#wow radio makes icon masks no way

[hiddencircus]

LUKA ICONS! | for @strawberrysnipes's event

challenge 3: edit something entirely from scratch likes & reblogs are appreciated! | reblog if use

[leejungchans]

random juliet moments.

(a/n: this will probably be updated regularly as i think of more things to add!! i tried to organise these chronologically to the best of my ability but there may be some inconsistencies, so apologies in advance!!🤍)

started crying when she saw yunho cry at their first fansign

when hongjoong forgot to say “dul, set” and said “8 makes 1 team” alone, san and juliet coincidentally said “1 makes 1 team” to clown him and they looked at each other like 👁👄👁

when san backwashed into his bottle of cola and hongjoong unknowingly drank from it which made her go 👁👄👁 and she made san pinky-promise that he wouldn’t do that to her

when felix, chan and somi hugged her when ateez got their first win on m countdown

when she wrote another one of their iconic instagram live “please leave” signs in her pretty cursive handwriting

she really said “𝓅𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 ❤️” 😭😭😭

when that one australian interviewer asked “if you don’t have any sexiness or charisma like me, what do you do then?” and she half-jokingly went “yeah, that’d be tragic”

cried at their concert in sydney and couldn’t sing for the remainder of the song they were performing because she was crying so much

said “sorry, this is his mission, i’m just here for moral support” when the employees at the pharmacy heard her speak fluent english and asked her to translate for mingi during ateez treasure film

(disclaimer: i’m pretty sure mingi mentioned in a v-live that the producers (?) of ateez treasure film told him to exaggerate the mission for entertainment purposes. so this is in no way trying to make fun of anyone’s english, and is intended to be light-hearted. as someone whose mother tongue isn’t english, and is currently learning a fourth language, i can say with full confidence that learning other languages is really, really hard and i’m so proud of the boys for their english!! in conclusion, mingi english king and mingi bestest boy!! 🥺)

climbed the sydney harbour bridge with seonghwa and mingi for the former’s mission

when they all went to juliet’s house in sydney to have dinner with her family during ateez treasure film; she also saw her cat in person for the first time in years and teared up because it had grown a lot

also cried during the confessional activity on the beach while filming ateez treasure film and clung to seonghwa and yunho for the rest of the activity

reacted to the ateez meme song with hongjoong

“ateez meh-meh song?” pls he’s so cute

*dying in the background* “MEME song” 😭

laughed for 5 minutes straight after seeing yunho in his thor costume

showed off a hydro flask that she customised during a v-live before going “sksksksksksksksk”; this moment went viral on stan twitter

eating fairy bread and toast with vegemite during a v-live

making the boys and their staff try vegemite

san: “ewwwww!”

“yAH! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT A SPOONFUL! THAT’S NOT HOW YOU EAT VEGEMITE!”

almost said “fuck” once during a v-live with wooyoung and he immediately slapped a hand over her mouth

“everyone, i apologise on her behal—JULIET WAS THAT YOUR TONGUE DID YOU JUST LICK MY HAND”

after joking about choosing a leader for the ‘99 line on idol radio, the djs asked juliet what leader she was, and she teasingly replied that she was the leader of k-pop’s “aussie line”; felix later brought this up in a v-live with chan to clown her

when it was time to shoot her solo scenes for the music video for answer no one could find her and everyone panicked until they found her curled up in a corner sleeping

was close to snapping during a group v-live because of the hate comments and didn’t bother masking her irritation towards the end; jongho had to pat her head to subtly calm her; this was the first time atiny’s ever saw her angry on camera and realised how scary she could be

when a few atiny’s brought juliet flowers during a fansign which made her incredibly happy for the rest of the event, so now atiny’s bring her flowers all the time

was so focused on eating during a v-live that she was completely oblivious to some of the boys quietly watching her eat adoringly

when an atiny told her that they hadn’t eaten yet at a fansign and she asked them to pinky-promise that they would eat something after the event

almost lost her shit with san when seonghwa rapped on weekly idol

covering “someone you loved” on weekly idol which went viral

almost died laughing when they sang “wonderland” in spanish on hello82

fangirled over basically every artist during mama 2019; clips of her just having the time of her life went viral and many asked about “the girl in the boy group who was jamming out”

when san almost gave her a heart attack by spinning the gold play button; she was still very impressed

rounded up all 8 of her members to sing “thank you” to them during “thank u” at their seoul concert and make them all emotional

during the same concert, she accidentally whacked herself over the head with her mic when waving to fans and went “ ᵃ ʰ ”

she’s babie :(

randomly asked “toes for fingers or fingers for toes” during a v-live and the other members looked at her like 👁👄👁 for a good minute

got very passionate about having fingers for toes being better than having toes for fingers

“how will you even find shoes that are big enough?” “custom shoes, duh🙄”

almost died laughing during san and mingi’s round in the “scream in silence” game during their v-live

nearly lost her cool from playing the “scream in silence” game with yeosang

“yOU I D I O T”

made friendship bracelets for herself, the boys, and some of their staff members on an episode of juliet’s archive; they can all be seen wearing the bracelets frequently

when she couldn’t attach the wristband to her lightiny and asked seonghwa for help, but he couldn’t do it either so they looked at each other in exasperation for a few seconds before deciding to give up together

wore her huge platform boots in a v-live so she could be taller than hongjoong, much to his dismay

when she tried to show her boots off by lifting up her leg, she forgot she was wearing a dress; seonghwa immediately panicked and moved in front of her to shield her from the camera, not knowing she was wearing shorts underneath the dress

watching seonghwa’s birthday v-live in the corner with san

when their staff brought out a “cake” that was built from packets of timtams for her birthday v-live and it made her so happy she almost cried

reacted to hongjoong’s cover of “black or white” during a solo v-live and teared up

when an atiny asked her to help with their maths homework during a v-live and she said “uh...i’m probably the last person you’d want to ask...”

cried during an inception music show performance because she got so into the performance; it scared atiny’s until she went on v-live explaining what happened

helping yunho expose san on weekly idol

when she imitated seonghwa’s “num-num” and did the “ottoke” song on weekly idol and made everyone on and off set soft for her

when her and wooyoung both lost it when yeosang sucked on a piece of radish on weekly idol during a game

when she said “i have the only braincell in ateez” and was almost immediately clowned by atiny’s who made compilations of moments when she acted questionably

“jeez, you guys didn’t have to come for me like that”

said “wow, geography king” when yunho said “thank you, scandinavia” for his “thanxx” acoustic poem during idol live tv

during a game on idol live tv, she caught wooyoung and yeosang copying the answer to the number of days since ateez’s debut from atiny’s live comments and subsequently changed her answer, unbeknownst to them

when even san didn’t want her to eat the “detergent hwachae” he, hongjoong, yeosang and mingi made on studiok

she ate it anyways and it was instant regret

“we’re not friends anymore >:(” — to jongho on ateez fever road after hongjoong found the real key which was attached to jongho’s bag all along

was so scared when the masked man appeared during ateez fever road that she hid behind hongjoong and they freaked out together

but started laughing when the masked man “kidnapped” wooyoung

“if we let you have him you won’t come back for us, right?” “yAH! BAEK MINYOUNG!”

then did the “7 makes 1 team” chant with the others, excluding jongho and wooyoung after the former suggested “saving” wooyoung

was slouching in a chair in the background of an ateez log but immediately got up and sat upright once the cameraman came over to film her while pretending nothing happened

when one atiny showed their cat during a video call with her and she went “CAT :D”

when she went on and on about her coffee preferences and opinions during a solo vlive without realising, and wooyoung had to call her for her to realise that she had been ranting about coffee for five minutes straight 💀

when she was about to fight hongjoong for slandering mint chocolate chip ice cream

being an iconic legend when she was on the kpop daebak podcast with eric nam (and also fangirled over him)

dancing to what type of x by jessi with san and yunho during their kcontact 3 interview

“jessi-sunbaenim i love you!!”

(a/n: ajshakjska this is so long i’m so sorry 😔😔)

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Alright 5x19 let’s DO THIS.

(Warning: This will probably be long.)

WE BEGIN...by visiting Leviathan’s underground speakeasy.

The shot of Lex in the glow of the Kryptonite is great, 15/10 iconic Kryptonian Killer.

But SPEAKING of things that are green and bad...Gemma’s outfit is stage magician meets Mera from Aquaman and WAIT, WAIT, I’m just now remembering that the character in the comics was linked to Atlantis. Is that why they’ve gone with a green motif for her all season?

Probably not. Either way, still gives me knockoff Mera vibes. (*whispers quietly* I don’t like Mera’s outfit either.)

(I’m reading the Wikipedia entry for Gamemnae and did you know: she was exiled from Atlantis for being blonde?)

Anyways!

That’s just a very long-winded way of saying that the costume is kind of a weird choice.

Then we’re back in Kara’s loft and finally, FINALLY...someone tells Lena that there are BIGGER FISH, STOP REMINISCING.

And then the Superfriends arrive on the scene and they are ready to throw down.

Honestly same bro, same.

Also M’GANN IS ON THE TEAM I love it please, SG, please, hire Sharon Leal full-time. 

What is the current door-kicking tally--how many front entrances have the Danvers girls destroyed?

“Well the joke’s on Rama Khan and his big dumb gladiator outfit because I already defeated him once.” THIS. IS. WHAT. I. HAVE. BEEN. SAYING.

THE COSTUME IS SILLY AND NOT IN A FUN WAY.

Leviathan just has terrible fashion sense, is basically the theme of this season.

Oh my gosh M’gann being the one to suggest the multiple Karas and the WINK I love her, I love her so much.

PLEASE NOTE: That J’onn was like ‘the skirt is surprisingly comfortable’ but his response to the pants is, ‘they’re gonna chafe.’ 

J’onn J’onzz, Skirt Supporter. 

Then the Alex suit reveal and ooof, ooooof, probably the wonkiest of the scenes, unfortunately. (Can’t decide if I appreciate the effort of the CGI Alex or if it’s simply too uncanny valley.)

Also, put a pin in the Alex suit reveal. We’ll circle back to it.

(Oh wait and also: Kara’s scream and J’onn’s reaction all A+.)

Breaking chronological order here to just touch on the highlights and maybe discuss particular chunks in detail SO...let’s get right toooooooo....

Rooftop scene with Alex and M’Gann! Nice! But also I was like, ‘Alex just...has a bazooka? ...Yeah that tracks.’ And then I remembered that she has the martian weapon...honestly kinda prefer my accidental headcanon that she just owns one. 

Then back to Lena and Kara and we’ve come full circle because folks...they figuratively flew to Luthor-Corp...on a bus.

Oh if only that was the actual goal of this entire plot. I would applaud it.

SG writers, always: REAL threats come in groups of THREE.

I actually don’t mind it. They aren’t given a big introduction and amount of screen time, so it’s pretty unobtrusive. 

Then we get a Luthor-Corp lab scene AND a good look at Alex’s suit so LET’S CHAT.

Okay first and foremost: not opposed to vigilante Alex! Especially if it means she can work with Kara a bit more directly.

