#when I get to the final episode in my rewatch I might. actually cry this time

[dongslinger--420]

BoJack Horseman really came along and gave me 5 leads and made each one of them a perfect foil to the other and each one have such an intriguing and powerful friendship with the next and just expected me to be normal about it. Ok.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Actually a pretty fab line up right now

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

NOV 2024 Week 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 11 of 15 - This is where the teen awkward comes to grab me by the throat. No other Thai BL does this better than Love Sick (except maybe Make it Right). And it’s always a challenge to watch because Phun is so ready to come out and Noh is so not. I love what cramming 3 eps into one (and better side BL couples) did for the tension and pacing in this particular part of this story. The new version really is excellent. I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here. 

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - They are so awkward and I love them so much for it. They are terrible at faking romance, yet Fah want’s Rak so bad. This is moving so slowly but that’s part of it’s charm. I'm not frustrated instead I’m getting Oxygen vibes from it. Or perhaps it’s is more just I feel the way I felt when I was first watching Oxygen. Which is to say, I’m totally addicted and I keep re-watching new episodes. 

Spare Me Your Mercy (Thurs iQIYI) ep 1 of 8 - Gah! JJ grew up so pretty. I love these leads. (No one is shocked.) I love the lawful good paired against (we’re not sure yet but possibly) neutral evil. I love our very sus very flirty very gay doctor. A lot happened in this first episode. I’m getting Manner of Death flashbacks but there’s nothing wrong with that. Bring on the chili. 

Incidentally, if you're interested in true crime, here's the IRL version of this story. How a Nuclear Lab Helped Catch a Serial Killer from the Science Vs podcast.

Jack & Joker (Mon IQIYI) ep 10-12 end - I got the go ahead on a safe ending, and thus I watched the last 3 eps all as one. I love how defiantly verse these two were. I also really enjoyed the final episode. I do like a finale that ends on a bang (yes, both kinds). 

Final thoughts

I enjoyed this show a lot. A caper BL starring two of Thailand's best and focusing on class struggles, corruption, and poverty, was always gonna appeal to me. But I’m not sure, ultimately, whether I liked it because it was good in it’s own right, or because YinWar were so good in it. I do wish it had been a little more Leverage and little less chaos, Dr Evils, and "watch War cry." It was a great vehicle for YinWar, and for them to prove that BL can defy its own tropes. To that end, this goes comfortably into the Manner of Death category more than anything else I’ve encountered befor (although slightly less unhinged). It's good, but it loses the plot, the side couples, and it's own mind a couple of times, and YinWar were definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Thus I feel an 8/10 is fair, especially considering I'm unlikely to rewatch.

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 2 of 12 - Dunk is illegally pretty in this show. I gotta say I covet his skin care routine. (I love YinWar as much as the next person, but THIS boy should be the spokes-BL-rep for Laneige.)

Manwhile..... FirstKhao might be GMMTV’s best flirters. It’s a pleasure to watch them just inhabit these characters and bounce off each other. I do keep saying “what tf are they doing?!“ with this show. In this instance, it was the dancing in the bowling alley. What is going on? is it meant to be a Pulp Fiction reference?

Also this gd soundtrack is bonkers. I *can’t!* with the 70s orgy porn music and the very bad not quite metal intro music. And then, I remember, brain must be turned off! (That’s really hard for me OK?)

All that said, both the sauna and the jerk-off scenes were much appreciated. It’s nice to see this kind of visceral physical attraction depicted in a BL, we get it so rarely.  

On a side note, I entirely support Thailand’s one country agenda to put all the cute boys in crop tops. Keep it up. And up. And up. 

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 9 of 16 - I just don’t get the (new) main couple. They don’t work for me. I like the surprise gamer boys side crumbs though. They are v cute.

Side quest: Genius move anytime Hill comes on screen to basically have Pond make love to the camera. He v good at it. Break down everyone’s fourth wall, baby. Take no prisoners. 

Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - That exchange! “Are you worried about me” (attempted flirtation) vrs Junior’s response “yes I am.” Just utter frankness. It’s very sweet. All in all this show is very sweet. Somewhat incomprehensible world building, but sweet. And the head lift into the lap was next level adorable. Sun’s shy smile is everything. 

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT?) ep 5 of 24 - This show is very silly. I love the sides so much I can’t EVEN. But I think it was a big mistake putting Tay into this show. Never let an OG out of the bottle like that. He gets all our attention because we think he’s gonna grant all our wishes. By which I mean, all I could think the whole time he was on screen was WHY IS HE SO FINE?

I’m not joking, I had to watch his scenes 3x because I kept getting distracted and losing the plot. Not that there is much plot to lose. Just Tay’s mouth. I’ll stop now, but seriously tho LOOK AT HIM!!! 

Every You Every Me (Mon Gaga) ep 8 end - Honestly I’d like to see this pair handed something much more meaty. Like a Japanese adaptation? Tokyo in April is… for example. I think they do a great job with something like that.

Conclusion

This was supposed to be a linked series about reincarnated soulmates, but ended up being more like a Y-Destiny grab bag BL with no rebirth through line, just the same acting pair. The leads were excellent. And I must praise this show for representing things I always want in my BL (and rarely get), switch, verse, communication, and safe sex. It’s just that this format with the same actors but no unifying theme (despite the pitch/packaging) made for a disappointing viewing experience. Some of the installments I enjoyed, and the visuals are on point, but I was ultimately let down by style and execution, if not acting. 6/10 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 4 of 11 - “I won’t fall in love with you” is an easy promise to make if you’ve already fallen. I love this show SO MUCH. “Infect me just a little.” Holy fuck. This BOY. Also, so much for “not kissing.” This BL is fantastic. I’m so worried about where it’s going. Japan could very much hurt me with this. I didn’t expect to fall in love so hard.

Man, JBL...... when it gets you it really gets you (then it locks you in a basement and gets kinky). We are not safe but we must sit back and suffer enjoy it. I hate this. I love this. What a rush. 

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 7 of 13 - I think this show has a “crash into me” trope in every single ep. This ep alone had 3, plus a flash back to the first one. Still, their damn date was so flipping adorbs!!!

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 10 of ? - I couldn’t be less interested in the stuff with the mean girls. I’m annoyed we spent so much of this episode on them. Fewer bullies more smooches.

Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Arashi as the doting bf was cute if sudden, also holy musical montage BLman.  Kai is my favorite character (as was Sky) but I'm still not wild about the blackmail sex start to this relationship. It does seem a little bit more like Kai went after a one night stand, also bit more switchy, which is better...... I guess. But not by much because the chemistry with these two isn't as good as the original.

I remain suspicious.

It's airing but......

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues ????) 11 of 12 eps - My source hasn’t yet uploaded 11. So…… I wait. 

Secret Love (? YT?) 13-?? of 81 eps - I don't know what's going on either.

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun Viki) paused at eps 9-10 of 12 - I got the "stop" on this one as it's gone (no surprise) dark. Being China can not be relied upon to HEA. So I'm on pause until I'm told it's safe. If it ends sad/bad I will dnf. But for now I wait......

Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love. I did find it on YouTube, initially unsubbed, then subs happened by which time I got distracted. The first episode seems to be only six minutes long. It is very pulp. But it is intriguing. For now its to the wayside until someone tells me what it whats to be and if it's headed in a safe direction. Occasionally Thai pulps want to be edgy and it's not a good look on them.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I'm weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show made it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment. Ends tomorrow.

Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YT) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me + just very very odd. DNF

In Case You Missed it - GMMTV 2025 Line Up

There have been a ton of hot takes already, including mine.

Here are the titles and links to MDL for you (confirmed full BLs only), these are organized in order of the ones I'm anticipating the most at the top.

Dare You to Death - trailer

Boys in Love - trailer

Memoir of Rati - trailer

My Magic Prophecy - trailer

Me and Thee - trailer

A Dog and A Plane - trailer

Cat for Cash - trailer

That Summer - trailer

My Romance Scammer - trailer

Head 2 Head - trailer

Ticket To Heaven - trailer

Burnout Syndrome - trailer

Melody of Secrets - trailer

Only Friends Dream On - trailer

Love You Teacher - trailer

Next Week Looks Like This:

End of year drops:

12/4 0.5D (Japan ????) 10 eps - Sales ace, Sada, has a secret that only his junior, Daiki, knows. He has pretended to have a gf for years, resulting in him being a virgin. But now Sada has fallen in love. Confused, Sada seeks advice from his junior. I sense another queer Cyrano De Bergerac. Info here.

