#which is really sad because the original tv show was mostly normal

[koschei-the-ginger]

You always want to hope american media will be normal about eastern europeans and then they create a "Russian" gang with members called Janke Dacyshyn, Franz Tomczeszyn and a woman saying "To přeci nemůžeme" 🤨

[lesbicona]

why is season 6 of community your favourite /genq im just curious !! :]

the short answer is frankie

the long answer is: im very particular about endings, not in that i need them to have specific qualities (like sad or happy or epilogue-esque or what have you) but in that i need them to have narrative intent. we came close to living in a universe where basic story and basic sandwich closed community's story, and as much as i do genuinely like those episodes (mostly for comedy reasons), i only like them in the context of the full show we have now. i was not old enough to appreciate the show as it aired, but looking back i can see opinions at the time of the ending were divided. season 5 in general, honestly, seems close to season 4 in people's minds- in the post you're referencing where i expressed this opinion, season 5 received literally 0 votes. season 4 is controversial, but season 5 commits a worse sin- it's forgettable. (and i do like it, i really liked prof hickey which is truly a take on this webbed site, but this is my impression of the public opinion of it).

so in just existing, season 6 elevates my personal opinion of the show, but i mentioned public opinion in the paragraph prior because season 6 often gets lumped in with 4 and 5 as 'bad'. now while i have my own set of takes about even just season 4 (really guys, it's fine, it's just an ok season of tv in an excellent show, but it's not BAD) i will try very hard not to get into here, it is an objective divide between the widely acclaimed seasons 1 through 3 and the more controversial rest. my opinions of season 6 are very influenced by this, because it's like my little meow meow i must protect from the haters.

i feel season 6 closes up the themes of community, as evolved and changed as they are, in a satisfying way, and gives the characters themselves a logical narrative end. i especially enjoyed the themes of growing up continued from season 5, which are very pressing in a show about college. of course i realize this is a silly sitcom we're talking about, so i'm not saying that it put forward anything groundbreakingly subtle or even new, but any long-running show (especially one which could not keep the entirety of its main cast) that can wrap up so satisfyingly deserves praise.

and yet, because of the season 4 hurdle, which leaves many people with a bad taste in their mouth for the rest of the entire show, it is not as acclaimed as i think it deserves to be. i don't think people realize how much the show was probably going to change in season 4 even without dan harmon's departure. the idealized season 4 in people's minds seems to be season 3 part 2, which could not have happened for a successful season of television. seasons 1 through 3 are all already very different from each other despite being clumped together. yet people despise every single change to the show from season 4 onward indiscriminately. so of course season 6, with its many, many changes, is so far from season 3 that people blinded by the latter's glory cannot even see the former.

but most if not all of the changes season 6 brings are purely beneficial in my perspective. frankie and elroy are excellent additions to the cast; they are great comedic forces, with a strong role in relation to the others. they both play the almost-straight man jeff used to be, normal in reaction to most of the shenanigans of the original cast while bringing in their own insanity. they also represent the aging of the show. by bringing them in instead of, for example, freshmen students, the new, more grown perspective of the show is reinstated. the bits of their lives outside the committee that we get to see are interesting, funny, and bring them depth.

of course in particular im fond of frankie, who's normal to the point of pathology, whose line deliveries have a 90% chance of obliterating me on the spot, and who is just like me fr fr (a lesbian). she does not budge in her responsibilities, leading to her fluctuating role in the eyes of the cast, antagonist in some episodes and co-lead in others. her presence adds something new for each character to compare themselves to, for the better. in particular, annie, jeff and the dean are all improved because of her.

britta also receives some focus she hadn't since a few seasons past, and while i do not agree with the narrative framing of all of it (as clearly the show itself does not side with her in disliking her parents, as much as she, as a character, has proper reason to), the contents are extremely enjoyable to me. getting a chance to analyze the wannabe-therapist's relationship with her parents is perfectly ironic just as a concept.

season 6 offers some of my favorite comedy of the whole show. while my favorite line forever remains "i need help reacting to this" (which i saw you also enjoy <3), i was in tears of laughter at the end of a majority of season 6 episodes on my first watch. elroy's addiction to encouraging white people is absolutely unforgettable.

sorry for the Whole Fucking Essay! the medium answer, which you unlocked by reading the long answer, is: though perhaps not the objective best community has to offer, i love season 6 twice as fiercely to protect it from its undeserving haters. stan frankie, bring me 6 cans of olives, goodbye.

[cantdanceflynn]

So, hc number one, kinda nice, bit sad, mostly funny. I think. And I have no evidence for this, kinda the opposite, the vibes just feel right to me. But I think ponty was somehow involved w George's death, and he also tried to speak up about it like Marie, who I don't think knew he did. Possibly another member of the party who tried to talk them out of the whistling man game. I don't think Marie knew this while she was planning everything originally, but she found out when making adjustments to the plan, ie kill Eugene instead of his parents, and, not wanting to admit that everything she worked for was based off an incorrect assumption and as far as she knew, ruining her chance at a normal life with her son, just attempted to ig ignore it. But also good for Ponty for channelling that into a passion. He probably caters anything Roller Ricky plans :]

Hc number two, Peggy straightened her hair a lot when she was younger. That'd explain the discrepancy between the pictures n her model a bit, and it'd make sense overall. Ik there are official ages n heights for some of the characters but I don't remember if there are official ethnicities, but personally I feel like she's biracial, specifically African-American and Latino. And by extension so is Marie.

Hc number three, depending on who asks her, Marie has different reasons for choosing the name Dawn to go by. When the cops asked her, she brushed it off as a random name. When Teddy asked, she told him it was to symbolize the dawn of a new day without his life in it. When Forrest asked, she bitterly told him it was because she wanted the hope of a new beginning for her once her revenge was complete. And when Peggy asked, Marie made an off handed reference to an old tv show they used to watch.

Hc number four, (one of the more obviously Alice n Mystery inspired ones), Henry is actually better at cooking and taking care of things than Marie is, usually taking care of the meals and making sure she ate and took care of herself as she obsessed and planned.

Hc number five, Peggy ended up playing the whistling man prank on Chad after the fact for breaking up w Barbara. Partially bc she wanted to play just once n get anything out of her newfound trauma, n partially bc jealousy.

Hc number six, Clive wasn't killed yet. He was meant to be the final murder before Teddy, to symbolize how the one who started the cover-up would also be the one to end it, but due to so many people surviving she didn't have the time to go through with it, and planned to kill him later.

Hc number seven, Marie was actually pretty mad at Henry when he got trapped in the vault, as she thought she taught him better than that. Still, when she immediately failed the next kill, she couldn't really blame him.

Hc number eight, Forrest dyes his hair to hide the greying. After the events of KillFreq itself, he chooses to stop, mostly because it was ruining his hair and he had enough stress caused ones it wasn't reasonable.

Hc number nine, Eugene wasn't fully stood up, his date tried to tell him to stay in but he didn't listen and thought she would do the same. She chewed him out later dvjodvjodcojdcjdc.

Hc number ten, out of the group of teens, as Carrie was the only one to get a close-up of Jimmy's cut off face, she ended up going into the horror movie industry, in sort of a macabre way to deal with the trauma.

Hc number eleven, Max is actually a husky golden retriever mix. Arguably the two best dog breeds to teach to skate. He'd also bitten people before and Ricky has had to put a lot on the line to defend him and get him well trained due to trauma from a previous owner, but he ended up very happy w Ricky :]

Hc number twelve, Marie and Peggy shared a soft spot for foxes and would draw them a lot. This is just vibes :]

Hc number thirteen, assuming Marie's alive(which, duhhhhh its slasher horror), Forrest actually talks to her and is, surprisingly, quite sympathetic to her after the fact, and while Peggy doesn't quite enjoy spending time with her as much anymore, it still hurts.

@dragon-type-snom THIS ISNT ALL OF EM AND I TYPED EM IN A SEPARATE APP SO THATS WHY ITS NOT ALL CAPS, I HAVE SM MORE IM JUST BOUT TO NAP N I DONT WANNA LEAVE U HANGING FOR LONGER

[missmacfire]

Shipper Tag Game

Tagged by @4typercent Thanks You! ❤️

This got a bit long... Also some questions where a bit odd? But I tried 😄

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

Well I didn't really get into shipping until uni, was not really aware of it as a teenager. But one of my earliest ships was Grell x Sebastian and I don't really care for it anymore.

Mostly because I don't really care for Black Butler anymore. The later seasons were bad, and I'm less inclined to look over the problems that were already there from the start.

(A bit sad, there are still good concepts there 😔)

Which ship would you consider your first one?

Not sure, probably Data x Geordi? I strongly remember being obsessed with Data when I first found Star Trek.

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

This one is easier: L x Light from Death Note. (First read)

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

Absolutely no idea. But the first video edit I saw of a ship was definitely Spock x Kirk.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse

Probably? I do feel the urge to defend my ships when someone decides they are "problematic"

Oh and I did post hate for that one ship, but I was nice and tagged it with "anti x" and started off my post with "this is anti x, if you like it please keep scrolling" really didn't want to start an argument, I just wanted to rant 😆

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

Yes I do.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

Astarion x Gale. I'm loving Astarion x Wyll, Astarion x Gale and Astarion x Halsin at the moment 🥰 Shipping my vampire boy with all the boys.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

So, so many.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

This is such an odd question, what? Why would anyone care about that? Is there something I'm not understanding?

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

There are ships I didn't care about in the original source, but then liked when it got a tv-show? Does that count? For example Dream x Hob and Ishamael x Lews Therin.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

I have multiple ships with haters that say they are "problematic" but they have always had haters. 🤷‍♀️ So no?

What is your favourite crack ship?

I don't know, Nigel x Antwan was fun?

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Probably still Yuri Katsuki x Victor Nikiforov

What do most of your ships have in common?

That they are a bit stupid about realizing they belong together

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Het-Ships where the guy just won't take no for an answer. The whole "don't give up eventually she will say yes" is such a bad trope that is way too common.

Like don't get me wrong, I love Darcy x Elizabeth. That someone says no once and then gets to know the other person better and changes their mind can be done well. But so often it is not, and it just looks like he wears her down 🤮

Tagging: @baba-wodnica @ahopefulsun @deaderthandoubledead @ramsaybaggins @idrisstorey @readingtheentrails @the-scarecrowlover @alwaysawkwardd

No pressure 🥰💕

[talenlee]

Story Pile: Lie To Me

New Post has been published on PRESS.exe: Story Pile: Lie To Me

A long time ago, I think discussing The Blacklist I used the term ‘crime wizards’ to refer to television programs that focus on characters who do crime in ways that are interesting and challenging to solve and create the tension or systems necessary to justify about an hour of television that can be solved by a specialised team of marketable weirdoes.

There are a lot of shows in the Crime Wizards genre, in different degrees of grittiness – like you can even point to older shows like CSI and NCIS… and along with them, in the transition between eras of Crime Wizard TV, we have this example, of a drama TV show with a compelling hook:

Fake crimes, but real wizardry.

At least, that’s the pitch.

This isn’t Blacklist, where the crime wizards have elaborate schemes with prosthetics and gross components and can dedicate dozens of extras to a new stupid setpiece every week. That isn’t to say they don’t do action, but most of the action is covered by Doctor Tim The Proctor’s Sin: He seems to really enjoy being openly awkward at people and in the first season at least, he at least once gets involved in an action sequence that involves taking a few really well-positioned falls.

But it’s that reduction in action that means most of what you see in this story is focused on these cool characters doing their own kind of crime wizardry, as they use their ‘human lie detector’ abilities to basically have conversations where they know what the other person doesn’t want them to know and it just so happens that’s the kind of thing that’s reasonably easy for a writer (who also knows the truth) can execute without a budget for special events.

What you get out of this is a crew of screwball investigators who are skilled in this specialised field. What’s nice about this lot is because there’s a single, central skillset that all these problems are built around, the cast get to have those skills as central to their characters. It’s not like a conventional Crime Wizards style story where the characters are, you know, FBI agents in the ‘hacker’ ‘gunner’ ‘asshole’ model of structure.

The main cast is, in reverse order of how much they get to do anything that matters, one (1) child, a former TSA agent, a sexual harrassment lawsuit on legs, team mom who is sad about not being a mom, and Our Hero, TimRothman Doctor At Smarts. It means any time these characters are spread out in different locations, they’re all mostly here to investigate, with a very small amount of Modest Action and therefore, the basics of the character interactions are some variation on how they relate to the protagonist of the series, Undead Gildenstern, an exceptionally talented doctor who has specialised in his original research into How People Lie.

Loker has the idea of radical honesty, which means he blurts the ‘first thing’ he’s thinking of. This isn’t true, because he’s also capable of not keeping up a non-stop stream of absolutely stupid stuff while he processes complicated thoughts, but it does make for convenient cover of how he sexually harrasses a new coworker the first time he sees her.

