means i need to think about this’ you teased and tried desperately to fight the smirk working it's way across your face.

‘my love, you can't be serious’ jing yuan tried to reason, a part of him knew that you were teasing him but he wanted to confirm. he'd rather die than learn you weren't kidding.

fortunately, you really couldn't keep your facade up for much longer and he noticed this so he sighed ‘you’re awful sometimes you know’ and before you could respond he stood up and pulled you into another hug.

‘i still need an answer’

‘you’re so demanding aren't you?’

…

‘yes, of course i will’

[starcrossedandstupid]

They are my main POV, so here’s a current guide to The Family’s Alliances!

The Tuff Guys

Etho: a part of the Family, while he doesn’t live with them and is still a Tuff Guy, he is their closest outside ally.

Bdubs: Regular good allies, hasn’t been called family but is a firm ally.

Tango: They didn’t like him, but via snail escape bonding and him being on the Tuff Guys, which are their allies, they seem to be getting back to the right foot. Not as close as the rest of Tuff.

Bamboozlers:

Lizzie: She hasn’t wronged them, and she is married to Joel, so despite the actions of her team they are kind of allied.

Jimmy: The reason they don’t seemed to be allied with the Bamboozlers anymore. Just started trying to kill them, reason unknown to Gem or Joel. He was treated like a sad puppy instead of a threat, but he blew up some of the car and is now more of an enemy, though still a sad puppy in their eyes.

Scar: Enabling Jimmy trying to kill them, more of a threat but less of true malice, so the relationship is easily repairable if Jimmy’s wish to kill them is dealt with.

Four Gs (Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Girldad)

Scott: Neutral. They are fine with each other, but since he’s teamed with Pearl and Impulse it is unlikely to ever end up as true allyship.

Cleo: Same as Scott, neutral but probably won’t be real allies due to their grouping with Pearl and Impulse.

Pearl: Ohhhh Gem hates her this season. Pearl pulled some stuff in episode two, and betrayed her in Secret Life’s family. Joel is a good ally and is very on board with hating her. Number two worst enemy.

Impulse: The most hated man on this side of the river. The cow fiasco in episode one. Him beint with Pearl and pulling tricks with her in episode two. Gem and Joel hate his ass! They got him killed twice, but it’s not clear if he is aware of that.

Renwood

Martyn: Annoyed with him constantly, but mostly in good fun. Solid allies!

Ren: He didn’t do any of the cow bit, so even better allies than Martyn. Good ally.

Spanners/Sub One Club

Mumbo: Allies in name, neutral in action.

Grian: Not even technically allies by name, as it was just Skizz and Mumbo in the ep one cow trade. Not on bad terms by any means, though.

Skizz: A little above neutral, as they told him to kill Impulse and he listened! He was quite nice even when on Red.

BigB

BigB: They’ve basically not interacted, so the most neutral of neutral that could be

[riacte]

Life Series False manifestation from HC10 False [UNSERIOUS] [clownery]

Open up the clown tents! I was going to give up after October 2023 but y’know 🤡 if you watch certain parts of HC10 False with your eyes closed you can pretend it’s the Life series 🤡🚦

I know this is 95% stretching. I know this is unserious and a pipe dream from 2021 fueled by two clips from False and half of a clip from Martyn (of all people). But whatever, we’re having fun 🎪

1) Fun little red name display? 👀

False’s HC10 E1 starts off with a quick explanation of the new Demise game. And there’s this screenie which is basically identical to what a life series player would show the audience to introduce the lives gimmick. But we all know Demise is Life series 2.0 and Life series is Demise 2.0. Still, visually, it’s a nice little touch.

2) Interactions with red name Ren

False E1 33:45. False said Ren’s red name suited his outfit and then she said about herself:

“Reckon I can get a different colour, yellow, to match my hair?”

Ren, damningly enough, said in reply:

“Sure! That would be cool!”

And then False repeated “that would be cool”.

— Which, I know, I know, means nothing. Yellow is just coincidentally a colour of a life in Life series and also the colour of False’s hair. And it would be cool. Like, hypothetically.

Ren then suggested killing False to bring her down to yellow, which is not how it works in Demise because yellow doesn’t exist, but it’s okay, his brain is stuck in Life series, we get it. And I know this means nothing, but for a second, Ren’s brain thought of False in the Life series in which it was possible to get her to yellow.

Then False, Stress, and Iskall tried to lure Wels in for Ren’s red kill and got extremely disappointed when he failed. This is not the first time False has brought Ren human sacrifices. She was also really good at it during the cursed burning box segment with Ren and Martyn.

I think this got cut from False’s ep, but there’s a bit more in Ren’s E0, 1:11:57.

False: While you’re red, you need to be using it to your full advantage.

Ren: That is true.

False: Threaten people, you could have someone else do it for you.

Ren then discussed his killing choices with her. If you close your eyes, this is basically a convo between a green name and their allied Boogeyman / red name. False is even coming up with fun red name strategies even though she’s not a red. And giving Ren advice while standing on her pillar of safety.

(There are also some nice parallels between Ren sorting resources at the hillock while being bullied by everyone + green person comes up to him // Ren doing enchanting stuff at a hill while being bullied by everyone + green person comes up to him.)

Regardless, you can tell False’s put thought into this whole death game / red name thing, and in a hypothetical situation, it “would be cool” to see her strategies / alliances go down in Life series.

3) Irrational fear of salmon Pearl

Going into full stretching territory now. In False’s E1 29:30, (white name) Pearl comes by, armourless but with a salmon head.

False: Pearl is still not wearing any armour.

Pearl: You didn’t have to call me out like that, False!

False to Stress and Iskall: Guys, don’t move, she might not have seen us

[Hermits chuckling]

Pearl: Thanks, that’s fine!

False: Don’t move. If we don’t move, she won’t attack, guys. Stay calm.

…

[Pearl runs away]

False: We stood still enough, she’s run off. We’re almost safe. Okay, we’re safe, good.

…

False: She was AFK on top of a tree, watching us, getting ready to go caving! I don’t know what was going on!

Iskall: It’s kind of scary.

False: It’s kind of freaky, yeah. I feel like I’ve made an enemy now if Pearl’s name turns red.

…

False when Pearl gets close to Iskall: She’s a dangerous being, don’t move, just don’t move Iskall, you’re fine.

And this bit about False being randomly scared of Pearl and warning others about her goes on. Which, at least to me, is strangely reminscient of everyone being scared of Double Life 5am Scarlet Pearl for no reason. Something wicked this way comes indeed.

Anyways, does any of this mean anything at all? Probably not. But it’s a fun bit of clowning 🤡 like it’s as realistic as HC Martyn.

[thecoolerliauditore]

I really liked this gimmick. Wasn't intensely intrusive like the snails wasn't boring like the tick speed. Watched Scar's ep here are my highlights:

It's funny seeing people treat a red name killing a dark green teammate to gain a life as ridiculous and unthinkable given how often Scott does it

Scarian fans we're so back

So fucking funny watching Jimmy kill and attempt to kill Joel repeatedly and yet Bamily is still going strong and their alliance has never faltered

SCAR'S FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION WAS WHO DID YOUR MAN CHEAT ON YOU WITH 😭

Jimmy's not first out again and I doubt he'll die next episode either, they've been doing good :D

He IS being a little shit to Grian. Good for him but please don't make him even more pissed than he already is 😭

SCARPEARL CRUMBS. Scar seems on good terms with Pearl, he just doesn't want her to kill his alliance. He's very friendly with everyone actually

The question "What did Scar and Pearl use to hurt their soulmates" and Scott staying silent and Scar and Pearl looking into each other's eyes.....

JIMMY WANTED TO KILL SCOTT

but he seemed like hesitant about it. in my brain because he was giving in and asking for a life maybe? While meanwhile Scar was talking his ear off about murder strategies and Jimmy was saying he didn't think Scar could help...

