#timestamp: around 08:57:00

[freakinator]

Zam: "And to think it all started with the void."

[leohnoz]

Leaders 2 + Edits

MORE leaders (or adjacent) from clangen blogs i follow! First post here

TW for flashing/flickering in the video, blood, and eyestrain for close-ups. Those close-ups, credit @'s, timestamps and extras below.

0:00 - Splinterstar, 0:38 - Amberstar/feather, 2:57 - Honeystar

@songclangen

1:02 - Cinnamonstar

@silkclan

1:37 - Ashpaw/sight

@ashpaw-is-alone

2:01 - Rapidstar

@horizonclansfate

2:30 - Dancingstar, 2:39 - Partridgestar

@silverclangen

3:25 - Poppypaw

@lostclanwc

3:41 - Kestrelstar

@echoes-in-echoclan

4:08 - Froststar, 4:35 - Branchstar II, 5:14 - Brindlestar

@through-frost-and-flames

5:38 - Fallenstar

@poppyclangen

6:16 - Pearlstar

@aphidclan-clangen

7:05 - Shadestar

@tidalclan

7:29 - Flyquiver/star

@clanoflotus-clangen

7:54 - Pythonback

@rise-of-littleclan

8:16 - Brownleaf

@the-path-of-dreamers

9:02 - Leapstar

@nectarclan

9:48 - Messing with backgrounds

Notes:

-forgot to save the image without my watermark on all the cats... so had to go back and redo it all

-redrew Twistedeyes because of the 3d effect on her, and redo Fogstars/Foamstars fade effects

-generally fixing little mistakes from the first batch

-had to go back thru Songclangen because HONEYSTAR

-lots of forgetting to resize these cats

-forgot to record for a few

-went back and fixed Leapstars face, didn't like it

-messed around with placements a lot

Edits:

@fallenclan, @whispering-clan, @juniper-clan, @we-are-dogclan, @bitterclan

[deliciouskeys]

Holy fuck. @xieyaohuan and I are yappers. This is very much unplanned freestyle stream of consciousness conversation about Homelander and Homelander-adjacent things. No promises on the quality, but I thought the conversational flow was pretty good. Topics are timestamped (do not look at the total time, please).

And apologies for the laptop microphone (sounds like at least one of us is speaking out of a jar and no in silico dialogue enhancement could rescue it). I only have one good microphone and that would not work for a 2 way conversation -_-

00:00:00:00 We are recording a podcast, apparently

00:00:57:07 How we discovered The Boys

00:05:40:01 How we became obsessed with Homelander

00:13:28:20 Madelyn Stillwell

00:16:01:14 Nerfing of powers

00:16:57:03 How Xieyaohuan started writing fic

00:20:06:06 How Deliciouskeys started writing fic

00:27:48:15 Deliciouskeys’ previous fandoms compared to The Boys fandom

00:29:52:17 Xieyaohuan’s previous fandoms compared to the boys fandom

00:37:33:02 Reading incoming questions live

00:40:13:00 When did Butchlander click for us

00:47:47:12 Xieyaohuan’s ao3 name: Frenchcroatiansquid

00:50:36:00 “Fears” about season 5

00:56:46:01 Kripke’s idea for an ending (and puritanism)

01:00:14:24 Morality of The Boys as revealed by Termite scenes (yeah...)

01:03:40:02 Homelander getting depowered ending, supe culture wars

01:08:24:20 Homelander & Ryan

01:16:36:14 Billy Butcher’s ending

01:20:31:13 Mothers

01:23:46:27 How fandom has affected our real life

01:28:04:01 Sticking around until the end of a franchise

01:30:06:06 What's stalling Xieyaohuan's fic All God’s Children Took Their Toll

01:36:05:11 What's stalling Deliciouskeys' fic The Selfish Gene

01:43:16:17 Homelander’s behavior in the B6 lab

01:47:46:17 Maevelander

01:50:22:20 Homelander’s various parents

02:00:37:06 Back to Maeve

02:05:27:16 Starlander

02:07:48:07 Viclander

02:09:24:21 Sagelander

02:18:57:17 Soldier Boy x homelander

02:20:38:14 NOTP’s (if there are any)

02:26:16:18 Hughlander

02:27:27:12 Firelander

02:32:35:27 We attempt to come up with underutilized tropes in HL fics

02:36:52:27 Beccalander

02:41:20:06 Homelander x Todd

02:42:49:02 Would we be fans of Homelander within-universe?

02:44:49:14 Homelander-is-a-nerd fanon theory

02:47:34:18 Public vs private display in Homelander’s apartment

02:50:22:14 Kripke’s heavy hand with themes

02:51:29:13 Favorite scene of season 3 and 4

02:53:08:14 In conclusion, we are yappers about The Boys

[cowboys-tshot]

Thunder Saga Recap

For those that were not present for the livestream, it can get confusing as to what the hell is happening during the songs, since there is no visual aid (until the rest of the animatics from the livestream are posted, that is).

Some of this is based on the animatics, seeing as the artists were following Jay's lead on character design and whatnot. Other parts are based on the descriptions that were shown alongside the lyrics (these are the parts I write in quotes + italics). The timestamps aren't exact, but the chronology of events is the same.

<< SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT >>

SUFFERING

I'm unsure whether or not Odysseus is tied to the ship's mast during this scene, but I would assume he is (based on the actual part with the sirens in The Odyssey).

01:52 – When Odysseus says, "But Scylla has a price," he is referring to the fact that Scylla will eat six men from whatever ship passes by her. She only has six heads, so she only eats one man per head.

DIFFERENT BEAST

00:00 – Fake Penelope gets shot (with an arrow, I think).

00:22 – Fake Penelope hisses.

00:57 – "The crew reveals packs of sirens caught in nets hanging over the ship."

02:59 – "The crew cuts off the tails of the sirens. They toss them back into the water, turning the water red with blood."

SCYLLA

*I don't have exact timestamps for this one, because the events here are almost entirely based on the animatic that played during the livestream. I kind of guessed at some points but as I said before, the important stuff is in order.

01:17 – Odysseus tells Eurylochus to light six torches. Odysseus knows that Scylla will kill six men, and plans to essentially serve six of his men to her on a silver platter by making them stand out.

01:27 – Eurylochus has lit the torches (at least mostly). Eurylochus himself is holding one of these torches.

01:55 – Scylla starts picking off the six men, brutally killing and eating them.

02:00 – One man down.

02:04 – Two.

02:12 – Three.

02:19 – Eurylochus is pushed out of the way of one of Scylla's heads. He drops his torch. A different man is eaten. Four.

02:23 – Five.

02:32 – Eurylochus realizes that Scylla is going after the men with the torches. He sees one of his crewmates on the other side of the ship, holding a torch as one of Scylla's heads prepares to feast. Eurylochus runs, reaches out, tries to warn him— but he fails. Six.

MUTINY

00:00 – "The ship is covered in blood and gore."

00:08 – "Eurylochus looks around at the gore. But Odysseus looks on."

01:13 – Boss Battle: Eurylochus.

01:29 – Eurylochus swings at Odysseus. The two begin to fight.

01:35 – Odysseus starts winning the fight, getting a few minor hits on Eurylochus before knocking him down.

01:45 – Just as Odysseus is about to deal the final blow, he is stabbed from behind (the wound is in his side).

02:10 – Odysseus is knocked out.

02:15 – Odysseus wakes up on the island of Thrinacia. He is tied up, and his wound is bandaged. They are in a pasture full of cows.

02:39 – Eurylochus points out a statue. He recognizes that it is depicting the god of the sun, but he doesn't recognize it as Apollo (who is the more modern god of the sun, that the crew knows and has worshipped in the past).

03:13 – Although Odysseus has not been specifically warned about the cattle (like in The Odyssey), he knows that these cattle belong to the sun god depicted by that statue. He knows that killing these cattle will not end well.

04:02 – Eurylochus slaughters one of the cows.

04:18 – Odysseus manages to untie himself. He urges his men to get to the boat and get away.

04:43 – Odysseus hears the thunder. He knows it's too late.

THUNDER BRINGER

02:33 – Odysseus has a vision (or hallucination, IDK) of Penelope. The animatic shows her descending from the sky like an angel.

03:15 – Zeus strikes down Odysseus's men.

03:42 – Zeus strikes down Odysseus's ship. Odysseus falls into the sea, surrounded by the bodies of his brothers.

Aaaand that's it for The Thunder Saga! I don't want to spoil anything for the next saga in case people aren't familiar with the original story, so I'll leave it there. If you have any additions or corrections, please let me know!

[the-conversation-pod]

OM NOM NOM: The What Did You Eat Yesterday? Episode

And we're back! Ben and NiNi finally sit down to talk about their favorite food BL, and unpack all the ways that What Did You Eat Yesterday? made them grapple with queer mortality and long-term commitment. Grab a snack and a drink, and join us for the discussion about our favorite Comfort BL.

Timestamps

The timestamps will now correspond with chapters on Spotify for easier navigation.

00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:15 - What Did You Eat Yesterday?: The Granddaddy 00:12:08 - Favorite Episodes 00:19:22 - The Show that Keeps Coming Back 00:24:57 - Season 2: Mortality, Family, and Hets 00:43:10 - WDYEY is So Gay and Found Family 00:50:54 - Let’s Talk About The Food 00:56:36 - Final Thoughts (And A Moment to Drag Nobu)

The Conversation Transcripts!

Thanks to the continued efforts of @ginnymoonbeam as transcriber, and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader, we are able to bring you transcripts of the episodes.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes (Coming soon thanks to @wen-kexing-apologist). When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

00:00:00 - Introduction

NiNi

Welcome to The Conversation About BL, aka The Brown Liquor Podcast.

Ben

And there it is. I’m Ben.

NiNi

I’m NiNi.

Ben

And we’re you’re drunk Caribbean uncle and auntie here sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs.

NiNi

Four times a year we pop in to talk about what’s going on in the BL world.

Ben

We shoot the shit about stories and all the drama going into them. I review from a queer media lens.

NiNi

And I review from a romance and drama lens.

Ben

So if you like cracked-out takes and really intense emotional analysis…

NiNi

If you like talking about artistry, industry, and the discourse…

Ben

And if you generally just love simping…

NiNi

There is a lot of simping on this podcast…

Ben

We are the show for you!

01:15 - What Did You Eat Yesterday?: The Granddaddy

Ben

And we're back. Finally, my time has come. [NiNi laughs] NiNi has finally set down some time for us to talk about my favorite show after they embarrassed me in the Clip Show. 

We are finally talking about What Did You Eat Yesterday?

NiNi

We are. You must know by now, dear listeners, that this is the granddaddy. This is the show of all time for us, this is the yardstick by which things are measured. What Did You Eat Yesterday? is an article of faith for Ben and I. 

Ben, why don't you tell the people what What Did You Eat Yesterday? is about?

Ben

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is a slice of life food drama from Japan that is about two gay men in their forties-approaching-50, and it's about the daily challenges of their life as they try to maintain a long-term relationship with each other, and grounded around the meals they share at their dinner table.

NiNi

So simple a description. So, somehow, deep and devastating a show.

Ben

NiNi, how about you try describing our leads in this show?

NiNi

Hoo! Okay, let's see! So our two main leads are Kakei Shiro, played by Nishijima Hidetoshi; and Yabuki Kenji, played by Uchino Seiyo. These two are legends of the stage and screen, and it shows in the show. There's a cast of fun characters that surrounds Shiro and Kenji. 

At Shiro’s job—Shiro’s a lawyer—there is Mom-sensei, Mom-sensei’s son, and various other lawyers in the office. At Kenji's job at the hair salon, there is his boss, who is a serial philanderer; his wife who he runs the salon with; and a cast of other hairdressers and assorted hangers on. And then you've got their friends who steadily become more and more important to the show as they go along. Shiro's friend Kohinata and his partner Wataru, otherwise known as Gilbert. There are a lot of other characters around. There’s Shiro and Kenji's families, there's their neighbor, Koyama. There's so many, so many fantastic characters in this little show. Each of them so distinct, each of them so fully fleshed out and human in a lot of ways. 

I don't know how to talk about this show. I love it so much. It goes so deep for me. Like I said, it's an article of faith, almost, and I just get a warm feeling when I think about it. When I watch it, when I see all the characters on it interact, from the intensely important characters like Shiro's parents, all the way down to the lady at the supermarket where Shiro and Kenji buy their groceries—who is Shiro's partner in keeping his food bills down by pointing to the sales without speaking to him. Ever.

[both laugh]

Ben

I love their dynamic. It's so funny. 

To talk about What Did You Eat Yesterday?, let's talk about BL, and why What Did You Eat Yesterday? feels unique in relation to BL. In BL, you're in traditional romance. You got two pretty people. They looked at each other. They liked what they saw. And they gotta figure out if they can be together. In What Did You Eat Yesterday? we're past the figuring it out portion. They decided they want to be together and now they're navigating what that means. Unlike in a traditional BL, where your ongoing arc is, “Are these two going to finally kiss?” this show is structured episodically, where each episode is about something going on in their lives that they have to contend with, and then we move beyond that particular issue. 

There is an ongoing throughline about these two coming to a greater understanding of each other, learning to love themselves better, building more intimate relationships with the people around them, and building their relationship. But that's so different from the rest of BL. What Did You Eat Yesterday? episodes, in a lot of ways, can stand on their own. You can go back for What Did You Eat Yesterday? and watch some of your favorite episodes individually in a way that I don't think is as accessible with a traditional romance.

