#the way each season has five full moon episodes exactly <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[opalsiren]

full moon episodes of h2o: a directory

season one:

1x01 'metamorphosis'

1x07 'moon spell'

1x12 'the siren effect'

1x18 'bad moon rising'

1x26 'a twist in the tail'

season two:

2x01 'stormy weather'

2x13 'moonwalker'

2x17 'moonstruck'

2x21 'and then there were four'

2x26 'unfathomable'

season three:

3x01 'the awakening'

3x08 'kidnapped'

3x16 'the dark side'

3x22 'mako masters'

3x26 'graduation'

[slidewhistlebj]

TUA Season 2 is finally here! I think it was a really cool season with some really awesome potential, but there are some parts that I think really didn’t work and this is how i think they should have been fixed

(Spoilers for Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy. Obviously)

i think landing the siblings in different years was amazing, they got time to explore themselves and we could see their personalities through what they did

On the other hand, they didnt devote enough time to those storylines so it never felt like they had a solid purpose (for most of the siblings), it was more to show “time has passed”

How did Luther end up boxing under a gangster? How is he adjusting to no dad, no academy?? He was alone on the moon, He was left behind by his siblings in the academy, now he is alone and in a whole other *time* like i wanna hear about that!

Klaus has mansion and a cult and had a girlfriend benefactor lady?? Like: lets get into that! if the show wants humor that can be amazing

but it can also be really interesting and deep for exploring klaus’s need for both personal space (physically and somewhat emotionally) yet also his need for positive attention from whoever will give it to him!

More on that alone now track: the opening scene with their fighting was built to get us hyped

it fucking worked, that shit was amazing

but along with wishing that we saw more of their individual stories, i wish some of their growth had been gradual

like Klaus should have been showing off ghost stuff with his cult which is part of why they follow him which would set up his new ability to summon and conjure multiple ghosts at a time

instead of it being a throw away scene at the end where he gets caught

or Diego could have been shown in his ‘alone in dallas’ storyline to be trying to escape multiple times from the asylum and in that, figuring out his ability to start affecting other peoples shots at him, etc

Stuff like that would have been a great way to both dive into the characters *and* ramp up their abilities

Moving onto The Commission who i absolutely love so so much 

Hell yeah u funky lil time-space assassins

I think that the Handler should have stayed dead

her return to the show while awesome (because she is played so well by her actress) continues this problem for the show of seemingly running in place where things dont have consequences like they should

I also think her return made a very campy feel to certain parts which is fine, the story should have fun! but it doesnt fit with the vibe very well with the other more serious plots

Imagine a storyline where the Handler is replaced by Carmichael, a competent replacement with no close personal relationship to Five

A head to head show down throughout the season of Five trying to outthink and outwit Carmichael and Commission Agents to get a briefcase 

The misdirects! 

The drama! 

The action sequences and reveals!

More Screen Time for the Cool Ass Talking Fish 2k20!

All of which culminates in the board of directors scene but now with real weight behind it for the audience because we have been watching these two face off with one another for a season of build up

LET FIVE EAT THE FISH!

Giving that scene to the handler was the worst part of the whole season, u cant change my mind bros

This would also open up Lila to be more of her own person

Her storyline would change without the Handler there so that instead of being actively manipulated by the Handler, she has gone rogue from the commission to kill Five for her parents deaths due to previous planning and programming from her mother

(its only been 14 days for Five, a very normal turn around for him to desert, have the Handler tell Lila her version of the story, get killed, and have Lila get ready to take him down)

its generally the same plot, but Lila is more in the drivers seat

Going from tagging along with Diego in the hopes that Five returns for him to questioning some of her commitment to her mission as she spending time with them, etc

it could culminate in a reveal of her mother to Five and Diego and then a redemption where she helps them get a case from Carmichael in someway, looping her into the main plot in an important way with generally the same story

but skipping the pretty basic “obviously evil character is obviously evil but hero doesn't see it” trope that they fell into

I think that Luther’s arc in this season was awesome 10/10 gold standard

he was still him, but this storyline showcases the softer side of his loyalty and lets him grow from season 1 mistakes which is everything I hoped for

Comforting Vanya? Check

Being there for Five? Check

Being a voice of reason but still being a dumbass? Cheeeeeck

Diegos arc this season fell flat for me which was hard because he was such a main part of the plot 

This whole season had a build-up trying to break down Diego’s need to be a hero (which they turned to a fucking 11 from last season?? he was not *this* intense last season, im not quite sure why they made the switch), telling him that he isnt / cant be the hero

I assumed this was leading to Diego having a big moment or sacrifice that proved that hero or not, he cares and the effort that he puts into all of these different things matters

But it just didnt??

He didnt stop the president from being assassinated, he didnt save vanya, at the farm he got trapped under a tractor

it just felt like the point was “haha see he isnt a hero”

which,,,,,,okay? What the point of that??

His involvement with the Commision was weird too, i didnt care for him being a part of that storyline very much, it just didnt add anything

Allison’s arc was just on the edge of greatness for me

it was an awesome choice to put in her in a position where she wasnt treated equally and show exactly what kind of person she is by how she fights back

her not using her rumors also seems very genuine and character based here like: 10/10 character motivations and work

My one complaint, like with just about all the partners in this season, is that she fell in love with a man and just had to leave him 

which makes sense and they talk about it but like: she loves him, its hard to picture someone as loving and loyal as Allison just leaving her husband behind forever 

Klaus’s arc just needed more *time*

He is a hella deep character but all of his story lines needed more time to be able to address that complexity 

Show us more of the cult and his ghost powers being used there to trick and amaze and how he has been handling being cut off from the family again

I,,,,,,I understand,,,dave’s storyline

I get the time period

but fuck

that just hurts

I think Klaus not trying to rekindle his relationship with a younger Dave, but trying to protect him from the war was an amazing angle and it needed more time to get the full punch of klaus pulling out all the stops to save him but failing to really land it

Five

My Son

My Trash Boy

I feel like his job as ‘leader of the stop the apocalypse’ movement is good but that was his whole story this time around

He should have gotten more to play off of with the Commission (*cough cough* Carmichael) in his fight to get a briefcase instead of what felt like 10 hours of Five trying to herd his siblings and them just fucking up in someway or another

Five and Older Five was a cool dynamic and im glad they brought him in but again, it just felt like another long storyline attempt that didnt have a purpose as they ended the scene without the case or anything new

Ben’s arc was,,,,,strange

I love Ben and i think his interplay with Klaus is really cool!

But the writers made him fall in love which someone so they could give him a reason to want to possess Klaus which i feel like didnt need to happen

The possession was a good part of the season and could have been taken to some awesome places

It was rough and the ‘consent’ wasnt run entirely well but i think the possession is supposed to be on the line and not quite black and white 

its Ben asking to take control of Klaus! That can be conflict! Thats good stuff right there! Ben is selfish! so is Klaus! thats a cool story to get into between them and see how they try to work it out

Ben wanting to connect with his other siblings after the small taste of being corporeal that he got and pushing Klaus for more and more of that freedom into possession territory would be A+ shit

and Finally: Vanya!

I think most amnesia plots are lazy and just a way to stall progress and reset a character so you can run a very similar plot again but this one seemed to genuinely grow Vanya’s character, even when she remembered 

She definitely has more personality in this season

And while shes quiet, thats just who she is, she isnt as afraid to take space and speak up which is awesome!

And this stays when she gets her memory back which is very good, i dont want to see backsliding for no reason! Give me growth!

I have two complaints about her storyline though

 First Sissy and Harlan

I love both of them and I think they are really cool characters!

Theyre pretty similar to vanya season 1, taking whatever is thrown at them which places Vanya in a more assertive position where she wants to protect them which i loved!

but their ending doesn't sit entirely right with me, just like Raymonds

These characters are in love and they all just leave each other so that the siblings can have a clean, no characters permanently added slate for the next season

it just makes me tired and i really want season 3 to have little to no romance if the only way the show can go about it is to do a love interest per season

My second problem gets its own section because it is the culmination of everything else i have said 

episode ten

Vanya is strong af so any writer that wants big final fight needs to very carefully weigh out how to give each sibling their appropriately sized struggle so they get equal ability to contribute

Instead of doing that though, they did my least favorite trope: Evil Character secretly can do everything the heros can but better and without a problem or ***training***

It meant that they could do whatever they wanted with throwing commission agents at them because Luther, Allison, and Klaus were completely added on just to react to things

Five sort of got to do some fighting (<3 thats my lil geriatric 13 year old) but it was minor, he was mainly there to very obviously turn back time when the big bad shoot out happened

Diego got the most to do out of the siblings and it was suddenly knowing a new ability and doing it a little bit

I dont want a final fight to be trying to woo a bad guy to the good side because theyre too strong to fight 

I want there to be stakes and drama as the siblings show off exactly what the season was all about, what they learned, how they grew together and apart, etc and to take down the big bad which could have very easily been the united front of the Commission instead of 18% Vanya, 15% Harlan, 30% Lila and the Handler, 20% the Swede(s), etc

Lila’s turn to good could have been to help them sneak attack the commission, maybe in their base so as to shrink the fighting to manageable bites for each character?

That would have allowed five’s killing of the board to draw the fighting to a close, a hard decision for him as he is trying to move away from killing but does so to save his family, always to save his family :’( 

Luther could protect his siblings from hits like they showed at the beginning in a way that mirrors how he has been doing that emotionally all season

etc etc etc for all of the siblings so that they each get to show off and have their moment in the spotlight as heros

I loved the season even though i just ranted for like 3 pages, and it has some of the best one liners and line readings ever (”Thats where you come in Five” “Nope. No it isnt”) I just wish that some parts of it had been given some more thought / care so they could really show of the amazing cast, effects, sets, etc without writing in the way

[avauntus]

Supernatural - a retrospective

This is super self-indulgent, and I have so much else I’ve promised-- I owe a long-fic rec post, and ao3 comments, wip work, and that’s just my fandom stuff I’m behind on. *sigh*

But it’s late on a Saturday and now I’ve finished Supernatural, I want to share what I think are my top few eps, and a few other comments. I promise some of this will be different from the “greatest hits” you probably usually see, and I’ll try to make it worth your time. *wry smile*

Look, we have to have categories like: “Most Likely to Live in My Head Rent-Free for the Rest of my Life” and “Most Likely to Inspire Unnecessary Fanfiction” that are different from “Favorites,” because that’s just the cursed energy this show has. ;-)

My top five

#5 - 13.01 - “Lost and Found”

Written by: Andrew Dabb | Directed by: Phil Sgriccia

In fandom, this is most often referred to as the start of the “Grieving Widower” arc, tongue-in-cheek. Also has Alexander Calvert (Jack) walking around completely in the nude for the first third of the ep. (Neither of these are why this is in my top 5, but he has a good story about wardrobe for his ‘first day.’) 

I didn’t expect much out of this episode the first time I watched it, but I’ve gone over this ‘section’ of the show maybe 3-4 times in my Netflix catch-up, and I watch this one in full every time. From Jack being...not at all what anyone expected and an unsteady vindication, to the stunning cinematography (there’s a post that compares shots to Brokeback Mountain, but I think the shots here might be better), to the sheriff who takes the time to remind her deputy that “...there’s no such thing as ‘weird.’ Everyone’s normal in their own way,” to the slow reveal of exactly how hard the events of the previous night (12x23 - All Along the Watchtower) are hitting Dean and Sam and in different ways...(how long the episode takes to reveal to you how Dean fucked up his hand, and what he was saying when he did. Augh!) The Winchesters are trying to rally, but they have been taking hits for a long time, and the cracks are showing.

 #4 - 15.06 - “Golden Time”

Written by: Meredith Glynn | Directed by: John F. Showalter

Supernatural  has a terrible track record with representation in all stripes. It is infamously consistent in killing off anyone minority, female, or non-White. One of the interesting things about the chaotic meta-narrative of season 15 is you can see the lack of fucks some of the writer’s room had to give about not even being subtle about tearing down that type of ‘White-male-hero-journey” now that they were in a literal “what will they do, fire me?” situation.

I’m a Cas fan, and this episode, which gives him an actual, ‘case-of-the-week’ hunter’s narrative where he gets to save the day on his own, successfully, was wonderful. I love that for him! But more than that, for me, this episode is emotional to me for other reasons-- the way Dean and Cas circle around each other on their angry phone call (with the body language! They are broadcasting so LOUD and neither can see because they’re on the phone!), Sam’s story here, where he’s inheriting things from Rowena that allow him in turn to save Eileen, to Cas’ speech and quick anger at the lake when you reflect on his entire journey of self-realization from a soldier of blind faith to an agent of free will... “You selfish little men in your positions of authority...” I just... *clears throat, grabs tissue* 

#3 -  6.20 - “The Man Who Would Be King”

Written & Directed by: Ben Edlund

Speaking of Cas’ journey... I know some folks don’t like the angst and drama of the ‘Heaven and Hell’ plots of Supernatural, but I am here for it. Oh, did we need another reason to include this episode? This has some of the most metal quotes I have heard from any TV show. Ever.

I mean, look at this:

“If I knew then what I know now, I would have said: Freedom is a length of rope. God wants you to hang yourself with it.”

“Explaining freedom to angels is a bit like explaining poetry to fish.”

The delivery of: “It's not too late. Damn it, Cas! We can fix this!” “Dean, it’s not broken!” is one of those Supernatural bits that will live in my head until the end of time. All of Edlund’s episodes are among my favorites, but this (along with “5.04 - The End”) was on another level. 