This whole session was a load of previous season nostalgia bait and I got baited. I love it. I love Grian telling Scar that BigB treated him right. Scarian fans it's so over we're so back it's so over we're so back

I actually really liked the time changing mechanic mainly cus I'm a gimmick hater 😔 it hit the sweet spot for me between gimmicky enough to have funny unforseen consequences (like with lava and the looney tunes lookin fight sequences) and simple enough to not feel disruptive.

I did like this gimmick tho I thought it was fun albeit a bit.. extra.? It was really fun to watch and interesting to find out what people do and don't remember -- I was really taken aback by how much Bdubs remembered, for example, or how Joel remembered a very specific line from Cleo in LL but couldn't remember Skizzs red skin in LimL.

But at other times it felt like some of the questions could've been better worded, like the zombie pool party question Scar got. And the mechanic as a whole felt more like an extra on-top of gameplay than anything that really melded into the session. But again this is all from me being a hater of gimmicks in general lol and this is absolutely one of the more mood-killer/pandering ones.

And yeah, Lizzie's refusal this episode and Ethos last episode really paint a picture of how. Unique Scott is in his insistence on his suicidal tendencies. Mind you Lizzie wasn't there for LimL where this was more expected due to the mechanic so it's probably even more unthinkable to her than the others. That combined with Scott admitting he doesn't want to die is... Sighs. My son.

sometimes I wish I had the crazy scarian phase that everyone other than me seems to have gone through because scarian is really. Really awesome and I think they deserve their hype. I would say this season emphasizes that but really every season emphasizes that.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO MAKE OF JOEL AND JIMMY MAN. Jimmy HAS become the world's worst toxic ex boyfriend to Joel and Joel just doesn't. Give a fuck? My brain is confused. I need to figure out whether this is silly or angsty or mayhaps both.

"bigb treated me right" grian should go to jail for this

jimmys the only one on red by the end of this episode which has me scared but I still believe in him.. :'D he has managed to piss. Literally everyone off though which is unfortunate.

YESSS I WASNT THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW THE SCARPEARL CRUMBS. The way they keep silently empathizing and supporting eachother and orbiting it's so good.

And YES JIMMY GO GO GO KILL 💥💥 Jimmy's desperation to kill Scott is. So telling of not only his growing resentment but also of his naivete. Accentuated especially by that last episode where everyone from Etho to Skizz pointed out that Scott wasn't an easy target for a variety of reasons.

I'm sad that he no longer really has a reason to go after him (the disappointment in his voice when he realised he turned light green lmao) but I'm proud of Jimmy I'm always proud of Jimmy. I think he could kill him I really think he could.

[physics-of-one-piece]

More Eng Doffy Liveblog Part 4 I think?

Ep 645

“So you wanna play tag, huh?” AAAAAAA RUUUUUUN

Law is so brave 😭😭😭 my baby boy I’m so proud of him 😭😭😭

"I won't let you have it your way." 😳 Sorry. Um. No comment except Eng Doffy not letting you have the final word in the bedroom. Thanks, bye.

Ep 647

“Run as much as you like, you’re only delaying the inevitable, Law. Do you think one of your friends is going to save you?” 😭😭😭😭

“No mercy for the wicked.” Doffy that’s evil 😭😭 Law is just getting tossed around, Law 😭😭

Interesting. Eng Law figures out Nami and her group were attacked when she doesn’t pick up. Japanese Law didn’t mention that.

Ep 648

“Well, how about that?” (gulp) “Nowhere left for you to run, is there?”

I’m so using that dialogue in a fic. Oh my god, Eng Doffy you 😳😳😳

“Run while you still can, Law.” Oh, come on. He called Law a bastard in Japanese in this scene 😤 Damn it, damn censoring! LET ENG DOFFY BE FREE! LET HIM SWEAR! LET HIM CALL LAW “that little shit!” as he gets angry!

“Bullet String.” OOOH I LOVE HOW FEROCIOUSLY ENG DOFFY SAID IT

“This is the end of the line, Law. Who did you just call?” each line of Eng Doffy just demands my attention, much like Japanese Doffy.

“Haven’t you done enough scurrying around like a miserable rat?” THERE IT IS! SASSY ENG DOFFY! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

“And wouldn’t you know it, that genius has walked right into it!” HAHAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣Eng Doffy keeps with the tradition of Doffy calling Luffy stupid, I am happy.

“I’m sure they’re scraping him off the wall as we speak.” THAT’S BRUTAL. THAT’S DARK. DAMN. The words are dark but he says them in such an amused tone, the idea is fun to him.

English Doffy did a little growly exhale, I am not fine, thanks for asking

“Your alliance has fallen apart. So… are you ready to give up?”

I'm just saying... I'd fold. Law is made of tougher stuff than me. I'd have folded waaaay before, honestly.

Also, Fujitora just hurling meteors poor Green Bit & poor Law 🥲 no consideration for the nature.(I see Green Bit as a nature preserve)

Tagging @moonbaby26 & @fanaticsnail bcs this is becoming an archive of me falling for Eng Doffy — like Japanese Doffy wasn't enough.

Plus, I'm putting my timestamps in while watching it for the Post Timeskip Doffy compilation, so win-win.

[syncogon]

[QZGS TL] season 3 episode 3 onscreen text

for fun i did some quick translations of onscreen text during this episode that wasn't translated in subtitles.

these are very jank and subject to inaccuracy. read at your own risk.

beginning of the ep, weibo posts after samsara defeats blue rain in round 1:

[#team samsara wins first!# topic summary: samsara wins the first round of the glory playoffs]

big bro likes eating meat: "samsara only won one round, what's there to be smug about, waiting for blue rain three championships"

ry-lord one: "god damn, ywz this round was worse than garbage"

lord sassy: "this big victory might have some downsides, too high a starting point can lead to national viewers unable to bear samsara's next failure"

ry-lord one: "magic, last year played so desperately and still only got two runner-ups"

pour a cup for auntie: "he who laughs last laughs best"

zzk's beef meatballs: "hot take: if zzk these past two years had yq's scores wouldn't he be glory's number one"

glory little yellowfur: "this time hst straight-up bombed his own reviews"

little master berserker: "summarizing hst's trash talk these past few years"

flower flower: "i always felt that jbt and ywz are at the same level"

happiness is today: "samsara's victory represents a story with a happy ending"

not playing games only swiping card: "thought about it overnight, feel that samsara winning the championship is both reasonable and ridiculous"

zzk's beef meatballs: "why is everyone so excited about samsara winning? as someone who's watched glory matches for several years now, i have the authority to answer this question."

ya_5456778: 👎 .jpg

stgl-teeheehee: "samsara's s8 championship victory explodes on hot search, alliance official account issues congratulations (reply for 30 prestige)"

flower-distance: "why zzk is a god, first of all…"

if you're like me: "everyone's cursing samsara, everyone wants to be samsara"

........

speech bubbles during the in-game samsara vs blue rain conflicts:

"samsara is too arrogant!"

"y'all are just jealous!"

"panic, panic! they're panicked!"

"little kid, go home and do your homework!"

"you guys are just pathetic!"

"with your attitude, you blue rain fans shouldn't be playing games, go shower and go to bed!"

"samsara loves pretending!"

"blue rain fans don't show your shamelessness any more!"

"just love seeing you guys upset and inferior like this!"

.......

weibo posts shown in the ending theme:

"samsara's tacit cooperation is too incredible! zhou zekai's skill matched with jiang botao's talent, their performance is so eye-catching, their continual reliability earns everyone's trust!" "zhou zekai is invincible, jiang botao is flawless!"

"these two years after samsara gained jiang botao, it's truly a tiger gaining wings! team samsara sing out!"

"samsara is defying the heavens! sharpshooter, jiang botao's spellblade, and blade master are all first rate esports players, their coordination is brilliant, added on to the entire team's battle power, it's truly unrivaled!" "samsara is simply THE most eyecatching team! theres no other!"

"zhou zekai and jiang botao's show of power ahhh! the details of their controls are perfectly matched, their power can't be underestimated!"

[mejcinta]

House of the Dragon Season 2 Ep 1: A SON FOR A SON reaction.