Love the color scheme! Love the hood! Love that the boots are no longer the stealth wedge heel but are just...heels. Good, yes, good! Also love that you can see it’s basically built on top of her DEO suit which totally makes sense, as...I guess Alex is building the suit mentally, not physically, technically, but she’d still be using stuff she’s familiar with to put it together in...her...mind?

I also think the top portion sits better than the DEO suit, which had that awkward...square-ish portion that covered the front of the torso.

But hmmmmmm the eye makeup is...a statement. 

Confused as to why they didn’t go with a domino mask...maybe it was an actor comfort thing but HMMMMM not my personal favorite, admittedly. (Also don’t love the lace up look on the front portion but that’s because it’s reminding me of some of the terrible costumes from Arrow.)

And then the hair clip, which. Okay. As someone who has been struggling to find a way to pull back short hair during this time of no haircuts...can’t be mad about it.

In fact, catch me over here, taking notes.

Alright, costume rambling OVER sorry for the tangent but, you know. New super suit, it’s always exciting. 

I like that Kara had to deal with not being able to be out fighting the threat! That’s a good bit of character stuff there.

“William went after Eve ALONE?!?!?” “No super hearing!” 

“Please, be careful.” “You know me.” “Yeah, exactly, that’s what I’m worried about.” And then a HUG and they’re just the best.

 Dunno if I’ve mentioned it yet but I love the effects they use for Gemma’s ‘true form.’ Very cool and creepy.

Does Andrea just...not question Gemma’s evil villain outfit...or...?

Much like Alex’s super suit we’re puttin’ a PIN in the Brainy plot we’ll get there but FIRST...

THE KARA AND LENA CONVERSATION.

Do I think it should’ve come earlier in the season? Yes! Do I care at this point? ...Okay, still yes! But that’s another pinned point I’ll get back to, right now let us just bask in the beauty that is specifically, verbally laying out all the CRAP Lena put Kara through, and Kara making sure Lena understands THAT is what hurt her, not ‘working with Lex.’

“You never understood.” BINGO. “I know I hurt you by waiting so long to tell you my truth but what about all the ways you hurt me?” EXACTLY. 

“I made one mistake, one mistake that was only ever meant to protect you and in return, all you did was hurt me in every way imaginable.”

Then Lena finally apologizes. For, you know, the stuff that was actually upsetting Kara. So. We got there. ...Eventually.

Then it’s off to save William and he’s talking down Eve! We love a noble journalist.

Kara cauterizing the bullet wound and William being like ‘DO IT no wait DON’T DO IT’ and Kara’s just like, ‘TOO LATE, IT’S DONE.’

RETURN OF THE POWER RANGERS SUIT NICE.

And theeeeen a lot of scenes that are fine but it’s mostly just legwork to get us to the bigger parts of the episode sooooo we’re jumping to...

Andrea! Pleasantly surprised with her part in the action of this episode. Had that nice moral conflict we saw in the front half of the season. It’s a little crammed in here, at the last minute, but. Still enjoyed seeing it.

A personal quibble on the visuals: I prefer the simple elegance of the season one hope speech, (Just a lone camera, in a rundown radio station XD) but I understand they had to convey ‘scale.’ Still think it’s a little much.

Oh man, totally forgot to mention, loved Nicole’s line read for, “Maybe you should’ve been meaner.” It was GREAT.

So there’s the fight against Rama Khan and his buddies, and Kara’s trying to talk people out of a MMORPG, AND Andrea shows up ready to kill somebody. 

The drama! The suspense!

THE SCORE.

I have another quibble with the cutting back and forth on the hope speech and it’s largely to do with perhaps inadvertent implications regarding who has to grow from pain and what pain in particular, but that might just be a ‘me’ thing, reading the scene a particular way, so I’m just gonna move on and say LOVE TO SEE A HOPE SPEECH.

Also:

Supergirl: “I believe in you.”

The VR peeps and us, the audience:

Alright time to talk about BRAINY.

Admittedly haven’t loved double agent Brainy, which felt more like a, ‘let’s add some drama’ move than anything else.

I do still stand by my assessment that Brainy being a few steps behind Lex made sense given his distress re: Nia and the Superfriends.

But also...was a little wild, IMO, that he didn’t have...some way to at least circumnavigate the radiation shield? Or at the very least limit it.

But again. DRAMA.

All that said...wow. Loved the two Brainys at the end, there. Genuinely touching.

“Will you stay with me?” “Till the very end.” 

BRAAAAAAAIIIINNNNNNNNY.

How do you make another Luthor reveal work when you ALREADY pulled the, ‘It was Lex all along!’ like, twice before?

You MAKE IT LILLIAN.

Like, dang it, I enjoyed it. How dare you, SG.

But THAT’S IT. NO MORE SECRET LUTHOR REVEALS. 

The terminator look and death shriek for Gemma was fittingly creepy very nice.

But also WOW, she never interacted with Kara. I am DISAPPOINTED. 

So anyways, that second Lena and Kara conversation! 

It was fine. It’s fine. This is fine. It’s...it’s fine.

(Except that it highlights a problem with the way this whole thing was set up and it’s not something unique to SG! It’s a problem I’ve noticed with a lot of redemption arcs--which seem to be all the rage, as of late--and that is a disproportionate amount of bad things done by the one character, and putting off the turn until like, the last possible minute to increase the drama factor and thaaaaat...is not a super satisfying conclusion because it’s a HUGE amount of build up for a relatively small pay off. Like, as Kara is listing the stuff that Lena’s done, it’s kind of a stark reminder that Lena physically and emotionally hurt Kara on purpose which. Is a glaring red flag. That’s the kind of thing that needs to be unpacked, maybe! Given some space!

Which isn’t to say that characters should never be forgiven, or that they need to be excessively punished. It just needs time. So saving the ‘redemption’ part for the very end where the characters NEED TO BE HEROES RIGHT NOW IN ORDER TO HELP OUT it’s...hmmmmmm. Too rushed.)

AND SO, SOME FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS, THE SEASON FINALE, AND THE SEASON AS A WHOLE:

Wow but I did not like the focus on Lena. Not fun. No thanks.

Which is only made worse by the trashfire that is the SG fandom. 

Loved the moments of growth and agency for Kara, though. 

Loved the big crossover! It kinda made for a wonky set up of Earth-38 plot vs. Earth Prime plot but honestly anything the writers set up in the front portion of the season was going to be at the very least interrupted, if not completely derailed simply given the nature of what they intended to do with the merging of the earths.

Like give me SG’s approach to handling the front half of the season over Flash’s any day. 

Still too many characters! Still too much plot! Still weird pacing issues! XD

Forget it, Jake, it’s Supergirl.

Oh, honorable mention: The handling of Kelly! She was integrated so well into a nice intersection of plot points and characters that when she’s there to hack into the Obsidian stuff in the finale it’s like, ‘well naturally she’d be here.’ EXCELLENT WORK. 

William and Andrea win ‘most improved over their intensely unlikable introductions.’

To be clear: I liked this season finale! And the fact that it all came together as well as it did is a testament to the skill of all the folks involved, considering the awful extenuating circumstances.

Though, upon further introspection, I think I really do dislike the CGI Alex. Too far into the uncanny valley, sorry. 

IN CONCLUSION: Very, very sad that it’s gonna be a whole year, or possibly longer, before we get new SG content but, glad that the actors will have a little more time off than they usually might, and I’m all for holding off the production as long as possible, in order to keep folks safe.

WHAT are Lex and Lillian up to, like, specifically, and WHAT is Alex’s superhero name??? WILL the folks in charge of the new Superman show remember that it’s a Supergirl spinoff?!??! Find out NEXT YEAR only on SUPERGIRL! (And Superman & Lois!)

EDIT: I used the word ‘quibble’ twice which feels like one time too many, but also it IS a fun word to say. ‘Quibble.’ Ha. XD

[gojngdown]

why every tøp song is for the gays

there’s at least one reason for each tøp song as to why it’s for the gays. so please enjoy. if i missed anything please feel free to add it in. written by a disaster nb lesbian.

SELF-TITLED

implicit demand for proof: the first time i heard this song, i was in world history class. we were learning about ancient greece at the time. ancient greece is literally the gayest place on the planet. implicit demand for proof is for the gays.

fall away: the backing vocals of “la da da da da” are just . it’s Gay. fall away is for the gays. also there’s that one live video of fall away with an epic trumpet solo and i watch it religiously and i’m gay. fall away is for the gays.

the pantaloon: i am too lazy to draw it out but the rhythm of this song is roughly the same as “mama” by my chemical romance. if mcr isn’t for the gays, i don’t know what is. the pantaloon is for the gays.

addict with a pen: this is my crush’s favorite song. addict with a pen is for the gays.

friend, please: this song is so meaningful and powerful, just like gay rights. friend, please is for the gays.

march to the sea: this song mentions spaceships. space is gay. march to the sea is for the gays.

johnny boy: simply because it is a Huge Bop that also has really relatable lyrics, johnny boy is for the gays.

oh, ms. believer: one of the prettiest songs tøp has ever wrote. you know who else is pretty? GIRLS. oh, ms. believer is for the gays. snow is also super cool just like gay rights. oh, ms. believer is for the gays.

air catcher: this song flows with passion, just like me when i see any girl ever. air catcher is for the gays.

trapdoor: “everyone gather around for a show.” show = theater. theater is gay. trapdoor is for the gays.

a car, a torch, a death: again this is one of the prettiest songs tøp has ever wrote. and who else is pretty? GIRLS. a car, a torch, a death is for the gays.

taxi cab: the live performance of this song absolutely knocks everyone off of their feet. this is also one of the safest songs on the planet. it’s also my favorite song off of self titled and i’m gay. taxi cab is for the gays.

before you start your day: “put on the glitter that your soul hides behind” can be alluded to closeted gay/trans kids having to hide who they are because they’re closeted. before you start your day is for the gays.

isle of flightless birds: “we put our worth in giving birth and stuff” single-handedly, this line makes the whole song for the gays. we put our worth in heterosexual intercourse when the most important thing is to be gay and do crimes. isle of flightless birds is for the gays.

REGIONAL AT BEST

(i did the songs on rab that are not on vessel!)

slowtown: “i put my socks on my feet.” a beautiful, meaningful line. also a very very gay line slowtown is for the gays. also this song mentions pokemon and pokemon is for the gays. slowtown is for the gays.

forest: the whole chorus is just,,, it’s so gay. like bringin all ur friends out and just singing songs in the middle of a forest there’s no heterosexual explanation for that. forest is for the gays.

kitchen sink: this is @serainechor’s favorite song and sera is a LGBTQ+ ICON. kitchen sink is for the gays.

lovely: the ending. that’s just. it’s. words fail. lovely is for the gays.

anathema: the whole last rap part is from no phun intended, aka For The Gays. anathema is for the gays. also it’s the song playing during that one scene from dreamers at best by @vialism u all know that scene yep. anathema is for the gays.

ruby: “UR AN ANGELLLLLLLLLL”- me @ girls. ruby is for the gays.

be concerned: “where’d you go, HUUUUUUH?” that line is so gay like u hear it and u just Know. be concerned is for the gays.

clear: so many good puns and misheard lyrics can be made out of this song, and we all know memes are for the gays. clear is for the gays.

