#the pilgrims episode?? WHY

[anthrofreshtodeath]

On the one hand I… am a stodgy old lady when it comes to people who write about sports and get it wrong. I know that in the end it doesn’t really matter and I’m like one of three people who care. I accept this about myself. But on the other hand, like… you don’t have to. Especially if your writing makes you money. You don’t *have* to do it 😭

[mimiscappinisideblog]

I started watching Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and then left in episode 3 and started watching The Nanny instead... ADHD am i right?

Anyway I am down bad. Here are doodles to prove it, so the judge will take my side and arrest Jason Schwartzman for all the damage he did to my mind :)

Inspo:

[slymanner]

You know since there actually is a lisa cameo in the show i really expected a small scene of her being absolutely fucking DUMBFOUNDED seeing her friend from highschool just randomly get a fucking MUSICAL about his story out of nowhere 😭😭😭 INCLUDING KIM TOO SHE IS IN THE BANNERS OF THE MUSICAL

she really didn't??? Like??? Go and find scott and kim and ask about it??? give them a lil congrats maybe if she even knew they were in town??? SHES A ACTOR FOR CRYING OUT LOUD THIS WOULD BE A WHOLE ANVIL SLAMMING ON TOP OF HER OF SURPRISE DNDNDBDB

I'll headcanon and say since she didn't know they were in town or not, i bet she actually just attended the musical just to support her besties, even if she didn't know they were there. <3

[demilypyro]

So I've seen a few too many people on twitter talking about The Kiss Scene from the new Scott Pilgrim anime. People saying it's fetishistic and indulgent, people calling it male gazey, etc. And while the kiss itself is certainly a bit exaggerated, I felt like writing a bit about why I disagree, and why context is important, like it always is. But it basically turned into an extended analysis on the metatextual treatment of Roxie Richter. So bear with me. It's a long post.

What really matters about this scene is not the kiss itself, but what precedes it. Not even just the fight scene just before it, but what precedes the whole anime series, really. And that's the Scott Pilgrim comic book, and the live action movie. Because in both, Roxie is a punchline.

She's a joke. Her character starts and ends with "one of the exes is actually a girl, I bet you didn't expect that." Jokes are made about Ramona's latent bisexuality, the movie especially treating it as funny and absurd, and her validity as a romantic interest is entirely written off by Ramona as being "just a phase." There's a fight scene, she's defeated by a man giving her an orgasm which implicitly calls her sexuality into question (come on), and the movie just moves on. It sucks. It really, really sucks.

The comic fares a little better. It never veers into outright homophobia like the movie does, and while the line about Ramona having gone through a phase remains, Roxie actually gets one over on Scott when Ramona briefly gets back with Roxie. But Roxie is still only barely a character. Like all the other evil exes, she's just a stepping stone towards the male protagonist's development. She barely even gets any screentime before she's defeated by Scott's "power of love." But Roxie stands out, since she's the only villain who is queer, or at least had been confirmed queer at that point (hi Todd). In a series that champions multiple gay men in the supporting cast, the single undeniable lesbian in the story is a villain. She's labeled as evil, made fun of, pushed aside in favor of the men, and then discarded. Her screentime was never about her, or her feelings for Ramona. It was about the straight, male protagonist needing to overcome her. And that was Roxie Richter. An unfortunate victim of the 2010s.

Fast forward to current year, and the new anime series is announced. Everybody sits down to watch the new series expecting another retelling of the same story, and.... hang on, that straight male protagonist I mentioned just died in the first episode. And now it's humanizing the villains from the original story. And there's Roxie, introduced alongside the other evil exes in the second episode, and she's being played entirely straight, without a punchline in sight. No jokes are made about her gender, no questions are made of her validity as one of Ramona's romantic interests. The narrative considers her important. In one episode, she already gets more respect than she did in either of the previous iterations of Scott Pilgrim. And this isn't even her focus episode yet... which happens to be the very next one.

The anime series goes to great lengths to flesh out the original story's villains and to have Ramona reconcile with them. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Roxie gets to go first. While Matthew Patel gets his development in episode 2, Roxie is the first to directly confront Ramona, now our main protagonist. This is notable too because it's the only time the exes are encountered out of order. Roxie is supposed to be number 4, but she's first in line, and later on you realize that she's the only one who's out of sequence. She's the one who sets the precedent for the villains being redeemed. She's the most important character for Ramona to reconcile with.

What follows is probably the most extensive, elaborate 1 on 1 fight scene in the whole show. Roxie fights like a wounded animal, her motions are desperate and pained. Ramona can only barely fight back against her onslaught. Different set-pieces fly by at breakneck speed as Roxie relentlessly lays her feelings at Ramona's feet through her attacks and her distraught shouts. And unlike the comic or the movie, Ramona acknowledges them, and sincerely apologizes. And the two end up just laying there, exhausted, reminiscing about when they were together.