One word: JAEHAERYS TARGARYEN. Even with the minimal screen time, he snatched my heart as Aegon’s little fatherhood project. You can tell Aegon projects so much of what he wanted with Viserys into the boy. The murder of Jaehaerys and the trauma precious Jaehaera (basically mini Haelaena who Aegon is careful not to over-stimulate with touch) faced at the hands of Blood and Cheese will make Aegon abandon his trepidation and respect for Viserys as seen by how he destroys the Old Valyria model in episode 2.

Helaena and Aegon’s failmarriage and co-parenting arrangement is EVERYTHING to me. It’s exactly how I would’ve written them pre-B&C. Helaena’s ‘choice’, which is a BIG change from the book, probably has something to do with her ‘dreams’. In difficulty, she saved Jaehaera (her only girl) and gave up Jaehaerys. Her dreams are unconsciously guiding her to accept hard realities (Jaehaerys’ inevitable murder) and to prepare for future realities like the birth of a new heir (Maelor). But this in no way means that she won’t suffer psychologically for the choice she had to make. It will clearly haunt her and drive her to revere and pay more attention to her heightened intuition.

I’m disappointed that they skipped over Alicent and Otto’s reactions to Aemond returning with news of Luke’s death!! But Alicent’s conversation with Otto in private pretty much sets up the former’s anger, frustration, disappointment and doubts when it comes to Aemond, while the latter (Otto) is more…adaptable to the situation at hand (no pun intended). It is clear Aemond is HURTING greatly from Alicent’s dejection. He’s not used to this new position, having fallen out of grace with her with no sign of an understanding in the horizon. Aemond is rightfully resentful, but I am glad that Aegon and Criston are there for him in the meantime.

Alicent and Criston’s affair works for me, despite of people disagreeing with it. This is Alicent’s channel for venting her frustrations and curbing her passions, whereas Criston allows her to use him out of his warped sense of duty, dedication and mutual love for her(Olivia confirmed Alicent has been holding a torch for Criston since her girlhood). She is basically a bomb and he, her diffuser! This is a sacrilegious alliance that lets them turn the wheels of power from behind the scenes as well where Aegon cannot see them. Where Alicent can’t get to Aegon, Cole can reach out on her behalf with counsel, although with Larys sneaking around you are left to wonder how long their sizzling romance-alliance will remain hidden.

I really don’t care about the North. Not crazy about Cregan’s slow Kit Harrington Jon Snow accent imitation either…but I loved the opening monologue. Duty is sacrifice even at the cost of blood. This seems to be the theme that will set the tone for the season.

Jace surprised me this episode. Loved Harry’s tangible step up in acting chops. Jace seemed the dandy, out of touch prince who Cregan quickly grounds with the biting words of a man that has seen more danger than him. Harry’s emotional delivery as a grieving brother was so well done as well.

Aegon and his pack of jesting friends made my ribs quake with laughter this episode. I hope that humor will not get severely extinguished down the season.

Laena mention was refreshing in the scene between Rhaenys and Daemon. I hope Rhaena’s resentments have something to do with Laena and that we will see her talk this out with a family member soon. I am tired of the Happy Family picture Team Black is given. Where is the fun dysfunction??

Emma’s quiet, grieving performance was excellent. I literally cried BOTH times I watched the scene of Rhaenyra finding Luke’s remains. I really dig this vengeance angle they are pursuing with Rhaenyra.

Alyn and Addam are welcome additions to the story so far as bastardy is concerned. We really don’t see this with the Velaryon-Strong brothers at all, but here we see how Corlys has to be low key with his interactions, how Alyn suppresses his need for approval from his biological dad, how it’s compromising to be seen together etc.

Why is Hugh Hammer being yassified and babygirlified lmao?? I guess they’ll make Ulf the fool, then.

Blood and Cheese delivered complexity in terms of Helaena’s choice…but it flopped a bit at the horror part. I was left wanting more from it, but Phia’s performance was EXCELLENT and Helaena’s dissociative POV as the event happened, so soul-twisting and chilling. The children being made younger (the babies are reportedly 4 in the show canon) makes everything much sadder and disgusting. Alys Rivers can’t haunt Daemon Targaryen enough for what he has done!

Larys politically seducing Aegon the same way he did Alicent years ago…Lord, take me away!!! He and Otto continue to be the delightfully subtle evil, whilst Alicent slowly catches up, navigating her way more strenuously towards her sons to capture and ensure influence over them.

Daemon’s loserism is hilarious. And I did very much enjoy his intimate interactions with Mysaria, whose accent has largely improved!!

I’m repelled by this rubbish logic that Ser Erryk is the most honorable, angelic and saintly Kingsgurad! Again, the concept of ‘honor’ in a story fool of hypocrites, liars and pretenders is funny as hell. This is why I love the Greens more narratively. We don’t have to pretend that they’re the good guys…and that makes them way more badass.

No Daeron mention yet. THIS SHOULD BE THE EPISODE WHERE HE’S MENTIONED, DAMN IT!!

[itsprjc]

Well, Season 2 of TDI Reloaded (TDI Rematch) has had its first four episodes out for about a week. I figured I’d share my thoughts about what we’ve gotten so far:

-The challenges are a little more fun than in Season 1. They have a good amount of variety and the often led to really fun moments between the characters. From the Skunks clogging the toilet slide, to basically all the Rat Faces being carried by Caleb, and of course the AB questions challenge. My girlfriend and I straight up paused the episode each question to try and guess the answers. (We got over half of them right.) As for my personal ranks on the challenges:

-Taking it to the Rim Reaper (Ep. 2): Memorable concept, without going too overboard with it. Also, I’m a bit of a simpleton sucker for the pratfalls.

-Choosin’ for a Bruisin’ (Ep. 4): Great challenge for both character insights and just playing along with it during a first-time viewing.

-You Poor Saps (Ep. 3): I technically prefer Ep.1’s challenge, but this one led to so many gold character moments.

-The Pink Painter Strikes Again (Ep.1): Solid start. Simple challenge, nothing too crazy.

-Animation is pretty much on the same level as Season 1. The facial expressions are GOLD! I’d argue some parts feel more dynamic than Season 1, like the slide moments in Episode 2, but overall, no complaints.

-The characters feel like they never left:

-Priya: I kinda get why she’d fall hard for Caleb, as keep in mind, she’s been stuck with this training with hardly any friends. This also explaining why she instantly jumped to befriending Millie when it seemed they got along. It’s clear that she does value the friendship as she was the only one to give Millie a chance after Episode 2. She also did work as an effective leader in the same episode, instantly taking advantage of the challenge’s slide order rule. Overall, I’m okay with Priya.

-Bowie: I dig his plot. Bowie made it clear at the end of Season 1 that he’s willing to bend the rules…and it’s clear that he probably cares about Raj more. Since people are more weary of him after the finale, it makes sense to have his conflict be more about whether he’d play dirty again. Also, this joker in Episode 4! As a captain (assuming those roles are official) I feel Priya’s more effective, though.

Millie: It’s clear she had alot more learning to do about being a good friend. (I still say both her and Damien could have taken the two-point slide together if they were both weary on the third.) Though her elimination was pretty anticlimactic, unfortunately. I do prefer her in Season 1, but I’m not against the plot they gave her.

Julia & MK: I’m putting them both together because they’re basically a package deal this time around. Overall, live their dynamic. It was a sudden jump from animosity to friendship, but that’s just because they know game when they see it. They have so much fun just being underhanded together, and it’s honestly a refreshing take on villain alliances. While I’d say MK is the breakout of the two, since she’s the brains of the whole alliance, Julia’s dialogue is so on point that it hurts. My hopes is that MK does succeed in backstabbing Julia, but she doesn’t even get mad. She just respects a player and roots for her to win…underhandedly, of course.

Emma: Compared to Millie…honestly not that mixed. I’m glad she cut the chord with Chase early and she got him booted in a clever way. The one thing that’s kinda backwards is how she ends up being a poor judge of character in Episode 4 when she basically red Chase like a book in Episode 2. But then again, I guess that’s just chalked down to being used to his sorry butt the most?