NiNi

I think what it is is that it's a traditional situation comedy. So it's not necessarily a serialized story, although there are elements that you keep up with—runners that go through the story—it is more of a “There's a situation. They deal with the situation. Sometimes there are hijinks, sometimes it's more serious. There's always some kind of a heartwarming moment, and they always cook something because food is the center of their home.” 

It's lovely and predictable in that way that you know what you're going to get in a What Did You Eat Yesterday? episode, but also, you never know how things are gonna turn for Shiro and Kenji. Not in the sense of, “Oh, are they gonna break up over this?” Not something like that. But you never know if this is the moment that one of them is going to have a revelation, or there's going to be a moving forward in their dynamic. You just never know if that's gonna happen. So there's parts of the show, particularly around Shiro’s very complicated relationship with the closet, that sometimes you think it's gonna zig and then actually it zags and you're like, “Oh, my God, Shiro is growing.” 

It's so fun to watch, especially at my age, to know that you can still grow, and learn, and change, and learn to adjust and compromise for other people if you care enough to do so. You ain't dead yet. [laughs]

Ben

I think what makes this show special for me is it doesn't exist in the bubble, and the issues that they have are specific to gay men. 

The very first issue that we encounter for them is how closeted Shiro is compared to Kenji, who is a flamboyant hairdresser. Kenji and Shiro's first fight that we experienced, Kenji brags to one of his clients about his boyfriend, and he gets a little racy about it. And then later, when Kenji and Shiro are walking down the street together, they encounter that client, who comments on the details of their relationship that she gleaned from Kenji and embarrasses Shiro, who is deeply-closeted and doesn't want people walking around talking about his business. Kenji gets really upset about this and begins to cry and asks, “Everyone else gets to talk about their families and everyone they love that's important to them. Why am I not allowed to?” And Shiro doesn't really have a great response to that, because he knows he's in the wrong, and so instead he just makes some of Kenji's favorite food. [laughs] Which is one of the ongoing ways they solve their issues. 

So much of this show is about the long term impacts of the closet and homophobia on gay men, and the ways it informs how we make bonds with each other. We mentioned Kohinata and Wataru earlier. They only meet Kohinata because Shiro has an encounter at the grocery store with a woman who also wants to take advantage of a sale on watermelon, but the watermelon is too big for their refrigerators, and so they decide to split it. They become friends. And, in time, they introduced Shiro to one of their other gay friends. And they do that thing that's kind of annoying from straight people. They're like, “You're both gay! Go, you know, mingle with each other.” And like, that's super awkward as hell, but it ends up being genuinely helpful. They do actually become friends. They start hanging out as couples together. 

There's a really good examination about the fact that Kenji is not exactly Shiro's type per se, but Kohinata is, and Kenji gets worried that if he leaves Shiro alone with Kohinata, something might happen. And they have a really sort of ugly breakdown where Kenji admits this jealousy is in him, but he feels like he's wrong in that regard because he once cheated on a partner, so he doesn't have the moral high ground here. But it's still something he's deathly terrified of because he loves Shiro so much and doesn't want to lose him. 

What's so special about this show is when they introduce something interesting in an episode, they're able to use that later, where you benefit from having seen that interaction earlier, but it doesn't matter if you don't remember all of it. You don't have to remember all those details about how he and Kayoko met to appreciate that they are grocery friends now, who take advantage of sales together and like to cook things together when there's a way to benefit. There's a beautiful examination of the mundane in this show that is really heartwarming.

12:08 - Favorite Episodes

NiNi

I wanna get a little bit into this idea that you had about the episodic nature of this and maybe do a little fun thing. Do you have a favorite episode of What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Ben

Depends on my mood at the time.

NiNi

What are some of your tops?

Ben

I think, in the first season, I really like the Christmas episode, they host Kohinata and Wataru. We had already seen Shiro make that meal for Kenji as the first thing he cooked for him. He tried to make the best dishes he could make the first night Kenji moved in with him, and that just sort of became their Christmas tradition because it just happened to be the holiday season. And I liked him sharing that with other gay people. That's also the episode where Shiro says plainly that he wants to take Kenji home so that his parents can see that he's not a sad person because Kenji's at his side. And that gets me. 

We've seen the Christmas moments three times in this show now, because we have Kenji first moving in, their dinner with Wataru and them, and then we had Christmas again in the second season. But in the second season, they end up changing their menu because of their changing health needs. That was really well earned because we, the audience, were primed for another Christmas meal and we're excited to see it, but it was really lovely to see them unpack that their Christmas traditions are something that they have control over. This is really significant for me as a queer person, because we have to create our own traditions. 

We don't get to have all of the same ones that straight people do. Some of us are not necessarily welcome with our partners around our families. We don't necessarily go home to see them. We often do events with other people at the holiday season. One of mine is getting other local homos together to watch the seminal classic by Rob Williams, Make the Yuletide Gay, a not great film from 2009, but one of my favorite films. 

The other episode I really like is from the first season, the episode where Kenji invites his friends to meet Shiro to talk about adult adoption, particularly because we had follow up on that episode in the second season. Adult adoption was the right choice for Kenji's friends, but Kenji later in the second season refuses to be adopted by Shiro, because he wants to hold out for marriage. Once Shiro adopts him, marriage is not possible, and that is what he wants. For pragmatic reasons, older couples have to choose adult adoption to protect the younger partner from family members that the older partner does not like. But adult adoption is not marriage. Gay people want to partner with the people that are most important to them, like other people do, and it is kind of shitty that we have to do all this roundabout stuff just to protect the people we care about. 

What about you? Do you have any favorite episodes of this show?

NiNi

I always like the episodes where Kenji cooks. Because Shiro is the one who does the majority of the cooking for the two of them. It's how he shows he cares, and he enjoys it, and he's good at it. And Kenji is always incredibly appreciative of the meals that Shiro makes. 

But I always like when Kenji cooks for Shiro. Sometimes he cooks for himself because Shiro was not there, and those will be times he indulges himself and makes something that he knows that Shiro wouldn't necessarily approve of because it's unhealthy. But I always like when Kenji cooks specifically for Shiro, because he's so deliberate and thoughtful about it. There's one episode in particular when he makes some kind of soup for Shiro when he's sick.

Ben

Okay, that one is so funny because Shiro’s so independent, Kenji never gets the chance to take care of Shiro. So the way we will run around excited about BL tropes, like, “Oh, someone's sick. Oh, let's get some lukewarm water. It's time to fucking get this boy a sponge bath!”

[both laugh]

That's the moment that Kenji is having. Shiro is really sick and so has to be cared for. And so he's really excited to make a simple meal for Shiro and take care of him. But he's such a nervous wreck about it. We get to watch Shiro listening in the whole time. Like, “What the hell is happening up there?”

NiNi

[laughs] Shiro is so particular about everything and Kenji knows it, and so it's going a little bit badly. It's a little bit of a disaster. He pulls it together in the end.

Ben

Kenji actually did a good job.

NiNi

Kenji always feels like Shiro does so much for him, and Shiro doesn't let him do things for Shiro, and so he will always grab the opportunity to do something. He's always like, “Oh, we need something? I'll run, I'll go get it. I'll do this. I'll do that.”

Ben

Kenji cares about Shiro, so he takes care of their home.

NiNi

There is a situation where the washing machine overflows and part of the apartment gets flooded. Kenji notices that this is a thing that is continuously happening, and he goes out and buys a hose and says, “Well, you know, next time this happens, you can just drain it into the sink rather than it flooding the thing.” And that's when Shiro stops and he looks around at all the things that Kenji does to keep their home running, and he starts to cry. It's a very heartwarming moment, because you don't get the sense that Shiro takes Kenji for granted at all. That's not what this is about. 

But it's just one of those moments where you really stop and take stock of how loved you are and it just overwhelms you. And that's the moment that he was having. But that moment was so earned by all the moments that had come before, where you see all the small ways that Kenji tries to take care of Shiro, and how Shiro feels like it's his responsibility to take care of himself and Kenji. And he doesn't like it when he doesn't feel like he's taking care of them. Well, he's realized at this point that, “Yeah, Kenji can take care of me, too in some big and small ways, and I knew he loved me, but I really feel like he loves me.” It's just a really lovely moment.

19:22 - The Show that Keeps Coming Back

Ben

This is our fourth outing with What Did You Eat Yesterday? I've been pretty close to this show the whole time it's been airing. What's it been like for you seeing the show come back three times now?

NiNi

I could watch this show forever. That's honestly how I feel about it. And the way that the show is set up, as long as Nishijima and Uchino want to keep doing it, I think we could get this show basically forever. It feels like meeting up with old friends every time you see a new bit of it, whether it's the special or the movie or new episodes. 

It always feels like you have these friends, Shiro and Kenji. They've been living their lives. You haven't seen them for a while and then, boom. They’re here, and you're so happy to see them and you just want to know everything that's been going on with them. You wanna sit up at night and chat and catch up with their lives. Every time the show comes back, that's how I feel about it. I can't wait to sit down and catch up with Shiro and Kenji, and see what's going on with them now. 

I feel like there's more stuff that maybe you're more aware of regarding the cultural significance of the show and what it means for Japan to be doing a show like this. So why don't you get into some of that stuff?

Ben

So the first show airs, and it's decently popular. Like it performs well in its time slot, which is one of the late night time slots. “Here's a quiet, easy to watch show. Now go to bed. You have to work in the morning.”

Uchino and Nishijima are veteran actors. Both of them have well over 100 credits. They are very successful actors who are sought out and are busy. And it was really surprising that they agreed to be part of this. I cannot overstate how significant it is for queer TV… talented, veteran actors are willing to play gay characters in a gay way, and are really proud of that work, and want to keep coming back and doing it. Uchino and Nishijima say plainly all the time: They are longtime fans of the manga and were very determined to bring it to air. They worked to rearrange their schedules to make sure that this show could keep coming back. 

[Nishijima] is an Oscar winning actor now. He's becoming more internationally famous because of Drive My Car. So it's not like these guys are getting less busy. Both of these guys are so good. 

If you've only seen Uchino play Kenji, you owe it to yourself to see Uchino play a veteran Japanese historical military leader or a fucking yakuza. He is so good. You get a small flash of that when he wears the suit in the movie, and in I think episode 3 of Season 2 where he flashes the macho thing. That's Uchino teasing the rest of us about the rest of the work he's done. He's played some intensely macho characters in his career, so it's really fun seeing him in particular playing someone as flamboyant as Kenji. 

What's so surprising is the show keeps coming back. Like season one, we go from the fight in episode one, where Shiro yells at Kenji for even telling someone else that he's in a relationship with him, to them meeting Shiro's parents in episode 12, and Shiro reassuring Kenji that he doesn't want either of them to die, that they're gonna eat well and live a long, happy life together. I would have been okay. It would have still been one of my favorite shows if we just ended at episode 12. 

The arc of season one is so strong of Shiro letting go a little bit and not being so stiff. He can't give Kenji all the things he maybe wants, but he can be a little less stiff about some of these things. And then they announced the fucking New Year special and I'm like, what the fuck is going on? And they're like, “Oh, yes. We’re going to a whole new year special.” What's it about? “Well, Shiro's really busy at work, so he's not gonna be home a lot.” And I'm like, oh my God. [laughs] This is so much fun. 

We got to see Kenji and Shiro dealing with separation anxiety and missing each other. That was so much fun. We got to see Kenji trying to play the role of brave housewife for a while. We got to see Kohinata and Wataru's internal dynamic for a bit. That was a really fascinating thing for us to get to experience. We got to see Kenji tell Wataru straight up, “Stop testing your partner. They're going to fail eventually. And then what? Stop holding back. You ain't brave. You ain't doing nothing.” Great stuff. 

And then we get the movie! And I was not expecting the movie either, and the movie ended up being heavier than I expected. The movie ends up having Shiro's parents regress and say they don't actually want Kenji to come over anymore. And that was a huge pain point that played out in season 2. I was not expecting them to hold on to that as long as they did. The delivery from Nishijima when he tells Kenji, “I know you're hurting over this,” was so good.

24:57 - Season 2: Mortality, Family, and Hets

Ben

Let's talk about Season 2, NiNI. What were the big things for season 2 that stuck out to you as sort of the big ideas?

NiNi

There was a definite throughline about mortality. There's a lot of death, and discussions around death, and inheritance, and family, and the next generation, and what happens when you are gone. That really sort of permeated the second season. But not in a melancholy way, more in like a contemplative way, a way that makes you think about who are the people who are important to you? What do they need? What do you want to share with them? What do you want them to have of you when you're gone? What matters about your relationship with them now? Those are the kinds of themes that the show used that runner to explore. 

Themes of moving forward and growing up in certain ways, because one of the things about Shiro that comes to the fore at work, Shiro is the kind of person who has avoided too much responsibility at work. He's avoided being promoted. He took the job that he took because he would be able to leave work on time and go home and have dinner. 

This is culturally related as well, because he's seen as a little feckless at work because he's not married, because Shiro’s not out at work, at all. He is becoming more out in other aspects of his life, but he is completely not out at work. So as far as anybody at work is concerned, Shiro’s a single man, and the idea of a single man of Shiro's age in Japanese society and culture. It's seen as him being sort of flighty and irresponsible, which is the opposite of Shiro, which is just so funny to me. 

One of the things that he does this season, because of the nature of what they're trying to explore through this idea of mortality, is that he starts taking on more responsibility at work. His boss tells him that she wants to retire and she wants him to run the law firm. This is something he would have never agreed to, never even considered before now, but because he's in a place where he feels stable and secure in his life, things are good with him and Kenji, he is coming to an accord about things with his parents. He feels stable, he feels like his life is good, and so he's more willing to take on that additional responsibility at work. 

