#the fact you have to do her little mini game (aka my least favorite one) like 6 times

[partnersatfazbear]

Midnight Motorist - An Essay

I promised this awhile ago, but my thoughts on Midnight Motorist... This mini-game has literally kept me awake for hours on two separate occasions trying to figure it out, lol! So, reading the Updated Freddy Files *suggests, not confirms* that Toy Chica: The High School Years may be how William lured each child. I made notes on this, of course.

Although I listed who was used as a stand in for each, it has no bearing on the actual child killed.

The first, represented by Foxy, is already dead. I assumed this was a stand in for Norman/CC.

Second, represented by Freddy, was lured away with promises to help with homework.

Third, represented by Wolf. Run over their dog. We all know this is referring to Susie/Chica.

Fourth, represented by Toy Bonnie. It was suggested that their house be set on fire and then Chica uses her body to put out the flames. Best I could settle for this one was perhaps pulling a fire alarm at the restaraunt, or something similar.

Fifth, Funtime Foxy. Live hostages. Presumably luring a child away with promises that their friend / missing friend is in the back room.

Sixth, the Puppet. This one is the most interesting and why I'm including it here. Chica says "I'll come over to their house later, maybe break through a window, or set the house on fire and smoke them out [IIRC, I am paraphrasing a little]" The window, in my honest opinion, has to refer to Midnight Motorist. Scott has made a point of adding things in a following game to clarify the game before (starting at least since Sister Location). With the other one referencing Susie and Fruity Maze, I think this theory holds up, although it doesn't really help solve Midnight Motorist I think it's very important to note. (William has as much of an obsession with fire as Henry, huh?)

Lastly, there is Pigpatch. It's implied William would have knocked out a child and told them he rescued them after being "kidnapped". I really like this one.

The number of victims adds up to the number of children: BV, Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, Golden Freddy, and Puppet.

Now that that's out of the way, I feel this heavily implies the footprints outside the window in MM are William's. The feet match the Glitchtrap suit, which most of us assume is a prototype for Spring Bonnie. Not only that, but obviously the springlock suits wouldn't work in the rain. Second, if you take some logic to it and see Charlotte as the first victim (no suit, no hiding the body, developing MO) then this killing would be the start of his MO--kind of an "in-between" point where he's evolving. Now, as to who the people in the house are...

In my fic, I kept the general idea that it was William as mustard man (thank you MatPat, this is my fav name for our mysterious fellow). Mostly because despite the evidence listed there is still a ton of evidence supporting it:

Later That Night - this is the name of the game file for MM.

Rain - Due to the in-game rain and this title its heavily implied to be just after Charlotte's death.

Grey Text - Michael is the only one to have the grey text and has similarities to Chair Person. (Note: I think Matpat did point out the color is slightly different, but it's still grey.)

Purple Car - William is the only one seen with a Purple Car back in one of the mini-games (FNAF 2, IIRC). To further support this, the car is also seen as an easter egg in the Dreadbear DLC of Help Wanted (with purple headlights). This is probably the most damning evidence that Mustard Man is William, in my opinion... but then how do the footprints make sense?

In my fic, I explained it away as footprints from the evening before (it was the best I could muster at the time) but this is super weak :V So this kind of brings us to alternative theories. If it is William, the supporting evidence is... good evidence of that. So, the other options are:

A Child Victim's Family - This is my second favorite theory because I think it could possibly work for, say, TOYSNHK [The One You Should Not Have Killed, hereby pronounced Toy-Shnuck] (who I made Cassidy). The problem with this is the child's gender is referred to as male. And there's a huge debate on Cassidy being female in game lore and TOYSNHK/GF being male. It IS a gender neutral name and wouldn't be the first time Scott changed a gender (see: Puppet), BUT it's pretty weak since all the info we have on TOYSNHK is recent. It could be another child that isn't Susie, though, but why show some random child as opposed to an important one? PizzaSim's games all revolve around specifics like Puppet (the first to die overall) and Susie (the first to die of the main five).

Henry is Mustard Man - This is the theory my wife likes. I can sort of see it and I even considered it at one point, but there isn't much evidence to go on. Why is the car purple is the biggest wrench for me. I also have problems with Mustard Man's attitude ("This is MY house", "He'll be sorry") Even if Henry was torn up about Charlotte, I can't see him treating his kids this way. This would also heavily imply the missing window kid to be Sammy, which hasn't been referenced in the game lore at all. He was barely mentioned in the novel trilogy, even. This also makes Gray Text either Aunt Jen or Henry's wife. There's just not enough to support this, in my opinion.

UPDATE 5/28/21 - Please see this post analyzing Fazbear Fright’s story “What We Found” for a more detailed look at what I’m about to explain that supports the Henry theory: Also from the books, CC / Norman is now referred to as Evan.

For this to work, we must assume Henry is an alcoholic after Charlotte’s death. I think the “later that night” evidence becomes somewhat irrelevant, because if this was the night of Charlotte’s death it wouldn’t really make sense. Part of me wondered if it took place after FNAF 2′s Springtrap cutscene, but the footprints don’t match. It has to be Spring Bonnie or Glitchtrap. Also, Evan and Elizabeth have also died by this point because neither are seen in the mini-game in this theory. You also must assume, based on the story evidence, that Henry married / stayed with Mrs. Afton after William either “died” or they divorced--they had to have been together for an x amount of time as for Mrs. Afton to be living with Henry but also the fact that Mrs. Afton kept Michael and the purple car. Henry using William’s car wouldn’t be unheard of if Mrs. Afton kept the car and the house, I just don’t feel Henry would use it unless he had been using the vehicle awhile. This also explains the Bonnie-esque footprints outside since William would want to come get / visit his kid he’s [most likely] no longer allowed to see. He may even be taking Michael back to the FNAF 4 house (implying that the house we see in MM is Henry’s). Speaking of, if we assume William’s intentions are [likely] bad, he’s probably taking Michael back to experiment with the Funtime-Nightmares, if you believe this theory. I think this theory is probably true considering the random grave (which, in this context has no answer except a Twisted animatronic aka a Nightmare) AND because the blueprints in Sister Location SHOW the Nightmares on the display during Funtime Freddy’s repair, implying they are real and not imagined. This is also assumed to be punishment for Michael killing Evan. I think Michael goes WITH William because of his tumultuous relationship with a now mentally ill and drunkard Henry. Henry probably knows that William killed Charlotte and a common theme in some works is a parent seeing their child (or a murderer) in a child aka Michael reminds Henry of William, so he neglects him (which in itself wouldn’t be out of place for Henry, since he already wasn’t a very attentive parent).

The main issue with this theory is that it sort of assumes that CC was Michael and not Evan. I don’t think that’s the case, though.

While we're on this version, I also want to discuss evidence for the MM driver being drunk. Not only are you driving on the opposite side of traffic, the Files book explicitly states "crashing" into the secret road for the mini-game. Not that Henry couldn't be drunk, especially if he just found Charlotte dead, but... for me personally it seems a stretch. And I already mentioned the car.

William's Father - This is an interesting idea, but the foot prints kind of rule it out. At least there's an explanation for the car, though, right? Still, it doesn't explain the foot prints unless you assume maybe his father was more alike Afton than we thought. But then why bother showing us background on our killer so late with no pay off? I easily dismiss this theory.

A new theory, at least one I haven't seen posed yet:

Vanny - That's right. Vanny. What if she survived/lived? Some leaks even suggest she may be related to the Aftons. Mustard Man's color is similar to Princess Quest's heroine. It explains the footprints, but doesn't explain the car. This would make for a nice foreshadowing of Vanny, IMO, but it’s weak at best.

You know when Matpat discusses "that one puzzle peice that we're missing"? That's this entire mess of a mini-game. Don't get me wrong, the music is bawlin and it's fun to talk about, otherwise I wouldn't write about it, but it is undoubtedly FRUSTRATING.

What are your opinions?

I also wanted to point out some other interesting things from the Files book I haven't seen discussed: There is confirmation of two sets of gold suits. Not only is there the FNAF 2 phone call, but the text specifies between Spring Bonnie/Springtrap and Fredbear/Golden Freddy. IE: FNAF 4 suit is Springtrap but the one from Stage 01 is Spring Bonnie. This could be oversight, but... I don't think it is. I'm sure most of the fandom does ASSUME this anyway, but I felt it was worth noting. (In my fic, they are the same suit, but the second sets are upgraded after the original failures).

The poster behind Scraptrap. Nothing really interesting here, but there is an image of a building with two gargoyle (lion?) statues behind him. Presumably this would be a police station or Fazbear Fright. I just thought it was cool since I never noticed this in the image. My initial thought was this might be a reference to the hospital in Man in 1280, but that’s a stretch.

Jr's. This is the random building in Midnight Motorist in which Green Man says "gtfo" to our Mustard Man. I should mention I feel that is good evidence to it being William or Henry, depending what the building is. We can 100% say it is NOT a bar (in my fic, that's what I used, even though it doesn't make sense. I don't see a drunk person driving to a second bar so close to their home when they could have gone there initially, BUT then I am a home-drinker when I do drink, so I don't know the night life). The Files refer to it as simply "a restaraunt". Whether this IS a FNAF location (also referred to as restaraunts) or just some random eatery, it's something to contemplate. I am in the camp that it isn't FNAF 2, at least.

I have some other things from Fazbear Frights' Blackbird I wanna discuss, too, but I'll wait until the book is out to help you all avoid spoilers.

Now, this is all just my thoughts on it. Please don't take anything too seriously (as Scott says don't rack your brain on this, it's not worth it). I just think these are some points that haven't been discussed before.

Also, if you wanna read my theory on why Scraptrap is partly the Golden Freddy suit, I have that theory here.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk? <-- is that a dated reference? Probably.

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

**SPOILERS** Featuring Netflix’s Cursed

SPOILER FREE REVIEW:

When I first heard about this show coming to Netflix I was excited. As someone who loves watching King Arthur inspired shows/movies, I was interested to see how the story would change by following Nimue aka the Lady of the Lake. I was surprised at how few Arthurian references were made. Mainly just focusing on characters names (like Arthur) and re-inventing them. This is more inspired by Arthurian legend than a full re-telling (or at least for this first season). From what I’m familiar with, there isn’t a whole lot of similarities with the King Arthur legend. When I first heard about the focus on Nimue, I thought the story would have followed a time long before Uther. Instead it’s more like an alternative story. 

There are a lots of characters and plots that can feel info dumpy at times, but you kind of roll with it and see how important they are as you go. Due to having SO many characters, it makes it easier to watch and doesn’t make me want to read the book. I think fans of Game of Thrones will like it because it feels like it’s trying to bank on filling the fantasy void that GOT left. (Especially with all of the characters involved and mini story-lines.) Disclaimer: There is A LOT of blood and gore. Sometimes it feels unnecessary and that they had a blood quota. So watch out for that if you’re squeamish or don’t like gory things. (There were a few parts I had to look away from.) 

Despite all of this negativity, once I understood this was a show that’s loosely based in the lore, I actually grew to like it. Of course, there’s things I would be okay without, but overall if/when a season 2 comes out I would watch it. 

SPOILER REVIEW:

Two things that I think made this watch even more enjoyable/fun was 1) Watching it with someone 2) Watching it with the captions on. [Mystical Twinkling]--Every time the sword made a noise. 

Like I said before, there were A LOT of characters and for some of them I really didn’t care. As the show went on, it made more sense, but still had a lot going on. At times, I wished I could see more of the characters I liked (ie: The Weeping Monk) compared to the Raiders.  

I definitely made a lot of Game of Thrones references and surprisingly The 100 too. Also, naming people other names. When the Widow showed up to Merlin we were joking around that it was his Mom. Also, thought Squirrel was Nimue’s brother for the longest time. 

Villains: 

SISTER IRIS!!! She needs to stop and I hate that she survived at the end of the show. For a small moment it looked like she might have changed her mind about killing the Fey Queen, but after that creepy scene of psyching herself into it, I knew she was a lost cause. Her and the paladins were very creepy and eerie. All the red just felt uncomfortable. So, that made them a chilling villain. I’m just frustrated that won’t be the last time we see Iris as now she’s been truly welcomed into the fold. 

“Born in the Dawn to walk in the Twilight”

MERLIN!!! I really enjoyed this incarnation of him and the direction they decided to take. Basically every scene he was in I enjoyed. The idea of him losing his powers to the sword and then the SWORD BEING INSIDE OF HIM!! AND THAT ENDING!! Such an epic scene when he used the sword. (I kept making Thor references with all the lightning.)

1x06 was probably my favorite episode because of his backstory/flashbacks with Lenore. They easily are one of my top ships of the show (very close to Pym and Dof). I GUESSED he was Nimue’s Dad (because it made a lot of sense) and was SO HAPPY when he was revealed as her dad. I really loved their dynamic. Gustaf did a fantastic acting job showing how much Merlin cares for Nimue. His watery eyes in so many scenes! And that the last one when she called him father and he couldn’t hold onto her! No wonder why he decided to use the sword again. I’m very excited to see what happens to him in season 2 (if/when there is one). I’m also interested to see what happens with him and Morgana. In Arthurian legend they are adversaries, but can have a very complicated relationship. Despite all of the changes in the show, I’m sure they’ll keep that in (or something close). 

Speaking of Morgana.... I really loved her character from when we first met her. I thought it was an interesting choice that she went under the name Igraine as she was Arthur’s sister and that’s his mother’s name. And then when the reveal happened with her actual name I got excited. When she was talking to Celia (when she was dead) I kept shouting NOOO and wanted to run into the TV. I like that they are going to explore her sorceress side. Now that she became the widow it should be interesting to see how powerful she will be. (We don’t know much about that character.) So happy she stayed loyal to Nimue at the end. 

I’m a HUGE fan of Daniel Sharman and after watching Medici earlier this year, I was very excited to see him back on Netflix with another show. Even though he was a villain in the show I kept holding out hope that he could be turned. (Probably because of my love for the actor.) Very early on I felt he was Fey. This was mainly due to the fact he could smell them out. This isn’t a trait that any other man blood had. There was also the fact he didn’t harm kids that sent a red flag to me that something probably happened in his childhood. I was pretty accurate when his backstory (or some of it) was revealed in 1x10. My one major complaint about this season is that we didn’t get more of him/more of his story sooner. Because if there isn’t a second season than we won’t be able to see this transformation happen. That is one of my favorite tropes in TV shows and books. 

While the Weeping Monk’s relationship with Squirrel was only a little part of this season, I really enjoyed them together. So I was very excited that they ended up together at the end, which will probably have them together for a good amount of another season. Their dynamics will be interesting to see. Definitely get an Arya and The Hound vibe. 

AND THAT NAME REVEAL! I can’t believe I didn’t piece it together!! Squirrel as Perceval makes so much sense! I read the romance of Perceval and the Story of the Holy Grail when I was studying in college and Preceval starts out as this young kid who longs to be a knight and is very hot-tempered and innocent. He will jump into anything without thinking about it first. That’s squirrel! So when Gawain named him before knighting him a knight of the Fey it was just perfect! I am very excited to see how his character develops. I just hope he doesn’t age too much before the next season. AND LANCELOT! I can’t believe I didn’t see that one coming! But it also makes sense as Lancelot is a skilled fighter and so is the Weeping Monk. With a name like Lancelot, he has a lot to live up to. I am very ready to witness this transformation. 

While watching the show I was doing my best to avoid all spoilers, yet in my YouTube feed I came across a few videos shipping the Weeping Monk and Nimue. This made me believe the two would have a true scene together, but no. I was very shocked that they did not and that the fandom already loves them so much. I can understand it because there are a lot of similarities between the two characters. From both in a way being cursed and the parallels with them having scars (specifically on their backs). He’s fire and she’s water and we know the connection there. Plus, the whole enemies to lovers trope feels strong. I also know about the lore of Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake which they have to explore. So, I can definitely see myself getting aboard this ship. 

For me Arthur’s character started out very wishy washy. I’m not a big fan of love at first sight ships just because I feel they’re not realistic. (I guess that’s the unromantic in me.) And then the fact that he backstabbed Nimue by stealing the sword all to try and restore his honor (which he failed). Now I know this was all within the first few episodes but when he tells her he doesn’t want to be saved yet they still love each other...idk. It felt like it was contradicted the female queen power being showcased. For me their relationship overall just felt rushed. Perhaps if it wasn’t so fast then maybe I could have gotten on board with it. I think time apart will help me like Arthur’s character more.

..

.....

Definitely watch Cursed on Netflix if you’re a fan of medieval fantasy and don’t mind keeping up with a ton of characters and gore. Then you’ll hope for a second season as much as me!    

[su8arandspite]

thoughts on st3 steve

For those of you who feel cheated by steve’s character regression in st3, i wrote an episode-by-episode outline of what the real steve would be up to during the summer of 1985.. As much as I liked season 3, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s at least a little bit growth to Steve that’s missing. Warning: contains major spoilers for season 3

Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?

Steve took the job at Scoops Ahoy because he doesn’t want to rely on his asshat of a father, not because he took a college rejection as a sign that he has no future. It's just a summer job

Sure, it crushed him a bit. But instead of resigning to a life of mediocrity and self-pity, Steve Harrington decides that he rather likes helping other people. We know that he’s more than willing to put his life on the line if it means saving someone else.

It’s actually Dustin who first gives Steve the idea of joining the Hawkins PD. Steve isn’t going to Purdue or to Tech- he’s headed to the Indiana Police Academy. And he’s damn proud of it, too

Forget that whole “Steve Harrington has no game after getting dumped once” bit where he returns to his old playboy ways (and failed seven+ times to get a date)! 

Steve and Robin still have a running bet, sure, but instead of going for countless pointless dates with girls he hardly knows, they both compete to see which one of them gets a night off and who works the extra shift, minus tips

She just never mentions that she has 0 interest in actually going on dates with any of those guys, because she really wants that night off

You know DAMN WELL that Steve has 10/10 mentioned Dustin to Robin. He’s proud of him. I like to think that their relationship has grown past shitty, misguided dating advice to Steve really being there for Dustin- and vice versa. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I firmly believe that Dustin is invested in Steve’s future. He wants his friends to do better than resigning to a life he hates in a nowhere town. Because he knows Steve can.

Maybe he was stuck at work while the kids threw his official coming home party, but you know that our affectionate little Steve planned a mini ice cream party and knew exactly when Dustin was coming home. He’s just playing it cool. The level of excitement at 10:20ish is more accurate and it melts my heart.

Steve is not dumb. I know for a fact he wouldn’t be pacing around; Steve would at least crack open the dictionary to help translate it.

