#theres SO MUCH crammed into two episodes

[garashir]

this Colony/End Game arc is all over the place

[thats-my-passion-right-there]

I finally saw the mean girls musical (the movie one) I have so many fucking thoughts oh my god

[ihopesocomic]

hi hello, been following the comic for quite a while now, decided to give it a read after discovering your MP review (i was still a MP fan when i first watched it LOL, pretty embarrassing.) and ive been in love with the comic ever since, i absolutely LOVE how everyone is written, but i really want to talk about the difference between vicious and powerstrike.

both showed the mothers being nice (to some degree) to their daughters, but powerstrike's sudden abusive behavior towards nothing never made sense because, frankly, theres no reason for her to be acting like this other than that shes an ableist turd, and she has a perfectly normal relationship with said person that hurt her daughter... vicious' relationship with jasper on the other hand has been shown to be abusive, and even though vicious is horrible, shes is a victim of jasper's abuse, and her repeating the abuse onto her children comes off as her trying to maintain control over things.

i hate powerstrike, its not even like a love hate thing, shes horribly written and doesnt deserve redemption. on the other hand, i love and hate vicious, she has so much more depths and UGHH the writing in IHS really tugs at my heart, its just so good.

apologies for the ramble, im really looking forward to see where this story goes <3

Thank you so so much, anon!

And yeah, even though Powerstrike was "nice" to Nothing for all but five seconds, we just had to have the insinuation that having a dead kid is better than having a disabled one.

And then there's a whole damned speech in Episode 5, which would absolutely be indefensible in any other circumstance but, for whatever reason, MP fans seem to somehow think Powerstrike's speech somehow translates to her being a victim as well, even though whatever victimhood she has is never explored. She's only shown being quite content with the so-called 'cult' she's stuck in, having positive interactions with Quickmane and so on.

She never defends her disabled daughter (because if she truly cared about Nothing, why didn't she defend her from Quickmane in Episode 5?) nor her remaining son. She also never mentions her dead mate and son once, even though she's shown mourning for her mother, who had not only lived a full life but treated her family as ruthlessly as she did by being a religious zealot.

While the show also portrays Sharptongue as being loving and supportive to the point it completely slips under the viewer's radar, including those who say they don't like the show. Honestly, fuck both Powerstrike and Sharptongue. I can't express that enough. lol

But I feel that's purely a consequence of My Pride trying to make its characters complex and two-dimensional but thinking that a way to do that is to have character motivations that cancel each other out be present at the same time. You can't have a character be an abusive parent and be portrayed as somebody automatically worthy of redemption and 'aww, she loves her punchbag really!'.

You can't have a religious zealot who was cool with a murderer strolling into the family home and kill several members of said family "bc Pride Law lol" while also being portrayed as supportive and kind. It's not only poor writing, it's just weird as all hell.

Instead of being insecure about having 'deep' characters and trying to cram so many things into a character so that your audience doesn't 'miss the memo' (which a lot of them won't because they're not unintelligent), a lot of things can just be left unsaid and the audience can figure it out from there. Like Vicious being an abuse victim. Abuse causes a lot of psychological issues and can warp a person over time. This is very well documented. Boom. We don't really need to say or show anymore.

So, thank you very much for taking a notice, anon. It's always appreciated when these methods we use in the writing pay off! c: - RJ

[cupoftaae]

Forever And A Day (KTH x READER) series ♡ it's so easy to love you, flaws and all (chapter 10)

Summary: your lifelong friend is forced to face his true feelings for you once he breaks the number one rule of becoming friends with benefits: dont fall in love. He knows he loves you, but you on the other hand need more convincing of the most important thing: the right decision.

Genre: fwb. Roommates, friends to idiots to lovers, fluff, angst, smut, the whole 9 yards tbh.

Pairing: taehyung x female!reader

rating: 18+ (minors dni!!!)

wc- 5k

chapter warnings- swearing, anxiety mentions, possible pregnancy mentions, minor angst, theres no smut but references to it (flashbacks), drinking,

a/n- Hi guys! im back early with another chapter to make up for skipping a few weeks! i wanted to let you guys know that any time there is a long dialogue written in italic- it is a flashback !!

Enjoy guys, Love ya!!

-nini

-

You woke up at 8am to the sound of pans banging in the kitchen, immediately you smiled, knowing your mom had gotten up early to start baking.

A look over to your left would remind you taehyung fell asleep in your bedroom last night....you couldn't help but feel bad, he was so crammed up against the wall, and he definitely would be complaining of back pain later on.

You shifted slightly, allowing room to pull the covers back and plant your feet on the ground. You slept, but not for long.

You were still feeling a bit off after having an episode last night, but the startling realization that came soon after only further prevented you from getting the 8 hours of sleep you so desperately needed.

Your feet clashed against the cold tiles of your bathroom as you slowly shut the door and turned the light on. Your phone was still sitting on the counter near the sink, exactly where Taehyung had left in last night.

You brushed your teeth and contemplated whether you should quickly text them back to clear things up. You promised Taehyung no phone, but this situation was becoming much more serious.

Your eyes gazed to your reflection, sighing.

theres no way....right?

you've been late before, it wasn't some odd occurrence to your body. you grew up playing soccer, dancing and doing track, your teenage athletic self always had weird period dates

But then again, that was a while ago.

You felt guilty for many reasons, 1 being the fact that if you are what you think you are, how could you have been so careless with what you did?

You always used some form of contraception, you even planned to get an IUD implanted when you see your doctor in a few weeks, just so you didn't have any scares.

you also felt guilty for if you were pregnant...

You knew you couldn't be a mom, hell, you could barley take care of Yeontan or yourself.

You also knew Taehyung on the other hand, would absolutely love this, which breaks your heart.

"I don't know, I think it would be fun" taehyung said, reaching into the bowl to grab more popcorn

"It doesn't sound or look fun, taehyung, babies are menaces" You scoffed, looking at him

"oh well I dont think so....I know when I get older someday I think I'll have some...only one or two, depends on what my future spouse wants" he shrugged

"you do realize babies need attention and care, its not like a dog where you put the food in a bowl and leave it to fend for themselves..?" you joked, watching your friend contemplate parenthood at the ripe age of 20.

"Its fun to think about" he smiled softly, looking over at tannie who sat with his tail wagging. He sure was easy to care for, what more work is a human baby?

oh was he naive.

You washed your face and brushed your hair, trying to get out a knot from sleeping with a ponytail in, when taehyung awoke and began to knock on the door.

"baby..." he whispered, seeing the light on, "you in there?"

You smiled and walked over, unlocking the door and pulling him in happily.

"happy birthday!" he whisper yelled, immediately attacking you with kisses and pulling your smaller frame into a hug, "I love you!"

You giggled and kissed him back, hands wrapping over his shoulders, "thank you....I love you too, even if you slept in my bed last night" you smirked

"hey, you told me to!" he added, pulling away

"shh!" you put a hand over his mouth, his deep voice echoing through the room, "I was in a state of weakness, and I really hope my mom didn't see you in here"

He shrugged and moved to hug your from behind, both of you facing the mirror and looking at your reflection, it was sweet.

"so was I the first person to say it?"

you raised an eyebrow and and tilted your head as you applied moisturizer

"happy birthday, did I beat your mom to it?" he giggled, making you smile and nod, "yes, tae you did, you won"

"oh really? what do i win" he smirked and pushed you against him, his face finding the crook of your neck too easily.

"ah-" you tensed and pulled back, knowing if he continued you would have gave in right then in there. "nothing until we get back to Busan"

He frowned, trying to get you to change your mind, "baby."

"taehyung! we are not fucking in my mothers house, let alone my childhood bedroom!" you whispered loudly, making him explode in laughter.

"hey, I was just gonna ask for a massage, I didnt say anything about sex, but now that you mention-"

"no"

"damnit"

You smiled at his antics as he returned his head to your shoulder, humming softly, "you look better, you feeling good, too?"

You nodded, "yeah, I guess...still a bit iffy but mentally im better"

"good" he kissed your cheek and looked at your phone, taking it silently and sliding it into his pocket, making you frown.