12/6 Be Moon - Falling for my enemy's son (China ????) movie from HBD Studio - Not much on this one just a trailer, looks intriguing...... if it's from/through Taiwan, but if it's all China, I'm wary.

12/13 ThamePo Heart that Skips a Beat (Fri YT) 12eps - A boy band member and his documentarian start a forbidden relationship. I LOVE Est and am delighted to see him at GMMTV. This was my #1 pick for 2024. I've been waiting for a Blinding Lights style idol romance and this looks like it might be it (Korea and Japan have systemically disappointed me). Bring it, boys.

12/14 & 12/21 The Renovation (Thai mini One31) 2 eps - Writer turns his blossoming romance with holiday resort owner into a novel.

12/29 Sangmin Dinneaw (Thai ????) ??eps - trailer Childhood friends (Thai & Korean) reunite after being apart for ten years. As the boys reconnect, their bond matures and feelings of romance begin to develop, in Thai.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

His smile. (Caged Again)

Look at them!

Look, I don't mean to tell you your business, but THIS? This is peak Thai BL. This is it. This is What They Do Best. Sure they dabble with silly kinky crimey-whiney fashizzal, but Thailand's true BL power is right here, in the sweet awkward school-set first love arghhhhh. Yes I said, school. Bite me. (Love Sick... damn it, 10 years later and it still has me in a choke hold.)

Hey all you idiots who thought (or think) there is ever a green flag in any Mame ever, this character if for you. This boy, THIS ONE. This is what a walking talking ACTING green flag energy actually looks like. You wanna date a dude? Find you one like him. Okay, peaches? sheesh

Meanwhile, this, this is not a green flag. This is GMMTV thinking they are being clever by calling out Thai BLs' worst behavior to make a character who has 'slightly less than worst behavior' look better. Sigh. When meta is used for ill gotten gains.

This, on the other hand is meta being cleverly deployed.

And this is language play. P'ABL's favorite.

So endeth this lesson.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[idolomantises]

Have you watched Murder Drones, and if so what’s your opinion on it?

Also your art is great, keep it up.

Thank you!

And uh. Man. I may make an enemy out of another indie fandom because I don’t really like this show.

I actually loved the pilot and thought episodes 1-3 were incredible, if a bit too fast paced. But episode 4 was kind of a breaking point for me and I dropped off after that.

I don’t think it’s very funny. I think it relies too much on Bathos and it makes it hard to take its cast seriously. As a black comedy it mostly worked for episodes 1-3, but 4? No.

It does this thing I really despise in media where it has themes of genocide but like… heavily deprioritizes it and often portrays it like a comedy. It’s supposed to be funny when innocent characters are murdered because they’re just goofy side characters but when it’s a major character suddenly we have to care, and I don’t like that at all. The main character has a meltdown over finding out that murder drones are sent to kill her people at the end of the pilot, and then in episode 4 she’s murdering her classmates and crying because a boy she likes might think she’s weird. I actually find it pretty frustrating that the robots are portrayed as incredibly cowardly because they’re slowly dying off and scared to die and then they’re hanging out with V who casually murders random children and nobody reacts to it.

I actually do like the idea of a character who’s not reformed but is kind of forced to stick around but when I see her murder characters, traumatize children and then go “haha I just have mental problems” and everyone just… moves on, I just cannot bring myself to care. It causes such a massive dissonance and not in a fun way.

I think it’s very frustrating and unengaging when a story about people doing the right thing and trying to help others has no interest in helping those they’re trying to save.

I think the female cast is solid but I did kind of raise my eye a bit when the only major female character that was killed off was a victim of genocide while the other genocidal characters, two of which gleefully murdered her fucking parents, are just allowed to hang out with the rest of the cast. Uzi especially lost a lot of sympathy for me when she was more emotional about freaking out N than murdering her classmates. Like yeah, they weren’t the nicest to her but it’s weird to establish a character wants to end genocide and then… barely reacts when they also indulge in that genocide.

I don’t really like the characters at all. I don’t like Uzi, I found N irritating and boring (and gives me anime harem protagonist vibes), I thought V was a tryhard and I couldn’t really care for the rest of the cast. I liked Doll but lol, you know how that turned out.

It also has this problem of having an overloaded cast with very little breathing room. I really wish the show just had one, low stakes episode, so we can actually get to know these characters and collect their thoughts. It’s actually one of my concerns for TADC, because as much as I do like that show, I think “no filler” with constant story is going to make or break the show for me. It’s too fast paced and no, I don’t think it’s good that you have to rewatch an episode 4 times to understand what’s going on. I don’t watch indie shows to play where’s Waldo, information should be explained to the audience in a way that feels digestible and natural.

The animation is incredible and the stuff that came out from the finale was insane, but at times it just felt like jangling keys in my face. Like don’t pay attention to rushed story, underdeveloped characters and bizarre tonal whiplash, look at the cool fights. I dont think it does horror well either. In fact I kind of cringe a bit when characters a big wide grins and giggle evilly and it’s mean to be intimidating and it just. Doesn’t work. Feels a bit juvenile honestly.

And. This is a very personal thing. I don’t like the robot designs.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

REWATCHING GO S1, LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY OF DOOMSDAY WAHOO

HELLO MAGGOTS REWATCHING SEASON 1 BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME WAS A KIDNAPPING CHAOTIC MESS. EPISODE ONE HERE GOES. I DON'T REMEMBER A LOT OF DETAILS BUT YES.

Opening scene and Earth's got vibe-checked by God and I've been gaslit about the dinosaurs

GARDEN OF EDEEEEEN wow his first appearance and Aziraphale's already so prissy and flustered might fuck around and fall in love with him idk

I finally understand who these mf's are hi Hastur and Ligur you're not zombies after all

FOR FUCK'S SAKE SECOND SCENE CROWLEY'S BEEN IN AND SHE WALKED IN, SERVED HIPS HAIR AND CUNT, AND THEN MANAGED TO TALK HER AWAY INTO A PROBLEM

LIKE GENUINELY SHE COMES AND SASHAYS WITH HER HAIR AND SAYS TIMES ARE CHANGING AND HEAD OFFICE LOVES ME AND JUST INSTANTLY HASTUR AND LIGUR USE HER WORDS AGAINST HER

idk sister mary loquacious is kinda doing it for me rn with that satanic nun's habit and losergirl energy

third crowley scene and he's misplaced THE LITERALLY GODDAMNED ANTICHRIST because he made small talk with a bloke outside without checking for details

mmmmhm yes sister mary wink again your bitchless decisions are sexy y'know what i mean

Gabriel feels like his brain was eviscerated and replaced with one of those youtuber's paid course promos at the end of their how to change your life in 45 days: three simple mindset shifts video

so THIS IS WHY EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING PAVLOVIAN IN THIS FANDOM IT'S BECAUSE OF DUCKS of course it's because of ducks

mmmhm yes sure crepes French revolu--Crowley stop eye-fucking Aziraphale you're making everyone at the Ritz horny

Aziraphale don't moan into your food man you can't take these two anywhere

Crowley thanking the driver for slowing down is everything to me

And they're drunk hu-fucking-zzah good thing we'll have 11 year olds saving the world coz these fuckers sure ain't doing shit

OH MY GOD HE WAS TRYING TO SAY BOUILLABAISSE I JUST REALISED. I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST MAKING KISSY FACES AT AZIRAPHALE I'M NOT OK-

What Aziraphale was doing back was definitely kissy faces though that mfer wasn't even trying to say bouillabaisse when Crowley said what sounded suspiciously like baby

kissy kissy from lil miss prissy [i would have made such a great high school bully shame i had no inclinations that way]

SORRY WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK WAS THAT SOBERING UP EXCUSE ME THE FANFICS MADE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS A CLICK AND THEY'RE SUDDENLY NORMAL WHY IS THE ALCOHOL REFILLING

oop nun down nun down

i want ya see a wile ya thwart amirite on a t-shirt

"actually i encourage humans to-" just say you're a lazy bitch azi we love you

love crowley fake-manipulating azi into helping like azi wants to be manipulated y'know so it's not technically his fault he was wiled over or whatever and they're both just such ENABLERS

not azi going SOFT at being godfathers with crowley

NOT BROTHER FRANCIS PLEASE NO FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS SACRED AZI WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS PLEASE

WARLOCKKKKK I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

HNNNG MICHAEL SHEEN HAD TOO MUCH FUN WITH THIS

why is nanny ashtoreth so seductive with that of course dear is it just crowley's inherent disastergirl sex appeal