That new coworker is Torres, and she’s meant to be a ‘natural’ talent at lie detection, separating her from the protagonist Tim The Rothman Trainer. She worked for the TSA, where she was extremely efficient and extremely good at her job, which I think means that she harrassed twice as many brown people and disabled people as normal? Her job is to be the protege, the person who the research gets explained to, and to make some of the most shudderingly terrible decisions you can possibly make in the circumstances.

Gillian is a positively delightful character in how she talks to people and what she focuses on, all those details and things she’s paying attention to, at least early on, when she’s not primarily a lens to look at the protagonist more. She’s charming and she’s fun and also there to tell the protagonist that oh, hey, no, you’re overstepping the line or we have to do these things this way for these particular sources because it pays the bills. You know, basically a office assistant.

FInally there’s the protagonist, Doctor Cal Lightman, which is such a great self-insert name. The guy’s a lie expert, and the puzzle of how the case of the day is saved is all about getting him into the closed space with the people who know things and want to conceal it from him. The result is a lot of fun scenes of Tim Roth making someone uncomfortable by being really weird, and that is a task at which Mr Roth is incredibly well suited. The character gets to explain the principles underpinning his behaviour afterwards, even if most of what he’s doing is just typical cons and tricks like you’d see from a detective who wasn’t constrained by principles of uh, like, laws and legal provenance. It’s all very Science Sounding, built on the tantalising premise of a drama series based on the real-world work of Paul Ekman.

This research is, of course, absolute bullshit.

The ‘science’ underpinning Lie To Me is the 100% unfalsifiable pet project of a weirdo who has some let’s say, odd takes. Phil Ekman’s work on microexpressions is not something he’s subjected to peer review, which makes sense, because what he has submitted into public review that got any kind of peer review is a test that the TSA use. This test is, after testing, about as reliable as a coin flip, and mostly doesn’t do anything to defray the personal biases of the participants which means it’s really surprising how often the searches done by the TSA are divided along pre-existing racial and gender biases, weird.

There’s also the way that people who study emotion formation and expression can ‘find no evidence supporting’ Ekman’s entire idea of a universal, simple human language of expressions, which may sound like it’s not a particularly damning indictment until you realise that Ekman’s position is that there is a universal ruleset for all human communication and they can’t find it. If a surgeon said every human had a particular organ and no other researcher could find it, that’s a pretty stiff contrapoint.

This is all also setting aside the way that many researchers like Ekman handle neurodivergent experiences in their approach, which is: They don’t. Too hard, let’s just pretend this universal human experience is universal but it doesn’t include autistic people. This is part of my beef with Caillois’ writing in Man, Play & Games and also Czik- you know what no I’m going to copy paste the name Czihczentmihaly from a google search like every other weak english-language writer does. The point is that there are a lot of these people who are doing work with things that are meant to be universally human that just happen to want to ignore the existence of anything but the most simple of neurotypicals.

It makes sense though that Ekman’s theories would appeal because they make something very difficult (working out what’ strue or not) into something very easy. What’s more, it looks convincing, if you’re dealing with the small bubbles of personal experience. It’s very possible to make a good guess at someone just by observing them, and observing their reaction to the guess – it’s a skill known as cold reading, and it’s a type of manipulation.

This work of Ekman’s is fundamental to the whole wing of ‘body language expertise’ you see on the internet, by the way. Any news program that brings one of them on is basically bringing on a pompous dipshit to espouse their personal biases and draw all sorts of inferences from any given body language detail they want to freeze frame on and go in on at detail. And remember, when they tout them as ‘FBI interrogation expert’ you have to remember how much ‘FBI interrogation’ relies on the leveraged power of a state apparatus that can put you in a box forever. It’s hard to explain how you’re ‘good at something’ when you’re just one part of a toolset that includes life ending torture.

Point is: this whole series is built on a field of pseudoscience popularised and widespread today because of a population of idiots, liars, and assholes.

But that’s what makes the big twist at the heart of Lie To Me all the funnier, something that would have been, in my opinion, the absolute top tier of all possible conclusions: The discovery that Dr Timroth is 100% a con artist and his entire school of research is based on faking seeming sciencey and everyone believes him because it’s very easy to convince white people of things and cops don’t put any energy into doing their jobs.

Of course that’s not where the series goes – I didn’t watch more than the first season, with its maudlin, soppy vision of ‘crime drama’ and its escalated, preposterous reality. Oh, our protagonist, with his deep insights into truth and lies, and how challenging he is to contend with, how difficult his life is, being the one person who can solve the puzzles presented to him by a disconnected sequence of crime wizards. But what I want is a sudden, sharp, embarrassing twist when someone shows up from an actual university trying to ask if Doctor Rothli has some time to go over some replication problems because, well, after all the work he does with the FBI then surely, surely it can’t be that he’s just making shit up —

and suddenly the last part of the series turns into an immense catch-me-if-you-can mystery where our protagonist gets revealed as nothing more and nothing less than a con artist, but whose con was on the police system and who was doing it just because any fairy story that let them feel like they had an inside track was what it took to accept even a bullshit skillset applied to the task of solving crimes.

Not what it is, not where it goes. It winds up being about… like, a divorced dad’s sadfeels or something, who cares.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Dec 2021 Wk 5

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bad Buddy (YouTube) Ep 10 - Didn’t drop, presumably because it is New Years.  I’m live blogging it here.

Gen Y 2 (grey) Ep 2 - not much progression in the plot, to sum up: everyone is a chaotic mess. I’m trash watching and live blogging it here.

Paint with Love (Gaga) Ep 6 - whatever 

Loveless Society Ep 4 fin - the work trip was used as an excuse for there’s only one bed and well executed high heat content but... don’t watch this one. In the end it’s an abysmal pulp could have been used to explore some interesting and mature concepts of trust, player reputation, losing the v-card, and the nature of friendship versus affection, but truly terrible production and script rendered that impossible. Perhaps if the captioning had been better some of this might have been mitigated because the actors tried hard and the chemistry was good, but combined with a sad ending I can’t in good conscious suggest anyone actually watch this. NOT RECOMMENDED, FATALLY FLAWED 

Not Me (YouTube) Ep 3 - not to make this serious social cometary about me or anything, but speaking for the bisexuals of a certain age, I can’t tell you how happy I am to watch a bunch of super hot Thai dudes run around dressed like every sexy lesbian I had a mad crush on in uni. Meanwhile, White has had a seed change, they threw “there’s ONLY one bed” at us and I still like the side couple better. Oddly, I’m less into the SeanWhite, as it feels like their romance is being shoe-horned into he plot, rather than the other way around (which is how BL normally goes). I’m still engaged, but it’s interesting to note that I watch all the Vietnamese BL first on Sundays - this show is clearly not a priority or me. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Tinted With You (Korea - Viki) Ep 3 & 4 -  I’m mostly confused about the plot but everyone is very pretty. 4 has not been subbed yet, and it’s feeling short and moving a bit too quickly for comprehension. Might make mroe sense if you wait and binge.  

Behind Cut (Korea - Viki) Ep 1 & 2 -  the sub team on this one is really slow but they both landed by Friday. I like it, I like the fashion world and I like the meet cute, not wild about the love triangle. Seems to be sunshine boy who’s lost his way is ex of top model now dating sullen designer who meets sunshine and decides he’s his muse. Interesting take. 

The Next Door Crush (Vietnam - YouTube) Ep 1-2 - Reality TV lockdown style project that includes flashback retellings of first loves. It’s very cute, and more importantly DIFFERENT. It’s using an epistolary framework to tell a plot with an epistolary element, which is pretty sophisticated and quite clever. I’m was intrigued by the first ep, but the second was much slower and a bit bogged down. Certainly this is no Mr. Cinderella, speaking of...

Mr Cinderella (Vietnam - YouTube) Ep 5 - usually Vietnamese BL doesn’t go over 6 episodes, so Sunday could be out last. YAY! We got all the good things in this episode: communication, discussion of prep + safe sex, matched Love Sick shirts, a sad sack pity party, childhood pining addressed & realized, couple of fun tropes, and while I’m not wild about the side couple, they did give VERY good kiss. 

In Case You Missed It

Love Stage (delayed from 2019) does seem to be finally happening. Thai BL remake, staring Kaownah & Turbo (Nitiman), adapted from the Japanese yaoi manga (and live action BL drama Love Stage!!) and anime of the same name. This is a GOOD story but Japan’s BL wasn’t successful and did not highlight the crossdressing prevalent in the original manga, I wonder if Thailand has the guts to do the original yaoi justice? I’m nervous about this one. I really want it to be a more honest adaptation than the Japanese live action, and I don’t think Thailand is that bold. Really only Korea and Vietnam seem to be handing crossdressing well at all. Starts Jan 29 on Amarin TV, reruns on AISPLAY. No news on international platform.

Korean BL Cherry Blossoms After Winter - high school set, cohabitation, hurt comfort + friends to lovers completed filming late Nov 2021, set to drop Feb 2022 on Viki. Based on a webtoon of the same name by Bamwoo.

New Year's eve, My Love Mix-Up released a special episode focusing on Akkun and Hashimo, plus some behind the scene and an interview with Meguro Ren and Shunsuke Michieda on Viki. 

This bonus content for Utsukushii Kare is SO CUTE!!! 

The Love of Winter new Thai BL from 28 MDP Studio to be released in January. Story of Kinn and his 2 friends traveling to Northern Thailand for a vacation. When his phone gets broken and plans ruined, he meets North. Kinn asked him to be their tour guide. Looks like a standard pulp.

THREE new V-BLs (thanks to @heretherebedork for the assist): 

The Next Door Crush - just started, very cute beginning, see above for description as I’ll be following it in the weeklies 

Beef, Cupcakes, and Him is a completed 50 minute movie about the restaurant world featuring a relationship between 2 chefs. 

You Are My Sunshine (not to be confused with existing 2021 V-BL Follow My Sunshine). is a micro series “complete” at 2 episodes. It featured an out gay nerd getting bullied and the jock (puppy) who falls deep into crush. It has VERY low production values and it reminds me a bit of recent Taiwanese offering My Type. I like a jock/nerd dynamic and this one included tropes like gifts, baby is a messy eater, pillow clutch, faen fatalle, and supportive bestie. It did have a tiny bit of a cliff hanger 4th wall breaking end. It also continued what is now a grand Vietnamese and Pinoy trope of alluding to Thai BL in their BLs. 

2021 Round Up & Awards Posts

Best Kisses in Thai BL 2021

Best Kisses in Taiwanese BL 2021

BL 2021 STATS & TRENDS BY COUNTRY

TOP 10 BL TRENDS OF 2021

2021 BL Trope Awards 

More awards to come 

Gossip

K-BL Love in Spring looks shaping up to be The King’s Affection but MAKE IT GAY YOU COWARDS and I am very excited about it. Announced idol star Youngjae (B.A.P.) in the lead. 

Upcoming K-BL Ocean Like Me (starring Kpop’s best known out gay singer Holland) now rumored to possibly co-star the return of Han Gi Chan (Where Your Eyes Linger).

NOTE: TUMBLR’s REGRETABLE BUNT PANNING #

You know what I mean. I rarely used many of these tags anyway. But among the accused are:

BL (I’ll just use yaoi if needed) 

boys love (see above)

GL drama (I’ll just use yuri) 

long post (whatever, all my posts are long, if you follow me, I guess you’ll just have to get used to it) 

So far as I can tell Thai BL and tags that are similar are not getting banned or whited out. Also, so far, if you put a period after, it gets through the filter. 

Adventures in Miss-captions

Today in, drop that article = handing AbsoluteBL a meme. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Love Area Part 2 starts on GaGa tomorrow. A trailer dropped but it’s mostly just part 1 recaps. Mr Cinderella and Not Me drop on Sunday. 

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here. I keep a full record there of everything I announce in the weekly updates.

This week’s best moments?

Look, we have never gotten a scene like this before, I have to give Vietnam a million props for it. 

[luxshine]

Moon Knight Primer Part 2

Moon Knight (1980) # 5 – 23

Prologue

Part I

Now that the series was well established, it was time for Moon Knight to find his footing as a hero, and that’s what the next 20 or so issues were about. Again, in a very, very weird twist -at least if you came to this series after seeing the TV Series, or even reading more modern Moon Knight comics, there was little to no supernatural stuff going on. It was mostly psychological. Yes, the System teamed up with Brother Voodoo and fought against zombies, and yes, Marc had originally faced a real werewolf, but after that? It was drugs, mobsters, and crazy dictators with nuclear bombs because in the 80’s it seemed that everyone could buy a nuclear bomb with not much problem. It was even easier than ebay.

But while the cases were pretty run of the mill for street heroes of the time, it was the moments where we saw the guys in their normal lives when we start to get a more complex look at everyone, and thus, some characters become… well, not as good as they started in paper.

Also, I must be honest. Originally when I read the comics -and reread them- I kinda skipped the long text explanations that were in some issues, for this part, issue 15. In that, Moench explains a bit of the evolution of Moon Knight, from the original “we need a moon themed villain for Werewolf at night” to the hero we now know, and to be fair, most of it is not really important or interesting for current Moon Knight (he was, for example, originally going to be named Moonblood) , but there is ONE point that makes it clear that, while he never actually states it -as he keeps talking about the Alters as multiple identities, mostly needed to make it logical that Moon Knight would have access to information of crimes- it is quite obvious he WAS writing a system, as he also mentions that he had just read the book Sybil when he created the guys.