Chapter Two: The Mall Rats

We do see more of the Steve shown in past seasons here, in that he is shown to be both loyal and clever

For example, the scene at 43:10 when he connects the tune from the horse to the one from Dustin’s recording.

Chapter Three: The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

In that little spy scene with Steve and Dustin, he isn’t distracted by Anna Jacobi and Mark Lewinski out of petty jealousy; hell, it isn’t even really about them at all. Nancy did a real number on Steve’s heart and because she gave him the first real form of love and affection that he’s ever known, he carries around some pretty serious chips on his shoulder and cracks in his little heart for a good while. Steve envies their relationship in general. He misses feeling that wrapped up in someone else. No, he isn’t chasing tail simply for the hell of it. Steve genuinely wants to find love again.  His comment wouldn’t belittle Mark, then, but instead scoff at the level of  pda in the mall

He wouldn’t insult Robin for being in drama or band. He’d merely insist she was just a friend & not his type. End of story.

nO way would he throw his own advice back in Dustin’s face like that! He treads lightly on the Suzie subject with Dustin. The idea that this girl is shrugging off Dustin- and very possibly about to break his little heart, as far as he knows- does not sit well with Papa Steve

Again, he isn’t dumb. He probably would have noticed that a tall man carrying a duffel bag was just too suspicious to be their spy, but would follow him anyways. To be safe.

Chapter Four: The Sauna Test

The scene around 9:20 on, where Steve suggests that he is both stealthy and capable of winning a fight is precious and brutal. Poor Steve. But I do think that his plan likely would be a bit more sound than that

I think he probably would have at least wanted to leave Erica out as much as possible. After all, she is only 10. Dustin’s a veteran fighter and at least (barely) a teenager.  Plus, he knows that’s a losing fight

Chapter Five: The Flayed

Not much to add here. We see more glimpses into the sacrificial Steve st2 left us with.

Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum

Can we not beat up his pretty face for oNe season I just- :((

Steve “the Hair” Harrington

The scene where Robin and Steve discuss Mrs. Click ‘s class grazes his character arc. He acknowledges his mistakes here, at least. I regained some of my confidence here, minus Steve’s acceptance that he has no future. He’s more than that.

Chapter Seven: The Bite

The scene of drugged!Robin and Steve in the bathroom warms my heart. It does give us more signs to how his breakup with Nancy affected Steve, that he’s forgiven her, and wants to find love again.

Steve would not bash Nancy simply because they are broken up. THank god they remembered that much.

“I guess I found somebody who’s better for me” sdlkfhsdlkfdl this soft boy

Robin is a lovely addition and I actually love her character. And that she doesn’t exist simply as a love interest for Steve.

Speaking of love interests, I imagine that he’d actually meet someone through Robin. Maybe one of her band or drama friends; just a nice girl who meets his level of neediness and challenges him to be better. And refuses to let him give up on himself

I could list off a few of my own ocs here but that’s a story for another time

Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt

There 10/10 is a scene where Hopper encourages Steve for his interest in looking after Hawkins

“It’ll be an honor to have you on my squad, kid” (okay, that one hurt)

“Screw Todd, Steve’s our daddy now!” you’re goddamn right he is.

I refuse to believe that Steve would sit by and not even try to help fight. Fuck that. Steve would hightail it back to Starcourt the second he knew Erica and Dustin were far enough away to be safe with a fucking flamethrower and the bat, partially from nostalgia

You know damn well that Steve has favorite movies, okay?? I refuse to believe in a universe where Dustin and Steve don’t at least occasionally have movie nights. That's just a lie

Bonus: Hopper didn’t die under Starcourt mall, but instead an enemy of the state being held in Russia (aka “the American” referenced at 1:12:49

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 33:  ᵇˡᶦᵐᵖ ʙʟɪᴍᴘ  BLIMP ԀꟽI⅂ꓭ

I usually don’t really do these during weekdays but lets just say today was a day where I felt the need for a healthy distraction.

Ah, it is episode 33. There are...so many episodes in a Yugioh season, guys. I was just not aware. But, here we are at episode 33 and we are finally going to start the finals.

For reals this time, no one’s going to get engaged, no one’s going to randomly murder a bunch of people. We are officially starting the finals this episode.

Sort of.

Man, Kaiba and his butterfly-wing shoulderpads. Sometimes it just looks like he’s just going to gently flutter away.

Also in this stadium with Kaiba and Mokuba is Marik and Odion, who is just as confused as to where the hell everyone went and why the hell Mai just flew by being carried off by a ninja in a jet pack. The hours it must have taken to wait for Yugi’s crew to walk 2 single blocks was enough time for Marik to formulate yet another back-up plan. I want to say this is plan #9.

It’s a good thing Pharaoh can’t read anymore, considering that Marik’s just walking around in a crop hoodie with a tattoo that just reads “SEASON 2 SPOILERS, PHARAOH, DO NOT READ” in hieroglyphs.

But if you wait long enough, even Yugi and his friends will accidentally wander the correct direction and actually show up.

(read more under the cut)

Not a joke, this is actually an unfinished public works project, congratulations, Kaiba Corps, there is nothing that Kaiba won’t try and then fail at, at least once.

Anyways, this shady-as-hell unfinished stadium seems kind of like a good place to get murdered and then tossed into a cement slab. Which honestly, would have been a very likely end to this season, considering what we have been through so far.

Marik decides to sneak around the bleachers, probably on all fours so no one would spot him, jump out a window, and then come in through the front door like he’s not been here this entire time. As he did, apparently he made everything very, very windy. In fact, everyone with a millennium item brought with them a spooooooky gust of wind except I think Yugi, who is probably too short to pull that one off.

Yugi did manage to get the vibe of “something bad is coming” before Marik entered the field, but like...there’s so many bad things at this point, Yugi. So many people that could be. It feels like that might be half the cast. You could say that at any given moment in this season and be absolutely right.

So, after possessing Tea for a second, for...some reason? Did she need threatening? Anyway, after doing that, Namu is in with the gang because literally nothing will prevent Yugi from becoming a friend with you, especially if you are trying to hide the fact that you just tried to kill him by drowning him in the ocean.

Funny how instead of them asking how the hell Namu got away from cultists, they have to fixate on the mystery of “is Bakura good at cards!?” because, and I kinda forgot about this, I guess they don’t remember the last time they saw Bakura play. How far up their own ass is Yugi and Joey to assume that just because Bakura doesn’t brag about cards all day, that Bakura hasn’t been equally good at cards? They kind of deserve this.

Yeah and PS Kaiba absolutely did not check the satellite to get the DL on why the hell Bakura got so many cards. Dayjob Saruman I guess went home for the evening so...although that shadow game was definitely being recorded on a computer, we’ll never know what that mess looked like on Kaiba’s end. Like there’s just three duel disks covered in ectoplasm hanging out in the cemetery and no one seems to have noticed?

Like for a competition that was huge about security and tech, they only seemed to watch the God Cards players and then Mokuba randomly monitored Joey Wheeler for some reason. That was it. That was all the people the Kaiba’s cared about.

So although Marik and Odion and Bakura could probably take on everyone right now. Like riiiight now. They decide not to because, well, I nearly forgot about someone that I was really looking forward to seeing again, that’s right, my favorite boy!

AW THERE HE IS!

to quote one of my actual favorite earworms,

Where has this big boy been hiding!? He’s freakin ginormous, but apparently he was just hiding behind a soft cloud or something, in anticipation of this grand reveal in a very sketch unfinished stadium that’s probably being used to bet on bum fights.

Mokuba gets excited for the first time since...I don’t remember if Mokuba’s ever actually been excited before. Like I’m digging through my memories here and no, Mokuba’s been mostly abducted, angry, bored, or scared, this is the first time he’s exuded that pure pre-teen energy.

PS a blimp’s max flying height is 1500 ft, and what surprised me the most about this was realizing that this entire time we’ve been watching this show, we’ve been getting measurements in US metrics. Didn’t realize that before today.

Also, on my wikipedia deep dive into blimps, I found out that like...this is probably not a “blimp,” but actually a semi-rigid airship but...I’m gonna keep calling it a blimp. Don’t @ me, blimp fandom on tumblr.

It’s so good to see more Blimp. Even though...probably the worst place to throw a tourney? Like...how many people are you even gonna fit in there? Like...is this televised? I mean I don’t know how Kaiba’s marketing works for this, honestly, he took over every TV in the city to get people to join this tourney, and now that it’s in full swing no one can watch it?

Whatever, it’s a blimp.

Duke Devlin is still here, despite the fact that I don’t think he’s going to do anything for the rest of this season. I guess they had to promote that gameboy game so his face will just be in the background always although as a dice player he um...he has no purpose here.

In fact it makes no sense, he works with Pegasus who straight up killed Mokuba and Kaiba like a month ago, why are they just letting him on their airship? Whatever.

I dunno, maybe there’s more that Duke will do eventually, but he just seemed like a replacement for Bakura at first--and Bakura’s back now, so why’s he still here?

Ishizu is here, and while every other time we’ve seen Ishizu, she’s been talking our ears off, the one time she should probably say something, she instead decides to lock herself inside her bedroom and avoid everyone.

I guess she was mostly avoiding Marik so they don’t have a sibling laser fight in the hull of a Blimp. That would have made things so awkward for Yugi and Bakura. Especially Yugi, who still doesn’t know that thing around his neck shoots freakin lasers.

Props the background artists who had to draw billions of small little buildings AKA the worst background in the world to draw. I will go through hoops to avoid drawing even a single building, but to have to sit down and paint just a whole page of buildings that someone’s going to smack a foreground on anyway? Mad respect. If you look closely you’ll see that this artist had to use a ruler and perspective and other annoying tools that take up time and energy. Even using editing tools like using blocks of black color to imitate the look of rooftops and crowded structures, it probably took them a few hours to make the background that went in a .2 second scene.

They’ll probably reuse these buildings later, don’t get me wrong, but oi, I feel for them in my carpel tunnel bones.

Seto keeps telling Yugi that they’re rivals but I don’t think anyone on this show other than Joey thinks of Seto as much of a rival at all. You almost feel a little bad for him, like he’s in a weird...hate triangle, but very much on the loosing end of it.

Next we get a good look at Kaiba’s interior design decisions, and much like his mansions, it’s a lot of very unexpected soothing pastels. Like this is a lot of seafoam blue. How can someone so angry make something so grandma-zen? Is it actually Kaiba’s grandmother who is just slapping down all these paint chips when he’s not looking? I mean it’s got muted pink stools even, with a makeup station.

Tea, Tristan, and Duke have no rooms to go to because they aren’t actually part of this competition, so they’re just squatting around until they’ll probably all end up crashing with Mokuba, the only other person who is not dueling in this competition. Reminds me a lot of the first week of college, where everyone is just coasting dorm room to dorm room and there’s like 10 people there who actually don’t actually go there but want to hang out with their high school friends and they just end up sleeping in your room for 7 days until they read your other friend’s diary, get hella indignant, and then storm off back to California. My apologies to my Freshman year roommate who had to put up with all that girl drama.

And because it’s this show, the men and their bottomless stomachs decide to raid the smallest little mini fridge and you wouldn’t believe what takes up about 1/4 of it

There is so many cheese wheels in this Japanese show, guys. So, I felt like doing a quick google search of Japan and Cheese and it’s just a bunch of ex-pats talking about how the European cheeses most of us are familiar with is harder to find in Japan. So, maybe that’s why? It's a status symbol that he can find round cheeses?

But even if you can only get your hands on a 30$ Swiss wheel every so often (because that really is just Swiss cheese, like lets be real.) how much Swiss cheese can one man eat??? Especially since, looking closely, there is not a single baguette here. No man can eat that much cheese without a bread!

Sorry, stuffing your face full of free cheese you pulled out of your friend’s mini-fridge is also giving me vivid flashbacks to my Freshman year of college.

Also little edit--just realized that flag is flipped 90 degrees from French so that’s probably a Holland flag? Although I looked up European flags and there is...none that have that color order so I don’t know which country they were originally going for.

YO I just realized there’s no curtains on any of these pelvis-height level windows. So, you can’t sleep because of the lights, and you can’t change into pajamas because like--the whole city will see.

Kaiba does seem like the type that would on purpose not install any curtains on any of the windows he’s ever owned, though.

Keto is gone, and now we just have Roland, who is probably too terrified to ever abduct the Kaibas by picking them up by the neck with one arm.

Anyway, in case you were wondering--since the show has decided to make a huge fuss over card prep time--how can they prep for a card game if they only have the cards they brought with them and they don’t know what the other people are even playing or which person they’re playing first?

Kaiba did nothing. He sat there and thought “If Yugi doesn’t even put that God Card in his deck this entire tourney will be absolutely pointless.”

Mai took little sips of milk. Probably paired it with Swiss cheese. Just a huge bite out of a wheel of Swiss cheese.

Odion never found the refrigerator.

Marik took a nap on this bed that looks like it’s just made of foam. Why is this the only one on the show who’s like “Youknow, I should sleep at some point.”

And Yugi’s prep involved talking to himself a whole lot, which explains why none of his friends wanted to stay here for that. I doubt very much Yugi kicked him out of the room. He was probably like “no, stay, stay” in that high pitched-low pitched voice combo until they were like “nooooo I don’t want to be present for your daily seance checkup byeeee.” while slowly backing out of the room.

Yo remember that time we were worried about Bandit Keith stealing the puzzle?

Apparently...Pharaoh could have just sort of done that dizzolving thingy and appeared right back on Yugi’s neck.

And remember that time Yugi handed that puzzle to Joey?

Apparently...Pharaoh could have just sneezed and then bam--right back around Yugi’s neck.

Like remember any time this season that we’ve been like “Oh no, the puzzle! We’re gonna lose it!” no that...that was never a problem.

I mean to be fair when it’s dismantled it might not work but um--apparently you can’t lose an item after it’s decided it likes you. At all. Which is kind of weird because Pegasus totally lost that eyeball, and aren’t all these items property of Pharaoh anyway?

I’ll try not to think about it as this rule seems to only really apply to Bakura. 

Anyway, next week--I’m pretty sure the finals are indeed actually starting next week. I could be wrong as I have been every single episode but maybe--probably--the finals are actually going to start. We shall see.

[professortennant]

Sam/Jack Rec List, Pt. 1

This is mostly for me in case my bookmarks are lost but yeah! I’ve gone through like 90% of AO3, a good chunk of ff.net, and I just dived into LJ. But since I have 103 fics already bookmarked, I’m just gonna put this list up first and then add to it later. 

Plz read the tags of each fic to avoid stuff you don’t wanna read. If you read something and love it, GO TELL THE AUTHOR SO THEY WRITE MORE.

Absolute Fucking Favorites (aka I have read these more times than I feel comfortable admitting)

We Made It Series: A series of connected episode tags beginning with Forever in a Day. Sam shows up on Jack's doorstep with a six pack of beer, a bottle of cheap wine and a package of chicken breasts. Jack's confused. They cook dinner.

Taking Christmas Off: How Sam and Jack end up spending Christmas alone together every single year, accidentally at first, and then very much on purpose. A fluffy/shippy Christmas fic in eight parts, with spoilers through season 8.

The Dreams We Left Behind: The day Sam Carter marries Pete Shanahan is not the worst day of Jack’s life; he’s already lived that day. But that doesn't make it easy.

Like Kissing a Stranger: There is not one day he spends on this planet, or any other, that his mouth doesn't get him into trouble.(An episode tag for Point Of View.)

Retrospective: Sam doesn’t give it a name, this feeling. She doesn’t even think about it much, preferring to glimpse it obliquely from the corner of her eye. It’s a secret delight that she shares with no one, scarcely even herself.One story in eight parts charting Sam and Jack’s relationship from the start of S1 to the end of S8.

The Short Straw: She hadn't set out to cheat, certainly, but had thought that she'd at least be able to interpret her own work in a way that would lead to victory. (Tag for Shades of Grey)

Post-Eps/Episode Tags (except for Threads, which is its own category)

The Price of Edora: Sam suffers the consequences of pushing herself too hard in order to bring Jack back from Edora. 

For Just One Taste of This: After that, though, things got tricky and dangerous because they pushed a little more and went a little (a lot) further off that deep end, and soon it was the two of them alone in the empty barracks and this wasn’t wrong, was it, just sitting side by side in the darkness? (Post Divide and Conquer)

Let Your Demons Run: (here can't be that many eyes in the building that haven't noticed her. Post-ep for Entity.

Midnight at the Oasis: What if Abydos wasn't destroyed, and Jack and Sam really did go to Skaara's wedding? A short AU based on the wonderful (!) exchange among the three at the beginning of Full Circle.

Thyself, Unknown: And then they were strangers again and their world was brand new with signs of aging. Beneath the Surface 

Unlearn your Stars: Thera turned her eyes toward the ceiling, as if she could see through the miles of earth and snow to the sky beyond. Something about her seemed to yearn, and for reasons he could not fathom Jonah felt like Thera belonged there. Among the stars. (Beneath the Surface)

Transcendental: Alternate Sam and Jack who got stranded in the alternate timeline in Moebius. 

The Fundamental Theorem of Samantha Carter: Samantha Carter knew precisely what she wanted. And then she didn’t. S.8 Full Alert through Threads with references to Gemini.

The Rainy Season: Tag for The Light. Their arguing was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Icarus Ascending: What if Jack and Sam didn't keep it in the room after all? A/U tag to Divide and Conquer. 

The Space Between: There's a little space between them on the bed. Small enough to be close, but enough space to remind them where the line should be. (tag for Death Knell.)

Mimesis: Jack tries to help Carter deal with her time spent with Fifth and the Replicators.

A Rush of Blood to the Head: "You volunteering to come with me, Carter?" Sam and Jack deal (or don't) with the creation of mini!Jack.

The Breaking Point: Daniel’s ‘death’ in Meridian forces Sam Carter to reevaluate her life and what really matters to her.

Window on a Room: The first time around, Sam had found that face the Colonel was making to be endearing, in the increasingly problematic way she found pretty much everything he did to be endearing. The second time, she had found it alarming - not the Colonel specifically, of course, just the fact that she’d already experienced that exact moment not ten hours earlier. She went from being alarmed on the second loop to being frustrated, baffled and discouraged in subsequent loops as their attempts to stop the looping had all failed. And now that they had settled into this routine, with Sam and Teal’c, loop after loop, learning to translate the altar text themselves, well now she was just tired. Not even the Colonel’s problematically endearing face was helping.Another loop, she thought to herself. Here we go again.

black holes and revelations: It’s late and dark and as far as she’s concerned, the world has stopped for them (they’d done the Earth a few favors, it's time one was returned).