I found that to be a really interesting part of this season, how the discussions of mortality threaded its way through the season and manifested in different ways. What about you? What are some of the things that you took away from this season?

Ben

Before I get into that, I really want to follow up on one of the things you mentioned about Shiro taking on this responsibility at work. This was a runner because it comes up about four times this season. I like that the thing that finally pushes Shiro over the edge is Kenji taking on more responsibility at work. Once he realized that Kenji was going to be a manager, and wasn't going to be home at normal times anymore, and was embracing this new responsibility in his life, that inspired Shiro to also do that as well. I really like that it was Kenji just accepting this sort of thing and being brave about it, that pushed Shiro. And I like how Shiro did it because he wanted to also help Osamu. 

You get the sense that Shiro intentionally took a job in this law firm because he wanted to work in a small law firm where there wasn't a lot of room for growth and promotion, where they wouldn’t be constantly expecting him to take on more responsibility and deal with juniors coming up underneath him. He wanted to work in a small family law firm where the mom had a son who was intended to inherit and take charge of the firm so he wouldn't be expected to. You get the sense that he was surprised that he was asked to take on partnership in this, but it ends up being something that's positive for all of them because he likes and respects Osamu. But Osamu's passion is criminal defense law, which is not very lucrative for their firm, but it's what Osamu's passionate about. 

We got to see Shiro and Osamu work together this season, and that this is not something that Osamu is being, sort of half-assed about. He got super worked up for one of their clients. I think in the first season, I thought of him as maybe a little lazy, being able to take it easy because it's his mom’s firm and Shiro’s really determined, but it was really nice to see that Osamu had his own backbone as a lawyer about things that were really important to him, that he wanted to do professionally. And some of that involves him not necessarily being hands on with the firm as he's not as good about these things. 

I really liked that Shiro is able to extend his tendency to want to help people in a more accessible way this season. He gets so scared about the gay thing that he just ends up hiding from so many people. I really enjoyed seeing Shiro be more flexible this season. He took the fact that his vision is getting worse almost completely in stride. [laughs] Even though he was so grumpy about having to spend a bunch of money on lenses. 

I actually liked the through line about how they're getting older and things are changing. I liked that the first episode this season was about them having to change grocery stores because Nakamuraya closed, and that was devastating for Shiro. That was the grocery store that he liked and trusted the most, and he had to go and find a new grocery. Thankfully, we find the same clerk at that one who is still helping them out. Speaking of her, we mentioned her earlier. I love that she has a completely distinct relationship with Kenji and Shiro, where Kenji’s like, “She talks to me all the time! She's great!” and Shiro’s just like, “What? She only ever glares at me.” 

[both laugh]

NiNi

She speaks to him one time in the entire show.

Ben

I love it.

NiNi

That's when he goes to the grocery store and she sees him in his glasses for the first time and he's self-conscious about them. And when she sees him, he takes them off really quickly and she goes, “I think they really suit you,” and that was it.

Ben

I love it. [laughs] I almost cried! I was like, yes!

NiNi

I was like that's your friend! She cares about you! [laughs]

Ben

I think she also commented once this season that the fish is actually good at the new store. She actually protected Shiro once. She was being told to go around and mark a bunch of sketchy food off that needed to go, and she saw Shiro eyeing her with the sale button, and she didn't put it on the food that she didn't think was gonna be safe for them to eat because she knew Shiro wouldn't take it if it wasn't on sale. [laughs]

I really liked in this season how Shiro was really trying to accept that things were changing in their lives. I love Shiro accepting that Kenji was going to take on this role of manager after the whole thing with the philanderer friend of Kenji's, whose wife, now that their daughter has graduated, was like, “I'm leaving this man. I can't be with him anymore.” And then he decides to fuck off to Vietnam, and so Kenji's left running the store. 

I like that Shiro accepted that they're getting older and that their food needs and eating habits are changing. That Shiro, despite his determination to save up as much as possible for their futures by being really pragmatic about their food budget, and probably other things in their lives as well, because he and Kenji never seemed to buy a lot of new things or go shopping a lot. Shiro increased their food budget in response to inflation and in response to the fact that Kenji’s cholesterol was maybe a little high, and wanting to make sure that Kenji ate the right food so that he would stay healthy. 

I really liked the final conversation with Shiro's parents where they talk about how they want to make sure that Kenji is in their will, that they accept him as Shiro’s other half. That they chided him not to fuck things up with Kenji.

NiNi

That they found a columbarium that would have enough space so that Kenji could be with them.

Ben

Right, and Kenji took this as the peace offering it was from Shiro's mom and started thinking about himself as the beloathed daughter-in-law. [laughs]

NiNi

It's so funny because this is basically Shiro's mom saying literally over my dead body, but in a nice way, like. 

[both laugh]

“Over my dead body,” but that's the acceptance? It was just so funny because all the things she's talking about, the columbarium, the inheritance, it's all well after I'm dead. But she's fine with it? Basically? This is the way that she's chosen to accept him. And he immediately understands that and he takes it absolutely in the spirit in which it's meant.

Ben

I love the way that they do it is the only way that Shiro and his family could. “Well, it's very cost effective for us to buy into this together right now. They're having a sale, so.” 

I really like that his parents were very stern with him about it, but they're like, “We're not going to move to the nursing home that's closer to you because it's more expensive. “We will deal with the hassle of being further from you because you're 50 now. We don't know how much longer we're going to be around, but if we're here for a long time, we want to make sure that there's something for you to have to make sure that you're okay as well.” And I liked how Shiro had to learn to accept that from his parents, not as a knock against him for being a bad son, but as for them trying to do right by him as his parents. I thought that was a really significant move from the show, considering how much the idea is that the kids are supposed to put everything they can into taking care of their parents as they get older. I thought it was really inspired for aging parents to be like, “No, we wanna make sure that we are not a burden to you in our final twilight years.”

NiNi

The relationship between Shiro and his parents is so fascinating from the very beginning of the show up until this bit that we've seen so far. Not just in terms of the way that they are learning and growing, and finding ways to accept who their son is, and he in his own way, finding his ways to accept who they are without losing himself. 

The structure of their relationship is also so culturally interesting to me. It just feels very Japanese. I don't know how else to explain it, the way that they deal with each other, the way that his dad never lets Shiro pay for anything for them, just things like that. His parents are so traditional. For a long part of the show, his mother would only wear kimono. It's only later on in the show that she stops wearing kimono all the time.

Ben

It's a really subtle thing with the costuming choice, but every time that she takes a step forward, she's not wearing traditional clothes.

NiNi

The dynamic is also interesting because Kenji's relationship with his family is so different than Shiro's relationship with his family.

Ben

Oh, let's talk about that episode, since you brought up Kenji's mom and sisters.

NiNi

So Kenji is the only son of a single mother, and he has two younger sisters. His family is very comfortable with Kenji being gay, with everything around that. He is very open with his family, he talks to them about Shiro all the time, but still his family have never met Shiro. With all the death-flagging that was going on around this season, his mom was just like. “Oh well, I, I want to meet your Shiro,” and he immediately starts panicking. He's like, “Are you dying?” 

So they have the meet up. Shiro picks this really nice restaurant for them to meet up. He's very considerate and thoughtful about how he chooses the restaurant in terms of what distance they'll have to go, and he wants it to be a nice experience.

Ben

It’s also the restaurant that Oo-sensei took him to the first time when he started working at the firm.

NiNi

Yep, he picks the restaurant with a lot of things in mind, basically. And so they have this lovely meal, and then Kenji's mom explains why she wanted to meet him. A friend of hers, her son died, and she started thinking about what would happen if Kenji died and Kenji's like, “What the hell?” and she's like, “No, no, no. Just listen to me.” But basically, she didn't want it to be a situation where, if anything happened to Kenji, that Shiro would not be able to stand with them as Kenji's family. So she figured at the very least if they met once, then they're not strangers and Shiro has the right, then, to stand with them if anything happens to Kenji, and mourn him as part of the family, basically.

Ben

That was so touching. I legit sobbed after that episode ended. [laughs] I'm getting hot right now thinking about it. That was such an incredible episode. Oh my God.

NiNi

It was so much. Kenji's family is so the opposite of Shiro’s family. They're teasing and they're chattering a mile a minute.

Ben

They're leaving the restaurant and his sisters and trying to take the receipt from Kenji so that they can pay part of their share and he's like, “Go away. Stop it. I'm the oldest. Let me do this.”

NiNi

It's a very different dynamic than Shiro’s family, and it's not one that Shiro’s necessarily entirely comfortable with yet, because he's so much more stoic than Kenji is. But he is starting to lean into it a little bit. He's still kind of on the outside of things in that regard, but they're teasing him and he's doing his little shy smile thing. He's not entirely comfortable with them yet, but you can see how he will possibly get there. I don't think he'll ever be the one who's teasing back, but he will become comfortable with them. You can see it. And that's what Kenji's mom wanted. That's the ball whe wanted to start rolling. She wants Shiro to feel like family with them. 

There's so much of that in this season. This season is just emotional hits after emotional hits in that regard. There's so much about family, and caring for people. Like, thoughtfully caring for people, not just absentmindedly caring for people, which is a big thing for me. Putting thought into how you care about somebody, and how you show that care for somebody, it's a big, big thing for me and something I enjoy seeing.

Ben

I really like how this season made me get super invested in a bunch of heterosexual characters. Like I ended up super invested in Osamu and his desire to become a prosecutorial educator for criminal defense attorneys. That was a big deal for him that he really wanted to take on this educator role, even if it didn't pay well, because it was really important to. 

I got weirdly invested in the sort of flaky hairdresser. The other guy who works at Kenji's shop, and his relationship with his girlfriend who can't cook.

NiNi

Incredible. So incredible. I love that so much.

Ben

There are so many layers to this whole thing.

NiNi

And the fact that you thought it was just a one-off thing, but then later in the season it comes back.

Ben

Oh my God. So, Kenji is invited to hang out with one of his coworkers, and Kenji at first is nervous. Like, “Is this hot young guy trying to get me into his house? I'm a married woman, sir!” and he's super nervous about what the hell is going on? But it's—like his colleague’s really intent on him coming over, and he talks about his girlfriend, about how they didn't work out because she couldn't really cook that well. He didn't like her food, and then one night he just got tired of it and made a really nice pasta, and she got super upset about this because she tries so hard to fill this role that she feels like she's supposed to, but she's just not a good cook. And she's never gotten the experience of someone enjoying her food, and they just didn't work out. 

I'm like, okay, well, that was a really cool story, but it’s a little bit sad. And then five episodes later in episode 9, we get the reveal that he missed her and they tried to work it out. And he tried to teach her how to cook more effectively. And then he decided to settle on baking. Somebody who’s such a stickler for details as her, “salt to taste” as an instruction does not work for her. So she picks up baking and ends up being really good at it, and then she has this moment where she gets to react to the first time of seeing someone smile and enjoy the food she made. And, besties, I ugly cried.

NiNi

It was a Capital M Moment. 

Ben and Nini [in unison]

It was so good! [both laugh]

NiNi

I wept. I wept! It was so beautiful. And you now see that they figured it out. They figured it out through food!

Ben

The biggest thing about What Did You Eat Yesterday? is it is the kindest show.

43:10 - WDYEY is So Gay and Found Family

Ben

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is so explicitly gay. Everything about this show is gay. The fact that Shiro doesn't want to be a super successful, high-powered lawyer is unusual. He does not fit the mold of a traditional Japanese man, despite all of the other things about him. He's just so unusual as a Japanese man that despite all of his attempts to closet himself, he ends up looking weirder to people the longer this goes on. It's so awful for guys like Shiro. 

For Kenji, everybody's gonna clock his ass right away, but Shiro’s not going to get clocked right away. And so often the fact that he doesn't get clocked makes him seem creepy to people. Like, there's that whole moment in the first season with the apprentice lawyer that gets assigned to him for a while, where that interaction ends up kind of a mess because Shiro's misreading signals from her, doesn't want her glomming onto him too much, and ends up accidentally really upsetting the girl by making her think he was trying to hit on her. 

Oo-sensei is like, “Shiro, what are you doing? You've been a bachelor the 20 years I've known you. What the hell is going on? Please do better.” [laughs] And it sucks because he's doing so good, but he won't tell her exactly that. 

Oh my God. Speaking of her. I love her so much. She got Shiro a portable induction burner.

NiNi

I want one. I absolutely want one of those.

Ben

They are so fucking useful. You can cook stuff on your dinner table without worrying that the whole fucking table’s gonna burst into flames. 

She lies to Shiro that she got it as a gift from someone else, and she's just trying to downsize some of her stuff, cause she's realized she's getting old and has too much shit in her house. And so she's like, “Yeah, Shiro, I need you to take care of this for me so that I can get rid of it.” “Well, I guess if I have to do a favor, it would be rude not to accept the gift under these conditions.” I love her so much. She can do no wrong. She is my favorite.

NiNi

She knows him so well. I wouldn't be surprised if she has already dialed in to what's going on.

Ben

She absolutely knows.

NiNi

I think she knows he's gay.

Ben

She also knows that he eats with someone. She asked very politely in the first season if he has someone to share meals with, and Shiro said yes, and she just said very good. That was very tactful, ma'am. I approve. 

Let’s talk about Kyoko a little bit, because we haven't talked about Kayoko much.

NiNi

I was just about to say all the women around Shiro are so great and Kayoko is definitely one of the greatest. Sorry, before we get into her, I just love the way that she ran into Kenji at the grocery store and acted like she was meeting BTS or something. [laughs]

Ben

She was so excited to meet Kenji, and Kenji's like, “Huh? What do you want?” I also like that Kenji was low-key kind of bitchy [laughs] at the grocery store with this weird woman rolling up on him. We see the version of Kenji where he is home with the man he loves and is loud about it all the time, or we see him at work where he is ON for his clientele. It was so refreshing to see Kenji as just another dude in a grocery store being like, “Why the fuck is this woman looking at me like that?”