HALF PONYTAIL CROWLEY I AM A FUCKING SLUT FOR HALF PONYTAIL

GASLIGHTING HEAVEN AND HELL THAT'S MY BABYGIRLS

erIC THE DISPOSABLE DEMON I DIDN'T KNOW THEY COME IN S1 well not come i hope unless being eaten by a hellho--nope

ANGEL CROWLEY SAID ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL

CROWLEY TRYING TO BE SUBTLE ABOUT KILLING BEFORE GETTING ANNOYED

waiter crOWLEY OUTFIT I CANNOT BE NORMAL AFTER THE WEDDING DRESS DESIGNING ABOUT THIS COSTUME

FOOLS WRONG BOY YOU FOOLS IM DEAD

DOG IS UNIRONICALLY SO CUTE EVEN BEFORE IT GOES SMOL

gonna give my roxie a kissy brb she's my angel and all this dog talk makes me miss her (she's a few feet away under the bed)

i asked her for a kissy and she crawled out and gave me a kiss i love her

DOGGGGG ADAMMM

...roxie's crying to be taken downstairs it's nearly 2 am this is on me for waking her up i crowley'd myself fml

EYYYYY WELCOME TO THE END TIMES don't mind me I'll have to take roxie down yes I know maggots I'm crowley-coded I KNOW THAT I'M A BLOODY DISASTER BYEEEEEEEE

[lathya]

Thoughts while rewatching Episode 11 of Season 2 of Helluva Boss

Andrealphus, do you want to fuck your sister?

Luna cares! (keep that picture by your heart)

Why don't they escape into the mortal realm?

I LOVE that we finally get the see the rest of the Demon Lords. Satan with him little therapist is FUCKING GREAT!

Lucifer's chair in the background! With the duck with his hat, the BRB sign, the cobwebs! HA!

Who is this other bird guy? Vasago? He reminds me of the red bird from The Three Caballeros and I think he's my new favorite character!

They should let Ozzie kill Mammon.

I am SO curious about Levy. They are definitely the lord of Pride and I love how they are literally two-faced, but don't seem to be 100% in sync. They each have different reactions to Mammon hitting on them. Is the one into it? (Edit: my math was broken and i forgot about envy. I have been informed that Levy is envy. The two heads thing is still cool as heck though)

Andrealphus is fucking clever. He would have had to have known that Satan would want to broadcast this and that Stolas would care enough to intervene. This fucker is 100% more scary than he sister (who he totally wants to fuck).

The fucking LORE DROP! Satan created the Imp! He's been there, as assumably all the demon lords, longer than Lucifer was. What was that power struggle like? If Lucifer never shows up, how does he keep his title? Are they afraid of him? Even the language of the demon lords seems to put Lucifer at an almost divine level: "Oh my Lucifer"

"I love you guys" I WANNA FUCKING CRY WHAT THE FUCK!!!

AND STOLAS WITH THE BADASS ENTRANCE!! I was fucking SCREAMING! Like, we knew he was coming, but everything about that moment was perfect. The feather, the stance, the glare, the ass in Blitzo's face. Perfect! NO NOTES!

If Stolas and Vasago don't become best friends by the end of this series I'm going to kill everybody. They aren't even directly interacting with each other and they are so on the same level.

The way the lords roll their eyes at the mention of Lucifer. There is no respect there. I would love to learn the story of how Lucifer ended up being the king of hell when he so clearly doesn't care about it. My guess is Lilith was the more ambitious one, but there is still so little we know about her and what happened between her and Lucifer. We'll probably get this answers, or at least some of them, in Hazbin Hotel.

Octavia's little bird sounds when she cries. I fucking love all the little bird sounds they make!

"Your life has actual worth." The absolute unsubtlety. This dynamic of imps and demon lords has been such a constant throughout the series, I think we're gearing up to hit the climax of this part of the story in the next season. Especially when we see all the praise Blitzo is getting and the instant hate the imps have for Stolas.

One of the first things Stolas looked at when he went into Blitzo's house was the photo's on the wall. The ones where Blitzo marked out his own face. I really hope Stolas brings this up. I want them to talk about this shit!!

Business is going to be BOOMING for the next while.

Blitzo is being SO SOFT there at that end and I CAN'T EVEN!!

Predictions for what's next:

Revolution baby! The Imps are going to rise up and Blitzo is going to be their fucking champion. He's also going to TOTALLY let it get to his head at least a little bit

Blitzo's dad is for sure going to show up. He's going to try to mooch off Blitzo's rising fame. Blitzo's sister might also make an appearance just so the show has a chance to get the family all in one place somehow, but I'm not sure

Stolas is finally going to learn when life is like for the Imps and realize how well he's had it in comparison. He's never really had to think about his privilege before. Even when Blitzo claimed Stolas was only interested in him because he was an Imp Stolas could order around, Stolas never really gave the idea much thought or reflected on the accusation. In Stolas's mind he never thought of their relationship that way, but he there was always an unbalance of power there that Stolas never addressed. This will be his chance to finally do that.

Blitzo is going to hire Stolas to work for him, like what they talked about as kids.

IMP, if it only operates in the mortal realm, is going to be unsustainable if it gets bigger, and with all the next people wanting to work for Blitzo it's going to grow FAST. If so many humans keep dying, and the FBI agents keep going after them, it's going to cause too much ruckus for the demon lords to stay out of it and they'll want to shut it down. I'm curious to see how Blitzo handles all the new hires, if he even hires that many.

Stolas and Blitzo don't actually know each other very well. They only really know a mostly superficial version of the other and have seen a few cracks in each others masks, but now that they are living together they are really going to get to see all sides of each other and their relationship will become more grounded because of it.

Blitzo being Stolas's caretaker during this time is flipping their power dynamic, but they won't be able to be together properly until the power between them is balance. Whatever happens in the next season and however long this series is going to be is going to end with them in more or less equal levels of power (in relation to each other). IMP will also be revamped into something new by the end that better incorporates Stolas into their business model.

[halliescomut]

My Personal Weatherman Finale

I don't have anything super deep or insightful to say after doing a rewatch with subtitles so I actually know what was said. But I think I might have figured out what felt so different about My Personal Weatherman. It's a love story 100%, but it wasn't a 'falling in love story'. We saw the moments when they fell for each other in the flashbacks, but the story of the show already had them in love. So it was really about self-acceptance of those feelings for Yoh, and about confidence in their relationship to fully express them for Mizuki. (Maybe I do have something insightful to say.)

But also, one of my absolute favorite things about this episode was the camera choices. The fact that every time we saw them be fully honest with each other, one of them had their back turned, and then in the very end they're gazing into each other's eyes. Like it's just beautiful and perfect, because we see Yoh avoid eye contact regularly, and Mizuki will make him look him in the eye when he thinks it's important. Mizuki doesn't avoid eye contact though, so him doing so while saying these really important things that he knows have the potential to change everything is really impactful because I think it really shows how afraid he is that Yoh will decide it's too much.

I've talked some about how I fall on the Yoh side of the D/s dynamic, so I relate the most to him. But find myself most affected emotionally by Mizuki, and I wonder if that's because of that submissive part of me. Like, since we're given insight through his thoughts, the last two episodes especially, I just so much wanted him to say EVERYTHING he was thinking. I felt like he was scared that his intensity would be too much for Yoh, and I just kept wanting to be the Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder telling him that Yoh isn't as delicate as he thinks. That we aren't fragile, we can handle that intensity, we want to see that strength of love, and affection, and passion. And we may be a little nervous, but we also TRUST and have faith.

Either way this episode made me cry, it's making me almost cry as I think about it. I'm sad that it's gone by so quickly, and I hope that we get something else, a special ep, or a movie, or if the gods are with me a second season. But either way I'm 99% sure I'm gonna order the physical copy of this show and it's probably going on my comfort rewatch list.

(As a side note, I went to pull gifs for this post to add interest, and they are wearing the same tops in the first ep as they do in the finale, the gray thin boatneck top and green hoodie (technically it's a different hoodie, but that's not really the point) so it's like full circle.)

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 14 Episode Ranking Rewatch (long post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 14:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.54

Mean (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking Breakdown: 8 5s 4 4s 1 3

Season as whole thoughts:

I won't call it a comeback...but you can check the previous posts and see that the strike-shortened Season 14 has the highest average score since season 9 and that it's numbers put it right up there with my personal Golden Age of the show. It's possible there is some sort of recency bias with these ratings- with one exception (guess which one...) I've only watched these episodes maybe two or three times now so the jokes might feel a little fresher and make me laugh a bit more than they otherwise would. But, I don't really think that's the case. Rewatching these episodes I think that Season 14, like my beloved Season 7, features a great blend of humor, creativity, and emotional resonance, both within individual episodes and throughout the season as a whole.