Chase: Everybody (including me) called that he’d be an early boot…and he was. I’m perfectly content with that, as it’s clear that character development was never the end-goal with Chase. And the moment he left, the Skunk Butts became the de facto best team. Props on his ballsy attempt to outrun the balloons in challenge 1, though.

Zee: All I wanted from Zee in Season 2 is for him to still be Zee…Good news, Zee is still Zee. I honestly got worried the “soda influencer” plot would be a cheap and easy way to make him an early boot…and they make him Papa Zee instead. I love this lanky boy.

Ripper: My one complaint on Ripper is that he feels like he’s really not there that much. In Episode 2, he disappears for a good while until the mid-end. And he doesn’t really get to interact with his new team that much. The only real time he interacts with the other skunks is when he asks about how to approach Axel. Let’s talk about Ripaxel…I honestly really wanna see what they do with it! It is a little sudden how it starts, but in its defense, so was Rajbow. Their interactions in Episode 3 were fun to watch, and that POEM. Hey, fanfic writers…Raj and Ripper having a poetry battle…think about it. Despite him disappearing sometimes, what we do get from him is enjoyable. Here’s to more!

Wayne and Raj: My boys are untouched! The one blessing is that they NEVER went for some stupid jealousy plot! (Wayne cares too much for Raj for petty stuff like that.) And they are arguably goofier than in Season 1. (Shoutouts to them wanting burgers after seeing the slides and the “Cyclone-Spin Cycle”) It is funny how many people (again, including me) wanted to see their mischievous side more, but instead the boys are even bigger boy scouts with their understandable disgust at cheating. While I still think one leaving earlier is more likely, I really, REALLY hope that they stick for a little. Imagine them against Julia and MK for at least an episode or two! And while I still would love a Damien VS. MK finale, Wayne or Raj VS. MK works great! Fair and honest player against a crafty cheater. It would be gold!

Damien: I’m really holding out for him since he’s pretty much jogging in place a bit. Sure, he wants to take more risks, but it’s not to a great extent. Then again, the season’s only gotten started. I just hope his crafty side comes out more later. He’s not too afraid anymore, so now he needs to push his brains to the forefront.

Scary Girl: I dig the “Lauren” design. Unfortunately, the “normal” bit wasn’t really used all that much, as she barely had a presence in Episode 1. She had some small scenes, but nothing outstanding until she got herself eliminated. Though given how she was enjoyable, but pretty one-note last season, I feel she works well as a first-boot. Will she return to stalk everyone? Who knows. Probably.

Nichelle: I dig her more confident attitude. Part of me wishes we saw her gaining that confidence DURING the season, rather than all that development being off-screen, though. It makes sense for her to train beforehand, but I would have just as easily liked her having a bit of fire in her and then training throughout the season. As she is, I like how she’s so done with her old Hollywood life. Hopefully she does interact with Damien more, as they seem to have a friendship growing.

Axel: Besides MK, Axel was the biggest relief of the S1 pre-mergers. She’s still hostile and hardcore, but I find her showings of care towards the team being well-needed additions. Examples being her helping Damien back to camp after the four-point slide, and her warning her team to be cautious about getting stuck with the sap. I already said my piece on Ripaxel, so my personal hope is that there is a survival or stealth challenge where the two have to work together. (Ala Hide and Be Sneaky, Eat, Puke, and be Wary, or Hurl and Go Seek if you wanna count the “zombie” thing.)

Caleb: Caleb was simple, and he still kinda is. I like how paranoid he was in Episode 1, but overall he’s just a more effective Justin. I do prefer him over Justin, as he can be a massive asset to the team, as shown in Episode 3. Like Zee, I’m fine with him as is, and can only wait and see what he does in later episodes. Will his alliance become genuine romance or just a tool for Caleb to outlast Priya? Probably the ladder, as he doesn’t seem to show any romantic interest in her that feels genuine.

And that’s Total Drama Island Rematch so far. Tomorrow should be the debuts of Episodes 5 and 6, so here’s to a great season. I was honestly shocked at how much I loved this cast, and how refreshing it felt seeing the show after a seven (eight if you ignore Ridonculous) year hiatus. I will be making sure to watch the series again when it comes to MAX in seventy years. As for whether or not I wanna see the Gen 4 cast again…I’ll probably be content with them stopping their run after Season 2. Reloaded and Rematch work as just two halves of a nice little package, and I really don’t want them to risk having this lovable cast go through what Gen 1 did. If we do get a new season, I’d be fine with them having a new cast. Fans will probably like them as much as they do with Gen 4.

[mcytblrconfessions-but-badder]

Wild life just kinda sucked and I wouldn't want another season.

There were maybe 2 wild cards that felt like they were entertaining for a full episode (eating stuff (kinda-) & superpowers). I think the one in the first episode was also alright, but it was more the vibes of the first ep making it fun (people gathering resources, making alliances, etc) than the wild card itself

The snails were probably my least favorite. sure, it was fun for maybe 10-15 minutes but it just got extremely repetitive after that. All the players had to constantly be moving, so they weren't making any progress, and no one could do anything about the snails. It would've been interesting if other people can do stuff with your snail, but you can't, it would at least add a little bit more action.

And a lot of the snail deaths were accidental and not even that entertaining. (as opposed to accidental deaths to other mobs, or falling, etc, which to me are more interesting)

There wasn't really much incentive for people to pvp, as opposed to the boogeyman curse in LL and LimL, or even the red name tasks in SL Most of the alliances stayed the same throughout the series (which is fine on its own), but it never felt like any two alliances had a rivalry, or even that much interaction besides a select few people (Like Gem & Pearl, or Lizzie & Joel). And since there were already 6 winners before wild life, there's a lot less people who want to win, so it's a lot calmer, and it just kinda becomes a thing of "team with a previous winner so you can have someone sacrificing themselves for you"

Wild Life felt a lot more like a spin-off/game-show that got shoved into the main series and overall it just felt like this season lost whatever made the life series The Life Series™️

I think whatever the next season is, if they keep trying to expand more on gimmicks rather than staying with a PVP based "death game", probably won't be something I'd want to watch

(Obligatory "just my opinion" yada yada)

.

[thegeminisage]

IT'S star trek update time. last night we did voy's "prototype" and "alliances," two episodes about trusting people who are sending up major red flags

prototype:

B'ELANNA "ABORT THAT THANG" TORRES

first of all, aw, she's so compassionate...she just wants to help the little robot guy!

i loooove that we got a data mention this ep and a spock mention next ep. cloud nine. what an evening for me truly

her little pjs. please.

at first i was like yeah ok this definitely violates the prime directive but i want her to do it anyway. i changed my mind RIGHT before she got kidnapped bc there was just something about that robots vibe :|

the fact that she tried to create life JUST to see if she could...she wasn't supposed to but she had no choice and she WANTED to...love that for her

the twist that the robots killed their builders and will go on killing one another until theres none left is not wholly unexpected but also. maybe the builders shouldn't have treated their sentient beings like garbage now should they

most of this episode was kinda boring, but the scene where b'elanna shanks her own creation + her gay little moment with janeway at the end made it worth it <3 and the data mention, of course.

alliances:

this episode is STARFLEET PROPAGANDA

firstly, what is Going On with janeway and chakotay. spend more time looking at each other please

like their debate about this whole thing was So tense. and it's my favorite thing which is chakotay put between the federation/janeway and the maquis/his besties and having to thread the needle. like he's got pressure coming at him both ways because BOTH SIDES consider him to be "one of them" and are always shocked and aghast when he doesn't fully align himself with their views. what's so fun is that when he's talking to janeway he acts like a maquis and when he's talking to the maquis he acts like starfleet, even though you'd think it'd be the other way around. inverse energy of being two-faced

kazon politics were BOOORING but it was fun to see seska again. now we have to wonder whose baby she is having............she's lying to somebody but i really hope it's chakotay

SPOCK MENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!! from my best friend tuvok no less!!!! WHILE he was tending to his orchid <3 what a thing to talk about spock while literally displaying a flower that is partially from earth and partially from vulcan. wow. not even close to subtle

that being said, after a speech like that, about bridging gaps and differences making us stronger, after a stab at bringing stability to this quadrant which is NOT violating the prime directive, we just...?