Lifelines: Everyone expects her to be so resilient--but beneath her calm exterior seethe emotions beyond her control and understanding. Months post "Beneath the Surface", Sam finally has to face it all, and find a way to accept the way things have to be.

Reflections on a Broken Surface: Episode tag to Beneath the Surface. How Sam and Jack became a couple in the ep. 

Tilting at Windmills: Jack's struggling to deal with the events of Euronda and Alar's people. Angry, depressed, and alone, he needs Sam's help to find his way home, literally, and figuratively.

untitled: Sam/Jack, word prompt- 'never' Episode tag to Death Knell

the art of reincarnation: Detoxing in a Goa���uld palace, Jack struggles with something he can't let go, and Sam struggles with everything.

Cracks in the Glass: Doctor Carter has stepped through the mirror-seeking refuge from her ravaged world. Her presence forces Sam and Jack to question their own decisions. Sam and Jack focused episode enhancement to "Point of View".

Before the Invitation: A chance meeting in the commissary leads to some unintended revelations. (Set just prior to 'Nemesis')

Threads

Full Disclosure: She looks at him with that complex expression that’s punctuated their relationship ever since Pete barged onto the scene. The one that looks like a question, or a plea – the one he’s never really understood and has never dared pursue.

Down to the Bone: She knows now, what’s essential.

Sooner: Some bonus scenes for "Threads," because a lot went on in and around that episode that we just didn't get to see.

an angel came down: The first Christmas after her father dies is rough. The second Christmas after her father dies is better.

Breathe In: It wasn’t an immediate thing, despite what people thought. They didn’t jump each other the second SG1 was on vacation, with her emotionally vulnerable after her father’s death and no longer engaged, or him now free of SG Command and DC-bound.

Sam or Jack are Tortured/Abused (but it ends happily)

Primary Emotion: After seventeen weeks of torture in a Goa'uld prison, Samantha Carter is rescued by SG-1. In the time that follows she must relearn how to relate to her team, reassess her relationships with both herself and others, and decide whether or not she'll continue to step through the Stargate. Luckily she's got the benefit of a good psychologist and the love of a great man.

Character: SG1 is kidnapped by an alien king who needs Sam to perpetuate his bloodline & will do anything to possess her. The team must find a way to escape before she pays the ultimate price for her defiance. 

Compos Mentis: After Colonel O'Neill is stranded on a seemingly friendly planet, it's up to his team to rescue him. Who they find, though, isn't the man they left behind.

Crawl from the Chasm: After Jack's experiences in Ba'al's Abyss, he struggles to find peace. Angsty Jack/Sam Ship.

After All: They’d been trapped for a month. He’d been tortured within an inch of her life. And then their roles had been reversed.

All We Need of Hell: Jack is captured and tortured and when he returns, he just doesn’t see the point in following the regs anymore--Sam is essential. And he convinces her to forget the regs, too. (Dark fic). (chap 2)

Aliens Made Them Do It

Auctions and Consequences: Slavery has been abolished for good reason, but apparently not everyone got the memo… landing Sam and Jack in hot water.

Auction and Reaction (sequel to the above): Jack manages to get himself captured and Sam is sent to negotiate for his freedom. Unfortunately, the matriarch in charge of the male slaves is unconvinced of her claim and threatens to keep Jack as her personal slave.

Relief: How they'd managed to gate to a planet right in the middle of their annual fertility festival was beyond him.

in doorways and dreams i run to you: They had stepped through the gate together. They were looking for something.Light.There had been a blinding light and then nothing. Nothing but the heat and the taste of his skin on her lips. And now he was on his knees and she wasn't stopping him from sliding a hand underneath her.

Beautiful Far Away: While on a routine exploratory mission, Colonel Jack O'Neill and Captain Samantha Carter get caught up in a children's game that turns out to be the beginning of Rorilian marriage rites. When seismic activity starts to rock the village, the local leaders demand the ritual be seen through to its natural conclusion to avoid further angering their gods. Sam's equipment suggests the tremors are caused by an unidentifiable metal, but her science seems to be a point of contention amongst the leaders. She's convinced she needs just a little more time to figure out what is happening on the planet. Unfortunately, that means she's jumping into a ritual marriage with her new commanding officer. What could possibly go wrong?

Xanadu: The team travels offworld to take care of some mining negotiations, only to meet with an unanticipated challenge on P3X-427.

5 Times Fic

Five Times Jack Sees Sam Out of Uniform

The Nature We Leave Behind Us: 5 Times Daniel (and Teal’c) find out or suspect about Sam and Jack

Five Times Jack Came Close to Breaking the Frat Regs with Sam

Desperation: 5 times Jack kisses Sam

Ambient: 3 morning-afters that they miss and 1 they don’t.

5 missing ship scenes from s9/s10

5 times jack asked sam out and 1 time he didn’t have to

Stranded/Retired/Moved Off-World

My Scars Healed (aka the Cottage AU): Abandoned off-world, living is about more than just survival.

In Media Res: When Sam and Jack are taken captive and put to work in a mining camp, that turns out to be the least of their troubles. Forced by circumstance to live in close proximity, their time as captives has consequences neither one foresees.

Compliance: The end comes fast. One moment it’s a normal day with paperwork and bad coffee and the next it’s a scramble for the event horizon as the Mountain comes down around them. The base empties out with surprising efficiency, and by the time Jack hangs up the red phone on the last conversation he’ll ever have with the President, only Carter and Daniel and a couple techs are still in the gate room, the last of the supplies being sent through to their fall back site.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together: Dear Airline, I was marooned on an alien planet…

And then I dreamt of yes: The universe has really bad timing, but neither Sam or Jack is ready to give it the last word. 

The Final Straw: Sam's injured and trapped off-world. 

Twilight: General O'Neill gets ansty to do some Gate travel, but a natural phenomenon on another world causes problems and changes things

Bird Stealing Bread: Jack had actually imagined being stranded off-world quite a few times. But he really, really, really hadn't counted on being stranded off-world with Sam. And Pete.

Under the Sun: ABANDONED FIC BUT IT’S SO GOOD. When lightning strikes the DHD and strands Sam and Jack alone on a planet, they must rely on one another to get through until help can arrive. Soon, though, they discover they're not alone on the planet and things change. Suddenly they're thrust into local politics and Sam is drafted to help save the locals' lives. Perhaps, if they play their cards right, all of it can help them get home.

Total AU

String Theory: Dr. Samantha Carter joins the SGC and discovers a life she never expected.

Imprimatura: Even in a completely different reality, where a strictly enforced color-based caste system stands between them, some things remain the same.

How to Start a Fire: She denies it's physical attraction. He denies it's anything but. Sam/Jack. Changeling Universe.

Convergence Series: Jack O’Neill is a man waiting to die, and she’s the only one brave enough not to look away.

Right as rain: Jack never went on the Abydos mission. Charlie never died. But when Jack accidentally activates a device that Kawalsky brings by the Academy, he catches the interest of a certain Major Carter. Soon he finds himself in for one hell of a ride, and if aliens and space travel and weird DNA weren't crazy enough, he might actually be falling in love with a theoretical astrophysicist...

The Dating Game: Catherine Langford had been instrumental in getting AU Sam/Jack together in There But For The Grace of God

Defining Family: Set after "Ripple Effect". What happens to Janet and the rest of the alternate SG-1 team after the episode? How does it affect our reality?

Worlds Apart: An Ancient device sends Jack and Sam to a world where everything is just a little bit... wrong. Why? Can they cope with the differences? And, most importantly, can they find their way back?

I don’t know what to categorize these as but they’re amazing

Deep City Lights: He picks her up in a blue convertible. (Road trip fic where they say ‘fuck the regs’ and then remember the regs)

we build then we break (and build up again): Sam’s last mission on SG-1, and the life that follows.

the slow revelation of self: In the beginning there was sex. And it was good.

untitled: on a mission, sam and jack are painting their mark on a wall.

things not dreamed: Daniel doesn't understand their need to fly. 

Cultural Drift: Six days before the shit hit the fan and nothing was ever the same again, Daniel fell over a tablet on P3X-324. That was two years ago.

Concentric Unto Thee: Her attempts at normality have never worked before, and Jack won't stand for any attempts to apply the logic of command to their relationship.

the lesson: Jack and Sam haven’t wasted the three years they’ve been cut off from Earth…and though the price is high, they manage to teach that lesson to another couple who badly needed to learn it. 

Escape Pod: "I just need," shift, "to move," shift, "a little." (Accidental Stimulation fic) Tonight: It's been too many years of it, the death, the resurrection, the sheer and aching loneliness, the hurt that comes from walking away.

Rocket Fuel: Sam and Jack get together after Heroes but also AU + Christmas.

Home Economics:  He would never have imagined that the biggest problem Sam Carter would have with his house would be his toaster.

Atlantis/Continuum

Gravity Always Wins in the End: After Sam is held hostage, Jack takes an impromptu trip to Atlantis.

Backlit:  Carter turns 43 years old on day 6 of a 14-day run to P98-007 aboard the General Hammond. The only events that mark the occasion are the little note Daniel must have stuffed into her pack before she left, a cheerful "Happy Birthday, Ma'am" from her second over a morning cup of coffee, and a long stare at herself in the mirror after she washes her face before bed. It's not like she expected more.

Yesterday’s Life: She feels frayed and faded, like a scrap of fabric accidentally discarded and forced to weather the elements. S/J, spoilers for Stargate: Continuum.

Distance: Sam contemplates the difficulties of a long distance relationship with Jack on Valentine's Day...

Post-Series

Look Again Into Your Heart: It's not that cold, not by the standard of some of the places she's been in the last decade or so of her life, but then again, she's not used to braving the weather in heels and an evening dress.

Follow the Star of the North: When Jack talked about losing himself in Minnesota, Sam never really understood the appeal.

Radio Silence: “It’s Mitchell.”He grabbed the phone out of her hand, smiling at the horrified expression on her face when he flicked it open and held it to his ear.“This is General O’Neill. Is the world ending?”

Rainy Days: Sam and Jack spend a rainy day at the cabin

The Lies You Feed Yourself: They simply aren’t part of each other’s worlds anymore. They haven’t been for years. Jack and Sam three years after they leave the SGC.

Bygones: He's a man of few words. Sam, however, wants to hear a couple of specific ones - at least once. It takes another woman to help her understand just how her husband communicates. 

Twelve Years Two Weeks: She had finally 'switched off'. It had taken her a few days to rid herself of the itch that she was neglecting a to-do list the size of her arm.

DC Series: SG-1 is moving on, but Sam is standing still.

Interlude: Jack turns up unexpectedly, and he and Sam make an important decision.

fly me to the moon: Jack is baffled. What do you do for a woman's 40th birthday when she routinely explores alien planets, has blown up a sun, and raced in the Loop of Kon Garat? Give her the moon of course. 

Folding a Map: Distance makes Jack an unhappy camper.

Taur’i Whispers: "He likes her throaty laugh. He likes that her voice has dropped and softened in the years he's known her." - Sam/Jack, romance and a bit of angst and hurt/comfort

Blue Dark: The sun’s barely peeking above the horizon and already she’s up, perched on a stool at the breakfast bar in his kitchen, her index finger circling the rim of her coffee cup.“And we have to go to this?” she asks, taking a sip of the hot beverage.

Un-fish: “Caught any un-fish?” she asked softly.Their lives would never be normal because of little things like fish that were or were not there and sometimes he wondered who had done what exactly to his pond to drive the fish away. He knew better than to ask, unwilling to listen to her explain to him the various possibilities of… whatever.

Real Life: This was what she'd been waiting for, held out for all those years. Someone -- him -- to come home with every night, to sink into after saving the world or spending three days dug in on an alien planet with fifty-odd Jaffa between her team and the 'gate, someone who knew just how she liked to be touched... She rolled onto her back, offering sleepy kisses when his lips crossed hers, sighing when his wandering hands brushed across her belly... 

[5am-raining]

An interesting article about the Gloria films my classmate found! (in reference to the Gloria therapy films with Fritz Perls, just Google it if you’re interested in watching). All of this is taken from https://www.psychotherapy.net/blog/title/the-gloria-films-candid-answers-to-questions-therapists-ask-most.

“ When I penned an article and a book chapter on the classic Gloria Films some years ago I never dreamed these pieces would continue to bring me a seemingly endless string of correspondence. Indeed, this classic video influenced the psychotherapy training and subsequent practice strategies for thousands and thousands of helpers. To this day the battle rages on about whether this work of art was the savior of psychotherapy, or psychotherapy’s worst nightmare. Recently a graduate student contacted me with a string of seriously good questions. In this blog I shall share those questions with my answers to shed a tad more light on this major artifact of the 20th century counseling and psychotherapy movement. Okay, let’s do this! Question: Is the Gloria Film the actual name of the training video? I couldn't find an official reference for it? Answer: No, the actual title was Three Approaches to Psychotherapy I, II, and III, but folks dubbed it the Gloria Films.

Question: Is the work really as old as it looks? I mean it comes across as ancient. Answer: That’s because it is ancient. The actual filming took place in 1964 and the movie was released in 1965. In 1964 the Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and in 1965, "The Sound of Music" was a big hit at the box office, and the mini-skirt was just released. Question: Who came up with the idea for the project? Answer: The mastermind (aka the producer and director) behind the flick was a California psychologist and psychotherapist of note, Everett.L. Shostrom. He created some self-actualization inventories and two years after the Gloria films he authored a successful book, Man the Manipulator. Question: Why do you think Dr. Shostrum got involved in this project? Answer: At that time a shroud of secrecy had permeated professional psychotherapeutic helping. The books gave mountains of information about theories, but there was very little literature about what therapists actually said to clients. In 1950 Shostrom recorded the late, great Carl Ransom Rogers with a client on a magnetic wire (yes, go ahead and laugh, this predated digital, cassettes, reel to reel, and eight-track recordings). But: It was not to be. The recording was lost forever when the head of the history department recorded his own presentation of Adam and Eve on the wire recorder! I mean seriously, could I make that up? Question: Why did Dr. Shostrom choose Albert Ellis, Carl Rogers, and Frederick (Fritz) Perls as the therapists? Answer: Well, quite frankly, it was an all-star line-up. A lot of folks in the field felt these three helpers were the dream team . . . the best in the world, if you will. Perls created gestalt therapy; Ellis pioneered RET or rational emotive therapy (abbreviated RT at the time of the filming); while Rogers was the father of nondirective counseling which in today’s world is often called person-centered counseling. Question: Why do my professors always call the approach by Ellis REBT? Is that the same thing as RET? Answer: Late in his career Ellis added the “B” to stand for behavior based on the longstanding recommendation of a well-known psychologist and psychotherapy book author Raymond J. Corsini. Question: Had Gloria met Perls, Rogers, and Ellis prior to the filming and what did she know about them? Answer: No. She just knew they were prominent therapists and would each have approximately 15 or 20 minutes to cure her of what ailed her. Question: Was Gloria a real client or merely an actress pretending to be a client? Answer: Oh definitely, a real client. In 1963 Shostrom put together a film titled "Introduction to Psychotherapy." The film featured an actress who was pretending to be a real client. Shostrom was not happy with the movie, nor the acting, hence a real client, Gloria, was cast for 1965 project. Question: I thought Perls acted like a jerk during his session. Do you have any evidence that Perls was aware of how he was coming across? I am totally sure my current internship supervisor would never allow me to treat a client in such a mean manner. Answer: I can say with great certainty that Perls was aware of his actions. At one point in the session he quips, "Well, Gloria, can you sense one thing? We had a good fight?" Question: So how do experts who practice gestalt therapy defend the practice of this theory? Answer: Well, generally speaking, they say something like, "You don't need to do therapy exactly like Perls to be a gestalt therapist." To be fair, I have heard top practitioners say precisely the same thing about Ellis, though to be sure they are not talking the way Ellis came across in this movie. If you ever witnessed a therapy session or workshop conducted by Ellis he was often prone to use a little off color language, and that's putting it mildly! Question: Okay, well here is my biggest question and the one I really want to know the answer to. In the movie, Rogers comes across in a very warm moving way. Ellis, is seemingly a tad less empathic, but not bad, while Perls is flat out mean to her. After Gloria experiences therapy sessions with all of them she is asked which therapist she would most like to continue therapy with and she chooses Dr. Perls. I was shocked. I mean, I just thought Rogers was the hands down winner. What in the world was going on here? Answer:  You were surprised, I was surprised, my entire graduate class at the time we viewed the films was surprised, and seemingly countless others who viewed the sessions were in shock and awe. There was just something not quite right about her choice of Perls. I didn’t buy into it then and I sure don’t buy it now. In fact, it was her strange choice of Perls which piqued my interest in researching the movie. Personally, I thought it was the strangest response (from a client who was not psychotic) I had come across in the entire field of psychotherapy, and that's saying a lot! Question: Did you find it difficult to research this film? Answer: Do birds fly? Absolutely. Lots of people were trying to piece this puzzle together with very little success. Perhaps the most remarkable was a fellow I corresponded with in another country who was actually offering small rewards for information. Seemingly folks with connections to the film just were not talking. On one occasion a person who actually knew Shostrom told me he insisted I share anything I came up with him before I had it published! He wanted to approve or disapprove of what I was going to write. What? (Excuse me, but when did America stop being a free country? Just asking.) He also refused to give me any information and told me it wasn't relevant why Gloria chose Perls. This made me even more suspicious and made me want to research this even more! Question: Did Gloria ever see Perls after the interview and if so what transpired? I hope the transaction was more cordial than the therapy session. Answer: Yes they saw each other, but no it wasn't pleasant! According to Gloria, after the cameras stopped rolling and the experts and movie crew were preparing to depart, Perls used Gloria as a human ash tray (not a misprint). He motioned for her to hold her hands cupped with her palms facing up. He then flicked his cigarette ashes into her hand. Question: Geez, that's downright abusive, wouldn't you agree? Answer: Yeah! At the very, very least I could safely say it is behavior that was unbecoming of the father of a major psychotherapy modality. Question: Lots of folks on the web accuse Gloria of having an affair with Rogers or Ellis. Some even suggest she married one of them. Any truth to the rumors? Answer: Totally false. Junk science. Not a shred of evidence to support these claims. In fact, to the contrary, Gloria became very close to Rogers and his wife. Question: Okay, so I can't wait another moment. Why did Gloria pick Perls as her favorite? Rogers came across so empathic. Wasn't he surprised when Gloria did not choose him? I have heard therapists say that Perls was chosen because she realized she needed a tough helper and he would not allow her to remain disturbed. Answer: Rogers did admit he was baffled. In my mind Rogers gave a flawless performance. I'd give him five stars. Six if I could. As the session began to wind down Gloria says, "Gee, I'd like you for my father." Rogers replies, "You look to me like a pretty nice daughter." As you remarked earlier, it was very moving and Rogers came across as an ideal billboard advertisement for his own theory. Moments after the session with Rogers Gloria announced that, "All in all I feel good about this interview." Three years before he passed away, Ellis told me that Gloria hated Perls for the rest of her life. Ellis revealed that the movie was "a fake" in the sense that, prior to the filming Gloria had seen Shostrom for four years of psychotherapy. When the film was produced Rogers didn't know this either. At the time, Shostrom was a supporter of Perls. To quote Ellis, "He [Shostrom] got her to say it was Perls who helped her, when he actually didn't." Was Gloria experiencing positive transference toward Shostrom? Was it just that she didn't want to disappoint her therapist? Could it have been that she was petrified of Perls? I don't have the definitive answer, but I think all of the aforementioned issues most likely entered into this. Just for the record Ellis felt he tried to cover too much in his own session with Gloria, and thus while his intervention was not horrific, he was clearly not at the top of his own psychotherapeutic game. Question: So what is the take-away message you think counselors and therapists need to know? Answer: Well, first let me be 100% crystal clear that there are occasions when a helper must be direct and use confrontation. No argument about that. Not now, not ever. However, after watching the movie, countless generations of therapists came away with the false notion that a sarcastic, up in your face, card carrying mental judo therapist (in this instance Perls) will walk away with the grand prize. Over the years I routinely heard therapists, supervisors, and my own students brag, "I got right up in the client's face and came across like Perls in the movie," thinking that was the best approach. According to Gloria's daughter (referred to as Pammy, just a fifth-grader at the time of the film), who authored Living with the 'Gloria Films': A daughter's memory in 2013, these Perls wannabes got it oh so wrong. After perusing her book it is safe to say the brief session with Perls negatively impacted her for the rest of her life. Question: Is Gloria still alive? Answer: Sadly, Gloria passed away in her mid-forties after a battle with cancer. I believe Gloria said it best herself as she was fond of saying, "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." Every aspiring and practicing therapist who wants to complete the emerging gestalt should see this film. “

(Via https://www.psychotherapy.net/blog/title/the-gloria-films-candid-answers-to-questions-therapists-ask-most)

[popculturespiritwow]

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #27: OB-SESSION

After many months, I’m back! Sorry for the long silence. Life=Crazy=Sorry.