#2 - 5.16 - “Dark Side of the Moon”

Written by: Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin | Directed by: Jeff Wollnough

I think of this episode every time  I hear Bob Dylan sing “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” This is kinda a giant montage episode, but the connecting concepts are so...satisfying. 

“Heaven is your favorite memories.” “ It’s called the axis mundi. It’s a path that runs through heaven. Different people see it as different things. For you, it’s two-lane asphalt.” “This is your idea of heaven? Wow, this was one of the worst nights of my life.” “I don’t think I realized how long you’ve been cleaning up Dad’s messes.” “It’s awesome to finally have an application—a practical application—for string theory.” “Everyone leaves you, Dean. You noticed?” “Why is God talking to me? Gardner-to-gardener, and between us, I think he gets lonely.” “You son of a bitch, I believed in... ” Whoosh.

#1 - 4.01 - “Lazarus Rising”

Written by: Eric Kripke | Directed by: Kim Manners

So...this is the episode where Castiel, angel of thee Lord, shows up. And that’s primarily why it earns the no. 1 spot, because 80% of my enjoyment of Supernatural from this point on was Cas-adjacent. Plus this entire episode just hits. ALL OF IT. Dean’s homecoming. Ruby, my darling. Bobby’s entire vibe. Pamela Barnes, easily one of the most interesting women Supernatural ever introduced. Cas being so hot to say “Hi” to Dean he forgets he wounds people. 

But beyond that-- the way the show writes their ‘oh, by the way, angels’ narrative! If you haven’t seen this episode, would you believe me if I told you that THIS EPISODE, the episode where Supernatural said “canonically, Judeo-Christian Heaven is real, btw” involves no churches but does involve a séance, a soulmark handprint brand, and a himbo angel that “gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition”...but they were all “no homo, guys” for years?

Truly no one was out here doing it like Supernatural even back in 2008.

Others--

15.18 - “Despair” 

“Most Likely to Live Rent-Free in My Head for the Rest of my Life”

Written by: Robert Berens | Directed by: Richard Speight, Jr.

You know why this episode is here. It broke reality. I could be wrong-- but I’d put good money on this episode being the subject of academic theses in the future. That doesn’t automatically make for interesting story, but...

Has there ever been a case, in a mainstream US TV show where a major lead character (Cas) came out as queer so late in the game in a narratively-important way? I’m not aware of it, but I might just be behind on my television.

This episode has great writing, and (blessedly) amazing direction and blocking anyway. Check out the above gif - that is some next level foreshadowing going on in the cinematography, and this isn’t even the most remarked upon shot in this episode. (Seriously, I had to search for 40 minutes for this gif, please respect my game, lol.) Everyone who was involved in 15x18 is giddy talking about their investment, from the costume designer to the actors to the director to the writer...

...And then a bunch of them steadfastly have avoided posting much Supernatural-related since. So that’s...loud. There is a bunch of subtext in this episode that is screamingly loud; there is a bunch of text in this episode that makes several things clear fandom has been chattering over for years and years. The meta-commentary around this episode continues, months later. There are over 700 fics on AO3 with this episode tag.

I have more to say about the themes of ‘free will’ and ‘love’ and ‘identity’ tied to this episode, but seriously-- you’ve probably read 17 versions of it on Tumblr already, so.

This is the last time we see Cas, and the last time Supernatural can claim anything close to narrative consistency. For that alone, it’d earn free head-space.

Runners-up: “4.20 - The Rapture”; “5.04 - The End”; “7.21 - Reading is Fundamental”; “8.21 - The Great Escapist”; “9.06 - Heaven Can’t Wait”; “12.19 - The Future”; “14.08 - Byzantium”

6.17 - “My Heart Will Go On”/8.07 - “A Little Slice of Kevin”

“Most Likely to Inspire Unnecessary Fanfiction”

Written by: Eric Charmelo & Nicole Snyder (6.17); Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | Directed by: Phil Sgriccia (6.17); Charlie Carner (8.07)

Usually the show kills off it’s “one-episode” female characters, but do you know one time it didn’t? When the Moirai (the Fates - specifically Atropos, the shearer of the Threads of Fate) showed up in canon in 6.17. She was posited to have “two older sisters that were bigger than her- in every sense of the word,” ...and Castiel had to back down when she challenged him to a cosmic game of chicken over the Winchester’s lives.

Then they never returned to that idea again. 

“A Little Slice of Kevin” is on here for the opposite reason -- an amazing idea that was really underwritten in the episode it showed up in. Dean Winchester has been dragging himself across the fabric of universes; the literal Word of God is in play in a warehouse in Middle America; Cas is back from Purgatory, but what does that mean, micro and macro? As a person on the street, what would it mean, or feel like, to learn you were a Prophet of the Lord, uncalled? That what you are, everything you are, is a cosmic contingency?

Maybe Fate has an opinion on all these shenanigans?

Perhaps all that doesn’t make sense, but it certainly made an impression on ~2012 me. To this day, it remains the WIP I can open up and fool myself with the ‘twist.’ I wish I remembered where I was going with it so I could finish it.

Runners Up: “2.20 - What Is and What Should Never Be”; “5.04 - The End”; “6.15 - The French Mistake”; 12.12 - “Stuck in the Middle (with you)”; “13.05 - Advanced Thanatology” “14.03 - The Scar”; “14.10 - Nihilism”; “15.15 - Gimme Shelter” ... and “15.20 - Carry On” (obviously)

Fifteen seasons. There were plenty of other episodes I loved that didn’t make these limited lists. But overall -- thank you, Supernatural, for the run. Even if I’m upset at the ending, I can appreciate the game. If you watch the show, what were your favorite episodes?

[miaa4tez]

Season 3, Episode 1 or so help me god... Also available on AO3.

Finally // beautiful stranger 

He sort of thought she’d maybe... say something, after everything. He’d walked home that night a bundle of uncertainty and self-doubt, but for the first time, he actually felt a bit hopeful. He and Maeve couldn’t seem to stop missing one another, and he was damn near determined that this time, it’d be different. 

 

But then the weekend came and went, and he hadn’t heard from her once, and he found himself growing more self-conscious by the second. Had he been too late? Did he miss his chance for real this time? Was she really... over him? 

 

He nearly races to school come Monday morning, a ball of nerves and pent up energy. He tries being happy for Eric as he recounts endless details about his weekend with Adam, really he does, but all he could think is whether Maeve had truly heard his confession of love and felt... nothing. That might just be the thing to do him in for good. 

 

It takes him a few laps through the school but he finally finds her in the library, a book perched on her lap and her thumbnail between her teeth. He nearly loses his nerve, can’t help but stare at her like this for a moment - unguarded, serene - but then he reminds himself that he’s done being an asshole, damnit, and pushes forward. 

 

“Um, Maeve?” Fucking loser. Man up. 

 

He sees her jaw clench, her teeth biting the inside of her cheek, her eyes shut briefly before she flips a page. He hates that he elicits that response from her now. “Studying, dickhead.” 

 

He watches her swallow and her eyes seem to be going over the same line over and over. 

 

He clenches his hands at his side. “Can we talk?” He unclenches his fists, stretches them in the silence. “Please.” 

 

She’s so good at masking her emotions, but he catches a slight hitch as she clears her throat, shuts her book with a definitive thud and stands abruptly. She meets his eyes, cool and steady, and he feels himself shrink under the weight of her gaze. “I’ve got to get to class.” 

 

She pushes past him then, out the door, and for a moment he considers letting her go. Surely she deserves better than him, better than the hurt he’s caused her. But then he spies her jacket left dangling over the couch and his body is moving without his consent.

 

“Look I know I said some stupid things but I really think we ought to talk it out so I could tell you how sorry I am,” he pleads, her jacket draped across his arm as he strides behind her. 

 

She speeds up, forcing him to trail after her. “Not much to talk about then, is there? You’re sorry, so that’s it. We’re good then.” She bites the corner of her thumb, refusing to turn and face him as she weaves through the halls. 

 

“Well I just thought...” He stops short. What did he think, really? “I hadn’t heard from you this weekend,” he mutters instead. 

 

She stops in front of her locker, flicks her eyes to his briefly, searching. He lamely extends her jacket to her and she snags it from him a touch too harsh. “Yeah well. I’ve been busy. Not everything is about you, you know.” 

 

He buries his hands deep in his jacket pockets. He’s a little ashamed it’s taken him this long to congratulate her. “Yeah, no, of course. Sorry. Congratulations, by the way. I saw you on TV.”

 

The corner of her mouth turns up in the barest hint of a smile, but she ignores his attempt to meet her eyes and reaches for her Maths book. “Right. Well it wasn’t just me.” 

 

“You should be proud of yourself, Maeve. They couldn’t have done it without you.”

 

If he’s thawing her at all, she won’t let on. She bites her bottom lip anxiously and slams her locker in a hurry, but he presses on, hands extending then retracting back to his pockets. 

 

“And I just thought we could clear the air, you know. Be friends again?... I’d really like to be your friend again, Maeve. At least.” He shakes his head. This isn’t going well. “I’ve let you down and I know that. And I understand if you didn’t lis-“ 

 

“Otis.” She interrupts him, exhaling his name almost as if she’s got no energy left. He sucks in a breath and looks at her. Sees the hurt swimming in her eyes. “Forget it, okay? We’ve tried being friends but all we do is hurt one another.” She wraps her arms tight around herself, her eyes boring holes into her shoes. “I’ve got enough people in my life to hurt me. I don’t need another.” 

 

She meets his eyes then and he couldn’t save this if he tried. He opens his mouth anyway - foolishly - but whatever he intended to say is drowned out by the class bell. 

 

Her eyes flicker to his once more - pleading him to fight back? Maybe, but she’s pushed past him and out of sight before he can find the words.

 

...

 

She’s basically a ghost for the rest of the week, slipping through the halls in silence and keeping her eyes to the ground. She‘s forgotten how easy it was to go unnoticed in this school, and she both loves and hates how easily she slips back into it. Fleetingly she thinks that she hasn’t seen Otis once, even from the corner of her eye, and it’s not like she cares or anything - she hardly noticed, really, fuck off - but the clinic has been almost nonexistent and she’s got rent due Monday and this spat between them is really fucking with her source of income.

By Friday she’s said maybe ten words total to another human being (three of which being “Piss off, Isaac” when the wanker insisted on perching himself at her doorstep after she refused to answer his calls), but she found herself somewhat comforted by still having people around her. The fact is she hates the idea of going home to an empty trailer almost as much as she doesn’t want to be at school, so she sucks it up and makes plans to ask Aimee if they can walk home together. Thinks maybe she can spend the night there if she asks, too. God, she hates asking for things. 

 

It’s not just Otis she’s avoiding. It’s everything. Her mom, her shitty fucking luck, the reality that of all the Quizheads, she’s least likely to get a full ride scholarship to Uni even though that’s the only way she can realistically afford to go. She knows she‘s destined for more than a shit job at the mall and a double wide with no heat, but she’s certain she was born in the wrong dimension, because in this one life is determined to fuck her over. 

 

Her mind is a tangle of self-doubt but she’s trying her fucking damnedest to silence it all as she waits for Aimee by the school’s entrance, perched against a tree and attempting to focus on Silas Marner - she finds it far superior and the more relatable of George Eliot’s works, no wonder it took her so long to finish Middlemarch - but she’s been standing here for over an hour and Aimee is nowhere to be found. In fact, the front lawn is basically empty aside from a couple stoners and some horny couple grinding on a bench in the corner. She checks her phone, shoots a text to Aimee, waits five minutes for the three dots to pop up and when the message comes through, she feels her heart fall to her feet.

Steve wants to try hugging. Raincheck?

The sun is setting as she walks home alone, a crisp in the air that wasn’t there last week, and she’s trying to match her steps to her heartbeats but it’s proving harder than she’d like. Who says her breathing’s more ragged than usual? Sod off. 

She wishes she hadn’t lent Erin her headphones - she’ll never see those again either - because she could really use something right now to drown out her racing thoughts. She focuses instead on the faded crescent moon rising in the sky, and by the time she walks onto the lot the sky is dark and the only thing she wants is to curl into a ball in her bed and not leave until Monday morning.

She sees the bag from far away, hanging from the door handle of her trailer. She looks left and right on impulse, wonders if it was Isaac before she feels certain it wasn’t. If her steps quicken, she’ll never admit to it.

She snags the bag quickly and slams the door behind her, fingers itching to find out what’s inside. Her hand wraps around a binder and she pulls it out slowly, suddenly nervous. A note flutters out with it and falls to her feet, and her jaw clenches as she recognizes the familiar scrawl.

 

You deserve better than all of us.

She stares at the message a moment more because she collapses into a seat at the table, binder spread out before her. She opens the first page and her throat tickles with the emotion of it all.

It’s a collection of paperwork, brochures and articles and informational pamphlets. Schools she mentioned, universities she’s named in passing conversations when she thought they were just killing time before his next session. He compiled them all by the areas of study she might be most interested, and she smirks despite herself that each school is color coded. He’d always busted her for organizing the clinic schedule like that. He’s even taken the time to highlight new places she hasn’t considered, places that offer creative writing programs and financial scholarships for independents.

She feels the smile on her lips but it’s like her brain catches up, stunned for a moment by the gesture, and she’s suddenly furious.