I also feel like this was a pretty great season for the show's supporting characters: Rudy becomes the first non-main character to be the focus of an episode, we learn more about Zeke's past, they actually made me feel sympathy for Logan, interesting new characters like Will and Sam were introduced, and we get the long awaited (possibly only by me) return of Downtown Randolph Brackenbrown!

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Fight at the Not Okay-Chorer-al": The bedtime story- and the way the telling of it went back and forth between the parents and Louise- was a really fun, unique way to break out of the normal world of the show without doing another anthology episode (even though I love those.) So many of the visual details of the western town were beautiful, compelling, and fun. And I'm a sucker for an emotional Linda and Louise story.

"The Amazing Rudy": I am totally normal about this episode. Writing two fics inspired by an episode within a week of it airing is normal, right? Okay, yeah...this episode emotionally resonated with me more than any piece of entertianment I'd encountered in a while. The way it captured the feelings of being a child of divorce- the stress, the anxiety, the loneliness-hit home for me so hard. I can pause this episode at multiple points and tell you about similar things that happened in my own life. And, while I know it's just a coinceidence, it's so weird for me that this story came out last year. Because when I wrote my first fic about Rudy earlier last year, I foiund myself crying while writing a line mentioning his parents divorce- and that lead me to think about why- and to finally do something to process how my parents' divorce decades ago had affected me in ways I hadn't acknowledged before- and to work to move beyond that. So, maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe the Molyneux sisters are witches who can see into my soul? Really, who's to say?

Okay, sorry to do two paragraphs on one episode, but that kinda turned into a weird autobiographical essay, didn't it? As an episode, I think this is top notch in terms of writing, direction, animation, music, and especially the voice-acting of Brian Huskey and Kristen Schaal. Also, while this might sound like a weird comment coming from Mr. "I've been shipping Louise/Rudy since the first airing of 'Carpe Museum'", I really didn't think about the end of this episode in romantic/shippy way until I came on here and saw some other Roudise folks squeeing over it. Because, while you can view it that way, I also think at its heart this episode is really a story about loneliness and friendship-about how we can all help ease each others pain just by being there for one another. And I hope folks can appreciate this lovely story of friendship even if they don't enjoy Roudise from a shipping perspective.

"The Pickleorette": That was fun! Really, both the A story and B story in this episode are a hoot. TIna immediately forgetting about the board game and scheming about how to see Pickles in the restaurant is one of the funniest moments all season. The lines about big sisters making mistakes so little sisters know its okay not to be perfect are some of the best moments between both Linda & Gayle and Tina & Louise.

"Running Down a Gene": I am always a sucker for weird dreams, and Mr. Ambrose always cracks me up. The Louise and Tina cricket storyline is funny and weirdly sweet. But what ultimately puts this into 5 territory is Gene's sweet song at the end- I always love when they have him write a surprisingly moving song (see also "The Gene and Courtney Show").

"Bully-ieve It or Not": It was great to learn more about Zeke's past and get a new (hopefully recurring) member of the 8th grade class. But the character I really loved the most in this one was Jimmy Jr.- in this story, he is the voice of reason, displays some emotional intelligence, and you see how much his friendship with Zeke means to him. Really, this is an A+ story for both Zeke and J-Ju in my book.

"The (Raccoon) King and I": If I need to choose an episode from the whole series to cheer me up when I'm feeling down, it might be this one. The storylines are all pretty low stakes (except for Little King Trashmouth) but the endings are all super sweet! Tina gets to "woo!"; Arnold, Andy, Ollie, and Rudy dance like the nerdy boys they are; Bob dances like the tired middle-aged man he is; Louise fills up a giant bowl with soft serve ice cream to bring to her friends (this is literally one of my favorite images from the whole series); and Little King Trashmouth and His Husband Gary are reunited!!! It is all so freaking beautiful, man!

"Fraud of the Dead: Zombie-Docu-pocalypse": Just a really fun episode- a great way to break from the show's usual formula while still telling a funny, emotionally resonant story. I kind of wish we could see another episode that was the "behind the scenes" of the movie from this episode- I particularly enjoy wondering about if Louise scripted everybody's lines or if it was more improv (Yes, I am particularly wondering about Rudy's "I don't want to be remembered as a complainer" line). Also, Louise beginning to sing in the documentary was one of the biggest laughs in the season for me just because it was so unexpected.

"Jade in the Shade": Putting this in here for Babs, as her reward for creating the spreadsheet and making it through all these posts, but my biggest laughs in this episode came from Cynthia and Logan's interaction. I think anyone who's ever been a teen boy with a mom can relate to Logan in this one. The Linda and Louise interaction is also great, and I loved the return to some of the settings of the movie.

"Butt Sweat and Fears": The Tina storyline and the way it ends- both with her and Sam dancing and with Jimmy Jr. leaning on her- is just so freaking sweet. It's also a really funny episode throughout (call me immature, but the stuff about Chelsea's potentially sick cat and it's poop really cracked me up). And it was fun to see Dalton again- one of those enjoyable recurring characters who I forget about until he's on screen! Funny, sweet, good supporting chracters- this served as a fitting ending to this short season.

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-Rudy was in six of the first nine episodes of this season, making me hope he was on track to tie or pass his record for most appearances in a season (seven in both Seasons 5 and 10). Alas, he didn't appear in any of the remaining episodes. Who knows how many episodes he would've appeared in if it was a full length season? Too bad the season was shortened by the strike. Rudy's kind of like the 1994 Montreal Expos in that regard. (This is an incredibly dorky joke put in solely for my own amusement, please feel free to ignore it.)

Is this the end of my Episode Ranking Rewatch Long Posts?!?! Probably not, I'll probably do one or two more with some thoughts on the series as a whole and sharing my writer and director rankings, since those were one of the reasons I found Babs' spreadsheet so exciting to begin with.

[flameshadowconjuring]

I am in the middle of my Assassination Classroom reread and rewatch and I am really enjoying it. It might just be that it resonates with me more now than 8 years ago when I originally read and watched it (ironic, given that I was much closer in age to the characters then than now), but it is even more fun than I remember it being. Most anime don't make me perpetually grin while watching them. Korosensei must be rubbing off on me.

The series does what the Japanese do best exceptionally well, which is to mix things that seem incompatible and make it work. Korosensei is the most kind and devoted teacher there is. He is also going to blow up the earth in one year if no-one kills him before then. He is the best teacher ever, can move at Mach 20 and is just generally a badass superbeing, but he is also deeply pathetic. He can destroy the world, but lives paycheck to paycheck. He encourages his students every step of the way in their mission to assassinate him, but does everything he can to survive their attempts. His students love him and depend on him, but also they are doing all they can to assassinate him. The most skilled assassin in the class, Nagisa, is a meek, kind boy who looks like a girl. All of this contrast is the source of most of the comedy of the show, and it works really well.

The thing I find most compelling in my reread/rewatch is how the task of assassinating their teacher unites the class. While the (almost) thirty students don't all get equal screen time/relevance, they all get moments to shine, and all of their successes come from everyone pitching in with their own unique set of skills. So many shonen manga talk about the power of friendship, but Assassination Classroom actually delivers on it. It has this strong message that everyone has talents to be nurtured and can become badass assassins someone awesome if you give them the chance.

The characters, particularly Korosensei, are very likeable and fun to watch. The anime's soundtrack is really good. It suits the series perfectly. The anime is generally a great adaptation. The mangaka actually worked closely together with the studio (at least for season 2, presumably also season 1). The cuts that the anime made were largely scenes from the manga that weren't essential. Exposition scenes whose information content can be inferred from more active scenes and stuff like that. I liked those scenes in the manga, but they were definitely the right scenes to cut so that the anime can conclude within only 47 episodes. The anime is really good. Just try not to look at students in the backgrounds of shots. They are often CG.

Perhaps most notably, Assassination classroom has achieved what most manga fail to do, which is to be neither too long nor too short, and to end in a way that wraps up the main plot in a satisfying, emotionally moving way. You will cry by the end of the story. I don't make the rules. The ridiculous initial premise of 'hey, your new teacher is a superbeing that just blew up the moon, he will do the same thing next year with the earth. It is your task to assassinate him before then.' is actually explained satisfactorily by the end.

That being said, I do have a few criticisms. I don't really like Bitch-sensei. A lot of scenes featuring her feel more like a reminder of 'hey, she still exists'. There are some great scenes with her, but not many, since she really only has one gimmick.