Only after this, after all of this, does the kiss scene happen. Roxie has been vindicated, she has reconciled with the person who hurt her, the narrative has deemed that her anger is justified and has redeemed her character. And she gets her victory lap by making the nearest other hot girl question her heterosexuality, sharing a sloppy kiss with her as the music triumphantly crescendos.

It's... a little self-congratulatory, honestly. But it's good. It's redemption for a character who had been mistreated for over a decade. And she punctuates the moment by being very, very gay where everyone can see it, no men anywhere in sight. Because this is her moment. And then she leaves the plot, on her own accord this time, while humming the hampster dance. What a legend. How could anything be wrong with this.

[moosegbt]

Happy one year anniversary to my Over the Garden Wall VHS tape project!

I made it in both orange and black. I like black more, but orange really feels more in the spirit of the season. I used the shell from a VHS copy of the Rugrats movie.

I made the box art using various screenshots from the show, as well as some promo art. The description was taken from the DVD release, and the description title “will you take a peek?” was the tagline during the promotion of the show.

The back also has a fun little easter egg: the barcode is for candy corn!

What’s more is the tape has a special cut of the series that I made myself. I cropped every single scene in every single episode to make sure it naturally fit in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and I edited the episodes together to flow as if it were one movie (the pacing is a little like Babe). Additionally, I added trailers for movies that give me the same nostalgic vibes (The Last Unicorn, Princess Mononoke, Steven Universe: The Movie, and The Iron Giant). I also added the Warner Brothers and Cartoon Network title cards.

I printed this cut into the tape by integrating a VCR into my PC setup. If you want to see more about this project, I have a few videos about it on my TikTok @MooseGBT, or you can check out the main one right here!

The video has an earlier version of the tape, which is why the actual tape doesn’t have a real label (it’s kind of just a piece of paper slapped on upside down with tape). The content on the tape, however, is the same.

This was a really fun project, and I’ve already started working on a VHS cut of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Steven Universe: The Movie, the Star Wars Sequel trilogy (I have 1-6 on VHS, and I also want 7-9), and the other Star Wars movies (the Christmas Special, the Clone Wars, Solo, Kenobi, and Rogue One). I also have plans to begin editing and printing the FNAF movie, the spiderverse trilogy (once ATSV pt 2 comes out), and Don’t Hug me I’m Scared.

[nitw]

OKAY REAL TALK. i'm on episode 5 rn. if this keeps up the way i think it is then this show is such a fucking genius adaptation, and i never would've seen it coming

like yeah, an animated scott pilgrim series authentic to the comics and the story bryan originally wanted to tell would've been amazing too. but when you think about it, SCOTT'S story has already been told to us more than a few times now. even if the live action movie took a different turn by accident, the overall message of "well-intentioned people can still make, and should still take responsibility for, mistakes that hurt those who care about them, and indifference will only end up hurting them back" still sticks for the most part.

but it's mainly been from scott's perspective. which makes sense! he's the main character, so, obviously!! but here's the thing: ramona has ALWAYS served as a reflection of scott's issues. ngl i think this is one of the most consistent things in the entire franchise, and it's why i love ramona so much. as we dive further into her backstory we learn just how much of a wall she's built around herself, how she's afraid of trusting people, but especially that, as sympathetic as she is, she's also caused so much (unintentional) damage herself. although she's introduced as someone literally too good to be true and unreachable by scott's standards, it becomes more and more apparent how similar scott and ramona are, and so they're perfect for guiding each other towards a brighter path.

and what better way to highlight this than to flip the tables completely, putting RAMONA center stage aka making the audience intimately familiar with her immediately, making SCOTT the mysterious damsel in distress/goal at the finish line instead, driving ramona to face the 7 evil exes and making amends with them in a way scott never could???

also can i just say. HUGE SHOUTOUT to the marketing team for hiding this reveal SOOOOO well. like seriously, i was worried they were showing TOO MUCH in the trailers BUT I WAS WRONG. WE GOT PLAYED SO HARD

[flower-boi16]

Thinking about this further, Viv could have made good use of the eight episodes she had if she just chose to take the time to rework the story and actually knew how to pace things. Cuz here's the thing, there are other seasons of TV shows I've seen that have had just as much if not LESS time to tell they're stories but are better paced and structured than HH.

The third season of The Owl House had only three episodes to tell it's story. Two of those episodes are 44 minutes long and the last one is 55 minutes long, so it's at least 6 and a half episodes of TOH and Hazbin Hotel, since both shows have similar runtimes. That is LESS than what Hazbin has, which is eight episodes.

There's also Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a show that, like Hazbin, has eight episodes, so it has the exact same amount of time that Hazbin does to tell its story (I've seen the first six episodes of the show and it's already better paced than Hazbin).

The thing is, the reason why these things have better pacing than Hazbin despite just as much or even less time to tell their stories as Hazbin is because the writers of those shows actually knew how to pace things out and which things to focus on for the story. Viv clearly doesn't know how to pace things and it results in a mess.