 

Who does he think he is? He doesn’t know what she needs, what she wants, what’s best for her. All he’s done since he came into her life was cause her pain, and now he’s trying to be some fucking savior for her? She snags a sweater strewn over the couch and is out the door before she even knows where she’s going. All she knows is that he doesn’t get to make some grand gesture and have her forgive him. It’s bullshit. She’s going to storm over there and tell him exactly where he can shove his fucking charity. He’s -

-standing in the middle of the bridge. Waiting for her.

Her breath catches in her throat and she absently notes that he looks terrified. There are so many things she wants to spit at him but for some reason she can’t find words just yet. He shocks her by speaking first.

“I didn’t want you to have to come all the way to me again,” he shrugs, the corner of his lip curling up just slightly.

She crosses her arms quickly, petulant as a child as she scoffs at him. But despite herself, she feels lighter standing before him. Damn it all to hell. “How’d you know I’d even come to you?” She’s trying for offhanded but knows she doesn’t manage it.

He scratches his ear and looks to his shoes. “I didn’t?” He has the decency to sound sheepish. “I figured I’d give it an hour or so and see if you called maybe.”

“Oh, only an hour then?” She deadpans. She gets way too much satisfaction from his rosy cheeks.

He cocks his head just so, offering her a half smile. “Maybe two,” he relents.

She feels her mouth pulling into a grin but she bites the inside of her cheek before it erupts. Instead she nods once and wrings her hands together by her chest. The silence sits between them and it’s colder out here than it was an hour ago.

“I’m sorry,” she hears him breath, and he must realize how quiet he said it because he clears his throat and meets her eyes. “I’m really sorry.” Louder this time, more conviction.

She can see the sincerity in his eyes and he always did know how to get to her. She nods this time, her mouth twisting in a wry smirk. “Yeah you should be,” she jokes, but it doesn’t feel much like a joke once it’s out of her mouth, and she feels the frustration seep back in. “You know, you can’t go around trying to manipulate me by doing something nice. Doesn’t work like that. You’re not charming, you know.”

Otis blinks. “Is that what you were coming to tell me?”

“What?”

“You were headed to my house, weren’t you? Was that what you were going to say?”

Her eyes widen, indignant, and the anger mounts. “Yes,” she demands. “You can’t just hurt me and expect it to all be okay just like that. It’s not. I trusted you, Otis, and you let me down. Everyone else is shit but I never thought you’d...” her voice catches and a small sob fills her chest but she won’t let it out. Refuses. Instead she stops, catching her breath and turning her head to the side as angry tears threaten to pour over. She digs a nail into her palm to stop them. She won’t let him do this to her again.

He takes a tentative step forward and reaches out for her slightly, and she finds great satisfaction when he retracts his hand, until she follows his gaze and realizes he must notice that she’s wearing his sweater. Shit.

It seems to embolden him though and he looks to her again. “I know, and Maeve, I know I hurt you and I was a dickhead -“

“Massive dickhead,” she elaborates.

“But I don’t think it’s all my fault.” He finishes.

She’s certain she heard him wrong.

“Excuse me?” She gapes, incredulous.

“We’ve been tiptoeing around each other for months,” Otis argues, arms up for emphasis. “All year, really. And then Jackson -

“Are you seriously turning this around on me?” She can’t believe him.

“No but -

“‘Cause it sounds like you are -“

“I’m not!” He insists. “It’s just that...you’re you! And I’m ME and, and we were friends. Such good friends, Maeve, and then you... And it just made me so angry that you didn’t tell me you liked me until things with Ola.... it’s just... I had no idea someone like you could have possibly liked someone like me.”

 

Her nostrils flare with her anger and she’s trying not to strangle him right this instant. She’s not sure if it’s because he doubted her or that he’s so fucking sure he’s right (and so what if he is a little?) “Right well it’s probably for the best you didn’t know. I’m the most selfish person you know, after all.”

 

He sighs loudly. “Maeve, of course I didn’t mean that.“

“It sounded like you did,” she quips.

“I was so drunk. I ate a whole roast chicken that night! And I was confused and I was trying to hurt you like I was hurting when of course you didn’t deserve it.” 

He’s got her there.

She sniffles and crosses her arms, choosing to count the railings on the bridge rather than meet his eyes.

 

He sighs and reaches toward her, palms open. “I know I can’t take back what I did. And I know things are still broken between us. But... I like you, Maeve. I really, really like you.”

She looks up then, against her own will honestly, but he’s got his eyes closed. Either because he can’t look at her either or he’s mustering up the courage, she can’t be sure.

He rubs a hand over his face and chuckles ironically. “Hell I think I even love you. You’re brave and you’re resilient and you’re honest and you’re good. Life should have taken you out dozens of times already but you never let it. You’re too good for every fucking one of us and we just keep letting you down over and over. But I want to be there for you. I want to be the one you turn to. I don’t want you to feel alone or scared or hurt. And I hate that I’ve already done all those things but if you let me, if you give me a chance, I promise I won’t hurt you again. And I know, I know so many people have said that to you before, but I’m going to prove it. You don’t have to believe me, but let me prove it to you. Please. I -“

She’s not sure at what point in his speech her arms drop to her sides, when her brow smooths and her gaze softens and her lip drops just slightly. She feels the heat pool in her chest, warm and bubbling and even a little uncomfortable, blooming its way up her neck to her cheeks and face. And in her haze she really can’t remember when she steps forward and brings her mouth to his, soft but hard all at once, but she knows when she does that she’s never quite had a kiss like this in her life.

That is, because he doesn’t quite kiss her back.

Her lips are tingling but his body is like a statue before her, and she’s sure he’s unconscious but she can feel his heart thrumming beneath her hands atop his chest, and has she killed him? She pulls back slightly, exhaling a harsh breath, not daring to meet his eyes but seemingly incapable of putting more than an inch of distance between them. The barrier’s been broken now and she finds she’s never been warmer in her whole life. She’s about to say something, anything really, when his hands come up to cup her cheeks, coaxing her to look him in the eyes. Nerves grasp her now - it was so impulsive, she didn’t give it a second of thought before - but she has no time for them. She hears him swallow just as he pinches her chin and brings her mouth to his once more, and this is what their first kiss should have been. His lips are tender on hers and she wants to be closer to him all at once, so she wraps her arms around his waist and opens her mouth, feeling his breath on her tongue before his follows along. She was sure he’d be timid but it’s like his body is reacting all on its own, and she can’t help herself. Her lips curl into a smile against his mouth, and she nearly melts into a puddle when his thumb comes to the corner of her lip, the pad of his finger tracing the outline of her smile.

When they properly pull back for a breath, she can feel his eyes on her, blue crystals boring into her soul, and for the life of her she has no idea why she meets his gaze. She wants to look away but somehow she can’t, and he’s smiling at her and by God if she’s not absolutely fucking in love with this dickhead.

“You kissed me.” He tucks her hair behind her ear as he says it and she hates him even more. Her life will never be just hers again.

She licks her lips. “Tell anyone about this and I’ll bite your dick off. Okay mouth breather?” There isn’t the slightest trace of malice in her voice. It’s barely above a whisper.

Otis nods once, brow creased in mock seriousness. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I’m still angry at you,” she murmurs, eyes fixated on his bottom lip as she grips the ends of his shirt tighter.

He swallows hard and nods. “I know. I’m still angry with me too.”

She wants to keep the banter going but she’s got no fight in her, just butterflies wrecking havoc on her stomach and fire in her cheeks. She can’t stop staring at his lips - it’s like he’s cast a spell on her or something - and then she remembers she can do it again if she wants. This is going to be a real problem, she can tell. She’s on her tiptoes when he seems to remember the same thing, and he’s wearing the goofiest smile when he brings her face to his and leans down to kiss her again.

(It might take him a few hours to calm her down after he tells her about the missing voicemail - she could fucking murder Isaac - but he quickly finds exactly how to shut her up. If they don’t sleep that night, it’s entirely his fault.)

...

Note: this was shit but I wrote it in the notes on my phone because please let them be together next season PLEASE. It’s my first tumbler post too so sorry the format is weird as shit.

[aftermathdb]

DEATH BATTLE review: All Might vs. Might Guy

First Atlantis^2, then Widow^2, then Marvel^2, then ONE^2, and now Might^2.

(Holy Hell! I have exactly 100 screenshots for this episode!)

All Might′s Preview.

We open on a world where superpowers are common.

A world where schools are everywhere so that people can harness their powers.

These “Quirks” are varied, and some are… not that great.

But one aspiring hero would rise up to be the greatest hero around. Toshinori Yagi, who was given the greatest Quirk of all: One for All.

The hosts go over how badass this Quirk is. But more specifically how it’s the Quirk that can be passed down to other users.

Toshinori got his from Nana Shimura, and he became the ever-smiling All Might.

All Might keeps that smile on his face to ensure that everyone around him feels safe.

Thanks to All Might’s Quirk, he’s got everything from Super Strength, speed, stamina, and durability.

Aside from Boomstick’s apparent ability to manifest seafood, the hosts go over All Might‘s main powerset.

Interestingly enough, All Might’s tendency to name his moves after the US is kinda accurate.

For example, the Texas Smash and Oklahoma Smash both create forms of tornadoes. And guess what states are smack-dab in the way of those things?

But All Might can combine those States together in one extremely powerful attack: The United States of Smash. PLUS ULTRA!

The power of the USoS is actually quantifiable. Given the size of the storm compared to the buildings around it, the force would be over 11,000 tons of TNT.

All Might can also move at speed around Mach 29.

Now, here’s the thing: All Might’s doing a lot of this with a handicap. So these moves are still impressive. Since DEATH BATTLE takes a look at these characters in their prime, those are the stats that would be used. In his hayday, All Might would be 60 times more powerful.

He’s on par with many a fighter, like Nomu, whom he had punched 300 times in ten seconds.

Even when crippled, All Might’s proven exactly why he’s been the number one hero for years.

Might Guy′s Preview.

a

In the world of Naruto, there exists schools that train the best Ninjas around. These schools would essentially teach Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, or in Boomstick’s terms, Ninja Magic.

But one ninja doesn’t really have that. Rock Lee was never really that good at the whole “Ninja Magic” thing, so when he found a mentor, it was a good thing for him.

Enter: Might Guy.

Despite not having that great of skill when compared to the other guys, Might Guy and his dad opted to focus on one thing and become the undisputed master of it:

Punching people (Thanks for the description there, Boomstick).

Strong Fist is a subset of Taijutsu, or hand-to-hand combat. A hard martial art that is focused on breaking the bones of the opponent.

Only the toughest people can really use Strong Fist according to the hosts, and it comes with it’s own set of skills.

But it’s a really big double-edged sword.

And we get more into that double-edged sword by an animated segment.

Regardless, the technique Guy and Duy developed was the Eight Gates.

With these Gates, they can unlock a whole slew of crazy abilities by way of removing limits on the body. From mental inhibitions, to physical limitations.

Some of these Gates are safe to use. Numbers 1-3 are good to go, but once you go past that, you’re in trouble.

At Gate numero six, Guy moves so fast that his fists ignite the air around him and can be used as projectiles.

In order to ignite the Hydrogen in the air, Guy’s swinging at speeds at 40000 km/h.

For reference, that’s nearly five times as fast as the X-15 Rocket Jet, the fastest man-made jet that has been made so far.

Gate Seven is still relatively safe for Guy, according to the hosts, but the final Gate is a fatal attack.

That’s not some sort of “Battle Aura” you’re seeing around Guy, that’s his blood burning. With this, he can use… “Night Guy.”

Yeah, I’m a little unimpressed too.

This form was able to decimate Madara. You should know that guy by now. He’s the deadly villain that could take on Naruto and easily defeat him in base mode.

Naruto’s super modes are definately better that Guy’s best mode, but it’s also way better than Jiraya’s best move.

Guy is also a match for Kakashi, who could catch lightning.

Kakashi’s speed clocks in at around 763000 m/s, so Guy is definitely in that ballpark.

And with all the feats he has, he’s proven to be a badass through and through. It takes a lot to bring down this Mighty Guy.

… Yeah, the end quote doesn’t exactly inspire greatness, but eh, it’s probably iconic (Really sorry, not a Naruto fan).

The Battle Itself.

Torrian is back to head this project, All Might will be voiced by Kaiji Tang, while All Might was voiced by a guy named “Dick Splitter” (No, I’m not making that up). "Mighty” by both Brandon Yates and Therewolf sprite artist (If there are any), and audio lead by Chris Kokkinos.

Our fight starts with Guy sitting in a park, reading a bit of Manga. For those eagle-eyed viewers, you’ll notiice that he’s reading a My Hero Academia book. I’ve circled it for you.

Anyways, All Might drops in and does his dramatic enterance. After geeking out, Guy challenges him to…

An ARM WRESTLING CONTEST!

Which All Might readily accepts.

I want to go on record and say that this initial explosion is in essence, them just starting.

And can I also point out the absurdity in the ground being cratered before the table? Like what is that table made of?- Adamantium?

Well, my accusation is unlikely. The table breaks, and then the two duke it out. Not out of jealousy or because one of them accused the other of sabotaging the contest, but because they’re just that hammy.

So with the fight underway, these two go at it. It’s readily clear that All Might has the edge up in strength over Base Guy, but Guy is certainly faster  given how often he dodges the attacks that All Might dishes out.

He even gets a perfect 10 on his dodging!

I want it to be known that Might Guy actually dodged this attack. He clearly has the speed advantage.

And these two just keep complimenting each other! Like, come on! Who am I supposed to root for here?

Anyways, Guy opens his Sixth Gate, which gives him an edge up over All Might.

And you want to know what’s better than a beam struggle?- A Barrage attack struggle.