The first big plot twist of the show, which, to describe it in a non-spoilery way, is the big twist surrounding the actress, came out of nowhere. Maybe I am just dumb and missed all the clues (the author did point out that he planted some extremely subtle visual clues), but there were a bunch of scenes where the author could have easily planted some clues that would be subtle enough, but that a reasonably attentive reader would be reminded of during the reveal. The twist right after that one is really good though, so honestly its fine.

I will frame my final criticism as a warning. You might be tempted to let your guard down. To get emotionally attached to any budding romantic subplots that the story is suggesting or outright devoting entire scenes to. Don't. Down that path lies only disappointment and ambiguous open endings.

So, yeah. To close this with something positive, I guess I'll say who my favourite character is. Except I am going to cheat. I love Korosensei and Nagisa, but they are the two characters who get the most screen time. My favourite non-main character is Rinka Hayami. She is the sniper girl who is a steady shot no matter what, and she is just really cool. I ship her with the sniper guy who can shoot from super long distances. They are just a really cool, calm, get-the-job-done-without-a-hint-of-complaint duo. Mild spoilers, but they were responsible for what you could argue was Korosensei's closest brush with death.

Who would have ever thought that a show about middle school students learning the art of assassination to kill their teacher could be so wholesome and touching?

[lurkingteapot]

Last Twilight ภาพนายไม่เคยลืม Ep 9

This episode was a LOT. I found myself thinking "wait, if this is episode nine, what's going to happen in episode 11?!" but then I thought, well, if we compare the structure of Last Twilight to Bad Buddy (which I invariably do because those are the two 12-ep-shows of P'Aof's that I've watched), this is the … hit a snag, get past it, hit a LARGER snag part of the story arc, isn't it. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Liveblog:

guys, can you not make a scene at someone else's wedding??

so Night, what, caused the accident?

did Day see something he shouldn't have?

okay this is … like. I see why Night would blame himself, and it's convenient for Day to blame Night, but. It's not Night's fault. It's like … sure, this might not have happened if Night hadn't had to throw up, but that doesn't mean it's Night's fault? When he got in that car, I honestly worried he might've drunkenly thought it'd be funny to hold Day's eyes closed or something, but this? Day, I know you were on a toll road or something, but even so I was yelling at my screen for you to pull over from the second Night made the first retchy noise. And for Day to resent him for getting out of it with his sight intact and with, y'know, character growth? that's … unfortunately realistic but also. Oh Day. Oh Night. Boys.

OH wow so Day has that much insight at least?

he said เด็กเดียว there, right?? gotta rewatch and check

wow Day WOW you've got some things to work through here

the "sorry" bit is food for a LOT of "ways in which siajai and sorry aren't identical" commentary and I once again salute GMM's translation team

OHHH good job apologising

oh so she didn't start out rich and famous? sorry for misjudging, P'Mon

love these not-so-subtle "travel to southern Thailand, we have great food" plugs here

oh not AGAIN with the product placement

the way Day looks, I bet this smells the same

a museum?

an ARTIST so that's why the hair?

Day, you're an ass, you realise right?

I mean it does sorta feel like he's just hanging on to all the resentment towards Night so he doesn't have to deal with the fact that it was random and could've happened in a million different ways?

ahaha see! Long hair = artist!

oh I love the angle they shot this from here

is Pla teaching Mawk to make southern food??

is Mawk gonna move on to actually being a chef, too? is there anything he can't do? (for real though I love that Mawk is getting to see that there's options for him)

are they both gonna move South in the end?

you can SEE him thinking about whether to ask if there'll be a next time

HAH

… so much for three months, huh

I love the touristy stuff in these few eps

the music is creepy af

OH

random white guy a named David

phuak-you GOD I love neopronouns

Cherry Guest, huh

adfasdfads the MANY FIRSTS convo, what a BBS ep 11 parallel (sobbing)

there we gooooo

you're so far apart, boys, c'mon

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

(I have many thoughts on the way they set up this scene in regards to Day's agency, none of them coherent, and just. Good job folks.)

I LOVE them oh they're cute

Mawk already trying to start something again 😂

I love how they keep making a point in how there's no knowing the ending before it ends

kinda re: point a few minutes back, but it's wonderful how Mawk has … idk, Mawk has seen he has talents and OPTIONS (which is something I don't feel like he really ever felt he had) which allow him to risk his current job in order to take Day to see the last twilight on Mt Khuha

Mawk is so annoyed by the weather's non-cooperation, I love him so much

honestly I love the view as is, but I also get Mawk's disappointment/upset

oh I love this

it feels very final episode-y though which WORRIES me

is he gonna bring this back to not having seen Mawk's body-- yeah

"last picture" that's a theme song call back

oh Mawk, so touched, huh

ilu Jimmy but you're still not the best at pretending to cry, though I guess the smiling through tears is pretty close

annnd that's it, his sight has gone, huh

I know the blocking probably is done for ~reasons but I still wish they'd moved closer to each other here

oh no, the preview REALLY worries me

I'm so glad my hunch that Night didn't actually actively do anything to make Day resent him that much played out as correct. Now for shit to hit the fan next week when their mum gets involved.

[thatiranianphantom]

Nancy Drew Rewatch 108: The Path of Shadows

And so we arrive at an episode that Ace is technically in but also not in.

Thank GOD we only have 1 Laura episode left I think.

"It was Ace (and Laura but nobody cares about her)"

This totally not affected face:

I enjoy Lisbeth. She's also GORGEOUS. I wish she'd lasted longer.

The cops would have absolutely taken Ace's phone but then again, the cops have SO little to do with the solving of any crimes.

This text chain between Nancy and Ace kills me:

"Can you pick up bleach wipes?" "No."

"Great dress if it's you!" Counting that as a Nace moment.

McGinnis episode -> McGinnis disappears after this episode.

But a shout out for actual Indigenous representation with actual Indigenous actors. And this show being this show, I have no doubt they did their research.

The Bess Bus! Love this Nancy and Bess bonding time

And also this SUPER subtle Old Navy plug

This entire exchange where they sum up the last 7 episodes needed to be documented in its entirety:

Bess: Dead Lucy was on Nancy's phone video. We went to a medium to see what she wanted and then the medium freaked and vanished. George: Not like mystical vanished, she just skipped town. Bess: Right. Then there was this 70s throwback lady who applied for a job during the Nor'Easter storm. George: She also might have been dead. Not sure. Bess: But Tiffany Hudson's ghost definitely attacked me in a freezer right before she possessed George. Nick: And there was the antique coins that opened the door to a crowd full of spirits during the seance. Nancy: Yeah, I conducted it, with a crash course from Victoria. George: My mom's a clairvoyant, it's why she's a raging alcoholic.

I'm with Nick on the work = distraction. When I got the news my grandmother was dying, I walked into my boss' office crying and they told me I could go home, but I chose to stay. Then my tinies came in and covered me with hugs, so much better than going home alone.

Okay a small rant on Carson Drew: THE LIES. He could technically say he's telling the truth but it's like 1/4 truth. The lies by omission are MASSIVE and he spent SIXTEEN EPISODES lying to Nancy. And he only stopped because he got caught! This whole self-righteous "how dare you accuse me of this" doesn't really work when he spent almost an entire season lying to her.

We'll get into this near end of season but the umbrella justification of "I was trying to protect you" he uses to excuse so many of his own lies. Not buying it.

So, so much goes back to Thom for Ace.

But we finally get an age on Ace! He's 21 as of this episode.

Leah Lewis remains underrated, she's a great actress.

Thank you as usual to you, readers, and thank you to @middleagedresidentofriverdale for joining me for 108. See y'all for 109.

[billpottsismygf]

Okay, rewatch complete and my feelings are just so *mixed*. When I was halfway through, I wrote this whole thing about the weak plot and bad pacing, but having watched episodes 4-6 in one sitting today, I’m now feeling much better about it. In fact, the emotions of the last scene were even more hard hitting this time, and I no longer have as much of a character issue with Aziraphale’s decision as I did my first time through.

To get my bad thoughts, all written yesterday, out of the way:

The plot is so weak and the pacing is all over the place. What is series 2 about? Crowley and Aziraphale take in an angel who has lost his memory, they successfully hide him for a few episodes while trying to set up two shopkeepers, then we find out what was going on. The End. Series 1 works because we get all this amazing character stuff for Aziraphale and Crowley on top of an engaging romp about the end of the world, with a huge cast of characters and lots of moving parts that all come together at the end for a satisfying finale.