And, mind you, The Owl House specifically got its third season cut short by Disney, so Dana and her crew were forced to completely rework 2B and whatever plans they had for season 3. They made sure every second counted when writing TOH season 3 knowing of the short time limit they had. And, the season ended up being an absolutely phenomenal conclusion to the show that provided a satisfying end to the story & characters, and it also ended up being better written, and better paced than Hazbin, despite having less time to tell it's story.

Hazbin could've had decent pacing if Viv didn't try to cram so much into eight episodes because it makes the show feel cluttered and unfocused. The show was already renewed for a second season, why not save all the big stuff for it? I don't know why Hazbin had eight episodes and who made that decision, whether it was an executive or Viv herself, but either way, she should have made good use of the time she had...but she didn't.

And, ultimately, it resulted in everything feeling rushed.

[starsfic]

Since July is a week or so away, I decided to do this instead of another fic for this month

Summaries:

After learning about his parentage, Mikey sneaks inside an art auction of Hamato Yoshi’s art, learning both about his father and Draxum.

No magic AU where Spicynoodles are getting married at the same chapel but both are left at the altar. Both meet and decide, after a few too many drinks, to get married instead

In the wake of learning about Splinter’s real identity, Leo and Raph struggle with deciding on how to handle it. (Or, according to @stylishbutdefinitelyillegal, Hamato Saki earns the Worst Uncle award.)

Long Xiaojiao is put in charge of Red Son’s bachelor party! Bits of smut here and there.

Pilot episode of my TMNT incarnation, the turtles, all in the same night: make two new friends, rob their dad, and find a mystical hidden city.

Red Son, serving as one of the groomsmen for an ex's wedding (he's not sure why but he has theories) and ends up getting frisky with one of the strippers hired for the bachelor party. The same stripper, still wearing his red bandana, is at the wedding as a waiter. Smut.

A two parter DoTMNT fic, with the turtles adjusting to the fact that they are biologically related and the Hamato brothers discussing their eldest brother.

Set sometime before Agony of a Witch, Raine Whispers is sent to the weekly Coven Head meeting- which is basically just an excuse to hang out at a bar and bitch. They meet up again with Lilith, drinks are drunk, and Lilith ends up drunkenly confessing the truth about Eda’s curse to a less drunk Raine.

April makes a new friend before summer starts.

Encanto AU where, after Mariano successfully proposes to Isabella, Mirabel moves out to an apprenticeship with the village seamstress. A few weeks later, however, Abuela is forced to come to the realization that Mirabel is the future candle holder and tries to make her come home. Mirabel, working on therapy, has one condition: that Abuela apologizes.

That one fic I mentioned to @twinklecupcake: AU of Pignapped where Tang and the kids instead land in the capture where Zhu Bajie joins the journey and must work with Sun Wukong and Tripitaka to wrangle the pig. What Tang also finds is a rival over his husband- Blue Orchid.

In an AU where the Brotherhood and the pilgrims must co-exist in Wukong's life, both groups try to offer Spicynoodles advice on how to court. What should be a simple thing leads to both boys acting wildly out of character and Tripitaka and Azure entering a battle of snark and wits over Wukong.

[starrclown]

EclispeDuo headcannons I have but I can't explain most of them but they just feel right★★

Triggerwarning for talks of death, alcohol, blood, past bad experiences, and other triggering topics

Sillies <3

Chang'e has been trying for YEARS to get Wukong on her show. Wukong wants to be on it but he's really camera shy so they can never release the episode cause he gets to nervous.

Wukong let's Chang'e in on ALL the tea going on earth.

Chang'e really does not like Macaque because of his history with Wukong. Wukong doesn't suger coat their past, he goes into enough detail to keep somewhat privacy but he'spretty open and honest. He also told her about Macaque's recent atrocities committed on him and Mk. This causes Chang'e to have a really negative opinion on Macaque because she doesn't understand why Macaque would be so mean to Mk just cause he doesn't like Wukong. (She also doesn't like Macaque because how dare he hurt Wukong's feelings.)

Wukong babysits some of Chang'e bunnies sometimes when she's broadcasting her cooking show.

Wukong fills Chang'e in ALL the gossip on earth.

Chan1g'e helped Wukong through alot of his trauma. She helped him when Macaque died, when Ao Lie died, when the rest of the pilgrims past, when he had to put DBK under the mountain, when his mountain burned, and other events. Chang'e knows how grief fills so she jus let's him cry. It's comforting.

Wukong and Chang'e have gotten ABSOLUTELY SMASHED on the moon. Their hangover was BAD after that.

Wukong knows how to sew so he makes him and Chang'e matching clothing.

Chang'e likes to make little cupcakes that look like animals for the monkie gang on earth. She makes pig ones for Pigsy, monkies for Mk and Wukong, and miscellaneous ones for the others. (Cause she never met them, she has just heard Wukong talking about them .)