-

As afraid to admit as you were, things were slightly coming together now....in a light you wish was dimmed.

When you came downstairs your mother surprised you with a huge birthday breakfast, something you expected hence the fact she does it every year- but what you had not expected was you trying to fight the urge to vomit all over the plate at the scent of the scrambled eggs.

You swore up and down to both your mother and tae that you were okay, just still feeling the effects from last nights situation, but the moment you were alone in your room for the first time since youve been here, you began to break.

"What if's" filling your head as you cried silently against the shut door, deep deep down you believed you would possibly laugh about this later on, like "oh remember how I was so dramatic and thought I was pregnant? what a funny time!"

"Y/N?" your mother called, knocking on the door, "we are leaving for lunch in 15, almost ready?"

you sighed, feeling bad for your bad mood against your mom who was just happy to have you in her presence. "yes, almost..."

She had thrown together a small reservation for the 3 of you at a local wine and dine restaurant, you were feeling a bit more hungry now and were grateful for that.

Putting on a black tank top and jeans, you curled your hair and put some makeup on, all while that silly little voice in your head kept nagging at you that something bad was happening.

You tried to calm yourself, even going as far as saying that even if you had gotten pregnant, you would figure out a way to deal when you got back to Busan...you just wanted to enjoy your vacation.

All of you had made it out the house on time, taehyung offering to drive to the place while you and your mother sat in the back seat. You gazed at every passing store, seeking out any type of pharmacy available. You wished you could use your phone map, but you know....

"you will love this place, My friend took me here after one of my doctor appointments last week, the food is to die for!" your mother patted your back on the way into the small yet lavish building, the spring flowers making your nose itch.

"oh thats nice, was it stacey who took you? or Linna?" you responded

She giggled softly as you waited in line to check in for your reservation, "no, actually he is a new worker, his name is Ji-Tae"

Your eyes widened, turning to taehyung behind you, who was making a smug face, mouthing the word "he?"

You pouted, "I see..."

you were skeptical. You always want your mom to be happy, and for sure you understand how lonely she is living alone with such a big house filled with things your dad had built for her before fleeing your family to be in a different one.

-

The food was good, and you ate a lot of it.

Your mother insisted to buy you a drink to go with your pasta, making you hesitant, so the glass sat full in front of you.

"is it not good?" she would ask, making you race to come up with some excuse that wasnt related to the possible fact you could be pregnant.

"Oh I took a sip" you lied, "its good but I dont think I should be drinking right now"

She beamed up, seeming happy "oh? how come?" she smiled knowingly

Taehyung took a sip of his wine and raised his eyebrows, confused.

You panicked quickly, "because I am still not one hundred precent, health wise, so you know-"

"I'll drink it!" he smiled and took a sip, face scrunching at the mixture of his alcohol.

"dont mix, its not good to-" your mom began

"and we dont want you to get drunk" you gently rubbed his back, giving him a knowing glare, he nodded.

You nervously continued to pick at your lunch scraps

"hey we should get coffee or something after this, theres a store plaza down the street" your mom insisted, offering to drive you both

"that sounds fun" he looked at you, smiling

"yes, im down"

It fell silent, not in a weird way, it was peaceful...the wind coming in from the window near you had your hair flowing like you were in a covergirl commercial, and the sun only made your skin look shiny and tan.

Taehyung couldn't keep his eyes off you

Even sitting here eating, doing nothing particularly interesting, you were the only thing that had his attention, you've always been so effortlessly beautiful in his eyes.

"you are glowing, y/n" your mom smiled, taking her eyes off her phone to look at you, "dont you think, taehyung?"

"I agree" he hummed, making you blush.

Your mother began to ramble about something to do with her job while he got lost in thought, something hes done a lot the past 24 hours.

He couldn't help his mind racing back to the first time he felt this feeling, this feeling of admiration and love when he realized he saw you differently...

"You cant, your- you aree a cheater!!" you slurred, tripping over yourself as you walked to the living room again

He giggled, putting his wine down and pulling you to sit next to him, "just because I know how to play the game, doesnt mean I cheated"

It was almost 3am, he had finished working in his office around 11pm and promised to spend time with you as you both had fallen into a habit doing.

you would cook, prepare wine and entertainment, and he would get to destress and spend time away from his laptop.

Obviously, one look at the both of you right now, you can tell who handles their alcohol better...

"Fool" you scoffed and sat down with a thump, leaning against him in the dark room.

"be nice" he teased, his hand poking into your side.

He had to admit, spending so much time with you was nice, he realized you had matured a lot emotionally since hes met you, and you both had grown into semi-adults with real lives and things to talk about, it was an odd but fascinating thing for him.

He also had to admit, that for the first time in his life, seeing you against him with your hair sprawled out and your shirt scrunched up, revealing a bit of your soft stomach, made his heart somersault.

You also had grown into him in a way you never saw coming, he was so easy to just be next to, so easy to talk to, so easy to know and love, and that is why it led to what it did....

He gently cupped your face, titling you up so your eyes met his

"so pretty" he blushed and whispered, making you giggle in even your drunk state

"I know you are but what am I?" you raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh as he pushed your hair back, brushing it with his long fingers softly.

"Y/n.....?" he spoke after a moment, the room filled with tension- and no longer from the card game you had just fought over.

"yeah?" your face froze, eyes scanning over him,

he gently took your hand and placed it onto his chest

"your heart is beating reallyyy fast" you smiled

"yea, i know"

You watched his eyes draw to your lips before going back up, making you smirk.

"you wanna kiss me?" you teased, watching him blush even more, he was practically a tomato right now.

"I- uh,"

"you can if you want" your hand slid up over his shoulder, relaxing at his nape as you sat closer, nudging his nose with yours.

He swallowed harshly, feeling sick a bit, and was unable to identify if it was the rush of emotions or the drinks.

"dont overthink...its just a kiss" you whispered

and with that he pressed his lips to yours, softly swiping his tongue into your mouth.

It was just a kiss.

yeah, it was a kiss the next day too, after he finished work, you sat waiting for him, sober this time.

You ate then made out for a few hours before falling asleep- he was content, knowing you not only liked it too, but continued to want him.

thats how it was for a few days, things were normal until 11pm, then anyone onlooking would consider you both in love...and he loved that

He was a sensitive person, still is, when he feels something he feels it deeply and quick, He was only growing more in love with you by the day, and was convinced you felt the same.

that was, until it was about a week and a half into this escapade

"I want you" you panted, his lips sucking just under your clavicle as your hands gripped his hair.

You both were sprawled out on the couch, completely sober as you passionately made out, the puzzle that had been started was no longer interesting to either of you.

He sat back a bit, looking at you, "what?"

suddenly you felt embarrassed, "we dont have to do anything" you covered

He sat looking at you, it only made you feel self conscious, so you sat up and wrapped your arms over your bra, hiding your chest.

He wasnt mad, or shocked, he just couldnt believe you were asking to...to take things to this level, to be intimate with him.

You both have only been doing this for a little while, but he felt like its been forever-perhaps its due to the fact you both grew up together, he knows you, you know him, it felt safe...and right.

He didnt want to rush anything, but his heart was beating so damn hard right now, "y-yeah? you want to?"

You blushed, "yeah..." you watched his face light up, a small shy smile on his lips "its just sex..ya know? it doesn't hurt anyone"

He nodded, trying to figure out what to say or do now

"so is it okay?"

"of course, y/n, yeah..." he smiled again, feeling so glad in knowing you trusted him.

You laid back again, pulling him down and kissing him, "no strings?" you asked

oh.

Of course you dont want this to be a serious thing, it wasnt who you were, he should have known that....but yet he was still hurt.

"yeah....n-no strings"

and thats how that came to be.

He snapped out of his head and took a sip of his drink, smiling at you, your eyes met his and you blushed a bit, mouthing "what?"

He shook his head, "nothing"

Things might be different now between you both, but one thing that hasnt left or changed is the admiration he saves for just you.