He also points out something that I am sad that everyone seems to have forgotten since then: That Jake Lockley is the “Closest” to Moon Knight’s real personality -although I have no idea if he meant the way they behave or was using the outdated word for Alter. I wanted to mention this because it means that yeah, Jake was never created as an aggressive psychopath. That was a later addition, and I will yell about that when we get there.

Now, this time I am going to go not quite chronologically, but about issues in general. At this point, every time a villain exposited about Moon Knight, they mentioned the possibility of him having superstrenght due to “werewolf saliva”, and then dismissing it as a rumor, but by issue 6 Marc mentions that “the virus is gone” because he could ONLY fight four people and win. Yes. Only. Because that’s what a normal man does. This will mark the first time Moon Knight gets downgraded from “maybe a mystical superpower” to “Normal guy with a lot of training”, an issue that has plagued him ever since as it seems that no writer wants to change that particular bit of status quo no matter what, and yet, always find excuses to give the guys that extra bit of strength when needed (From Khonshu’s intervention, once they decided that yep, the God was real and not just a figment of the System’s imagination, to literal “crazy berserk strength” which… not a good look for the one marvel hero with non-comedic mental issues).  Even so, at least in this early series, they are also careful to show Marc or Steven training quite constantly, as to keep at a peak fit level no matter what.

Speaking of Khonshu, these issues are a trip regarding our dear mummified pigeon since not only we have Marc saying in issue 5 that he is not sure that the god actually exists and brought him back to life (Despite the fact that, at least at this point, his origin included at least four people declaring him dead before he woke up in the tomb), and at the same time, the narration giving us a clear connection between  the statue, the Moon System’s mental health AND in some short stories in the latter issues, unexplained events that could’ve been mundane, could’ve been the god’s influence -including killing a thief and saving a group of soldiers in World War II.  At some point, Samuels the poor beleaguered butler proposes to Marlene the idea that maybe Khonshu is possessing the Moon System, and that’s how he revived. Marlene dismisses that, but once again, affirms that yeah, Marc was dead. (I mean, they could’ve said “almost dead” but nope, Marc was an ex-person, pining for the fjords)

Which would make Khonshu the fourth alter, if he was not really the Egyptian god, something that would be rarely explored. Well, fifth alter, if we count Moon Knight, and the comic at this point, does kind of counts Moon Knight as Moon Knight sometimes talks about Steven, Jake AND Marc in third person. And yes, that is a complication that will follow our guys for a long time, that I have to admit, the Series managed to sorta fix by giving Marc the Moon Knight armor, and Steven the Mr. Knight suit, even if in the comics, Marc usually is the one Fronting when they’re Mr. Knight and he is a long way from appearing yet, Jake fronts as Moon Knight -when Moon Knight is not treated as a separate alter- and Steven leaves the fighting to the other two.

While dealing with mobsters, the Moon System also fights with very psychologically inclined villains. From the tragic vengeance seeker Stained Steel Scarlet, to  Morpheus, a dream-eater villain created by Peter Alraune, Marlene’s brother. Whom I mention here because on one hand, in her first appearance? Marlene was named Fontaine, not Alraune, and second, here is where we get the first inkling that Marlene has some medical background and… well, what she does with it is not good.

But lets first start with how the System is evolving as characters. In issue six Steven admits for the first time that he sometimes “Forgets” that he, Marc, and Jake are not the same person using different names, and it’s the first time the comic comes anywhere close to say that they aren’t the same person out loud. Not one issue later, Jake starts getting angry about being called Steven, and makes also clear that for him, Marlene is Steven’s girl, and Steven’s girl ONLY.  As in, he has no feelings for her whatsoever, and in fact, at some point thinks that Steven is lucky but he should treat “his lady” better.  And to make things worse, a villain breaks the Khonshu statue and that literally shatters the System. They go into a mental breakdown in which whoever is fronting -because this time we have no clues of who it may be- claims they’re Nothing, none of them are real, and that they don’t even remember WHO killed Randall in Central Park, although they all are sure that it wasn’t Steven since Steven is too good for that.

The only way Marlene, Frenchie, Samuels and Hedda the cook that I haven’t mentioned much but adores Steven, manage to get the System back to somewhat normal, and Steven fronting is by restoring the statue, or rather, Marlene convincing them that the statue that was destroyed was in fact, a fake made of plaster. This would sort of put Marlene in a supportive role but… that is not going to last.

See, in the same issue that the statue got stolen and destroyed, Marlene pretty much declares that Steven (because she considers Steven to be the “real” one, or at least, he is the only one she cares about) has schizophrenia and a four-way personality because, again, Moon Knight was considered a fourth (or perhaps the fusion of the three alters? That’s what the cover of issue 1 seems to imply as it says “they must become one to fight evil”) . She insists that part of the problem is that everyone calls them by a different name, and that of course, “Steven” relies too much on Khonshu. Problem is? She doesn’t follow this up with “perhaps we should find a mental health professional who deals with superheroes and can help” (A not so bad idea given how badly the System reacted to the statue’s destruction) but by constantly demanding to have Steven being the only one who fronts at all times, and insisting to him that he is the “real” one, and that it’s better if he never uses the other names, literally suggesting to him not to have a final fusion (Which Is something that some systems want, as I understand it, but not all, and not always the best solution to everyone, hence why a mental health professional would be needed. And, I’ll be honest, just from a purely fiction place? Not a good choice for the Moon System in particular, as that would make them… well, Batman) but to have Steven “kill” or “repress” the others.

She will later make the matter worse by demanding that even Moon Knight retires, even if he does a lot of good. While she may have an excuse right after her brother’s death? IT’s still very crappy and in my eyes what ruins her as a possible romantic interest for any member of the system. As a character she has some very interesting moments, such as when she helps defeat a terrorist with the training Marc has been giving her, but as a person? This is a low she never recovers from.

And It’s even more jarring as just as she starts with that particular line every time she talks to Steven, we are told that, for the system… whichever number of Alters are there at the time given the complex situation there, it’s important to keep every alter. Yes, every single one, as, while fighting with Morpheus, We get this line of dialogue:

“Being four people ain’t easy – and between Lockley, Spector and Grant, not to mention Moon Knight, it gets downright scarey. In fact, my biggest fear is that whichever persona I adopt, it’ll be somehow destroyed by the other three”

They do that from time to time, talk about all three, well, four counting Moon Knight, Alters in the third person, which means that none of them are the one fronting at the time.

That issue ALSO gives us the first time the Alters fight: thanks to Morpheus powers that make people hallucinate, Moon Knight finds himself facing Steven, Marc and Jake. And that fight is quite interesting as, once again, it makes clear that the really violent alter? The one the others want to keep as hidden as possible? Is MARC because Marc is “too ruthless, too unprincipled” to be a superhero. Now, I know this is different in the TV show, but again, I will tell my reasoning why making Jake more violent is a mistake when we get to the point where the comic did the change (Way before Oscar Isaac charmed us all with his take on the System).

In any case, even if the number of Alters and their jobs at the wheel are uncertain, what is important is that none of them wants the others to go away. They all are comfortable with each other, yes, even with violent, ruthless Marc, and losing even one of them would be bad for the whole system which is something that unfortunately, Marlene doesn’t see and will bring heartbreak in the future.

Finally, it’s in this batch of issues where we first know that Marc has a connection to Jewish people. While, again, there’s nothing in the text yet that says “yes, Moon Knight is a jewish hero”, we do find out that he has friends who live in Israel, that as a mercenary he worked with the Mossad and is willing to work with them again as needed, and, well, we get to see that the system CAN take on a fake identity without it necessarily becoming an alter as in order to infiltrate a terrorist group, he takes on the name “Yitzak Topol” for a whole three pages (wearing Jake’s mustache, which is a late addition that comes around issue 10 or so, and glasses). But Yitzak is really just Marc with a disguise, so he is not going to appear ever again.

So with this we’re almost half way through Moon Knight’s first volume and as you can see, yeah, the number of Alters seems to vary from writer to writer (Again, some writers consider Moon Knight a fourt Alter) but the only people who actually consider Moon Knight crazy are… well, the Moon System and Marlene. Everyone else, even Frenchie who has known them the most, seems to just go along with the punches and think that if the System is ok and stable? There’s no need to break that balance.

Of course, that still doesn’t explain when that changed… oh, and when Khonshu became an actual presence in the book instead of just, you know, a possible figment of Marc’s imagination.

But for that, we’ll have to move on to part 3

[engekihaikyuu]

Hello!

I’m still fairly new to the 2.5d world and would like to ask about the possibilities of Haisute (or any other franchise in general) to resume the shows that had been cancelled due to the SoE / pandemic.

I’m still kind of salty about how we didn’t get TSC resumed, so I’m thinking: is it because The Tokyo Battle / Itadaki no Keshiki planning were already in the works and they had to go with the original schedule? Also, has it got something to do with stage actors’ schedules and overlapping commitments? I don’t know how things in the 2.5d world go so I am curious.

I feel really sad that Itadaki 2 (and the whole Haisute franchise) has to end this way after everything that was already in store.

The problem with all this isn’t restricted to how the 2.5D industry works, it also has a lot to do with the Japanese government’s response to covid (which has been poor). This industry did not receive a lot of financial support from the government, and so everyone was working for every day that there wasn’t an official State of Emergency declaration. This meant that some shows got to stay on schedule and perform, and some would just get canceled, and still be unable to reschedule for weeks or months down the line, because there are other shows scheduled for that time. And maybe those might get canceled because of another Emergency declaration, maybe not. The particular shows affected were a very uneven spread. Not only that, the States of Emergency were always restricted to the more populous prefectures. While Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo were in “lockdown” for those past three weeks, all other prefectures were not. So if a show were to tour in some other prefecture in this time frame, they could proceed as normal. If Engeki Haikyuu were to be spending the past three weeks in Miyagi, for example, they would’ve been able to perform and not cancel anything.

Believe it or not, Engeki Haikyuu having two tours mostly canceled comes down to just really bad luck with timing. Throughout the pandemic, Japan has only ordered partial lockdowns three times, and two of those times happened to overlap with weeks when Engeki Haikyuu would be performing. 

All of this is to explain how difficult it is to try and reschedule a show right now. And please remember, I do not work directly with this production so nothing I say is official. But for a lot of shows that work on a regular schedule and perform consistently at set times of the year, they’ve got their actors and scripts and schedules set almost a year in advance. This production has consistently done a tour twice a year, spring and fall. As Strongest Challengers was gearing up for their spring tour, they already knew that the Battle of the Trash Heap would follow in the autumn, and they probably already asked actors to leave room in their schedules for it. 

Trying to move an entire production 6 months would most certainly not have worked for everyone. To pick just one example: Hypothetically, if they had decided to postpone Trash Heap to retour Strongest Challengers for autumn of 2020, that would move Trash Heap to spring of 2021, and they would’ve most certainly lost one or two of the Inarizaki cast. Then with Trash Heap moved, they would’ve lost Kondou Shouri as Kuroo (since he’s current touring with another MAJOR production), Nagata Takato as Kenma (he’s currently working on a TV production), Takeshi Naoki (Kai) would’ve been lost to Ensemble Stars, and the list goes on. 

Throughout the past year, governments around the world have been rapidly deciding and changing policies depending on how well or badly their country is doing with covid. The Japanese government is clearly hellbent on having the Olympics no matter what, but case numbers were spiking in early spring, the UK variant was detected, and for the sake of the Olympics, another Emergency was declared. But by the numbers, cases now aren’t worse than they were in January, during which a shorter, less-strict Emergency was put in place. Japan has only just begun vaccinating their general population in April, and their vaccine hesitancy is high. 

It’s absolutely unfair and unfortunate and disappointing and heartbreaking, and most of that for this production was just bad luck. But I do implore people to remember that this is just a tiny snapshot of an enormous struggle. It’s such a complicated picture, and everyone in the cast and crew are heartbroken. A lot of people are upset. I just ask that your frustrations and disappointments be directed elsewhere because so many factors are out of their control even without the pandemic. Many people want a rerun of Itadaki 2 and Strongest Challengers, and maybe they can make that work, maybe they can’t. Please be understanding, please be kind... nobody is more devastated than the cast and crew. 

[xsarcasticwriterx]

Wonderwall-part 3

Summary: While all of the avengers facility may be aware of your pregnancy there's someone else who also needs to know.

Pairing: Tony stark x reader x Bucky barnes

Warnings: swearing, Pregnancy shit, angst, 

Wonderwall masterlist

It had been 2 weeks sense everyone found out you were pregnant including yourself. things were back to semi normal. Everyone was treating you like you'd break if things happened to fast and bucky and tony hadn't said a word to each other. Not that they ever actually did speak to each other but now its less than usual. Bruce banned you from going on missions which everyone agreed to. It was the only time tony and bucky had agreed on something so you grumbled and accepted it.