Chang'e and Wukong are each others biggest hype men.

Chang'e has seen almost every baby picture of Redson, she's basically seen that kid grow up more than his dad did.

Wukong once cut his finger cutting vegetables and Chang'e FREAKED out.

When Wukongs hair gets to long, he'll just cut it so he doesn't have to deal with it. Chang'e likes seeing his hair long though so she'll tie it up for him so it's out of his way.

Wukong really likes to groom Chang'e. It gives him a excuse to just yap and show affection in a monkey way.

Chang'e likes to do Wukong's makeup.

Wukong gifts Chang'e the extra golden jewelry he has because they both like shiny gold things.

They both have merch of each other. Wukong has a Chang'e baking set and Chang'e has that talking cardboard cut out from that cooking show episode.

Chang'e is VERY judgy of Wukong's romantic taste. If she doesn't like who Wukong is talking about she looks at him like 🤨

They have week long sleepovers. They'd probably be longer if Wukong didn't have to train Mk.

They paint each other's nails their favorite colors. Chang'e gets gold nails and Wukong gets blue nails.

Guys I NEED more content of these two together in my life. If yall know any fics with these two let me know cause I love them.

(Drop your own headcannons in the comments, I wanna see how people interpret these two.)

🫶🏻🩷‼️

- ⭐️StarClown⭐️

[addictedartist]

Me: I wonder why it's called "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off"

Me after the end of episode 1: OH. OK. I GUESS THAT'S WHY.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok, but the bad thing about Amnesia Wukong in Slow Boiled is that he is very much still in his "I can take care of myself/Baby? What Baby" stage. We don't know when the event of Redson's sealing took place, so it is entirely possible he is still trying to hide the egg from everyone except Tang and Ao Lie. If so, he'll refuse to Dadsy try to help him. If it's after the white bone demon event and the egg is out for the Pilgrims, he would still be reluctant since he and Baije don't have a decent relationship yet. If it's after Macaque's death... well... it won't be anywhere near the same Wukong they know. This Wukong would be silent, mournful, and heartbroken... lifeless almost. His cockiness more a mask to hide the way Macaque's death affected him than real, and very, very brittle

referencing this post a litte.

Ooof, and its a little weird that Amnesiac!Wukong didn't comment on the lack of Ao Lie in the gang.

Going by his vibe in the episode, SWK likely "defaulted" to the time just before/during the Kingdom of Women arc (he didn't recognise Scorpion Queen) but his memory was jumping around the place - hence why he corrected there being *four* rings of Samadhi when Pigsy mentioned them.

In the Slow Boiled au; Amnesiac!Wukong is def at the "Baby? What baby? I'm just fat lol." to anyone other than Ao Lie or Tripitaka. This Wukong is confused and cautious with Pigsy's more careful/paternal side towards him, and wonders aloud if Zhu Bajie is just messing with him.

Once Tang is "rescued" (aka the gang gains 1+ party member with Scorpion Queen), Amnesiac!Wukong gets really solemn at the TEA.

Pigsy: "You ok, kid?" Amnesiac!Wukong, quietly: "I miss him." Pigsy: "Who?" Amnesiac!Wukong, eyes filled with tears: "Macaque. I miss him so much..." *buries face into knees* Pigsy: *realising that Wukong and Macaque were A Thing* "Oh... Him." (*a moment passes between them*) Pigsy: "You'll see him again soon. I promise. If not, I'll drag that punk straight out of Diyu myself." Amnesiac!Wukong, wiping his face: "That's... uncharacterisacally sweet of you, piglet... thanks." Pigsy: "No problem, kid."

Shortly after this interaction, Tang suggests putting Wukong back under astral projection so that he can "reboot" his mind. Wukong agrees only if the others meditate with him. Tang falls asleep when he joins in.

[fandom-geek17]

Why I actively think Tyler will be redeemed and Wyler will be endgame based on actual clues and my knowledge about movie-making (and not just because I am a raging Tyler apologist)

This is a long one so strap yourselves in, hahaha

First of all, Hunter Doohan confirmed that Tyler’s feelings for Wednesday were real because he didn’t know who she was or her significance to Laurel’s plan when they first met at the Weathervane. But I’d go even further and claim that he didn’t know her significance during the entire first episode. If he knew, why would he ever offer her a ride out of Jericho and offer her the police file that inadvertently led to her cracking the case and bringing Laurel down (but the argument could also be made that that’s why he gave her that file, to bring his abuser down).

Wednesday makes it abundantly clear over the entire season that she has no interest in Xavier whatsoever and is constantly turned off/annoyed by his presence and antics. And this might just be me personally, but Xavier reminds me a lot of an ex of mine who was extremely entitled, selfish, immature and giving major incel vibes. I feel like Xavier is the type of guy who is nice to a girl only when he is interested and/or wants something. And the way he treated Bianca at the Rave’N (immediate no-no) and immediately goes into pity party-mode whenever someone rejects him just irks me. But again, that might just be me.