VESSEL

ode to sleep: literally half of this song is from npi which as we all know is a Gay Album. ode to sleep is for the gays. also this song practically SCREAMS be gay do crimes. ode to sleep is for the gays.

holding on to you: tyler held up a gay pride flag during the live version of this song. holding on to you is for the gays.

migraine: AMM I THE OOOOONLY ONE I KNOOOOOOOW that’s gay that’s so amazing and Gay Culture also i listened to this on repeat on the way back from a band field trip and band field trips are gay. migraine is for the gays.

house of gold: this is the first ukulele song tøp ever released. it’s common knowledge that playing the ukulele is gay culture. house of gold is for the gays.

car radio: just the fact that tyler screams half of this song makes it for the gays. also during the alter ego festival, tyler said “peace” after this song which is gay. car radio is for the gays. also josh takes off the mask at the same time as tyler but no one notices and that’s also very meaningful just like gay rights. car radio is for the gays. tyler illegally climbs a lot during this song and once he literally built his own tower which is chaotic and gay. car radio is for the gays.

semi-automatic: hope is ur friend!! that is very gay and very powerful also keep telling me those sun metaphors those are extremely gay. semi-automatic is for the gays.

screen: another uke song. ukes are for the gays. screen is for the gays. “excuse us while we sing to the sky” is a Gay Line. screen is for the gays.

the run and go: DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO thats just the grandest gayest lil tune what a Bop also tyler called josh baby on stage during this song “oh hello josh! hello josh”. the run and go is for the gays.

fake you out: this song is very sad and very real- just like me. i’m gay. fake you out is for the gays. “i have committed dirty crimes” HEY BE GAY DO CRIMES. fake you out is for the gays.

guns for hands: turn ur guns into a fist. rise against the homophobes who spread hate. guns for hands said gay rights. guns for hands is for the gays.

trees: the live performance of this is everything and is enough of a reason as to why it’s for the gays. trees is for the gays.

truce: a meaningful yet simple song about staying alive. fantastic as Fuck. it’s also in the key of G aka the best key ! truce is for the gays.

BLURRYFACE

heavydirtysoul: THERES AN INFESTATION IN MY MINDSIMAGINJDHDJDNDBSJBBSBM. heavydirtysoul is for the gays. also the drum tabs are chaotic just like the gays. heavydirtysoul is for the gays.

stressed out: this is the tøp song that so many people heard first. as we all know, the clique is very very gay. stressed out is for the gays.

ride: once again, a song that a lot of people heard first. and the clique is like, SUPER FUCKING GAY. ride is for the gays. during alter ego fest, tyler said during this song “save the best for first” aka the most chaotic and gayass thing i’ve ever seen. ride is for the gays.

fairly local: the contradiction between the first and second verse is gay. fairly local is for the gays. also YEEEEEEEEEEAH is gay. fairly local is absolutely for the gays.

tear in my heart: this song is about jenna. tear in my heart is for the gays. it’s also the first tøp song i ever heard and i’m a gay icon. tear in my heart is for the gays.

lane boy: the riff on this boi. i mean Wow. lane boy is for the gays. “will they be alive tomorrow” he’s talking bout the straights that shit on the awesome lgbtq+ community i don’t make the rules. lane boy is for the gays.

the judge: i listened to this song on repeat when i first got my gay haircut. the judge is for the gays. tyler did a mashup of this and holding on to you (quite obviously for the gays, of course.) on the ukulele (a gay instrument.) the judge is for the gays. the simple act of screaming “JOSH DUN!” is gay culture. the judge is for the gays.

doubt: “don’t forget about me” me @ my crush. doubt is for the gays. no to be completely serious i interpret this song as a message to god and i feel like a lot of lgbtq+ ppl can relate to that sort of interpretation. doubt is for the the gays.

polarize: this is @poisonous-vibrations’s favorite tøp songs. ty is a LGBTQ+ ICON AS WELL. polarize is for the gays.

we don’t believe what’s on tv: tyler once dedicated this to josh. wdbwotv is for the gays. it’s also a ukulele song and the uke is a gay instrument! wdbwotv is for the gays. “YEAH YEAH YEAH” is gay. wdbwotv is for the gays. this is my brother’s favorite tøp song and my brother is a gay icon. wdbwotv is for the gays.

message man: this song just slaps u in the face and screams GAY RIGHTS. message man is for the gays. also the sleepers version of this is on the ukulele a gay instrument. message man is for the gays.

hometown: THE SLEEPERS VERSION OF HOMETOWN WAS MADE FOR THE GAYS I DONT MAKE THE RULES. hometown is for the gays.

not today: the brassline in this is absolutely gay. not today is for the gays. JUST BECAUSE I PLAY THE PIANO DOESNT MEAN IM NOT WILLING TO TAKE U DOWN im sorry. that’s the gayest and most chaotic thing i’ve ever seen Hello???? not today is for the gays.

goner: tyler screaming is gay culture and he screams a lot during this song. goner is for the gays. “i wanna be known by you” me @ my crush. goner is for the gays. to be serious this song is so meaningful and powerful and raw and i love it so much. goner is for the gays.

TRENCH

(there isn’t a yellow this is home of phobia)

jumpsuit: tyler screams in this one too and that’s gay culture. jumpsuit is for the gays. i feel like anyone who joined this fandom before july remembers exactly when and where they were when this came out. and of course, the clique is very gay. jumpsuit is for the gays. also throwing yellow flowers on ppls head is gay culture. jumpsuit is for the gays.

levitate: tyler fuckin rapping a mile a minute non stop is the epitome of gay culture! levitate is for the gays. also vultures = clifford. clifford is a gay icon. levitate is for the gays.

morph: every line of this song is gay! i don’t make the rules. morph is for the gays. (gorph is for the mays) the simple act of morphing to someone else is a metaphor a lot of gay/trans kids can relate to. morph is for the gays. “not done not done not done josh dun” is the gayest thing ive seen in a while. morph is for the gays.

my blood: this one is all about family and friends. a lot of lgbtq+ people have a chosen family, and i feel like my blood emulates not only family by blood but your chosen family as well. my blood is for the gays.

chlorine: ned is a gay icon. chlorine is for the gays. the arpeggio in the second chorus is gay culutre. chlorine is for the gays. red carnations were used by the gays to tell other gays they were gay. chlorine is for the gays. josh wearing a bucket hat is my aesthetic and i am gay. chlorine is for the gays.

smithereens: this song is about jenna. smithereens is for the gays.

neon gravestones: neon has a very important message. 100% for the gays. also it’s a very pretty song and i know ive said this twice already but who else is pretty? GIRLD. neon gravestones is for the gays.

the hype: the second verse is all about not caring what others think of you! the hype is for the gays. a sample in this song is from the two piece video and that is ... :((((( the hype is for the gays. the bridge has a uke in it and ukes are gay. the hype is for the gays.

nico and the niners: EAST IS UP im fearless when i hear this on the low EAST IS UP wearing rebel clothes is gay culture. nico and the niners is for the gays. flying from a fire is also gay culture. natn is for the gays.

cut my lip: “though i am bruised face of contusions know i’ll keep moving” gays have always persisted thru prejudice and u can totally take that line as 100% gay. cut my lip is for the gays.

bandito: this song is all about the fans. the clique is so gay y’all have no idea holy fuckin shit. bandito is for the gays. also it’s such a pretty song ,,,,, repeat after me ,,,,, who else is pretty . GIRLS ! bandito is for the gays.

pet cheetah: THE BOP OF THE CENTURY. absolutely gay culture. pet cheetah is for the gays. also josh takes his shirt off right before this song so. pet cheetah is for the gays.

legend: me and sera were talking abt how ned is a legend and we referenced this song. two gay icons talking abt a gay icon. legend is for the gays. also !! ukulele song. ukes are gay. legend is for the gays.

leave the city: i have no words to describe this song other than that.......... it’s definitely for the gays. <3

SINGLES/UNRELEASED SONGS

heathens: once again a song that brought many more gays to the clique. heathens is for the gays. the piano intro to this song live makes u ascend to heaven. heathens is for the gays.

cancer: this is a mcr cover. my chemical romance is gay culture. cancer is for the gays. this song is also super frickin pretty and girls are also pretty. cancer is for the gays.

two: so eerie and pretty at the same time. just,, really hard to describe. but definitely , definitely two is for the gays. me and sera are gonna do a two piano duet when we meet and we’re both gay icons. two is for the gays.

time to say goodbye: this is my favorite tøp song . the song i DO NOT SHUT UP ABOUT. as such, it’s automatically gay culture. ttsg is for the gays. also it was the first tøp song josh ever heard i’m not crying you’re crying. ttsg is for the gays.

in conclusion: every tøp song is for the gays and i just proved it.

thanks for reading this whole thing i really hope u liked it this took me two hours but hey . Gay Rights.

[howllscastle]

🕊️ bias tag

i was tagged by @forehead-enthusiast to list my biases and just,, describe them? talk about them? yeah something along those lines

and since this will get long i’ll put it under the cut also some spicy changes to the bias list below check if u have any interest 

the ult ult

huang renjun (nct): the light of my life (hahahjas get it ,,, i’m sorry), i would DIE for him, i would go STRAIGHT for him, a pure ball of light that also tears people apart for fun. has the prettiest and i mean PRETTIEST voice known to the universe, i literally just sit and listen to his radio shows while doing work and not even caring that i can’t understand him bc i love listening to him that much. and don’t even get me STARTED on his singing voice oh my god it’s so smooth and pretty and angelical and just- wow. sm we need a renjun solo album NOW. and he’s literally? so smart? and intellectual? despite only being 19 he has such great life advice? i’d pay him to be my therapist despite him not being a therapist. he may seem like a sarcastic little typical aries but he cares for his members so much, chenle and jisung are literally his children, sicheng is literally his older brother, i can’t. ok this is getting way too long i’ll shut up now

other ults but not huang renjun level ults

na jaemin (nct): where do i even begin with na jaemin, he’s a ray of sunshine, a very whiny sunshine, but sunshine nonetheless. he is also a comedic genius but unlike renjun who’s snarky and sarcastic and witty, jaemin is just plain weird. he’s so dumb but in the cutest and most endearing way. his love for his fellow members is absolutely PRECIOUS can they pls accept his hugs and kisses pls. and the way he loves nctzens oh my god we Literally don’t deserve him. like at all. and his TALENT. the legend jumped out. his verse in go and the opening of we go up send me into another dimension. ok before i go on and on and on i’ll stop here