You were currently sat in the main lounge watching tv with your feet up on the table. You had to admit a 9 month break was awesome. you heard the door open and close. “Y/n?”  you heard tony call for you. “over here” you yell back. you see tony round the corner. “hey how are you feeling?” he asks sitting next to you.  “mmmmmm” you grumble closing your eyes. your head falls onto his shoulder. he laughs and you move your head to his lap putting your legs on the side of the couch. “hey so uh I was thinking.” he starts. you tilt your head looking up at him “wow that's a first you say.” you say laughing. 

Tony rolls his eyes. “sorry sorry go ahead what is it?” you ask. “Well sense things have calmed down here for the most part I was thinking of telling pepper. your going to be showing here soon and I just figured ya know” he says. you sit up “uh yea i mean obviously you'd have to tell her and sooner than later makes sense.” you said. “How and when you gonna tell her?” you ask. “Not quite sure. was thinking of taking her out ya know have her mood up before...” he trails off. 

“before shattering yalls whole world?” you say blatantly. Tony makes a face of nervousness. “sorry...just...honest when nervous.” you said messing with your fingers. “I’m sure it'll be fine...right?” you asked. tony shrugged. to be honest he wasn't sure of anything. He hoped she understood this was never intended and that the cause of it only happened because they felt so alone and hopeless.

You already felt sick but the nervousness of how pepper would react made it worse. You launched up running to the restroom hunching over and puking your breakfast out. you groaned and tony came over. he rubbed your back calmly “shh shh its ok” he said softly. you sat back looking at him “ugh i know im gonna love this little one when their born but my god does this suck” you grumbled. tony laughed and pulled you towards him. you laid your head on his shoulder. 

“hey i have an ultrasound next week they'll tell me how far along i am and we’ll see if the baby is healthy.” you said smiling. “that's amazing i'll definitely be there. Is bucky coming?” tony asked. you nodded “yea he's been really supportive actually i'm so happy he's been so ok with it” you say with a smile. “I hope pepper reacts similarly. you got lucky ya know with buck and all.” he says looking down. your smile fades “i know...really fucked this up...Bucky still loves me and I still love him its just....different, hes different.” it was true ever sense you told bucky he had been off. He cared for you and still held you close and kissed you but everytime he left he used to kiss you but this time he just says bye. Its usually in a neutral tone and anytime Tony comes around you can see him become pissed off. 

He cares for you and helps you with the side effects. Helps you with the morning sickness and cravings, dosent get angry when your mood changes every 2 seconds or when you watch sad movies and immediately fall apart. But hes still just...off. You knew he would stay and help but you wondered if things would be good again or if it'll only get worse when the baby is here.

“ok now” you start sitting up and walking to the bedroom, you sat on the bed and tony followed after. “tell me about the missions you know i gotta live through you now that i'm on house arrest” you say as tony sits next to you. “your pregnant not on house arrest last thing we needed was some dude giving you a sob story and you falling apart.” he said with a laugh. you hit his chest “uh huh sure that was why” you said. you moved and layed on the bed, tony laying next to you. “ok ok, the most recent a group tried to pull a major hack into a major bank” he said as you curled into his side. He spoke of how amazing it was to take them down. How steve and hom fought for control as usual. you laughed and smiled but over all you missed your team.

You missed being on missions, missed feeling included and missed the jokes and laughter and overall just missed being with them. you slowly fell asleep during his story. It was just so peaceful and nice you couldn't help it he was so warm and he was rubbing your back. Tony looked down at you and smiled, you looked so beautiful and at peace. Most days you held your guard up though it was falling more and more from your pregnancy. Moments like this you looked so vulnerable and at peace, he loved to just see you so...calm.

 Tony looked up as the door opened and bucky came in. Bucky saw you curled into tony's side and straightened up. He closed the door and looked back at you two. “hey” bucky whispered “hey” tony said back.

“I guess i should go” tony said ready to leave this awkward situation. “no no stay she hasn't gotten much sleep recently with worrying and ya know puking” bucky said walking to the couch and sitting. “im sorry” tony said “Really i am” tony wasn't sure on what to say but he knew he needed to say something, anything to fix this.

“I’m going to tell pepper tomorrow” tony said trying to make conversation. “Y/n tell you she has an ultrasound next week?” bucky asked. tony nodded “I wanted to come if thats ok” tony basically asked for permission. This was new for him he never asked to do anything but he felt like he was overstepping. “their your child of course its ok” bucky said. And with that it was back to silence

“Tony I’m going to ask you this once and i need you to be honest. Do you have feelings for her?” he asked. Tony was taken back by this. Did he have feelings for you? “no no of course not shes your girl.” tony said. bucky shook his head “not what i asked” bucky said. “No i dont i promise” tony said. bucky nodded with a small smile “ok, now on with that, how do you feel?” bucky asked. He felt relieved that tony didn't have feelings for her and it made it much easier to be around him knowing this.

“how do I feel? uh strange i guess. It's strange to look at her and know there's a human growing in there.” tony said. It was strange because she was starting to show slightly and knowing it was the start to a human a child that was his was strange to him. “yea i get what you mean its like you know there was going to be a child there but to see it happening is just something else.” bucky said. 

“yea...i also feel nervous you know, nervous of being a good father. My dad” tony started before looking up at bucky who had straightened up. They never talked of tony's father after word came out of bucky killing his parents. Not that tony talked of them much but it became nothing after the incident. tony looked at tony before looking back down at the bed. “anyways i guess over all else i'm happier than ever. I know i'll love this kid more than life itself so im just...happy.” tony said.

“how about you how do you feel?” tony asked. “happy i guess we talked of having a family before” he said. “what stopped you two?” tony asked hoping he wasn't pushing it. “Well being in the avengers and nearly dying on every mission mostly. then just us not sure on parenting not exactly like she had the best father and I was born in 1917 then when we finally decided to just do it....she went to space” he said looking up at tony. tony avoided his gaze looking anywhere but at bucky. he felt you turn in his arms and looked down seeing your eyes flutter open.

You looked up at tony and gave a soft smile before sitting up and seeing bucky. You looked between the two contemplating how no one got killed in the time you were asleep. “I should go now um guess i'll talk to you after i tell pepper” tony said to you. you nodded and smiled “sure don't get killed” you said before tony gave a small laugh and left. you looked at bucky “no one died” you said with a small smile. he laughed and nodded “nope no one died.” he said. “so does that mean things are ok again?” you ask. bucky nods “things are ok again” he said. you smiled “good” you wanted things to be the way they were where everyone could at least stand one another. where it felt like a family for those without one.

--

Later that night you sat on your bed watching tv while bucky and a few of the others were on a small mission. Anyone who wasn't on the mission was crashing from the last mission. You knew tony was going to tell pepper today which made you keep your phone on hand just in case. your phone dinged and you looked seeing a text from tony. “hide” was all it said. you of course not one to not listen when something says hide, hid in the secret spots you each had that no one other than you knew. It was originally in case bucky went all winter solider again but after that got fixed it simply became a spot incase some people attacked.

yours was a spot in the bathroom, figured it was least obvious, behind the toilet there's a small hole leading to a whole other room prepared with food and water and a bed that could last up to a month. you climb through still with your phone you text back “got it” and sat on the bed. Guess pepper didn't take it well.

You heard the front door slam and yelling. there was the sound of things being tossed around and door opening and closing, probably those who were sleeping and going to find out what the fuck was going on. You sat on the bed waiting and listening to the voices though it sounded like charlie brown teachers you could kind of tell by tone what was going on. Then you got a text from tony saying “come on out, don't worry steve and vision are down here so she won't kill you...or if she does you got back up” you sighed standing up and walking out.

You walked to the living room and saw pepper,tony,steve,vision all standing there pepper looked and stared you down. you slowly walked in “you” pepper said starting towards you. Steve moves in front lighting pushing her back. you hid behind steve “your ok” he whispered to you. “you absolute whore!” pepper yelled at you throwing glass at you. you screamed hiding behind steve fully. “we didn't know we'd be back!” tony yelled. “Pepper-” you wanted to apologize fix everything “No you shut the fuck up!” she yelled. you jumped back and steve put a protective arm around you.

“I don't want to hear it! Were done” pepper said “pep” tony said and pepper turned around slapping him. you moved from your spot by steve to tony. Pepper took the chance and slapped you. you stumbled back and tony grabbed your arm. “done” pepper said walking out slamming the door. steve moved to you “you ok?” steve asked. you felt tears brewing in your eyes. “guess its over” tony said. you pulled away and walked to your room curling up. A few minutes later there was a knock. “mmm” you grumbled. the door slightly opened.

steve came in and sat next to you “you ok?” he asked. you looked up at him and put your head in his lap “I just want to sleep” you grumbled. steve nodded and stroked through your hair. You fell asleep quickly and soon bucky came in. His face was washed in panic. “you heard?” steve asked. bucky nodded “is she ok?” he asked. steve shrugged “said she just wanted to sleep” he said. bucky nodded and sat next to you. “pepper broke up with tony” steve said. “figured” bucky said rubbing your arm. you curl up between bucky and steve. bucky's head rested back against the headboard and slowly fell asleep. steve wasn't sure on what to do so he just stayed stroking your hair as you fell asleep and looking at how at peace his best friend seemed for the first time in his life.

Tig tag list: @vicmc624​

[josiebeale]

Just to explain where my head is regarding Legacies.

As you can probably see, I am not really writing as many Legacies x reader fanfics as I used to in the early seasons. And there are two explanations for that.

1. I have fallen out of love with the show.

The long hiatus didn’t help my feelings towards it and I know that’s not anybody’s fault but it affected my view on it nevertheless. The repetitiveness, the low-stakes, and the awful storyline of season 3 are so tiring and frustrating that I honestly got mad. About a TV show that I’m supposed to love.

And I know “if you hate it so much, don’t watch it” is a fair point but the reason why I stuck around for so long is that I know how good Legacies can be. Season 1 and some episodes of season 2 were so entertaining and fun to watch that I waited around in case I get at least 1 amazing episode a season. I was willing to endure 15 bad ones if I got at least 1.

I wanted to continue watching for the girls, Hope, Lizzie, and Josie because, at this point, I do not care about any of the other characters and I'm so sad about that.

Legacies is supposed to be about the legacies which are the three girls, not Landon. And speaking of which. My second reason.

2. Landon.

I didn't really care about Landon in s1, but I didn't hate him. He was just there as Hope's love interest and I was fine with it. The girls still took on the main character roles mostly, had storylines that didn't revolve around him (except for Hope but are we surprised?) but it wasn't this shove-down-your-throat kind of way now the writers are trying to make Landon be the main character. I didn't realize this while watching s1 but everything was already about Landon from the beginning. His father, Malivore wanted him back that's why monsters started coming to the school. Everybody wanted to protect him.

Imagine having the only tribrid in the Universe, daughter of one of the original vampires and the Queen of the Crescent Wolf Clan werewolf, and writing your show about a mud boy.

I'm sorry if you think otherwise but I am, personally, sick of it. I'm sick of Hope saying Landon's name over and over again, always thinking about Landon, obsessing over him, not having anything outside of that relationship. So basically according to the writers, Hope is not interesting enough to be her own person.

And to the people of Twitter claiming it is "toxic" to hate on Landon/Handon and "if you hate him so much, don't watch" can fuck off. It is normal and totally acceptable to hate a fictional character as long as you don't go after the actor who's playing that character. I can hate Landon or anybody else as much as I want and I don't have to have a reason but I do. I can give you so many reasons why I grew to hate him and I entirely blame the writers for having some weird kind of obsessing with him as well.

It is always the same thing. Landon feeling insecure, Hope reassures him. Monster. Landon is dead. Oops, no, he is alive. Handon fluff. Landon feels insecure and wants to be the Hero.

Nothing ever changes. It is always the same thing over and over again.

I know they are supposed to break up sometime soon but it honestly can't come sooner. They really need to change some things up before they lose even more people. There's a reason why S1 got on average 1 million views per episode and S3 got 0.7 at its best and 0.5 at its worst.

But despite all of that, I made a promise to myself that I would watch season 3 because I love the girls so much and I want to give the show one last chance. If it doesn't change drastically, I am not going to watch season 4.

[queersatanic]

One of the things you notice about The Satanic Temple pretty quickly is that "slander" just means "things we don't like, especially if they're true", and of course their fourth tenet about "freedom to offend" only ever goes in the one direction

But this "the TV show writers and network should apologize!!" stuff is straight out of the Catholic League. Bill Donahue is embarrassed for them.

Imagine enshrining "the freedom to offend" in your religion, parading around proud of being legally recognized as a religion

...then being so upset about how free speech is actually understood by the law that parody is something that people "get away with."

As we've pointed out before, that episode of the Paramount+ TV show "Evil" was actually rather generous given the actual origins of The Satanic Temple as a Spectacle Films project that just got out of hand.

It was an especially charitable episode given that the two owners of TST set up their T-shirt selling, intellectual property owning for profit corporation United Federation of Churches LLC and years later pursued nonprofit church status for a different entity, "The Satanic Temple (Inc)", after it already had an entity with IRS-approved nonprofit status: Reason Alliance Ltd.