like, sure, yes, it failed, but rather than "we'll try again" janeway was like "SEE? all we can truly count on out here is the federation's rulebook, aka my comfort blanket!" net zero growth and no lessons learned

except not to trust white guys who say they don't understand why reparations should be a thing, i guess. man he was so falsely sincere we had him pegged from the get-go as an asshole. "but i didn't knooow about the racism" ok dude. go home

TONIGHT: ds9's "crossfire" (GIRL HELP) and voy's "threshold," which is going to be such an insane mashup it will be a miracle if i get to sleep after they're over

[lemonhemlock]

I think it's easier to interpret book Aemond as an "outsider" or "loner" because he is written as a shallow caricature of a character whose only notable act is abandoning his family and the war they're fighting to hang out with his new girlfriend and commit genocide with zero strategic military aim - thus his actions can be viewed as those of someone who doesn't really give a shit about the promises he's made and the duties he has to his family and to the military effort (including his betrothed! he openly risks a crucial military alliance!). So I could see the argument that he maybe felt disconnected from them in some way, and there was never much love there. However, one of the clearest changes from book Aemond to show Aemond is how much more entrenched he is within his family. I do agree it seems that Ewan dials into this bad boy cliche in that interview, that I don't think is reflected in the material we get of Aemond on screen. If anything - we see over and over that Aemond is by far the most outwardly loved by Alicent out of the three kids (I'm not saying this motherly love or her attachment to him is particularly "healthy" - but she clearly loves him in the best way she's able to.) She struggles to connect with or express her love for Helaena and Aegon, yet we see her comforting Aemond when he's younger, fighting for him when he gets hurt, then her trust and reliance on him when he's older, her worry (she tells him she doesn't want him to go look for Aegon so he can stay with her!), her disappointment when he lets her down at dinner. I think Aemond's relationship with his family slowly disintegrating largely due to B&C fallout is going to be a crucial part of season 2 and his "unraveling," which is why it's even more significant that he WAS loved and trusted by his mother, by his pseudo father figure, perhaps even in ways by his brother and sister. I guess I also just don't personally see the appeal in the edgy loner who doesn't care about anything or anyone stereotype, and find it to be a set up for pretty bland one-dimensional storytelling. Lucky for us that isn't the story for him set up in season 1, and we will likely be seeing an explosive and toxic breakdown of the most important relationships in his life. I do tend to assume that people who put too much stock in the oft contradictory things actors say about their characters are new to fandom, because anyone who has been around the block even once knows to treat that kind of a stuff as a fun extra add-on, and rather focus on interpreting the information presented to us in its final form on our screens. Same with Olivia saying that Alicent is scared of Criston - that is simply not the story that is presented by season 1 of the show.

agree, but i also don't think we should get stuck in a couple of interviews. ewan's aemond doesn't really have any scenes with alicent at all in ep. 8 and very brief ones in ep. 9. it's possible he also didn't have access to the scripts for episodes 5-6, so alicent advocating for little aemond wouldn't be at the forefront of his mind. all these elements matter a lot when framing a character. the actors are not asoiaf nerds, they (hopefully) have better things to do with their time other than pouring over the sacred texts. and, in aemond's case, yes, he is an unhinged little maniac in FB so it's easy to paint him as a bad boy

at this point. you know. the show has contradictions, the book has contradiction (aemond's dilly-dallying in the riverlands bc he narratively needs to be there for his big death-off with daemon), the actor's interviews have contradictions. it is what it is. we'll always have fanfic

[chidoroki]

Tokyo Revengers S3EP8

aka: super money bros

Inui slays in heels but are we gonna learn why he wears them? Of course there doesn’t need to be a reason if he just wants to look fancy and he likes to do so, but I feel there’s more to it.

HELLO? Random kiss from Koko outta nowhere?? What was that for!

Whomever this Akane is is really messing with Koko’s mind.

Ooohh, Inui’s sister. I have a hunch something happened to her and died if Koko is always stressing about earning money.

I wanna say their interactions are cute but I just know there’s gonna be heartbreak at the end of this ep.

“I will love you forever. When I grow up, please marry me!” Koko entering his Asta phase.

“I’ll protect you forever.” “Do you promise?” “Yeah. I promise.” And then something is about to go wrong..

Yup, horribly wrong like, RIGHT NOW! Goddamn, that fire happened quick.

Oh my god, Koko went in to rescue Akane but because the siblings look so similar he saved Inui instead.

Ah, so that’s how Inui got the mark on his face. I didn’t even notice it was missing earlier in the flashback. My bad.

Oh, and that’s why Koko is so driven to make money, to help treat Akane’s burns.

Koko really hustling to make all that cash. I wondered why this seemingly good boy who frequents the library turned into a punk.

That bouncer let him into some vip club? Doesn’t matter if Koko used a fake card, the boy still looks so young!

All that effort went to waste with Akane dying out of the blue.

Okay wait, the Haitani bros look real nice with their hair down like that though..

Two bros, crying on the battlefield, five feet about but they’re so gay.

Ah shit, Mucho is coming in to fight Inui instead.

Hang in there Chifuyu!

Damn, if Mucho slammed a dude into the ground and busted his spine, Inui better watch his back.. not that it matters as he’s getting thrown down on the ground anyways, good lord.

Hanma is way too excited to learn about all the crimes S-62 committed.

UMM Rindo?? What the fuck are we doing splits like that for? He’s obviously having too much fun during this fight.. and I'm very impressed.

So these two, by themselves, ruled over all over Roppongi, because of a victory in one fight where one dude eventually died.. wow. And again, they’re so young here!

Okay but Ran fighting with a baton is kinda cheap.

Angry and Hakkai gotta step up, stop arguing about their siblings and retaliate!

Little bro alliance let’s go!

[trashlie]

FP 215 and 216 + some shippy commentary

Whew boy! It has, yet again, been a while since my last one, and I’ve had SO MANY thoughts rattling around my brain, but I’m so bad at juggling my multiple hobbies. I’ve recently gotten back into learning watercolor painting and having so much fun with it, but there’s such a limited number of hours in a day and I lose hours while I’m painting, aaaaaaahhhh! 

Anyway, I really want to try to gather some thoughts before this week’s ILY update, because my GOD I have LOVED where we’ve been with the story. I know as readers we collectively have looked forward to this never-ending night lol but I feel like there’s so many things I was personally waiting for that are finally coming to fruition and my GOSH it feels so rewarding and so exciting! 

Now, you guys know that I have been chomping at the bit re: Kousuke, but I’m going to save him for a separate post. I’ve been yelling about him a LOT lately and I want to take a break, hehe, and dig into some other aspects, so we’ll be covering FP eps 215 and 216 in this post, but I swear I’m going to try to get my Kousuke thoughts out this week before the next episode drops ;_____; I have... so many thoughts about him and especially Kousuke + Nol as family and enemies aaahhhhhh. But for that - LATER! 

I mean, okay, I guess I do have to touch a little on Kousuke lol and how we got here, since I never really dropped my thoughts about the episodes leading up to this hhhh I’m really behind! Kousuke being his own worst enemy all these years and thus bringing about his own downfall (of sorts) is just sooo poetic. And don’t get me wrong - I have a lot of deep feelings about this because, as we know, while Kousuke has been on a shitty path, there are reasons he ended up there, and the dramatic tragedy of him fighting something that never really existed feels like such a sucker punch. He has spent so long making an enemy of someone who only wanted alliance, and in his quest for Rand’s affection - for his father’s LOVE - he has brought the utmost of disappointment to him. I think it’s worth acknowledging that this was not Kousuke’s intention. He had no intention of punching Nol and fell to his knees when Nol pushed him and jeered so there’s only so much of this I’m willing to pin on him, because I doubt he expected his punch to land so much damage, you know? Nol goaded him and he got more than he bargained for. It’s not so very black and white. 

But regardless of intention, we arrive at a hospital - mercifully not Hirahara Memorial - with Nol in a really, really bad shape, and to no surprise, it is Shinae (and Lil Buddy!) waiting on him to wake. 