I’m planning over the next couple weeks to post summaries of the rest of Imperial Phase I & II and then hopefully I’ll catch up soon after that. It’s hard to believe there’s only a few more issues left. (Nooooooooooo.)

I’ve actually held off reading the most recent couples issues until I’ve gotten back onto this, so if as we go you’re wondering how it is I don’t already know this or that, that is how. I think the last issue I read had all kinds of crazy reveals about Baal. Speaking of which...

BAALER (I Hate Myself for this Title But There You Are)

The big reveal of issue 27 is that Baal has some kind of magic super secret voodoo he can use to stop the Great Darkness. It builds on last issue, where we learned he’d not only been previously briefed on the GD by Ananke but seen his father murdered by it. It’s also the beginning of another shoe dropping, except we don’t really know what gets squished beneath it for another eight issues and two specials and like a year of reading time so it doesn’t seem like a shoe so much as a hmm, that’s mysterious, I’m sure it’s fine, shall we rave then?

I love the visual structure of this page, the way it uses repetition to express the passage of time and also distance to simultaneously demonstrate our own distance as readers from whatever horrible nightmare things are going on and to minimize those events. (It’s so small; whatever it is, it couldn’t be that bad, could it?)

(Baal, what have you done...)

I also like how Baal’s “reassurance” to Mini repeats his mother’s words from last issue--“It is what it is,” but then adds on in a way that sounds like the sort of ‘steel yourself for nightmares’ mantra learned from everyone’s favorite grandmonster. Even as it gives Baal an adult-sounding stoicism, it also makes him sound like a little boy. 

And speaking of Baal’s complicated relationships with children: Had we been told before now that Mini ascended just a month after him? It strikes me as a brilliant move on Ananke’s part. Right from the start she’s set up her replacement self as a little sister for Baal to protect.

Two issues in a row we’ve got Mini as the seeming target of the Great Darkness bug fiesta. Is that because it knows who she really is/will be? Is the GD somehow in league with Ananke, and the attacks on Mini are just another way of keeping everyone thinking of her as Everybody’s Favorite Divine Lil Sis? Or does this, too, have something to do with Baal? Could it be that it’s actually Baal and not Laura that is well and truly cursed?

TOPOGRAPHICAL FLUIDITY

The heart of issue 27 is the five double-page spreads in which the standard left to right, up to down of Western comic storytelling slowly breaks down. On the first splash we’ve got a Laura/Sakhmet story riding the top, then the lower three quarters of each page telling their own stories (though really it’s the continuation of Baal’s story from page one to two). The second spread flips the structural arrangement, but now the left and the runner are continuing a story while on the right page we’re with Laura and Baph and Laura’s sister and ow oh God that hurts to read. 

The pages continue to shift and change from there, with one section always following Laura, at least one following Dio/Cass at the rave, and the other one or two checking in on what other characters are up to.

The thing I love about the approach is how it speaks to the disintegration within the group that Laura ordained with her choice of “Anarchy” last issue.  We’re not in complete collapse by any means, we can definitely follow the narratives, but the idea that these characters are starting to go in different directions is literally demonstrated in the structure of the page.

And also in the way the pages alter the visual language of Dio’s earlier rave (from issue 8). We’ve got the same 16 block grid structure, but it’s twice as dense; now every block contains an actual story panel, as compared to half for most of 8, with the other half used for the ongoing rave 1-2-3-4 countdowns.

Whereas issue 8′s dance pages had a sort of expansiveness, a sense of the rave as the overriding context that the story panels are just a part of, in 27 we’ve lost all that. In fact the rave is only one small part of what’s going on, even as its grid and color frames remain. (It’s interesting to see the rave visual style used as well for what precedes and follows it; it’s like the energy of the rave is starting to bleed out beyond the confines in which it makes sense.)

It’s also worth noting the rave in issue 8 ends with different members of the Pantheon one after another finishing Dionysius’ sentence, as though all one person. Another great contrast with the never-united narratives of issue 27.

But you know, even seeing how issue 27 offers an intensifying deterioration of the rave joy feel of issue 8, I still easily get lost in the visual dance of its two page spreads. I think it’s those bright frames; they just read to me as “fun”. (Apparently I’d be all good living in a prison camp as long it was decorated with Christmas lights.)

One moment does really snap me out of it, though:

No matter how bad things have gotten, Drunk Child Star Mini feels very unexpected. Plus who is she talking to? The camera team? Herself? Ananke Within?

(Actually, going back to issue 8 I realize we get a similar moment where out of the blue the story cuts to Minerva, talking directly to the camera with that same combination of ‘Don’t mind me.” and “Life sucks.”

So she’s almost certainly talking to their documentary squad.)

Mini drinking is not the worst thing we see in these pages by any means.

Ow. Ow. Oh God, Oh God it hurts.

But somehow that Mini moment (that mini Mini?) (#sorrynotsorry) is the moment I find most off key.

ONE MORE ONE MORE TIME

Hmm. That comparison between the two Mini moments has got me thinking...

You know, give me a second...

*time passes*

So hey, I’m back. I just went back through the rave in issue 8. Here are some of its major beats:

Dio tries to help Laura let go.

Laura becomes a part of everything going on.

Laura talks about her family and sketches them in light.

Cassandra cannot connect. 

Sakhmet and Laura look each over and then start dancing together.

Woden watches.

Mini is left out.

The Morrigan warns Laura about getting too into Baphomet.

Everyone unites around Dio’s thought of making people’s lives better, because the end is coming soon.

Each of those beats is returned to issue 27.

Dio tries to help Cassandra let go.

Laura tries to disconnect from everything that’s happened.

Laura thinks about when she got Baphomet to create an illusion of her family.

Cassandra finally connects, saying “You’re full of stars”, which is what Laura said to her at the rave in issue 8. But then she rejects the connection.

Laura, now with Sakhmet, wonders what’s the worst thing she could do to her.

Woden watches. (Jamie uses the very same image.)

Mini is still left out, and now drinking. 

Laura gets too into Baphomet, and now Baphomet is locked away with the Morrigan.

Cassandra rejects the connection.

There’s a little more in each rave than that (Woden plotting, Woden calling for a hook up, Baal and Inanna), but you gotta love the way the parallels show those stories having progressed (and not for the better).

(Also, I know Dio is on life support at this point, but man it feels like there should be one more cast rave, doesn’t it? Jonesing for my rule of threes.)

LOCK STEP

In the final pages we shift to two pages of a sort of call and response; on the left side we get David telling us what’s “really going on”, aka in year two the gods lose it, and on the right we cut back to each god in their own version of doing that, and ending on the punch line of Cassandra.

She’s the one god who seems to have her head well and truly on straight, the adult in the room, but here she is just staring silently at what has been her white whale the whole issue, Ananke’s Murderous Mystery Machine.

Gillen’s notes on this moment are familiar, chilling and wonderful:

Comrade Rossignol, my old partner in crime, game developer and co-writer on The Ludocrats, and I have a line we tend to quote to one another. It’s a paraphrase of a quote from Ballard: ‘My advice to anyone in any field is to be faithful to your obsessions. Identify them and be faithful to them, let them guide you like a sleepwalker.’

We quote it as: ‘Stay true to your obsessions and your obsessions will be true to you.’

It’s basically been our respective careers’ magnetic north, but there’s certainly times when I wonder how good it’s proved for us as human beings.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

You could easily go from Cassandra staring silently up to the spooky final full page spread of her white whale itself. But instead Gillen gives us an extra six panel page first. It seems puzzling; we don’t really need to have David ask “Are you okay?” We already know that Cass isn’t, and that she doesn’t know it.

But for me what makes that page so important is that it gives the other Norns the chance to ask David about their own fate. Imperial Phase I has taken Skuld and Verdandi from silent back-up singers to real emotional partners with Cass, indeed the dominants to her submissive. By presenting us with the question of their fate we’re reminded of the fullness of their humanity; their lives are just as valuable as that of Cass.

Their question also plays very much to Gillen’s comment about the destructive impacts of artistic obsession. These gods don’t just hurt themselves; they put their families, their fans, their friends at risk. What will Skuld and Verdandi do when those dangers come for them, one wonders...?

[felicityb-reviews]

Experimental SHINee - Feature Spotlight

Hello babies, and welcome to the next Feature Spotlight in the SHINee Spotlight series!! My name is Jace (aka Felicity B), and today we're gonna be taking a slow drive through SHINee's more experimental era. This era in SHINee's career actually features my first SHINee comeback (Dream Girl, dahlings), so I am The Most Excited™ for this FSL!! It feels like Dream Girl dropped ten years ago, rather than just five, but I guess that's what K-Pop does to you.

And in case anyone is wondering why I'm going in reverse chronological order, it's because 1of1 and Misconceptions of Me are my favorite SHINee albums.

Era Spotlight

So, I cheated. I really should have featured from DxDxD in this list instead of ones from FIVE, but I don't really like DxDxD!?!??! It's literally my least favorite SHINee album, sis. FIVE, to be frank with you all, fit more in line with the '90s 5HINee era, but it also fits in this experimental era pretty well.

The name of the game here is experimental, folks. SHINee must have gotten a little bored after they decided to go RnB again after LUCIFER. The bulk of the songs on this list were released in 2013, a year that SHINee really pushed the boundaries of who they were as a group, and I almost kind of miss it. Granted, I loved the maturity in sound they came back with on Odd and 1of1 (the former more than the latter, tbh), but this experimental phase was just a fun time to be a SHINee fan. This list includes songs from both Misconceptions albums, the Everybody mini album, and the previously mentioned Japanese album FIVE.

Spoiler (Misconceptions of You ~Dream Girl~)

Gurl... SHINee was not fuckin' around with us with Spoiler.

Spoiler is a song that Jonghyun wrote incorporating all the song titles from the Misconceptions series in the lyrics. And sis, I was like, "This is cute, or whatevahs!!" when he spoiled the tracklisting for Misconceptions of You, but when Misconceptions of Me dropped and we found out he spoiled that too?!?!?! My wig wasn't just lopsided, she was free floating in space.

SHINee really fucking Did That™ with Spoiler, sis.

Spoiler sounds like someone took Sherlock, and turned her into a vampire. Spoiler is Sherlock's darker and more seductive older sister. It's kind of interesting how they kicked off the Misconceptions series with Spoiler, a song that starts out like their previous title track, but with a dark twist. It's almost like they were making a statement, sis. This SHINee is New and Improved™ SHINee. This SHINee is Upgraded™ SHINee. SHINee 2.0, if you will. We snatched you with RnB/Funk, we snatched you with EDM, and now we're gonna snatch you with both. Enjoy!!

Symptoms (Everybody)

I imagine sex feels like what listening to this song feels like.

Symptoms is an eletro-RnB song that sounds like it was snatched right from the Billboard Top 40. Which doesn't surprise me, because it was produced by the Underdogs (who also produced EXO's Overdose, another song that's dripping in that Top 40 sound from the time). Symptoms is a song that starts out loud and proud; it gives you Drama™, and it gives zero fucks about it. She looks at you without a care in the world and says, "My name is Symptoms, what did you expect!?!?! A cutesy pop track?!?!?! Boi, if you don't get!!"

And mind you, that's what I love about ha.

I fucking love a SHINee song that gives us all the bells and whistles, because they really don't have to. Look at Odd Eye - she's as stripped back as it gets for RnB midtempos, but SHINee still Shine Bright Like A Diamond!! But here's the thing - these dramatic ass niggas love songs like these. You can't tell me these SHINee boys don't love a beat with all the bells and whistles; the way they always come correct on songs like these says it all.

Become Undone (FIVE)

Speaking of songs that lack bells and whistles, Become Undone is not one of them. You'd have to be a Fool™ to think a song titled Become Undone on a Japanese record could be a toned down track.

These types of songs are usually the most dramatic.

Become Undone is an angsty song. She's a song I can see playing during a scene where an anime protagonist has to make an extremely hard decision. Like, intentionally stepping into a trap to save your friends, or deciding between saving your loved ones or the world (don't look at me like that, you guys have seen Sailor Moon).

The main star of the show here is the chorus. That's true of most pop songs, but especially so for Become Undone. She features The SHINee Specialty™ (their ridiculous ability to blend their harmonies together like fuckin' buttah), the trap beats presented in the verse kicked up 10,000 for Maximum Drama™, and orchestral stabs that tie everything together. Become Undone has one of the most emotionally satisfying choruses I've heard in a pop song. Sis, I'm literally the INTENSIFIES meme listening to this song, it's just so good.

I'm really glad that groups like SHINee have had the pleasure of working with a Japanese team to release music in Japan, because it allows them to play with their sound in a way that they can't in Korea. And that's not to say that SHINee haven't played with their sound in Korea (this FSL is literally on the era they experimented with their sound the most), but there's certain sounds and textures that are specifically J-Pop in feel, and it's really cool to see a group like SHINee tap into that.

Orgel (Misconceptions of Me ~Why So Serious~)

Okay sis, now we're actually bringing it down a notch. Not for long, but I figured y'all could use a break, even if it's short lived.

Orgel is a song that's quite similar to Odd Eye in the fact that it's SHINee driving the song with their vocal performance, and the beat is going along for the ride. Orgel also features a melody that sounds like a something you'd hear in a music box, and while that motif is quite overused in pop music, it doesn't make Orgel feel played out. It's just a really pretty song from five really pretty boys.

Orgel is a really neat song, because even though SHINee are driving the song with their voice, they're really not doing a whole lot on the beat. Their vocal performance on Orgel is subtle in the same way the beat is (or rather, as subtle as these boys get), but they still stand out. It's an interesting experience, sis.

Queen of New York (Everybody)

Now this is A Song™, sis.

Queen of New York feels very lounge cafe, sis; she's very "let me sip my expensive coffee drink while I read the latest copy of Cosmo or OK! Magazine". Queen of New York is also very much something the drag queens are voguing to at the local gay club. Miss Queen of New York is a woman of many moods, okay?!?!?!

Queen of New York was a very fun surprise, because I don't think anyone was expecting a song quite like this on the Everbody mini album. She's very edgy, but in a way that you don't expect songs described as "edgy" to sound. Queen of New York has a very polished feel to her, but there's a dirtiness to her that you can't tame. She's a proper Upper Middle Side woman, but she's not afraid to take a walk on the wild side. She's not afraid to show you how to get down, and I just love that so much.

One Minute Back (Everybody)

This is also A Song™, babes.

One Minute Back is grungy, sis. She's not a proper Upper Middle Side woman, she's a punk rock/biker girl with a flair for the dramatic. Ain't nothin' polished here, ladies!! Well, SHINee's vocals are pretty polished, but that's a given. I've never heard a SHINee song where the vocals weren't produced to a T.

But despite that, Ms One Minute Back and Ms Queen of New York are happily married!!

One Minute Back, like Queen of New York, was a song I was pleasantly surprised to hear on Everybody. One Minute back has such grungy verses, but then the chorus and the bridge are so Funky and so SHINee. BUT THE TWO DIFFERENT VIBES BLEND TOGETHER LIKE IT'S NOTHING!! It's such an aurally pleasing experience, you guys!! The reason I compared One Minute Back to Queen of New Year is that they're both marry these two moods to amazing results. I mean, Queen of New York doesn't fully commit to the grunginess, but there's enough of it lying below the surface that it's worth mentioning.

ABOAB (FIVE)

Ms ABOAB is a Bad Bitch™. She's a Boss Bitch™. She has no time for your games, boo. Ms ABOAB is a brazen ElectroFunk number that makes no apologizes.

If SHINee wanted to make a record like Everybody for the Japanese market, ABOAB would have been the title track/lead single. Miss ABOAB is spicy. She's seductive. Miss ABOAB is full on club bounce, and I McFucking L O V E when SHINee do those kinds of songs. There's just something so sexy about them working that club vibe, sis. I lowkey wasn't ready for ABOAB, but she really didn't care. She mesmerizes with the way she flits between emphasizing her Funk and Electro elements.