NiNi

[Laughs] It was so delightful. I love Kayoko as a character. She doesn't pop up a whole lot, but every time she does, it's truly a delight. 

Her main story in this season is she and her husband finally, finally getting to meet Kenji, and they're both so excited about it. And it's this whole event. When Shiro and Kenji go over there, Kayoko’s husband is talking Kenji's ear off and wants to know everything. Everything! He wants to know how they met. He wants to know everything about them. They're just so enthused about their friend's partner, because they know that this is somebody that Shiro loves, and they love Shiro. So they want to love whoever Shiro loves.

Ben

It's really fascinating with the way some of these dynamics play out. Kohinata and Shiro have been friends with Kayoko and her husband for years. Kohinata even longer. But they've never met either of their partners. Shiro has talked so much about Kenji that they feel they know him. But it's notable that it seems like there's this sort of line they can't cross and say, “I would like to meet him.” There appears to be some sort of etiquette line that everyone's toeing here, where they want to meet Kenji. It's impolite to ask. It means that there's some sort of gap in their closeness. 

But they are just so happy that Kenji's finally showing up. They have this little dinner party together. And what is his name? Let me pull up his name real quick. Tominaga-san. He is so enamored with Kenji. He is resting his hand on his chin. He is batting his eyelashes at Kenji, he is like, “Please tell us. Tell us the story of how you met Shiro.” 

It was fun for us as the audience because Kenji immediately begins retelling the story we heard Kenji say to Wataru and Kohinata in season one, and so we know the story, and so we can roll our eyes with Shiro when he says he looks like Kaiba Ryu again. And Shiro’s like, “Okay, whatever, bro.” 

[both laugh]

City Hunter. It was so much fun. 

One of the things I really like this season: we got a sense of the relationship between Wataru and Kohinata, that Wataru had a crush on Kohinata when Wataru was still very much a minor, and Kohinata basically refused to acknowledge it for like five to eight years because he thought it was inappropriate. That Wataru was so gay that he was basically disowned by his own family. That's a really painful thing for the two of them. I was really glad that we got some insight into those details. I also like that Shiro and Kenji were doing the math on their relationship and they were like, “Wait, hold the fuck up, bro.”

NiNi

They were like, “Hold the phone. What did you? What?” He's like, “No, no, no. Nothing happened until he was old enough.” And they're all like, “But still!”

[both laugh]

That is something that felt very gay to me.

Ben

That was very real. I was like, “Ohh, gurl.”

NiNi

I have friends who are with people that they met when they were in high school, who were much older and they're still with them now. Now that they're in their late 30s and 40s it’s not so scandalous, but they've been together a long time.

Ben

Yeah, absolutely.

NiNi

That felt very gay to me.

50:54 - Let’s Talk About The Food

NiNi

This show is so good! It's so enjoyable, and we haven't even started talking about the food yet. Oh my God. The food on this show.

Ben

What are some of the favorite things you've seen made on the show?

NiNi

Mmmm…Shiro did something. He made, I think it was a version of khao man gai with chicken thighs in the rice cooker. I looked at that and I immediately thought, “I have got to try that.” That and the sushi pizza.

Ben

I have made Shiro's lasagna.

NiNi

How was it?

Ben

It's very good. His steps are really traditional. I think that's the big thing I learned when I've been copying some of his stuff. Shiro’s cooking food that you would find in like a basic recipe you would find somewhere else. What Shiro’s really good at is balancing his time for all the dishes he needs to make so that you have all of the four or five side dishes he wants to have every time you sit down, which I don't like to do. That's too many dishes. [laughs]

NiNi

That's very much Japanese cooking, though.

Ben

Five different bowls per person. Hell to the no. I am a Creole food home cook. It's all going in one fucking pot.

NiNi

[laughs] They do some one pot stuff sometimes, though. It's really good.

Ben

They do! Like, they have curry.

NiNi

They have curry and the same thing, the same khao man gai that I was just talking about as well. That was all done in the rice cooker, basically.

Ben

I liked that pasta that Kayoko made. I haven't made it yet, but I think about that one every time it's hot. I really liked that slapped together sushi that Shiro put together when Kenji's friends were coming over.

NiNi

That was good. I am also, like Shiro, not good at hot oil, so I paid very close attention to the tempura recipe to see if maybe I would have the wherewithal and the bravery to try it at some point.

Ben

I like that Shiro, despite being really determined about his own skills, how easily he collaborates with other people in the kitchen. I thought Shiro would be the kind of cook who was difficult to cook around, but he shares space in his kitchen so easily with Kayoko and Kohinata and Kenji when they help him out. Shiro admits that he's not very comfortable cooking with oil. Like, he's not very good at doing tempura, and he let Kayoko teach him when they hung out again. I like that he's willing to learn from other people. 

I liked in the movie when Kohinata and Wataru's fridge went out, and they brought a bunch of food over to them, they had like a mini feast and brought some stuff for them to save. They invited Kayoko over to help them make some stuff. In this season, they were like, we really want to get these special type of cheesy pancakes and Kohinata and he are just working through the recipe together, which let us have a really cool moment where Wataru seems like he's also starting to mellow out a little bit. He's just vibing with Kenji and they're gossiping about their boyfriends with each other.

NiNi

I love that demon twink.

Ben

[Laughs] He is a demon twink. He's like, “Is Shiro turning 50?” He convinces his well meaning rich boyfriend to send like a whole party package to them with a big ass balloon saying congratulations on 50.

NiNi

I don't know how well meaning Kohinata was? Because in that same episode, where they're making the pancakes, he says, “I'm so sorry about the 50 balloon,” and he looks Shiro dead in the eye in this kind of way. [laughs]

Ben

But that's not Kohinata being aggressive. That's Kohinata being alarmingly earnest. He very much needs to see you forgive him in that moment. It's the same thing that happened when Wataru kicked him out with the clams thing.

NiNi

The way that I read it, because Kohinata is very into his fitness, right? He looks good. He's very toned and muscular. He exercises a lot. He's got a great body. He doesn't look anything like whatever age he is. And while Shiro looks good for his age, Shiro does not look like Kohinata. And Kohinata’s very proud of his body. He shows it off, like the things that he wears, and all those kinds of things. So I just thought there was just him being a little bitchy as well, but in a nice way because he's Kohinata.

Ben

I’m gonna think about that. I’m gonna rewatch it and see how I feel about it with that in mind. I don't think that's what he's doing. I don't think that's who he is, but I’m gonna think about it.

NiNi

But yeah, it's not just the food. The food always looks good and I'm always like, “I gotta try that. I gotta try that. I gotta try that.” But just the process of watching them cook in this show, the way that it's filmed, it feels very comfortable. It feels like you could actually make these meals. It doesn't feel over complicated. It doesn't feel stressful. It feels like just this calm time in the kitchen and it makes you feel like you could do it, too.

Ben

We've talked to Japanese friends of ours that mention that the food Shiro makes is actually very simple and normal for Japanese people. He's not doing anything spectacular with the food, but that's also, I think, part of the charm. He's doing something really normal really earnestly every day as a way to let his partner know that he still matters to him.

56:36 - Final Thoughts (And A Moment to Drag Nobu)

Ben

This is my favorite show, and it will probably always end up being my favorite show. I say a lot that as much as I like BL, I like the silly little stories about gay boys falling in love with each other. I really do appreciate stories about gay boys staying together. That's why I'm really glad that we're seeing more sequels. We talked about this in an earlier episode this year, I believe, how we feel about sequels, and I do want them to keep trying to tell stories about gay people trying to make their lives work. I really like that this show keeps coming back and has more things to say—that it feels like everyone grew between both shows. 

By the end of season 2, we know that Shiro and Kenji have been together for at least eight years. I really like how they feel older. It's been almost five years since the first show released, and Nishijima and Uchino have changed in that time, and it was really cool to see the two of them exploring what it means to get older through these characters as well. There is room in this genre to tell stories about beloved couples growing together, and I am so glad that we have such a high bar of a show to refer to when we tell people we want that.

NiNi

You're talking about having this show to refer to, and refer to it you do, sir.

Ben

I do.

[both laugh]

NiNi

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this show is watching other shows come behind it in the same spirit, but not trying to do the exact same thing. Two in particular that really have felt like they came off the spirit of this show were Our Dining Table and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat. I want to see more shows in this general vein.

Ben

We called episode 6 of Tokyo in April Is… the What Did You Eat Yesterday? homage episode. There's a moment in I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama that we called the What Did You Eat Yesterday? moment where we thought that one actor was channeling Uchino's performance as Kenji when he was enjoying the curry that he was eating.

NiNi

As you said that, watching Kenji eat the food is almost as much fun as watching Shiro prepare the food.

Ben

We got some manga insights from our friend, Turtles. We were hoping to bring her on for this episode, but she's so busy. I love you, girl, but we gotta find a better time to work with you. She talked about how when they first moved in together—they didn't capture this in the show—Kenji was not as animated about enjoying Shiro's food, and Shiro got a little bit stressed about that, because Shiro's trying to communicate that he cares about Kenji through the food and he wasn't receiving a lot of feedback for that. Kenji picks up on this and starts being more animated and more forthright about enjoying the food because he knows it's important to Shiro. 

Speaking of partners recognizing what's important to Shiro, let's talk about that motherfucker that Shiro used to live with.

NiNi

Oh my God. Nobu. Oh my God, what the hell?

Ben

I hate that man so much.

NiNi

He's so cruel. It is shitty behavior—absolutely shitty behavior—to not acknowledge and be grateful for somebody cooking for you. I don't care if you like the food or not. If somebody puts effort into cooking for you, you at the very least say thank you.

Ben

And when you use a shared kitchen, you clean up after yourself, goddamn.

NiNi

Cannot stand that character. The actor that they got to play him was so good, though, I really hated his face. Like—

[both laugh]

Ben

It’s the same episode we talked about earlier with the washing machine continually getting clogged and not draining properly. This happened years ago when Nobu was still living with Shiro. Nobu didn't offer to help at all. He was just like, “Clean this up right away before you cause problems for the people underneath us and they want us to pay for it.” And it's like, bro, this is his fucking house. And then he's like, “Whatever, I'm leaving. I'm gonna get me some chicken.” And I'm like, brah, you going to Popeyes right now? Come on now.

NiNi

And you're not even going to the Popeyes for the two of us.

Ben

That's the thing, too! It's not like he realized that Shiro was gonna be dealing with a pretty serious headache, and he's like, “Well, I'm gonna go get some cleaning supplies, and I'm gonna pick up some chicken on the way back.” He comes back like, like, “Oh, so you're still dealing with this. I'm hungry. You need to make some food, too.” I hate that man, so much.

NiNi

It really gives you an understanding, though, of how much Shiro has grown, because part of Shiro’s growing has been learning to love and accept himself. And you could tell in that flashback that Shiro did not love himself, and how much Kenji becoming a part of his life has encouraged him to love himself. 

One of the things that I noticed about the flashback with Nobu is how he shrank. He didn't argue with him. He was thinking things in his head, but he didn't argue with Nobu. He just kind of shrank away, and he would never do that with Kenji. He will always fight it out with Kenji, and I really appreciate that. Not only does he feel comfortable in this relationship, but he is also becoming more comfortable with himself. I thought that was a really neat sort of juxtaposition to see how Shiro used to be and how far he's come.

Ben

What I want to reiterate, after musing on it so much, is how genuinely special it is to have an episodic show about the lives of gay people in our list of shows to recommend to people.

NiNi

You know I'm not so much on the recommends as you are, but I will sit and watch this show anytime, any day, anywhere, starting at any point. I will watch one episode. I will watch seven episodes. I will skip around in time. I'll watch the movie. Because for me it's about just sitting and having that moment with these characters that I love. It's like a warm hug. I like this show, I love this show. Long may it reign. Hopefully they come back again. Not too far away. 

If I'm talking about a thesis statement of how I feel about this show, it is that What Did You Eat Yesterday? is a show about just going along through life with the person that you love. And that's all it is. There's nothing more to it. It's very simple, but in that simplicity there is so much.

Ben

I really hope we get to talk about this show again. I really hope that Uchino and Nishijima and friends are able to come back together for this show again. I will totally understand and respect if they can't, or don't. But I really hope they do! [laughs]

NiNi

I hope that we get What Did You Eat Yesterday? episodes every other year for the next decade.

Ben

If you have not yet watched What Did You Eat Yesterday? It is available on GagaOOlala. Please go watch it. I hope you enjoy it. If you are a member of our pod team and you are reading this transcript—[NiNi laughs]—and you've still not watched this show, I am begging you, please watch this show.

NiNi

She's gonna get a kick out of that. 

[both laugh]

Right, so that is going to wrap us up on Om-nom-nom, our What Did You Eat Yesterday? episode. We out. Say bye to the people, Ben.

Ben

Peace.

[midnight1nk]

this week's episode...

Mr Puzzles Clubhouse

[Spoilers below cut, modified images to timestamps]

Guys, I'm terrified. I can make as many predictions and theories to my heart's content but even I don't know what's in store for us.