-

"this is so cute, huh?" your mom turns to you, showing a mannequin with a summer dress on it

"aww it is" you walked over and felt it

"i'll buy it" she smiles, "birthday gift"

"ah! you dont have to eomma-"

"i want to, shush" she giggled and grabbed a medium off the rack, putting it into her shopping basket, you kissed her cheek, thanking her and linking arms while you walked.

"wheres taehyung?" she asked

just as she finished speaking:

"guys look" he ran up to both of you, he had disappeared about 14 minuets ago to go explore the market.

"what is that?" you smiled, looking at the container in his hand.

"there is a little store across the way, there was pets and stuff.....I bought a fishy" he grinned like a child, presenting the item in front of him.

"Taehyung how are we gonna bring a fish home?" you laughed at his cuteness, looking into the small water container to see a tiny fish swimming around happily.

"oh...I didnt think of that" he frowns, looking down, "I also bought a tank for him too"

"that you did" You nodded, looking at all of his bags.

"you guys are fish parents now" your mom laughed and patted his shoulder

You swallowed and nodded, yeahh fish parents

"we can discuss names at a later time, lets go show the lil dude the market" he spoke proudly, holding it up and talking to it as he passed cool stores, as if it could understand. It was kind of adorable.

You smiled happily as you all walked around a bit more, stopping at a cafe to get coffee and tea.

"iced with oatmilk please" you call out to your mom as she nods, getting into line while you and taehyung sit at a table outside.

"hes so cute" he laid his head in his palm, admiring the fish.

"we should name him spongebob"

Taehyung laughed, "but spongebob isnt a fish..."

"but hes yellow!"

"hmm...how about 해 (hae- sun in korean)

You smile and nod..."thats cute, actually"

"Then Hae it is"

You giggled and looked around, your eyes fell on a store a few blocks from where you were sitting- a pharmacy.

It was like a reminder of the possible issue at hand, everywhere you turned, the universe wouldnt let you rest.

The fish baby, the pharmacy, the pregnant woman who complimented you in the restaurant, It was haunting.

"hey, uhm, im gonna go run down the street really quick, i should be back before my mom comes, line is long"

He looked up at you "where you going?"

"just the pharmacy"

"can I come?"

You widened your eyes "no!...uhm i need....tampons." you nodded

"alright, do you have cash?"

You looked in your bag and had about $11

How much was a pregnancy test?

"here, just in case.." he smiled and gave you $10

"thank you honey" you kiss his head and take the money, assuring you will return asap.

You felt bad lying and taking his cash, but you needed to find out what was going on already, and so when you walked into the store with your head down, you made a straight line right to the feminine care isle.

You decided on buying tampons anyway, just so he wouldnt be suspicious.

"okay ...okay" you took a breath and walked over to the pregnancy area, which was beyond weird. You had passed by similar isles at other stores, looking out of pure curiosity, never believing you would be in this position of the buyer.

You scoffed to yourself, looking at all the tests, "which one do I buy? whats the difference?" you whispered to yourself, looking over each box, remembering you had to be quick. You decided to go with HCG test strips since they were the cheapest, you put them in your basket and ran to go pay before tae or your mom decided to come check on you.

The lady checking out gave you a knowing look, "how old are you?" she asked, eyeing the tampons and pregnancy tests.

You felt insulted, not because she assumed you were young-which you were- but because she was just asking and felt it was okay to do so.

"old enough, lets hurry this up"

You paid and grabbed the bag, making a sprint back to the coffee shop where your mom was just sitting down with taehyung- you made it.

"heres your drink" she smiled, "thanks mom"

you sat down next to taehyung, your heart was in your throat.

"I told her you ran to get concealer" he whispered in your ear, an attempt to save you some embarrassment

"oh, thanks" you grinned, brushing your foot against his.

-

A few hours later, the sun had started to set as you all returned home- your mother went to her home office to finish a quick work call as you and taehyung hung in the kitchen.

"im glad you can enjoy it now" he smiled, scooping another bite last nights cake onto a fork and feeding it to you

"yeah me too" you hummed, eating it before he kissed you quickly

"my moms in the other room" You scolded playfully, licking the frosting off the fork.

"so? we arent doing anything" he frowned, hugging you, "we cant do anything anyways-you got your period" he giggled

Oh yeah

"oh right" you laughed, taking another bite

His hands rested on your lower stomach, massaging gently. It was an act of cuteness but when you knew more than he did, it made you nervous.

"are you hurting?" he asked, kissing your shoulder

"no..." you blushed

maybe.....it wouldnt be the worst thing to parent with taehyung. He is so affectionate and caring, you know he would be the best partner and dad.....

You shook your head, trying to get rid of your current thoughts as you put the fork down.

You needed to end this now

"im...gonna shower ok?" you whispered, kissing his jaw

"want me to come?" he asked genuinely

"no no its okay, im gonna use my apple soap that you says burns your nose anyways" you giggle, walking away

"it does!!"

"mmhm"

-

You locked the bathroom door, placing the bag on the sink as you rummaged through.

"how the fuck does this work?" you whisper, looking over the box of the tests, "hm" you frowned and pulled one out, unwrapping it discreetly and going to use the toilet.

After you peed on the stick, your hand grew sweaty- it was becoming more real as the minuets when on.

While you waited, you took an actual shower to pass the time, fighting the urge to cry based on whatever result was on the stick just outside the shower.

You washed your hair and took your time before you wrapped up in a towel, shutting the water off.

it would be negative, right? you couldnt be pregnant, these types of things dont happen to you, these things happen to other but not you, you are probably worried about nothing...right?

Your mind raced as you sat near the sink, water still dripping from the towel.

"lets go y/n, whatever it is.....we are ok" you consoled yourself, rubbing your arm before moving to grab the test, your hands shaking furiously.

Suddenly everything youve ever done was questioned.

every choice youve ever made was doubted

Your confidence fell down the drain, and perhaps the years spent working and educating yourself are pointless.....maybe it wont matter after all....because theres two lines on the test.

You are pregnant.

You broke down sobbing, leaning against the wall as you slid to your knees, there wasnt anything to say, there wasnt anything to do. You were gonna have a baby and there was nothing you could do about it, nothing you say would erase the problem.

Your mother and taehyung sat downstairs, completely unaware of the anxiety attack you were dealing with just one floor above them.

"no no...no..." your hand fell to your stomach, gently caressing it.

You werent mad at the baby, you were mad at yourself. You suddenly felt responsible for the life growing inside you, but felt guilty over knowing you would never succeed at being a mom.

"im sorry.....im sorry im so sorry" you rubbed your stomach once more, whispering and apologizing in advance for the failure you would bring to this childs life. you havent even finished school, you graduate next year and now you are gonna have to drop out because paying for a newborn and tuition wont work, you will have to sell your car and old clothes

you will have to move somewhere cheaper, or grow small and confess to your mother that you cant get your shit together, and need to have a baby in her house for a few years until you are financially stable.

In your own mind, you were still a kid. You were a baby in the eyes of the world, and now everyone will shame you for what youve done, knowing you arent ready, but still expect you to carry on and raise another human being.

and taehyung.....hes gonna be happy....hes gonna love this, and you cant deal with it.

-

About an hour later, you had forced yourself to calm down as you made your way to his room, opening the door to see him laying on his bed.

"hi angel" he smiled, urging you to come over to him.

"hi" you spoke quietly, walking over to the bed and climbing in, hiding your face into his neck as you laid on him.

"everything alright?" he asked, rubbing your back.

tell him, tell him now before you back out, you wont ever do it if you dont tell him.

"we have to talk later" was all you mumbled, falling asleep next to him.

It blew your mind in a way, he had no clue about the fact he was a dad right now, yet here you were, falling apart by the seams. You wish you didnt know. You wish you were him, you wish this never happened in the first place.