moonbyul (mamamoo): a new addition to the ult list, she’s taken over my heart insanely fast. i even have a counter that started the day i realized she’s my mamamoo bias . it’s only been 13 days. N E WAYS. whenever i see her my heart just?? feels so full? and content?? and happy?? and warm?? she’s a literal goddess, i’d gladly idk,, sacrifice myself for her. and we can’t Not talk about her VOICE. whenever i her lines come up in songs i have a meltdown. but u know what RLY gets to me??? how she’s gotten so much more confident in her singing voice (despite auditioning as a vocalist but i assume she just lost confidence as she became known as a rapper and wasn’t singing as much), i’ve noticed there’s not many older clips of her singing but then boom!! i found out she was on masked singer at the end of last year. that’s wild!! wow,,, ok i need to STOP

just normal biases from here

kim doyoung (nct): yes,,, he has been moved down to just a bias,, i’m so sorry doyoung ILY but fate just put u here again. but yeah can i just say, he has my favorite voice out of nct, i literally have a playlist on yt of him singing to listen to when i’m sad/not feeling good. sm we also need a doyoung solo album. and the way he literally doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit? iconic. like yes . put fans in their place. have a member u clearly like more. be lazy and own it. but also ! he can be such a babie like,,, who allowed this. WHO

mark lee (nct): omg that rhymes mark lee from nct ahhahahsjjhi’msosorry let’s be honest, everyone is at least a tiny bit a mark stan, i just happen to have lots and lots of the mark stan gene. he’s so so talented and so so hardworking he rly deserves the whole entire world. if u see him laugh i guaranTEE your day will immediately become better, unless you’re sitting next to him and he slaps u maybe it won’t. anyways, i don’t say this enough but i love love LOVE his voice and his lines are almost always my favorite part in songs. he’s also such a dork he’s so cute and does dumb things and says weird things but it’s cute !! and endearing!! again: he deserves the world

hendery (wayv/nct): yet another dumb and extremely endearing dork, he’s literally SO funny, whenever i watch . almost any video he’s in i’m guaranteed to cry from laughter. and his facial expressions? absolutely hilarious. but he’s also so so sweet like,,, “i’m your chinese book” ??? lit rally the most caring, and when he was talking about something along the lines of wanting to be recognized for his talent and character not his looks (don’t remember exactly what he said but yeah) wow,,, anyways . i would do anything for him

chungha: does she count as a bias ?? as she’s a soloist ?? idc i’m including her. u can’t get anymore legendary than chungha, she’s top tier. that wink in rollercoaster?? universes are created whenever she does it. a PERFECT universe was created when she did it and the bling under her eye sparkled at the same time. and chica?? all female backup dancers?? again . LEGEND oh speaking of backup dancers, she’s so close with all her dancers it’s honestly precious. u know who else is precious? yeah u guessed it, chungha. the way she gets scared so easily honestly i feel bad but it’s CUTE

young k (day6): literally,,, love this guy,,,, so much,,, how can someone be THIS perfect i don’t get it. perfect vocals,,, perfect rap,,, perfect face,,, perfect personality,,,,, HOW. ok can we talk about his voice for a second, his range??? the way he goes from that low voice to perfect high notes ?? (that one part in my day,,, if u know, u know) and when he has fun with the notes (like in feeling good or . basically every live stage tbh) u can TELL how much he enjoys singing i just,,, let me go cry

jeon heejin (loona): the nations gf, everyone loves her. as they SHOULD, she’s a pure ball of sunshine, just a babie. also can i just say, the acoustic version of vivid is Superior, and the video of her playing guitar while singing it??? legendary we won’t talk about the greedy fancam bc that’s too much to handle

kim hyunjin (loona): imagine biasing the best pair of best friends, only icons can relate. ok but rly people don’t appreciate her enough it makes me sad : ( like yes she lowkey has rbf but she’s a whole cutie !! highkey relatable with her love for bread like . me too and her voice : ( it’s so deep and pretty and : ( basically in conclusion she makes me sad bc i love her so much

---

tagging: @empathyuck @1ove1ies @d6hotel @cinanamon @wlnwin @wantmv @pinktea99 @rcnjun @nctweboom @adorablejeno

[trespeak]

What's your favorite house album?

Wow, that’s a toughie. Might just have to give you a list instead.

This ended up being pretty long so I’ve put all the big descriptions I wrote for each of ‘em under the cut, but here’s the gist:

Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)

Kaskade, Fire and Ice (2011)

deadmau5, For Lack of a Better Name (2009) and 4x4=12 (2010)

Phantoms, Phantoms (2017)

Justice, † (2007) 

Lazy Rich’s singles

Porter Robinson/Virtual Self – Spitfire (2011) and Virtual Self (2017)

I like a lot of deep house and electro house, so most of my picks here are within either or both of those subgenres (as well as progressive house, in deadmau5′s case).

For more of my thoughts (and there are many!), see below.

Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)

Accept no substitutes. For Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter, making quality tunes seems to just be second nature. Their second album replaces the underground, city-street feel of Homework with a shiny, discotheque-ready sound that stands on the shoulders of giants but does so as a means of updating and widening the reach of their own influences (with “Harder Better Faster Stronger”’s use of “Cola Bottle Baby” as a perfect example thereof). My favorite track on the record, “Digital Love,” perhaps only barely qualifies as house, but between the earnestness of the vocoded lyrics and the heart-stopper of a guitar solo, I don’t even mind – who cares about genre conventions when you’re a smitten robot? It’s utterly brilliant and its era exists as the gold standard for many DP fans, myself included among them.

Kaskade, Fire and Ice (2011)

Ryan Raddon’s seventh album and the one I hold the most nostalgia for. An ambitious effort on Kaskade’s part, Fire and Ice is a double album, with original tracks on one side and remixed, chilled-out versions of the same songs on the other (geddit?). The ICE mixes are something of a mixed bag, with some having more reason to exist than others, but the Fire side of the album earns it a place here on its own, with Skrillex and Raddon giving us their own brilliant take on a classic track from Guy Manuel de Homem Christo on “Lick It,” as well as the smooth vibes of Ryan’s collaboration with his band Late Night Alumni and Inpetto on “How Long.” Another standout track: “ICE,” a big, bumping jam Ryan made with Dan Black and Dada Life.

deadmau5, For Lack of a Better Name (2009) and 4x4=12 (2010)

Oh, Joel. These days he’s earned a controversial status as full-time internet troll alongside his career as a musician, but he’s still had a palpable impact on the industry at large (pop juggernaut Marshmello more or less owes his entire career to the allure of the man in the cute mask, and while Daft Punk did it first, Mello’s own interpretation is particularly and explicitly influenced by the way deadmau5 did it). These two albums dropped when I was twelve/thirteen and still opening my eyes to the wide world of electronica, and I think they’re particularly significant as the point where I went from being a casual fan of it to a devotee, sparking an investment in the Scene® that I still have to this day. The degree of control Joel flexes over his work at its peak was unprecedented for the time and still holds up now – “Strobe,” the album closer on For Lack Of, is particularly notable in how it makes ten minutes feel like no time at all in how it builds and shifts with just a few simple, powerful elements in play at a time. “Ghosts ‘n Stuff” earned Joel and vocalist Rob Swire a crossover hit, and “Raise Your Weapon” stands as an early illustration of what the North American take on dubstep would sound like in the years to come. 

Phantoms, Phantoms (2017)

Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola’s debut record is a clever mission statement for their work. Their deep house tunes are infused with pop sensibilities, placing them in company with contemporaries like Jamie xx and Disclosure as house DJs making an effort to bridge the gap between the radio airwaves and the dance floor. My favorites include “Just a Feeling” with Verite, a modody track called “Downtown,” and the utterly brilliant “Need You Closer,” a collab with Hayley Kiyoko that easily converted me into the Church of Lesbian Jesus. (Their recent work is also worth a nod as well – they’ve been building up singles to drum up interest in a new EP, including one of their best tracks to date, a driving progressive house tune called “Designs for You.”)

Justice, † (2007)

Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay’s debut record remains their best. There’s so many iconic tracks on this one: The slick vibes of “Genesis” and “Newjack,” the ever crowd-pleasing “D.A.N.C.E.,” the pumping “Phantom” and its sequel, the nu-disco sleaze of “DVNO”, and the ear-splitting delight of “Waters of Nazareth.” The record earned them a positive, if daunting, comparison to fellow French house pioneers Daft Punk, and while their work on it shares an obsession with taking diverse samples and reconfiguring them into their own image, Justice’s fascination with the macabre aesthetic of 70′s horror films and the rock ‘n roll ethos of T. Rex earned them a distinct spot in the pantheon of electronic acts with this record (as well as its followup, the different-but-still-great Audio, Video, Disco).

Feed Me - Feed Me’s Big Adventure (2011) and Calamari Tuesday (2013)

Jon Gooch was one of the earliest musicians to emerge under deadmau5′s mau5trap label, and still shines as one of its leading acts today (High Street Creeps, released earlier this year, has jams for days). While he started his career making drum ‘n bass tracks as Spor, the bulk of his work since 2009 has been under the Feed Me alias, where he’s dabbled in all manner of electronic but mostly hews close to the realm of electro house. Gooch’s experience in making complex tunes meant that Feed Me came out swinging, with tracks like “Grand Theft Ecstasy” and “Muscle Rollers” exhibiting a confidence and technical skill from the outset that most producers would kill for on their first record. By the time his first proper full length released two years later, he’d developed a consistent feel that made collaborations with indie bands (”Love Is All I Got,” with Crystal Fighters) and soulful singers (”Last Requests,” with Jenna G) feel as natural as hard-hitting bangers (”No Grip” and “Death by Robot”). Mix in a little bit of both and you get “Ophelia,” a anthemic ballad made with YADi – my favorite song from the record, and a earworm that still sticks with me six years on. Love, don’t let me drown…

and some honorable mentions!

Lazy Rich’s singles! Richard Billis is a Canadian DJ who retired from producing tunes in 2017, but for the decade or so he was releasing music, the electro house singles he released were nothing short of iconic. Songs like “Blast Off” (with Hirshee and Lizzie Curious) and “Flash” (with Hot Mouth) are energetic, breezy and danceable. There’s nothing quite like a good Lazy Rich drop; his beats hit the dance floor with the weight of a truck, and have a sonic diversity among them that would predict the electronic scene’s shift toward the dynamism of future bass. It makes me sad that we won’t get any more of them, but Billis left behind such an evergreen catalog of singles that it’s hard to be down for very long. (I used to use his remix of Zedd’s “Stars Come Out” as a theme song of sorts on an old website where you could be a DJ with your friends. The fond memories are strong with this one.)

Porter Robinson/Virtual Self – Spitfire (2011) and Virtual Self (2017) – Leave it to Porter Robinson to carve out a completely separate musical persona just to hearken back to his halcyon days as a young producer. My initial introduction to him was just after he’d emerged from the hands-up scene, while he had his eyes set on stardom through what he called “complextro,” and it was surprising to find that his work not only lived up to its genre classification but actively carved out a market for its sound, even before Porter had dropped an album. If the dubstep and house feel of Spitfire was a revelation, the DDR vibes of the Virtual Self EP are a revitalization; similar in ethos, but with an owned, Serial Experiments Lain-styled technological aesthetic. Porter does a lot of work to keep the two projects separate (even going as far as to delineate live shows between the aliases), but rather than fragmenting his work the distinction only ends up strengthening his catalog, in much the same way Jon Gooch’s work as Feed Me complements his earlier collection as Spor.