What’s better than that?

When the barrages are fire vs wind!

They make an explosion that brings Guy to the ground, and he opens the Seventh Gate.

He unleashes his Daytime Tiger, and actually puts All Might on the defensive.

Here’s my question: How is it that all that power is being condensed in that one park? Those buildings should have destableized by now!

Anyways, Finishing Blow in

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Might Guy gets impaled! Well, it was a good run, and he certainly put up quite the fight…

And he’s also not done yet. We still have one more Gate.

REAL finishing blow iin

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

You gotta wonder what the report by the  authorities and news is going to be like.

Verdict + Explanation.

So, right off the bat, this fight actually is close. Guy’s Gates were really the big thing that was letting him keep up with All Might and his  speed was certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Now, As for All Might, since DEATH BATTLE was looking at him in his prime, they had to scale accordingly.

All Might himself claimed that a fight he finished in 300 punches could have been done in 5. So that means that the All Might that is being used is 60 times stronger.

Take this feat for example, All Might’s foe Gigantomachia, once blew a hole through the mountain. Adding in the X60 multiplier, and All Might’s batting in the 154.8 Gigaton range.

However, Guy is still way faster, add in his better training and more versatile arsenal, Might Guy just needed to hit All Might harder than All Might could hit him.

All Might’s feat of changing the weather clocks in at about 1462 Gigatons of TNT.

Now, that’s impressive and all, but Guy hasn’t really shown his full power.

So we have to compare him to another person that we’ve seen all too many times before: Naruto.

Now remember: Base Naruto < Madara, and Night Guy > Madara.

As we’ve seen all too many times before, Naruto’s Base Chakra was enough to blow a hole through the moon.

How much force is that?

About 480 Petatons of TNT.

How much is a Petaton?

A million Gigatons. Simply put All Might > Might Guy, but Night Guy > All Might. Sure, Guy goes down not too long after using the attack, but he wins in the moment, and that’s what matters.

The winner is Might Guy.

Overall impression.

I came into this thinking “This feels more like season premiere material.” Something to hype up the crowd for the upcoming season. And I was right in the absolute most wrong sense of the word. The fight is spectacular, and it makes me want to read up on MHA. In all honesty, if this were a season premiere,  everything after it would feel boring in comparison.

Now, admittedly, this was basically just a fistfight. A battle of who could punch harder than the other guy. Which isn’t very exciting on it’s own, but is still interesting given the characters.

Plus, given that no sane parent would ever give their kid the name “Richard” if their  last name was “Splitter”  I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say that this is the official VA for Guy.

I’m not going to link to his twitter, I’d rather he not get in trouble, but it’s still pretty cool.

Then again, my dad knew a guy named “Richard Head” so I guess the name “Dick Splitter” isn’t that farfetched. Who knows, maybe this is a real name.

Tangent aside, this battle was epic in all sense of the word. I’m sure there are a lot of references that I missed because of my lack of knowledge on these two, but it was a joy to see, and the music is awesome. Definitely looking forward to downloading it.

9.6/10.

Next Time…

I’m calling…

… Well shit. I don’t know what to call. But I recognize Miles Morales, Beerus,  and Danny Phantom, so who knows?

Though the end colors for the start of Season 7 makes me think of… Harley Quinn.

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

A DEATH BATTLE.

[immortalpramheda]

The 100 6x01 ‘Sanctum’

My thoughts on the S6 premiere. I thought it was a great start to the season!

Jordan is the purest cinnamon roll in the world and needs to be protected at all costs. He wasn’t in this episode much, but already I can see how much of his parents has been passed down to him. He’s always smiling and is fascinated with everything. What a great addition to the show!

I love that Monty’s presence is very much at the forefront. They’re committed to fulfil his wish and do better this time around.

Loved all the callbacks! Sending people to the ground to a planet they have no idea is safe, just like the 100 being sent to the ground in the pilot. Walking out onto the new planet together. Miller saying, “Anyone got anything better than we’re back bitches?” Murphy going for a swim, just like Octavia in the pilot (thankfully he didn’t get attacked by a sea monster!). Kane and Abby looking down at the new planet from space.

Shaw’s death was… sudden. I knew things were doomed after Raven and Shaw had a moment of happiness together, because happiness never lasts on this show. His death seemed rushed, and I don’t think it was necessary for him to die. But I guess actor availability means the story sometimes has to be altered. It’s a shame because I really liked his character last season.

Shaw mentioned that he once met Becca. I always forget that all of the members of Eligius were alive at the same time as her! And Becca was the one who originally created Nightblood for Eligius to protect them from solar radiation. And also there were infinity symbols everywhere on Alpha. A lot of references to her! I’m excited to learn more about the mythology and history of this world!

I love the scenery of Alpha! It’s full of such saturated colours and looks absolutely beautiful!

Alpha is actually a moon, not a planet. That explains why they can see the giant Saturn like planet in the distance when they’re on the beach. And what is that aurora type thing that Raven and Jordan discover??

Eligius 3 visited five different potentially habitable moons on their mission. Obviously at least some of them settled on Alpha, but what about the other moons? Surely that will come back into play at some point. Possibly a clue about S7 maybe?

Raven got on my nerves a bit this episode. She’s always been had a problem with anger and pushing the blame onto other people, but her grudge against Clarke is getting old. Is she forgetting that she saved them all?? And being angry at Monty and Harper for leaving them? Yes it’s sad they’re gone, two members of her Spacekru family, but they gave everyone a second chance. Her anger towards Abby is more understandable, she has experience with loved ones dealing with addictions before and knows that recovery doesn’t always last. But what it seems to me is that she’s built up all this anger and hasn’t dealt with any of it. She wanted to be alone with Shaw, right after she learnt what happened to Monty and Harper. I wonder if she did that to make herself feel better? We know she’s used sex in the past to make herself feel better. She never properly processed losing Finn, and it seems like she never dealt with her mother’s death either. That’s one of her problems, letting things build up until she explodes. She’s incredibly smart, but she’s never actually faced the demons that are eating her apart. As we know the theme of this season is ‘face your demons’, and I think that Raven is going to be forced to come to terms with all this grief she’s been holding onto for so long.

“There’s no starting over without forgiveness. Who knows that better than us?” Clarke is the one who taught Bellamy about forgiveness. That was obviously a nod to Bellarke and all the conversations they’ve had about forgiveness.

I loved how Jackson was fascinated with the alien spider, and then realising that actually they’re the aliens! The swarm of mutated bugs! So excited to see more mutant animals. That’s one thing I’d wish we’d seen more of on Earth. The bugs here are affected by the eclipse and are probably going to be even more freaky than they ever were on Earth so that’s going to be interesting.

Octavia is woken up by Niylah, even though she was told specifically not to wake her up. But loyalty runs deep, of course one of her most loyal followers would want to wake her. She still has not shred her Bloodreina persona. She thought she was going to get the easy way out by dying last season, but that was taken away from her and now she has to live with everything she’s done. It seems that she’s on a very self destructive path. She knows exactly what she is, she even admits that she’s a monster. When she verbally attacked Kane, she knew exactly what she was doing and she didn’t care. She needs to face her demons if she’s ever going to find peace.

Not sure how I feel about Kane. It seems like they’re just delaying the inevitable. But I am glad he’s not dead, I’m not ready to lose him quite yet. But I do wonder where there is for his storyline to go from here.

The Murphy Show is one of the greatest things that has ever happened on this show! It was great to see him let loose and have a bit fun before everything goes to shit (once again).

“A little pathetic maybe, but it’s not crazy.” I loved the little smirk Bellamy gives as he says that. This whole exchange about the radio calls was amazing! I’m so glad they acknowledged it this early. And the way that Bellamy and Clarke can make each other smile is unlike anything else. I do feel bad for Echo though, she seems to be completely oblivious to the way that her boyfriend looks at another girl.

It seems that when the two suns eclipse, it does something to the plants on Alpha that causes people to go crazy. Like the children book says, “But when the stars align and the forest wakes, it’s time to run away.” It seems like it changes something about the structure of the plants and releases something into the air.

Emori was the first to be affected, although everyone else seemed to be showing signs of being a little more angry and moody than normal. Like Murphy, Miller and Clarke lashing out in anger, and even when Shaw called out Clarke for not having done anything to earn salvation yet. The suns were already eclipsing at that point, so maybe that could explain some of their somewhat out of character behaviour?

Who stole the ship? Where do all the people go during an eclipse? Is there a bunker somewhere? Do they go into space? Since it’s something in air, they’ll have to go somewhere where it can’t affect them. It does seem like sometimes people attempt to stay because of all the collars and chains they find. Interesting.

Overall, I loved the episode! Looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

[nerdylittleshit]

Rosie’s meta challenge aka “They Stay Weird Symposium” Round 2:

The Red Headed Stepchild

Idea provided by yours truly.

The task:

Choose one of these lesser-loved installments in the series and present a brilliant argument as to why it should be redeemed in the eyes of other fans.

Your choices:

1X08 “Bugs”

3X13 “Ghostfacers”

4X12 “Criss Angel is a Douchebag”

5X05 “Fallen Idols”

6X14 “Mannequin 3: The Reckoning“

7X08 “Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!“

8X04 “Bitten”

“9X20 Bloodlines”

10X04 “Paper Moon”

11x19 “The Chitters” (MY HEART STILL CANNOT ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT THIS IS THE LOWEST RANKED EPISODE OF S11)

12x21 “There’s Something About Mary”

First of all, in the name of sciene, let me say, IMDB is in no way representive. Neither is Rotten Tomatoes or any other site where users can rank movies and shows/episodes. For that every single Spn fan should have ranked every single episode in a fair way. Because yes, you can manipulate those rankings. Second, what is good and what is bad is in the end still a very subjective choice.

That being said, I have to say there are some episodes on this list that honestly surprised me and I can only assume why there are here. 11x19 I think for obvious homophobic reasons, so I am not even going there. But what is the case with 8x04 and 10x04? I can only assume that 8x04 was to out of the box for some viewers. It is a found footage episode, told from an outsider POV and with very little Sam and Dean in it. Personally I love the episodes that are told from a different perspective, episodes like 6x04, 6x20 or 11x04. I remember that early on on New Who there were a couple of Doctor-lite episodes, some of which I would say were among the best Doctor Who episodes, but that were never fan favourites because of the absence of the Doctor. I only assume the same happened with 8x04 and for whatever reason the aversion against Kate carried over to 10x04. Not that she deserved it.

There are of course some episodes that deserve to be on this list, because there is no way you can defend 9x20 (looking very hard the only postive thing I can say about it is that they used The Black Keys in it. And all the super obvious Destiel parallels).

My choice however is 6x14. It would be too easy to defend 11x19 or 8x04, episodes that I actually loved. 6x14 for some reasons has always been among my top five episodes of the worst episodes of Spn. For one simply reason: it is pointless. They couldn’t save the girl and Dean and Lisa break up for good and the whole episode leaves you unsatisfied, because nothing is gained and everything seems hopeless. So what even is the point?

While I would still say there is a lot of room left for improvement I tried to look at this episode with a different perspective. And it surpringsingly comes back to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Now, if you follow my blog you know that I loved the movie and would defend it everyday. Among the many things people disliked about the movie was a certain sequence in the middle of the movie, where two characters go on a secret mission, but ultimately fail to succeed in their mission. So again, whats the point, some people asked. But, I would argue, social commentary, character development, and in the end one of the core themes of the movie: that failure is your biggest teacher (because almost every character in this movie fails in one way or another and is forced to learn from their mistakes). The point of the secret mission wasn’t to get what they needed, but what it told us about the world Star Wars is set in and how our characters responded to it and were changed by it.

Going back to 6x14 I would argue that the episode and their failed hunt tells us something important about one of the season’s biggest themes: lack of agency. This starts with Dean and the fact that Bobby, Cas and Sam decided on his behalf that it was better for him not to know that Sam was back and hunting. They each decided that the apple pie life he had with Lisa and Ben was what he really wanted, witholding him information so that he was never able to make an informed choice. Later on Dean decides on Sam’s behalf that he should get his soul back, even though Sam expressed that this was not what he wanted. Samuel, Crowley and Cas withheld crucial information to Sam and Dean about their plan to find a way to purgatory. It was a season full of lies and abused trust, with characters forced to make choices, even though they had not all the information they needed.

In 6x14 Ben is the one who lies to get Dean back and in the end it is Lisa who gets her agency back, when she decides to let Dean go for good, realzing that her hope he might return to her kept her from moving on.

LISA: [...]You know, I...I can't. Ask for something. I know what I want. But I can't have it -- Not how you live. My phone rings, I think -- tiny chance it's you, big chance it's Sam calling to tell me you're dead.

DEAN: Lis...

LISA: No, don't. Don't apologize or anything. It's just... It's just I get to this place where I'm okay, and then you show up at our door. You keep doing that, every time I think I'm never gonna see you again. I'm trying to get over you.

While investing their case however they found out that the ghost killing people (Rose) is tied to her sister Isabel, who carries a part of her kidney with her. It is an impossible situation: as long as Isabel lives the ghost of her sister is able to kill people. The episode ends however with Isabel’s death (killed by a possesed Baby), leaving Sam and Dean hopeless.

DEAN: [...] I mean, what exactly did we do back there, Sam?

SAM Yeah, I'm not putting it in the win column, either.

DEAN: We saved a few dicks, a-a-and we killed an innocent girl. I got a heartbroken kid and a woman who's so pissed at me...I see what you mean about facing your past. It's, uh -  It's awesome. Thanks.