Happy birthday to you, huh?

taglist-

@turnthepageandbeburnt @taebangtanbabe @borahaexoxo @lelefoodlover @tan-veee @bokieya

[youngpettyqueen]

finished The Heart of the Warrior! was in a reading mood today and blazed through like. half of it, almost. we love a reading mood

this one was mostly read on my phone, hence the lack of posts about it. overall, I quite enjoyed it, though I do consider it an overall weaker book. review under the cut

this book has a very distinct A plot and B plot, which is pretty typical of some DS9 episodes, but so far hasn't been the case with the books ive read so it was interesting! I think this approach had its strengths and its weaknesses, which ill get into

the A plot of this book is Kira, Worf, and Odo going on a rescue mission to get a Federation informant out of Dominion imprisonment in the Gamma Quadrant. conceptually its a fantastic idea, with some cool additional concepts thrown in like personal clockers based on Romulan tech. Kira, Worf, and Odo make for a great trio and I really enjoyed a lot of their interactions, and I especially enjoyed the chunks of this story where it was Kira and Worf having to figure shit out themselves and fly by the seat of their pants

this story was, however, the weaker of the two. the rescue mission ultimately turns out to be mostly a bust- they get the informant but none of the information they needed, so there isnt really a payoff for this story. the aforementioned Romulan tech is also barely relevant and ultimately doesnt live up to its potential. the original characters introduced for this story dont do much- a Changeling that doesnt do anything, and an original species guy who really only serves to get our protagonists either into trouble or out of it when the plot needs to advance. there also isnt much done in the way of developing character relationships, which was an especially big letdown for me, cause I was really excited for the Kira and Worf side of this book

despite my grievances, there are still parts of this story to enjoy. theres some interesting Odo exploration as he interacts with other Changelings and with Jem'Hadar. what we did get of Worf and Kira's interactions was fun, and emphasized how they respect each other as warriors. I also enjoyed exploring Jem'Hadar and Changeling ships. one of my favourite elements of this though had to be Worf getting to study the Jem'Hadar, and relating their practices to Klingon practices. those passages were always really interesting

onto the B plot, this one was really compelling to read. it follows Sisko dealing with negotiations between the Cardassians, the Federation, the Maquis, and the Valtusians, while also dealing with a fanatic Vedek who wants the Gul on the station dead for war crimes. Sisko truly cannot catch a fucking break in this one, and it makes for an entertaining read at his expense. it also highlights the tensions still going strong on all sides of these negotiations, and the strain the war is putting on everybody

this was really Sisko's hour to shine cause god does he fucking go through it. he cant win no matter what he does, and he has to keep trying anyways. his patience is really tested and man do you feel for him. Julian also gets some spotlight here, and boy is he struggling. Julian is way out of his comfort zone and fighting for his life throughout his sections, and I quite enjoyed that. I wish we could've gotten to see more of him and Sisko interacting throughout, and bonding over just how fucked this whole thing has gotten and how in over their heads they are, because I think they could've shared a few drinks about it

while this story was stronger, it did get convoluted towards the end. I think they simply tried to cram too much in with the subplot with the Vedek and the Gul, and ultimately the reveal that the Gul isnt the war criminal the Bajorans think he is feels very shoehorned in. its a completely forgivable thing, and something I would expect from an actual DS9 episode if im being totally honest, but ill still point it out. I think this book could've dropped the Vedek and Gul subplot entirely, and instead focused on the negotiations, because the reveal that the Valtusians were Changelings was actually really good and I really enjoyed that aspect of that story. we sort of lost that plot by the end, though

I think this book would've been better if it was two books, with A plot and B plot each being their own respective books. I think more room to breathe would've been good for both stories, and would've allowed for more development in character relationships and time for dynamics to shine. Kira, Worf, and Odo's story could easily be a book in and of itself, with a lot more exploration of the Jem'Hadar and the Changelings, of Odo, and of Kira and Worf's relationship. on the flip side, for the B plot, it could've also been its own novel with the Vedek subplot as its B plot, if that makes sense. it could've cut things more clearly, by having Sisko's focus be on the negotiations, and Julian's focus be on the Vedek. I think that plot would've been really interesting if, in trying to spy his way around, Julian went to Garak for help and ended up getting in way over his head in a more deliberate plot against the Gul, rather than just a case of willful ignorance and mistaken identity

overall an enjoyable read! definitely on the weaker side, I cant lie. besides the aforementioned weaknesses, there's also just a lot of mistakes in this book? I found that really jarring. I dont usually notice, but I noticed so many today alone, especially in the last 12 or so chapters it feels like there's a lot, and they're glaringly obvious. some really weird typoes, and getting names wrong... yeah. really jarring

but still, I would say this is overall a fairly good book. its got great comedy, and while dynamics arent super explored, individual characters are very strong. this would be a good read for Sisko fans especially, but if youre a fan of any of the POV characters, you'll find something to enjoy in it

[cyberdragoninfinity]

6, 11, 19, 21 and 22 !

ALRIGHT DID 11 AND 19 SO HERES THE REST

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

OH THIS IS A FUNNY ONE. hm. two picks

The Yugioh Answer: seasons 3 and 4 of GX were vital media of this year of course but if i need to pick a ygo ep that defined the things that made me insane this year particularly i gotta go with ep 142 of 5D's ("A Life-or-Death Battle! Machine Divine Emperor Dragon Asterisk"). you fuckin' know why. sibling agonies and unstoppable bonds. Yugioh Duel Stakes That Are Unhinged. Aporia Event Big and Huge. that was the point where i was like "oh im going to be thinking about this part of this ygo for a while" and then the hits just kept coming. so good

The Actual TV Show That Aired This Year Answer: there is something about the catastrophic chaos of The Bear that is. such a vibe and energy of this year. "Dogs" is one of my favorite episodes and really captures the storytelling energy ive been cramming into my little OC things and yugioh AUs this year. xanax ecto cooler.

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

THERES. SO MUCH MORE YGO SHIT ON MY BEDROOM WALL <3 i had to get a third gigantic corkboard to make space for all my keychains and charms and knickknacks. i also got a wall shelf specifically for acylic standees and they make me smile :3

god i need to get another riser for this thing sdhghgd WHOOPS

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

i always gotta bring up meow wolf whenever i go to a meow wolf experience--I went to Convergence Station in Denver this year and it was soooo cool WAAUUGHHHh i like house of eternal return and omegamart more but this giant alien ice cathedral still HITS AND ROCKS AND RULES

[thatone-highlighter]

Stevonnie and Garnet dynamic my beloved my everything

LEGIT THO. Stevonnie and Garnet are so cool. Stevonnie is the best example but she really treats all fusions like that, reasonably so you can see why

Fusion is a deeply personal and highly important thing to Garnet. When Steven fuses with Connie for the first time in Alone Together she is so excited, probably because they didn’t even know if Steven COULD fuse until that point, and he somehow managed to fuse with another human. She is so excited and happy for them and just tells them to go have fun and be themselves, to learn who they are, and they do just that. In Fusion Cousine im pretty sure Garnet is the one to say them fusing into Alexandrite isnt a good idea, because it’s important to her and Alexandrite isnt Meant for things like that, shes too unstable for anything outside of big fights and shes made up of so many components, two of which cant stay fused for more than 10 minutes on their own. Her first major song is about being a fusion and how much she loves it. Come season 2, seeing messed up fusion experiments done by Homeworld cut her so deep she almost splits then and there, she is so emotionally distraught by seeing something so important to her be used in such an awful way she barely manages to literally hold it together. She stops talking to Pearl for weeks after Cry For Help, because Pearl took something that she Knows is that important to Garnet, and she misuses that trust and fusion, hell that time she Does split (and for 24 hours steven gets to experience being a child of divorce /j) and afterwards its not a quick fix it takes a while for Garnet to be completely comfortable around Pearl again. Her excitement over fusion does have its drawbacks as well, the main example i can think of being Know Your Fusion when Steven and Amethyst decide to show off Smokey Quartz to Pearl and Garnet, resulting in the latter two fusing themselves into Sardonyx and accidentally feeding into Smoky’s insecurities about not being good enough trying to learn more about them. In that episode Garnet’s side of the fusion and her excitement over the fact that Steven and Amethyst managed to fuse is what blinds her to who Smokey is, how they’re feeling and what shes doing and feeding into

Its kind if disappointing the show got cut short and the rest if the crystal gem fusions had to be crammed together so quickly, if they had of had the time to do it properly i think that Garnet and Steven’s fusion could have been a really interesting and emotional thing, Garnet loves fusion and she loves Steven, so getting to fuse with him would have been something she was Ecstatic about getting to do (same goes for Rainbow 2.0 i think he could have been an incredible point in Pearl’s arc of her getting over Rose completely and fusing with Steven to create whats implied to be the only fusion that Rose herself ever took part in).