It's just that normal nonprofits have to say where their money is coming and going. And churches don't.

We can't know their hearts, but Lucien Greaves and Cevin Soling probably realized that being so open about turning around and sending money given to their nonprofit Reason Alliance to the for-profit corp United Federation of Churches LLC d/b/a The Satanic Temple would eventually raise some questions. But two entities named "The Satanic Temple" sharing the same website, HQ, and branding, neither one reporting its finances publicly? Maybe no one would notice.

By comparison, the TV show "Evil" ends up being extraordinarily charitable to their universe's "The New Ministry of Satan", all things considered.

In addition to "Evil" making sure their Baphomet statue was quite distinct from TST's Instagram prop, that may be why The Satanic Temple is unlikely to come after CBS or Paramount+ the same way it went after Netflix and Warner Bros.

Soling and Greaves don't actually want a news story that would draw attention to just what the hell they're doing with all of those front companies and all that damn money they keep bringing in.

Note: We're not going to link back to the Twitter conversation, even tho it is public, b/c the people having it mostly aren't anybody. It's just representative of where TST's core members are at this point, and the level of paranoia they're operating at.

Negative things about their chosen organization couldn't possibly be valid; it must be that some secret group of enemies is organizing against them, and they're beset on all sides, and it's SLANDER to point out stuff their glorious leaders said in the past. Etc.

It's funny how hypocritical they are about it, but it's also really sad, and ultimately, it's dangerous and harmful. And we hope everyone gets out without being hurt too badly or helping TST keep hurting others badly.

[Red]

> Somehow, I knew @LucienGreaves would make the jump to a badly-fictionalized TV character someday. IRS recognition was a scheme to dodge taxes on T-shirt sales? Thanks to [blue] for catching this. @CBS: Apologize and stop slandering people.

[Red]

Den of Geek directly notes the similarities between "Graham Lucien" and LG in their recap. I haven't watched the episode, but it sure looks like a deliberate attempt to raise doubt about Greaves as a faith leader and TST as a legitimate religion.

[Green] replying to [Red]

i agree that they should apologize. This episode (haven’t watched any of the rest of the show) was some of the laziest writing i’ve ever endured. One episode felt like an eternity **tiniest of silver-linings** this show is so fucking cheesy, only a fool would take it seriously.

[Red] replying to [Green]

Oh wow. That was pretty bad. I would say it's clear this show will be cancelled and forgotten soon, but then again, "Duck Dynasty" was on the air for 11 seasons. Never underestimate the bad taste of the American viewing public.

[Blue] replying to [Red]

I generally like the show, to me it’s like a detective drama with supernatural/sci-fi subjects. It’s kinda goofy but entertaining. And I absolutely love Mike Colter. This episode however was very frustrating. As soon as they said “new ministry of Satan” I was like oh boy. Then they showed the building and introduced the Graham Lucien Character and I was like “this feels like an attack”

[Yellow] replying to [Red]

It is slander. Our cofounders have sacrificed so much to give people a community… just for some shitty TV show to call them con men? Not to mention the way it devalues our entire religion. @/paramountplus & the writers of @/evil should apologize to Lucien and TST adherents

[Pink] replying to [Green]

I am afraid of the show getting attention. I won’t watch it so it won’t a view. Grimacing face It sounds like they copied the complaints on Twitter from members who left TST. I’m sure they will get away with it because of parody law.

[Blue] replying to [Pink]

Part of me wonders which one of our haters has a job over there.

[m0e-ru]

eight months in somebody actually asked me abt visualive instead of me immediately annoying ppl about it without former notice. I might actually write properly for once 😳😳😳

OK OK!!!!! In this essay I will.... I will.... Visualive Adachi.... Visu/BURSTS INTO TEARS/

OKAY OKAY for real I just care Visualive so much (as someone who can’t fully understand Japanese AHAHA)

First I’ll add some foundation about what Visualive really is, then I talk abt Adachi in the latter parts of it because this is technically the first time I’m properly talking about this hehe 🐿

T....table of contents???

Visualive

Visualive the Evolution

Masami Itou

Visualive Adachi

Visualive the Evolution Adachi

Terms and Legend

VL - Visualive

VLE - Visualive the Evolution

stage - shortened for “stageplay”

面白い - omoshiroi (it’s just that specific)

Yuuya - VL Hero name

Hayato - VLE Hero name

Baba - Hero

Masami - Adachi

Taniguchi - Dojima

Saotome - Daisuke

Mamiya - Izanami

I add honorifics but sometimes I forget the hyphen intentionally or unintentionally I’m sorry if it makes it hard to read lol

all links have automatic timestamps for easy viewing. i mean. i hope the timestamps work

VISUALIVE “Persona 4.” A stage adaptation of SMT: Persona 4 by Atlus. It adapts the first part of the story, from the hero’s arrival to after recovering Mitsuo Kubo from the TV world. It also ends on a cliff hanger, showing a teaser of Shadow Naoto being projected on the screen.

It takes up a speedy recapitulation of the hero’s spring life, before slowing down and showing in depth his school life in summer. A day before Morooka-sensei’s death, there is a little skit with Kou, Daisuke and Adachi. The hero walks into the conversation before the two other boys leaving, and Morooka-sensei walking in on the student and detective. The next day follow’s the teacher’s death and the Investigation Team (IT) begin investigating their new lead.

From the words “visual” and “alive,” the niche of this stage was meant to be the fusion of live acting and visual digital projections. All seen from the stageplay with the colorful cast of actors and CG animations being projected on the screen. This offers an opportunity for characters to summon their personas, perform cool visual effects, change the backdrop, or even confront their own Shadows.

Performed in Sunshine Theater from the 15th to the 20th of March 2012. The screenplay was written and directed by Shintaro Asanuma from the theatrical group “bpm.” The video production produced by Shutaro Oku, a film director and visual planner. He later takes over as director for VISUALIVE THE EVOLUTION, the sequel stage. The stage music was produced by Shunsuke Wada, with a special show exclusive vocal track sung by Shihoko Hirata.

On this note, I haven’t seen any sort of original soundtrack released for any of the stages and I’m SO SAD. The last song in Mitsuo’s boss fight was such a BANGER and literally EVERYTHING ELSE Marvelous, Wadasan please take my MONEY

Regarding the cast, there were some special accommodations for Teddie, Rise, and Nanako, all of which did not have live actors at the time. During the casting, actors for the three characters could not be found or simply left the directors unsatisfied they couldn’t cast anybody. An exception for Rise, who was able to have a live actor in the sequel stage. It has been stated that there weren’t any “pretty boy” actors that fit the “Teddie Criteria.” While there weren’t any child actors that were believed to portray Nanako well.

Teddie was only ever seen in his bear costume while Rise was busy talking through a call, all voiced by their video game cast. Nanako has never appeared on stage, only being scarcely mentioned in the script. Again, this is different in the sequel stage where her role was extremely important and was shown as a screen projection.

VISUALIVE “Persona 4” THE EVOLUTION. A sequel stage. Beginning abruptly in the middle of Shadow Naoto’s boss fight, the story continues from there until the “true end” of the game’s original story. *Certain characters are introduced while others have been reintroduced. And on a personal note, when it’s all comedic in the beginning, it’s all for what’s coming right after.

I don’t know if I’m salty or just find it really funny AHAHA I might go talk abt it some other day with more context ehehe

Performed in The Galaxy Theater from the 3rd to the 9th of October 2012, only a few months after the PSVITA Persona 4 Golden release, which is July 2012. The screenplay was now written by Jun Kumagi while directed by Shutaro Oku. And music production finally taken over by Shoji Meguro himself.

---

HAHAHA this is starting to look like a wiki page. moving on. I might start rambling rn

(warning LONG !!!! aaa,,)

My thoughts on the stage adaptations. For the first Visualive (VL) I believe it’s pretty close to canon! I enjoy the characterization and how much love and care was present when handling the entire production.

Actors were busy playing the game itself, wherein a PS2 was present in the practice room. Along with magazines and game guides explaining the game’s story and the characters itself. Actors performing together and even improv acting together to get a grasp of their characters. All of them knowing well of Persona 4 as a well loved game, delicately handling their characters and hopefully performing them right while making the audience happy.

The staff taking care of each other while the director and video producer, Asanuma-san and Oku-san, working together well to make their vision into a reality.

The same thing happened with VL the Evolution (VLE) and literally every other good stage. Except... I feel the script kinda got out of hand with too much liberty where it feels a bit more disconnected from canon. But! It makes up for it in its content, whether comedic or (INCREDIBLY) dramatic! It’s great as its own story at that point. So in this case, I like to take the first VL and get to connect it canon, while I don’t know what the hell happened in VLE to the point I’ll just enjoy it as its own content.

These opinions deserve its own essay, post whatever bc I have SO much to say abt this. ANYWAY. VL ADACHI

---

Tohru Adachi is portrayed by Masami Itou (伊藤マサミ), a screenplay writer, director and an stage actor himself. He does have a single character voice role along with a fellow troupe member in the same franchise, but mostly works as the former three. He is part of Asanuma-san’s entertainment group “bpm.” On a similar note, Masashi Taniguchi, Dojima’s actor, was also part of their group from 2011 to 2016, which may explain their good synergy as the boss and the bumbling fool dynamic. I mean, somebody’s gotta get hit in the head every few skits.

With Masami-san being an important part of the cast, he doesn’t appear as often as Taniguchi-san in backstage content like the VL bonus disk or the official blog. Mentioned in his own personal blog, he had been busy with his roles as assistant director (I am assuming also for VL).

Also fun to note, because his role is mainly comic relief, he has been using his liberty to change up the material almost everyday making each performance exciting. This also leaves some other actors jealous of his freedom in his role, such as Saotome-san, Daisuke’s actor.

---

VL Adachi really has a... how do I say this? an adorable speech pattern (THE SAME SPEECH PATTERN THAT DROVE ME MAD TRYING TO DECIPHER I THOUGHT YOU WERE A CITY BOY OSSU OSSU MY ASS /shakes you violently/). Overall, he really fits the loose lipped bumbling fool, and his accent really makes him seem more casual and invested. What I’m saying is... VL Adachi either actually has genuine empathy or he actually has more energy to fake it (compared to some other edgelord. i mean you saw my p4ga analysis. I’m sick of him lol ahaha).

One of my favorite ways to explain this (OTHER THAN CHAIR CAR ADVENTURE MY BELOVED WE’LL GET TO THAT LATER) is the rice field scene with him and Dojima. It’s overanalyzation time 🎉

(43:04)

While investigating, Adachi whines about being tired while Dojima smacks him in the head. In this case, it’s established that Adachi doesn’t want to be there, yes? It’s the country, it’s hot and it smells like green.

"Ah... Dojima-san..! Why don't we take a break? (...) There really is nothing out here... Is the criminal still even here at all? (...) I wonder if I've passed being a rookie yet. Haha, but this city doesn't even have convenient transportation. I can't go to leisure lands (recreation, amusement parks, arcades, ect.) and head home at all."

Adachi then tries to tell Dojima a story. “when I got to this city after being newly assigned, I met an interesting guy (...) Yeah, I remember that the cherry blossoms haven't bloomed yet. So, I was driving my car and got near the station and--” Dojima gets a phone call.

Adachi politely puts his hands down waiting for his boss to finish so he can finish the story. Again and again, Adachi attempts to talk to Dojima about a story he’s so persistent trying to tell someone about. It was so 面白い that he would find someone to talk to about it. Even being polite and patient enough to wait for a chance to speak. He even gets fed up with it and blows up in front of his boss, clearly irritated he’s not given a chance to talk.

Sure, it could be Adachi feeling fed up like a normal person where someone agreed he to listen to him, before being constantly ignored. Or Adachi trying to be a more annoying whiny brat, depending on where you look at it.

If the story wasn’t too “interesting” to Adachi, he would’ve just brushed it off and stopped talking to Dojima entirely, or start up new small talk, or even complain some more. But no, he had a story he wanted to voice out so bad that he got irritated that the one person in the vicinity couldn’t listen to him.

Only after Dojima told him to continue their investigation elsewhere did Adachi finally stop and focus on something else. Maybe that story was for another day, or maybe it was never meant to be told.

What if it was just original (game) Adachi? He’d find a way to squirrel out of the investigation as usual, or push Dojima to “investigate” elsewhere. “Hey boss, don’t you think it’s hot? Why don’t we go elsewhere? We’ve seen this place too many times to count and I doubt anything new’ll turn up. How about we take a break at Junes, y’know? Where it’s cool? C’mon boss,” something like that.

og Adachi is just really annoying and silly to me. Some grown man thinking he can freeload because he never gets anything out of putting in more energy and effort? I don’t care how tall he is, I will smack him in the head.

Yeah VL Adachi whines, too, but at least it doesn’t look like he’s going to escape and waste his time somewhere else. He just sucks it up stops trying to leave the situation.

Or maybe I’m getting this all wrong and VL is exactly the same and my rage just gets dampened because of Masamisan’s execution of character hmm...