SAM: Dean.

DEAN: I mean, all we do is make a mess.

SAM: That's not true. We do save lives, now and again.

The one thing left Dean always defined his worth on - the amount of lives he has saved - is taken away from him here. There was no win for him. Again a lack of agency, quite literary, as the one thing that represents his soul - Baby - got possesed and killed (accidently) an innocent person. Seeing as this episode is in the middle of the season it is meant to represent the season’s theme without presenting us a conclusion. The fact that there is seemingly no point in it is exactly the point. To fail and to doubt yourself, but to get up the next day anyway and try to do better.

[evakfanficsrecs]

EVAK FANFICTION RECS / PART 11

Hi loves! So 2 weeks passed and I’m back with another part of my long-ass Evak fanfiction recs series, hooray! I never know what else to write here, so I’ll just shut up for now. All the fics can be found under the cut. Happy reading!

As always, the list is divided into oneshots and chaptered fics. My personal favorites are tagged with a “ ★ ”. Completed chaptered fics are tagged with a “ ✓ ”

*

ONESHOTS:

du lyser opp rommet (you light up the room) by hippopotamus ★ Summary: roommates!au; Isak has never told his roommate Even that he's scared of the dark, but Even finds out anyway when there's a powercut. (He's also never told his roommate Even that he has a huge crush on him.)

kissing you, loving you by isakhoney Summary: Isak and Even and kisses that aren't just on the mouth. Mostly not on the mouth.

Even's World by Skamzombie Summary: After the events of the last clip of season 4 episode 5. Isak has been hurt and Even thinks it's his fault.

let's go somewhere they might discover us (sometimes it's better when it's publicly) by highpraises Summary: Even and Isak fuck in a classroom.

Stop the world I wanna get off with you by LostInAdmiration ★ Summary: "Sometimes, it felt like they were worlds away from the people they were when they first met, both lost in their different ways and searching for their places in the world. They had come so far from that, become so much stronger, and finally had both feet firmly on the ground most of the time. But then sometimes, on a day like this, where they were curled up together sharing slow, lazy kisses, with Isak’s fingernails leaving half-moon imprints in Even’s skin, and Even’s hands buried in Isak’s hair, it felt as though no time had passed at all."

Real Eyes by SuddenTempest Summary: soulmates!au; Where everyone is born with heterochromia - your right eye is your own natural eye colour but your left is the colour of your soulmate's. It is only once that you meet and recognize your own eye staring back at you that your eyes change to match. Or, Isak has been having money problems. Even just lost his job. What happens when both of them meet in a very non-professional fashion and realise that they're each other's soulmates?

it's hard for me to communicate the thoughts that i hold (but tonight i'm gonna let you know) by eatthatup ★ Summary: Isak loves it, but he loves pleasing Even even more. So, he decides, what could be better than giving him a lap dance?

take you to where the sun shines, cast shadows on your face (crawl into their deepest recess,'til i freeze or dehydrate) by vesperthine Summary: They drag themselves up the stairs, and Even closes the door behind them; enveloping them both in the shadows ( – the familiar smell, dust, home – ) of the hallway. At the far end, that grey light is spilling in from the kitchen, and it’s just enough to make out the silhouette of Isak’s throat as he swallows.This is the aftermath, then; adrenaline sublimated and only the pieces and shivers left in its wake.

the best is over and the worst is yet to come by evenbec Summary: He keeps walking forward step by step, until he isn't. Suddenly, all Isak knows is white noise. He doesn't know what's going on around him. Can't feel Even’s hand in his any longer. His eyes are out of focus, and his brain is short circuiting.Or, A Post Fight Fic.

Taking Care by oldskamish Summary: Even takes care of a sick Isak for the first time. Then it's Isak's turn to take care of his boyfriend.

Touch It by nofeartina Summary: The first kiss makes everything go quiet in his head. It’s easy to be courageous here; surrounded by water, no sounds coming through. Just him and Even. Just this storm in his head, butterflies in his stomach, that immediately quiets when he gets his lips on Even’s. Or, five times that Isak is overwhelmed by Even, and one time it is the other way around.

other lives and dimensions and finally a love poem by elspethelf Summary: "Marry me," Isak says. Even almost drops the can of tuna he's holding.

Who Wouldn't Want It (When He Looks Like That) by CouldBeBlue Summary: “They can’t see you, but they could hear you, baby,” Even whispers in his ear, pressing two fingers against Isak’s lips. “You’d like that, yeah? All those students in the courtyard hearing you beg me to fuck you?”

Every step of the way by Tchell1 Summary: “I snapped.” Even started “That’s what happened at Bakka. I snapped and wrote all these parts of the Qur'an over the school walls.” He opened his eyes to meet Isak’s, almost daring him to stop the words. Isak would never not allow Even to speak, though “The words were full of hate. I splashed the wall with all the parts where it said being gay was a terrible sin and all homosexuals were going to hell.”

Waiting Room by sasnill Summary: He remembered a sick, frightened noise coming out of his own throat and Even saying, "We'll be there soon. We'll be there soon," as Isak's footsteps weaved from side to side across the path. - A long night.

you love when love hurts by thekardemomme ★ Summary: The one in which The Black Eye Galaxy finds its way onto Isak's face.

you bring me home by hippopotamus Summary: Even comes home to find Isak listening to Harry Styles' album.

ten & twelve by fleurbleue Summary: childhood friends!au; 10-year old Isak doesn't like 12-year old Even being so tall (maybe he does, but Even and his ego didn't need to know that).

in the place of you and me by DarkBeauty_890 ★ Summary: “Can I tell you a secret?” Even murmurs, tracing mindless patterns- zig zags and hearts and stars and infinity signs- up and down Isak’s bare back. He circles freckles and counts them, adding them to his never ending tally of things to know about Isak. Isak snuffles sleepily, “Mmhmm.” “You have made me happier in less than a year, than I think I have been in my entire life.” Eyes flicker open, hazy green; beautiful and open, “Ditto.”

Handcuff Your Way To My Heart by sugarbeat24 Summary: Isak and Even work at Buzzfeed and are roped into doing a video together. Lots of "oh my gods" and eyerolls ensue.

you've been scared of love (and what it did to you) by dreamocacy Summary: soulmates!au; Sure, almost everyone in Nissen have their soulmates, but they don't exist, not to Isak. Because Isak doesn't have one.

Isak is a hermit until Even happens by cloudowl Summary: magic!au; Isak lives in a cot in the middle of nowhere. He makes potions, cares for the plants and animals of the forest and makes the best brew there is in the land. Jonas likes to visit and to call him a hermit but that is about to change when Even one day shows up at his cot.

Taste of Love by bashfulisak Summary: Isak is obsessed with Even's lips and Even knows it.

I Just Want To Say I Love You by sugarbeat24 Summary: The 3 times Isak tries to tell Even he loves him with a grand romantic gesture and the 1 time he tries something different and succeeds.

on the verge, now submerge, i'm your church by highpraises Summary: Even has a huge dick. They fuck in his parents' house.

the boyfriend experience by diamondjacket ★ Summary: The point is: Even is great. Even is perfect. So perfect, in fact, that the alarming and ever-growing disparity between them, in terms of boyfriend-ing, has become impossible to ignore. Try as he might to talk himself down, Isak can’t quite stop that ugly fear from gnawing at him—the fear that Even will wake up one day and suddenly realize, fuck, why in God’s name am I doing all this work for a smelly, socially awkward slob with no money and no skills and Dorito crumbs in his bed? Or: Isak decides he's gonna boyfriend the hell out of Even. It does not go to plan.

gratulerer med dagen by isakhoney Summary: Wealthy boy Even's family is hosting a reception for constitutional day. He meets beautiful and bashful Isak, a waiter in traditional clothing. He takes him to his room, makes him sit on his lap.

sweet dreams turns into fucking in the morning by highpraises ★ Summary: “Can’t exactly touch you now, can I?” he points out the obvious, but of course Isak already knows that. He’s the one who fucking tied Even up while asleep in the first place.Isak giggles and pecks Even softly on the tip of his nose. “Just lie back and enjoy, Ev. I’m doing all the work this morning.” Or, Even wakes up to a surprise on the morning of his graduation.

I Ain't Never Did This Before, No by evenkosegruppa Summary: 'Soooo, you don't have to answer this but, you ever had sex before?' Isak and Even have maths together and they send notes in class.

for you by thekardemomme Summary: Isak and Even return to the karaoke bar.

take my hand (take my whole life too) by eatthatup ★ Summary: Isak loves holding Even's hand.

eleven & thirteen by fleurbleue Summary: childhood friends!au; Even has a fever, Isak plays doctor.

This Minute by XioNin Summary: It's 21:21 on the 21st, and Isak feels... something.

A Thousand Steps by riyku Summary: There are about a hundred reasons why this is a bad idea and one reason why it's a great one.

Take Your Time by Masterless Summary: “Isak,” Even started when they got onto the tram. He sat next to his boyfriend, letting Isak rest his head on his shoulder. “I should tell you something.” “You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready,” Isak replied, his voice soft, almost not even there. Even rested his head on top of Isak’s. “I really should tell you, though. It’s something that I did and it’s affected a lot.”

Intense by nhasablog ★ Summary: Even’s hand found his chin and then his cheek, pulling his head closer so that their gazes met again. He was smiling. “Stop turning away from me.” Isak didn’t reply, because he knew Even wasn’t expecting it anyway. He bumped their noses together instead, relishing in the way Even looked at him, for while it made him want to run away it also made him want to never look away. (Or, Even’s gaze is almost too intense for Isak to keep looking at him, but he never wants it to stop.)

baby, it's our moment, let's enjoy it by potterskam Summary: Four times Even realizes that 21:21 is their moment + one time Isak realizes it and posts it in Instagram.

du er ikke alene.du er ikke alene. du vil aldri være alene igjen. by RedLights Summary: Isak is feeling hurt and broken and alone and Even letting him know that he's never alone. (Post 4.06 Clip #1)

there's only so much a dandelion can do by cuddlesevak Summary: Even kneels down next to a group of tiny yellow flowers (dandelions, he thinks, although he's not that sure) and grabs one, going back up and looking at his boyfriend with the brightest smile. "Still waiting for an answer" he says, looking confused. "You're so pretty, you know that?"

You Know I'd Walk A Thousand Miles by pressurerin Summary: A plague breaks out and claims half of the world's population. Even and Isak get separated.  

The Adventures of the Snapback by littlemovie (Lejla) ★ Summary: The guy raised his eyebrows, when Isak had not said anything for quite a while, a faux innocent expression on his face, which brought Isak back to the present. “That’s my snapback!” Yeah okay, Isak could have eased a bit better into the conversation instead of yelling in the guy’s face. If possible, the guy’s brows climbed even higher on his forehead. “Excuse me?” Isak could feel the blush spreading from his chest to his cheeks. “I mean.. yeah, that’s my snapback and I want it back.” The guy grinned, “I really don’t think so.”

Veilchen by colazitron Summary: A dandelion's marginally better than a black eye.

You are in Love by pressurerin ★ Summary: Even is so in love with Isak. Isak feels the same.

ivory by evenvaltersen Summary: "Would that make you relax? A nice orgasm?" Isak nods, curling up impossibly closer to Even and Even almost wants to cry at the softness of it all, at how tiny and snuggly Isak looks in that pink, too big hoodie. "Alright, baby. How do you want it?" Or: Isak's stressed. Fingering makes him calm down.

breathe (don't you let that heartbeat fall) by argentae Summary: “Hey, do you want to come over to our place this Friday so we can work on our presentation after school? And that dinner invitation still stands,” Isak says. “I promise I won’t even touch the food, so no need to worry about that.” (Alternatively: biology buddies make a presentation, Even makes great food and Sana talks.)

Veilchen by colazitron Summary: A dandelion's marginally better than a black eye.

show me with your body baby by yourelectriclove Summary: It's wild and careless but they don't care, he doesn't care when Even pulls down his boxers completely, he doesn't care when the darkness is slowly fading to light as the sun comes up and the birds start chirping, all he cares about is Even's hands on him, on his body, touching him, fucking him, loving him.

high for this by theyellowcurtains Summary: married!au; Isak’s heart stopped hearing his name said aloud for the first time. He never thought it would feel so good to have Even’s last name. He leaned his head on the taller mans shoulder, sighing contently. “Okay boys! I’ll just get you your key card. Just a second!” Once alone Isak whispered ‘Mannen i mitt liv” to his Even before kissing his cheek and pulling him closer. AKA: Evak's wedding night.

blow out all the candles by tarjeiandhenrik ★ Summary: It's Eskild's birthday, Even works at a cake shop and Isak doesn't know how to make tea.

aren't you something to admire by highpraises Summary: “Do you see how that mirror is pointed towards us?” he asks calmly. Isak looks to the side for a second, taking in the mirror, then back at Even and nods, a flush already starting to form on his cheeks. He’s so beautiful, pale skin and soft hair, curling behind his ears and spread out somewhat against the duvet. He’s a sweet little thing, pale but glowing. He looks like an angel. Or, Even fucks Isak in front of a mirror.

you in those little high-waisted shorts (both your hands in the holes of my sweater) by hidefromeveryone Summary: Isak went into Forever 21 with a mission. He left with a cute boy's phone number scrawled on his hand, and lipstick smeared on his cheek.