And that damn drop with the horn line... BITCH!! My wig has been compromised.

Runaway (Misconceptions of You ~Dream Girl~)

Runaway is another ElectroFunk track, but brighter and poppier in a way that contrasts ABOAB quite nicely. It's no less fun and club ready, tho.

Runaway is mainly driven by a punchy synth stab and SHINee's very fun usage of their vocal harmonies. While Miss ABOAB would whip ha weave in ya face if you ever tried to talk to her, Miss Runaway would make silly faces at you and coax you into doing silly dances. I, always and forever, wanna see SHINee in concert, but I especially wanna see Runaway and ABOAB performed live, because they always do these types of club ready tracks Just Right™.

Hitchhiker (Misconceptions of You ~Dream Girl~)

Because God Knows^™ these boys can't not give us a track that channels the very essence of MJ and his weave.

If Spoiler was too gimmicky of a sequel to Sherlock for you, then Hitchhiker is your song. Hitchhiker, to me, sounds like the perfect representation of this era in SHINee's discography - let's take what we already do well and marry it to a whole new palette of song styles/textures, and see what sticks.

And lemme tell you somethin' - Hitchhiker sticks like fucking glue. Remember what I said about SHINee loving the bells and whistles that comes with doing over the top songs?!?!?! That's in full effect here, sis. Hitchhiker is anthemic as all fuck, and these boys ride that beat like they were made for it. And to be completely, I have no doubt in my mind that they were.

Nothing to Lose (FIVE)

So who else was expecting to get something hella grungy like Natalia Kills' Break You Hard or Seventeen's Clap with how hard that guitar was filtered?!?!?! I can't be the only one here.

Nothing to Lose bait and switches us with that dark n grungy guitar riff, because the majority of the song is rather bright n poppy. But I really can't be mad, because I rather liked the way they transitioned the darker sections into the brighter ones. And Nothing to Lose is pure octane fun. It's kind of a hard song to hate, because it gives zero fucks about how cutesy and cheesy it is.

There's also a rather nice helping of Funk thrown into the mix, but I'm gonna pretend that that had nothing to do with much I like this song. Even though it's what makes me like it the most.

Punch Drunk Love (Misconceptions of You ~Dream Girl~)

Punch Drunk Love channels Love Like Oxygen like SHINee's producers were in the studio intentionally trying to produce a sequel to the song. And if you know anything about me, you know that Love Like Oxygen is literal auditory C R A C K for my black ass. Punch Drunk Love also sounds like SHINee's writers held a seance and channeled MJ's spirit when they were writing the song for the boys.

And y'all already K N O W I'm here for that shit.

Punch Drunk Love is the SHINee Five™ on autopilot, sis. SHINee will never not know how to come correct with a Funk song, and it warms my heart. The attitude, the harmonies (THE BUMBACLOT HARMONIES), the overall feel of the song; SHINee gets it right. If you ever needed a pickmeup, then put on SHINee's Punch Drunk Love, and thank me later. This is another song that is unabashedly cheesy, but gives absolutely zero fucks about it.

Isn't it beautiful!?!?!?

Evil (Misconceptions of Me ~Why So Serious~)

Evil can be summed by in two words - Drama and Killer Harmonies.

That's technically three, but you know what the fuck I meant.

Evil is SHINee at their most dramatic. I remember Shawols losing their collective minds at the fancams from the concert performances where they wore blindfolds.

Yes, you read that correctly. These dramatic ass motherfuckers were performing on stage with blindfolds on. They were, more than likely, see through blindfolds, but never doubt SHINee's collective love of the Drama™. They absolutely would dance completely blindfolded.

Evil starts out slow, but I very much doubt that many of us thought the song was gonna stay that way; SHINee were just building the atmosphere (read - creating the perfect environment to torch our weaves). Evil has an almost musical theater vibe to it, except not nearly as cheesy. Evil is honestly a one of a kind experience that we all need in our lives at some point.

Especially because SHINee were on their harmonic A game the day they recorded Evil. When the drums drop out and it's just the orchestral stabs with their voices?!?!? Fuckin' magic, ladies.

Like A Fire (Misconceptions of Me ~Why So Serious~)

We all Know™ Like A Fire, because of that one performance where Jonghyun, Kibum, and Jinki were having a contest to see whom tf could be the most extra (to be honest, I'd say Kibum won, based purely on the fact that I didn't even know he could wail like that). But Like A Fire stands firm on her own by being a wickedly good Funk song.

(Sidenote - I'm about 90% this list has more Funk tracks than my '90s 5HINee FSL, and I want you all know that that was not on purpose. I wont be changing it, but I swear it wasn't done purposefully!!)

Like A Fire, like Punch Drunk Love, is SHINee on autopilot. I don't know what else to say about this song. It's just so Classic SHINee™, sis!! The verses have a more somber, minor tone to them, but the choruses transition (maybe that's a modulation, I'm not Musically Advanced™ enough to make that call) into a killer major groove that is just so beautiful to listen to. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this song. Liking Like A Fire is a requirement for being a Shawol (especially a Shawol of color). If you don't like Like A Fire, you're invalid.

I need to say something about these harmonies and ad libs, tho. Did the producer of Like A Fire tell the SHINee Boys™ to go HAM the day they were laying down tracks for Like A Fire?!?!?! Did they mean for the harmonies and ad libs to get this over the top!?!?! I'm not complaining, I just wanna know. Because the harmonies and ad libs, especially, are so ridiculous!! I love every second of it, but sometimes it K I L L S how extra this song is!!

Diamond Sky (FIVE)

The first time I ever listened to this song, I cackled like a banshee at how extra that intro was, because it's so SHINee. It's so dramatic, and it suits SHINee to a T. I was expecting the verses to be some Final Dragon type shit, or somethin'!!!

Diamond Sky is pretty standard fare for a J-Pop song, imo. It doesn't stop me from loving SHINee's take on it (and it shouldn't stop you), but it's worth mentioning; SHINee + J-Pop = Love. Like I mentioned above, I'm glad that SHINee were able to continue releasing music in Japan, because this is a style of music that suits them well, but would not do well in Korea at all.

Diamond Sky feels like the theme song for a magical girl anime. The twinkly pianos, complemented by the strings and electric guitar give it an air of grandiosity that would have made it a perfect theme or insert song for Sailor Moon. If they had added a modulation at the end for Maximum Drama™, I'd have lost my shit.

Close the Door (Everybody)

Firstly, if you haven't watched the SHINee World IV performance where Jinki tap dances to Close the Door, I'm judging you. Our sweet dubu leader did not bless us with such beauty and grace for you to ignore it!!

Secondly, Close the Door is the cheesiest love song I've ever encountered in K-Pop. It's got the romantic sounding keys, the strings, it's in 6/8 time (perfect for a waltz, babies), the lyrics are so sugary sweet, and the chord progressions utilize mostly major chords. And you know what, I absolutely fucking love it. I'm a cheesy Romantic Gay™, and I fucking love this cheesy ass love song. It's just so aurally pleasing, especially since these SHINee boys all have voices that blend together amazingly when they harmonize. Sue me.

Sleepless Night (Misconceptions of Me ~Why So Serious~)

SHINee ballads are a wonderful, amazing thing, you know?!?!? Especially when they don't give us the typical classical ballad, but go a little left field into something jazzy or RnB. Which is what they do with Sleepless Night.

This week's playlist features a lot of songs that are extremely over the top, sis. And I mean, we've discussed this; these SHINee boys love the drama of it all. But they also love lowkey songs like Sleepless Night. You'd be able to tell if they didn't with a song this stripped back and bare. Sleepless Night is literally the SHINee boys (and their amazing harmonies), a piano, and some strings. And it's fucking amazing. There are quite a few songs from SHINee that I want to experience live, but I think Sleepless Night tops the list. Well, that and Wish Upon A Star, but I'm sure I'd cry my fucking eyes out listening to that. I mean, I might cry my eyes out to Sleepless Night, but there's less of a chance there.

I've accepted that I'm a boring bitch who lives for a good ballad (the amount of ballads I've had to listen to for my RRUs has definitely proven this), but there's nothing quite like a good SHINee ballad, sis. There ain't never been a SHINee ballad that I didn't like.

And that's all for this week's list, loves!! Please tune in next week for the next era in my SHINee Spotlight series, Contemporary SHINee ver.2!! And don't forget to tune in Wednesday for my next Review Roundup, featuring songs released this week!!

Love you, guys!!

[dangitgrandpav3imagines]

Ndrv3 boys getting their baby to stop crying? It can be tough if their s/o has to step in Welcome btw!

OH YE S 

this is gunna be hard because some boys are hard to write… For me its Korekiyo, sorta Rantaro, and maybe Kaito in this specific situation. And uh, i sorta took this more as “the boys trying to stop their baby from crying but it *usually* doesn’t work so s/o has to step in” Also I will specify baby genders. Also thanks, i’m new to this and have no idea what i’m doing. - Mod Himiko

Shuichi Saihara

* oh geez

* what does he do

* he tries to cradle the baby which usually works but this time it doesn’t even help

* he is very scared for himself and this baby right now because he can’t even make himself stop crying, how is he supposed to help this poor baby

* his s/o steps in, and sings the baby a beautiful lullaby, putting him to sleep. takes a couple of tries though.

* how

* why

* What is this black magic?

* where can i find it

Rantaro Amami

* he’s pretty calm about this situation actually

* his baby girl cries pretty often after all

* for some reason, this kid likes to be pat on the head or kissed when they are crying

* so he just kisses his precious child’s forehead

* if nothing works, his s/o has to calm the baby with her favorite toy

Kokichi Ouma

* ohohohoho

* he probably scares and amuses his baby at the same time

* she is a very loud crier, like her dad (except, his cries are usually not genuine)

* so, in typical Kokichi fashion, he tries to play games, and make his child laugh away the tears

* so this time he tried peek-a-boo

* it failed miserably

* he didn’t know why

* when his S/O came in, there was a crying Ouma and a crying child

* this man is a mess and so is his child by the age of 7

* his s/o had to make funny faces in order to make the child cheer up, and Kokichi was pretty damn pissed because he was basically doing the same thing

* “no more peek-a-boo for this week” kokichi reminded himself

Keebo/Kiibo/K1-B0

* he researched a lot about babies when Prof. Idabashi was creating his babies AI.

* he was very scared for having this baby

* but oh gee, the first time his child cried no matter how much he researched he wasn’t finding any good answers

* unlike him, his baby had a crying function so he was very… “unused” to this.

* he tries to say its going to be ok and such

* he also pokes the babies nose, but to no avail

* what do?

* his s/o saved the day, realizing his baby was crying because they were hungry

* yes they have a hunger system, and a way to eat

* idabashi really outdid himself

Korekiyo Shinguji Aka I cannot write this character: the imagine

* Korekiyo knew a lot about babies and how to take care of them

* but oh boy

* he never realized how hard it was to calm a baby down

* he thinks “what would my sister do?”

* no, not that

* what would s/o do?

* he told the baby bedtime stories

* it uh

* it worked a little, he supposed?

* when his S/O asked why his baby was crying he simply responded

* “i have no idea”

* just his s/o’s presence calmed the baby. ouch.

true gentleman 

Gonta Gokuhara

* Gonta did not know anything about how to raise a child

* he just assumed they would do it the way his wolf family did

* but S/O quickly shot that idea down

* so when his child started crying

* FULL GENTLEMAN MODE ACTIVATE

* he gives his baby girl flowers and pretty things

* it actually calmed her down without needing his s/o

funny how the one who knows the least calmed his baby down without S/O

Kaito Momota

* his boy was usually pretty silent and didn’t even cry coming out of the puss

* so when he started crying

* he knew something was wrong

* he tried to sing, cradle, and praise the baby as his mini-luminary, and best Kaito jr.

* it didn’t work

* his s/o was shocked even more about how their baby was crying

* his s/o later found out that the baby had a cut in their leg from tripping, and he got immediate bandages, kisses, and playtime to make up for it

Ryoma Hoshi

* hey the other character i can’t write well

* His baby girl didn’t cry all too much, but, oddly enough, cried over more small things than things like injuries, hunger, etc.

* He was just eating when suddenly a wail broke through the house

* “well shit” he thought to himself

* he went to his babies room, only to find a very sad and scared child

* you see, ryoma’s kid got really scared without her teddy bear or any plush toy really

* and it got lost

* shit

* it was later found behind the couch by his S/O

* his s/o’s a life saver, really

I HOPE I GOT ALL OF EM

I HOPE I AT LEAST GOT THEM SOMEWHAT IN CHARACTER

i’m very bad at writing

fun fact I actually really REALLY hate children under like, 8

especially babies

which is why this was a bit hard to write with the limited knowledge of a teenager - Mod Himiko

[redscullyrevival]

Kristie’s Kdrama Recs

Big honkin’ list of my favorite Korean Dramas for @teatime-brutality​ (a newbie) and @deadlikedisco​ (a seasoned pro) but all are invited to sneak a peak! Come, peruse my recommendations and judge them against your favorites or perhaps even find a new one!

Before we start please know that Korean TV shows, once translated, tend to have various titles. I’ll do my best to address show’s multiple names but when in doubt google can help sort it out. Also, this is super long lol

Seonam Girls High School Investigators (aka Detectives of Seonam Girls’ High School) (aka Highschool Detectives)

Sure, Seonam Girls has fantastic emotionally real female friendships...

And sure, Seonam Girls is often times surprisingly funny and wacky...

But Seonam Girls don’t play!

With a mini arc format tucked inside a long game mystery this is a series that is never boring. 

This is also a series that attempts to tackle subject matter the overwhelming majority of Korean television is afraid to touch with a 10 foot poll.

These wonderful and delightful girls don’t inhabit a black and white world and the subject matter they’re often faced with divides the group’s opinions and doesn’t give viewers necessarily easy answers or easy understandings on human behavior and relationships. 

There is never really a consensus on how the girls feel about all that they learn, but over time they grow in their respect for one another and come to respect the journey their detective work takes them on, and life.

WHAT A RIDE!

Loves it.

Reply 1997 (aka Answer Me 1997)

Yeah yeah yeah here we go go go

Its 1997 and the height of kpop’s first wave of idol boy bands is at it’s peak!

Intense fan devotion; unrequited love; family drama; friends being there for each other!

The Reply (or Answer Me) series are some of my personal favorite kdrama titles.

What blows me away about this show is the back and forth dynamic of the teenagers understanding what they value about each other and what makes them likeable within their isolated spaces versus the outside/real world values of adulthood - and then figuring out how to bridge who they are and their adolescence into who they want to be within the wider community. 

Like, the main female character Sung Shi-won is regarded for her devotion to boy band H.O.T. by fellow students (including those who support opposing boy bands) but is chided by her teachers and parents for her fanatical choices; within her space she’s passionate, cunning, and resourceful, but when she looks up and around at the larger space she occupies she is unreasonable, goofy, and occasionally creepy. 

This zooming in and out of spaces until a balance distance is found is what makes this series hard hitting (if not a little manipulative lol) drama gold.

TAMAGOTCHI PETS!

MYSTERY HUSBAND!

GOAT BLEATING!  

Age of Youth (aka Hello My Twenties) 

I love this show so muu-uu-uuuuuuch.

The young women of Belle Epoque are some of the most intensely relatable characters I’ve ever witnessed assembled - individually as well as with their group dynamics. 

It’s about five women who share a house and they grow as people. 

Pretty simple.

BUT this show is still outrageous!

High octane unique and personal emotions mixed with universal domestic shenanigans are the building blocks of Age of Youth’s total charm:

Somehow this series fantastically walks the line between being complete melodrama while also being one of the most honest depictions of female friendships I’ve ever seen.

And oh boy, it is downright magic to witness female characters so different from one another co-exist in the same narrative space with each of them being individually flawed yet fighting; scared yet willing; growing yet complete.

The cast’s performances are knock out masterclasses on ensemble work.

The show has it’s storyline pitfalls but what it excels at it does very, very well - especially nuanced character work and visual set ups.

An Example: The landlady of the Belle Epoque building is a mysterious, fascinating, and terrifically simple addition to the series’ overall feel and visual style of story execution. She isn’t a Greek chorus character but rather, I guess you could say, an oppositional force shown to combat life’s tribulations. She’s a constant reminder that independence and the self can and will win out strife and self-hate if we tend to ourselves and others properly. 

lol sorry, got all meta on ya’ll there. I can only be me.

ANYWAYS

This is a addictive, unpredictable, deeply funny and ambitious series.

Oh my god please watch this show. 

Signal

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey walkie-talkies! 

Haha, actually this is a really intense and somber show - magical radio phones aside.

Who would have thought the magical realism I’ve been searching for in TV would come from police trying to solve crimes through time? 

Its a case of simple premise with calculated execution; it’s pretty neat that the only thing that time travels is information and that our cast of characters (and their choices) is what carries the entire series along rather than deep focus on the mystery of how they’re communicating. 

This show is, I dunno, I feel like it is best described as “hypnotic”.

I don’t want to go into the show that much as it’s one of those experience best met with as little expectation as possible.

I will say though that Signal is darker (visually and thematically) than a lot of other kdramas but still manages to broadcast it’s own brand of hopeful optimism.

The acting in this show is phenomenal so that’s a tight bonus as well. 

Boys over Flowers

Mandatory suggestion; I think by law you have to suggest Boys Over Flowers because it’s such a classic.

Geum Jan Di works her butt off to attend a exclusive school that happens to be ran by the notorious F4, a group of over privileged pretty boys. After she lands on their shit list hilarity (and love) starts to bloom... 

This is one of those shows where people either jive with it’s juvenile offerings or are offended by it’s crooked seams. 

I happen to think it is a delightful product of its time; over the top, unbelievable; and completely charming!

Although, to be fair, Boys Over Flowers is considered frustrating among even it’s biggest fans as the teens tend to rapid fire misunderstand each other and are the root of all their own problems. 

Buuuuut that’s kind of shojo manga’s deal and this is an adaptation of a immensely popular shojo title.

Boys Over Flowers is entirely in it’s own goofy style of teenage camp and if you’re not too serious and ready and willing for all the ups and downs (and ups and downs) it can be a really fun ride.

Gaksital (aka Bridal Mask)

Based on the iconic manhwa by Huh Young-man, Gaksital is an amazing amalgamation of popular culture; a big budget kdrama adaptation of a popular comic book seeking to tell a difficult and painful national story through genre convention and subversion.