Now compare that with Wednesday’s reaction to Tyler’s antics. Wednesday is not someone who wants closeness in the beginning, in any shape or form. She is honest, direct and blunt, with no interest in pretending she enjoys something to be polite. Yet she doesn’t object when Tyler manhandles her in ep 2 (in the forest), she never denies her interest in him in ep 4, her first reaction to attending the Rave’N with Xavier is ‘a bullet to the head’ whilst her reaction to attending with Tyler is to immediately start looking for a dress in her closet. She often seeks out his company when she doesn’t really have a reason to, like when she went through the trouble of going all the way to the Weathervane to ask Tyler about the meetinghouse instead just asking anyone else working at Pilgrim World. These small details are to me the ‘signals’ Tyler was referring to. And I think he also just felt the energy between them, or maybe when you’re a 16 year old boy, most things can be interpreted as ‘signals’ if there’s an interest on his part. Or it was just straight up manipulation, as Hunter stated on his instragram. Either way, we can’t deny that Wednesday seems to enjoy Tyler’s presence more than Xavier’s.

Speaking of Wednesday, this is WEDNESDAY ADDAMS. People claim Xavier is the “healthier choice”, which might be true for any other character. But I feel like it’s very OOC for Wednesday to choose one above the other for being “healthier”, not that I believe Xavier would be much healthier. Wednesday went as far as canonically confirming that Tyler is her type BECAUSE he’s a serial killing monster.

The Addams’ Family have a long history of embracing all things weird and unconventional. Fester would be over the moon hearing that a Hyde of all outcasts (his young crush) has captured Wednesday’s heart. Gomez and Morticia would be more than happy to give Tyler all the love and security he never got from his own family. Morticia smiles fondly when Pugsley mentions missing being waterboarded by Wednesday, I don’t think she would have any trouble embracing a traumatized outcast submitted to abuse and torture and then forced to do someone else’s bidding against their will. She mama-bear instincts would kick up.

Hunter Doohan also said that one of the things he looks forward to exploring in season 2 (now confirmed, yay!) is Tyler’s relationship with the Hyde, pulling each side. Who is the real Tyler and who is the Hyde? Does he have active control over the Hyde’s actions or are they all controlled by his master? Remember, we technically have no idea what Tyler did of his own free will and what he was forced to say and do (including that last fight in ep 8). I imagine the Hyde being more of a split personality rather just than man vs monster. The question is if only the Hyde-personality had access to his monster form.

We see that Tyler rebelled against Laurel when he could, when he wasn’t actively forced to do something. For example when he slipped Wednesday the police file (if we believe that theory) and when he chose to keep Eugene alive (Laurel said “take care of it”, clearly meaning “kill him” but since she never used the word ‘kill’, I believe he saw his chance). He also keeps pointing Wednesday in the right direction, even when he probably wasn’t supposed to according to his master, like when he helped her find the meeting house, helped her break into Laurel’s home, chased her and Enid into the basement where they could find more clues.

Grooming, abuse, torture, manipulation, and mind control!!! Need I say more? Tyler is a true victim of his circumstances and society. We must admit that it was pretty easy for Laurel to sink her claws into him. Lonely, traumatized boy with one dead parent and one to emotionally constipated to raise him through his trauma, and here comes Laurel and offers him the truth about his mother in exchange for mommy kink sexual advances until she kidnaps him to torture as she pleases in a cave. She basically presented herself as the sexual version of his mother that Freud loved to say young boys were so vulnerable to. Of course this lonely boy would fall for her act. Laurel even described herself as a plant metaphor in episode 4: some carnivorous varieties use sexual trickery or deception. She then made him think this entire nefarious plan was about him getting revenge on the way outcasts treated his mother.

We see Tyler screaming out for help, subtly and literally, when he tells Wednesday that he wants to “get out of this hellhole town” and later when he’s screaming in the bathtub in ep 3.

The writers keep mentioning Wyler’s “primal attraction” and how Wednesday is drawn to Tyler’s dark side even from the start when she didn’t know what he was. And I truly believe he feels the same way, he is so smitten when she states she would dump piranhas in the swimming pool again. They are both attracted to the darker aspects of their personalities, whereas I feel like Xavier has this romanticized view of Wednesday in his head and when she disproves that by being her morbid, honest self, his first instinct is to whine and feel sorry for himself. He doesn’t embrace every part of her character.

Netflix makes Wyler a large part of their promotion of the show, going as far as pinning Wyler-positive comments on Instagram and making Wyler at the dance their thumbnail for the show on Netflix and hyping Hunter Doohan in general.

If you compare Wyler and Wavier scenes, they tend to play very soft music and use soft/warm lighting during the Wyler scenes. Wavier scenes, sometimes have this too, but never as prominent as with Wyler. From what I’ve seen with other media, that is usually foreshadowing of the producers’ larger plan.