The Abstract Art of Affection by readwritesleep ★ Summary: photographer!Even; Isak gets to know Even as an artist before he gets to know him as a person, but he is quickly taking a liking to the man behind the camera. After all, art means risk, and balancing on the edge has always been a good way to get to know a person.

It Has a Balcony by sasnill Summary: "We could get our own place," Isak said, the thoughts forming simultaneous to them pouring from his mouth. "Because - I mean, we kind of live together now, and Noora's been sleeping on the couch for months, which... that's really nice of her, but - so if she didn't have to do that anymore, that would be..." Even kissed him.When they broke apart, faces pressed together so that Isak could feel Even's breath on his lips, he said, "Would you want to?" Even laughed. He said, "Yes, I'd want to," and kissed Isak again. So they do.

don’t you worry there my honey by sonhoedesrazao Summary: “Did you have fun with Sana?” Even asks when they break apart.

we were made for garden by stomatoconveniencestore ★ Summary: When Eskild announces he's about to star in a documentary, Isak doesn't pay him much attention. But once he accidentally gets involved himself, it's not only the film he starts to care about, but also its director.

Good For You by nofeartina Summary: “Do that again,” Even says and Isak can’t help but comply. Isak is powerless against anything Even asks of him, especially when he asks like that. Or, The Nipple Play-fic that nobody asked for.

Watch Me Now by sleepinggiant Summary: soulmates!au; Isak is letting himself be happy with his soulmate, which is why he decides to open up to his friends about Even. (sequel to A State of Mind)

rolling on and on, sounds of love are in the air by highpraises Summary: They've never done it like this before, and the sight is truly remarkable. Isak’s torso is all slim and small, his waist and hips so tiny, and his face is, god, he just looks like he's already been fucked for an hour. His pupils are blown and his lips are puffy and his hair's a mess and he's gorgeous and he's going to ride Even’s dick. God. Or, Isak's first time riding dick.

busted and blue by theyellowcurtains Summary: Even finally told Isak about how his last year at Bakka went down. Isak reacts very differently from how Even expected him to.

Turn Off Your Phone by i_once_wrote_a_dream Summary: “Turn off your phone, baby,” he whispers into Isak’s neck. The harsh light from the screen still glares at them, but he can see Isak’s grip loosen and he just has to push a little more.

Blossom by LostInAdmiration ★ Summary: “That’s because she doesn’t know you like I do,” Even mumbled into Isak’s skin. “No?” Isak sighed back as Even pressed a kiss onto his temple, before moving down to his cheek, and then even further, peppering kisses all along his jaw. “Nope. You’re kind, and you’re smart, and handsome too. And you deserve much better than her.” Even punctuated each word with a kiss, as if he could press each compliment into Isak’s skin, so that it could bury itself inside of Isak, and always be there as a reminder of just how wonderful Even knew he was.

CHAPTERED:

Will You Be My Best Man? by bashfulisak ✓ Summary: Even asks Isak to be his best man at his wedding and Isak falls apart as he pushes away the undeniable connection between him and Even all while trying to be happy, but that too falls and shatters come the wedding.

Before and After by XioNin ✓ Summary: Even's thoughts before and after the karaoke party.

it's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right by mmxii ★ ✓ Summary: childhood friends!au; Even suddenly stops and just looks at him for a few seconds. Then he says it. “You’re my best friend, you know. Always have been, always will be.”

Guru Knows Best by StMisery ✓ Summary: neighbors!au; Isak grumps, and Eskild schemes. But it's all in the name of love. For their gorgeous new neighbour (and a little for each other too). Even moves into the apartment across the hall, and Isak's just trying to make it another day without dying of embarrassment.

Home Is Wherever I'm With You by cuteandtwisted ★ Summary: travel!au; “Hi. I’m Even and I don’t usually walk around in nothing but a towel.” “Uh, I'm Isak.” “Isak. Mind if I kidnap you for some fun sightseeing activities?” Or Isak and Even keep meeting in hostels all around the world and never exchanging contact information.

The Notion of Falling by smokeshop ★ ✓ Summary: HateToLove!au; Isak hates Even and Even hates Isak and Sana is the only one who knows why.

Things Look Different in the Morning by allyasavedtheday ★ ✓ Summary: roomates!au & uni!au; “So,” he says, drawing the word out. “I told Even he could stay here.”Isak blinks, convinced he’s misheard. “Eskild,” he says flatly. “We don’t have a spare room.” Eskild straightens his back, expression turning sheepish. “That’s the other part…I was thinking he could stay in your room?” * In which Even needs a place to stay, kollektivet gains a new roommate, and Isak just really wants to sleep.

Golden boy by lost_in_the_maze Summary: Hogwarts!au; Even's time at Hogwarts is rudely interrupted by the most beautiful boy he has ever laid eyes upon and he loves it.Isak's a veela and he's enjoying it especially now all his mates have transferred and he's captured the attentions of tall ravenclaw second year.

surrounded by eight of the most beautiful, crazy-ass mother fuckers the world has ever seen by traumatic Summary: Isak gets sent to a group for anxiety sufferers. The boy who sits across from him makes him feel positively electric. Or, where everyone's fucked up, Isak is living in his past, Even stares a lot, and, sometimes, talking about your problems actually helps.

You Illuminate the Sky by antiscian Summary: “Isak, why did Even Bech Næsheim post a picture of you on his Instagram?” “Even who?” Or: The one in which Even shares pictures of a mysterious boy he keeps seeing in the city and Isak turns out to be said boy.

Membership Dues by Sabeley ★ ✓ Summary: fraternity!au; Isak is pledging Even's fraternity. Even keeps having to be reminded that he's not allowed to date the pledges. "It's a ten-week pledge period. How hard could it be?" Famous last words.

Summer Lovin', Happened So Fast by evenkosegruppa Summary: neighbors!au; AU in where Isak lives near the beach and he and his friends refer to Even as the "guy that broke Isak's heart when he was fourteen."

Oppfordre (Nerve) by Evenbechbaesheim ✓ Summary: Nerve!au; After everything that went on last year, Isak's really just trying to keep his head down and cling onto the few friendships he's managed to maintain. Eva still hates him, and he doesn't blame her for a second. In Isak's head, he really is the villain of her story. He probably deserves everything that's coming to him.And then Oppfordre starts.It's just a silly game. A dumb app that makes you do dares for money, using online popularity as a driving force. Isak isn't interested. Not even remotely. Then he notices the new boy across the schoolyard. (Based on the 2016 Mystery/Crime Thriller Nerve.)

worth everything ever wished for by idariverman Summary: Every day at exactly 18.11, Isak steps on the tram. Every day at exactly 18.15, a mysterious boy steps on it as well, and he seems to enjoy making Isak squirm.

your heart is a masterpiece (and i'll keep it safe) by glowatlast Summary: They have been living together for a year. Even is now an art student and Isak is in third year. Or, Even loves drawing literally anything (preferably Isak), and Isak loves talking about weird theories, watching Christopher Nolan movies, and his boyfriend.

love and healing by evenbakkas ★ Summary: fake dating!au & uni!au; Isak is angry. He’s fucking pissed, and he’s suddenly seeing red, because his ex fucking took his heart and stomped on it until it was left in pieces, and he doesn’t get to do this to Isak after all the shit he’s pulled. So, before the guy can answer, Isak smiles curtly and says, “He’s my boyfriend.” Or: A Fake dating!AU where Isak goes grocery shopping and meets an attractive stranger in a jean jacket who ends up leaving as his fake boyfriend.

when you grow up, your heart dies by TheMousePrince Summary: The Breakfast Club!au; Sana, Isak, Even, Eva, and Vilde are spending the Saturday in detention. Shenanigans, romance, rebellion, and growing up ensues.

you are my life (i don't deserve you) by thekardemomme Summary: 20-something ways they said I love you.

Sees Hjemme by incorporealspike Summary: AU in which Noora never leaves to go to London, and Isak finds himself in a new shared apartment. And his new roommates? Not who you're expecting.

I'll Be Coming Home, Wait For Me by dahlstrom ★ ✓ Summary: The diner AU. Even and Yousef open a 1950s American-style restaurant together - Even is the creative genius in the kitchen, Yousef keeps the trains running on time, and Isak, Chris B, and Magnus are all along for the ride. Falling in love over food while Elvis serenades from the jukebox. Welcome to the Throwback Diner.

Hurts so good by sayyestothis ✓ Summary: "Even, this is all I have wanted for my 18th birthday since like, forever. Except for you." Isak rolls his eyes. “Are you seriously comparing me to a piercing? Wow, I’m flattered.” Even laughs, his eyes squinting. “Two things I’d like to have in my mouth, can’t see what’s wrong with it”, Isak shrugs. Or: Isak gets a tongue piercing. Even tries to be supportive. Keyword: tries.

These Mountains To Move by verlore_poplap Summary: soulmates!au; In one month, two weeks and four days at exactly 21:21 on Sunday, June 21st, 2015 - Isak Valtersen will turn sixteen years old and the name of his soulmate will appear on his wrist...

Pale polaroids. by echosofdawn  Summary: Isak is weird. His friends don't understand him. No one understands him. His childhood traumas are always there, under his skin, in his brain and are constantly cracking his heart. He can't have any more pain. He wouldn't be able to bear it. Even knows this. He knows it perfectly well. But human emotions can't be controlled.

[pod7]

Winter Anime* 2017 Lightning Review

*just the shows I watched of course

Shows included - ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka, Ai Mai Mi: Surgical Friends, Akiba’s Trip The Animation, All Out!!, BanG Dream!, Chain Chronicle, Chaos;Child, Demi-chan wa Kataritai, ElDLive, Fuuka, Gabriel Dropout, Gintama., Hand Shakers, Kemono Friends, Kobayashi-san chi no Maid Dragon, KonoSuba S2, Kuzu no Honkai, Little Witch Academia, Masamune-kun no Revenge, Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu, Mori no Yousei: Kinoko no Musume, Nobunaga no Shinobi, Nyanko Days, One Room, Onihei, Piace: Watashi no Italian, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Sangatsu no Lion, Seiren, Spiritpact, Urara Meirochou, Youjo Senki

Settle in for some long reviews, and probably the worst reviewed season since I started doing this! Wow!

ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka It’s a MADhouse production, so I went in pretty sure I would like it. I was a bit wrong on my first impression; I thought it would be a man on the run type show, but it was actually a more nuanced, spy-that-doesn’t-know-he’s-a-spy type story. I liked the character design. It reminded me of some of the manga series in the “non-moe art” tag on Dynasty Scans. I was in love at first sight with Director General Mauve, voiced by Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko, Ghost in the Shell), and hoped she would play a bigger role than she actually did. I was completely taken off guard by Jean’s confession of his feelings for Grossular at the end, which Mauve had in common. If it had to be someone, I would have guessed it to be Niino, in the old ‘observer falls for subject’ cliche. Still, a welcome, and very low-key revelation that is certainly welcome. The music is really great in this series, especially the intro and outro themes. I would have like for some of the female cast members to have more to do; there were seemingly more women in the show, but they hardly ever had any relevancy. Also, a bit more action or urgency would have been nice. It felt towards the end like this would be called “the hipster’s anime”. Definitely recommended. 9/10

Ai Mai Mi: Surgical Friends Just as ridiculous as ever, though it had some oddly serious parts in some episodes as well. I am appreciating more and more the bit during the credits of each episode where an alpaca recounts an awkward tale of the life of the mangaka who writes AMM. I think the randomness is wearing thin now though. 7/10

Akiba’s Trip The Animation I had never played the game before so I didn’t really have any idea what this was about besides being located in Akihabara. It had a lot of parallels with Punch Line, which I noted in my first impression, just chock full of references and insider humor that I think ended up being lost on a lot of the Western viewers (including me, obviously.) I enjoy the first eight or so episodes, but right when most probably thought it got interesting, for me it was like I just couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. I ended up skimming through the last episodes, but honestly, unless you are REALLY into Akihabara as a culture or just otaku interests in general, I would pass on this show, sadly. Having to watch the idol performance more than once was torture. 6/10

All Out!! The not-so-subtle pattern that is emerging in my anime viewing habits, is that I will start a sport or game series, as soon as it becomes entirely focused on the sport or game itself, I lose interest almost immediately. The same unfortunately happened here; as soon as they hit training camp, it was like I was watching a completely different show, and just couldn’t stand to even skim through it at the end. They can’t all be winners, and even MADhouse can’t be perfect all the time. Dropped

BanG Dream! My first impression was pretty much right on the nose; this is literally what would happen if the people behind Love Live adapted K-On. The melodrama of Love Live with similar archetypes to K-On. Unfortunately, no super gorgeous teacher steps in to help, and instead of a school they have to save the local girls-only concert venue by playing a pop rock version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I wish I were kidding. Not horrible or offensive, but just felt like a phoned in effort from the waifu buffet factory. 6/10

Chain Chronicle Sadly I just kind of forgot this show was even on, even though it showed signs of promise, I just couldn’t bring myself to care enough to catch up on it. Dropped

Chaos;Child The edgiest of edge. It made me appreciate the GOOD parts of Occultic;Nine that much more. I might have watched more if the adaptation of the prequel (episode zero) wasn’t just about the most boring thing I’ve watched in years. Dropped

Demi-chan wa Kataritai Top 3 of the season. It definitely felt less wacky than the manga, but I was okay with that. Satou-sensei stole the show, but Machi held her own in my opinion. It was funny to see how fast people tried to turn on the show when Hikari made Machi’s body hug Sensei and he was embarrassed because her boobs pressed into him when he wasn’t expecting it. However with a certain maid being INCREDULOUS, that movement died out before the next episode even came out. It was a good adaptation, and I think may just be my “comfy” show of the season, though again, a certain maid gave it a run for it’s money there too. 9/10