Lee Kang To is a local cooperator in Japan’s oppressive colonial rule and a proud member of the imperial police, to the horror of his mother. Kang To is vulgar in his desperation to rise in the ranks of Japanese society and abolish his Korean heritage but especially within his obsession for the rebellious figure of Bridal Mask; a masked individual seeking to spark the nation into resisting colonization. 

As Gaksital takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea this series is far more politically charged and violent than all others on my list.

And as the series is being told from the Korean perspective for a Korean audience be prepared for reflections on national scars and a lot of difficult subject matter the production assumes it’s viewership will have context for. 

Which isn’t to say the production is not comic book-y (it is) or that it is aiming for the highest level of historical accuracy (it isn’t) or a non-Korean audience won’t “get it” (they will).

But, Gaksital does make the effort to be complex with it’s themes of power and choice by deeply embedding them into a historical (and emotional) backdrop and in having the context of the era be the key motivating factor in character’s choices and behavior - all of which relies heavily on the Korean concept of “han”.

Not an easy watch but most certainly an addictive one - as well as the longest clocking in at 28 episodes.  

Reply 1988 (aka Answer Me 1988)

Here it is, the best; the favorite; the Korean broadcast record holder.

This is straight up one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

All the known working parts of the Reply series are here:

Pin point cultural accuracy! 

Heartfelt stories of family and friends! 

Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa as the parents of the main female protagonist! 

Fantastic soundtrack! 

Mystery husband!

GOAT BLEATING! 

You’d think that these shows that have so many common threads would be boring by the third iteration but the exact opposite is true. 

Naturally, you don’t have to watch Reply 1997 or Reply 1994 to enjoy Reply 1988; just pick one and go. They all work amazingly well if you’re just walking into them unbeknownst that they have a shtick and Reply 1988 is the best of the three so by all means go to town, highly encouraged in fact.

But SOMEHOW 1988 is almost enhanced by it’s shtick, by it’s known parts that viewers have come to expect. With the third go the series has really nailed it’s rhythm and writer Lee Woo-jung has really fine tuned what she is doing and has subdued the franchises’ least-working parts.

As always the ensemble acting and storytelling is dead on with the addition of a great balance this time around between the youths, the adults, and their ever evolving lives. Everyone gets their screen time and their stories and you’ll be pressed to find more believable and relatable characters. 

What’s so fascinating about this show (and, again, the Reply series in general) is how it’s both a very culturally specific type of nostalgia as well as a complete acknowledgement on how truly universal so many aspects of the human experience really is.  

Tomorrow’s Cantabile  (aka Naeil's Cantabile)

Almost didn’t list this series because while it’s near and dear to me it has enough eyebrow raising action that I’m not 100% comfortable suggesting it as a “everyone” title.

This is one of those shows that has so many good things about it that the parts that are frustrating are made all the more glaring. 

Overall the series is a wonderful adaptation of Tomoko Ninomiya’s manga about music nerds suffering and growing into their potential. 

There is a lot of soul and a lot of fun in Tomorrow’s Cantabile but out of all the titles I’ve listed this one (and lets be real, Boys Over Flowers) is most like what non-watching folks generically assume when they think of “Korean Drama”.

But, then again, sometimes kdrama is kitschy melodrama and fart jokes with questionable means of displaying romance.

If it’s goofy and occasionally wince worthy ways don’t throw you off course then this show can really wiggle deep under your skin. 

It’s easy to start to care and root for these orchestra nerds and the series will absolutely knock you flat with both it’s humor and drama when the time comes.

Goblin The Lonely and Great God (aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) (aka The Shining Lonely Goblin) (aka Goblin)

This show feels like it’s made for me personally: A melancholy gothic-y romance fantasy series about death! Oh boy!

Kim Shin is an immortal goblin who longs to end his life but only when he finds the ‘Goblin’s Bride’ will he be able to end his immortality and return to dust...

Oh, and a grim reaper is his housemate! Talk about awkward.

Goblin is an odd but very welcome diversion from a lot of what kdrama offers year after year.

This series surrounds itself in the creation of it’s own rich mythology for a very intense and interesting narrative drive.

Hilarious and devastating.

Challenging yet comforting. 

Unique but grounded.

OMG I love it so much.

And since you can’t not mention it, Goblin is BEAUTIFUL. The cinematography on this show is bonkers. 

But, I’ll be up front with y’all: 

If you are someone who places a LOT of importance onto the ending of a story then it doesn’t hurt to know that this is a series whose ending seriously divides its viewers.

So, invest with caution I suppose.

Solomon’s Perjury  (aka The Trial of Solomon)

BUCKLE THE FUCK UP!

When a student from an elite high school falls to his death among suspicious circumstances a frustrated student body decide to hold their own mock trial. Each student has their own role to play, from the prosecutor to the defense attorney. 

Facts assembled; secrets exposed; truth discovered; Solomon’s Perjury is an exceptional thriller filled with wonderful characters struggling to be wonderful people from within confusion, pain, and suspense.

Solomon’s Perjury isn’t an easy watch as it doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter like broken school systems, corruption, abuse, and mental illness stigma. 

The strength and maturity of the teenagers is contrasted against the cowardice and weakness of the adults with both groups opening up to understanding as the show progresses. 

And progresses it does; this series has an exhausting pace that never lets up for long on moving it’s characters (and the audience) towards it’s fulfilling denouement.

With a tight script and a phenomenal young cast Solomon’s Perjury is perfect for binge watching and getting completely emotionally wrecked. 

Which, if you’re like me, makes for a good time! The best time!

Clear your schedule.

Coffee Prince (aka The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince)

Easily the most popular and enduring title on this entire list, Coffee Prince is a forever favorite for a lot of kdrama fans; so popular that it is probably still the #1 hook bringing folks into the kdrama world. 

A handsome and hard working girl in need of a job is mistaken for being a boy, which she capitalizes on to start working at a coffee shop as part of it’s attractive male staff.

As the shop owner starts to fall in love with our androgynous lead he begins to question his sexual orientation within a wave of hilarity, heartbreak, and intensity. 

As time wears on Coffee Prince’s production flaws actually enhance it’s character driven successes.

Sure, we can sometimes hear background street noise and there is bad lighting design and obviously this show didn’t get a budget even close to what dramas do now - but it’s still sooooo gooooood! 

You want to insert yourself into it’s world just so you can sip coffee and observe all that’s around!

The series makes a lot of choices that seek to help push acceptance within Korean society and media but the fact of the matter is that often times LGBTQIA themes and plots in Korean drama seek to be coy and subversive so as to avoid the Korea Communications Commission and as such have more than a few similarities to the kind of innuendo found in pre-Hays Code Hollywood films.

Taking on LGBTQIA themes and plots head on isn’t common by any means, not today in 2017 or in 2007 when this show aired.

And as ambitious as the show tries to be it does, of course, negate away from the “repercussions” of displaying a true gay lead couple on Korean TV.

With a quick and addictive story and characters written as whole people brilliantly performed by a talented cast, Coffee Prince excels at being the definition of enjoyable entertainment and it’s very easy to understand why it has such a lasting legacy.

It is, however, potentially equally frustrating as it is endearing due to the show’s insistence on exploring big themes in completely safe waters - it really just depends on you as a person.

But I personally can’t not suggest this show. 

WAFFLE GUY!

W (aka W Two Worlds)

This friggin’ weird ass show.

A woman goes into her father’s popular comic series “W” and starts messing with his narrative and things get seriously complicated.

There ya go, that’s the show.

W is an odd package that works surprisingly well given how wacky it is.

What helps is the show doesn’t try to over extend; it knows what it is and what it is is a playful series that likes to tease and challenge viewers just as much as it likes to give pay offs. 

What really stands out about W is that it isn’t just about the nature of writing and the idea of narrative responsibility, oh no. 

This series goes hard on themes of what it means to be a recipient of art, of storytelling. Of being an audience. 

Who has more power, the creator or the reader? Who truly defines the characters? Whose in control?

It’s a clever show that plays with meta ideas and isn’t afraid to get big and bold with pointing out common failings and tropes in serialized storytelling (both within comics and Korean dramas themselves). 

One of my favorite things about the series is how the characters explore and take advantage of the ‘rules’ within the crafted narrative space, within the world of “W”, for their own benefit.

A wild and fun ride that goes up and down and all around that certainly works best with viewers who can go with the flow, laugh along with the in-jokes, and don’t mind being messed with.

49 Days

Using this image is kind of sadistic but it’s the best I could do. 

I mean, the cast looks so happy right? What’s this drama about, huh? A family getting by? Maybe a group of friends finding love and happiness? Certainly it’s not about a dead woman inhabiting the body of a depressed woman in an effort to save herself by finding three people outside of her family who will cry sincere tears of grief for her within 49 days, right?!

No one is happy and everything hurts.

This right here is some Grade A melodrama - you know it’s good when you have to make a relationship flow chart with notes.

49 Days takes it’s premise from a Buddhist concept of death: The period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days and involves three bardos, which are the intermediate or transitional states that mark an individual’s life from birth to death and rebirth.

Twists and turns and reveals define this show and yet it doesn’t feel rushed. In fact, one of the bigger complaints I’ve read online is how it’s a little slow and long.

Which is fair criticism! I think 16 episodes would have been the sweet spot instead of the given 20.

But what’s so enjoyable about this series is how it tries to be SHOCK and AWE emotionally just as much as it is story wise, and not only in a sad fashion. 

Because while, yes, you are going to cry, 49 Days is still a uplifting and occasionally very funny title that seeks to express the complexities of human emotions and the choices we make due to those complexities. 

White Christmas

Isolated in the mountains of Gangwando there is a prestigious private school that’s harder to get into than Seoul University, a place where students compete fiercely and endure strictly enforced punishment. The only vacation days are the 8 days from Christmas Eve to the first day of the New Year. Seven students who receive anonymous letters remain at school over the winter break...

White Christmas is a series that approaches the simple query of nature vs. nurture with complex intensity with a green cast of newcomer actors left in the more than capable hands of fan favorite screen writer Park Yeon-Sun and veteran director Kim Yong-soo. 

As paranoia descends we dive deeper into the duality and struggles of each student as they deal with the immensity of their fearful situation on top of their own personal histories and identities.

And as each day wears on the teens strip down closer and closer to the bone.

True empathy and true cruelty; the lies we tell others and the lies we tell ourselves; the savagery that can be inherent in survival and the monsters we can become when others are monstrous to us. 

White Christmas is at all times understandable but imperfect, pretentious but real, clever but unsophisticated - clashes that make the series ripe for a cult following.

My favorite thing about this show is that it’s setting and style is as important as it’s plot and characters which is a common element that threads a lot of my personal favorite psychological thrillers together in the tradition of Shirley Jackson or Suspiria.

The school our fated teens find themselves trapped in is as much as a character as our flesh and blood cast. Architecturally crisp and clean during the day while jagged and sinister at night, there is lot of non verbal story telling and thematic evidence rippling through White Christmas and is also in part what cements it’s cult classic status.

Totally not an “everyone” title but idgaf, I have to let you know it exists!

Hwang Jin Yi (aka Hwang Jini)

I really enjoy sageuk (historical) dramas but a lot of them are too long for me to commit to. 

Thank god this amazing series based on the life of the famous gisaeng (performer/courtesan) Hawng Jini who rose to influence during the Joseon Dynasty is only 24 episodes long!

A historical and cultural icon known for her music, dancing, poetry and tragic love life; Hwang Jin Yi is a series that takes this enigmatic figure and elevates her to legendary status. 

Which of course makes her struggle and pain all the more devastating.

With lush costumes, amazing set designs, beautiful dancing, and brilliant performances this isn’t a series to brush aside just because it’s “old” and historical. 

Hwang Jin Yi is frustratingly relevant on what it has to say about women who dare to create art and how society views and treats them, within their lifetimes and after.

Back in the day there were a lot of great discussions on livejournal about how guarded Jin Yi was becoming as the episodes wore on and how towards the end she became more of an object in the drama instead of it’s subject - which was some of the most interesting fannish discussions I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.

Because it’s true!

People either seem to really love or really hate this series and that divide usually comes down to how the show presents it’s famous leading lady within the last few episodes. 

Was Ji Yi boxed in by production missteps or is the character shutting herself off? Is her status in history that of a cultural object or lived subject? What about within her own life due to her social class and gender, did she feel in control or like an object? Does her art reflect her true self or only as much as the time period would allow?

Good shit.

Arang and the Magistrate

HAHA YESSSSSSS!

This show is about a ghost who harasses a government official into finding out how she died. 

‘Cause we all know if you want the government to do anything you gotta haunt their ass.

Arang and the Magistrate comes from a famous folk tale called “The Legend of Arang” which this series expands upon exponentially.

I don’t want to get into it too much because I honestly think knowing less is an advantage but one thing I wasn’t expecting going into this show was a fleshed out multilayered high fantasy world.

Honestly I was expecting a ghost here and there peppered throughout a historical drama, so it’s safe to say I was totally blown away. 

Arang and the Magistrate is seriously fun, hilariously dramatic, and action packed with believable emotions wrapped within some truly fantastic world building.

If you’re feeling flirty and adventurous please consider this series. 

DO IT.

DON’T QUESTION IT.

WATCH THE WILD GHOST SHOW.

Misaeng (aka Incomplete Life)

The biggest complaint about Misaeng is that it’s “boring and stressful”.

And, uh, that’s true.

HEAR ME OUT!

Misaeng is measured, deliberate, understated, and painstakingly realistic to the point where, yes, it’s borderline stressful to watch at times. 

Based on the popular web comic by Yoon Tae Ho, the lives of the employees at a fictional trading company isn’t high stakes entertainment. Its completely mundane.

So then why does the heart race so often when watching it?!  

Misaeng is intense to watch because it’s not about overcoming workplace and life unfairness - it’s about enduring it.

And therein lies the intense audience response.

The heart racing intensity of Misaeng seems out of place within it’s methodical pacing and “boring” subject matter but this series taps into one of the most universal of all human experiences: The pounding relatability of feeling like your life is incomplete or inadequate. 

Office politics with all the bullying, favoritism, sexism, and gossip that goes on affects all involved yet no one can really do any one thing about it. They all have company roles to play, social norms to follow, and personal situations to consider. 

As the kids say, “the struggle is real” - and in Misaeng that’s pretty literal. 

What’s optimistic is that we see everyone’s hardships. We get to know and understand all of these characters very, very, well very, very, slowly.

We also get to see them win their small victories and grow together and find a coherent peace even if it isn’t flashy, mighty, and grand. 

Even though it will be difficult on your heart I honestly can’t recommend this show enough.

Chicago Typewriter

Chicago Typewriter is about a trio who lived during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea in the 1930's who are reincarnated and find their lives intertwining yet again in 2017.

Sounds intriguing, right? It is intriguing!

A typerwriter is a character.

Yeah, I don’t even know where to begin.

This series is INTENSE, okay? Very, very INTENSE. 

There is always a lot happening; almost every scene is crammed with literary, art, and cinema references; the editing is nuts; the cinematography is glorious; the characters are over the top; and it’s overall presentation is pretentious to the point of being gut wrenching hysterical - and YET!

Why is this trash fire so goddamn fascinating?

Why do I care so much about EVERYTHING IT EVER DOES?

Even when it hits its more mellow stride???

If I have to try and explain it; Chicago Typewriter is kinda like LOST but with bigger and better ownership over it’s bullshit (which is a compliment, I swear).

This is a show for those of you who want to be run over by spectacle, like chasing the coat tails of plot theories, and thrive on visual thematic pay offs. 

Joseon X-Files (aka Joseon X-Files: Secret Book) (aka Secret Investigation Record)

YEAH BITCH. 

This is EXACTLY what you think it is.

Joseon X-Files is a historical kdrama sci-fi thriller based on the American cult classic, The X-Files.

And, yes, before you even ask - of course there are UFOs, monsters of the week, sexual tension, and a Smoking Man.

I could go into tedious details but I’ll spare you and just get down to it:

Joseon X-Files is similar to the American series but it is mostly different.

You will not spend your entire time comparing and contrasting this show with the original. It will let you know when you should be doing exactly that, but most of the time you’ll be plenty wrapped up in it’s own fantastic brand of paranormal investigation. 

You’ll invest in these new characters and new setting. You will see them as they’re presented and not just through a misty smoke screen of expectation, I promise. 

Joseon X-Files is deeply impressive as it’s own series AND as a homage show and I say that as a hardcore X-Files fan. 

And then if you’ve never really seen the original series, well, you’re in for a gigantic freaky treat!

Because this show doesn’t look or narratively flow like the bulk of kdrama it does take some getting use to. It’s shakey, harsh, plays long games, is visually dark, has long periods of no dialogue, and it isn’t overtly romantic. 

What Joseon X-Files does have in spades is a consistent output and a intrinsic desire to be different. Which in my opinion are two of the hardest things to find in dreamland.

I’m the first to admit that there is a lot for me to personally enjoy about this series, but please give it a shot; it is the most unique title on this long list and yes I understand how funny that sounds since it’s a remake-thingy but you’ll see what I mean. 

ALSO my absolute favorite thing about Joseon X-Files is how much it accomplishes on a budget of, like, five bucks. They had no money. None. But that doesn’t stop this series from being rewarding, fascinating, and creepy.   

[tessatechaitea]

DC House of Horror #1, Part Two (AKA A Review of Netflix’s The Mist)

It looks like Batman is fucking Flash while Flash fucks Green Lantern while Green Lantern, covered in semen, jerks off a candle.

Here, a woman smells her fingers for some mysterious and sexy reason.

I'm sorry for that previous caption! The only reason I said it was probably sexy was because she is a woman and I'm objectifying her. I smell my fingers for decidedly non-sexy reasons all the time! If anybody is interested in my life away from my blog, you can visit me intellectually debating the guys at the weird science comic book review blog on their review of Deadman #1. I'd forgotten that they were supposed to be my nemeses! But I remembered! Oh how I remembered! The woman smelling her fingers has been possessed by Wonder Woman because she took part in a Milton Bradly sponsored seance.

See?! You probably thought I was being facetious about the chewing testicles part! It's a known fact!