SO. What was his story about anyway? The one he really wanted to share to Dojima?

I mean... it’s obvious enough

First day in town? Spring? Actually mentioned driving a car when literally out of every single persona 4 media at the time was there not a SINGLE mention of Adachi having a car OTHER THAN the same stageplay it’s being mentioned in?

A story, from somewhere around uhh four? five months ago? was something that he remembered so dearly and was willing to share despite it obviously embarrassing him even if he puts the blame on a certain somebody in the same story?

Or maybe it’s because he really had nothing to talk about ever since he realized all his stories from the city weren’t actually that funny or interesting in the first place.

BUT then that would mean out of all the things he could talk about—more whining, complaining, complimenting, small talk—he insisted about talking about this story in particular.

Okay, look. I’m just. Just. As someone who talks too much, of course I have things I actually want people to hear out of all the bullshit that comes out of my mouth. And if the thing I actually want people to listen to doesn’t even get heard, I’d go mad.

Sure, Adachi’d be fine when his complaints or intentionally unfunny jokes get brushed off. But a story of a guy that he thought was so funny, interesting, 面白い gets ignored, he really blew up, even just for a split second, maybe.

And ALL the things that happened in that story—on his first day in Inaba! His car got dented, he had to deal with a weirdo dumbass employee that knew zero personal space, yelled in his ear, who didn’t know how to do their job, got his station reputation messed up on the first day, got his ass grabbed, got (unintentionally?) mocked for his lame stories, and got his car dented for the SECOND time. Probably MORE

And he STILL wanted to talk about it /punches through concrete wall/

yes I’m overthinking about this of course i am

This little tidbit of VL Adachi kinda makes me go insane sometimes—his entire characterization in VL in particular. It was really refreshing to see and how they included both of his characters in it, his facade and how irritated he is of a lot of things underneath. And how flexible his character is immediately working with other characters when there’s sudden improv to balance the situation. Like him and Dojima, Morooka, the attendant, or even Yuuya (hero) himself.

I’ll take Taniguchi-san’s messing around in the VL bonus backstage disc in place of Masami-san being so busy he couldn’t appear in it as often as other characters.

For stagetime that lasted for fifteen minutes or less, my appreciation for VL Adachi, even if he was just comic relief, really rocketed. I say VL, bc Adachi the edgelord he’s supposed to be in literally every other media is something I analyze separately.

I haven’t even gotten to VLE oh my GODDDDD

Like I said, I don’t really regard VLE close to canon but as something to be appreciated for what it is by itself. But the way Adachi was characterized there, in or out of character, still struck me.

---

Yes, there was his strange fan-agreed-canon which is,,, now canon obsession with cabbages (not that that’s a bad thing lmao). There was also him being a lot more jumpy and intimate in a clowny way, patting people on the shoulder or even downright hugging them just to mess around. Even FORGETTING who the same goddam loser who grabbed his ass almost a year ago is. But like, can’t blame him they literally changed their actor (and screenplay writer) AHAHAHA

ha... no more comedy, only dorky sword fights now

(speaking of sword fights I think it’s a fun thought how Mamiya-san [Izanami, also one of the youngest in the cast] admitted it was his first time doing sword fight choreography and even thanked Masami-san and other staff members for guiding him)

One thing unintentionally in character was Adachi accidentally nabbing the sushi overdosed in wasabi. Masami-san didn’t actually account for a joke sushi and didn’t immediately eat it—until Taniguchi-san (who also made Dojima go off his shits compared to VL) jokingly yelled at him and even riled up the audience for him to eat it. He even went off stage to get water just for him to eat the goddam sushi.

And Masami-san did! (kinda choked, but he’s fine).

Continuing from the same scene, while being overly giddy about sushi dinner (and I mean overly--he was singing about it while hopping to the Dojima residence), he tried to remind the two, Dojima and Hayato (hero), that Nanako was sleeping. Probably where she was sick if the scene was translated from the game.

(30:07)

And... the dramatic parts of VLE

Adachi was the one who reported to the IT that Dojima was chasing Namatame in the rain. While Naoto was discussing Namatame’s journal entries, Adachi, as giddy as he is, took it from Naoto’s hands and reveled in the discovery of evidence so childishly(?). He even ran to Dojima when he began regaining consciousness and immediately called the nurses to help him wheel Dojima to the ER.

Then, The Hospital Scene™️, right after Nanako flatlines.

(1:02:02)

Adachi, who recently walked into the scene, immediately worries about Dojima and IT who were ALL crying. He looks down, devastated—before yelling how Dojima’s heading to Namatame’s room.

He yells in terror and the same grief at his injured boss, all while running past and even jumping over children, who fell to the ground sobbing, to get to him. He continues yelling in a pained fashion while immediately reprimanding Dojima to stop. He gets carried by the collar before being tossed to the ground at Hayato’s feet, all while being pat by the same boy.

Dojima makes his speech about how unfair it is for the ‘killer’ to be alive when his daughter isn’t. When he finally falls to his knees, Adachi rises from the ground, humbly saying he’ll do his best to take care of Dojima (or something like that I’m in tears I literally can’t do VLE’s hospital scene i h8 this). He finally starts crying along with everyone else, being pushed away again but still tries again, trying to usher his boss away from the door.

With the help of the guard in front of the door, they all disappear off stage

please... I know this scene doesn’t need that much translation because of how important this scene is in the entire story. and I know my narratives aren’t enough so just,,,, just watch it please it’s so much more than this. everyone’s acting was just spectacular

(1:08:47)

So, after the IT (YOSUKE. JUST YOSUKE. good job Mae-chan) stop themselves from k wording Namatame, it was ADACHI who reported Nanako’s miracle recovery. He ran to the same corridor where they all cried in, even panting and falling to the ground in relief trying to report the good news. Then he pats Hayato on the shoulder and says he’s going to Dojima.

With this... /slaps roof of half of VLE/ ALL of this....adachi.... adachisan.... he Cares™️..... holy shit.....

now. comparing to the game. do you even remember what og Adachi did? did he.. even do anything?????

(56:39)

NO!!! he just stood there!!!! being a bumbling fool but.... inappropriately!!! man. he didn’t act concerned enough.

adachi: /walks into a bunch of kids crying outside a hospital room/ “lmao why tf are y’all crying? did uhhh what’s her face uhhh nanako. did she d word or something? rip, I guess lol” LIKE????? CAN YOU IMPLY FASTER

and then he’s like “wgat hmm Where’s Dojima-san Heading Because That’s Not The Way To His Room 🤔” and only when he’s asked he actually mentions he’s heading to Namatame’s room and still needs to get choked by a first year for the room number like..... zero consideration

and his boss??? where his daughter he loves so much just??? di*s???? and he’s so devastated he’s doing what he can that very moment while he’s so numbed of thinking of the consequences???? And adachi goes “uhh boss that’s illegal” LIKE. BITCH. /punches through a concrete wall but harder/

---

And??? His confrontation scene??? Like, I know they mashed it up w his tv confession scene to save stagetime for other scenes BUT IT WAS SO MMBMBMBMMGN /gestures in a good way/

(1:15:56)

UM?? guy behind everything??? in a vulnerable area where he could easily get physically assaulted bc hes not in the tv world w his persona?? Trash talks women like he absolute misogynist he is??? getting yelled at by a bunch of kids and YELLING BACK IN THE SAME AGITATED MANNER even TAUNTING THEM then and there to GET HIS ASS?????

og Adachi was such a pussy he got caught and just scurried off into the TV world where he ended up having powers like...ok....scared of getting beat down by a bunch of highschoolers unless you have powers...ok....

he only taunted them to get him when he was in the tv world too.....he rlly couldn’t say shit in the real world huh... lol

(yeah yeah this shows how VLE Adachi knew abt his TV world powers which would make you think if he ever went into the tv world and came back out alive. Or he’s really just a badass who doesnt give a shit abt anyone’s opinions and CAN beat anyone’s ass. i have a separate thing abt this but bc i like to laught at vle rather than overthink its own lore i might. not. idk lol)

and ??? VLE Adachi can??? He can swordfight??? he doesn’t even NEED a gun—he even reflects bullets w his blade (but apparently he can still get slapped by a flying fan more often than any other attack). His fight choreo was just...so poggers. He’s like short villains done good—like??? he’s short compared to everyone else!!! but he makes up for it for stuffing all the energy inside him while is bursts out making him him the over energetic gremlin he is!!! go VL adachi!!!!

(am I low key making fun of Madono-san in the TUUSH stageplay I’ve seen four minutes of? maybe)

OK!!! Yes I was gushing abt Masami-san again back to Adachi.

It’s portrayed that while not being afraid to admit his crimes, he also goes out of his way to be a bastard and have the gall to get a bunch of kids to fight him, one on eight. He can use a katana, probably a narrative dark reflection of the hero, Hayato which I thought was nice—and he can fight!!! It also shows his persona, yes, but...it doesn’t make it clear if he’s overwhelmed by his Shadow like in the game, where his eyes were yellow and he was emitting a dark aura.

But it gets interesting how he sees he’s getting overwhelmed and starting to lose his edge towards a bunch of kids. He falls to the ground even banging the floor like a whiny brat while literally the IT tries to tell him to turn himself in. Again, like a brat he tells everyone to shut up—before getting incapacitated. While some of the IT rejoice, he bolts up unaccepting of his defeat—before getting hit in the stomach.

(1:23:54)

And his words from when he drops his katana, “Why..?” He grabs the foldable chair against his stomach, and with a remorseful look in his eyes, he says “I’m sorry..!”

THEN HE BACKFLIPS—then Hayato slashes him.

In a tone of disbelief, he goes “no way...” and collapses to the ground, being possessed by Ame-no-Sagiri.

Blah blah blah then Teddie rockets himself into the eyeball spy cam and then they both explode aaaaa

Teddie survives but I really don’t know where Adachi went. Not even a mention by Dojima if he turned himself in or was ever found—or I need to review VLE for the 48274827482nd time hehe

WHOO then the whole cast appears for the dance number at the end of show YAHOO

[hopetofantasy]

Culture, parallels & meta - S3 E2

Zaterdag 10:21

That’s character: In this scene, they’re again establishing some of Robbe’s insecurities. We already know from previous seasons that he often feels like the third wheel, keeps to himself, lets people walk all over him or apologizes a lot, so that they don’t hate him or abandon him (like his dad did). But this scene takes it even further: he doesn’t want to be a burden. Not with stuff like his friend’s party mess, so he cleans up as early and fast as he can. Not with taking food that doesn’t belong to him, so he chooses to not eat anything instead. 

Perfect parallel: Zoë mentioning “Especially the pasta” in this season, because Milan stole her pasta at the beginning of hers.

Surprise bitch, guess who? Milan’s one-nightstand appears to be ‘Georgy Chtchevaev’, a close friend of Jonathan Michiels (Viktor) and other cast members. Small, small world.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe’s expression at the end reveals how he longs for something like Milan has, but then realizes he might never have/want that. (Internalized homophobia is a bitch, y’all!)

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The guy pulls out strawberry yoghurt from ‘Colruyt’ out of an almost empty fridge along with a spoon, from the cutlery drawer. Robbe’s gaze keeps lingering a tad too long on the half naked boy in their kitchen.

°

Zaterdag 14:43

C is for culture: 

“Hey, I’m working here” - Teens are allowed to get a student job, as long as they’re at least 15 years old and completed the first two years of high school. The rules around how often they may work, has changed a lot during the last decade. However, nowadays, they’re allowed to work at a lower social security tariff as long as they don’t go over 475 working hours per year. Otherwise, they’ll have to pay the normal amount or even taxes if they surpass a certain income limit.

“No, I was just shopping” - C&A (Clemens & August Brenninkmeijer) is a Dutch chain store of origin with approx. 1,500 stores in Europe. They mostly attract older generations, as their style is seen as a bit old-fashioned and classic. That’s why their popularity significantly dropped in recent years, causing closures in some cities. - A smart move of putting product placement in a youth tv series.

Perfect parallel: 

Robbe pulling a t-shirt off the rack to get Noor’s attention in this episode, him using the same tactic with a sweater in the last episode.

Noor sitting on a reluctant Robbe’s lap to kiss him here, Robbe happily straddling Sander to kiss and talk later on.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe again faking that he likes Noor’s sexual advances.

Lost in translation: Robbe’s mom texting him “Ziet ge mij niet graag?”, which could literally be interpreted as “Don’t you want to see me?”, but in this context it actually means “Don’t you love me anymore?”.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: In case you didn’t catch it, Robbe is making a double joke with the t-shirt - saying that Noor is sexy as well as repeating the song on the store radio. Jana’s look at a disheveled Noor reveals that she knew Robbe wasn’t just ‘trying something on’.

Bonus: This season uses a lot of mirrors to reflect Robbe’s emotions and inner turmoil. Even his relationships with Noor and Sander are mirrored within the season itself: he never liked what Noor did for him (waiting outside the school, making out in public, going next level) and he was amazed at Sander doing the same. Mirrors are the perfect way of showing how Robbe has two faces: his ‘straight’ public persona and his struggling inner ‘gay’ self.