I love everything about this for so many reasons! It’s very much a sort of parallel to the night Shinae was in the hospital, with Nol sitting outside the door, except now we so much more friendship between them since then, and shinae doesn’t sit outside his door but is dozing off on the side of his bed. When you think about everything that has happened since that scene, it feels surreal! Nol and Shinae both have been through so much beginning with that harrowing night of the gala. and though Nol has tried to run away, all of it has only brought them closer, whether or not he’s able to admit it. 

And this is actually something that I love so much about these episodes! In the episodes leading to this, at Minhyuk’s party, Nol was so cagey and edgy, all sharp edges and dangerous shadows, as if he was daring her, as if he was trying to see how far he could push. It’s not that he dropped away the Yeonggi mask entirely and revealed who he really is as much as he adopted his Nol persona and pushed it forth. After all, Yeonggi is just as much a part of who he really is, as much as his sharp edges he tried to soften by pushing Yeonggi forward. That’s what we get to see in this episode: he is as much the boy who initially approached Shinae as he is the man who’s tried to push her away, whether or not he’s willing to accept it. Even after confirming their mutual care and respect for each other, Nol (inebriated at that) pointedly shared his darkest, hidden side - and it didn’t scare Shinae off. 

Certainly Shinae was exposed to the most private side of Nol - the darkness and sharp edges he uses to push back against the world, the part of him that he was so desperate to hide - but in these episodes, we see the most authentic aspect of him. Where all the alcohol he drank earlier in the night brought out what some might consider the “worst” of him, I think the morphine drip brings out a more authentic take on Nol. No inhibitions, but no edges, no sharp bites, and just enough honestly that he may regret it later. 

And I love it! I loved seeing how Shinae dealt with such a dark, edgy version of the friend she was so desperate to catch, but I REALLY love getting to see Nol and Shinae return to their roots in these episodes, in terms of their rhythm, their beats, their chemistry. I think they play off each other in such a surprisingly natural way - Nol certainly has been taken by surprise by it before, but I don’t think Shinae is as aware of it. The way she responds to his prank (which is, admittedly, such a dark, cruel prank lol) and turns her own despair around to prank him back was just beautiful, absolute art lol. He’s always had the upperhand, but since climbing up to join her on the rooftop, they stand toe to toe on equal footing. 

But honestly, it’s so nice? To see Nol laugh again? Even if it came to him via a mean prank, even if it’s because he’s so at ease on morphine. Isn’t that so weirdly twisted - this is what it’s taken to bring him a well-deserved moment of peace, for the waters to become placid, even if temporarily. He came so close to dying! And only then has he found his peace. (Very similar to the pool fall at the black and white formal, where he denied himself a different sense of peace.) 

I love their rhythm! How they go back and forth so easily (with Lil Buddy’s assistance heh,.. Nol can’t catch a break!) and they just feel so NATURAL. It’s almost hard to believe that just a few months ago, Shinae wanted nothing to do with him, and now she has been exposed to the most raw and vulnerable parts of who he is, has become acquainted with him in a way that no one else yet has. 

I love it, I love them! There’s a sense of intimacy woven into the episodes, with Nol allowing himself what he’s never before, resting on her should. He is metaphorically as much as literally allowing himself to lean on her, finally, after all the struggles he’s endured alone. After everything he has faced alone, he is allowing himself to share a moment with someone, even if he can’t admit it fully out loud. Would he have done the same if not for the morphine? I guess it’s pretty much a moot question, because we only get to have this moment because of how much he’s endured, finally hitting that limit. He nearly DIED - and he would have, had Kousuke not gone out after him. How far would he have gotten before he collapsed and bled out in the snow, perhaps Rand wouldn’t have even seen him. It’s scary just how close he came to no longer existing. 

So I suppose there may not be a scenario where Nol would allow himself to lean on a friend. He doesn’t say it, but I expect it’s at the back of his mind - his fear. Is he relieved? Would he rather have been left there in the snow? I suspect as much as he’s been suicidal in the past, that’s not how he wanted to go. Idk, I have a lot of quiet thoughts about this - about how painful recovery will be and would he rather have let his flame go out like that? Or does Shinae’s presence make him rethink those ideations? Is the presence of someone who cares - who has seen his darkness and still cared about him, who has been hurt by him and still cares about him - enough to make him feel relieved that he is still here? He’s so weary, so exhausted, and look at what extremes he went through before he allowed himself any reprieve.

In a really weird way, this reminds me of the phone call in episode 73 while Shinae is in the hospital with her dad and Rika, which is funny, because Nol spends that whole phone call deflecting and lying about his condition. But it still carried that sense of tender intimacy - the two people alone while the world around them is at rest, just a stolen moment of comfort in their sea of storms (although during the phone call the solace is definitely more so for Shinae’s benefit than his own). Here we have a similar scenario - two people alone while the world around them is asleep, the snow blanketing the city around them, no one aware of this moment transpiring, except this time Nol allows himself to benefit from the solace and the comfort. How many times has he reached out only to deny himself whatever it is he seeks? How many times has he made himself prop himself up, unable to allow himself to take comfort (denying that he deserves comfort)? 

“I thought you didn’t like the silence?” “I don’t.. but I like THIS silence.” 

Perhaps it’s just the morphine, but there’s something about that exchange that just GETS to me - that silence is otherwise so constricting, so claustrophobic, so unbearable, except this one. This one is special. This one is nice. This one is comforting. Again, that layer of tragedy underlines it - that this wouldn’t be happening had he not nearly died. That he’s in so much pain but it is, for now, masked by something that can take it away. Isn’t that what he’s wanted? Something that softens the blow, that little moment to catch his breath? 

And GOD the way Shinae reacts! So many times this evening she’s found herself flustered, found herself feeling something unusual in response to him - whether it’s his honesty or his dark edges or this - whatever this may be. Nestling her face against his shoulder as she relays the way they found him, the way they barely managed to get him in in time (losing blood so fast there was truly NO minute to spare!) and how he seems to take comfort in knowing it’s not the family’s hospital when he turns his head and buries it against her. I love it, I love them! I keep saying that but aaahhhhh I always love their intimate moments, these little moments stolen in the stillness of the night, when no one else is around to mind them. A song shared during her lunch break, a phone call in the night, a passing moment when she puts his earbud back in his ear, a moment of banter before work. And just like every time, no matter how Nol tries to resist her, to turn away, to place a barrier between her, it always fails. He’s SO drawn to her, whether it’s because she’s the only person who shows him concern, the only person who notices him, who pays attention to him - or something more - he has only once been able to push her away. 

I also really love how quimchee plays with the rhythm here -  the comedy feels so organic, spliced between little moments of tenderness that is reminiscent of the earlier episodes’ comedy. It’s so light and playful in those ways - everything has been so heavy as everyone has struggled through their own plights, but Nol’s sneezing, Shinae sneaking in Lil Buddy, her impression of Rand and his laughter, it’s all so playful and light, such a delightful contrast to the moments preceding ad following. Again, they just have this way of being with each other that is so comfortable and wonderful to read. To be fair, I think Shinae has wonderful chemistry with a lot of characters - she’s always fun to read with Soushi, Minhyuk, and even sometimes Kousuke - but what’s really good about this is how Nol falls in line with her, the ways they play off each other. Everything about their collective panic over the machine beeping is so comical and feels so much like Yeonggi and Shinae! It just feels... idk, authentic. This is him, no fronts, no masks, nothing played up, just a lack of inhibitions and their shared rhythm. 

I usually try to read these scenes without a romantic lens - is this just friendship? Is this platonic? We know they’re soulmates but where do they fall on each other’s radar? Is it just that this feels like such a secretive thing? How do they affect each other? But I cannot deny how SHIPABLE these moments feel - how Shinae has spent this whole evening so affected by him! It’s so hard to read Nol, because he hides things so well. Does he, too, feel affected by the intimacy of their stolen moments? I’ve always felt he’s so caught up in what he’s running from and what he’s hiding from that he probably has never allowed himself to be honest about his feelings. Numerous times we’ve seen surprise on his face when Shinae shows him concern but is it just surprise that she sees through him or is he ever delighted (or scared) by her ability to do that? It’s so hard to tell! I’ve been of the mind lately that she’s the one feeling something - or at least showing it, but I wish I could get a better read on him. I feel like Nol allowing himself that moment on her shoulder is something, maybe? It feels a little reminiscent of their hug in 151 - one of the only times he was able to create the distance between them, and also one of the only times he allowed himself that moment - but the emotions of it are incredibly different. 