I found episode 3 a particular slog, which is a shame because I do actually like the Georgian setting of the flashbacks, but it gets very flimsy very quickly. I just don't believe Elspeth's sudden desire to kill herself (with an apparent sudden change of heart re: bodysnatching, since she says she doesn't want anyone digging her up), then another sudden turnaround once she's been given the money. I liked the general message they were going for wrt poverty and Aziraphale's ignorance of how the world really works, but it just doesn't quite work for me.

I also don’t buy into Nina and Maggie at all. If it was established that they knew each other a little already, then it might work, but Maggie’s deep investment in Nina liking her just reads as either overbearing or unbelievable. They’ve clearly never spoken about anything other than coffee before, and Maggie has a crush fair enough, but after one somewhat awkward evening locked in a shop, she’s crying and declaring herself in love. I like both of the actresses, but I’m not sure they completely sold it either. (I feel bad pointing out particular instances, but when Maggie’s “crying” when Aziraphale goes to ask about the song, she doesn’t even believably read as upset, let alone crying.)

There's also just the, fanfic-ness of it all, especially with Gabriel and Beelzebub. I've always seen that pairing as a bit of a crack one, though I'm glad there are people who enjoy it, and for it to become canon like that... Maybe if they were still bitches at the end? But the mushy lovey dovey 'wherever [they are] is my heaven/hell' stuff just doesn't read as in character for either of them. It's like they switch into totally different characters at the relationship reveal (though on the rewatch, I did appreciate knowing why Beelzebub was so keen on finding Gabriel).

Really the main things this series has going for it is, firstly, that it is often pretty funny, and, secondly, the chemistry between David Tennant and Michael Sheen, on top of their individually brilliant performances. I am deeply invested in their relationship at this point, as well as the wider implications for Heaven and Hell, but if I weren’t I don’t know that I would be all that excited for series 3. 

I do think series 3 will be better, as this was always described as the series that got us to where series 3 needed to start from, but this is so obviously a filler that it’s hard to see why it was made in the first place. I imagine we needed that break up scene at the end to lead into the final series, but I wonder if that couldn’t have been achieved with a special, or honestly if we couldn’t have just found out what happened through flashbacks within series 3 itself.

Now, onto the good, written today:

The second half of the series is actually much more enjoyable. I adore the entire conceit of having a Regency ball, and it works so well alongside the gathering menace of the swarming demons. I also love the entirety of the 1941 flashback, even if it doesn’t have much to do with the main plot - sidenote, but the thing of calling the flashbacks ‘minisodes’ is very odd given that they often take up the vast majority of their respective episodes.

Now that I was expecting the Gabriel and Beelzebub stuff, it wasn't quite as jarring as the first time. I stand by what I said above about the out of character-ness, though.

The Nina and Maggie of episodes 4-6 are also much more believable, because they're actually talking. They're taking part in the main plot, too, and they get to have agency at the end and tell Crowley off for trying to manipulate their love lives.

As said above, this time the entire final scene between Aziraphale and Crowley packed an even bigger punch. I loved it the first time round, though of course I found it devastating, but this time knowing where it was leading, it hit me all the more. It’s a real showcase of both Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s acting chops, as well as the complex relationship between their characters.

Derek Jacobi, master that he is, is of course completely fantastic as the Metatron. I wonder if he’ll have a bigger role in series 3 (if we get it). I really hope so; I’m always delighted to see more of him. Muriel is so adorable as well, and I find the rivalry between Uriel and Michael so enjoyable.

This series is such a mixed bag and I just cannot settle on a consistent opinion. I think perhaps it would have fared better with either a more complex plot, or fewer episodes. I’ll probably do another rewatch soon, but on a much slower episode-by-episode basis.

[livvyofthelake]

continuing that last one. because i miss her and i loved that show so bad… however watching it will without a doubt make me cry sooooo crazy so. there’s that

pros and cons of each option:

fresh off the boat: pros. constance wu is there. yeah. cons. i don’t remember caring that much about those damn kids. i apologize but jessica huang was alwayssss the star of the show to me…. loved her so bad it’s not even funny

big bang theory: pros. i liked it ok i’ll fucking come out and say I LIKED THE BIG BANG THEORY. goddamn. never got to see sheldon and amy get married. kinda miss penny my old friend penny from the tv. cons. annoying ass men are in there 😐

american housewife: pros. well this show gave us our friend meg donnelly of zombies fame so jot that down. i knew her before you did. she used to have red hair even and i was THERE when she went blonde for zombies there was a subplot about it. my friend gaybutnotgay cunt oliver is there. america’s bitch wife katie otto. woman who sucks soooo bad. miss her. cons. actually can’t think of any. ok

the middle: pros. show i genuinely loved. cons. might cry every single episode therefore defeating the purpose of the low commitment sitcom.

[aroaceconfessions]

in a woman in my early 20s and i grew up with baby boomer catholic parents and though they aren't as catholic as many other catholics, i still got 0 sex ed and remember asking about periods and not even getting an answer so just being super confused all around. i learned a little in school and it wasn't as bad as it could have been but it was a lot of confusing info at once. until 5th grade, i thought the word sex was a swear because i said it once (not knowing what it was or meant) and my older sister told me not to say it again. i also couldn't believe that private parts were actually for something other than just being there for relieving yourself

to get to my main point: i wish i had known about purity culture and how harmful it is at a much younger age than i learned about it. i remember watching late 90s and early 00s american teen tv shows and the way they often approached sex made me feel so terrible and ashamed to be a young woman and to be an asexual young woman who didn't know there was a term for my experience and this just added to the feeling that something was wrong with me and shame

watching one of these shows was really the first time i had seen sex depicted in any was because my family had shielded me from it until then. if we ever watched something together they would always tell me to look away while they fast forwarded the suggestive scene or whatever. so when i finally saw this very brief tv-14 depiction, it was just so much at once that i closed my computer and started crying. up until 3 years ago, i always skipped sex scenes in things. now it can depend

i don't know if it is but i know that my family infantilizes me for the conditions and disorders i have so maybe this was also some infantilization as well, i'm not sure. i'm the youngest of three sisters so everyone is overprotective of me and it's really damaging

i don't know if anyone remembers but I'm the anon who months ago was talking about this pattern i noticed in these shows where there'd always be a scene where her parental figure looks at her with a puzzled expression, she asks "what?" and the parent says something like "I don't know, you just look...different" after she's had sex for the first time

in contrast to this I want to briefly mention and recommend the show "my so-called life" a show that had the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay teen on primetime tv and covers really important themes and holds up well and is worth watching. there's an episode about the main girl feeling pressured to have sex and she's talking to her friend about it and her friend has had sex and she isn't painted in a bad light for it and the main girl asks her friend if she felt different afterwards and she says "afterward, I looked in the mirror to see if I looked different...do you think i do?" and the main girl said "no." this was 1994, years before the shows I'm thinking of. i wish i had watched this before the other shows

i just think about this a lot. i rewatch some of these late 90s early 00s shows from time to time for nostalgia and comfort and i look at them through a different eye now thank goodness and i'm able to notice just how much they tend to subtly demonize femininity and stuff that went over my head when i was younger. i didn't even know much about misogyny until a couple years ago and after high school—which makes me very upset that no one really talked about it in any way and i had to find out on my own over time. it makes me really sad to think about how much this stuff must have damaged other people watching when they were young and i worry about younger people who might be watching these shows now and maybe feeling similarly to the way i did

[ciaossu-imagines]

Yeah, also since I read manga weekly, any spoiler that I do see usually isn’t major like that one. It really did. And like I said, I was with extended family and it was so difficult not to cry as much as I wanted to and I only managed to keep myself calm with the thought that there might be more to it, it might not be final beause he really is just such a fun character. That’s so nice to hear and I’m also excited to see you write about them 😃 Yeah, other people also predict autumn at the latest and it would make the most sense considering everything that’s happening in the story. Yeah, same here. Like I do really love the series and am always excited to read a new chapter every Friday evening (when there’s no break), it’s pretty much become my routine to read it after dinner, but even though I love it dearly and will probably at some point rewatch the anime, I wouldn’t say I love it as much as some of the other series out there. And I see. And that might also explain why I don’t love it as much as some other series out there beause of that.