It's too bad I just scanned two images so closely together because the next page contains a nipple and a bare butt! The nipple is in shadow but you can still see the shape of it! I don't know why I'm using an exclamation point for that revelation. Back in the pre-Internet days, it would have been a glorious find for a young kid. But now, it's as tame as if the panel depicted a basket of kittens. The girl possessed by Wonder Woman kills all of her friends and everybody she meets before getting home and killing her abusive father. She also says a bunch of stuff in Greek. I bet she's saying things like, "I'm here to kick ass and chew testicles! Mmm! So good!" Nope. I was wrong. The first thing Wonder Woman says after possessing the girl is "Where am I, witches?" Then she kills the witches. Later after her killing the girl's dad, she says, "The world of man is Hell. It is going to be a glorious war." Man's World Rating: Are these stories horrific? I guess so. Imagine if Superman were a confused toddler scared out of his wits when he arrived on Earth? He probably would kill everybody by accident in his fits of terror. And Wonder Woman suddenly coming to man's world without any context except what she's been told about why the Amazons can't leave the island? She'd be ready for some serious clean up! And she only killed the women at the beginning because they were obviously witches. Some women, you just can't trust. So you get what we had here in this story. I don't like it any more than you women.

[singingunderthecurtain]

Together For Real (ChanyeolxYOUxKris) Mini Series 1

Mini Masterlist

Picture not mine, found everything on Google

Author: @julietsoddeye AU: Canon/EXO Universe Genre: Angst | Fluff Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader x Kris Trigger Warning: Distrust, Feeling of Betrayal, basically some angsty stuff. Word Count: 2,036

Plot: You, an EXO manager, developed a dangerous relationship with Kris and one day he suddenly left EXO and it left you devastated. For some reason, you found yourself being in a relationship again with one of the boys. And it’s Park Chanyeol.You set boundaries with him, but he shamelessly breaks all the rules making you want to run away.

A/N: So like IDK if I should mark this as Mature. It has a bit of suggestive topics, but no smut at all. And this was supposed to be just a freaking oneshot but then I just keep writing and writing and ideas flow and I didn’t notice that it’s getting longer and longer lmfao. I wanted this to be just a 5K words one shot, but I’m already passed 5K and I’m still not in the climax of the stroy lmfaoooo. So yeah, here goes a mini series.Also a little back story: I intended for this fic to be another Threesome piece, but then I got tired of smut and lately I’ve been really obsessed with Angsty fics, so I turned it into Angst with a little bit of Fluff. hahahaha. hope you like it. XD Plus I think all Chanyeol did in this fic is cry, if you don’t like it then I’m sorry (no I’m not) lol

It wasn’t a strange thing that Idols and staff to hook up, as a matter of fact, it is kind of a thing that happens a lot since they are together almost 24/7 for days, weeks and even months on end. It was bound to happen because literally, their lives revolve around in the same business and each other. You just have to be discreet about it.

That’s why when Kris decided to leave EXO and SM finally; it was both good and bad news for you.

Good news because he was finally free from his misery. Mainly the reason why your relationship started was that because he needed someone to talk to. Sure, he was close friends with all of EXO, but he can’t complain to any of them about how the management mistreated him, not even the Chinese members. Especially not Tao, whom he was really close with. That kid was just naïve and happy. Among the Chinese members, he was spoiled, he was treated well because he was very young.

You found him one late evening, drinking and smoking alone while crying on the balcony of their dorm. You only went back because you forgot the documents you needed for the next day’s meeting. You were one of the managers for EXO and you left your document bag when you took them home. You were responsible for getting the boys of EXO home, along with a driver.

You wanted to scold him that day but you stopped yourself because he was still a year older than you are. It felt weird and you have no exact grip on him since you manage Jongdae. He still panicked though when he saw that you saw him and he begged you not to tell anyone.

Ever since then you both formed a friendship and eventually turned into something else. You weren’t official per se, but he treats you good. He treats you how a real man should. He treats you better than the last asshole you dated. The conversation and the sex were the best you’ve had in your life.

Bad news because it meant it was the end for the both of you. He didn’t even say anything to you when he left. Everyone, especially the EXO members were hurt when he decided to leave. But they didn’t know you were hurting the most. Because you were his emotional rock when he was struggling. You were patient with him and you were by his side always, listening to him when he can’t talk to his members.

The last time you both spoke to each other was a few months after he left. He kept apologizing and saying that he misses you a lot. You were silent most of the phone call, only answering a few ‘hmms’ or ‘yeahs’ while he talked. You know he only said those words to appease your silent strife. He knew you were upset but you chose not to speak up since you know the unspoken boundaries you both set for each other.

You understand why he left, but you never understood why he didn’t let you know of him leaving. You thought all those years of conversations out and in between the sheets, he would at least tell you of his plan. You knew this would happen; you were a witness when the three members of TVXQ and Han Geng left. You were just new to the company that time, and everyone was shaken because of it.

After Kris hangs up, you cried and didn’t notice that Chanyeol was just behind you all throughout the phone call and he heard everything clearly. From whom it was you were talking with and to the relationship you shared with Kris. At first, he was angry. Angry because you get to at least talk to Kris while the members didn’t even get a simple text message from him.

And that night was the start of the shitstorm that is Park Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s demeanor towards you changed dramatically overnight. He was the playful and teasing kind, but with you, not anymore. From being friendly, he started being civil and professional around you. Nobody seemed to notice except you and it bothered you to a point where you have to confront him.

But when you did, he just scoffed and brushed you off as if you’re just nothing. He told you everything was fine and that you both should forget what happened.

So you did, you tried to mirror his attitude, which only took you a few weeks to succeed. But then you notice that he also started to look at you longingly, and sometimes judgingly. He seemed to always be in some kind of spell whenever you walk into a room he was in. But then he’ll snap back to life when he notices you’re looking back. He was hot and cold.

“What happened to Chanyeol?” Jae suddenly asks you, interrupting you from your intense focus on your shared TV. You and your roommate were catching up on your favorite TV show because you missed three weeks of it since you just got back from Europe. The EXO boys filmed in different places for their comeback.

“What happened to him?” You replied nonchalantly. You tried to ignore that she mentioned Chanyeol again.

“Like, why is he so mad at you? You were not the only one Kris called after leaving. “ Jae said as she puffed air to blow away a strand of hair on her face. Her right hand was greased with butter and popcorn bits, the other holding a can of beer.

The two of you finally get a well-deserved break after working non-stop for five weeks straight.

“What do you mean I wasn’t the only one who Kris called?” You scrunch your forehead and finally faced her with a big question mark forming on your face.

“After Kris called you, he called Luhan. I guess I forgot to tell you.” She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a handful of her snack and popped it one by one inside her mouth. Luhan left SM 6 months after Kris did, but the difference between them was that Luhan told every one of his plans and most of the EXO boys supported his decisions.

You sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden and lazily focused your eyes back to the television, ignoring the fact that your friend forgot to tell you that one important detail. After a while, Game of Thrones suddenly seems uninteresting, you yawned and excused yourself, telling Jae you’re sleepy. She greets you good night as she promised you she will never spoil anything to you.

You smiled at her tiredly, convincing her that you’re sleepy. But the truth was, you just wanted to go to your room so you could wallow in self-pity while thinking about Kris again. It has been a year already, but you still can’t shake him off your head.

Soon enough sleep finally found your brain. You slackly stood up from your slump on the bed when your phone’s ringtone suddenly blares out. You jump up in surprise but moved on almost immediately after. You eye your phone and it was Youngjun, your team leader, aka the head of all EXO managers calling.

“Hello?” You answered attentively.

“Oh my gosh finally, somebody answered!” Youngjun groaned in triumph when he heard your voice. The alert in his tone suddenly wakes your mind up.

“What happened?” You replied immediately with concern.

“I know you’re on your day off, but I need you to go to the boys’ dorm. Chanyeol is home alone and very sick. Check if he needs to go to the hospital or not. I can’t go right now because I’m with Kyungsoo on the set. You were the first to answer the call!” Youngjun said in one long breath, explaining the situation.

“Okay, I will be there ASAP!” Your eyes widen when he said that Chanyeol is very sick. You dislike him for ignoring you but it’s still your job to cater to his needs. The moment Youngjun ended the call; you rapidly grab your messenger bag and hoodie from a corner in your room. You check the contents of the bag and were satisfied when all your necessary items are in there and stuff your phone inside.

When you got out of your room, Jae, the main person who was responsible for Chanyeol, is peacefully snoring on the sofa while the TV show continues to play. Her phone is always off whenever she’s on break, that’s probably why Youngjun cannot reach her. You sigh in defeat and decided to let her sleep for now and kick her ass later.

The boys’ dorm, thankfully was just a building away from your apartment. All the staff and artists live near each other so that when they need you, you’ll just cross the bridge that connects from building to building.

When you opened the door, you were met with silence. Where were they all could be, you think to yourself? Why did they leave Chanyeol alone, sick?

Chanyeol’s room was slightly ajar and dark. You pushed it silently and flicked the lights on. You saw him on his bed with his eyes closed, wearing nothing but a thin shirt and sweatpants. You closed the door behind you and dropped your bag on the floor as you make your way to him.

“Chanyeol…” You say as you shake his shoulders gently. His warm palms suddenly caged your wrist and you let out a slight shriek of surprise.

“Oh my God you scared me!” You say as you try to shake away from his strong grip.

Chanyeol unanticipatedly pulls you, making you lose your balance. He caught you just in time and his arm clenches tight around your waist. You are on top of him with your legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

“Chanyeol!” You said as you prop yourself up on the side with the hand that Chanyeol wasn’t holding.

“I knew Jae noona will not answer the call, I knew you’d come instead,” Chanyeol whispers, his warm breath blowing a lulling breeze on your face and you suddenly feel your cheeks heat up.

Without warning, Chanyeol twirls your body around, your back resting on the soft bed. He was pinning you down, his arms still around your waist with his legs in between your spread ones. You felt your middle suddenly enflames as his body blankets over you.

“What are you doing?” You question him silently, your voice weirdly sounded weak and small.

Chanyeol finally lets go of your wrist and his hand reach out to brush the strands of hair away from your face. The touch of his hand left a burning feeling on your skin as he trails your jaws and cup your neck with his warm palms.

You closed your eyes preparing for the pain that you thought he will inflict on you, but his hand suddenly slid on the nape of your neck and you felt his moist lips softly touch yours in a gentle kiss. He didn’t move for what felt like hours testing the waters, waiting if you will protest. When you didn’t shift at all, he finally moves his head to the side and presses harder on you to deepen the kiss.

Your skin started quivering when you felt his tongue brush delicately on your upper lip, asking for entrance. For some reason, you slightly open your mouth to respond and his tongue gracefully slithers its way to meet yours.

Chanyeol lets out a small moan from the back of his throat when you reach up your hand to run your fingers through his soft and silky hair. His hips start to gyrate skillfully, his boner growing and a wave of desire radiate through his hip movement straight to your core.

“Is this why you keep ignoring me?” You ask after you both pull away from each other’s kiss. Chanyeol inhales and exhales a deep breath before answering.

“Yes,” Chanyeol said, his eyes never leaving his gaze on you.

“You know you’re so unfair, I always blamed myself on why you hated me.” You closed your eyes and felt the strange pang in your chest grow as you breathe in and out through your mouth.

“I’m sorry I don’t know how to deal with my feelings for you. Kris Hyung always knew that I liked you, but he still came for you.” Chanyeol’s confession made you open your eyes to see water pooling around his tear ducts, threatening to fall. You can see the hurt in his eyes and your heart melted immediately.

“Chanyeol I—“ You struggle with your words as he closes his eyes and his tears trickles down his face and dripped on your cheeks, rolling down your neck.

[shirtlesssammy]

All Along the Watchtower: Just Stab Me with an Angel Blade Recap

Then:

Just as Cas has faith in the nephilim, we have faith this season was worth it. Carry on….

Now:

Our beautiful, blue-eyed angelic wavelength of celestial intent stares wondrously at Chuck’s mighty creation. It’s a sight to behold, and the mountains aren’t bad either. (I’ll be here all night!)

He turns from nature’s great view and heads towards a little run-down house, where Kelly Kline is inside struggling with her latest Ikea purchase, a new bed for her angelbaby. Cas finds her and reminds her that he said he’d put it together. “I’m very good at following instructions.” Lolz. Kelly is having pre-baby -Oh, right, this thing is going to kill me- jitters.  Cas reassures her that he will do whatever it takes to raise this baby.

Meanwhile, at Casa Bunker, Dean, Sam, and Mary are all reeling from the fact that Lucifer walks the Earth. They thought they almost had it all, but then got renewed for season 13. They blame Crowley (justly) for this current mess, but Crowley is dead. Dean will believe that cockroach is dead when he sees the body (crying small tears in the corner). Cue Night of the Living Dead hand and our favorite King of Hell emerging from his grave! Our strong predictions that Crowley smoked out to the nearby rat was spot-on. 

RAGE ALERT

JFC, show. Like will you ever fucking learn how to kill your women correctly (or maybe stop)? Boris is firmly in the camp that Rowena is not dead….or at least is 10 steps ahead of the game. Because this was a load of bullshit how she died. Rowena (and Ruthie!) deserved better than an off-screen death. Tl;dr: Lucifer killed Rowena, burned her to a crisp, and kept a lock of her hair. The boys call her and get Luci on the line instead. Sammy, I’m sorry you had to talk to that monster.

Cas and Kelly are back from a Target run. Cas, after learning that Everybody Poops, bought the store out of diapers. 

Classic dialog Alert:

Kelly:I’m just saying, the checkout guy looked at us like we were super weird.

Cas:You get used to it.

CAS!

Kelly then has a mini-contraction and while Cas helps her back to the house, she brushes the side of the truck leaving some babygrace behind.

At the bunker, Dean points out that they can’t kill or imprison Lucifer. Sam suggests finding Cas and Kelly, and keep them on the move before the baby is born. Mary wonders how they track Cas and Kelly. Sam exposits that anytime a nephilim is born, things get weird.

Cut to Cas heading to his backyard, and a glowing crack in space and time. He reaches out to touch it (WHY CAS WHY?), and gets sucked into an alternate world, where the sky flashes red, the wind blows grey dust, and the world is a barren wasteland of impaled bodies on spikes and ominous distant mountains. 

Cas is almost taken out by a horned demon, before he’s rescued by a familiar face.

Kelly records a video for her unborn child. More contractions!

At the bunker, research is slow. Sam makes it clear that “whatever this thing is going to be, it’s going to be big and bad.” In pops Crowley! “You rang? Hello boys.”

POW! Dean pops Crowley, knocking him out of his chair. Dean wants to kill him for letting Luci go, but Sam interjects. He might know the cage spell. It’s then then they not so ceremoniously break the bad news to Crowley that his dead mum is not dead. It’s here that Crowley admits some -only people who are going to die soon- truths. “I wanted to win. I perverted Mother’s spell, put Lucifer in a vessel of my own making because I wanted to win.” He was tired of others vying for his throne. One problem though: He hates it. He’ll always bet on the Winchesters though, and wants to make a deal: He’ll seal the gates of Hell, provided he stays Earth-side.

You know Kelly’s in serious contraction mode when she calls out for Cas using “Castiel.”

Sam locates a house in the Pacific Northwest rented out to one “James Novak”. Ah, I see Cas didn’t stick with his super smooth aliases then. The Winchesters are on the trail!

Meanwhile, Doula Castiel is coaching his expectant patient through the still very far apart pressure waves. (Ngl, I’m here for all the doula Cas AU fics. I need something fluffy this summer, damnit!) He took the class online, guys! 

Kelly asks Cas again when the nephilim showed him. He saw a world without pain or hunger or want (kind of like the world Amara wanted? Hmm.) It is a world without fear or suffering or hate. He saw paradise.

The throaty rumble of the Impala sounds outside and Castiel rushes downstairs to greet Dean, Sam, and Mary. (Boris notes: Cas only greets Dean.) “Is this place warded?” Dean demands. It’s gotta be strong enough to hold off Lucifer.

Dean’s pissed and promises to work out their issues later (sobs). Cas warns them that Kelly can’t be moved; she’s having the baby RIGHT NOW DUDES. Mary rushes off to check on her, for she is also a member of the childbirth sucks club.

They run through their options. Cas likely can’t channel the child’s powers to toast Lucifer. Dean grumbles at his bum knee and Cas rolls his eyes, stretches out his hand, and heals him.

There’s a crackling yellow flare to Dean’s healing cut that is so minute…but I fervently believe it will factor into Castiel’s resurrection in Season 13. Nephilim power, baby! I have faith, my friends, and I am like THIS close to writing the Gospel of Cas this summer, you have no idea.

The Winchesters and Cas head outside and spot the “tear in space and time” - so named and identified thanks to The Doctor Castiel. “Like Narnia?” Dean asks. No, Dean. (You can’t stop me from picturing Dean and Mr. Tumnus having tea.) The nephilim’s power, Cas explains, punctured the fabric of the universe. Cas leads them through the tear to Dark!Verse. He identifies it as a horrific reality where Earth is in the latter years of a grinding apocalypse - demons and angels fighting each other and humanity all but extinguished. Sam’s curious how Cas figured out all of the fine print out and Cas says, mysteriously, “a friend told me.”

Castiel assures them that the nephilim will close the gap when he is born. “I have faith,” he tells them. (Me: rubs hands at Castiel’s even more firmly entrenched faith once that nephilim gets him resurrected amirite?)

“Well then you’re a dumbass,” Dean says, like a dumbass.

The Mysterious Figure approaches and whips off his scarf. It’s Darkverse!Bobby! While I wish it’d been a long dead female character, it is nice to see Jim Beaver again. (Boris interjects: Jim Beaver has been in every season of Supernatural. I’m glad we get to see him again!)

Bobby doesn’t know Dean and Sam because those two crazy kids were never born in that reality - and therefore never stopped the apocalypse. Bobby mentions hearing the Winchester name from a dead hunter he knew, Mary Campbell, who often went on about her dead lover when drunk. (If Mary hadn’t made the deal, you guys, we’d be looking at DEATH SPIKES. I’d like to personally shake Andrew Dabb’s hand for this move. Mary, may you learn to accept your mistakes and move on.)

Back at the house Kelly’s getting close to giving birth. She mourns her impending death but excuses it by saying she would die for her son. Kelly, I’m so glad you developed some agency at the end, even though you’re toast. Mary and Kelly bond over martyrdom and motherhood, which is definitely healthy and normal.

Back in Dark!verse, Bobby boasts that he “usually guns down flyboys on sight” with his angel blade bullets. Dean’s eyes light up at a new toy only to have Cas throw him the most exasperated OH MY GOD DEAN look. Oh Cas, we’ll take care of you. (By lassoing writers and forcing them to resurrect you and give you a cat.)

TFW blasts through the tear again only to be confronted by Crowley, who has managed to wriggle out of the (rather feeble) demon blade trap. He offers to help.