This is where I’ll allow myself to get into the shippier thoughts, though. Like I said, it’s just so difficult to get a read on Nol - I feel like on some level we’ve barely scratched the surface of him, even though I also think we’ve seen some of his most raw angles. But as far as shipping stuff goes, there’s still so many questions. The way he talked about Alyssa never really indicated that there were ever feelings as much as him trying - and failing - to keep her out of Yui’s reach. I still wonder what their friendship was like. Is he just blinded by futility? He can only look back on it this way, because all of the good times - when they were friends - have been overshadowed by her need for Yui’s approval? I bring this up because it’s the only real comparison we have as an indicator of Nol’s feelings. He never even mentioned Alyssa when he was in the alley with Lil Buddy - and I guess there could be a couple reasons why. After all, he was speaking of the friends he was leaving behind, the ones who he didn’t want to let go of, and Alyssa wasn’t part of that group. But it could just as easily be that he thinks it’s a lost cause - Alyssa has chosen her path and there’s no point in trying to fight her. 

At any rate, we’ve always been shown the different ways that Nol and Shinae interact and behave, especially contrasted to Alyssa. I wonder how much of Nol she’s met - does she only know happy-go-lucky Yeonggi who has never put his own needs ahead of anyone else’s? That’s what I assume, based on the way she talks about him and how “easy” their relationship was - that he is someone who never made a fuss and had no issue with her doing whatever she wanted without him. But again, I think it’s safe to assume that Nol is the most himself we’ve seen with Shinae, which makes sense given that he struggles so much to draw that distance between them. She just brings something out of him, and it certainly has a lot to do with the fact that she pays attention to him, she notices the little things he got used to people not noticing, she showed him the kind of friendship he was denying himself. 

And, damnit, I can’t help but ship them, when they have these moments. This is why I find myself shipping them, rather than enjoying the possibility of platonic soulmates - because how do you develop this bond, this kind of relationship, and then move in different directions? How do you share this kind of tender intimacy without it feeling like something Else? I am a big fan of intimacy =/= romance and there are ways it could have played out between them, but I also think that so much of their intimacy has been these little pockets of calm shared together in the shadows that have changed who they are as people. And just like intimacy does not necessarily always equate to romance, attraction doesn’t always indicate romance, either. We’ve seen that Shinae is definitely attracted to Dieter, but I think the way she’s drawn to Nol is different. That intimacy is there - Shinae has been able to share things with Dieter that she couldn’t easily share with others at first - but idk, it just feels DIFFERENT in a way that’s so difficult to articulate. 

Because of their shared and similar experiences, Nol and Shinae have this rather innate understanding of each other. Shinae is both understanding of why Nol is the way he is, but also pushes him and doesn’t allow him to make those excuses - look at the way she verbally assaulted him when he feigned forgetting his memory lol. I think it would be difficult (although not impossible) for anyone else to feel that with him. In fact, in general, it makes me wonder who Nol will be in the future - will he ever be able to forge other, genuine relationships outside Shinae, Dieter, and Soushi? 

Shinae has made it abundantly clear how important Nol is to her, both to him and to others. Is she as important to Nol? Does it scare him that someone now knows so many of the things he’s hid and tried to mask, or does he find comfort in it? 

The thing about romance is that there’s not an easy before and after - it’s the kind of thing that happens over time, little by little, sometimes moments more noticeable than others. The night of the black and white formal, Nol spent so much of his time and energy looking out for Shinae, taking care of her, trying to keep her safe, and since that night she has returned the favor, doing just as he did - reaching out and opening herself up and making a point to be there for him. What is that to him? Is it friendship? Is it something that blurs the line? I don’t expect them to figure it out any time soon, if there’s something, if it means anything, but in the same way I just wonder how he sees it. Like I said, I think it’s more evident with Shinae - she’s had the signs more frequently, but what about Nol? 

I genuinely just love watching them play out and develop, the way their experiences bump into each other and their lives merge. Whatever path Nol is on, I hope he’s realize that Shinae is a part of it, too, in whatever form he wants her to be. I hope he realizes that there is someone who has his back completely, who can accept him at even his darkest, his lowest, his absolute worst, and will continue not only to just root for him, but assist him. It’s one thing to cheer someone on, it’s another to assist with the heavy lifting. That’s what it is about them that just GETS to me; they have found in each other something they denied themselves. Shinae built her walls tall, so afraid of being hurt again, and lied to herself about not craving that companionship. Nol forged fake friendships because he didn’t think he deserved real ones. In each other they have found someone who unconditionally accepts who they are, who pushes them to be better, who has their backs. It’s hard not to ship that! 

All I ever hoped of this night was that Nol would go back to his friends, that they’d find a way to make up - or begin to make up - and now look what we’ve got! And we’re left with Shinae discovering that this whole arduous terrible night was his birthday! RIGHT after he pointedly evade it, too. There’s been so many opportunities for him to tell her - she invited him to the very party! lol like!!!! To discover his birthdate as he pointedly avoided answering to the nurse - is she going to call him out on it? I think given everything she’s learned, she’ll probably understand why it was something he didn’t share, that it was part of the secrets he carried but I still want to see what she does with this knowledge. Because it’s not the fact that he never divulged it but rather the fact that a. he’s still hiding things which is much more likely because b. he has endured the absolute worst shit on this very night. On his birthday. No one told him Happy Birthday - instead he just nearly died. ;________; Isn’t that so fucking SAD?! 

In very different ways, Shinae and Nol have both had the same goal in mind: to make each other happy. Just like earlier in the night she offered to help him relive one of his last, happy moments about Christmas, I’m sure she will once again offer to give him at least one happy memory about this birthday. Something worth celebrating, if it’s only that he’s alive and loved and that people care about him and he is worthy of his love. ;~;

IDK i feel very incoherent at this point so I think I’m going to end it here lol JUST KNOW THAT I HAVE SO VERY MANY FEELINGS that I have been rereading these episodes in awe of the tenderness and the intimacy. I’m such a fan of Nol and Shinae’s Stolen Moments of Calm aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

[helluvapurf]

Ayyyy new HB episode just dropped, and its the Fizzarolli one!~ Been SUPER curious about it since the initial trailers/sneak peek previews, soooo... lets talk about it~

*SPOILER WARNING AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T SEE IT YET-*

First things first, the Positives:

-Loved loved LOVED Fizzarolli and Asmodeus since their initial debuts in "Ozzie's", and... yeah, I very much enjoyed them here too!~ 👏From Fizz's maniacally-pampered goofiness to Ozz's "lovingly suave & powerful" demeanor, it blends into some super enjoyable chemistry when we see them both onscreen~ ❤️Not that they have a flawless relationship ofc, given Ozzie's overprotective coddling at times & Fizz being too careless about his own safety (+his inner worry of what the public would think of Ozz dating an Imp)... but at the end of the day, whether it's fluffy cuddles, kinky fun, or pummeling the hell out of some boring lawyer dude... it seems like nothing will ever tear these two apart, aww~ :3

-Blitz and Fizz's dynamic was SO fun to watch from start to finish, everything including their snarky banter at the start, their gradual teamwork when kidnapped, and their heart-to-heart by the end was quite touching to see play out (like man you can just FEEL the pain in Blitz's voice as he recounted all that tragedy/genuinely felt remorse for what happened... poor guy ;-; )🥺 I know some could argue that Fizz forgiving Blitz at the end was a little... "rushed", but personally I like to see it more as them agreeing start over "fresh" to give time in rebuilding things, with plenty to catch up on now that they're free from danger 👍 Here's to some more great Blitz/Fizz content in future HB eps!