JOYRYDE’s singles and upcoming album - John Ford Jr. is an English DJ who knows what he likes: fast cars, bumping house beats, mean-muggin’ rap jams, and making tunes that blend all of the above in one way or another. His JOYRYDE project is only a few years old, emerging in 2016, but it’s very much the culmination of years of diggin’ in the crates and building a sound that blends the hip-hop influences of trap with the boogie-bounce sensibility of house. No sooner is this evident than the “parental discretion is advised” warning (and subsequent punchy opening bars) that welcomes you into “HOT DRUM,” though his other tracks (including “MAXIMUM KING” and the Rick Ross-assisted “WINDOWS”) share that kinetic energy. He’s one to watch!

Also worth your time:

Oliver’s Mechanical EP and their album Full Circle

Mord Fustang’s All Eyes On… compilations

Botnek’s singles from 2016 onward

Chris Lake’s releases with his label Black Book Records

Self Help by Walker and Royce

pretty much everything by Ellie Herring and Chrissy (Murderbot)

Fantasmas by Zavala

anything Wolfgang Gartner has made (particularly his early 2010s singles)

That’s all I got for now. If you made it this far, you’re an angel. Thanks for indulging me :)

[rhetorical-ink]

Rhetorical Ink Reviews: Night of the Living Dead

**DEADLY SPOILERS BELOW**

I know, I know -- I’m a hack fraud. Having never fully seen Night of the Living Dead. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries about George Romero, but not seen all of his movies the entire way through. So, with it almost being October, why not doing a marathon of the Living Dead movies? Here are:

My Top Ten Thoughts on Night of the Living Dead:

10. The black and white style is genius in a lot of ways -- it’s timeless in terms of look, but the graininess also masks any less than perfect cinematography. Romero clearly is utilizing what he has at his disposal well.

9. We instantly get the iconic “They’re coming to get you, Barbara” line within the first 10 minutes, and it’s so darn creepy, I seriously question why Barbara would even be around Johnny to begin with. I guess it’s because he’s her brother. It’s a good thing he’s disposed of pretty much right off the bat.

8. These zombies are legitimately scary -- the move slow, but not only continuously follow Barbara, they also are smart enough to try and smash things! THAT instantly makes them scarier.

7. You can definitely relate to Barbara as a character -- she’s a good person, but has no clue about the situation and reacts accordingly -- and MAN, that jump scare of the half-eaten face gets you the first time you see it!

In fact, pretty much all the scares at the house she stumbles across come from her reacting to her surroundings -- exactly as someone who is experiencing this film and its circumstances would.

6. Okay, so the character Ben is clearly the most reasonable and I want him on my zombie apocalypse team. Also, the use of Ben breaking apart and re-enforcing the house as he tells his back story is genius!

I liked Barbara up until her mental breakdown -- while Ben knocking her out may seem controversial, I really understand why he did it. So she didn’t run out there and kill herself. Seriously, I’m only 30 minutes in, but Ben can get it in this film.

5. I think it’s fascinating that the living dead are never called “zombies.” They are referred to as monsters, assassins, and people who are “murder-happy.” I do love the use of a radio as a deliverer of exposition, too -- Romero, again, showing off his craft.

4. Of course, there have to be more people show up, to make matters worse, also -- Mr. Cooper is just the worst. Seriously, why would you lock yourself in a pit? Poor Ben, he’s  like:

3. I really liked Barbara in the beginning 10-15 minutes, but MAN, does she become a wet blanket for the rest of the film. I get that she’s sort of a vessel representing us, but she just becomes an emotionless sack for the rest of the movie -- when she meets Helen Cooper, though, and she reacts to the lit match, though, it almost makes you wonder if she’s succumbed to the “living dead” disease as well. 

2. The simply task of getting gasoline for their truck becomes the most tense thing in this movie -- and the lead in to the climax.

Seriously, all hell breaks loose once Ben and the Judy’s boyfriend decide to head to the shed to get some gas for the truck so they can escape the house.

The truck getting to the pump, only to catch on fire, by terrible circumstance, was so heartbreaking -- to be amped up by Mr. Cooper’s cowardice (and that face Ben gives him when he’s confronted) -- to the revelation (though it’s clear from earlier in the film) that The Cooper’s daughter is going to re-animate -- to the grisly murder of Ms. Cooper. That scene was so visceral and creepy! 

1. And, as it turns out, the ending is NOT happy. At all.

Barbara re-unites with her brother, Johnny, only to be literally drug into a pile of zombies...the fact that we aren’t shown anything is probably creepier than if we had been.

Then, Ben, who is by far the BEST character in a zombie film I’ve seen (granted I haven’t seen too many, but still), manages to escape the house, as the zombies eventually leave.

Only to be mistaken as a zombie in the final minutes and shot dead.

WOW.

I’ve not felt that bad for a character in a long time!

That ending just gut-punches you!

There are some technical notes, like when it shows the zombies just “passing handouts” of Judy and her boyfriend to eat, and other minor errors in the cinematography -- but wow, this movie is a master class in classic horror. I get it. I see why people consider it a staple in horror film making!

[optimisticcritique]

Gotham 4x17 - Review

The season is getting close to the end, things are about to get crazy(er). Let’s see what crazy stuff happens this week. Tagging characters that I mainly focus on in the review. Sorry if it is kind of long.

Getting right into the action! Go get him Bruce!

How did Jerome have time to get dressed, meet back up with Scarecrow, release Tetch, and send Tetch to hypnotize the guy before Bruce got there? He wasn’t that far behind Jerome. No GPS? Was he stuck in traffic? Maybe Tetch hypnotized his way through the traffic to get there first. I mean, that’s what I would do if I could hypnotize people.

Xander…yeah, seeing spoilers, I predict this is Jerome’s twin brother, right? This is the one time I wish I hadn’t seen spoilers, no big reveal.  

Oh boy, he has a bomb. Duck and cover!

See, now Jim and Harvey aren’t that far behind Bruce. Did they take the short cut?

Bruce trying to help the guy. I love it but I don’t know if it’ll work.

Question: Why did Tetch hypnotize the guy to trigger the bomb by a clock? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have him press it on like a key phrase (like “if someone asks you about Jerome/Xander, press it”) so that Bruce couldn’t have time to jump away? Or was killing Bruce (or anyone else) not the intention?

Shooting the clock! Quick thinking. Learning tricks from being a Tetch survivor.

Aaand he has a watch. Of course he does. Well, at least you tried.

Wait, it’s the dinner already? That happened fast. How did Jerome get them all together? How did he contact Oswald and Oswald just agreed? Did it take some time or was he reluctant at first? Were they all agreeable at first? Did he threaten them? Bribe them with free food?

This is the villain dinner I always wished for…if you had told me we would have all these villains together in one place seasons ago, I would have been floored. I probably would have freaked out, running down the street while yelling “Yessss! Bring me all the villains! A few years can’t come fast enough!!!!” as all the neighborhoods stare at me.

I love villains interacting. I also love seeing characters that have been previously introduced, having scenes with one another that they have never shared scenes with before. It’s the individual character build up and mixture of personalities.  

The only thing missing from this wonderful dinner is Ed :( I guess The Riddler isn’t considered “freak” enough for them…

“Put all questions on ice until the end” Awe the ice puns. Well great, now I want to know what Victor’s question was going to be. I do love how he just raises his hand, like he’s in school and trying not to interrupt the teacher.

“Mr. Oswald” lol well, that’s an interesting choice. I would have thought he would call Oswald by his Penguin name. Really gives me Ed flashbacks to “Mr. Penguin”, which is fun.

Oh Oswald looks just…I have no words. What a fashion icon. I love his fur coat and hair. Real perfection. Fish would be so proud!  One of these days, I really want to see him doing his hair in an actual scene, instead of being off screen. I’m curious how long he spends on it.  

This is Sofia’s old place that Oswald took over XD Wait, Oswald hosted? Option A: Jerome barged into the house and just told Oswald that they are having it there or Option B: Oswald wants to seem supportive, just so he can be involved and know what is coming for his city. Me: Probably both.  

“Anything for a friend” pfft uh huh. I bet. He is probably planning a back stab or just waiting for Jerome to fail.

Got to say, I wasn’t sure about the new scarecrow actor but he’s pretty good. His facial expressions are dead on.

Yeah, Oz doesn’t seem very keen on these plans. His facial reactions say it all.

He’s probably thinking either “What I have I gotten myself into” or “I should have made more food”  

Alfred!!! Where have you been? Been partying? Taking a spa day for a couple of episodes?

Jim, no! Let Bruce do his thing! Sure, he could potentially die horribly but be reasonable here…

Yeah, Bruce will not take no for an answer. Will Jim change his mind or will Bruce take on a mask again?  

“Maybe he wants him to build him something” You can’t fool us! We all know what he is really after!

Yeah, that woman is probably regretting not calling in sick to work today.

Jerome trying to whistle… it wouldn’t surprise me if that is the only thing he hates about his new stitched up face. Who cares that his face is different…he can’t whistle anymore!!!

“Don’t bother going to security! They are all…headless” Wait, you have a gun. You could shoot them in the heads but not cut off their heads. How are they headless?  

“Drop the gun!” “Oh you are such a stick in mud” Would you have preferred a western style shoot out or for him to just be like “Oh hey Jerome. Go on ahead and do what you do with the gun. Have fun” as he casually walks past you?

Xander knowing Bruce’s father…hmm…

“What time is it?!” Tool-no-Mail-no-Extra time!!! “Riddle time!!!” …that was my next guess.

Wow, everyone is so loving this. I guess this has been going on for quite awhile.

Speaking of which, what did happen between that pier scene and now? Did Oswald and Ed become friends again? Make a deal? Just go their own ways? I feel like there is something missing here.  

Oh, you know Ed is just loving this. This reminds me of that episode back in season one (1x09?), where he is listening to a game show on the radio and answering the questions as he is working. You know that was one of his inspirations for this!

Bet you that brief case has no money even in it. The Riddler is just that cocky.

“The street demons!” Lol the way that he says that! I just love it when he does voices or accents. Pulling out all the stops to make things extra.  

The Riddler totally doesn’t even seem like he cares about what is going on in this guy’s life.

How happy he gets when he hears “Riddler”. Not many people have called him that in the show yet, have they?

“I’ve fallen on hard times but happy to be here with you Riddler” I relate to this on a spiritual level. Ed making my week better <3

Ooh this Lila has the best get up. Please tell me Ed made it himself.

Lars, you are over thinking! Don’t ever over think it!

I would half expect the crowd to give out answers but you just know they want to see people getting tortured.

“Rabid sack of rats” Awe man, I was hoping for the barracuda stapled to the forehead….you know, for curiosity purposes…

“Enough!” Nooooo! Never! Don’t ruin this Lee!