Up at the house, childbirth is shitty. Cas knocks at the door and asks to speak to Kelly alone. He reassures Kelly, reminding her of his paradise vision (which I’m really not sure whether I can believe or if he’s just lying to her to ease her through death). 

“Cas has faith in this kid,” Dean notes to Sam but as for himself, “I have faith in us. You, me, mom, Cas, and Crowley…sometimes.” They walk outside to face Lucifer.

“Chuck will stop you,” Sam says. (Oh, honey, no he won’t.)

“Every time I look at this sad trash fire of a world, you know what I keep thinking?” Lucifer asks. “I could do so much better.” (<– Me: breathlessly parallels this to Cas’s “sad, doomed little world” speech and how Cas is SO GOOD and also the nephilim’s inevitable journey towards embracing free will)

The rumble starts, Cas gets knocked aside immediately, and Sam and Dean run off. The Winchesters lead Lucifer to the universe tear and Lucifer happily follows them through. Lucifer gets cornered by Sam and Dean, who levels Darkverse!Bobby’s angel killing machine gun at him. “Say hello to my little friend,” Dean actually, literally says.

It…doesn’t work. But it does hold him off for a while so Sam and Crowley can work the spell to lock Lucifer in the Mad Max wasteland. While Dean is getting the snot beaten out of him, Crowley heads off to grab a life sacrifice to heal the rift. Specifically, Crowley is going to use his own life to seal the rift. 

And…Crowley sparks out with a final, “Bye, boys.” Dean and Sam hesitate at the portal when Cas bursts through and runs after Lucifer with his angel blade drawn. Oh, Castiel, you didn’t get the memo? (bites nails)

Back at the house, Kelly screams and then begins to glow as the nephilim, aka “baby cannon” as someone hilariously termed it, is born.

Dean and Sam emerge back into their own universe and the tear begins to close as Castiel, on the other side, knifes Lucifer in the gut.

Cas burst through the portal. WHEW just in time, right? Only…

^^^ Fandom right now ^^^

Fucking Lucifer knifes Cas in the back (in the same way Billie was killed by Cas earlier in the season…More disconcerting parallels).

I mean, this hurts so bad that I had to stop this recap. Just. CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!

Cas falls to the ground. Solidly.

“Points for trying, super impressed,” Lucifer says. Mary approaches, slips on two sets of Enochian warded brass knuckles, and cracks Lucifer in the face. 

Mary. Fucking. Winchester everyone.

She punches Lucifer to the tear and then pushes him through it, pulled in by him at the last minute. The tear heals. Mary is trapped in Dark!Verse with Lucifer. (Reminding everyone that a whole legion of angels is about to descend on that area. An injured Lucifer scampers off and Mary is ushered to safety by Bobby. Right? Right. We’ll do a reality-jumping spell next season to go save her.)

“No no no no no,” says Dean, one hand held up to where his mother disappeared and the other towards the ground at the prone body of Castiel. No no no no no is right, Dean.

Sam looks at Castiel then back at the flickering lights of the house. Sam runs inside to the nephilim, leaving Dean to kneel at the side of his best friend (and the love of his life). Dean looks up to Heaven where I SWEAR TO GOD he is going to pray to Chuck for the first time ever and my heart is going to break again. (As positive as I am at Castiel’s resurrection this scene actually makes me a little nauseous.)

Sam heads inside and finds Kelly dead on the bed. He hears a noise from the other room and finds, in the baby’s room near the apple tree mural, a young man huddled in the corner. His eyes glow golden in the gloom.

*Flails*

And for those following along, I’d like to close with these cherry-picked lines from T.S. Eliot’s “Little Gidding”

We die with the dying:

See, they depart, and we go with them.

We are born with the dead:

See, they return, and bring us with them.

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.

Quotes from Bizarro World:

If you ask me if I have the quarter inch allen wrench one more time I am going to come down there and burn your giant Viking junk yard of a store to the ground.

I’m very good at following instructions.

Everybody poops.

This is what you do when I’m not here? Type?

Can you flame on again?

It’s a bizarro world.

Supernatural wasn’t real. And you were Polish.

Wait, angel killing bullets? Awesome.

You big, beautiful, lumbering piles of flannel.

[lady-nevermore]

Tag you’re it! ^_^

Umm.....I’m pretty sure I’ve already done this survey/questionnaire before; ah well, I’ll try to make my answers vary a bit from last time, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll probably just copy and paste my answers from the last one (feeling sorta lazy atm, sorry). lol ^^;

But anyways, yeah, I don’t mind doing this a second time around, they’re actually pretty damn fun, so let’s get started! :D

Rules: Answer these questions, and tag 20 amazing followers that you would like to get to know better.

Tagged by: @blueteamproblem​ (Cool - Thanks for the Tag). ^_^

Name: *sigh* I’m hesitant/reluctant when it comes to revealing my name, cuz I’m paranoid/anxious, that people I knew from my past will end up finding me again......and tbh, I’m not quite ready for that reunion/confrontation just yet.....But here’s a hint: (My name means Soul in Spanish). ^-^

Nickname: Ama (by my dad, my little cousins, and one of my fave Aunties), hmmm....A few of my old-friends back in my high school days used to refer to me as: “Almy, Almita, Soulzzz, etc”. Do these count? lol ^^;

Zodiac sign: Leo (Western Zodiac) and Sheep/Ram (Chinese Zodiac).

Hogwarts House: When Pottermore first started becoming a “thing” around 2010-2011 (I remember cuz I was one of the beta-testers), I was sorted and placed in Slytherin. .....But I believe that, that was due to the fact that I was in a really really really depressed, bitter and dark place at the time (those who have read my first entry of my “therapy blog”, and will end up reading more in greater detail later down the line, will know why); but as of right now: I’m happy to say that I’m a Proud Pottermore Ravenclaw. ^_^

Height: 5′3” (yeah, I know i’m pretty smol). heh ^^;

Orientation: Bisexual (I know that I’m attracted to women at the very least, as well as men....but it’s sorta on a 70/30 sometimes 60/40 on the spectrum/scale), but as of late, I feel like I could also very possibly be ace, maybe even possibly demisexual (Let’s just say that It’s safe to say I’m still questioning/trying to figure myself out, and leave it at that). ^^;

Ethnicity: Hispanic/Mexican-American

Favorite fruit: Cantaloupe, Gala/Fuji Apples, Granny Smith Green Apples, Mango, Strawberries, etc. 

Favorite season: Fall/Autumn and Winter Seasons 

Favorite book series: The Harry Potter Series The Inheritance Cycle / Eragon Book Series The Unexpected Dragon by Mary Brown The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings The Hunger Games Trilogy The Giver Book Series The Time Traveler's Wife Shakespeare Edgar Allen Poe Grimm Fairy Tales 

Manga wise: Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki His and Her Circumstances aka Kare Kano Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter, Level E, and Ookami nante Kowakunai all by my all-time fave mangaka (infamous for his long-ass Hiatuses, but damn it I still think they're worth it): Yoshihiro Togashi.

Favorite fictional characters:  Waaaaay too many for me to list here, but currently as of right now, as I’m sure some of you may have noticed, I’m crushing/fangirling rather hard over Soi Fon at the moment. lol xD

Favorite flower: I love most flowers (like for example: a classic single stem Rose) but I do have a soft spot for Small flowers, like: Morning Glories and White Clovers.

Favorite scents: Petrichor aka the smell of the earth/soil after it rains, though the smell of coffee, the smoky scent of firewood during a cold night, the crisp cold scent of an early morning/early evening/late night, the smell of freshly mowed or cut grass, the fresh smell of laundry, and the scent of sandalwood are all pretty damn nice too. ^_^

Favorite color:  Purple, Lavender, Orchid Purple, Wine Red/Red-Violet, Magenta, Sapphire Blue, Cerulean Blue, Light Blue, Red, Maroon, Teal, Emerald Green, Turquoise Green, Seafoam green, Gray, Black, Silver, Gold, Neon Colors, basically any type of bright / vibrant colors, though pastels colors are pretty nice too....I find most hues/shades of colors beautiful in their own right.....So let’s just say everything! lol ^^;

Favorite animal:  I’m real fond of the whole Trickster-archetype when it comes to animals, so it’s safe to say that I really do have a soft spot for Corvids (Crows and Ravens), and Foxes; though I also really like Wolves, and Owls. But above all else, I really really really fucking love felines/cats (big and small); ie Grey Tabby Cats, Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest Cats, Lions, Leopards, Jaguars, but especially Snow Leopards! =^.^=

Favorite artist/band:  

 Musical Scores:

- John Williams's Scores in the Harry Potter Films - Murray Gold's Scores in Doctor Who - Trevor Jones's Scores in The 1998 Merlin/Merlin's Apprentice mini series (aka the one with Sam Neill). - ATLA/Legend of Korra Scores by Jeremy Zuckerman - Pirates of the Caribbean Scores by Hans Zimmer - The Anime Scores in both Rurouni Kenshin and in Yu Yu Hakusho respectively. - Oh! And the anything by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams (like the RWBY and RVB OST for example) Oh! and the Scores in Harvest Moon and Legend of Zelda Soundtrack (Song of Storms anyone?). ^_^  And probably several other scores in anime and videogames that I just can't recall at the moment. But music-wise: Just like with anime, books, and tv-shows I tend to be a pretty open-minded and am into several types of genres (from J-pop/J-rock/anime theme and ending songs, anything by Megumi Ogata, punk rock, alternative rock, 80's and 90's pop/rock music, electronic, pop, hip-hop, r&b, jazz, anime jazz covers, classical music, modern classical music with a modern twist aka pop/rock covers via a classical musical sense, scores in anime and in some of my fave nerdy fandoms, basically anything and everything even country....all except for like "pure rap or purely screamo heavy metal".... like, I don't mind if there's a little bit in like r&b/pop or rock respectfully, but yeah, just no). ^^; My Fave bands/musicians: - Green Day - Death Cab For Cutie - Daft Punk - Owl City - Etc.

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa?: Tea; I used to be quite the coffee drinker, but not anymore mostly due to my anxiety (trust me I still really miss it, especially the taste & the smell of coffee.....Hmmm, I’ve been thinking that maybe I should try decaf), but anyways, yeah, over the years I’ve stuck and grew to really love tea....tho cocoa is nice every once in awhile (especially during the colder seasons). ^^;

Average sleep hours: *sigh* I have insomnia, so my sleep cycle is pretty much wack and all over the place; I’m lucky if I get 5-6 hours of sleep. -___-;

Number of blankets you sleep with: As of right now: one; I really really really hate humid/warm/hot weather....makes it soo damn uncomfortable to get a good night’s sleep (but that’s what I get for living in California, I suppose). ugh. >_<;

Dream trip: Japan would be pretty cool! ^_^

Last thing Googled: Butterflies and their symbolism with souls/afterlife.

Blog created: Since 2011

How many blogs do I follow: Dunno, I never really checked. o.o

Number of followers: 697

What do I usually post about: Usually, I tend to just reblog a lot of fan art, gif edits, or posts pertaining to some of my fave fandoms; right now it’s: Bleach (Soi Fon), RWBY, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc. But I will be posting about my therapy sessions in my “therapy blog” in the future, so look out for that I guess. ^^;

Do you get asks regularly: Not a whole lot, but when I do, they never fail to make me smile. :)

What is your aesthetic: Damned if I know...Um, 90′s aesthetic? idk! lol ^^;

Tagging (don’t feel obligated to do this if you don’t want to): @angelotics , @theamazingflyinglion , @tdk-blog, @doctordearie , @youko-fairy , @nightjasmine10 , @luckystarchild , @tifa-the-bacon-goddess , @boserwulf , @ravenhull , @fionaandcake27 , @hirusekidragon , @weissrose , @rwby-fan , @yangsmash , @bizarrolord , @blue-eyed-korra , @hellfire47 , @yyhlove , @yyhaesthetics

[dreadwhoop]

Skullgirls 5th Year Anniversary

Yep.

It's been 5 years. Before we launch into a personal open letter to Alex Ahad regarding the future of his, Mike Zaimont's, and Lab Zero Games' creation, a reminder of last year's post can be found here:

http://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/142565814718/skullgirls-4th-year-anniversary

I also would like people to remember the https://twitter.com/IndivisibleRPG handle if you need to quickly keep up to date with their current project, Indivisible, slated for a 2018 release.

Okay Skullgirls 2/II talk. It has to happen at some point. I'd be remiss to be an expert on how to handle such a spectacular sequel however I do feel snippets of plot and choices for how to include characters should carry weight from the events of the first game. When we last left off, Marie was the current Skullgirl. It makes little sense to have her be the same one if the intentions will be to have the sequel be set 7 years after the events of the first game and why not? A sequel should feel like a true next step - Tekken 3 is one of my all time favorite games for many reasons not least because it decided to step ahead 19 years which is almost three times longer! Progression is key.

Valentine should be the next Skullgirl.

From a gameplay standpoint, having her and her Last Hope comrades fight together would be incredible. From a story standpoint it all comes down to tragic irony - Last Hope were a failed anti-Skullheart unit and Valentine was spared so she could be Marie and Double's subordinate in their plans to murder the Medicis, destroy the ASG labs, and lay waste to the Canopy Kingdom. To prevent anyone else suffering her fate, and to redeem her own actions from the first game, becoming the next Skullgirl would be the most canonically sensible choice - it is what happens in her story in the first game and leaves the remainder of said cast relatively untouched so they can be translated into the sequel without plotholes. Between the events of 1 and 2 would be a matter of debate so for now just assume Valentine went dormant for 7 years and during so several people go missing - you know like Tekken 3. This would also mean she'd be unplayable in the sequel however it is a sacrifice worth making. Sorry all you Valentine fans!

The next step then is to suggest how to structure the story in terms of playthroughs. We have to go bigger to get better. Generally speaking each story involves a pair of two characters - destined to work together - and a 3rd character who acts as their sub-boss before fighting Valentine who, once defeated, unlocks said sub-boss as a playable character. I'll go over each of the pairings and their sub-boss respectively:

Filia + Squigly are the most natural pairing - Samson and Leviathan have a deep history going back well before their host's time and were integral parts to the creation of the first game. The story writes itself - both are trying to find out answers to the origins of the Skullheart, why a Skullgirl must exist, and if a pure wish can be made. Eliza would of course have much tied to said story too, being she too has a parasite, a history, and was the fan's 1st choice for other DLC characters.

This team is comprised of the Cirque des Cartes story and focuses on the idea Cerebella has gone missing and it's up to an eager Feng and a reluctant Beatrix to uncover why. Originally I had contemplated keeping Cerebella as a mandatory character however as an unlock it gives more incentive to play on the 7 years timegap, her descent into the Medici underworld, and how Feng can redeem her friend whilst Beatrix can finally step out of her rival's shadow and be the star of said circus.

Peacock + Annie would be an odd couple at first though by now Peacock has become a formidable foe to finish the Skullheart once and for all - something Annie would love nothing more to see given her endless cycle of enduring said events. Together they'd be the best chance because neither would dare wish on it anyway and the dark overtones mixed with their cartoonish demeanor lends well to hi-jinx and comedy. Why is Isaac trying to stop them then? Well I don't want to spoil the mystery...

Ah poor Little Miss Renoir. I kinda feel like she should be the de-facto main focus of Skullgirls 2/II akin to how Filia was for 1 yet her popularity in the DLC voting was...underwhelming. A Top 16 placement was the best she could do?! Anyway the plot is simple - her older sister Parasoul is also missing (presumably Valentine has abducted her or something) and it means Umbrella is technically the reagent of the land. What's her first decree? Pull Panzerfaust out of inaction and make him explode your dicks. Don't forget the ice-cream!

Minette was one of those finalists who, despite the overwhelming popularity of her design, really doesn't translate into a fighter...what's she going to do - throw plates of fish sticks in your face? Fun times aside, why the hell is she paired with Mrs. Victoria? Because this is all a ruse - Yu-Wan and D. Violet are the actual pair - my idea is to unlock this pair you need to complete training and do a mini-game to unlock Mrs. Victoria and Minette and then, when you begin the story with them, input commands to have Mrs. Victoria transform into D. Violet and Minette get subbed out for Yu-Wan - in this fashion you then continue the story with the two fighters as they journey to rescue Nadia Fortune who Valentine no doubt also abducted.

The fallout from the ASG storyline is one which unfortunately makes Carol, aka Painwheel, always second peg to Peacock. Despite this she need a partner in the form of Leduc. I really like the pairing of Painwheel and Leduc, they definitely deserve plot, and the substance of said plot revolves around rescuing their missing members. I had to think about who would be the sub-boss to unlock and decided it might as well be Big Band over Hive or Ileum. Beyond this straightforward idea I just hope people care about these characters and not get lost in the shuffle.

Stanley and Black Dahlia? What the hell are you smoking Dreadwhoop?! Yeah I know it sounds like the crackiest of pairings so far yet hear me out - Stanley is an ASG scientist and Black Dahlia was an ASG experiment who defected to the Medicis - enemies of the people of Little Innsmouth of which Stanley's Dagonian heritage would oppose. See this is where things get interesting - both are part of an entirely different secret society designed to watch the various organizations and also plan such experiments like what if you could resurrect a former Skullgirl? Enter Marie. Dubious moralities aside, finding a reason to combine science, technology, and magic to bring Marie as a playable character would be sweet. She'd not have her Skullgirl powers however the fact we could play as her finally would be worth the reward - Kira Buckland deserves the best.

Venus + Aeon - the other natural pairing. Unlocking this team would require a little more legwork - namely either completing the game with all the above 7 teams first or by completing a playthrough on a much harder mode in which after defeating Valentine they'd appear as the true Final Bosses of the game. Venus + Aeon are of course architects of the Skullheart and manipulate from the background so to bring them to the forefront means effort and Double, their weird clone mum thing, would be even more insane given the increase of characters. I'd not be envious trying to balance these guys out yet they have to be playable in some capacity.

I have one more team in mind - Beowulf + Scythana. I feel these two would be a great pair, given their history on Gigans, I just don't know who would be their sub-boss/unlock. I guess you could include a Guest Character or a gimmick like Fukua or Robo-Fortune or even an entirely new character because I'm sure there's room for new ideas. Actually unlocking this pair requires some online play - playing enough games or winning enough games unlocks these guys. Would this be fair? Nope though these should be difficult characters to play on base so unlocking requires some measure of skill too.

So this is all I have for ideas going forward - take it or leave it. Have a great 2017 all!