ElDLive I stand by my previous Space Patrol Luluco comparison. It was silly for the sake of being silly, but tried to add various chuuni and action tropes in to spice it up. To be quite honest this was a bit of a stinker, and only watched it for Misuzu to see if she grew any over the season (she did, but just the tiniest bit.) 4/10

FUUKA This was basically KimiKiss Pure Rouge but flipped love interests and included music to make more money off of the property with. It doesn’t do anything new or interesting, and it wasn’t satisfying at all. Like even knowing that Fuuka would end up being the girl the protag had feelings for, I still thought that maybe, just maybe she would do SOMETHING endearing in the least, but no, she just kind of was a brat at all points. Everything was really pretty, but zero substance. 3/10

Gabriel Dropout I think I started reading the manga for this before reading Demi-chan or Maid Dragon, so it’s kind of a surprise that of those three, this felt like the weakest effort. Something was lost in translation to animation to take away the magic presented in print. It was still enjoyable, it just didn’t have the punch I was expecting it to have, and I don’t know if it’s the low key music or the voices or what. Calling it a disappointment is going too far for me, but I certainly thought it would be better. 7/10

Gintama. Top 3 of the season. Pretty much just the adaptation of a single story arc, but an important one. Also, a super kick-ass, pulls no punches season. Loved the hell out of this show before, but this took it to a whole new level. I mentioned in my first impression that the period was a bit scary, but I now see that it was more of an affirmative statement, “GINTAMA, period.” 10/10

Hand Shakers This was really bad. Like, it’s a known thing that this show is bad. It was excruciating to give this show three whole episodes, but I managed it somehow. As admirable as it is that they went out on a limb to make their own original series, that doesn’t save it from being an over-designed, poorly thought out mess of a show. Dropped

Kemono Friends I just want the record to show that I was on board with this show from the very beginning, whereas the MAL user score was as low as 4.2 at the start of the season. It’s the innocence of Serval mixed with the goofiness of the friends, rounded out by the mystery of Kaban that give this show it’s oomph. The character design is really great too. Basically what it boils down to is that this show has four or five things that the internet typically hates when it comes to an anime, yet somehow captured the hearts thousands, from 4chan to tumblr and everywhere in between. It’s hard to imagine this not getting a second season of some kind, whether it’s a continuation of this season or an adaptation of the manga. 9/10

Kobayashi-san chi no Maid Dragon Top 3 of the season. A loving relationship between two adult women, albeit each loves the other in a different way (or do they?) A nurturing and caring relationship between an office worker and a young girl she adopts on sight. A family unit of two moms and a daughter that works. A dragon woman with giant boobs teasing a young boy that meant to summon a demon. Well, okay that last one isn’t exactly the squeaky-cleanest thing to happy this season, but the people who demonize this show because of it are missing out on an other wise great and potentially important series. I was surprised to find this was a KyoAni series; they tend to work in a very specific style, so the fact that this turned out looking anything like the manga is a miracle of it’s own, I think. Once I knew it was KyoAni though, I could see their thumbprints everywhere; the suddenly very poignant moment with great lighting and super appropriate music is something they’ve managed to perfect almost to a fault (to where it feels forced), but the couple examples in this show just added to the already cute moment that was happening. I am writing this the week before the finale, which features the dreaded anime killer Big Boobs Loli, but having read what comes after her initial appearance, I think that, should this get a second season, people will understand her character once the story moves forward (though the big boobs thing is kind of ridiculous, admittedly.) A wonderful, lovely, heart-warming supernatural comedy. 10/10 highest recommendation

KonoSuba S2 I may get some flak for this, but I felt there was a noticeable drop in quality between seasons. The writing was still good, and the performances as always were hilarious, but the animation seemed to have worsened quite a lot. I haven’t read any BTS for this series but it seemed like some of the more involved shots were rushed. Darkness continues to steal the show for me, even though I know Megumin is everyone’s waifu. I think it’s because I tend to always gravitate towards the girl in a show like this that has the least chance of ending up with the protagonist (Nisekoi, Toradora, Zero no Tsukaima, etc.) Not bad by any means, but I’m concerned for a season three should it happen. 8.5/10

Kuzu no Honkai Despicable trash. Soap opera level characters with midnight softcore love scenes between teenagers, some of which are borderline rape at best. Not even the legit lesbian love interest could keep me watching this show, that should tell you everything. Five episodes makes about 90ish minutes of my life I’ll never get back. Dropped, avoid 

Little Witch Academia This didn’t quite get the hype I thought it would, but it still seems most people that watch it are enjoying it immensely. However, I feel like it may be losing steam a bit, which is worrisome since it still has 12 episodes left to go through. It’s a bit frustrating to watch sometimes as someone who watched the first two movies/OVA, waiting for things like Ursula to be revealed as Chariot, and for Akko to get to a respectable level of magic use, things like that. I do enjoy the extra development that Lotte and Sucy have gotten, and I hope it extends to Diana, Amanda and some of the more prominent girls too. Continues!

Masamune-kun no Revenge The show had a bit of a twist on the usual formula, but by the fifth or sixth episode it was pretty clear it was the same old contrived tsundere harem romance series. When the guy seems to have some redeeming qualities, I can stomach a show like that for the sake of decent characters and performances, but this just ended up being a chore to watch. Even the debut of a late game older woman/love interest’s retainer wasn’t enough to save the show for me. I can’t see myself tuning in to a second season of this without some kind of huge plot twist like a female rival that the love interest is actually interested in (ha ha HAHAHAH) 5/10

Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu In my first impression of this show, I wondered if it would be as dumbed down as the previous season’s cycling anime whose name I’ve already forgotten. It is. It’s basically the same show but with more characters. Has a good, cute sensei, but also has generic foreign student trope character, which was insufferable because she was basically the same character as the foreigner in Akiba’s Trip. Dropped

Mori no Yousei: Kinoko no Musume The amateurish charm I thought I saw in the first episode of this show quickly dissolved into frustration. If it had been a high school clubs project, then I would have supported them whole heartedly, but this seems like a bad mobile game cash-in, and unfortunately it came out in a season that had a GREAT mobile game cash-in. Dropped

Nobunaga no Shinobi The first season ends, but the second season starts in like two weeks, so I’m tempted to not even include this, because it’s silly that it will be considered separate seasons. It’s a charming, and surprisingly bloody show about feudal Japan and for those that have studied the history of that time period, there are some great gags pertaining to certain figures not shown in the best of lights. 8/10

Nyanko Days Once again, this was just a cute fluff series that hopefully paves the way for Nukoduke. If you need a cuteness shot in the arm between heavy shows, this is a good choice. 8/10

One Room My hopes that they would keep the viewer genderless were dashed pretty quickly with a onsen episode early on, and then the sickening imouto arc in the middle. The final four episodes featuring the childhood friend chasing her dreams was the redeeming factor here, I would recommend just watching those episodes to be honest. 6/10

Onihei One of the better shows of the season. It has a different vibe to anything else on at the moment, probably because the source was originally published fifty years ago. There is very little that is lost in translation, and I think it plays well to the modern audience. There is a bit of a problem with character design, which @fucktsunderes pointed out to me, that because there’s more realism to it, some of the characters end up looking pretty similar. Actually, not just some, but a lot. To the point where I wasn’t sure if a character that died was a character that I liked or not until they showed up in a later episode. Other than that though, a great crime thriller action show. 9/10

Piace: Watashi no Italian After an incredible year of short form series in 2016, it’s an odd feeling to only have Piace as a stand out show this season. It was just the right about of silly and cute, while also being about food and food service. A highlight is the outro being sang by two different cast members each week, with the finale having everyone singing. 9/10

Pokemon Sun & Moon The most fun I’ve had watching pokemon since I was a kid, fantastic show. I am somehow even more in love with Japan’s Musashi than America’s Jesse. I am definitely on the Mao/Lillie ship. Also the only theme song this season that I listened to for every single episode, it is so awesome. Continues!

Sangatsu no Lion As I covered in my review for All Out, when a show has a game or sport in it, if it becomes too focused on that game or sport, I lose interest quicker than a hiccup. It’s a good show, but the shogi was just not the good part of the show for me. I enjoyed Rei’s interactions with his sister and the three Kawamoto girls the most of the whole season. It’s when the show felt the most alive and relatable to me. Not to mention Momo is just too darn cute. Shaft does cute very well, and also does cold depression very well, too. A spinoff with the Kawamotos as the star would be the ideal second season for me, but I will continue to watch just about anything Shaft decides to gift to us. 8/10

Seiren I should have dropped this show, but I didn’t for some reason. The middle arc was definitely the best, the epilogue was really cute too. Not really much to say about this series, it just kind of was there every week. One of those “each path of the romance vn is animated” shows, so your mileage may vary. 6/10

Spiritpact Yaoi bait adapted from a Chinese comic iirc. The main characters were both unbearable, and the way they treated the first significant female character in the show was gross, so I dropped this quicker than a hot rock. Dropped

Urara Meirochou Controversial opinion time: This show would have been better without Nono and Koume. They added nothing to the story that couldn’t have been done by either Kon or Chiya, and honestly the four girls thing is so over-done that I end up comparing it mentally to all the shows I’ve already seen before I even watch the first episode. The teacher and the... morals officer? Whatever Saku was stole the show, with some great late game performances from Kon’s mother. It was a cute show, and I’ll watch another season if it gets one, but I’d like it to be a bit more focused on the divining stuff going forward, or at least more focused on Kon and Chiya. 8/10

Youjo Senki Not really sure about this show. I spent the first half of the season mistakenly thinking it was glorying the third reich, but even after being corrected, I still didn’t really understand who I was meant to support or sympathize with. I end up rooting for Tanya a lot of the time because I understand a lot of the anti-theological sentiment she has, but I’m not sure that’s really the intent... Like in the last episode, we see the young daughter of the man who was killed by Tanya after encountering more than once enlisting in what is the equivalent of the American army. Rather than sympathy and compassion for what is obviously a scared young woman going for revenge, I felt pity, because I know far too many people in real life who FROG it up big time (that being ‘full relying on God’, btw) when any sort of hardship comes their way. I don’t really think I could watch a second season of this, it would have to be more than just ‘Tanya pushes back against Being X, BX recruits someone else, etc’, like, if Tanya went the whole season pushing back but never heard a peep out of BX, and started to wonder how much of it was just in her head, and began to doubt the things she remembered from her past life, that would be intriguing, but I don’t really see it heading that way. Also, not nearly enough Visha screen time for my taste. 7/10

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

Netflix's Umbrella Academy Season 2 is just around the corner, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of

Umbrella Academy Season 1 wrapped up on a major cliffhanger--and it's one you'll probably want to have fresh in your memory as Season 2 kicks off on July 31. The new season picks up directly where the old one left off--with the entire Hargreeves family in the crosshairs of a full-on apocalypse, except this time the world isn't going to end in 2019, it's going to end in the 1960s. Talk about a tough break.

Naturally, there are plenty of moving parts to consider and keep track of in this new season, which means it's critical for you to have at least some memory of exactly what happened in Season 1. Remember Five's torrid love affair at the end of the world? The whole deal with The Handler? Leonard Peabody and Vanya's awakening? What about Klaus in Vietnam, or Ben's reveal?

Don't panic if you're scratching your head--like we said, there are a lot of moving parts here. And to save you from trying to fit a whole 10-episode binge into the week before Season 2's premiere, we've broken down the most critical things to remember about each of the key players in Umbrella Academy's wacky, violent, temporally displaced world. So, let's rewind a second and bring you back up to speed.

In case it wasn't already obvious, major spoilers from Umbrella Academy Season 1 ahead.

Luther Hargreeves (Number 1)

Luther's whole life has been defined by his unwavering (and completely misguided) loyalty to his father who, quite frankly, treats both him and his siblings like absolute garbage. Prior to Season 1, Luther was the only Hargreeves child to stay with Reginald, who sent him on a "mission" to an isolated moon base. The mission, which, unsurprisingly, wound up to be a thinly veiled excuse to get Luther out of his hair, ended in catastrophe, nearly killing Luther but allowing Reginald a chance to test an experimental medical procedure. It saved Luther's life but transformed his body into an ape-like monstrosity.

More isolated and repressed than ever before, Luther tailspun until Reginald was murdered and his siblings came crashing back into his life. He has an antagonistic relationship with Diego and a flirtatious (but typically doomed, for numerous reasons) relationship with Allison. The two of them can just never seem to make it work.

Luther spent nearly all of his time in Season 1 pining over Allison, trying to mediate his siblings' petty squabbles, and otherwise grappling with the yolk of leadership around his neck.

Diego Hargreeves (Number 2)

As the official Number 2, Diego has always had an inferiority complex aimed at Luther. While Luther always seemed to win the approval of Reginald, Diego was the family's mama's boy, fostering a close connection to the family's "mother," Grace, a robot made by Reginald himself. When the Umbrella Academy was officially dissolved, Diego became a sort of Batman-like vigilante, befriending (and later sort-of dating) a police officer named Eudora Patch to get his leads.

Diego's power allows him to telekinetically control projectiles. He's never stopped feeling desperate for his father's approval and never quite forgiven Luther for being the "favorite" of the family.

Diego spent the majority of Season 1 obsessively trying to investigate Reginald's death with the help of Detective Patch, which unfortunately lands her in the crosshairs of The Commission. Patch was killed by Cha-Cha, leaving Diego with yet another death he felt the need to avenge.