°

Zondag 19:59

That’s character: Zoë’s mom behavior is at full force here. When she spots her friends, roommates or boyfriend in difficult situations, she jumps to the opportunity to make them feel better. She instantly defends them, provides a shoulder to cry on, gives advice, feeds them when needed, tries to figure out what they’re feeling, ... Sometimes giving some tough loving too. Zoë just has that caring nature of her own. This probably stems from the fact that she missed out on parental figures and wants to feel needed as a compensation.

Perfect parallel:

Symbolism! Robbe walking away from his mom’s room in a cold-looking hallway, because he’s not comfortable (yet) with the situation. And him walking towards Sander’s room in a warmly lit hallway, since he’s at peace with what’s happening with his love.

Zoë asking Milan if he’s “Playing hard to get?” in this situation, Milan asking Robbe if his clothes say “Hard to get or playing hard to get?” later.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe analyses what Milan is doing with his partner, not really sure how to feel about it.

Nod to the OG: Zoë stating “The only thing you can do now is just be there for her and yes, that you have to wait”, sounds oddly familiar to the minute-for-minute speech by Sonja.

Funny coincidence: Milan making out heavily with his boy in front of Robbe and his salad, might look like a nod to the ‘Right in front of my salad’ meme.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Robbe’s other (thicker) coat is hanging on a hook in the hallway. Senne’s “If I had have known that, I would have tried harder” indicates that he probably had to retake a year in high school, because otherwise he’d been a student in uni earlier on. 

°

Maandag 16:27

C is for culture: “Kwak en Boemel kwamen binnen” (= “Kwak and Boemel entered”) - Robbe is referring to two side characters in the Belgian comic books ‘Jommeke’, who are homeless, lowlife criminals. The main protagonist in the series is the 11-year-old boy ‘Jommeke’. He is clever, honest, brave, loves adventure and is recognizable by his distinct blonde bowl cut. It’s one of the best-selling strips in Flanders, besides ‘Suske and Wiske’. 

Perfect parallel: Jens’ first time suggesting toothpaste to jerk off happens here in S3, but he repeats it again during wtFOCKDOWN. 

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: The boys questioning why Robbe didn’t go all-the-way with Noor yet.

Lost in translation: Noor saying “Is dat een eik? Want ik zie veel eikels hier!” has completely lost its meaning when translated. ‘Eikels’ means ‘acorns’, which come from the ‘eik’ (= ‘oak tree’). But ‘eikels’ also means ‘assholes’. That’s why she’s pointing out the oak tree, to diss the boys that they’re actually ‘eikels’. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Again, the very subtle hint at the beginning that Sander was at the skatepark - checking Robbe out. Robbe pulls the middle finger at the boys hollering. His skateboard has a ‘World Industries’ sticker on it. 

°

Dinsdag 14:56

Perfect parallel: 

Robbe arguing “A whole weekend on a trip with people you don’t know?” against Noor coming along in this episode, his flirty affirmative answer to Sander’s “Like a weekend trip with strangers, right?” in the next.

Amber and her match making skills again! First, she tried to set herself up with Senne in S1, then Jana and Zoë with Max in S2, now Luca with Aaron in S3. 

Lost in translation: “Ik denk niet dat ze daar goesting voor heeft” - ‘Goesting’ is a typical Flemish word for anything that has to do with desire, preference or willingness to do something in any context (work, food, activities, sex, ...). That’s why Aaron answers him with “I had a different impression on Friday”, taking the “I don’t think she has ‘goesting’” in a very sexual way.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: The real reason why he doesn’t want Noor to join the trip, is him not wanting to fake his attraction to her. Except Robbe isn’t willing to admit that to himself yet.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Luca has braces!

°

Woensdag 12:21

Perfect parallel: Noor’s “And then you haven’t even seen the men yet” as a rebuttal to Moyo’s comments about art school girls in this episode, Robbe meeting the beautiful art boy Sander in the next. 

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe just doesn’t see the appeal in watching women dance, since he’s not attracted to them. But the guys don’t get why he says ‘no’ to the recital.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Noor is greeting Britt with a hug in the background. Moyo kisses the dance recital flyer right before going outside. 

°

Donderdag 07:21

C is for culture: Robbe is making a sandwich with choco spread and speculaas cookies. ‘Speculaas’ (’Biscoff' in English) is a spiced shortcrust biscuit with origins in the Netherlands and Belgium. It’s typically baked for the ‘Sinterklaas’ and Christmas celebrations. Though, it can be eaten as a treat to accompany coffee, thee or ice-cream as well. 

Perfect parallel: 

Zoë saying “I think you’re not used to eating healthy” earlier this episode and Robbe making sweet sandwich at the breakfast table, confirming her statement here.

Milan taking revenge for Zoë on a sleeping Senne in this episode, him helping Robbe prank Moyo for being homophobic in a later one. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Milan’s breakfast is a banana. Senne pulling Zoë into their bed, without her spilling the coffee in her hand.

°

Vrijdag 18:02

Perfect parallel: Luca dissing Moyo’s sexist statements with “Do you actually have a girlfriend? ... I understand why” earlier, her saying “Moyo, then you better take a good look at it, because it will be the last time you’ll see that room” here.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Zoë and Jana hugging each other outside. Luca giving Moyo a clear wink after dissing him. Robbe didn’t expect Noor to sleep with him in the bunkbed, as his face falls when she says she will.

°

Vrijdag 22:04

C is for culture: "It isn’t because he isn’t here...” - The reason that Senne couldn’t join their trip to the seaside, is that he doesn’t have a fall break. Universities usually start their school year a week later than university colleges, so they’re the only ones who don’t have a vacation at the end of October.

Perfect parallel: Robbe looking at drunk Noor with a sad expression of “Why can’t I just love this girl?” in this episode, him looking at a sleepy Sander with a face filled with love in the last episode.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe trying to pry Noor’s hands away from his body.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Senne responds with “#metoo” as a joke, referencing the movement and him missing Zoë. Her face freezes for a few seconds to indicate that she is indeed jealous. Robbe’s little wink at Luca. 

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

you’re not the poison; it’s me.

... um. titans 2.07 absolutely WRECKED me you guys, and i would like to tell you why in excruciating detail:

SPOILERS ahead

(and before i go ahead, i just want to say this: this episode deals with ptsd and psychosis and suicidal ideation explicitly, in ways that even i found difficult to watch. it’s very intense. please keep that in mind if you decide to watch it.)

1. usually genre tv shows like to pile on the trauma but deal with its fallout either rarely or in oblique ways--shots of the character brooding, a couple of ‘candid’ talks filled with frustrating euphemisms, then it’s on to tackling the next plot point. not titans tho--for this show, the trauma is very much the point. the plot is wafer-thin and takes a backseat as the show takes episode after episode to break down its central characters and hammer it in that there are no easy fix-its for complex trauma, and that Dealing with it is a continuous, sometimes lifelong process. it forces you to keep re-evaluating and re-contextualising the actions of these characters and challenges your assumptions.

1.5. for instance: let’s take donna troy. in s1 she was the put-together big sister to dick, content with living her life outside the superhero community while giving sound advice to dick about how he can get his own life back on track. now? she’s a stressed, paranoid wreck, plagued by horrible memories and taking her insecurities out on dick and jason and whoever else is available. deathstroke’s machinations aside, there’s something deeply dysfunctional about the way the original titans operated, the ways they brought both the best and the worst out of each other. it seems like none of them really understood the seriousness of what they were doing until they did something truly terrible that they couldn’t take back, and it was earth-shattering enough that donna completely abandoned her old life to live as a civilian. trigon’s vision for her in 2.01 reminded her that she was fooling herself; coming back to titans tower and actually having to face what made her run away in the first place has broken down the walls she’s spent five years putting up. it’s not pretty to watch, but... it tracks.

2. after having written post after post about dick cracking under relentless stress and the weight of his own guilt complex, it was startling to see him actually fall apart. halluci!bruce was absolutely brutal and really brought home the fact that Good Lord, Dick Grayson Is So Far From Okay That It’s Not Even Funny Anymore. 

because here’s the thing: dick is deeply unwell, and however the show proceeds with his character from here on out, this episode made absolutely no bones about that fact. his single-minded dash to find and kill slade is framed as both irrational and suicidal. he’s visibly on edge, bursting into bouts of uncontrollable rage. he’s shown to carry a guilt complex the size of mount everest, to the point where it actually seems delusional. he’s fucking terrified of abandonment, to the point where he’d rather cut off ties on his own rather than have others leave him. he’s constantly berating himself and this doesn’t give him a moment to sit down and think and try to form a rational plan. halluci!bruce even mentions meds and “uppers and downers” to cope, and i am genuinely concerned that that was what dick actually did to cope in the immediate aftermath of whatever the fuck went down with him and joey and deathstroke. maybe it’s ptsd with a secondary psychosis triggered by nearly losing jason the same way he lost his parents (and massive sleep deprivation, i imagine), or maybe there’s another underlying chronic mental illness. either way, he needs help. 

man but halluci!bruce was vicious. if this is what dick has running in his head at all times, no wonder he broods, and no wonder he takes others admonishing his choices with barely any protest! 

2.25. looking at this from a different perspective, tho, here’s another way in which bruce wayne functions as a symbol on this show. phantom!bruce is how dick normally externalises everything he hates about himself, and this dynamic plays out very literally in this episode. 

interestingly, and somewhat heartbreakingly, it took dick accepting and internalising his low opinion of himself and his veritable ocean of guilt for judgy!bruce wayne to turn into loving, concerned!bruce wayne, who would comfort dick and wipe his tears. (it is entirely heartbreaking that that’s what dick subconsciously craves from bruce.) dick must debase himself for love and acceptance. it’s fucking tragic. 

2.55. and what does it mean--for dick and for his friendships with the og titans--that he’s so convinced that they would leave him if he told them the truth about jericho? for one, even back then, it seemed like dick was doing a lot of the emotional labour for the team: as a leader he both funnelled and executed the team’s plans, with responsibility for the fallout falling unevenly and mostly on his shoulders; he acted as the go-between for the team and bruce, for donna and garth, probably for hank and dawn, given he was dawn’s rebound. later, hank and dawn are visibly concerned by how viciously he fights. after re-forming the titans, he continues to shoulder responsibility for the shit-show that deathstroke rains on them, although he didn’t know deathstroke was alive when he re-opened the tower. of course he thinks that the team will think that he’s beyond redemption if they find out the truth; of course he’d want to go and finish off deathstroke on his own--or die in the process--before any of them finds out. 

2.75. but guys, here’s the thing: in spite of all of this, dick grayson still went around to check on conner and jason and assure the latter that he didn’t blame him for running off on his own. he saw jason standing there on a precipice right at the end, and decided he was going to be opaque anymore, or fall back on what he learned from bruce. he sits down with jason and finally divulges the secret that he had been willing to die to protect--making himself vulnerable to save jason’s life. he’s trying so goddamn hard even though his brain is rioting against him right now and probably has been for years. it’s just--i can’t imagine a truer, more sensitive portrayal of dick grayson than this.

3. watching jason reach his breaking point was,,, Not Fun. it’s one thing to be seemingly passed on like unwanted baggage from guardian to guardian. to be viewed with contempt and impatience when he just wants to make sure his voice isn’t lost in the constant shuffle. to be looked at as an impostor by the very people he looks upto. to be assigned the role of hot-headed fuck-up despite all his attempts to be useful, to prove himself. but to have all of that fall on him all at once on top of (poorly) dealing with a near-death experience? yikes.

3.25. and the horrible, tragic, human part of it all is that donna and the others probably didn’t even know what they were doing to jason by piling on him like that? he’s a relative outsider to both rachel and the og titans. he’s an arrogant prick that’s easy to hate. without dick and gar to stand up for jason, he’s cornered by people who haven’t even gotten to the point of seeing him as a vulnerable kid that’s struggling, just like the rest of them.

3.5. and so the two robins perch on the ledge, each convinced that they are poison that will either kill or drive their friends away. it’s a fraught moment of connection that stops jason from jumping, but he doesn’t step away. both of them are on a precipice in more ways than one; i can only hope they help each other land on the right side.1

also, bruce wayne? send your sons to therapy MY GOD

4. kory and rachel using their awesome powers in concert to cure conner! kory using her cultural background to connect to and help conner! conner mumbling in kryptonian! krypto fucking shooting across the sky with eve on his back! in such a sad and intense episode, it’s important to remember that some fantastic things happened as well!

5. here’s the thing: i don’t think dick killed jericho in the way that he probably thinks he does. dick is a hugely unreliable narrator--that’s been his Thing since s1. part of me thinks jericho should be dead; whatever happened with him and the titans has been built up to be such an earth-shattering event that it would kinda be cheating if he survived anyway. the other bigger part of me says: fuck that noise. JOEY WILSON LIVES, and that’s that

6. gar was sleeping? are you kidding me??? i’m assuming deathstroke drugged him or something so that he wouldn’t be there to Talk Sense and stop these melodramatic fools from tearing into each other. i can only hope that there’s some Big Plans for him down the line. 