Fusion and the way its treated in the show is so cool and interesting, theres a reason Giant Woman is such a beloved episode

[iridescentides]

okay. hsmtmts episode 3 thoughts under the cut

YES i always start with gina, and what about it??? i would die for her. anyway im CRYING over how she thought her mom forgot about her like? youve been gone for like 2 months, literally what parent would stop caring that quick? she doesnt think she deserves love like literally most of the time and my heart is ACHING

i came into this episode knowing the chocolates would be a bait and switch bc the preview 100% wanted us to think it was ricky. and yet i still caught myself believing he did it for a second there. i was looking forward to some good rina content this episode and i cant believe i let myself get bamboozled. like the conversation was nice but completely one-sided, and he ignored her to call nini; i get that hes literally in a relationship but im not a huge fan of how he just stopped giving a shit about gina once it wasnt romantic anymore? like,, they couldnt even stay friends?

generally my thing about rina isnt that i think its some big spectacular ship, but moreso that i always go for ships that make my favorite character the happiest. so most of my rina shipping comes from seeing how ricky was the first person that gina was so happy and open with, and how she trusts him even though she trusts literally no one ever and she just self-discloses around him unprompted. the infatuation and crush part on gina’s side is the part i like. but ricky? annoying n flaky as shit

random offshoot but i wouldve loved to see the chocolates come from ej. it wouldnt have made sense just based on the episode we were given, but what if gina and ricky had had that conversation in the hallway and ej overheard them and wanted to do something nice for her since he didnt have a gf to buy stuff for this year? could you IMAGINE? i know im gonna be complaining about how theyre throwing ej away all season but like seriously @ writers we get it youre getting rid of ej in s3. no need to cut him almost completely out of the show in s2. please someone give my man some PLOT im dying

ashlyn telling gina “i wish i could give you a valentine” is simultaneously gay and reeking of straight people nonsense. you can give your friends gifts on valentines day??? i didnt receive a romantic valentines gift until i was 17 years old but i still got stuff from friends every year? umm

speaking of ashlyn i get the track that theyre trying to go on by making it seem groundbreaking that a disney princess role went to someone whos not a size 2 but like. shes still a white woman and im tired. plus theyre dancing around it anyway. if you wanna give her body image issues then just fucking commit. half assing that conversation helps no one.

redlyn was very cute this episode. im still annoyed that theyre getting so much time and focus this season but like. i am a big red stan. the song in the credits was cute too

speaking of, tell me why they literally crammed all the songs at the end of this episode??? i was honestly thinking they wouldnt have any songs this week, thats how long it took

kourtneys beauty and the beast was pretty. also i know theyre gonna make howie her love interest bc clearly if a boy and girl on tv interact for more than 2 seconds it has to turn romantic. im pre-annoyed. 

the ricky/nini plot didnt make a ton of sense bc... why didnt ricky just... hang out with her in the waiting room at the hospital? i am very confused as to why they had to make it so angsty and tropey like. youre literally in the same city and theres an easy solution here

im wondering if theyre gonna try to make miss jenn and mr mazzara a thing? im on the fence about how i feel about that tho. but i am annoyed that they didnt show miss jenns conversation with rickys dad at all

theyre making carlos so annoying this season, like idk whats going on or why they thought they needed to phone it in with his characterization this time around but like. what even was this seblos plot?

kourtney and seb conversations are always cute so i loved the piano scene

back to kourtney for a sec: why would big reds parents hire her as manager? why are they picking inexperienced teenagers for leadership roles? if nothing else, if howie has been around forever, why wouldnt they just promote him to manager??? instead of someone who has no idea how their pizza shop works like. i get that theyre trying to #girlboss kourtney this season, but was getting a job not enough growth and independence?

overall my biggest Gripe™ with this episode is that there wasnt enough gina or ej. and i get that its a big cast and not everyone can be the focus every time but literally when did redlyn become such a big priority to the writers? why are they getting so much screentime? i dont hate them or anything but like, i thought the main main characters were supposed to be nini, ricky, gina, and ej. so why is one of them getting like,, two lines per episode? im really out here picking up little ej crumbs like they wasted SO much potential with him as a character

[hext00ns]

please tell me everything you can about ok ko because i wanted to watch it when it was on tv but i never watch tv so i've only seen like two episodes

Okay okay there’s a lot I can’t tell you cause it might not look it on the cover but this is totally a show best experienced by going in blind

This show at its core really is about a boy named KO who wants to grow into an amazing hero. Honestly? I made the connection the other night but ok ko is basically western BNHA

This show definitely has the whole “friendship is magic” thing going and ik some people don’t like that trope but honestly? Ok ko does it best ngl. And just like SU the show doesn’t hold back from allowing its characters to have complex and real emotions

Much like many modern cartoons it’s a show that starts out with an episodic formula but slowly develops and underlining plot as secrets reveal throughout the show

Honestly? I think a reason why I love this show so much is cause it has the same vibe as an early 2000s CN cartoon (which imo is one of the best cartoon eras ever) like something about ok ko really does feel like the best aspects of early 2000s CN and modern CN mashed together into one show. Even my friends who watched only two episodes and honestly are way more into anime and aren’t cartoon freaks like me agree with that statement. I’ve been trying to figure out why I feel that way with the show and I have a couple ideas from story to animation to characters but either way the show is amazing

Speaking of animation it’s animation IS FANTASTIC I actually have seen people complain about SU and KO’s animation style before and honestly? I don’t get why. People have called it unprofessional looking and lazy but???? I think it’s beautiful????? Giving priority to the story board art instead of the model sheets gives it this amazing feeling that’s kinda hard to describe like everything movies with this flow that’s original to it alone. Obviously this style isn’t for every cartoon but I think it works beautifully for ok ko

ALSO THERES GAY SHIT!!!!!!!!! And like three cartoon crossover episodes!!!!!!!! Which are all amazing. And there’s so many references to other anime, videos game, cartoons ect that every episode I lose my mind

Also???? The world building is kinda fucking amazing as well?????? Like they never dive much into why the world is the way it is but honestly they don’t need to cause it all feels so well crafted and real

There are also a few running gags in the show that are a riot and the way everyone in the show says “sorry” is literally my favorite thing ever yesterday at work I said “sorry” the way ok ko does and I just sat there for a moment like did I fucking just say that

But I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the ending. Obviously nothing spoilery but I think it’s important to warn for people going in blind. This show was cancelled. If I’m honest, having your show cancelled these days isn’t as hard on the show as it was in the past. Most the time these days the high ups will walk in, tell you you have only one season left to wrap things up, and leave you to it. That sucks. It sucks and I hate it so much. But it’s a lot better than the treatment other cartoons got in the past. Cartoons like Invader Zim and Shezow who were in the middle of working on their next season when they got the boot, leaving half finished products that will never truly see life like they were meant to. Or you get fucked the way Randy Cunningham did in where you set up an interesting cliffhanger but then are never green lit for the next season so you can resolve what you set up. It’s really sad because these days many creators talk about making sure seasons are condensed in their stories because they never know when their last season may be. Thankfully shows like Star vs, SU, and even ok ko were given one last season to do their best and wrap everything up that they could. Of course this is where many people that don’t do two seconds of research start making assumptions saying that it’s the writing staffs fault for endings being so rushed and that they’re bad at their job or some dumb shit like that which honestly makes me really mad cause these people don’t have a choice they don’t have a say in that kinda stuff. But they do their best with what they have. Ok KO’s end does feel kinda rushed but not as bad as say SU probably because SU just had so much world building and character stuff they had to cram into that final showdown. However ok ko does something I’ve never seen a cartoon do that was kinda brilliant? There’s this strange mix of I don’t like the ending of ok ko but also I do. I don’t like it cause I know it’s not how they wanted the ending to go I know there was so much more meant for this show and I’m so upset they didn’t get the chance to tell the story how they wanted to. But also the ending is beautiful the final two episodes made me cry for different reasons they really did take a bad thing and bring something good out of it. The final message they give in the last episode is a very good one and a very real to life one and I’m sure it’s what everyone in the crew was feeling at the time. It’s extremely melancholy