Allison Hargreeves (Number 3)

Allison had the closest approximation to a successful life following the collapse of the Umbrella Academy team--but it came with a catch. Her power, the ability to mentally manipulate anyone into doing anything by giving them commands that start with "I heard a rumor…" (i.e. "I heard a rumor that you hired me for this job," or "I heard a rumor you paid me millions of dollars," etc.) She conned her way into a life of fame and fortune by telling rumors about herself, earning celebrity status before settling down and starting a family.

Things began to collapse in her life after Reginald's murder when her husband eventually learned about her abilities and her on-again-off-again thing with Luther was reginited. She ended the season with a severe neck injury (her throat was slashed by Vanya's violin bow during an outburst) that rendered her mute, and thus, unable to use her powers at all.

Klaus Hargreeves (Number 4)

Klaus's abilities allowed (or, maybe more accurately forced) him to commune with the dead. After being traumatized repeatedly by his father's experiments in pushing him to his limits, including locking him in mausoleums for days on end surrounded by ghosts, Klaus completely went off the rails. On his own, he became a drug addicted alcoholic, caught in a seemingly endless downward spiral, all while putting on a flamboyant, narcissistic front.

During Season 1, Klaus accidentally time traveled back to the Vietnam war, where he met and fell in love with an American soldier named Dave. Dave, tragically, was killed in battle and when Klaus was returned to the present, he kept Dave's dog tags. Now coping with post-traumatic stress, Klaus tried to get clean.

The other major reveal for Klaus in Season 1 was that Ben, his brother who had been killed on a mission during their childhood, is actually still around as a ghost that only Klaus can see and communicate with.

Five (Number 5)

Five mysteriously vanished in a time traveling experiment that left him stranded in a post apocalyptic future for decades. During that time, he lost his mind, fell in love with a mall mannequin he named Dolores, and proceeded to make a sort of life with her in his head. It was all very weird, but kind of sweet. He even brought her back to the present with him and toted her fiberglass body around, confiding in her.

It was revealed that, during his time in the future, Five joined a bureaucratic body known as The Commission, created to police time-space anomalies and preserve the passage of time. He became one of their top ranking agents, a ruthless killing machine who traveled through time snuffing out anomalies with brutal efficiency, all while grappling with the fact he was still very much not-quite-there mentally or emotionally.

When he finally managed to return to the present, he found himself trapped in his thirteen-year-old body, despite being mentally in his 50s. He attempted to rally his siblings to prevent the apocalypse he had traveled to while dodging The Commission's assassins sent to kill him for going rogue.

Ben Hargreeves (Number 6)

Ben Hargreeves died as a child before the events of the show kicked off, but was revealed to be haunting Klaus--a major change from the comics, where he was just regular, run-of-the-mill dead.

Ben was able to possess Klaus and use some of his powers to help fight The Commission--though not much is known about how Ben's abilities actually work. His code name is "The Horror" and he's able to manifest various extra dimensional monsters through his skin, but thus far, at least in his ghost form, what we've seen have been tentacles sprouting out of his chest.

The only person Ben can directly communicate with is Klaus, who, unfortunately, is less than thrilled to play mediator between him and the rest of the siblings.

Vanya Hargreeves (Number 7)

Gaslit by her father from childhood, Vanya grew up believing she was the only Hargreeves child without special powers. The truth, however, was that Reginald determined Vanya's abilities to be too dangerous and drugged her to keep them at bay. This led to a life of isolation for Vanya, who never officially got to be part of her brothers and sister's childhood superhero team.

As an adult, Vanya played and taught violin and lived a mostly quiet life before a man named Leonard Peabody slowly insinuated himself into her good graces. It seemed like an innocent enough romance at first, but eventually Leonard revealed himself to be an Umbrella Academy stalker who was bent on destroying the team. His plan involved turning Vanya against her family and causing her to lose control of her powers--and he mostly succeeded, but Vanya's mental breakdown also triggered the apocalypse (via the moon exploding), which the Hargreeves family avoided by traveling back in time.

The Other Hargreeves

The 7 Hargreeves children were raised by Reginald, their abusive adoptive father, Grace, their robotic "mother," and Pogo, a sentient chimp who functioned like something of a nanny.

Reginald adopted the Hargreeves children after they were mysteriously born--all simultaneously, around the world on October 1, 1989, to women who were not pregnant. He trained them as the Umbrella Academy, forcing them to fight crime and develop their powers, though no one, least of all the children, really knew why or to what end.

Reginald's death is what triggers the family reunion that kicked off the first season. Grace was killed, as much as a robot can be killed, by Diego (it was tragic, trust us) and Pogo was accidentally killed by Vanya when she lost control of her powers.

The Commission

The critical characters to remember in The Commission are The Handler, Hazel, and Cha-Cha. The latter two are time-traveling assassins who were sent to execute Five for abandoning his mission and trying to prevent the apocalypse. Hazel finished Season 1 by betraying The Commission after he fell in love with a civilian waitress in 2019, which prompted him to decide he'd rather lead a normal life than continue hopscotching through time murdering people.

The Handler, Five's former boss, is a sociopathic ladder-climber bent on complete Commission control. She sits at the top, or very near the top, of the Commission's bureaucratic ladder and is less concerned with actually preserving space and time than she is with garnering as much personal power as she possibly can. She ended Season 1 by taking a bullet to the head courtesy of Five--though it's difficult to say whether or not this removes her from the equation for good, given how connected with time travel she is.

from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/3g59RAB

[meowsaidmayaanime]

Spring Simulcasts of 2016

Very simple, a list of currently simulcasting anime that I am watching, and how much I recommend them~

Assassination Classroom

I recommend the HELL out of this anime!! It's a must see for anyone and everyone. The show officially ended this spring with two full seasons (season one at 22 episodes and season two at 25). Wow, was it amazing.

A mysterious government made creature blows up the moon and threatens to destroy the earth one year from now. His only request to stop his from reaping havoc is to teach a third year middle school class. His wish is granted, and the students of the class are charged by the government to try to assassinate him before they graduate the next spring.

It already sounds ridiculous, and I was really surprised about what was going when one of my friends showed me the first episode. But this is really well done. The creature, named Koro-sensei turns out to be incredibly good at teaching, and while the students are being taught ways to assassinate him, they also learn from Koro-Sensei and their fellow classmates important life lessons and personal growth.

The show is hilarious, and despite having over 20 characters, the show is able to give each character a unique personality and personal development. Its the best large-cast anime I have ever seen.

I don't really have too much in way of faults either. The show is able to balance the serious alongside the humor of the situation. Occasionally crazy events would happen that would seen way out of place in any other anime. But because the situation with Koro-Sensei is so strange already, in the end, nothing feels out of place.  Even character that I hated, I grew to love as I watched them grow and learn.

The only problem I have, is that the dub is terrible. Koro-Sensei and the main character Nagisa, who occasionally does narrations because we watch everything unfold through his eyes, have terrible dubs. Koro-Sensei, while already sounding goofy in Japanese, sounds even more ridiculous in English. At least in the Japanese version Koro-Sensei actually sounds menacing when he's supposed to be, not to much in the English dub. And the voice actor for Nagisa sounds like he's try to hard to voice him, and just sounds too disingenuous.

Great anime, I would recomend this to anyone,  just don't watch it dubbed.

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

A perfect parody of the typical 'cool guy' archetype, a must watch~ Its about this high school boy named Sakamoto (if you haven't guessed) who is the epitome of 'cool' and everything he does is stylish, that's how they describe it in the show. Its a great slightly exaggerated natural slice of life. There really is nothign more to say about this show than the fact that I highly recommend this. It is fabulous, if you do nothing else, watch the first episode!

Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3

Season three was great! they finally introduced Uranus and Mercury who I always wanted to more of in the original run.

If you weren't already aware, Sailor Moon Crystal is a re-boot of the original 90's series made to exclusively follow the manga. Where the 90's series was full of filler content with very few plot pertinent episodes. It made itself more available to children than to the young adult demographic that the manga originally was.

That being said Sailor Moon Crystal is much more serious and surprisingly dark. Here we get to see exactly what everyone's past is and learn more about the the villains themselves. It is incredibly well done, each season tackling a different story arch.

The third season introduced a new villain Master Pharaoh 90 as well as the Professor who, unlike in the 90's series, is his underling. The professor has a significantly different story, including the significance of who his daughter is to the sailor scouts.

I would recommend you give Crystal a  shot, especially if you grew up watching the 90's version like I did. I love Sailor Moon, it holds a very special place in my heart, and being able to see the canonical story is amazing.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World

A very good anime, main character Subaru suddenly finds himself mysteriously transported to another world, finds himself in a few sticky situations, and manages to make new friends in the process. While trying to help the girl who saved him find her stolen insignia we learn a little more about the world we and Subaru were so rudely dropped into, and about a mysterious power that surrounds Subaru's sudden summoning to the new world.

So far it is incredibly good, the main character is really likable and you get to watch him start to change as a person as well and many different sides to the other characters around him. I won't say too much as I believe it would be spoiling a little bit of the anime, but it is definitely one you should give a shot.

This anime will be extending into the summer simulcasts as a full 25 episode season rather than the typical 12 episodes. So I will reserve the rest of my judgment in my Summer Simulcast list when it has finished!

Bungo Stray Dogs

This show is great. It has magical abilities, detective work, mafia, and LOTS of dark comedy. I love it! Its like a vague mix of Sherlock and Charlotte, but at times darker. The season is extending into the summer being released as a full season of episodes rather than those dumb 12 episode half seasons. So with that said, I will finish my opinion when it has ended. But for now, I highly recommend watching it!!!

Flying Witch

This one is super cute. It is a slice of life about a young witch who moves in with her cousins family in the country to further her witch training. Here we follow her daily life as a low-key witch.

There is no over arching plot to this anime, and while it is a slice of life its very laid back and fun. Being able to see a new aspect of the witch community is a very realistic way. The best part is that the familiars don't talk! I can't begin to say how annoying it is when an anime character is given an animal side-kick with an annoying personality AND an annoying voice.  The familiars is this show are wonderful and given realistic and charming personalities. They are able to communicate with the witches, but not through a human language. The familiars understand English but speak their natural language as an animal and only the witches are able to understand through it.

If you want a cute anime to relax with, this is the one for you.

Bakuon!! 

Bakuon!! is a comedy slice of life school anime about an all female high school's motorcycle club. Here we follow the lives of the students as they gain more members, watch the newbies learn to drive and purchase their own bike, and follow their adventures. It is absolutely hilarious and simply pure fun.

Unfortunately there isn't much more for me to say about, being a slice of life without a story arch. If you love the genre, definitely give this one a go, you will love it.

Twin Star Exorcists

This anime is just weird. I have a soft spot for exorcist shows but this one is sort of all over the place. It is extending into the summer simulcasts with a full season. It starts out as being about two young exorcists in training who are revealed as the 'twin star exorcists'. A legendary pair of exorcists who are destined to bring a miko into the world who will defeat the 'demons' they fight. It very quickly became a fighting, exorcist, drama, romance, action anime, which is a weird combination of genres. I'm not sure how I feel about this anime either. I supposed I'm rather 'in the middle' with this one, it's not good, it's not bad, but I want to keep watching it. It's still amusing, just so far not something I would openly recommend to anyone... I'll give my final opinion after its finished airing.

Joker Game

This show is about a secret spy organization that was created in Japan between the first and second world wars, and follows the tasks of various spies. Its a well done series, but because I was watching it as a simulcast and because by episode 8, almost every episode worked as a stand alone. So because of that, I wasn't highly anticipating the next episode at the end of every week. I do intend to continue watching this. especially now that all the spring simulcasts I've been watching are over. Though it may be a while until I continue it again.

Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro

This is an... interesting one. At about 10 minutes to each episode, its more of a carton in the american sense than it is an anime in the more common sense... if you get what I mean. It's a very stylized story about a boy who works at his families Tonkatsu house and becomes a DJ. It's relatively well done, but just isn't my kind of show. Personally I lost interest fairly early and stopped watching it, but I know of a few people who really enjoy it. It's not bad, just not my thing.

The Lost Village

The lost village starts off following a bus load of people who want to leave their current lives and start anew in a mysterious isolated village where no one from the modern society can find them. It's an interesting anime apart of the horror genre the first episode seemed really good, but it gets tiring quickly. Especially since every single episode after the first seems to end on incredibly enormous cliff hangers. Its hard to pin point why it was disappointing as  the episodes went on, perhaps its because so much happens in every episode, or the majority of the characters are not very likable, or the fact that every single character has a hard/traumatizing back story, and there are 37 characters! Not to mention that they tend to gang up on each other, do crazy things and occasionally follow the mob mentality.

In the end I lost interest and stopped watching it, maybe I'll finish the episodes in the future? Probably not though. It just got very tiresome and I'm sick of the forced tension caused by the endless cliffhangers...

Anne-Happy

This show is just moe upon moe. Its a slice of life following five incredibly unlucky girls as they attend high school. If fact they are so unlucky that the highschool has a designated "happiness class" for about 30 or so unlucky students, where in addition to taking regular classes, they take special classes in order to make the students less unlucky and be able to find happiness despite their luck. Its very cute, and I watched most of it, however I was mostly watching it with my friend, and since we are so behind on our anime we decided to finish all the spring simulcasts on our own so we can get started with a couple summer ones. It's not a bad anime, just too much moe, and no real plot.