I actually saw an interview right before this episode, with Cory saying the episode will end “hot” and “romantic”. It won’t surprise me if Lee/Ed kiss by the end of this.

Wow Lee, you look stunning. Love the new hair.  Also love Ed’s too.

What’s up with the new hair styles lately though? First we mourn see Jervis and Harvey getting their longer hair cut. Now we see Ed and Lee both have hair cuts, with Oswald serving up a new hairstyle. Did we miss a national “change your hair day” in Gotham or something? Or did one person do it and the rest got jealous so they changed their hair too? Or did the actors all decide to get new hair styles at the same time?

“We put Oswald on ice” you make it sound like you both attempted to kill him or something. The vagueness.

So I guess Ed knows about Sofia. Is he impressed with her doing that or not so because she didn’t finish the job?

“Whatever the hell this is, it’s over” “I don’t think so” I’m just waiting for this to be turned into a reaction gif. Like, people upset about something to Gotham writers and Gotham writers going “I don’t think so” or vice versa.

“And my name…is The Riddler” Awe so we are on this again. So, he still isn’t whole. Funny how he is still saying this to people a season later. Also, Oswald called him Ed…but maybe it is because he called him The Riddler first? Or “because we have history” thing? …Even though he and Lee technically have history too, with working together at the GCPD.

*challenges Ed* First: Lee that is bold and I am impressed with you. Second: Noooo! I knew this was going to happen but I didn’t want it to happen so quickly. We only got to see him have one contestant, who we didn’t even see get tortured. Let Ed/Cory have more fun! Let us have our showman Riddler!

Who is this woman? Just a random character that’ll die this episode or the next?

Umm are you implying Jerome is a dog? ;) Also, isn’t that cage a little bit small to fit Jerome in? I just picture her trying to push and squeeze him into that cage, just barely closing it.

Oswald and Butch reunited again! I kind of missed their…complicated relationship to be honest. They also have a long history, probably knowing each other as long as Oswald knew Fish so I can only imagine what Oswald will think of this new Butch.

Oswald’s eyes when he sees Butch. Yeah, totally unprepared for that.

“I will be honest, I like it…” It’s like when a friend pretends to like your bad hair cut, even when they know it looks bad.

“Just came from brunch with Jerome Valeska…” Oh yeah, that’s a great way to start this. He says it so casually, like it was just an everyday civil affair with food and great conversation. Bet he thought he would never utter those words though XD  

“Seemed to involve a great deal of paint” lol that was totally not the point of that, you forgot to mention the mass crazy Ozzie.

Oswald wearing green gloves with that outfit.

“You must be all out of allies” “Don’t be modest” Yeah, he still has Ed as an ally so he isn’t COMPLETELY out of allies. He has…one….

Again, what happened with Ed and why Butch? Option A: He asked Ed, Ed refused, saying he wanted to do his own thing. Option B: He started to ask Ed, Ed talked about a Riddle factory and he immediately went “yeah, nope. Never mind” Option C: He knows Jerome will want someone who is a “freak” to add to the group. Oswald also wants someone strong (let’s face it, Ed is not) and not easily killed. Butch fits that mark, not Ed. He doesn’t want Ed to get involved with this mess either. Which I think is the most likely. Option Q: Forgetting own writing.

Oh, you just totally made him angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry! …Wait, totally wrong universe and different comics.

Okay, I know you look bad now Butch. But look at the bright side, you’re strong, you’re practically immortal, and-with a good hair dye and spray tan-you could look fairly the same. Think positively!

*pushes Oswald on the floor* Nooo! Don’t ruin the majestic hair and coat! They must be protected at all costs!

I don’t know why but, even though I already love Oswald, this episode has made me love him a million times more… *stares at his hair and coat* Not sure why…

“like a flower” well, that choice of words is threatening but also not.

Oh sure, you only want them involved when you want something. It’s a two way street, Jim. Now you have to let him risk his life and you can’t say a thing.

“I love you” In your own twisted way, I bet.

*does a heart with his hands* Jerome fans: Awe that’s what we do when we see you on screen… :’D

He’s freely letting Harvey and Jim in? No booby traps? It kind of looks like a place that would have traps like that.

Ecco! In the same episode as the riddle factory…Some say this woman would be Harley Quinn because she is devoted to this guy…I kind of doubt it. There is also an Echo who worked with the Riddler (although I think Query was the blonde, not like it matters) The name is spelled wrong so she is most likely a throw away character but…why Ecco? Why use a similar name to tease fans?! Why?!    

“Oh my god, there’s two of them!” Oh Harvey…seriously, this is a Cameron/Jerome fan’s dream right there. Not one but two? Alittle over a season ago one didn’t exist and the other was “dead”.

“Please don’t touch that! That is very sensitive equipment” Yeah, sure looks sensitive to me. Especially the couple of buttons that turns it on.

Jerome doing yoga because why not?

Him waving right when Jim sees… o_o It’s like he knew…  

How much you want to bet that someone followed Jerome? If Firefly followed to the office, you can bet he didn’t go see Ecco on his own. It’s the only way I can see him getting out of there.

“She thinks stapling a live barracuda to someone’s head isn’t damn good entertainment” The nerve! Wait…did he just say “damn good”? Has he ever said that word before? :O But your fake swearing was so pure, what has the world done to you?!

I think it is interesting that he only puts his hat on when he speaks a riddle.

I’m not going to even attempt these riddles. I suck at logic.

Scenes like this make me wonder if we will ever get a “whole” Ed or just get this Riddler from now on.

Wow. Who knew the Riddler was so upset about all this?

Lee’s face…yup, she got what she wanted. Smart cookie right there.

The Riddler totally played himself.

Haha! Called it! Knew he would be followed. Don’t underestimate him.

“If I knew this thing was a 100 acres, I would have stopped and had a sandwich before we came” Harvey, you are so relatable. I don’t blame you. My ship of Harvey + food continues to sail. The ship I can always count on <3

“The End” Wait, is the episode over? Is this where the story ends?

Wow, the acting right here is so good. I keep forgetting both Jerome and Jeremiah are both Cameron.

“His bearded sidekick” Hey! He has a name and thy name is Harvey!

“Born bad” that’s lousy reasoning.

Ooh so he lied? Well, this intrigues me. I am so skeptical of this guy. I just know there is more to him than meets the eye. I don’t believe this facade!

“You killed our mother” “She did deserve it though” Lol no care whatsoever. Again with the lousy reasoning.

“Listen to what I have to say” “Oh hell no! You are not hypnotizing me again!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” *Jervis and Jonathan run for their dear lives as Harvey charges towards them* ….LOL Oh my god. Harvey, you are a blessing to this world. Most iconic moment. He is so done with Jervis. The way he just let out a war cry, causing the duo to flee is just…it’s beautiful. I’m dying. I will never be over this. Favorite part of the episode. Batman should take notes.

Jim being like “Welp, okay then” as he follows Harvey.

Just imagine Harvey chasing them all around the maze, with the video sped up and silly music playing. Or slowed down with suspenseful music playing. 

“Must go! Must go! They’re after me and the Scarecrow!” Oh my god I love this so much. I am going to put this on a loop forever.

I love how Jonathan doesn’t even try spraying or anything. He just follows Jervis wherever he goes. I am loving this duo.  

Jerome watching them run off like “whatever”.

*can still hear Harvey screaming* Me: *is dead*

*kisses Jeremiah’s head as he flees* Awe brother love…nothing like wanting your sibling dead and in misery one minute and kissing him in the next.

Whoa. That disappearance happened fast. Did he find a prototype invisible jet or something? Or did Jervis just have the car right outside the door, Jerome leapt in, and they drove away as fast as possible? Scratch that, they are totally hiding on the side of that building, shushing and tip toeing away.

The Riddler being all cocky and smug. Yeah, you probably won’t be feeling this way in a few minutes…

Hey, even I know this riddle! Oh, I see what you are doing there Lee.

It’s simple Ed. Just look at the audience as you say “I love you”. There you go!

Wow, he is pushing Ed back so much that he risks losing in front of an entire crowd.

Lee outsmarting him, good on Lee but sucks for the riddle factory :( I feel robbed.

A little bit late but I’d like to imagine Ed making all of these props himself. Cutting out a giant wheel, painting it, sticking two giant beakers together…

Wait, Oswald knows how to reverse it? Will it actually work though? I kind of feel like it would be a bummer to get rid of Grundy after all this…

Hugo Strange! Of course it’s Hugo. If it is monster related, it’s always Hugo lol

Yay! Oswald and Butch team up once more!

Poor Ed losing his riddle factory. A loss for us all :’(

“they didn’t come here because they love you, Ed” Wow, that’s harsh.  

“Because I know what you really want…” Validation? Wait, no… Lee:  *pulls out the glitter suit from thin air* The Riddler: :’D You found it! I thought I lost it!

Knife to the neck! Always going for the neck.

Oh, they are totally going to go on a robbing spree. Does Lee really need the money? Or is this also a way to appeal to The Riddler to get him back on her side?

….

I am reserving any specific opinion/judgement on this situation until I see more of it. But I definitely see some manipulation at play here. The question is, is it just one or both manipulating? I am actually a bit surprised Lee would play this card.

Oh, I can just imagine reactions from others. Jim, Harvey, Oswald, Butch, Barbara…they all have a decent history with both of them.

The music is the same music that played when Ed killed Kristen. Hmm…This does not bode well. It never does for Ed and anyone he is involved with.

“I don’t know. I thought it already was” Oh, you have no idea how mad this city can get Harvey…you don’t even technically have the Joker yet.

No! Not Carl! We hardly knew thee. Justice for Carl!!! 

*Jerome punches Grundy’s shoulder, shakes hand* Parallel to when Ed high fived him and did the same thing. Probably like hitting a brick wall.

Joker toxin!!!

The Jervis reaction XD Like, he knew the plan right? He looks so shocked.

Everyone’s reactions emoticon style: Jervis: ��Jonathan: 😬  Jerome: 😆  Bridgit: 🙂 Victor: 😏 Butch: 😕Oswald: 🐧  

Oh god that looks painful. Looks like the “fun” is about to begin.

Man, if Jerome does end up dying, I won’t know how to feel. Jeremiah intrigues me and I think he will eventually grow on me but...he doesn’t have the same history that Jerome has with the characters. Why even have the twin twist? ...I guess I’ll just have to wait to see how it all plays out before deciding what I think. I will say, at least Cameron will still be playing him so it isn’t gypping him from the role.

Over all: Good episode. I felt like some of it was a bit fast paced. I was a bit surprised by how quickly the dinner began, Jerome got his info, the riddle factory ended…that being said, some good villain interaction and Harvey being amazing. The legion of horribles succeed in finding Jerome’s twin brother Jeremiah, the GCPD to put Jeremiah in protective custody, the Joker toxin has been created, Ed/Lee kiss while deciding to go rob banks, and Oswald recruits Butch in promising he could reverse his condition by finding Hugo Strange.