If you guys have or haven't been on Twitter, Shadow made a post saying this:

Shadow: I feel very excited today for whatever reason, #smg4 community. What about all of you? ;)

Shadow, you can't say these things a few hours before the episode is released what am I supposed to THINK

(the following is my live-time reaction:)

it's incredibly funny that the show is poking fun at the people comparing the show and the showgrounds to mickey clubhouse (and of course, twitter being twitter *sigh*)

[00:17] I KNEW HE WAS GONNA THINK BACK TO THAT BATTLE

[00:25] it is kinda strange that he would hold a grudge against Melony, Saiko, and Karen but I guess you can argue that since they are part of the crew, Mr Puzzles would associate them for being part of his downfall. It's kinda how when you know this one bad person and then you see their friends and believe "oh, they must be bad too for them to be around this person". Not to say that is what everyone thinks, but it's what some people do. For Puzzles, it's an "everyone's to blame" kind of deal.

[00:36] :(

LOVE the new expressions OMG (couldn't get all of them, sorry)

also love that the episode included a lot of characters from underrated movies!!!

[01:39] designer clothes, huh? who's your tailor, Puzzles?

[02:28] holy shit, that is seriously a good model of mickey! whoever made it, props to them cuz he is so expressive (it's probably not from the crew but either way still props)

[02:57] you know didney is a complete dumpster fire right now when Mr Puzzles of all people doesn't want to join whatever mickey is up to

[03:51] (*reading this frame*) ...upside-down nose disease...eyebrowitis... pausing to read— OH FOR MEME'S SAKE

also don't think I didn't see bill cipher hidden on that contract

[03:59] Mr Puzzles: Well... A professional, such as myself, has... standards! Y'know? And looking at the state of your precious Didney... It's not worth my time.

DAMNNNNNN

[04:57] "It's a re-remake" ...puzzlevision 2? okay i'll stop

[05:20] wow how in every universe, mickey and minny are a lovey-dovey couple

[05:27] i know this has been a fact for a long time, but with the inside out 2 news coming to light, this really hits

(but also smg4:inside out??? 👀)

[05:50] WALL-E! EVE!! oh, it's one of my all-time favorite movies... wait... did they see us make wall-e AUs of smg34 and marware....

[06:26] i guess every entertainer has a rating label, huh...

[06:43] KINGDOM HEARTS MENTION

[07:02] "engine room" oh, so that's what the other side of that door. We solved that mystery, gang, pack it up!

[07:31] Mr Puzzles: "The most... important?" 👀HMMMMMMMMMM🤔

[08:00] GUY GUYS GUYS THE CARNIVAL OMGGGGG

[08:24] ATTENTION EVERYONE WE HAVE A CONFIRMED PARENT I REPEAT MR PUZZLES HAS A DAD

Okay so, Puzzles did have at least a parent back then. They were strolling by outside the park so it didn't seem Puzzles was taken there at all to have some fun. And his dad doesn't support his dream at all. now we don't know when exactly in Puzzles' past does this takes place, if he's in the early stages of his TV obsession, or if this was the event that pushed Little Puzzles to start his obsession.

Either way, because of this, Little Puzzles turned to the TV for guidance and inspiration. If his dad can't support his dream and without any friends, then all he has is himself... and the screen in front of him. Seeing the creativity shown on TV, the answer must be there somewhere... right?

[09:23] ...I should've seen this coming I SHOULD'VE

and yep, it's all because of his dad [*sad sigh*] damn Puzzles can't catch a break, huh.

also the red face is back!!! [*chanting*] eye of ra! eye of ra!

also also thank you Puzzles for getting rid of that rat

[10:27 - 55] Mr Puzzles: "Let's get to work!" [*theme from the "Friends on the Other Side" plays*]

😨

...how did...I literally said this in my "WOTFI 2024 Predictions Revisited" post:

Will we get goop!4? God, I wish. I was listening to "Friends on the Other Side" and I was just imagining scenarios of Mr Puzzles taking complete control of Four with the goo. If it doesn't happen for whatever reason, I'll write it myself.

...do they know...?

Ink, it's a didney villain song. it's just a coincidence.

Sure, maybe. I'm just gonna hide under my desk, just in case...

:) ← mentally unwell

[11:00] consider my gasted flabbered

I'm just waiting for Marty to come up on screen and be like "I too have a grudge for the SMG4 crew, let's work together"

[11:10 - 12] A crew? 😨 LEGGY?

[12:09 - 13:00] just this conversation between Meggy and Mr Puzzles is just *chef's kiss*

(why could I just imagine Puzzles having a similar conversation with Four?)

[13:33] [*hearing Meggy's screams*] 😨 mom I'm scared...

[13:48] Mr Puzzles: "Those fools won't see it coming..."

Me, a theorist: "Surprise me then. Do it. You won't."

[14:06] lastly, congrats to Fakerbingus for being featured at the credits ����

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

That... was an incredible episode! Wig? Snatched. Flabber? Gasted. Mom's? Spaghetti! The voice-acting, the bits of animation, the storytelling! 10/10 for me!

Mr Puzzles being TERRIFYING and UNHINGED, I LOVE IT! I feel horrible for Meggy, oh my god. We need to get the whole crew into therapy, like seriously. TRAUMA after TRAUMA. It's nice to see some more of Puzzles lore but I wish we had a little bit more, y'know? Having his dad being one of the catalysts of his troubles is good, but I think we need that extra push to show that yes, Little Puzzles really lost himself at such a young age. "This is what sent him over the edge of his obsession". I'm sure we're going to get a bit more in upcoming episodes but I suppose this is a start.

No Marty, which is surprising, and again, he might be in the next one. Like I said before in my previous theories, the two are likely to work together. "A businessman and an entertainer." And with Karen being in the picture for this year's WOTFI, there is still a chance!

Well, we might have to change some things, that the WOTFI carnival would take place in what is formerly Didney Worl and not the Showgrounds. With what I said in my last review, the whole "carnival coming to the Showgrounds" thing could literally mean the crew receiving those tickets and not take it in the literal sense. We can't rely on the posts on all social media platforms of the crew holding their ticket were taken at the same time frame as the episodes take place. For all we know, the previous episodes happened in the past, before those pictures were taken. WHICH could explain why Meggy wasn't in the picture. Lots to think about for sure... 🤔

Anyways, my dear fellows, it's time to get scared of what's about to come. New WOTFI rap, someone might get sacrificed. Goop!Four? I don't even know anymore. We're getting closer and closer to my predictions coming true, so let's hide under the blanket and hold on to our plushies i guess.

No website change, that I know of. I'm looking over all the recent posts from the people working on the show and they're just TEASING us at this point, THEY CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!!

I don't even know what the next episode is going to be about, we would just have to wait and see.

but like seriously,

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT EPISODE?

/pos

(but also scared?!?!?!)

[lynmars79]

Midst Season 3 Eps 14 & 15 Time Comparisons

Cuz I just really needed to see certain lines and events as Saskia's doubling really gets a work out here, as the narrators also play with their foreshadowing and narrative doubling, and I am desperate to know how it's going to resolve (I had to pace for awhile after finishing "Breach"). For everyone else, but especially Saskia, all things considered. I may know by the time this posts the morning ep 15 goes public, but I wouldn't be surprised if that question is left hanging for a few more weeks.

I'll put the transcriptions of the images' content under the cuts (since I cannot put the words into the columns), but they are 2 side by side document images, with timestamps taken from the videos on the main site, of episodes "Shindig" and "Breach", including their taglines and run times. Certain lines in each transcript are bolded.

Shindig Transcript “Life is a cabaret, old chum.” Episode length: 26:55

33 secs through 1:08: Narrator 3: That’s not to say that Saskia’s own inner torment and agony have dwindled. Indeed, if anything, she is at maximum rebellion, and is real, real hoppin’ mad, and sad, and betrayed. Narrator 2: But she’s putting on a brave face, with her Midst face, and true to her word has said nothing to anyone about her new moon knowledge. Nobody needs to know that here tonight. Her other self… we don’t need to worry about her just yet. But putting on nice parties for her community has always made her feel better.

1:48 through 1:59: Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Let’s get this party started! Wait, oops…” Narrator 1: She looks around for a second, wondering which one of her bodies that was. Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Did I say that here or there? Shit. Well, works either way. Anyway…”

3:00: Narrator 3: We’re all back at the Black Candle Cabaret you guys! It’s so wholesome. It’s basically late afternoon and unlight streams in through the open door and windows.

3:30: Narrator 1: Everyone is back together again. Well, almost everyone.

4:17: (Narrator 1) And many, many others. All here, all alive, and together. Narrator 2: Goddamn, this town’s been through a lot.

(Emmet’s toasts, “Fuck Moc Weepe”, dancing begins)

12:43 through 12:51: Narrator 2: Within moments, the floor of the cabaret is absolutely on fire. Narrator 3: With dancing, not with fire. That would be bad. Narrator 2: That WOULD be bad.

14:33 through 15:00: Narrator 3: (Sherman) “I wish both of, uh, you, were home, too.” Narrator 1: Tzila glances skyward at this comment. (Tzila) “Yeah, what are you doing up there right now, Saskia? Are you with Lark and Phineas? What’s going on?” Narrator 2: (Saskia) “It’s, uh, well, if you don’t mind, I’d just rather focus on what’s here right now. Let’s pretend I’m not anywhere else, just for tonight. If anything important happens, I’ll fill you in later.”

16:47: Narrator 3: Saskia has that way of looking at everything all at once. Narrator 2: Even moreso now.

17:38: Narrator 2: Saskia smiles at (Sherman). He sees her affection for it all, but he also sees a great deal of pain underneath all that.

18:53: Narrator 3: (Sherman) “Maybe we can all stay.” Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Maybe we can.”

19:57 through 24:17: Town rounds through That Damn Moon Mining Song. 20:19 is Saskia’s verse, following Goe’s opening. She passes it to Ettie.

24:18 through 24:42: Narrator 3: As the town works their way through their verses, Saskia takes a moment to slip off on her own. [The singing and party sounds recede into the background as the scene transitions outdoors. Cricket ambiance.] Narrator 2: The party’s in full swing now. Her work is done. Narrator 3: She’s an excellent host. Narrator 2: She gratefully takes a seat on the stoop out front of the cabaret, takes her heels off. Emotions are very high. Narrator 3: This has been a beautiful, difficult night.

24:48: Narrator 2: Stationary Hill glimmers in the desert night before her. A warm, fold-safe glow emanates from the cabaret behind.

25:09: Narrator 1: Sherman examines Saskia. She looks tired. He can scarcely imagine what it’s like to be here, but to still be up THERE at the same time. No wonder she’s exhausted. Narrator 2: She’s been through a lot.

25:56 through 26:18 Narrator 2: Saskia, who had been a little lost in thought just now, returns to herself and looks clearly at Sherman. Narrator 3: Really looks at him, a remarkable rarity, taking him in. She gives him a tiny smile and shakes her head. Narrator 2: (Saskia) “It’s okay,” she says quietly. “You go on without me.” Narrator 3: And he does, returning to his daughter, giving Saskia a moment alone.

(End)

-

Breach Transcript “Trickle-down economics.” Episode length: 43:55

43 seconds: (First mention of Saskia) Narrator 1: And a stunning blonde dreamy-eyed assistant who’s pushing a handcart of official-looking Trust-stamped Valor and Caenum sacks, one of each.

3:06: Narrator 1: Ms. Ledge and Saskia offer up the two bags for inspection.

8:39 through 9:32: Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Let’s get this party started!” Saskia says, a little too loud for comfort. “Wait, oops!” Narrator 1: Hieronymous and Lark look at her sharply, and then scan for passersby. Narrator 3: Nobody in the hallway right now. Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Did I say that here or there?” Saskia looks alarmed, glancing around, wondering which of her bodies said that. Narrator 1: Both, apparently. Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Shit. Well, works either way. Anyway…” Narrator 1: Loxlee leans in to Saskia. (Hieronymous) “Are you okay there? You gonna be a problem for yourself?” Narrator 2: (Saskia) “Nope,” says Saskia. Her cheeks are a little bit red. “Momentary distraction. All good.” Narrator 1: Hieronymous doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but he drops it, warily. Narrator 2: The Breach team has all been briefed at this point on Saskia’s unique condition, but they are by no means used to it. She’s an oddity. Hopefully not a liability.

9:32 through 9:45: Narrator 1: The party proceeds apace. Narrator 3: We meant this party of saboteurs, but technically yes, the dance party in Stationary Hill, many miles away down on the Mediun, is moving right along also.

(Party travels through the Vault and down even past the Arca, and S2 Ep 13 “Inside” tells us the elevator from the lobby to that level is a long ride.)

15:19: Narrator 2: In any case, no one moves a fucking muscle — other than Saskia, hastily shrinking herself into the background to hopefully avoid Imelda’s notice.

17:06: Narrator 3: Saskia has been attempting to lurk in the background, but nothing can evade the light of the Trust forever. Imelda’s brow furrows and her mild expression falters minutely as she begins to recognize a truly inconvenient number of them.

29:40: Narrator 3: Boom. [A sizzling of muffled explosions, like firecrackers at a distance.] Narrator 3: Fire flashes through the Caenum tubes. Narrator 2: Half the room blows up. [A massive explosion.] The floor rips asunder, heaving and splitting, and everyone is thrown off their feet.

(Jonas turns, Weepe orders him and the breach party killed except for Lark, the Company prepares to fire, Gretel’s flying a ship below the hole)

40:38: Narrator 2: And Saskia Del Norma finally pulls herself up out of the rubble to stand at the end of the wheezing bank machine, next to the one hopper still full of unexploded Valor.

41:27: Narrator 2: The following happens in the next five seconds.

41:43: Narrator 2: The Breach all exchange a look, and Saskia, beside the remains of the bank machine, lays her hand on the routing lever for the other still-uncirculated funnel full of white Valor beads. They all see what she’s thinking.