From what I saw after a quick search, both Persona 3 and 4 have less than 100 chapters. Sure thing. Oh, that’s unfortunate to hear. I’m sorry that happened and hope that you’re still able to rest properly at some point. But still glad to hear that you’re doing well ☺ I see. And it is a nice thing that it lets you take a break from things since I feel like for a decent amount of people, it probably is. Thank you for saying that. Since I could look it up, I did a quick search and the manga of D. Gray-Man is still ongoing. Oh that’s a good mood to be in. It’s funny though beause I finished the Swordsmith Village Arc a few days ago so we might’ve been watching the series around the same time or might’ve swapped around. Again, saving you a Google search beause this girl knows it just from what’s in her head. The Mugen Train season isn’t Crunchyroll screwing up beause those 7 episodes actually aired before the actual second season (The Entertainment District Arc which is 11 episodes). It’s the movie’s plot, but with some added scenes, plus the first episode is entirely new stuff, and when I did my rewatch, I watched both because yeah, both are done beautifully in their own ways. That’s also an important thing to do. I see. Yeah, I also really like that character and I do think that I love him and Sanemi equally, at least I said so at some point, beause they’re both just so great in their own ways. And since we’re talking about the movie here, this is the movie that made me upset a few weeks ago that I was talking in our DMs about. And yeah, hopefully now that I’ve explained it, you can go on to watch yet another great season. Yeah, true to what you’re saying about Avatar. Yeah, same. Like Toph is my girl and I was just looking forward to seeing her again when I was doing the rewatch and like I don’t think I have an actual proper favourite beause I love all of the main gang for who they are. They’re just all so great.

Yeah. A part of me wants to say more but I won’t in case of any kind of spoilers but it’s a well-told story until the very end. Yeah. Like the only ‘extra’ stuff we get is those extra scenes from the Mugen Train season and the stuff I was fangirling to you about in our DMs. Yeah, understandable. And after you’ve watched it all, if you still want to hear Genya in Japanese, I could find some of my favourite moments of him. Though there is one scene (apart from his first scene in the Swordsmith Village arc which was just so very Bakugou. Like what he said is something Bakugou says very often) that I’m thinking of so yeah, if you want to hear him in Japanese, I’ll give you the episode and the time stamp after you’ve watched it all. No problem. Yeah, it’s very clear beause even though it’s all clearly the final arc, there’s still a clear division between the two mini-arcs. I hope not. Like as much as I love the movies, I don’t think they’d be able to do those 22 chapters justice. Like the Mugen Train was 13 chapters to give an idea and that movie was almost two hours long so it would have to be a very long movie and considering what happens (not that I remember everything), we do need breathers. But yeah, I do understand your dislike towards the tentacles but I do feel like that’s probably the worst. Yeah, Genya’s first scene isn’t his best moment, like Nemi’s first moments actually, but like with Sanemi you do kind of get to understand why he was being such a dick and was so inpatient at that point when you learn his story. And yay to that. And when you do, just tell me all your thoughts beause he’s just so great and precious and deserves all the love 😭

Yay. That arc takes place a few episodes after the Tenrou Island arc and Sting’s first appearance is the episode after that arc’s done to give you an idea of when it takes place. No problem at all ☺ I see. Will you watch the whole of Beyblade then? Like go from the original to the Metal Saga? Thank you. I finished A Sign of Affection and it was nice. But yeah, even though I liked watching it and the couple was cute, I guess I would have liked more development. Like there’s this one very romance centred anime and it’s just one couple, but there’s still slight misunderstanding that the guy the girl is actually interested in thinks that she’s into his really good looking and all around amazing best friend (who I till this day will headcanon as aro ace) but she’s absolutely into the main guy and it’s just so cute and sweet and sure I haven’t rewatched it sine first seeing it but it definitely left a good impression on me. It’s called Ore Monogatari or My Love Story if you’re interested. But yeah, now it’s onto Tokyo Revengers and then finally Iruma-kun.

Yeah and believe me when I say that I was worried that they wouldn’t properly adapt the main backstory that takes place during this match. And thank you for the understanding. I’m not sure yet to what extent it will be a let down but it really was such an important match, probably the most important math considering it’s been set-up sine the very first season. Really and I hope they don’t beause they teased what the next movie would be about, another important Karasuno match in a different way, but on that same day there’s another match that’s also really important beause my owl boy has such, such amazing moments during that math (and I love what he says before the match even starts) and his backstory is shown in it and I just hope that one day the studio will say ‘Actually we will not only adapt this match properly but also everything that we did in the movies and of course the time-skip’ beause sure, everything is important, but that match showed a glimpse into Bokuto’s development and I really do fear that we’ll never see it animated. Funny thing is also when it comes down to that Bokuto match I sent a screenshot of a moment of him and literally was like ‘I will cry when this is animated’ so maybe the studio saw it and was like “Okay, we’ll never animate it then”. And true. Like I said about the Mugen Train movie, that was 13 chapters and the movie was almost two hours long. Yay 😄 Be excited. And that’s great to hear about you appreciating all their characterisations and be free to say anything you want about it all in our DMs when you get to responding to me. Thank you so much for all of that. Yeah, we definitely do get to see all the Hashira fighting at some point, and some do get to shine more than others and that’s probably why we got that extra scene in the latest movie I went to, to show a bit of two Hashira fighting before the final arc. I see. Yay 😄 Really glad to hear that. I’ve been doing pretty well. Saw some Doctor Who episodes today, the first ones with the Master and he’s such a fun character to watch. Though a few days ago at my latest physio appointment my physiotherapist said something which I didn’t especially like and now it just won’t leave my mind. Like I mentioned while we were talking about stuff that since I’m disabled, I probably won’t be called in to do certain things and first she was shocked that I’d even use that word to describe myself which was yeah, whatever since I don’t generally have any reason to, but then later she said that I’m not as disabled as other people and that’s stuck in my head since since of course I know that, but I’m still much less abled than other people around and I know she never sees me at my worst but it still stings and I know it’d be weird to bring it up again to her so I just wanted to say it here in hopes of it helping in leaving my mind. But yeah, apart from that, been doing pretty well. Have done some more of my diamond painting and put all my Bokuto anime screenshots in order and really do love all the expressions he makes. They’re just so funny and nice. He’s such a gift and I’m really so grateful for him.

C

I’m glad that most spoilers you see are relatively minor, being a weekly reader. I’m definitely not. I’m usually either rereading series that I’ve read before and forget a lot of what happened in them or I’m reading completed series. There’s only a couple I follow that are still ongoing, and I tend to forget to catch up with them for a couple weeks or such and binge the chapters that I missed. I’m horrible at keeping up with a lot of things. It sucks that you got such a massive spoiler in a situation where you could do nothing about the information. I don’t think I could’ve stayed calm and I would have had to excuse myself to go read real quick and then would’ve been upset the rest of the night, so you handled it really well! And I can definitely see the argument for autumn, so we’re just going to have to wait and see, I guess. I didn’t know the manga updates on Fridays, so that was fun to learn. Thank you for that. It’s also interesting to hear that you kind of see some of my points and feel the same way in some regards. It’s really comforting to hear that and I feel really relieved reading that.

Yeah, both anime and manga wise, Persona isn’t too long. I’m just saving up money so I won’t feel guilty splurging on the Steam versions of the games, because I’ve really gotten interested and want to give the actual games a try! And thank you for that. I’ll admit to getting very little proper rest lately, but on the other hand, I’ve been being really productive and that’s always a great feeling to have. Accomplishment is always a feeling I really enjoy and aim to get, so while I’m trading some rest and relaxation, I still feel good about it. Thank you so much for the saved Google searches and I find it amazing that D. Gray-Man is still ongoing. I’m wondering if the manga went on hiatus or something, because it’s been years since I read it and I remember thinking it had to be pretty close to wrapping up! In terms of Demon Slayer, I’ve finished up to the end of the Swordsmith Village Arc, so all the episodes that Crunchyroll has. I haven’t watched more than the first movie though, because Crunchyroll doesn’t have that but can I just reiterate – I’m so pissed off my manga app doesn’t have the manga because I really want to read it. I want so much more story and hopefully some more character development, since I feel there’s a lot more that is going to happen and I feel like the anime might be cutting out small moments because of pacing and such. I’m just intensely curious as to where everything is heading and why certain characters are the way they are and I always feel I get better handles on that through reading than through watching. That being said, I have a couple minor complaints, but overall, I really enoyed it. Thanks again for the recommendation! I’m mostly just pissed I don’t have more of it, hahaha! I honestly can’t think of any of the Avatar characters I truly hated, because even the villains were largely really well done.