Honestly this was the fastest I’ve ever binged a show on my own before. I think it only took me two weeks or so and honestly if it wasn’t for work I probably would have gotten through it faster it’s just so good and hard to put down I often found myself staying up way past normal just to watch another episode

This has definitely become one of my all time favorites for many reasons honestly some you can see from above and some I didn’t mention. Either way I highly recommend this show it’s fun beautiful and full of heart and love

[nastyburger]

How would you rate each of the season finales from best to worst and why?

hmmm season one didnt really have a finale though? like it just ended on control freaks which was a good episode but not really a finale uhhh i guess i should rate the 2-parters in general since thats a little more fitting. theres no real structures to them being finales and they crammed 3 of them into season 2 lol

1) reign storm is number one for me, both RS and TUE rank very close and story wise (in terms of concept) i like TUE more but story for RS (in terms of actual execution) felt much more filling. im not a fan of the ecto-skeleton, especially with how they kinda tossed it away afterwards, but thats really the most i didnt enjoy from it. a lot of character dialogue and interaction was at its best in this episode and vlad especially was entertaining as hell with his antics.

2) i know its a little blasphemous to rank the ultimate enemy at #2 but i explained a bit of my reasoning lol. like, i really like TUE conceptually a lot and theres a lot of potential for a lot interpretation and story and all that, but time travel is a very delicate idea to work with in stories which the show certainly uh.......did not have. the episode fumbles a lot in execution with some aspects being a little too silly to take seriously (like the opening scene showing how amity advanced so much and made you think it was like hundreds of years into the future but it was only 10? danny’s reaction to certain events not being written the best? how the literal crux of the episode was explosive burger sauce???). but you know, the episode gave the phandom a lot of materials and ideas to work with in fan content and while TUE sorta falls apart if you really focus on details, its still a good episode overall.

3) hnnnnnnggg reality trip i guess? honestly the vast divide between how much i like the first two vs these last ones is a gosh darn canyon. similarly with how i like RS an TUE at about the same level but for different reasons, i also DISLIKE RT and PP at about the same level as well. I talked a bit about this one in another ask, but basically this whole episode is just a marvel rip off and hardly transformative of the concept in any way. the whole “secret reveal but then reverse it by the end of the episode” couldve worked great but only if we actually explored the concept a bit more instead of using it as a driving force to have the kids be chased across the country (not that it doesnt make sense but we hardly tackle the concept itself in favor of just having it happen for plot). and you know, i hate how they handled the reveal with the parents. i understand reversing the effects of having danny’s secret revealed for everyone else like the GiW but jack and maddie literally show themselves accepting danny for who he is and show that danny doesnt need to worry about being dissected molecule by molecule?? but then he just??? mind wipes them anyway???? im just not a fan of that lol. i guess one good thing i can say about this episode is the roadtrip aspect? idk i liked seeing the trio go to different places and hang out in diners and stuff like that, so ill give it that.

4) aaaand we all know what goes here, of course its phantom planet. everyone knows the problems with this one, we all are well aware of it! RT was bad because it was mostly boring and formulaic, but PP just had a whole smogus board of bad decisions. honestly, in my rewatch of danny phantom a couple months back, this series finale really had every problem of season 3 bundled up into one little package. sam’s arc, how every episode lowkey doesnt make any sense, the overly weird focus on the sam/danny endgame, its all here! its all right here in phantom planet like a full course shit meal! the characterization is awful and just a disgusting display of decay to end the show on. the worse part is that i feel like it couldve worked too, in some way if just everything was done differently with different writers and different everything else this concept couldve worked! but it didnt, just like everything else in season 3, it was good conceptually but when it came down to execution it just didnt work. and thats that.

[paperjamz]

some s/pop salt thoughts

im not a fan of g//limbow because it was executed so horribly in the show ._. i feel like i woulda legit shipped it if it didnt feel like they just paired off two (main) characters together because their relationship went from what felt like a sibling dynamic straight into a romantic one IN THE BACKGROUND. even their VAs had felt like their relationship felt like a sibling one!! i just... hate it!! the execution!! you have to admit that up until s5 all their interactions had felt platonic, that you’d have to squint if you wanted to see romantic undertones.

you might say... hey.. JAMZ what about PRINCESS PROM, to which i’d respond what about it?? you can say i can’t prove it wasn’t from jealousy stemming from romantic feelings, but at the same time i can say you can’t prove it wasnt jealousy stemming from completely platonic feelings! like i said, the romantic undertones of the ship is SO SUBTLE it could easily be interpreted as platonic.they had FOUR other seasons to give them more scenes that could be interpreted unmistakably romantic...... but they didn’t, they just crammed it in like, less than 6 episodes in the final one. and the ones in the final one was so... eugh, i legitimately didn’t know they were even dating until someone told me? b//ow kissed g//limmer’s forehead and i thought that was super sweet! i’d kiss my best friend too like that if i had the chance. at the time, i really liked that show was normalizing showing affection like that, because id love to greet more of my friends through kissing their cheeks/forehead. i didn’t even realize it was even supposed to be romantic until i read about it in a discord chat. i’m not the only one that thinks that either, a lot of people were surprised by the sudden fact that they were dating.

anyway, the lack of romantic scenes makes the ship very boring to me. it very much feels like theres no spark there that would attract these two beyond the fact that they have a lot of love for each other, which i’ve already said is so deeply entrenched in what is typically associated with platonic things, its hard for me to see them happy together. im not saying theyre terrible for each other im saying i dont see the romantic chemistry. they do have chemistry but ive never seen any hint of it that was unmistakably romantic. they probably do have the potential to grow it, but i wasn’t given the chance to grow into it and instead it just happened. quietly, in the background. god, the showrunner of the show even said that the ship was a last minute decision and fuck. it fuckin shows

and anyway freakin hate how the show had a chance to show that just because a girl and a boy are best friends, it doesn’t mean they have to date. what did the show do?? THEY MADE THEM DATE...... IN THE BACKGROUND................. THEY MADE THEM.... “FALL FOR EACH OTHER”...... IN THE BACKGROUND............. like....???? i have to be completely honest.......... i hate it so bad.... i cant even describe how much i hate these two characters being paired off like that..... like....... the injustice that happened to these two characters holy shit..... i don’t know how other people ARENT salty these two werent given a better love story than what they have.

would i have shipped this had it not become “canon”? i mean, maybe. it would leave a lot of things to me for interpretation, and how they would become a couple. i probably wouldn’t have minded it, and even indulged a little into it. i love both characters a lot and revel in g//limmer ships, but i just... its ruined for me now. yucky

[butididnottried]

So, there's one thing that occured to me while watching previous episodes - this season is kinda aimless. Like, before they we're heading to The North Pole, later to Ba Sing Se to meet the Earth King, and now they're just... kinda fucking around. I know it's because theres a specific day - the solar eclipse - that they're waiting for with attack and the only thing that gaang can do right now is to circling around and be safe. They're waiting but theres no feel of urgency. They're not even worried that Aang need to learn firebending. They could at least ask the sword master about some trusted firebender that they could go to for help. Well, i'm guessing that they think that because of the solar eclipse they just don't need The Avatar and just avatar is enough since all firebenders are going to be off with their bending. Overall, yeah, that's logicall. But this lack of urging is still a little weird.

The Puppetmaster

"The moon spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and lunar goodness." Aaaaw, Sokka, you poor, miserable loverboy. <3 But hey, to be honest he would be right even if the moon spirit weren't princess Yue. The Moon is just like that.