42:21: Narrator 2: Saskia looks to her compatriots in Breach — really looks at them, a remarkable rarity, taking them in. Their eyes are going wide with realization. Saskia gives them a tiny smile and shakes her head. (Saskia) “It’s okay,” she says quietly. “You go on without me.”

42:56 through 43:19: Narrator 1: And the remaining Breach survivors and Jonas Spahr lean back, fall over the lip of the crevasse, and plummet into the void… as Saskia stays behind, locks eyes with Weepe, and gently routes the funnel of Valor beads to “Shred.” [screen goes white] Narrator 2: Boom.

(End)

[keef-a-corn]

Dat’s right, People, it’s time for ‘Keef watches TFP and you just get the notes!’

This is for season 1, episode 14: Out of His Head

I write down the timestamps, but I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (an Australian streaming service) so they may be slightly off.

ALSO! I try my best to note points for every character, but tend to get a little caught up by Bee (although I think I do a pretty good job with the notes regardless) so do be warned.

~~~~Transition~~~~

~recap~

00:48 - I’m pretty sure that’s what pupils actually do when you shine light in them.

00:52 - Ratchet’s using a torch fr.

00:58 - *sigh* here we have an example of TFP skipping over recovery arcs, although there probably wasn’t much to Optimus’s.

01:05 - ‘OlD fRiEnD’ tryin to convince us they ain’t married.

01:07 - Ratchet making sure Bee got credit, aww

01:08 - They’re so proud of him.

01:12 - Tryin to be modest as if he didn’t do that.

01:15 - with confidence ‘did you just say that?.’

01:18 - gotta bring focus back to husbands recovery.

01:24 - ‘Megatron shouldn’t be a problem, Arcee probably killed him.’ Not too confident with that one though.

01:28 - they looking at Arcee. How would they not have noticed something was up with Bee?

01:36 - these shots would be useful if you needed a reference for Bee’s hands.

01:39 - It’s annoying that Optimus doesn’t notice something’s wrong sooner.

01:46 - Megatron chilling in the dark could mean one of two things. 1. Bots that are awake don’t have a mind scape or 2. Bee doesn’t have a safe place to imagine himself if that he can rely on.

~intro~

03:08 - Bulkhead’s just chilling watching Bee as if he couldn’t go defend.

03:19 - I know someone who passes like that. It would constantly jar my fingers while trying to catch her pass.

03:29 - not even slightly concerned about Bee pegging the ball at your head?.

03:42 - oh no! Babee!

03:51 - one would thank that for closeups of Megatron’s face they’d make sure he was looking forward.

04:24 - really entertaining himself, huh? Also this plot is only here to get the boys out of the building.

04:33 - where has he been keeping that? …up his as-

04:48 - Starscream’s so entertaining to watch.

04:53 - so… Megatron’s child?

04:57 - I recommend watching that scene on loop while playing ‘bet on it’

05:01 - why he gotta lean like that?

05:13 - Robots bowing gotta be(e) one of my favourite genders fr

05:17 - Huh…

05:20 - H OL UP Raf has parents, right?? Can’t he go to them to drop him off? Do they know that an expensive ass car is driving their son to school?

05:41 - What exactly is Megatron doing? If he was smart he would’ve been snooping in on the bots or is he seriously just waiting?

05:45 - The camera’s very fair away from Bee and there’s a loud noise. How haven’t the other bots noticed something’s wrong?

05:50 - this is much uncomfortable. Between Megatron being able to control Bee to the tone he uses when encouraging him.

05:59 - the transition from Megatron to Bee is so smooth I can’t breathe. + Ratchet calling out his name causing Bee to regain control is beautiful.

06:02 - Look at hiiiimmmmm awwww

06:03 - RATCHET’S SO HEAVILY ANIMATED I CAAAAN’T it’s almost like the animators forgot they are metal.

06:05 - with confidence ‘what?’ Also this is how my dogs look when I put their food in their bowls.

06:07 - I don’t understand why or how, but Ratchet looks stunning here.

06:11 - Bee proving that if he was bitten during an apocalypse he would tell the people around him.

06:14 - so remember before when I said that Megatron chilling in the darkness means one of two things?. Will the first one couldn’t be true, otherwise this line wouldn’t make sense.

06:17 - There’s something so interesting about the way Bee powers down.

06:19 - This shot just looks cool.

06:21 - Optimus looks so concerned. + Heavily animated Ratchet.

06:25 - Heavily animated Raf, huh.

06:25 - Optimus just silently standing their looking between Bee and Ratchet. It’s slightly upsetting to realise that he doesn’t say a word during this scene as if he wouldn’t have something to say.

06:33 - Man, I wish I could get that.

06:47 - that ‘why?’ is so done with Fowler.

07:01 - LOOK AT THAT SIZE DIFFERENCE.

07:13 - good thing.

07:40 - I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t. We are talking about the Arctic, right? As in the place that is sheets of ice floating on top of water? If it was the Antarctic, sure, but I’m pretty sure ice that melts without land underneath just melts, rather than increases water levels. I could be wrong though.

07:42 - my face when I realised that they added in this stupid B plot so that the A plot could focus on Bee, Ratchet, Raf and Megatron, but that came with the price of Bee struggling with something and the rest of team Prime choosing not to get involved or say a word on the matter, including Optimus.

08:28 - this means that Power down mode is not like a coma. Raf’s honestly wasting his breath because he’ll have to repeat the story later.

08:49 - 👁👄👁

08:52 - That’s how it feels when someone shows me a photo of a baby and goes on about them, while I try my hardest not to tell them that the baby looks kickable.

08:57 - Honestly, most realistic reaction. There’s probably something here that could be used as a parent Ratchet & child Bee fic prompt.

09:02 - The way Ratchet dismisses Raf until he links it back to Bee + the subtlety of Ratchet’s eyes widening + the cue of the music coming in.

09:03 - THE SMILE CAUGHT ME SO OFF GUARD I CRIED. YOU KNOW THAT HE’S FRAGGIN PROUD OF BEE- MY HEARRRRRT. (Fun fact, I was showing my friend this shot later and they got very worried because I started crying in class)

09:09 - ngl, kinda forgot his was standing their unconscious.

09:13 - BOOOOOOO! M’kay, Imma stop hating on the subplot now. Just hope I’ve made it clear that I don’t like why it’s there.

09:21 - This is so amusing to see because it’s such a Scooby Doo sorta thing.

09:27 - Optimus flexes his hand just to ball it up again.

09:38 - Here we have a time when Prime is not a good start off show (that and because your standards get raised really high and you get thoroughly disappointed when other medias aren’t the exact same) because they don’t explain wtf ‘the end run on Polyhex’ was.

09:39 - Bee’s wings, when he’s powered down, rests at a lower angle, but when he’s awake we know that they point up. One idea could be that when he’s awake, they rest at a higher up state (cue fanfic prompt where a bot realises Bee’s awake because of the wings).

09:47 - ya’ll seeing what I’m seeing?

09:48 - That’s the opposite way to how he powered down. Literally. The angles, the movement. It the exact same, just in reverse. This ain’t a bad thing by any means.

10:06 - I highly recommend watching the way Bee’s pedes/feet work. It’s interesting.

10:30 - why doesn’t Ratchet think to a) call Optimus or b[ee]) FOLLOW BEE?? Why is he just standing there??

10:50 - why are so many bots blind in this episode?? HOW DID YOU MISS THAT?!

10:56 - from this you can tell that Megatron’s not used to controlling Bee’s hands/servos because he kinda fumbles when originally trying to pick it up.

11:14 - YES. YOU SHOULD!

11:17 - I get it. I do. But here’s the thing.. Bumblebee had just gone into Megatron’s mind, then later mentions that he’s seeing Megatron’s face, he’s now gone to the location that he doesn’t know after waking up from a forced power down! YOU COULD AT LEAST LET OPTIMUS KNOW

11:27 - HE SOUNDS LIKE A MUM! I C A N ‘ T

11:30 - *grabs child’s wrist*

11:31 - *child immediately opens hand to show what he’s holding* it’s a muscle memory.

If anyone tries to deny that Ratchet is a parental figure to Bumblebee, I’m going to bite them.

11:34 - It was this moment we got to find out what it would look like getting punched by Bumblebee.

11:35 - RATCHET NO!

11:36 - Okay but that pose- damn Bee.

11:38 - Why is he whispering?

11:42 - I get this is menacing and all but he looks like he’s doing this: Ò^Ó

12:02 - now we watch as he DOESN’T CALL OPTIMUS.

12:07 - ‘I’m fine. More importantly is Bumblebee?’ Making me tear up.

12:26 - when you mess with the wrong medics child:

12:41 - … to be fair… yeah.. Ratchet did his research, he should’ve known.

12:54 - This episode could’ve gone differently if THE HAD CALLED OPTIMUS. THIS ONE I AIN’T LETTIN GO.

12:59 - Raf, listen buddy… someone needs to man the ground bridge while all bots are in the Arctic. Also you’re gonna get hurt, ya dip.

13:05 - *cri*

13:09 - I’m like 90% sure this is men in the bathroom.

13:29 - Starscream’s worse than Megatron.

13:33 - YES! MY ‘TRANSFORMERS BOWING’ COLLECTION EXPANDS!!

13:36 - BREAKDOWN! I CHOOSE YOU!

13:43 - love that ‘evil’ laugh for ya, king

14:32 - When characters believe a character that’s being mind controlled can ‘fight it’ is so incredibly frustrating. It’s mind control, not a physical fight, there’s so much more to it.

14:55 - RAF. WHY THE FRAG WOULD YOU YELL THAT WHIKE RATCHET’S TRYING TO SNEAK IN??

14:57 - Once he knew it wasn’t his child, all bets were off. Ratchet attaccs.

15:01 - ya know who would be really useful if this sort of situation? OPTIM-

15:09 - Reminder this is not a memory issue, this is a warlord CONTROLLING BUMBLEBEE FROM THE INSIDE OF HIS HEAD. Raf is an idiot.

15:13 - it’s the listening part that got him, not the ‘remember me’ part.

15:14 - Aww.. the babies trying his hardest. Watching the way Bee’s eyes shift is genuinely heartbreaking.

15:17 - he looks adorable.

15:21 - the way Bee’s wings are so high up-

15:27 - NO! He’s obviously in pain.. I can’t!!

15:44 - YES! (But imagine how much easier it would’ve been with opt-)

15:50 - Raf’s genuinely making me mad. WHEN HAS THAT WORKED THIS WHOLE EPISODE??

06:00 - … H o w D o e s T h a t W o r k ? Is he actually beeping? Is that actually Megatron’s voice? Is he beeping but it sounds like Megatron’s voice??

16:05 - FOR FRAGS SAKE RAF-

16:27 - weirdly pretty.

16:31 - oooh~ love me some height difference and from Megatron’s perspective.

16:51 - I was kinda expecting ‘daddy’s home’

17:02 - Man, I had the Mandela affect on this. I always thought the Megatron said ‘I outta thank you for your hospitality, Scout. Deceptions, finish these pests.’ Might’ve been from a fanfiction but I swear I’ve seen it. + this shots remind me of the scenes that Megatron was talking to Bee in Sick Mind.

17:17 - dunno how I’m supposed to feel about Ratchet leaving Bee in open fire.

17:35 - HE CAN FLY

17:37 - that was cool ngl

17:39 - if he kept his legs closed he would’ve had a gymnastics technique going there while he mounted the spike. If you know you know.

17:53 - Sorry Arcee, you don’t got those strong legs like Bee.

18:04 - Transformers on ice. (Decided to see if it’s real and omg)

18:23 - that’s rich, ain’t it?

18:27 - I love that so much.

18:41 - So light em up up up, light em up up up-

18:49 - If I had a dollar for every time the screen went white in this episode, I’d have two dollars.

19:29 - and you’ll never believe who brought him back

20:45 - oh I see, so the guilt of failing to fight off Megatron’s control and bringing him back is gonna come later, got it!

20:52 - On the scan Bee’s head and chest are red.

20:58 - ignore me, that’s normal.

21:04 - Why is Optimus wearing his battle mask? Wait why is everyone so excited?

21:28 - AHHHHHHHHH

———————

So that was Out of His Head!

I really enjoy the episode, but wish they had done a bit more with Bee being controlled by Megatron, especially if they had touched on the group noticing the little things more.

I mentioned at that start that TFP skips recovery arcs and that is certainly the case for Bumblebee, especially considering that for a bot loyal to Optimus, bringing back Megatron could be viewed as traitorous. Not by Optimus, but by Bee himself.

I also thought that Raf’s role was pretty weak. He didn’t actually do anything for the plot.

Then you have the very apparent part of Optimus not being as involved with the A plot as he should’ve been.

But I thought the animation was beautiful, the dynamic between Ratchet and Bumblebee was enjoyable and Bee being common ground for the dynamic between Raf and Ratchet.

Despite all the negatives, when you’re just watching the episode and not deconstructing it the way I do for the notes, it’s very much an enjoyable watch and I sincerely hope I haven’t ruined the episode.

[darkmaga-returns]

In an in person interview at Doug Casey’s home in Argentina, Tom Bodrovics hosts Michael Yon and Ivor Cummins. The discussion revolves around the profound shifts in the global order post-Trump election. Michael Yon, a combat correspondent, author, and former Green Beret, underscores this era as pivotal due to evolving geopolitical dynamics rather than the election itself. He believes globalism, an age-old concept, gains traction with modern technology.

Yon implicates certain entities, namely Zionists, seeking control over specific territories for their interests. He warns of their intent to target Iran, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah, and Russia. Furthermore, he highlights the struggle between oligarchs, some aiming to decrease the world population and deindustrialize Europe.

The conversation delves into U.S. intentions behind the Nord Stream pipeline conflict with Russia. Factors include maintaining geopolitical distance, economic implications, and European deindustrialization. Threats from the U.S. towards fertilizer and agriculture sectors as potential means to instigate famines are also examined.

Michael questions Trump’s ability to end wars based on campaign promises and cautions about their unpredictability and longevity. He introduces concepts like staked goat tactics and green flag attacks, hinting at potential deception in conflicts.

Emphasizing the significance of clear language and context, Michael defines ongoing issues as invasions instead of crises or migrations. Weaponized migration as an ancient tactic of warfare is also discussed. Possible safe havens for personal freedom and security are debated, with reference to Doug Casey’s preferred countries.