I have a Filler Couple Theory! And that is that the couple that becomes canon in the middle of a show’s entire runtime is almost never canon by the time the show ends. There are exceptions, of course. But generally, shows tend to follow a similar format: couple 1 is introduced as an idea in season 1, they may or may not become canon but the tension is there, for whatever reason couple 2 becomes canon in season 2/3 to create drama and more tension before couple one becomes endgame in season 3/3 (example Stancy in ST, Benvi in NHIE). An exception to this rule is if couple one is a blowburn over several seasons without a love triangle (example: Peraltiago in B99). The writers of Wednesday have planned 4 seasons. They end season 1 with Wyler broken up, hint that Wavier might take more precedence in season 2, and yet still keeps hyping Wyler as much as they do. I think Wavier will be a distraction/filler for Wednesday as Tyler regains her trust and they build so much sexual tension.

So, this was long and kind of all over the place. But as Enid, I write in my voice. And I will admit that some of these points may be down to pure manipulation on Tyler’s part, especially the signals thing. But part of what I love about this show is the ambiguity, the moral grey areas, the way they make a point of embracing the dark side of humanity and loving the characters through it. Until the show canonically confirms that there is no hope for Tyler/Wyler, I will continue to ship it. And I want to add that my will to ship Wyler has nothing to do with who I would personally choose for myself. If given the choice, I would date Enid before my mind could form the phrase ‘toxic relationship’, and I’m very much one of those boring straight people. But as a romantic partner for a dark, morbid character like Wednesday Addams, I would choose Tyler any day.

Tagging: @therulerofallpotatos

[swkbiggestdefender]

I'm sooooo excited for season 5 so here what I think some stuff I hope happen:

-it would be like season 3 with all the gang traveling together and wukong would have good amount of screen time (please!!)

-wukong and mk having fun and a great time even for just a little bit

-more pilgrims flashbacks

-something from wukong pov (I'm bagging at this point)

-pigsy and tang and wukong centered episode like "amnesia rules"

-peng screen time of them being a little shit

-wukong open up to the other characters

-royalty duo screen time

-macaque being more present in this season

-wukong almost die or get badly injured idk why I just need it

-mk and pigsy father son moments

-mei and mk episode and a flashback of how they first met

-sandy and macaque interaction

[dgaftilwedie]

SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF WAS FUCKING NUTS AND I WANNA BE ANNOYING N TALK ABT IT BC I LOVE SCOTT PILGRIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT OBVS XD

OKAY SO??? THE FACT THAT THEY LITERALLY SET UP THE FIRST EPISODE LIKE IT WAS GONNA BE JUST LIKE THE COMICS N THEN SCOTT "DIED"????? literally had me questioning fucking EVERYTHING i was watching that episode with the most quizzical look on my face?? also the fucking funeral scene was hysterical bc the way rammy n knives were abt to have a verbal face-off n envy's bitchass shows up n steals the whole show?? i have such a love-hate relationship with her.............

also lucas lee is fucking adorable and i love him :33 rammy becoming friends with roxie n making up with her after everything was something i really needed to see. cuz like for as much as i loved the movie n the comics, i feel like they could've done their relationship so much better. like seeing ramona take responsibility for hurting roxie made me so happy and im so glad they got a redemption arc.

ROXIE IS LITERALLY ME BTW??? her whole interaction with ramona n kim at the end kf the episodr was so silly N THE LEG LOCK HELLO????? also the way she walked off singing the HAMSTER DANXE SONG I LOCE HER

the toddlace thing was also so unexpected but holy shit?? i loved it. bi todd has been my fav headcanon for YEARSSSS and seeing jt happen right in front of my eyes?? WATCHING THAT EPISODE WAS SUCH A TRIP THO I CAN'T STOP QUOTING WALLACE'S "LINES? TRAILER?" BITS BC THEY'RE SO FUNNY

uhmmmmm what elseeeee OH YEAH young neil is a fucking goof n i love him, i really like that gideon (gordon ig 🙄) became like this not evil guy who just lived with julie n kicked it with lucas. the old scott stuff kinds fricked with me but i think it's cool that he became chill with the twins