It irks me a little that this traumatized old lady, probably mentally ill from this whole need of revenge, is showed as some typically crazy and evil old harridan. Ok, she's dangerous and harmed people that never did anything wrong to her, but, idk... maybe i'm failing at interprepation but they didn't showed really good how good people are capable to do horrible things when they got badly hurt. Yeah, they showed what she went through in the past, but if feelt more like a emotionless background for showing how now Katara get almost profaned because she was forced by that vile lady to learn how to bloodbend. Idk about all that.

Also, how they want to imprisoned Hama now? Will they send her to the same prison that she was before? Do they even figured out that she's waterbender? Do they not care that this girls is also a waterbender and can do the very same thing as Hama? Or maybe Hama just gave up and would not try to escape because she passed her knowledge? Is this weird that i'm worried about an vengeful old woman that was abducting innocent people and imprisoning them?

lol instead of being scared of just a thought of controlling bodies of other people i'm just like aw poor crazy old lady.

But, at one point i thought that in that flashback Hama totally would suck water out of that rat, and that's why camera pan out on her face. That would be fucked up and a mistery why she just didn't thought about that. Pretty sure that it's not because it's animated show for kids. _^_

Nightmares and Daydreams

Ooooh, so Aang is concerned that he’s not properly prepared for the battle. It occured to him only a few days before said battle, but it’s something.

What it is with all those nightamres about not wearing pants? America, explain, i'm confusion.

Talking Momo is worse than regular Momo. Talking Appa is better than regular Appa. But Appa standing on two legs is Not Right. Overall, Appa is precious baby and Momo can go back from where he came.

I can't believe that mr Hamill couldn't pulled off some superior psychotic laugh. Mr Hamill sir, i know that you can do better.

From what Sokka did that fake beard and moustaches for Wang Fire? And why is he still have them?

I so much do not buy and do not care about Zuko and Mai romance. There's just nothing interesting about them together. Besides, there's already so much going on in Zuko's plot, at least emotionally at this point. Cramming romance into all this is just unnecessary.

I couldn't be an royalty or bourgeoisie or awfully rich. It's just extremely cringy. Maybe hot towel? May i wash your feed? What about palanquin for a ten meters walk? Do you want your hair get washed and combed in this absolutely unnecessary big basin (or it is big enough to be a fountain?) in crazy amount of running water? Or maybe ordering servants around for fun? asdfghjkl go away with that. My brain is just standing across in my skull.

[jebentnietalleen]

correct me if im wrong, but if i remember correctly theres been some scenes of wtfock over two eps before right? so like the party could start friday, then there may be a late night clip after midnight, which will just be the start of ep 2? maybe?? although youre not wrong they could cram so much content into 3/4mins either way

That’s true, although I always had a feeling they did that because they had 10 episodes in season 2, instead of 12. But still, it could be that they will do that 👀 I would flip my shit sjfhsjfhsfs

[the-desolated-quill]

Luther 5x01 - Luther blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Can you remember the last time I’ve written about this show? 24th December 2015. Feeling old yet? Back then I was lucky if my reviews got two notes. Now I can get as many as thirty. Goodness me, I’ve gone up in the world XD

If you would like to read my reviews of the previous episodes... well... I’d rather you didn’t if I’m honest because they’re not very good. I was still finding my feet as an amateur critic/blogger/moaning old fart at the time and only had a vague idea of what I was talking about. I can give you a quick summary of my views on the show. I love it for the most part. In recent years it’s become almost trendy to take the piss out of it due to its over the top villains and gratuitous violence, but that’s always been part of its charm for me. But above all, what puts Luther head and shoulders above most other crime shows for me is the title character. Writer Neil Cross has created one of the most compelling and morally complex characters I’ve ever seen and Idris Elba brings him to life expertly. As horrific and ludicrous as the crimes and plots usually are, it’s DCI John Luther that keeps me coming back for more.

Luther has always been more of a horror show than a crime drama and the first episode of Series 5 is no different. A masked killer with LED lights on his hood to confuse CCTV cameras, (which makes him look a lot like that ghost astronaut from Scooby Doo), is roaming around London, sneaking up on unsuspecting strangers and hammering nails into their bodies because that’s the only way he can achieve an orgasm. Oh yeah, and he also has a jar of eyeballs in his sex dungeon because of course he does. The villains in this show can be many things, but subtle isn’t usually one of them. At one point newcomer DS Haliday asks Luther if this kind of depravity is normal for him, which made me laugh. Any Luther fan could tell you that this is just an average Tuesday for him.

No other show can get away with this kind of grotesqueness, but in Luther it just works. It revels in how insane and weird it is. It’s not a question of whether or not it’s believable (because let’s face it, it bloody isn’t). It’s a question of whether or not it’s scary and it absolutely is. Jamie Payne’s direction really helps to up the creep factor and the concept itself is just inherently icky. By far the most terrifying scene was the killer creeping up on that woman on the top deck of the the night bus, almost panther-like. What made it scarier for me is that the scene was actually filmed near the Olympic Park in Stratford, which is close to where I live. Seeing a psycho wandering around areas you’re familiar with is disconcerting to say the least.

The episode also does a good job of piquing the audience’s interest and building intrigue. Hermione Norris is captivating to watch in her role as Dr. Vivien Lake, who claims to know who the killer is, but there’s clearly more to her than we think. Luther notices straight away this isn’t a normal patient/doctor relationship and we the viewer know from the outset there’s something not quite right about her. It goes beyond her empathising with the killer. She seems to have a degree of control over him, which makes you question whether she is playing a part in these murders, perhaps for her own sexual gratification. Even the reveal at the end that the patient was just a patsy and that her husband is the real killer doesn’t give away everything. I feel there’s a lot more to unpack here with this relationship and this character, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds in the next three episodes.

The main cast are pretty good. Idris Elba is predictably brilliant, stepping back into the tweed coat and red tie with little effort. Dermot Crowley and Michael Smiley return as DSU Martin Schenk and Benny respectively and both are great fun to watch. Benny in particular plays a more active role this time, no longer being just the stereotypical computer guy and instead taking part in the action, helping Luther to remove a bomb collar from a hostage, which was cool. The weak link is probably DS Catherine Haliday, played by Wunmi Mosaku. She’s set up as the newcomer, being fast tracked to the Serious and Serial Crimes Unit from the public sector, but she doesn’t really have that much of a part to play. Luther barely even acknowledges her existence most of the time. There’s none of the Batman and Robin-esque camaraderie that Luther and Justin Ripley had in the first three series and she’s not as interesting as Emma Lane was in the previous series. She just... exists. Hopefully she’ll get more to do as the series go on.

Another actor who’s wasted in this episode is Patrick Malahide, returning from Series 4 as ‘old school’ gangster George Cornelius. Actually this is something of a recurring problem for Luther. The first series I remember fondly because Neil Cross kept everything simple for the most part. Each episode was about a different serial killer and how Luther was going to catch him. But from Series 2 onward, everything started to get needlessly complicated with B plots and C plots and side stories and so on. I can understand why they’re doing this. Idris Elba and Neil Cross aren’t as readily available as they used to be so when they do find the time to make more Luther episodes, they want to cram in as much material as they can to make up for the long wait by fans. I get it completely, but it comes at the cost of the narrative as a whole. Vivien and her sexually deranged husband is an interesting plot in and of itself, but we keep getting yanked away from it in order to deal with an entirely separate plot about George trying to find his kidnapped son. George isn’t a bad character, don’t get me wrong. Malahide does a great job in the role, but you can’t help but feel all of this is a bit pointless. Why should I care about this guy? He’s a cockney arsehole who tried to assassinate Alice Morgan (the most popular character in the show) for a bunch of diamonds last series. Fuck him. At least now that Alice is back, we can hopefully see her exact her revenge on him.

On the whole, a solid start to the new series with a lot of potential going forward.

[jimsmovieworld]

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES- 1991 ⭐⭐⭐

Jim (Frank Whaley) had been fired from every job hes ever had and his parents have hit the end of there rope, to calm them down he gets a job as a night janitor at a Target store. He has an overactive imagination and is known as the town liar...

Josie (Jennifer Connelly) is a rich girl who isnt getting a long with her dad because she kissed one of his business associates for no reason. She plans to steal something from Target to get back at him but falls asleep in the dressing room and wakes up after the store is closed and she meets Jim.