The evolving perspective on drugs as weapons is addressed, including historical examples like the opium wars. Various forms of warfare, such as drug warfare and information warfare, are explored as tools used by adversaries to disrupt societies. Personal insights from Asia regarding Chinese infiltration into American political systems and banking sectors are shared. The detrimental effects of drugs on families and society are acknowledged, with concerns about their potential to weaken resistance against adversaries’ strategies.

Criticisms of political figures like Trump and Harris are voiced, as well as HIAS’s role in facilitating migration through the Darien gap in Panama. Influential figures like Alejandro Mayorkas, now leading the Department of Homeland Security, are mentioned in this context.

Timestamp References: 0:00 – Introduction 1:08 – Changing World Order 10:45 – Euro Problems & Farms 15:42 – Trump & The Conflicts? 23:00 – Invasion of the West 32:00 – Getting Out of Dodge? 34:10 – Attack Vectors & Drugs 38:53 – Stress and Life Quality 42:10 – Darien Gap & NGO’s 50:52 – Building Resilience? 53:20 – Gold & Jekyll Island 57:38 – Strategic Metals & Silver 1:00:04 – Get On Your A-Game 1:01:18 – Wrap Up

Talking Points From This Episode

Zionism desire to control regions and planned actions against Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Russia.

Globalism’s revival: Yon argues that it has existed since ancient times but is now more feasible with advanced technology.

The U.S.’s Nord Stream motivations: Geopolitical separation, economic implications, and deindustrialization of Europe.

Michael Yon: X: https://x.com/Michael_Yon Website: https://michaelyon.com Website Mentioned: https://hias.org

Michael Yon is a former Green Beret, native of Winter Haven, Fl. who has been reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan since December 2004. No other reporter has spent as much time with c

[monriatitans]

MonriaTitans

Let's Play Some $#!7!: Cursebane – Part 2 | Let’s finish the demo!

Come join me for another installment of Let's Play Some $#!7 | LPS$, where I play games to provide commentary on the game's development! Provided I don't get too caught up in the game to comment, which, in a sense, is commentary in and of itself.

Today, we finished playing Cursebane's demo! It was, initially, played in Let's Play Some Demos! - Part 7, but I had to cut it short so the video didn't get to 4 hours long. That, and the last game played that day scared the $#!7 out of me...

Now, I didn't call this stream Let's Play Some Demos! | LPSD because I want this game. After I get it, it'll be a regular feature on the show.

If you came here from Twitch, thank you! I don't know why the stream suddenly cut, but I ALWAYS record my streams in case things like that happen!

With all that out of the way, here are my opinions: If competing with Hades is a goal, the developers are headed in the right direction. Provided enough people learn this game exists. With how heavily saturated Steam is, I'm amazed I found it. If they're not trying to compete, it's the inspiration for the game, but their version is excellent on its own. I mentioned, after I played the demo the first time, Cursebane is a 2D, pixelated Hades and, while true, it doesn't do the game justice. I also mentioned the story was forgettable, and it still is, but not in a bad way. ADHD moment(s). Though, after playing through it for another few hours I'm more invested in figuring it out. If I'm piecing things together correctly now, because of a curse, or a bunch of curses, rifts have split the world into pieces. These pieces are stuck in time loops until you break their curse. For this one area the demo provides, you have to save a village from its curse. Because of the time loop, you can choose how you want to save said village. And as you go around exploring/trying to find your way to the village, each death results in you taking a different path, however, if you die enough times, things will start to look familiar as you revisit areas. As you make decisions, you change what bosses you fight, which allows you to figure out how to make the game easier. I'm guessing it being the demo was why I was able to max out my upgrades, but each upgrade was great for balancing. I was eventually able to make it so I was able to die twice before I had to restart the area. And I maxed out my HP. The demo threw me for a loop when I restored the area and it wasn't "Demo Over"; I was able to try again. Was there something else I was supposed to do or were the developers simply letting me play around more with ability combos? Which I haven't mentioned yet; you can enhance your katana, dash-strike, charge attack (which I barely used), and knockback spell with either Ice, Fire, or Lightning, and BOY are they fun! Ice freezes and slows people down, Fire deals extra damage and/or burns, and lightning strikes repeatedly. My FAVORITE combination was the Lightning spell, so melee enemies were constantly being struck, Ice on my attacks and dash-strike so foes slow down and make them easier to hit, and, even though I barely used the charge attack, I preferred it to have Fire. I could have played around with them more, and I was tempted, but the video was getting close to 4 hours... And that's it for this mini-review! Thank you for reading! If this series of videos is something you're interested in, you can watch it on YouTube, Steam, Rumble, Odysee, and The Titans' Discord! Don’t forget to hit the Subscribe and/or Follow buttons to know when there’s more!

—

The Sunday, November 17th, and 645th, Artist Shout-Out goes to 7NML! Check them out here!

—

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Starting Soon 9:57 – Welcome Gamers! 12:05 – Artist Shout-Out 16:32 – OED Word of the Day 16:36 – Cursebane Steam Page 18:10 – Cursebane 1:56:43 – Break 2:12:08 – Cursebane 3:43:26 – Addressing the Stream Cut 3:43:51 – Artist Shout-Out 3:44:52 – Just Chatting/Thank You! 3:47:51 – Rendezvous Point Bookshop Plug 3:49:23 – Farewell

—

MORE INFO & TO SUPPORT – MonriaTitans | WGS Summarized – Rendezvous Point Bookshop – Artist Shout-Out Criteria – Throne Wishlist – #SubOffTwitch – YouTube – Rumble– Odysee – Twitch – Steam

Originally published to https://opinionsandtruth.wordpress.com on November 17, 2024.

[fabioperes]

Remote Russia: How People Live in Isolated Villages? | Mobile Shops in Russia | Documentary ENG SUB The innovative flight search will not only find the best option for your specific dates, but it will also offer another period when the cost may be even lower: https://ift.tt/b81FM4z Do you want to rent a car? The hourly price for GetTransfer is cheaper than most other companies: https://ift.tt/ZUoxHjs As a Hilton Honors member, you’ll receive exclusive perks when you stay at more than 6,700 hotels around the world: https://ift.tt/S9oL7kB In the Republic of Karelia, a Russian region bordering Finland, there are more than 400 remote villages, where it is not so easy to get by car, as there are hardly any roads there. It’s usually about 40-50 people (mainly old ones) living there. These villages are completely isolated from the rest of the world: there are no supermarkets or grocery stores, some places don't even have stable electricity supply. The only hope for the residents of these villages are mobile shops — vans that deliver food, medicine and even utensils to remote corners of the Russian North. If you liked this video, share it on Reddit and other social media platforms! Hey guys! My name is Ilya, I am a Russian journalist and a founder of various urban beautification projects in Moscow and across Russia. There is nothing in the world that I love more than traveling. On this channel I will do my best to give you an unbiased overview of life in different places around the globe. Subscribe to the channel not to miss my new videos. My channel with relaxing beautiful videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK04mcVjwd6t7-71cJbFY-Q You can support me and my team by becoming a member of my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhHdRjLsaYy9I7TZ9Swu6A/join Support the channel on Patreon: https://ift.tt/PUyLGWd Support the channel with crypto: https://ift.tt/eNVwb9C Instagram: https://ift.tt/pwjaDGN Twitter: https://ift.tt/EQ57cTv Facebook: https://ift.tt/GwUE0SO TikTok: https://ift.tt/OHodTSN Reddit: https://ift.tt/6Z7Qs4L Timestamps: 00:00 How to get groceries in remote villages 01:02 How mobile shops work 03:01 Concentration camp in a village 03:57 How to run a mobile shop 05:57 Electricity outages 08:08 Villagers’ problems 12:40 Lack of infrastructure and telecommunication 16:31 Government aid 18:16 The village where electricity is supplied according to schedule 20:56 Visiting a local babushka 25:32 A telephone booth that doesn’t work 27:37 Life of a Karelian farmer via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XPkFXaBmxI

[jcmarchi]

Tekken 8 Review, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Impressions, Palworld Discourse | GI Show

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/tekken-8-review-like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth-impressions-palworld-discourse-gi-show/

Tekken 8 Review, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Impressions, Palworld Discourse | GI Show

In this week’s episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew unpacks our Tekken 8 review to discuss what’s great and what’s less great about the latest King of Iron Fist tournament. We also share our early game impressions of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. And lastly, we’ll take a deep dive into Palworld’s meteoric rise and success, as well as the discourse and controversy surrounding it. Of course, it wouldn’t be an episode without answering a few questions from our listeners!

[embedded content]

Follow us on social media: Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who’s been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt’s shows like the “Fun” And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast. 

The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Intro 00:08:57 – Tekken 8 Review 0046:33 – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth 01:07:04 – Palworld 01:39:21 – Housekeeping and Listener Questions

[the-jermoment-spotter]

I don't have a youtube but I saw this comment on the video (image below) and I wanted to help.

17.5 Jermoments Spotted: All of them.

NOTE: If I did video embeds for each video & bonus the post would be a physical mile long, so its pretty barebones this time around :o)

Clip 1: "Helicopter boss fight" (~30 seconds) Clip 2: "How puddles were invented" (~1 minute) Clip 3: "Meat Grinder Rising: Revengeance" (~1 minute) Clip 4: "The ol’ good-heir bad-hair routine" (~8 minutes) BONUS 1: "Dispute in the Jerma royal family" (~1 minute) Clip 5: "Message from a trained Professional" (~1 minute) Clip 6: "Contact the Professional" (~30 seconds) BONUS 2: "This ones just bad" (~1 minute) Clip 7: "22% of viewers share this profession" (~5 minutes) Clip 8: "Scary Jermunculus escape" (~2 minutes) Clip 9: "What I think will happen if I go down an enclosed water slide" (~2 minutes) BONUS 3: "Who was in that closet before?" (~2 minutes) Clip 10: "NYT Cooking presents: Tour of the Krusty Crab" Clip 11: "Eurodance" (~1 minute) Clip 12: "Behind the scenes footage of Stormzy’s Still Disappointed music video" (~3 minutes) Clip 13: "Wendy’s ost Nightmare" (~1 minute) Clip 14: "Siege on the Jerma royal family castle" (~10 minutes) Clip 15: "This is what the electronic billboard outside a car dealership looks like" (~4 minutes) Clip 16: "Viral video: Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas gets silly during the Wednesday reading circle" (~24 minutes) Clip 17: "Spoilers for ULTRAKILL: Jerma just says that, there isn't any context" (~1 minute) Clip 17.5: "Unemployed friend spending 200 hours on Gmod in 1 month (still a spoiler for ULTRAKILL)" (~5 minutes)

Video titles, timestamps, and uploader usernames lie below: (theres 21 total, so be careful if you expand the Keep Reading line)

Vid 1. - “GTA4 Multiplayer: Fat Guys and The Dance Party [w/ STAR_]” - Timestamp 00:01:35 - Uploaded by “Jerma985” Vid 2. - “Jerma Streams - Browser Games and Tier Lists (Part 3)” - Timestamp 5:41:24 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 3. - “Jerma Streams - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” - Timestamp 00:10:46 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 4. - “Jerma Streams - Content for 2024” - Timestamp 01:23:45 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Bonus 1. - “dispute in the jerma royal family” - Timestamp 00:00:00 - Uploaded by “greasefire” Vid 5. - “Jerma Streams - Talking for 2 hours” - Timestamp 01:53:52 - Uploaded by “Ster/Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 6. - “Jerma Streams - Coming Home” - Timestamp 00:12:08 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Bonus 2. - “Jerma Streams - Coming Home” - Timestamp 00:26:15 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 7. - “Jerma Streams - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” - Timestamp 06:33:57 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 8. - “Jerma Streams - Kingsway” - Timestamp 06:02:30 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 9. - “Jerma Streams - VR Games (Part 7) and Talking” - Timestamp 02:23:00 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Bonus 3. - “Jerma Streams - VR Games (Part 7) and Talking” - Timestamp 01:28:00 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 10. - “Jerma Streams - House Flipper (Part 11)” - Timestamp 05:22:41 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 11. - “Jerma Streams - Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion: HD Renovation” - Timestamp 05:05:00- Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 12. - “Jerma Streams - MS-DOS Games (Part 8)” - Timestamp 03:13:29 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 13. - “Jerma Streams - Gotcha Force” - Timestamp 02:24:18 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 14. - “Jerma Streams - Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse” - Timestamp 02:06:33 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 15. - “Jerma Streams - Bouncing Duck Simulator” - Timestamp 01:53:54 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 16. - “Jerma Streams - Family Computer System (Part 2)” - Timestamp 02:47:33 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 17. - “Jerma Streams - ULTRAKILL” - Timestamp 05:14:08 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive” Vid 17.5. - “Jerma Streams - ULTRAKILL” - Timestamp 05:49:42 - Uploaded by “Jerma Stream Archive”

New Jerma compilation dropped guys!!! :3 hope u enjoy

[logos-of-experience-and-truth]

Podcast Episode 19 - The Path of the Mystic