Previous Review: 4x16  Next: 4x18

[hopesoldcomicblog]

whats th best way to get into scooby doo

OK so this might be a long post given that I own almost every piece of Scooby Doo media except for a few comic runs and WrestleMania 2. I’m going to break this down into shows, comics, and movies(live action and animated).

Animted Shows

Scooby-Doo, where are you? (the original and most iconic series. not very plot based and super wacky. a good place to start. very dated.)

basically, any episode of this series is a good choice, they are all funny and wacky. They are simplistic and relatively easy to find at libraries and online. My favorite episodes are “Which Witch is Which?”,  “Spooky Space Kook”,  “Nowhere to Hyde”,  “A Tiki Scare is No Fair”, “Haunted House Hang-Up”, “Make a Beeline Away From That Feline” and  “A Menace in Venice" 

The New Scooby-Doo Movies(these for the most part are awful and super dated. these episodes are fairly long about 45 min and feature a lot of pop culture stars from the seventies)

my recs are:  "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair”,  “Wednesday Is Missing”, "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep",  “The Caped Crusader Caper”,  “The Haunted Showboat” and  “The Weird Winds of Winona”

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo

this is a super silly, short series. Scooby and Shaggy unlock a box of demons and travel the world aided by a warlock voiced by Vincent Price trying to get the demons back in the box.

A Pup Named Scooby Doo

silly short series about the gang growing up. I don’t have any episode recs. in particular but the show overall is full of cringing 80s tropes and is a great time.

What’s New Scooby Doo?

simple plan sing the OP. Super cheesy show from the early 2000s. great time. all of the episodes are good. no debate. all good. 

  Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated 

best scooby doo show ever. you need to watch all of it. it’s wacky and full of an amazing plot. has no right to be as good as it is. has a twin peaks meets stranger things meets x files meets classic Saturday morning cartoons sort of vibe. if you only watch this Scooby show you will have lived a good life. full of classic Hanna Barbera references(Jonny quest, speedbuggy, captain caveman and the funky fantom show up)reruns are shown on boomerang, used to be on netflix.

Be Cool, Scooby Doo

silly, wacky, fun. not too much plot and good if you just want a taste of scooby doo. all of the episodes of it that I’ve seen are good.

Animated Movies

-Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School(think Scooby doo and monster high crossover, wacky but good)

-Scooby Doo Zombie Island(great movie, great animation, great music, great overall)

-Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost(it has Tim Curry. great plot)

-Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders(wonderful cross-species love plot while Fred, Daphne, and Velma try to fight an alien abductee)

-Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantasaur(don't be fooled by the name its one of the best Scooby movies of all time)

-Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire(a musical that makes fun of Twilight. good time)

-Scooby-Doo! And Kiss!: Rock and Roll Mystery(…this is great. I love it.)

-Scooby-Doo Moon Mystery Madness(the crew put far too much effort into this)

-Scooby-doo: mask of the Blue falcon(Adam West makes fun of gritty batman reboots while hanging out at comic con with Shaggy and Scooby)

honestly, any scooby doo movie from like the last ten years are great starting points. some are on Netflix and Hulu.

live action movies

-all of them.

you think I’m joking? Velma’s a lesbian in all four and is Asian in two, Shaggy’s a stoner, Fred’s a fuck boy and Daphne is played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer in two. the 2002 and 2004 movies are on Netflix.

Comics

ok so, for the most part, the current comic series are for the most part self-contained so you can just jump in. a lot of them are really thought out and have funny pop culture references. one makes fun of Hamilton and another makes fun of trump. they are great and pure.

actual recommendations: the recent Hanna Barbera DC crossover titles are all great. please read them. but the Scooby-Doo apocalypse title is great because it’s the edgy zombie apocalypse AU we all asked for. it’s funny and the art is fantastic. there’s a lot of thought put into it. I love it. the trade paperbacks just came out. (also Future Quest and Wacky Raceland are great)

Podcasts and other stuff

-The gameable Saturday morning podcast Scooby Doo episodes(two tabletop gamers go over how to run a Scooby Doo roleplaying game)

-Crystal Cover Radio

- JelloApoclypse’s Youtube Vid on Scooby-Doo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4-k2n5hlTU)

-the Lego shorts and games

-Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law “Shaggy Busted” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCkwhd23S7Y)

-Venture Bros “ ¡Viva los Muertos!”

- Batman: The Brave and the Bold  "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman’s Strangest Cases “

_________________________________________________

Wow! okay, that took longer than I thought it would be. If you have any other questions message me. 

[norskies]

Every single thing I noticed and felt while watching Taylor’s LWYMMD music video

By now I think it’s a fair assumption to make that you have already seen @taylorswift ‘s new video for Look What You Made Me Do (it had over 39 million views in the first 24 hours). If you’re like me you may have rewatched it about 13 million times trying to decipher all the hidden meanings. If you’re not (cool) like me, you may have just watched it once and wondered: “what on earth did I just see??”.

Lucky for you I’ve decided to document my entire emotional journey through the 4:15 video. Disclaimer 1: many of these theories are my own opinions or theories I’ve read from other fans. I do not pretend to understand the entire genius of T-Swift. Disclaimer 2: I am a 100% biased Taylor Swift fan and therefore this analysis is 100% biased with my love for Tay. 

HERE WE GO

Ok, opening scene. Spooky. Fits the soft but slightly creepy lullaby intro. Honestly thought we might be stepping into Hogwarts.

Here is one of the first of many “TS” we will see throughout the video.

For anyone who has been following Taylor the past year, this is a pretty clear reference to the online hate Taylor received after being “exposed” by Kim Kardashian (note: she was in no way exposed). Trolls began to fill social media with “RIP Taylor’s career” and “Taylor Swift Is Over Party”. It is a fitting place to begin the video.

Does that dress look familiar to anyone? It appears to be the same dress Taylor wore in the Out Of The Woods music video (the last video from the 1989 era...symbolic right?).

What is that on the tombstone behind Taylor? Nils Sjoberg. This was the alias name Taylor used when she helped write Calvin Harris’ “This Is What You Came For” (he later appeared to be less than happy once Taylor started receiving credit for the song). 

We now see the old Taylor that Zombie Taylor is burying. This Taylor is dressed the same as when Taylor attended the Met Gala in 2014 (marking the beginning of the 1989 era). Here we literally see post-1989 Taylor burying pre-1989 Taylor. *tears*

Taylor transforms from the graveyard into this beautiful scene. Several things to point out here. Taylor is almost literally drowning in jewels. Perhaps alluding to the media’s perception of Taylor being money obsessed? If you look closely, we also see a single dollar bill lying in the bathtub with her. Most likely referencing the symbolic 1 dollar Taylor requested in her countersuit against a former radio DJ who sexually assaulted her (Taylor won this case). Finally, and this may be a stretch but notice on the floor to the left of the bathtub what looks like a heart shaped locket? It’s possible this is the same locket that Calvin Harris gave Taylor for their 1 year anniversary. Wow. Brilliant. 

ENTER SNAKES. We now get all the snake references we could ever need (also clearing up the snake video clues Taylor teased just a few days before releasing LWYMMD). The snakes themselves are a reference to the hate Taylor received after the Kim/Kanye blow up. Haters filled her Instagram and Twitter with snake emojis implying that Taylor herself was a snake. Looks like the joke is on them now. Also notice the subtle, “et tu brute” on the chair? We see this several times in this scene, of course referring to the betrayal Taylor has felt from people she thought were her friends. 

And Snakes! Check out Taylor sipping on her tea that she now gets to serve up. It’s her time to tell the story and she’s doing it with this BA Salazar Slytherin look. 

The golden car crash. This is an interesting scene because it has many interpretations. My gut reaction was Katy Perry. The feud is well known and Katy added fuel to the fire by releasing her song “Swish Swish” that was meant to be a dig at Tay. I think she looks very much like Katy here with the sunglasses and the short blonde hair. Notice she is even holding a single Grammy (something that Katy Perry does not have). However, it’s also been pointed out that this may also be a Kim Kardashian reference (which I will discuss later).

A further analysis of the car crash shows the paparazzi taking pictures after Taylor crashes. Perhaps symbolically saying that the media loves to see Taylor suffer and fail? 

Two things to note here. 1) Jaguar? Your guess is as good as mine. 2) The cute little guy is wearing a golden 13. 

Next, we find Taylor in what looks like a giant bird cage. Wearing orange to perhaps symbolize that she feels like a prisoner at times? We also see a snake tattoo on her right leg. 

At this point in the song, Taylor says “and threw a feast”. This could be a reference to KP’s song Bon Appetit. But it is unclear. Also, notice the rat on the table? Yeup just thought I’d point him out. 

Now, this is a fun scene. Tay is robbing a currently undisclosed location. The cat masks could be a cute play at Taylor’s love for cats. Or could be another hit at Katy. Either way, it’s a great scene. Her sweatshirt reads “blind for love” as we know Taylor frequently referred to herself as a hopeless romantic. 

We are now introduced to biker chick Taylor. It might seem a little out of place at first. But remember when Taylor got hate for her Bad Blood video apparently ripping off of Britney Spear’s Toxic? This very well may be alluding to that. 

Absolutely love this part. We now see what Taylor was robbing. A streaming company. Of course. After the backlash, she got from leaving Spotify and writing her letter to Apple this scene makes perfect sense. Side note: absolutely adored Taylor’s letter to Apple. You go girl. 

What is Taylor doing dictating what looks like an army of life size barbies? This is a reference to the “squad” and the comments Taylor received that her friendship circle was more like a cult of freakishly perfect looking women as opposed to a genuine group of friends. 

Which of course leads us to the falling out of the squad the media claimed happened but didn’t. 

Taylor enters the mansion. As soon as she enters the room the men immediately step up to do her bidding. As if Taylor is their commander and they must obey. 

This is our first glimpse of the mysterious airplane Taylor. We only see short glimpses of her but she seems to serve an important role. She perhaps represents the real Taylor that neither the media nor the fans truly get to see or understand fully. 

The boys are back. 8 of them all in line (apparently something only Beyonce is allowed to do if you ask Twitter). She could be representing her past relationships and the scorn she received for each one. Fun fact: it’s Taylor’s back up dancers from the 1989 world tour! 

The I <3 TS shirt. Tom Hiddleston wore an I <3 TS shirt while dating Taylor. He got mocked and Taylor got called manipulative for “forcing him to wear it”. Taking a wild guess here, but pretty sure Tom makes his own wardrobe choices.

This is our first real glimpse at the “Reputation” era Taylor. She’s dark. Her hair is slicked back. And she looks like she is 100% done apologizing. She is standing on top of a mound of the “old Taylors”. 

Shoutout to Fearless era Taylor with the iconic 13 on her hand. What a gem. 

This is one of the best shots in the video. A look at the past decade of Taylor. How many Taylor’s can you spot? 

More snakes. Side note: You can actually buy this snake ring on Taylor’s merch store. Taylor now reveals to us the most anticipated line of the song. “I’m sorry the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, cuz she’s dead.” This line brings the entire song together as well as the symbolism of Taylor wiping her social media a week prior to LWYMMD release. The old Taylor is dead. The haters have killed her. 