They take advantage of all the store has to offer including roller blading, camping, and eating all the food.

Unfortunately, two wanted criminals have chosen that night to break in and rob the store. Jim and Josie set up a plan to outwit the robbers and run away and start again....

While enjoyable at points, this whole movie just feels off. Career Opportunities was written by the great John Hughes, but he didnt have the same creative input he usually did and didnt like how the film turned out at all, he tried to have his name taken off it but the producers refused.

The main problem is the main character Jim.

I dont know if a different actor could have done it differently or if it was just the way it was written, but he is in no way likable, he comes off as a total goof and is outshined in every single scene by his co-star. Theres no real desire for them to get together and thats a big problem for this kind of movie.

The robbers storyline doesnt work at all and feels crammed into the end of the movie. If you just took them altogether, the film would be so much better.

First time watching this film, reminded me of the episode of Dawsons Creek where Pacey and Joey get locked in the store which im assuming was based on this film.

Jennifer Connelly is excellent in the film and is by far the best part of it, enjoyed the iconic scene where she rides a mechanical horse.

[tiniechankai]

my favourite sailor moon season 1 episodes

since i’m rewatching the sailor moon series (again...) i thought i would rank all my favourite episodes from each season then compile them all together and see which episode is my absolute favourite of the entire show. considering i have no idea what my favourite episode is... maybe i’ll know now, hah. 

Episode 8 - The Girl Genius Is a Monster: The Brainwashing Cram School of Horror

so uh... as a stressed student i can relate to this a lot. the kids going into the cram school is me going into school every morning. this is definitely not my favourite episode of the season but the introduction to ami is really sweet, especially when people whisper about ami behind her back but then when usagi actually meets her, ami ends up being the sweetest girl. 

i also just love the fact that ami freaking owned everyone in that arcade on the sailor v game?? like wow feminism right there

Episode 10 - The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars, the Guardian of Fire

mars is my favourite inner senshi and she’s honestly so cool in this episode. this is probably the only episode in the entire series where she’s quite akin to her manga self, and while i love her in the anime, i think her aloof manga self is great too. it’s interesting to me to get a look into japanese culture through shinto. watching this as a kid i had no idea what was really japanese religion and such so learning about this was cool (i had like 4 sailor moon episodes and they were all the introductory episodes to the senshi). also the bus was really freaky and scary and just what the heck. rei’s reaction to jadeite is also quite funny (she basically has heart palpitations of him, and not the good kind)

Episode 17 - Usagi's a Model: The Flash of the Monster Camera

one of the few episodes that aren’t the finale that i can tell you that usagi kicks some legitimate ass in here. like what a badass! i can’t say i know the last time usagi has done this, hah. this entire episode includes everyone telling usagi she can’t be a model because she’s not a good enough person or she’s not pretty enough. i mean even mamoru is back being the asshole he is in this first season, even though he goes on about how she won’t be picked because she’s not pretty on the inside and what not (like wth dude you don’t even know her) but usagi is picked anyways (like everyone who signed up but... whatever) and then she is left alone to fight the youma and then she is to fight the monster by herself. she does so by cleverly using the mirrors. one of the saddest bits in the show is when he family is watching the tv while usagi is asleep in her room they talk about how they wish usagi was as great as the girl who saved the photographer’s life (sailor moon) but ?? do they not care about the factt that usagi was AT THAT PHOTOSHOOT?? GETTING ATTCKED?? i know they don’t know she’s sailor moon but heck she was there she might’ve been attacked. the tsukino household can be so annoying sometimes hfksdh i digress

Episode 20 - The Summer, the Beach, Youth and Ghosts

this is a genuinely hilarious episode. poor mitsuishi kotono, she spent most of the episode screaming at the ghosts lmao. i like this episode because we see the girls get up to their usual loud shenanigans (and hell i love me a beach episode). this is also a episode about a heavy topic of a girls’ father forcing herself into a duty she is too young to deal with. it gets pretty dark too and i can see why they didn’t put this into the dic dub (she literally starts CRYING and i get these sort of like... really bad rape vibes. I KNOW HE’S HER FATHER BUT IT’S SO GROSS). anyways, it’s really dark but has it’s funny moments as we focus on some other characters, it’s a really good beach ova. 

Episode 21 - Protect the Children's Dreams: Friendship Through Anime

this episode is so great, i really do love it. it might might be my favourite in the season. i just love these two friends a lot, especially hiromi as a character (the shorthaired one). hiromi deals with being jealous over her friend’s sketches in animating and it gets so bad that nephrite has to come by with his stupid self and ruin everything. anyone with low self esteem such as hiromi can relate to constantly feeling like you’re in the shadow of your colleagues, your best friend. nephrite’s episodes tend to be my favourite because we see that our actions, when we are selfish and snobby that it affects others a lot. even though i despise nephrite his episodes have become a favourite of mine. 

Episode 28 - The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer

one of the few episodes where mamoru isn’t a complete ass to usagi (i think?) and he’s actually kinda ... civil with her. he still treats her like a child but i mean she acts like one so... i like this episode a lot because you can really see the difference in usagi and mamoru with the help of this really cute artist lady yumemi. i also think it’s really funny how usagi even meets yumemi is because she’s going to call out mamoru for cheating on rei lmao. this episode is really nice just because it starts more heavily foreshadowing about mamoru and usagi’s backseat relationship.

Episode 31 - Love and Chased: Luna's Worst Day Ever

if you don’t like this episode then there’s GOT to be something wrong with you. this episode is pure crackhead goodness while we get a spoof of sailor moon’s own show with loveable luna and righteous rhett butler, luna’s love interest before we even knew artemis’ name. this episode is just pure gold and this might be my second favourite episode of the season, not gonna lie. when i saw the cat bone instead of tuxedo mask’s rose, i remember laughing so hard i couldn’t breathe. i love this show.

Episode 37 - Let's Become a Princess: Usagi's Bizarre Training

being princess hard. not my favourite episode for any particular reason other than it’s REALLY enjoyable to watch. i also just love how usagi sucks at literally everything i suck at and she is just so relateable in this episode. i also love how she’s not the only one who sucks at ballroom dancing, minako can’t dance and rei is too much of a dom to let the other guy lead. feminism!

Episode 38 - The Snow, the Mountains, Friendship and Monsters

this episode marks one of my favourites because it begins rei’s total understanding of usagi’s relationship with mamoru and this continues from this episode until SAILOR STARS (yes i know she was kinda understanding of usagi in episode 35 but she also slapped usagi so...) but this episode is full of clumsy usagi goodness and the great friendship of usagi and rei. 

Episode 43 - Usagi Abandoned: The Falling-Out of the Sailor Guardians

i love these sorts of episodes, and just like the previous one, we get even MORE usarei friendship moments and i’m LIVING for it. even the senshi think mars actually hates usagi but noooppppe she’s actually her bestie. this is a great episode.

Episode 44 - Usagi's Awakening: A Message from the Distant Past

ok so i don’t really like mamoru and usagi BUT i like serenity and endymion. this backstory episode is GREAT and i wish i had a short show based around fun at the moon kingdom because that would be great? i love sailor moon don’t get me wrong but i don’t like mamoru and usagi. cough. this episode gives off a more ethereal quality and is sucha beautiful episode animation wise. 

Episode 46 - Usagi's Eternal Wish: A Brand New Life

while the last episode was HEARTWRENCHINGLY SAD i can’t get over how sad this episode is. not even mentioning how awesome it is when the beginning of moonlight densetsu comes on when usagi pull out her moon wand. this episode rips me apart because while i dislike usagi and mamoru this dialogue just makes me so sad “Live a normal life. Find a cool boyfriend.” “Nobody’s cooler than you.” AND I CRIED. nobody’s cooler than you, the asshole who called me fat, stupid, and ugly for 30 episodes. but whatever, i’m still sad. and then usagi’s monologue at the ending (i’m not a big fan of kae araki as usagi but i still... love the monologue so much) and just wow. what a great ending. 

this was more episodes then i expected