Living the Path of the Mystic Amidst the Mysteries Transmuting life lessons via the examples given in the Mysteries is the essence of alchemy and mysticism. Without any external help it is a challenge to see the symbols of the mysteries embedded within one’s life, yet they are there, everywhere, all around and within if one but has the awareness to pierce through what is apparent for what is hidden behind the veil. As in anything there are ups and downs and the downtime when living a spiritual life that seeks commune with God through the Mysteries, known as the Desert or Dark Night of the Soul can last a lifetime. But if the labyrinth is successfully navigated, eventually the hero does battle with the Minotaur and slays the beast within to emerge victorious, remade, fresh, renewed, spiritually reborn. This episode completes the telling of my tale from start to finish from the first experience that began this season to the most recent experiences that were summarized at the start of the first season of the podcast. Journey further down this rabbit hole and learn the symbols I perceived in my life so that you may look for them or similar within your own if you are wandering through the Dark Night of the Soul in your own spiritual journey. Click Link for Transcript Timestamps: - Inner voice that said I didn’t know what I’d written and had to shelve it (01:24) - Inner resolve not to lead others astray with anything I speak of (02:08) - Blasphemy against God (02:57) - Not realizing that sacrificing writing to follow my intuition was due to writing having become my golden calf (03:51) - The use and alchemy of the emotion of anger (05:29) - Further blasphemy against God (06:29) - Amidst the blasphemy, the blessing of life seems to emerge (07:16) - The blessing of children within the soul of the parent if allowed to blossom (08:52) - The physical manifestation of an illness when I stepped away from writing and its unmistakable mirroring alongside esoteric body energy diagrams (09:21) - Without the will to write, the vacuum in my mind was quickly filled with an endless video gaming habit (11:26) - Success in the world brings me to question if writing on the mysteries had been misleading, just as belief in God (13:34) - Ash Wednesday 2017 I took the Pepsi challenge my inner voice had been suggesting and calculated how many hours I’d spent wasting time video gaming (16:07) - The culture and obsession or addiction of video gaming as a habit (17:02) - If I gave up gaming, what would remain in my life after already giving up writing, reading and meditating? (19:05) - The moment of the Desert or Dark Night of the Soul and the emptying of the mind finally reached (19:41) - The greatest commandment once more summarized alongside the life experience and the state in life required to achieve it (20:43) - The submission of the worldly will to God, or Islam as it is translated (21:22) - The internal destruction of the mind/ego in a person’s personal apocalypse to be reborn in Christ (21:46) - The old mind and life must make way for the new mind and life, or why the snake sheds its skin and new wine is poured into new wine-skins (23:13) - The story of the third healing I’ve performed from a hypothyroid issue (25:42) - Rekindling the connection to the spirit to heal myself in a familiar manner (27:00) - True prayer of belief in the now for healing(27:41) - The experience that actually proved that the healing had in fact occurred (28:48) - The reason why I call this the Mustard Seed of Hope in another podcast (30:57) - Around this same period the comment or question or desire for a proof to show God in some manner, as spoken of in the first episode of this podcast, came into my mind (31:11) - The return of the reader and thinker and the use of audiobooks to get it done while commuting (32:32) - The experience that brought the wonder of the mysteries back into my mind (33:48) - The grand dream experience that opened my eyes once more to the great mystery (34:55) - A bird-like feathered goddess emerges out of the walls to speak to me in this dream (37:20) - The question of the Golem that was asked by the goddess within the dream (38:11) - The time period of this dream occurred during a very interesting astrological event (40:56) - Using audio to complement eyeball reading caused an explosion in the mind (41:39) - The regeneration of the mind as according to Hermes and Christ reborn within (42:53) Leave a Tip and Support this Podcast!

Read the full article

[thequeenofsastiel]

Leofiat in TharnType Season 2

Writing this for @virtueofthemind but making it its own post for anyone who's a fan of leofiat but doesn't want to have to watch season two of TharnType.

They first interact in ep 3. The context is that Fiat injured his knee and has been a total brat about it, taking out his temper on everyone around him. Type is his doctor, and gives off Dom energy, so Fiat starts to have a crush. Everyone in Fiat's life mentions Leo with hushed tones, saying that he's the only one who can control Fiat. The timestamps for their interactions in ep 3, from the version on Viki, are:

40:31-43:17

46:07-49:54<<<One of the most important and my favorite scene between them. Establishes their D/s dynamic

Episode 4

4:26-8:55

16:18-18:45 This one includes Type, it's worth watching to see how jealous Leo gets when meeting him

19:35-21:52

44:34-46:10

Episode 5

17:03-21:28

Episode 6

33:47-43:04

46:53-50:10

Episode 7

5:50-6:57

Episode 8

26:22-32:54

Episode 9-Context, Tharn and Type are fighting, Fiat and Type go to a bar to get a drink, Fiat starts to try sexually assaulting Type

3:45-7:42

11:22-16:12

44:25-45:26

Episode 10-Context, Fiat kisses Type without asking, Tharn sees and throws a huge fit, then afterwards while they're taking time apart, one of Type's friends tells him about Leo and how they're clearly more than friends even if they don't realize it.

19:04-20:50

Okay, so, after this is when the bullshit starts. Spoilers below

The scene is 20:56-23:15. This is how the bullshit starts. Type confronts Leo, says he knows how Leo feels, and that they should join forces to get Fiat to leave Type alone. What they do is very, very stupid.

Starting at 35:20, they have one of the friends, a Daddy Dom, start to emotionally seduce Fiat while Fiat is crying in a bar about Leo and Type. Then they kidnap Fiat, take him to Leo's home and tie him up, and Type terrorizes Fiat and threatens to break his knee if Fiat won't leave him alone while Leo watches. It lasts until 44:08. It's not fun to watch.

Then, at 46:30, Leo comes into the room and says it never would have happened if Fiat realized that Leo loved him. It's very stupid. There's a love confession, and apparently I'm still salty about this. It's not really necessary to watch it, I've given you what matters. It lasts until 51:33.

Now, here's the thing. There's an Episode 0 on the MeMindY Official YT channel that includes some, but not all of the scenes up until now. I don't recommend watching instead of watching their Tharntype scenes because they don't include important scenes and change the music in a way I think doesn't work as well. But in Episode 0 there's a part that doesn't happen in TTS2. It starts at 44:00 and goes to 46:42. Then they make out and it's censored which is hella frustrating. I'm having a hard time finding the uncensored version on a legal site, so I'm afraid you'll have to look for it yourself. Still, here's the yt version:

There's also a part from 48:28-53:40 that you can watch. The rest of it happens in DSN.

Now, back to TTS2

Episode 11

17:36-19:44

20:53-27:25 This part is Fiat apologizing to Tharn for what he did. It's a moving scene, but it does involve Tharn, if that bothers anyone

Episode 12

7:53-11:11

And that's their last scene together in TTS2! They have a tiny scene in the special episode that's just a commercial lol, so it's probably not worth finding.

Hope this helped!

[comradegeorgemoved]

gnf cooking stream highlights

saw some people say they wouldn’t be able to watch george’s cooking stream because of school/work so i took note of some things that happened (with very rough timestamps. like really rough and it happened ~around~ that time) so they could relate to jokes/etc being made on the dashboard/timeline without having to watch the entire 4 hours of the stream immediately :) hope this is helpful in any way ? lol

quick stats: george beat his highest concurrent again this stream with 307k viewers by 133k and gained more than 10k subs :o

0:00 cooking stream start. cute thumbnail and music!

5:10 starts talking

8:00 shows self, fixes his camera/s (he has two different setups) and talks to chat for a bit

11:30 what is on the menu? a starter (mozarella sticks), main course (steak), dessert (a secret!)

18:40 the first step is to hands with…. dishwashing liquid

20:00 actually starts preparing steak. “it’s got good marbling ? idk how to speak chef they just say marbling”. attempts to rub seasoning into the steak...

28:00 starts preparing the mozarella sticks

34:40 “dont swing your knife around >:(” “I WILL SWING MY KNIFE IF I WANT TO SWING IT [swings knife]”

39:00 “these are probably going to turn out terrible… but as long as we’re having fun, then we’re fine! right? i guess? probably.”

45:00 he puts paprika into the egg mixture while trying to make mozarella sticks........... he throws out the eggs and has to reset

52:00 “that’s pretty bread-y! that’s pretty bread-y!”

53:00 calling chat donuts because they keep trying to backseat cook lmao

1:02:20 dream calls. “you’re the worst chef ive ever seen in my life what’s wrong with you? you suck!”

1:03:00 sapnap calls. "you look cute with that hat on :)" george hangs up on him to talk to dream lol. “i’m ditching you for dream.”

1:05:37 dream calls again

1:11:30 thinks the breadcrumbs are too thick, which is why they aren’t sticking to the cheese. he attempts to “squish” them.

1:11:45 “is there a hypetrain? choo choo!”

1:12:00 dream calls again

1:18:55 “gogy ramsay? yes that’s actually me!”

1:21:13 karl + chris calls “everyone comment if you think george should be in tales of the smp tonight!”

1:24:00 dream calls again to give advice about double dipping the mozarella sticks

1:30:30 starts preparing the fries. george is impressed by a potato peeler. he eats a raw potato later on ?

1:40:00 he makes funny gestures! introduces the ~air fryer~! (which he says he bought specifically for this stream!)

1:44:00 starts cooking steak

1:45:00 “what can we do for 5 minutes?” and then holds up a fucking knife?? i dont understand him

1:48:50 dream calls again. “be careful when you’re frying it’s very dangerous!” george: “he’s FARMING AWWS guys”

1:52:30 HES PREPARING FOR AN ACTUAL FIREE HELP MEEE

1:56:23 sapnap calls

2:00:00 people started gifting subs because dream tweeted about it :) sapnap talks about his new video, sapnap thanks george’s subs for him so george can focus on his cooking :) sapnap also helps him calm down when he’s visibly nervous about what’s happening and is overall just super supportive!

2:13:20 actually starts cooking steak

2:13:50 sapnap’s hot take about sugar cookies: people who hate sugar cookies can go to hell

2:15:28 “i kinda burnt it… it’s not bad.. it’s grilled..” he starts panicking a bit n is a bit dangerous with the hot oil it scared me a little lol

2:17:55 carries the fucking steak with tongs across the kitchen

2:18:00 shows his steak. it looks good!

2:21:45 george hyping up his french fries

2:24:30 karl joins the call

2:25:20 george talks to the camera to thank karl

2:25:50 george excitedly jumping around to announce something! karl (jokingly) announces george will be on the tales of the smp

2:26:40 fit check! george puts his feet on the table to lift up his entire body? also they are talking about boogers ? idk i can’t hear

2:28:40 george talking to the camera to twitch prime

2:28:58 dream calls him to cut the steak

2:32:00 FINALLY CUTTING THE FUCKING STEAK. it looks good!

2:34:25 taste test “not gonna lie, best steak i’ve ever had, ever! ok it’s not the best, but it’s actually really good”

2:38-39:00 ish bad joins

2:40:00 bad built chef gnf in minecraft! cute!

2:43:50 karl: “george i love you” george: “thank you ^-^”

2:44:47 apparently dream messaged their discord chat for karl and sapnap to stop making fun of george’s mozarella sticks “his cheese sticks are fine.”

2:45:30 dream joins to tell him to put the mozarella sticks back in the freezer

2:47:10 starts frying mozarella sticks. he isn’t being too cautious with this too so everyone in the call is worried he’ll get burnt skdhsk. burns a mozarella stick

2:53:00 dream and sapnap heat transfer discourse. sapnap thinks he can dip a fork into molten lava and it won’t be hot (immediately). he is wrong.

2:57:00 quackity joins

3:08:20 george lore: apparently doesn’t care if his food is hot or cold

3:09:15 looks into camera again

3:11:00 apparently dream was the first sub on george’s channel! so he has the founders badge!

3:13:00 karl teases dream for saying he’d kiss george if puffy hit 11k subs yesterday lol. they were also teasing bad about being weird about the maid dress throughout this.

3:14:00 the secret dessert is pancakes!

3:18:00 “will be... like wilbur (wilby)”

3:30:00 flipped a pancake! worked. around this time they’re making fun of george allegedly calling a “crepe” a “pancake”, when this is what they call pancakes in the uk.

3:38:30 george wants to stream with gordon ramsay lol

3:44:10 everyone leaves the call except for george and dream. “it’s just us.. alone together.. with 200 thousand people”

3:45:00 sub count is at 18550 and dream wants it to reach 20k! george is just sitting there getting subs

3:47:20 george trying to take a picture!

3:49:27 dream tells chat to keep subbing

3:52:00 dream gifts 50 subs to help reach the sub goal. again george is just standing there getting gifted subs lmao

3:53:00 ish they hit 20k! george gained more than 10,000 subs this stream!

3:57:45 fridge reveal lol

3:58:45 fit check again

3:59:11 making a tiktok

4:02:50 dream REALLY wants to see george with messy/fluffy hair for some reason???? he farms messy hair pics. “wait WHAT oh my gosh holy cow WHAT i’ve never seen your hair like that. now that’s a good instagram photo.” apparently “it’s a look”... from the end of the extras shirt video ? someone help him

(george looks really good though. this is something best experienced yourself...)

around this time i think they say how can they get to 500k views and they say what if they streamed the meetup! and they say that they will!

4:13:00 BIG GEORGE LORE PLANNED ??

4:14:00 ish "thank you dream" is trending. it’s obviously for the pictures but neither of them seem to realize that.

4:14:30 dream tells george to get hair gel so he can look like this all the time. my god

4:17:00 stream over !