[jessironi89]

WELCOME!

Welcome to my bitty shop! Here I have quite a few bitties up for adoption. Be sure to check all of them out and hit me up with questions if you have any.  Nightmare Bitties: 

TealMare: As close to original Nightmare you will probably get. He is a mean bean but there are times where they aren’t as mean and you gotta take what you can get with them. They do still feed of negativity but positivity doesn’t necessarily harm them it just makes them grumpy and if you’re lucky they will get used to it and just get flustered or embarrassed at your niceness. This one loves apples. Surprising? nah not really.

PurbleMare: These ones are not as mean and are pretty neutral when it comes to how they act around you. They do have an unhealthy obsession with herbs and spices so you will most likely catch them in your pantry trying out all of them to see if they are good enough for their owner. They also experiment on combining spices and making a new spice sometimes to. Probably really enjoys cooking and if taught how would be a big help in the kitchen.  Favorite food is…….well any herb or spice they find.

GreenMare:  This is a good bean, with some anger issues. They love their owner and will do anything for them including getting angry at someone for being rude to you. Or will be ready to tear some asshole a knew one after you have a hard day at work and come home to vent. He will throw tantrums if he doesn’t get his way. Dont give in he will stop eventually just let him get it out his system and after he will most likely just cuddle up to your neck and go to sleep. His favorite food is sour patch kids candy. 

RedMare: This adorable little sad bean likes fire. No he loves it. He might be a little pyromaniac so be careful. Even so he is very loveable and needs all the cuddles to keep him from being to sad. Has bad anxiety so comfort and take care of him with all the care in the world and be patient as well. Favorite food is sugar cubes. 

TeableMare: This little hybrid is just adorable and very loveable. Can be a bit clingy so be careful where you sit cause you never know where the baby will be clinging to you from time to time. He loves to help you stay organized and will probably do as much cleaning as the small can for you just to impress you however he can. Favorite food is chocolate. 

Pinkmare: This little cutie is very loveable and loves to cuddle. Most of them will love you right away but there are some occasions where they are a bit skeptical. Dont worry though they will love you in time. Favorite food is strawberries. 

Orangemare: This one is a bit of an adventurer. You might catch him climbing around your furniture or even up your pants leg and shirt. He loves to seek out new adventures and if he is around other bitties will come up with fake little stories and adventures for them to go on in your home. Favorite food is anything citrusy. 

Yellowmare: This one loves anything shiny. jewelry, metal bottle caps, coins. Anything that reflects the sun and sparkles. A little bit of a hoarder you may sometimes find your shoes filled with stuff he finds and tries to hide or keep put up for later. Favorite food is pop tarts. 

Blancamare: A rather quiet Nightmare bitty. This one is also a bit more protective and acts more like the leader or parental figure of other bitties. He wont let anyone in your home that does not belong there and will also take care of other bitties you have when you are not at home or if you are busy. Favorite food is skittles.  Borrors (Horror Bitties) :

Each of these Horror bitties are tale bitties that were abandoned on the streets…. But, they tend to be aggressive at first for Sanses, but gradually calm down a few days in if you continue not to lash out. Each one id different in their own way and their soul magic varies per bitty. Once you earn their trust you will see each soul color sparks a different personality and shows just how caring they can be.  The thing is you have to gain their trust over time and you must be patient in doing so. Food also helps, keep them well fed and away from sharp objects until they trust you, then its just to protect you.Each one is treated and kept healthy here at the shelter. Each cracked skull has been fixed though some do not want it so that may vary depending on the bitty you adopt. They are also some who are pretty self conscious about the crack so they keep it hidden in their hood most of the time.In the end these bitties have been through hell and back and deserve a loving and caring home where they can grow and learn to love again.

Billers (Killer Bitties) :

These is the Biller set of Bitties. Each one represents each version of human souls.

PERSERVERANCE Biller: These bitties are very smart. The smartest of the other bitties to be exact and they really love to read. Reading is what you will see this bitty do a lot of and they will also probably as you to read with them many times. They also really enjoy stories so telling them stories would make their day. They could also help with any financial issues you need help with as well. Favorite food is grapes.  JUSTICE Biller: This bitty is just a bundle of joy and loves to play games like cowboys and Indians or laser tag. Anything where he can use fake weapon they are all for it. They can get a little anxious at times but all around are very caring bitties who learn how to use medical remedies to take care of other bitties and even their owners. Favorite food is lemons.  BRAVERY Biller: These little fighters love to spar and fight. They are big hearted beans who just enjoy a good rough housing sometimes. They are pretty tough so when you play with them you can be a little rougher then normal . If you aren’t you might end up with a pouty bitty who just wants to play with you. This one is a bitty who is in constant need of some sort of stimulation. Toys are very much recommended since sometimes even you cant play with them for to long due to other matters life throws at you. Favorite food is hotdogs.  PAITENCE Biller: These bitties are pretty much the essence of patience. They dont let much bother them and are pretty laid back. They love to accessorize and enjoy to change their wardrobe quiet often. They have quite the fashion sense and just love to look their best. They are probably your best bet at fashion advice when getting ready for an event or date. Favorite food is cookies.  INTEGRITY Biller: These bitties love music. If they get to upset or emotional music is always a good way to calm them or make them feel better. You may also catch them dancing if you’re lucky. Once they get used to you then youll catch them sleeping on your pillow or on your chest. They are like a cat and only want attention when they want it. If they aren’t in the mood you will probably get hissed at before they go about their business. Favorite food is sushi. 

KINDNESS Biller: Probably one of the sweetest bitties youll ever meet. Loves to cook for their owner and will love you unconditionally no matter what. Which could end up bad if they get a horrible owner. They love to cuddle but really love to cook with you or sit around and watch tv. Favorite food is eggs.

DETERMINATION Biller: These are full of Determination to just constantly cling to you like a koala. They need snuggles a lot, if they are deprived for to long they can become a small touch starved anxiety. If you feel you are going to be gone for a little bit to long make sure your bitty either has a companion bitty or has some sort of plushie to cling to till your return. Favorite food is twizzlers. 

KitKat (Error!Fell) :

Now this little edgy bitty loves to bite. And I mean loves to. A really good thing to get for this bitty are plenty of things to chew and knaw on. Ya'know something other then your fingers or shoes or….whatever else he would get in his mouth. 

Personality wise the Feller bitties can vary but they are mostly just very iffy about who touches them as well as very aggressive to those they are not sure of yet. It takes a while to gain their trust but once you do you have a friend for life. Feller’s are very cuddly and love to cuddle and snuggle. In fact before you do get their trust it is recommended to get them something to cling to while they sleep. 

Favorite food? Well they love spicy mustard and pretty much anything chewy. Gummy bears, pocky sticks anything they can crunch on or chew with their teeth is a good idea. They are also pretty nosey so if you have something you dont want found make sure these little guys dont know about that because they will go out of their way to mess with you by going through your stuff. 

Blueberror Bitty:

Blueberror bitties are now available! Each one will have its own personality when adopted so it will be at random. You wont know what his personality is until you adopt one so. Try your luck with this cutie! Cross Bitties: with xChara

without xChara

Cross bities are now available! Some come with xChara and others do not. Take your pick! Personalities may vary per bitty. Good luck!

[ferbtv]

umbrella academy season two thoughts

under cut cause spoilers (also its long)

in no order cause this is just me ranting

ben!

I don’t have the url 6thehorror to not love him y’all

he’s more important!

he gets to do stuff!

he talks with diego!!!!!

he talks with vanya!!!!!!

that said

i miss him. let him stay

really? we doing a romance line with dead guy too? come on

time travel

okay so i really hate how this show handles time travel

really that applies to the comics as well but

time travel has two options

one timeline where going back in time creates the future (ex: harry potter)

this is the option i prefer

every time you time travel to the past you create an alternate universe, the time line splits at the point where you arrive back in time

so in season one five goes back to before the apocalypse and now there are two timelines: the one where he went back and the one where he didn’t

any story where the past changes and wasn’t actually just like that all along is multiverse

this show uses the second option, which i generally dislike because either the consequences of the multiverse aren’t addressed or are just messy

hey guess what? this show is dealing with the consequences!! i love that they’re addressing it (also cause it wouldn’t make sense for them to go back to their original timeline cause uhhhhhhh that world still blew up)

but the consequences are messy and im sad about ben so idk that i would really call myself a fan

but overall i am very pleased that they have to deal with time travel consequences

but also if five had killed his younger but physically older self he still would have existed because he is from a different time line. they’re not 100% the same person

they’d be the same person if five remembered all this happening (option one), but then he would remember not killing himself and thus it wouldn’t happen

this is why i like option one for time travel because then you don’t have to deal with a version of your past self who your are allowed to kill because this is not the past self that led to you

make sense? no? exactly. time travel sucks

this is also why i hate the time commission

romance lines

can we just not?

ray was nice but why does allison keep getting married

she was there for like two years why is she married

like is that a normal thing? i am genuinely asking as someone who is aro ace and Does Not Get It (tm)

then luther...... luther :(

look its implied that allison rumored him into loving her as a child and i dont really blame her or luther for that but just. come on

klaus: “technically”? if you have to use the word “technically,” you’re already in trouble

diego. patch like, just died, and you weren’t over her. it’s been like. a year or so?

also i’m just. not a fan of lila. sorry

all her problems can be blamed on the handler so like no hate on her, but she’s still a terrible love interest

said it before but really? we’re giving the dead guy a romance line? i quit i fucking quit.

dave is a bit young and that was a bit weird, but overall not too bad cause we didn’t spend much time on it

vanya and sissy can stay they have rights

did not like watching her husband though oof

thank you five for not engaging with this nonsense at all though

the swedish guys!

i liked them

they have more hazel and cha cha vibes (comics) than hazel and cha cha (tv) did

still not totally just murder/torture for fun but i respect them

liked the cats

in a show starring seven siblings they might have shown more familial affection then the hargreeves did in season one

mostly just when dealing with each others deaths but still

i felt really bad for them

also allison? rumoring someone to murder their brother is evil

they address the reginald is an alien thing that was mentioned like two pages into the comics then never mentioned again!

still dont know if it will be mentioned again but hey!

also can i say its super creepy to model a robot (android?) after your ex girlfriend. like. i hate that (though it was nice to see grace)

ben’s funeral? rip

the handler sucks and wish she had actually died in season one

okay so like carmichael obviously isn’t a great dude but come on. intelligent fish

wish we saw more of him

also i think it sounds better to call him carmichael rather than aj

i am glad he went out like he did in the comics: by being swallowed

morally horrible but also hilarious

no mr. pennycrumb >:(

there was a pet store right there!

we saw it multiple times!

let five have a puppy!!!!!!

much better sibling bongs this season

vanya allison klaus? top tier

ben actually getting to interact with people?

luther apologizing?

diego saying fuck numbers? team zero?

the name is kinda dumb but his heart is there

five is still a little shit but he didn’t try to do everything on his own this time so he did good two

just realized they’re all different ages now

five is obviously still the oldest

but klaus is second oldest by even more now

klaus got to travel too which is fun

he also got a levitate!

a little. seeing the ghosts hold him a little disappointing i’ll be honest

im not totally sure how it works in the comics but it really seems more like he has telekinesis not that he’s just making ghosts interact with things for him

either way i just wanna see him float more :(

i think umbrella academy i think of them in a line trailing after hargreeves

once as kids, all the same height but klaus floating above them all

once as adults at varying heights but klaus still floating

like the levitation is just something so tied to the character for me

idk. i want it

ben possessing klaus? interesting interesting

in the comics klaus can posses people

so this flips the script

i like it

the mental institution putting diego in solitary?

see: locking vanya in a soundproof room

or even: klaus on mausoleum

also on diego

is it bad i want him to lose and eye like he did in the comics?

im not sure but i wanna see it

on a less mean note

i want him to hold his breath indefinitely

that’s fun and i wanna explore that minor power

(or was that his only power in the comics and he was just really good at weapons? it was less clear there and i’m not actually sure)

on jfk

ok so i understand it wouldn’t have worked to have had allison kill jfk

but “I heard a rumor the back of your head exploded” was fabulous and i do want to say that

the civil rights stuff with allison was great

really sucks that we’re still protesting police brutality

(which wasn’t what they were protesting but it stems from the same racism)

black lives matter

just seeing police brutality against black men? tear gas?

that’s literally what i’m seeing in the news

just fucking......

oh! harlan!

nonverbal autistic boy?

his father literally died cause he was ableist and i think that’s great

he also kinda died cause he was homophobe but it was really his trying to send harlan to an institution that made sissy draw the line

im not autistic so i cant comment on him much

being nonverbal is a mood though

and he was important!

and his mother and vanya never shamed him for any behavior!

luther yelling at reginald

some people might hate me for saying this but im glad we didn’t have to deal with hazel and agnes

hazel and cha cha were supposed to have fun slaughter vibes

tv hazel and cha cha didn’t have much of that

and agnes had none of it. negative even cause she took hazel out of it

saw televator written in reggie’s office and im 👀

sparrow academy ben :((((((((

im love ben but i dont think i like this