LMFAOAO THAT SCENE AT THE END WHERE SCOTT'S TRTING TK FIGJRE OIT WHY HE CAN'T KISS RAMONA N HE TRIES TO FIGHT THE TWINS AND THEY'RE LIKE "our robot says we become bros in the future, so we have no intention of fighting you. see ya bro ;)" WAS SO SILLY

obligatory matt mention i love him he's so dumb i love that he took over gideon's entire empire only to turn around and change his mind :3 glad he got his broadway moment....... silly pirate headass

knives n stephen becoming the best brother/sister duo ever was so dope bc like. knives had someone to look up to n make music with n they had a lot of chemistry both personality wise n musically wise

my only critique is that i wanted more lisa ;^; i know she probably would've been out of place but it would've been cool if kim mentioned her to ramona and ramona interviewed her just like she did with her exes yknow :P she was one of my fav characters in the comics n she wasn't in the movie AT ALL so i was hoping she would've appeared in the anime, but alas 😞😞 i also kinda wanted to see where kim's love life went...... i know she's not the focus but she had undeniable chemistry with knives and that moment with roxie... i love that she's totally very queer and open to the idea of experimenting with girls n i wish that would've been expanded upon like how todd n wallace had their moment :33

other than that, i LOVED the anime. i love how we got baited into thinking it was just like the comics and i love what was done with it :3 it was such a goofy show and a lot of it was so jaw-droppingly surprising that i couldn't believe it, but it also had some really sweet, serious, n heart-warming moments which is something i really appreciate in a show :33 it's hard to keep watching something for so long but i binged the show in one day xD i'd give it a solid 9/10 (deducting points just for the sake of what i think was missing and how i don't recommend it for like "beginner" fans)

oki rant concluded!!!!!!! ^___^ there's so much more i wanna say but this is already sooooooo long as it is xD

[oneatlatime]

The Desert

Alternate title: Gimme Appa back.

"But I believe, Aang can save the world." no pressure kid.

I had completely forgotten about these two chuckleheads. For once the 'Previously On' segment is useful rather than spoilery.

Ok Aang is going to get the world's biggest pass this episode, because he's in the suckiest of all situations. But even so, how exactly was Toph supposed to come and get them, when she was both actually blind for once and the only reason the library hadn't drowned them yet?

Aang has something of a history of running away. Does going after Appa count as running away from his friends?

Zuko's theatre kid tendencies are genetic.

The way Iroh said "What Now?" you know he was actually saying "fuck's sake."

Zuko's hair seems to grow very quickly. I thought that I could use his hair growth to measure time passing but this is not tracking. He barely had a buzz cut in The Chase and now he's fluffy.

Two things: a) this guy has eyes greyer than Aang this episode. b) He's cocking his hands like that ridiculous Henry Cavill scene from Mission Impossible where he cocks his biceps.

This guy's spear has piercings. And is coming out of a Dragon's mouth.

I don't know that I'd call these guys legendary. They're zero for two against an Avatar in Drag and two starving refugees with three functioning arms.

Doesn't Katara ever change out her water? Or even use it up and have to refill it?

I said it last episode, and I'll say it again: why did five people, a lemur, and a ten tonne sky bison travel into a desert famous for its desertiness with only a single water pouch between them? Admittedly, if they'd brought extra water and left it on Appa, they'd be having the same problem, but still...

Is a kids' show actually going to go there?

They actually went there!

Honestly if you're dying of dehydration in the desert, eating strange plants is absolutely the way to go. I'd rather trip my way into the afterlife than just shrivel up and die.

I love the way Aang's glider shadow moves over the dunes. Another one of those tiny details that the animators could have left out, but they didn't!

Sand benders must get crazy high speeds if Aang can't spot even a trace of Appa from up high. He wasn't Appa-napped very long ago.

Everyone go watch the scene where Aang blows up the mushroom cloud. Go right now I'll wait. And pay attention to Sokka's mouth. It does the wave.

His mouth does the wave and his arms do the worm. Someone really had fun this episode.

Zuko breaking the world record for highest number of Fire Nation wanted posters. Despite being the only person on that board who's unquestionably loyal to the Fire Nation. What a nice reward he got for his loyalty.

How is that one wrestler dude's hair so shiny?

Why, other than plot convenience, would Zuko and Iroh be at the Ice Spring?

I see now that the left hand shadow is Sokka with a Momo on his head. But for just a second I thought it was Ramona from Scott Pilgrim.

There are some really beautiful colour gradients in this desert.

"We won't survive without Appa." Well yes, but you have to try.

If this is a normal desert they're going to freeze their butts off overnight.

No comment. Just vibes.

Hey this is a Katara episode! Toph is blind, Sokka's zoinked, Aang's given up, so it's Katara time baby!

This episode has no business being this pretty.

"Sokka. I was there." I'd be very surprised if Katara's voice actress doesn't have an idiot older brother. That line was delivered a little too perfectly.

I'm not going to comment on every Sokka is high joke, but rest assured I'm finding them all hilarious.

Those drinks cost a gold piece each. Where did they get five gold pieces from?

Colour me shocked. The chuckleheads actually had a good idea for once.

Colour me shocked again! I vaguely predicted this!

Zuko. Honey. How are you this dim? He's so very good at missing exactly what's in front of him.

"Gold?"

Big muscles. No brains.

Very pretty. The sand texture is good too.

Well that was mean.

Passive aggressive glider deployment. Also how low is that cloud if Aang can reach it to bend it?

Aang is not shining this episode (understandably) but Katara is going from strength to strength. I NEVER would have thought that she was someone who could keep her cool under pressure like this. Happy to be wrong!