-As... "lukewarm" as I've grown towards Stolas lately, I honestly found him pretty fine here in terms of character portrayal/writing (surprising too that he didn't take up much screentime since he stayed more to the sidelines during the B-plot... huh .3.). The lil bit of him excited to read the contract was pretty funny too lol ("Ohoho, I love words!~")

-Didn't expect to see Striker so soon, but he proved a fun threat to watch along with the bigger arsenal in Crimson's gang! 👌 Curious to see what he'll be up to next, with that slick escape of his by the end~ 👀

-I liked the lil fly-Chihuahua things Fizz had as pets during the intro, they were cute :3

-Much better writing in the humor-department here, as even some of the "raunchier" jokes (like from Fizz and/or Ozzie) didn't really phase me here since most of them do come from two prominent Lust Ring performers. Ironically enough though, it was actually Crimson who surprisingly gave me the most laughs ngl (like the screen recording threat to Ozzie, his confused face at Fizz singing in Italian, etc. lmao).

-Beautiful shots of animation & color work as usual, and even Fizz's song (-cluttered as it was lol) proved an amusing one to see given the circumstances of him improvising the whole time XD. Hope we'll see more of Alex Brightman's singing talents in HB's future, given his past Broadway work! 👏

-So it looks like we were right to assume Stolas is planning to give Blitz an Asmodean Crystal after all (possibly meaning the end of their Full Moon deal, too? :o), so that'll be interesting to see how that'd play out later (esp. now that Fizz gave the okay to let Blitz have it by the end, thanks to their renewed bond ^^)

Now, as for any potential Negatives...:

-As much as I enjoyed Striker's antagonist role here, along with the looming forces he gained from Crimson's alliance... like, why is Crimson of all people here for the villain-count, again? .-. Sure, it is refreshing that Striker's learning to let go of "sucking up" to Goetia's (aka: Stella & her brother) to get by... buuuut idk, I would've thought Crimson's next big appearance would've been suited more to a Moxxie and/or Millie-centered plot, I guess? 🤷 Idk...

-For someone who went through such an intense kidnapping/beat-up during his last starring role... I'm surprised Stolas is apparently walking around fine now, with no other visible injury? I mean sure, he is a Goetia so I guess it makes sense he'd heal up fast... yet since its only been canonically a week since "Western Energy" happened, I feel like he should've at least had a couple bandages/scars on him, to at least leave some more of a narrative impact of what he went through imo.

-Funny as the B-plot was with the boring lawyer guy... yeaaaaah I'll admit after awhile, I couldn't help wondering why Ozzie didn't just say "f*** it" and killed the dude already lol. Like, big threats from Crimson aside... Asmodeus IS an Embodiment of Sin nonetheless, arguably more powerful than any Goetia if we consider the Hell hierarchy system. Couldn't he have just... idk, raised up hell like Stolas did in "Truth Seekers" to go save his man? 🤷 Not that it took me out of the ep too much given all the great Blitz & Fizz content we got instead... buuuut yeah lol.

-With that one flashback sequence of Blitz and Fizz's childhood... I'm surprised Barbie Wire didn't show up much in it (save for the burned photo with their mom)? .-. I mean I'll admit I even saw some leaked storyboard-screencaps showing that Barbie was meant to be seen running out during the tent fire scene, but in the actual-finished ep she's just... not there somehow? Weird .x.;

-I'm... not really sure how to feel about Blitz straight up calling Striker a "supremacist"? Like yeah Striker's clearly within the "Eat The Rich" mentality since his debut in S1... buuuut with how its been subtly stated of how oppressed the Imp race is compared to most other Hell classes, I don't really get how Striker is "wrong" to outright detest royalty/rich folk? .-. Idk, hopefully they'll clear this up more with a later episode/backstory moment for Striker down the line... 'cause otherwise, the implications of it all just feels very... ehhhhh .x.;;

-...okay, I'm just gonna cut to the chase here (*and no offense meant-in advance to any shippers out there, btw*), but I'm... reeeeally not a fan of how much this show's been trying to "water down" Blitz and Stolas' current dynamic here 😑 Like, its one thing to show Stolas catching honest, genuine feelings but recognizing his mistakes enough to try & make things "right" (hence again, the Asmodeon Crystal thing)... but to straight up paint Blitz as being some "uwu stubborn meanie who doesn't know true love when he sees iiiiit~" is just... really? 🤦

Mind you, Stolas is the same guy who coerced Blitz into their Grimoire deal all so Blitz can keep up his I.M.P. business (& for Stolas to... well, "get some" >>;), kept stepping over boundaries throughout S1 (aka: calling him "Blitzy" over & over, hitting on him when he's not interested, etc.), and then didn't even try to defend Blitz when they both got publicly mocked in "Ozzie's" (only way later when they were in the privacy of his manor did he offer to talk/have some "cuddly couple time" together... 😒). Again, I don't mean to dunk on Stolas too much 'cause I know he IS trying to be better now (+Blitz wasn’t exactly a saint either, given that he only ever asked out Stolas back then just so he could spy on M&M >>)... but really, all that in mind I can't say I blame Blitz for not being exactly "receptive" to Stolas' affections 🤷 Personally, I think its best that these two just give eachother some space (once the Grimoire/Crystal thing is sorted out), imho...

----------

Aaaaand yeah, all-in-all I'd say this ep was... probably the best of S2, so far??😳Not "perfect" by any means, and def could've used a bit more polish in a few scenes/plot holes/script-writing... all-in-all, the strong chemistry of Blitz, Fizzarolli, Asmodeus amongst the drama made it a truly worthwhile episode~! 👏👏As for my current S2 ranking atm:

"Oops" (S2 Ep. 6)

"Western Energy" (S2 Ep. 4)

"Exes and Oohs" (S2 Ep. 3)

"The Circus" (S2 Ep. 1)

"Unhappy Campers" (S2. Ep 5)

"Seeing Stars" (S2. Ep 2)

[ridley-was-a-cat]

What I Watched This Week 8/6 – 8/12

Bungo Stray Dogs S2 – I watched season 1 of this way back in 2020 and wasn’t terribly impressed, but I kept seeing people say that season 1 wasn’t very good, and that it picks up afterwards, so I decided to come back to it. This season was more enjoyable for me, but only because the characters that annoyed me in the first season weren’t on screen very much in this season. The backstory behind Dazai’s departure from the Port Mafia was really good, and the three-way battle between the Agency, the Mafia, and the Guild was pretty fun to watch, with constantly shifting alliances and exciting fights. As soon as Atsushi and Akutagawa showed back up, though, I was immediately annoyed again. I plan to keep watching, as there are a ton of other characters I enjoy, but I really hope these two work out their teenage angst or whatever their problem is. 7/10

A Wind Named Amnesia – This early 90s sci-fi movie started off really promising, but ended so ridiculously that I’m a little sad I watched it by myself and didn’t have anyone else to look at and ask if that just happened. The movie opens with a young man driving an open Jeep through the abandoned streets of San Francisco after a wind blew through a few years before and wiped all of humanity’s memories. He then meets up with a mysterious woman and goes on a road trip to New York. All of this is a solid setup for what could be a thought-provoking story about the nature of humanity as they stopped at cities along the way and met with the people living there. However, about two-thirds of the way through, the writer decided all of that was just way too hard, they go directly from Colorado to DC, skipping the entire Midwest and South, there’s a truly bizarre sex scene, and then the movie just ends with nothing resolved, and nothing learned. 5/10

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ Ep 26-47 – Any time I have seen people talk about this series, they have said that the first half was bad, and the second half was better. In my case, though, I liked this less and less the longer it went on. The Shangri-La crew’s antics in the beginning weren’t top-notch comedy, but they were entertaining in their own way, and it was interesting to watch the Argama’s crew try to handle them. When the series tries to pivot halfway towards the serious sort of Gundam action of the first two series, it didn’t really work for me. Some of the characters who were created for comic effect, like Emary, who mostly existed just to pant after the married father Captain Bright, did nothing for me when they tried to be serious actors in the war. All of the fighting and death towards the end just felt hollow and pointless. 6/10