Thank you for avoiding spoilers – unless it was in the movies though, I’m pretty sure I’m caught up on the anime? Now, it’s funny because I was just complaining about fillers, but I enjoyed the little ‘fillers’ at the end of the episodes of Demon Slayer, I just want to put that out there. Also, Haganezuka is now my husband, just saying it. He amuses me so much and I just adore him. I will definitely take hearing Genya in Japanese, if you wanna send me any of your favourite moments through dm’s! Especially if, like you said, there are scenes where you can really connect the voices to the different characters! I hadn’t realized the movies covered so few chapters so I do take back my statement then, because yeah, that was a long movie, covered a lot well, but a movie definitely couldn’t be made out of that many chapters then, since I think most fans are not Lord of the Rings loyal to the point where they’d sit through a four hour long movie. Heck, I don’t think even I would do that for much else besides LotR! I genuinely wish I was learning more about both Genya and Sanemi, and I know more about them has to be uncovered later on and I’m hoping they’ll both get focus on them after this arc as well, because I really feel we’re just barely scraping the surface here! They introduced a lot of characters we’d just barely seen before in the arc and it felt like none of them really got the focus that they should have gotten for us to properly know them, just going anime only.

Oh, that is helpful to know! I’m probably going to speedread through Fairy Tail and then watch the anime, so I’ll meet Sting via manga first, though I’m excited to also hear all the characters since I remember having really strong voice ideas for a few of them when I first read some of it way back when. As for Beyblade, I’ll give each series a try, but I’ll probably skip any series that don’t catch my attention within four episodes – I always try to give animated shows at least two hours before I decide if I’m interested and like them or not. I’m glad you enjoyed A Sign of Affection! I actually know of Ore Monogatari! I keep getting recommended it and honestly, it does seem like a romance I might actually enjoy, so it’s on my watchlist though it’s not the first one I decide to watch any time I’m flicking through that list! We actually might be watching Tokyo Revengers at the same time then, since it’s my next anime! I hope we both enjoy it 😊

Wait, it was that important of a match? Like, there’d been build up for it since that early and they did all the fans dirty by not giving that match a full movie entirely focused on it? That seems really frigging awful, not even going to lie. I hope, if the movie is indeed about that, that the important Karasuno match is the movie and then you get an arc for Bokuto and that match, including episodes showing his backstory. To me, just as a creator, that is the way I’d go – a movie for the big match and then a three to four short arc dedicated to the smaller match with Bokuto’s team. I’m also really glad to hear that we get to see all the Hashira fighting at some point, because I am curious about some of them and kind of really hope for some more Giyu moments, not going to lie.

I’m so, so angry at your physiotherapist though. If you feel, because you know your body best, that you’re disabled in some way, then you are and her treating you that way is inexcusable. Knowing you like I do, I can also safely say that I adore you but yeah, I agree with you, I do also consider you as someone who has a disability. I also think you handle it amazingly well, are gracious in the face of it, and really admire how kind you are even dealing with everything you do. Don’t let that twatface of a physiotherapist get you down. If I could, I would take their kneecaps. I’m sorry my reply came so late and I hope you’re doing as well as can be expected! Hugs!

[and-loth-cat]

Star Wars Rebels Asks bc idk if anyone would actually do it so im just gonna give the answers

What is your absolute favorite episode of the show? [The Honorable Ones, obviously!! Or Family Reunion - and Farewell, or Shroud of Darkness...]

Which episode did you not like at first, but grew on you after one or more rewatches? [Hm I honestly don't know, possibly Legends of the Lasat? I don't recall not liking it, but I don't think it was my favorite when I first watched, now I love it for sure!]

How do you feel about the Ahsoka show being live-action Rebels season 5? [I CANT WAIT!! I do know though that if Kallus and Zeb aren't in it, I am going to lose my mind]

Who is your favorite one-off character on the show? [Zare for sure! He's in a few episodes, but I have to give credit to my boy]

If you could change one (non-death-related) plot point in the show, what would you change? [I might have to edit this one later, I genuinely cannot think of anything]

What are your two favorite ships from the show (canon or not)? [KALLUZEB AND KANERA!!!]

Who is one character you feel isn't appreciate enough by the fandom? [Probably my boys Jai and Zare]

If you could've added an episode/story arc to the show, what would it be about? [KALLUS AND ZEB ON LIRA-SAN BEING MARRIED AND GAY AND HAPPY]

Obligatory "who's your favorite member of the crew" question. [Chopper, obviously]

Aside from season 4 episode 10, which episode made you cry the most? [Oh my god, probably the finale]

What is one joke/moment from the show that always makes you laugh? [Chopper's reaction to being used as a bet gets me everytime]

Which design for Sabine's hair and armor is your favorite? [Season 4 with the white and purple hair!]

Chopper vs Palpatine- who's making it out alive? [Chopper. Is this even a question?]

What is your favorite moment of the crew being a family? [Probably any episode where they all do something to help one person (The Mandalore Arc, Hera's Kalikori, Ezra's parents, Lira San]

What is your favorite Kanera moment? [I wish..I could see you...]

Who is your favorite villain/antagonist? [Early seasons- Kallus. Late- THRAWN]

What is your opinion on the World Between Worlds? [I love it. I cry every time]

Where do you think Ezra has been all this time? [Somewhere in hyperspace or stuck on a remote planet,,I guess we'll find out soon!]

What is one of your favorite Kanan moments? [This is my excited face :)))]

What is one of your favorite Hera moments? [I DONT CRASH, I HAVE VERY EXCITING LANDINGS!!]

What is one of your favorite Chopper moments? [I am getting this motherfucking leg if it's the last thing I do...and also him holding Hera's hand in Dume and him with Jacen]

What is one of your favorite Zeb moments? [Any moment he's with Kallus]

What is one of your favorite Sabine moments? [Her darksaber training arc]

What is one of your favorite Ezra moments? [I'm in space..AND IM ABOUT TO DIE!!]

Which of Ezra's two lightsabers would you rather have? [His blue one for sure!!]

Would you rather be stuck in an elevator with AP-5 or Lieutenant Lyste? [AP-5 because I'm sure we could find a topic of conversation]

Which plot point do you wish the show had expanded on? [We didn't get enough of Rebel Kallus >:(]

Favorite recurring character? [KALLUS!!!]

Favorite piece of music from the show? [Kallus is really good!]

Most under-rated episode? [A Princess on Lothal and Stealth Strike!]

[kramercafe]

Just finished watching What We Do In The Shadows (And rewatching it, like, three separate times in the two weeks since I first finished it. Not an exaggeration and might actually be low-balling the numbers a little) and I just wanted to share my thoughts on it:

Favorite main character is definitely Laszlo, but favorite character overall is a toss-up between Doll Nadja and the Guide.

Kristen Schaal literally kills it in every role she’s given and ngl after seeing her play the Guide I wanna see a fanfic that’s a crossover between WWDITS and Gravity Falls where Mabel gets turned into a vampire (Probably by Nadja, knowing her) and maybe meets the Guide. They’d get along so well. I just know it. Mabel could give her problematic romantic advice from bad 80s movies about her crush on Guillermo, the Guide could give Mabel command of her wraiths for the night only for them to lay waste to New York City, it’d just be nonstop fun for those two!

Fave episode is by and far the witch one. Is it wrong that I really want to see a spin-off that’s a mockumentary about witches now? They could set it in the same universe, we could have plenty of jokes about semen and its many uses (Magnets or otherwise), one of the main characters could see Laszlo walking around wearing his hat and just say something like “So, that’s why Beverly stopped returning my letters.” I’m telling you it writes itself.

Favorite season is season three. Love the whole vampiric council storyline, plus seeing Laszlo and Colin Robinson bond is really wholesome to watch.

I absolutely looooove the Simon The Devious and Laszlo’s witch skin hat storyline. I mean, if the man is willing to make a 150 episode home renovation show just so he can steal a cursed hat, honestly he probably deserves to keep it (But I’d be lying if I said I wanted that storyline to end)

I love how in this show everyone in the main cast is at least a little bit gay. We never get shows like that and frankly I am THERE for it!

I really wish they didn’t just dump Jenna as a character after season one. Granted, for all we know she could still be there with the main cast and we just don’t see her lol.

I really really reeeeaaally want Nandor and Guillermo to just admit they love each other! We all know it! Guillermo was crushing on Nandor for a good portion of season three, Nandor clearly prematurely ejaculated with his wife because the djinn made him think about Guillermo (At least I assume that’s why she was comforting him afterwards. It certainly sounded like the kinds of things you’d say to your partner if they did that), and then Marwa got all lovey dovey with Guillermo at the wedding because SHE LIKES WHATEVER NANDOR LIKES! AAAAAAH!!! Just kiss already, you two!

Final thoughts: I wish we had more shows like this. It’s original, it’s hilarious, it’s gay and gender as all hell, I just want more! Can anyone tell me when the next season is scheduled to come out, assuming we have that information already? If I need to wait a whole fucking year or whatever to see more of these fools, I will scream so loud it will make Nadja cry tears of pride! Seriously, can’t wait for more of these fucking guys!