I have no idea if Sokka is going to remember or be aware of this epic trip he's on, but this is probably the best time he's had in months. Certainly since Yue died. He deserves this. Bad timing, but he needed a break.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate, and is dumb as shit and incapable of reading the room."

Why is there a flower shop in the middle of the desert? What clients do they have? Obviously it's a front for this pai sho secret society thing, but why did they pick such a nonsensical front?

Toph has so much personality that it's easy to forget how tiny she is. Like a little gargoyle.

Sokka talking like a Greaser was the thing I didn't know I needed.

Poor Katara. Now you know how your brother feels every time he has to save your bacon from your weekly prison break.

I am losing my mind over these colours. Especially after The Library.

"I have a natural curiosity." I'm going to start using that.

Oops they found the circle bird nest.

Hey showrunners, you're going to take Momo from me too? You sure you want to do that? After last episode? Don't give me a pretty sunset with a latte swirl. Give me back Appa, put down Momo, or I'll sic Toph on you.

I do like Toph as a piece of artillery.

Turns out a combined Appa and Momo -napping is what it takes to get Aang to break his no killing rule. I now know how to defeat the Fire Lord.

The Audacity. Going to Ba-Sing- however the hell that's spelled. The sheer audacity. But then what? What's the plan after they get there? Just live the rest of their lives?

Rejected Mortal Combat guy.

You ever have one of those days where you do only your top lip?

Whoever made that door, and that lock - good job!

Nothing to see here, just making a delivery of two giant planters in the middle of the desert. The Owl decided to spruce up his entryway.

Y'all are fucked. Y'all deserve it. Aang has completely lost control. He's spent the whole episode losing it more and more and now he's gone completely off the rails. Has he ever zipped into the Avatar state that fast before?

Never underestimate the power of a woman who's fed up with everyone's nonsense. Just so fed up.

Well that was sad.

Badass name of the day: Malachi Throne, voice of a character whose name I don't recognise.

Final Thoughts

This was Katara's episode. I'm not going to forgive not getting Appa back, but Katara actually keeping a level head for once was an unexpected delight.

This episode was pretty unrelentingly heavy in the A-plot, which is why I don't understand why Sokka and Momo tripping worked so well. It did work, and I very much enjoyed it, but it should have stuck out like a sore thumb and it didn't. The beat up Sokka quota fulfillled from within by chemicals was a nice creative touch.

I am very happy to see Iroh take the wheel, although I'm not convinced there's a long term plan here beyond get food and shelter. Which, fair enough, goals tend to be short term and immediate when you're in dire straits.

This episode really stomped all over Aang. And then stomped some more. I was surprised how negative and shouty he was at the beginning, but by the end I was surprised how long it took him to lose it. Apart from his staff and his clothes, Appa really is all he has left from before he got frozen. That sandbender punk was rotten to the core.

So I guess we're going to the earth kingdom capital regardless of the eclipse information. Is the rest of the season going to be getting there? I also can't help but notice that it's where Iroh and Zuko are headed as well. Zuko could actively run in the direction opposite to the Avatar and he'd still end up tripping over him. The earth Kingdom is ginormous. And yet, like every two episodes Zuko runs into the Avatar. Is it fate? Is it plot convenience?

I should dislike this episode. It's 24 minutes of our faves getting beat down and not finding Appa, with a b-plot of Zuko being more oblivious than usual. I should dislike it, but I don't. This is definitely going on the rewatch list. It was a very pretty episode, which helped. Beyond that I can't put into words why I liked it, but I did!

[georgiacooked]

Out in March with Big Finish! You Only Die Twice, a Doctor Who audio box set featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Keira Sanstrom, with my episode "Sunstrike", as well as "You Only Die Twice", by my darling @fiotrethewey.

It's always a gift getting to work on the same set as my partner <33

PREORDER HERE: bgfn.sh/YODT

BONUS INFO:

Agent who? When the Time Agency faces its greatest threat, Keira Sanstrom knows there’s only one man for the job. But saving the universe is one thing. Keeping Agent Doctor in line is a far more impossible mission…

3.1 Sunstrike by Georgia Cook His clients have conquered millions of worlds. His weapons have ended billions of lives. But his private resort has the sort of security system that only trillions of credits can buy. Not even the Time Agency can bring the Quartermaster to justice.

Which is why Keira’s enlisted a new recruit. The Doctor has faced many villains, but this time, he’ll have to become one…

3.2 Never the End Is by Ben Tedds come to collect. Every day, pilgrims seek absolution at the Basilica of Mariazell. Like the painter who sees impossible things. Or the stranger who remembers people she’s never met. Or the Time Agents trapped in the town that time forgot.

But Christoph Haizmann will have no absolution. Once, he made a deal, and at last the Devil has

3.3 You Only Die Twice by Fio Trethewey This time it’s personnel.