Taylor breaks it down with her backup dancers to some pretty great choreography. I like to think of this as shade to all the people who made fun of Taylor’s dancing abilities. Our girl can dance.

Annnnnnnnd boom! Our Jaguar friend is back. Still unsure what he represents but he’s pretty cute. 

SNAKES 

Let’s pause to appreciate the adorable wink Tay gives us here. Reputation may be a darker album than we are used to but Taylor is still the light-hearted girl we’ve always known. 

Wow, she’s like Super Woman. 

This is one of the best views we get of the mysterious airplane Taylor. Who are you??? 

We finally come to the last and most important scene. 15 Taylors. 14 lined out in front and one back on the airplane. There just so happens to be 15 songs on the new album reputation...coincidence?? Also, notice TS6 written on the end of the plane? Subtle genius. 

You Belong With Me Taylor is precious. She’s so happy and genuinely surprised that she has accomplished all that she has. But everyone hates her for that and will drag her down until she no longer will show that much genuine and pure happiness at an award show again. Also, recognize that shirt from the YBWM music video? Only now it’s slightly different. This time it has real names of Taylor’s real friends you might recognize. Like Selena, Ed, and Jack. 

As the scene continues we see Shake It Off Taylor mock YBWM Taylor for being surprised all the time. Mansion Taylor calls Zombie Taylor/SIO Taylor a b**ch and Zombie Talyor responds with “don’t call me that!” Alluding to Kanye calling Taylor this in his song “Famous”. In real life, Taylor responded by making a very strong statement against Kanye’s words during her Album of the Year acceptance speech at the Grammys later that year. 

A particularly heart-wrenching scene. Fearless Taylor tries to calm everyone down but gets shut down by We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Tour) Taylor, calling her a fake. We see the young innocent Taylor begin to cry. The young sweet girl who got stomped on by the world for making music about love. It is sure to elicit a few tears. 

“There she goes playing the victim again”. Taylor is literally beating the haters to the punch. 

Met Gala Taylor Asks Katy/Kim Taylor what she’s doing and she responds with “getting receipts...gonna edit this later.” This could be interpreted in two ways. If this is meant to be Katy, it could be referencing the song “Swish Swish” where Katy claims that “karma keeps receipts”. Or if it is Kim, it would be naturally referencing the snapchat videos Kim perhaps “edited” of Kanye and Taylor’s phone conversation. Side note: it is illegal to record people without their consent in certain states, Kim. 

Finally, we see 2009 VMA Taylor who had been interrupted by Kanye West while she was accepting her award for Best Female Music Video of the Year. She quotes 2016 Taylor by saying “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative”. Which all the other Taylor’s and symbolically the world respond with... 

“SHUT UP”. Here Taylor is telling us that no matter what she does or doesn’t do, she will be judged. It isn’t fair but it is something she has accepted. She will no longer be providing any explanation. There will just be reputation.

[ernmark]

@typehere452 requested “Blankets, hot warm non-alcoholic beverages and someone who figured out what happen and wants to help out even if Juno is most likely to refuse all that.” in response to the fic where Juno thinks Peter is dead.

Juno’s world is fuzzy with drink, but he’s still aware that he isn’t alone in his apartment.

“Wow,” says a voice. A familiar voice. “That’s… you said this happens often?” 

“All the time.” This voice is easier to identify. He’d know Rita anywhere. “I mean, it used to happen every once in a while, like on the anniversary of… some days. But it’s been getting real bad lately. I don’t even know what happened.”

What happened is that Nuryeyev’s death has finally hit the mainstream news– along with a video. If there was any doubt in his mind that Peter was dead for real, that video put it to rest. 

It’s the end of a chase scene, Nureyev leaping from rooftop to rooftop while New Kinshasan guards are in hot pursuit, his face alight with the thrill of the chase. And then, mid-stride, he’s struck by a bolt from the sky. He falters. He falls. He hits the ground.

And then they play it again. Because it’s a short clip, not even a minute long, and the talking heads who report the news need longer than that to give it context. So they just repeat the video again and again. Run, falter, fall. Run, falter, fall. 

It’s everywhere. Juno can’t do research on his cases without seeing Nureyev die in the sidebar. He can’t turn on the radio without hearing strangers celebrate his death. He can’t skim tabloids without finding speculation on where he spent the last twenty years. 

It was bad enough when he saw Nureyev die every time he closed his eye. Now it’s happening even when he has it open.

He’s going to lose his mind if this keeps up. So he drinks himself into a stupor, and prays it’ll be over soon. 

“Do you think you can help him?” Rita asks.

He wants to point out that the only help he needs is a refill, but he’s too tongue-tied to say so. Instead he only grunts.

The other woman – now he remembers, it’s Alessandra– sighs. “Well, let’s start with getting him off the floor. Rita, can you get his feet?”

Juno is only vaguely aware of being picked up off the floor and hoisted into his bed. He mumbles protests, but she strokes his hair. 

Alessandra cradles his head in her arm and helps him drink something decidedly non-alcoholic, and he might have spat it out if he wasn’t so thirsty. Her arm is replaced by a pillow, and her warm presence is substituted with a blanket– and then a second blanket, and a third. Alessandra tucks him in snugly and kisses his forehead.

Still, she picks up a blanket and wraps it snugly around him. Then another, and another. How did she find all his blankets? Is it laundry day or something?

“It’s okay, Juno. We’re going to fix this.”

But there is no fixing this. That’s the problem.

He’s barely awake for five minutes before Alessandra is pushing a mug of coffee into his hands. “That’ll help with the hangover.”

“This isn’t my first one,” he rasps. “I can handle it.” 

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Drink up.”

“What’s it to you, anyway?” Juno asks, but he’s already nursing the coffee. He’s not about to admit that it really does help a little. He’s got his pride. 

“I’ve got a case. And I could use your help with it.” 

“I think you’re going to be disappointed.” He sighs. But if it’ll get him out of his apartment and give him something else to think about for a few minutes… “Fine. What do you need?” 

“I need to know why Arch Chancellor Rossignol wants you dead.” 

And suddenly being blackout drunk starts to look appealing again. That’s a name he never wanted to hear again.

“I don’t know. I’ve never met her.” 

“But you know who she is,” Alessandra points out. “And that she identifies as a woman. That’s more than most people on Mars.”

Of course he does, but only because he’s seen her through Nureyev’s eyes. That was decades ago, in New Kinshasa. Another place he doesn’t want to think about right now. Because if he starts thinking about it, he starts toying with little ‘what if’s, and from there it’s just a few steps to asking himself if murdering a city full of people might have been worth saving one man. 

And it’s not. It’s not, and he knows it, and that makes him hate himself for halfway wishing it had happened. 

“What can I say?” he says, trying to steer himself away from the black hole in his chest. “I like my trivia shows.”

“Well, she’s heard of you,” Alessandra says. “And it looks like you made an impression. While you’ve been hitting the bottle, she’s sent a few dozen assassin drones after you. I’ve been able to take them down before they cause much trouble, but I want to know why. I was hoping you could shed some light on the situation.” 

Juno respects Alessandra. She seems to like him, despite her better judgement, and he doesn’t want to screw that up. So he tactfully doesn’t say the first few things that cross his mind, and diverts the conversation entirely: “What does that have to do with your case?” 

“You are my case, Juno. I got offered a lot of money to keep you safe.” 

Wait. Say that again? “From who?” 

“Rossignol, obviously, but the Triad and the Kanagawas have both put out new hits on you, too.” She casts a sidelong glance at Rita, who’s been spending most of this conversation carrying crates of empty bottles out the door to be recycled. “And maybe from yourself, while we’re at it. It was a pretty open-ended assignment.” 

"I mean your client,” Juno says. “Who was your client?" 

“I don’t know. They’ve been doing a lot to stay anonymous. I’ve tried running some decryption software on their messages, but so far I’ve got nothing. That’s why I started talking to Rita in the first place. I figured if anyone could break through all of this, it would be her.” 

“They didn’t even tell you their name, and you took the case anyway?” Juno asks, but time feels distorted. It’s like he’s falling into a gravity well, the entire galaxy shifted and stretched in unnatural ways. 

“If it was for anyone else, I wouldn’t,” Alessandra says. “But for you, I made an exception.”

And she’s not the only one who made an exception for him–

But that can’t be right. It can’t be real. And he can’t let himself start thinking that way, even for a second. Because if he entertains that kind of hope, the despair that follows it is going to kill him.

It’s got to be somebody else. Sasha– but why would she bother with secrecy?– or Mick – where the hell would he get that kind of money? – or Vicky – sure, she likes him, but not enough to do something like this – or Julian – okay, so he might actually pull off something this elaborate to be dramatic, but you’d think he’d get bored by now. 

Maybe one of his enemies is trying to toy with him?

Alessandra is smiling grimly. “It’s good to see your mind working again, Juno. That stupor of yours was hard to watch.” 

“Nobody said you had to watch,” Juno says, but moves on. “Did this mystery client tell you why they wanted you looking out for me?”

“They seemed to know that you and I had history,” she said. “In fact, they seemed to be counting on it. So they had to have known about the DiMaggio case. And they have to have some kind of attachment to you. The Triad and the Kanagawas, too– the hits they put on you aren’t the kind they give out as favors to other factions. They’re personal. From what I can tell, you’ve done something to disrespect them, and they want revenge.”

“I’ve done plenty of that,” Juno says. And he tries not to think it, tries to steer away from the void.

“But you didn’t always do it alone, did you?”

She pulls out her phone and offers it to him. He doesn’t want to look. He doesn’t want to look.

“Recognize this man?” 

It’s an ID photo of Peter Nureyev, smiling and charismatic in a Dark Matters uniform. She gestures over the screen, and the image changes. This one is crisp and clear and stamped with the official Kanagawa channel watermark: Nureyev, barely an inch away from a flustered-looking Juno, a gore-covered mask in his gloved hands. Another shot, pixellated, clearly cropped from a larger wide-angle camera. Nureyev again, leaning suggestively over a dinner table in an old-fashioned Triad restaurant. Another one of them leaving that restaurant, bloody and bruised, Nureyev gazing tenderly at Juno as he helps him walk on a mangled leg.

No wonder people get so violent when he investigates them– this is awful. He feels violated, his innermost secrets scrubbed raw and laid out in front of two of the people he actually still cares about. Of all the pictures Alessandra had to have dug through, she picked those. The ones that leave no room to deny exactly how Peter and Juno felt about each other. Between the time stamps on the pictures and the look that must be on Juno’s face right now, there can’t be much left to the imagination: this is the man he rejected Alessandra for.

She has no right to know, but it’s her job, and she’s damn good at it. 

He swallows. “Agent Rex Glass. We worked a case together.”

“That might be what he told you,” Alessandra says quietly. “But that’s not who he really is.” She gestures, and the picture changes again. This time he’s eighteen years old and unsmiling as he poses for his annual government-mandated mug shot. The last one he took before he killed his father and fled Brahma. “Peter Nureyev, an infamous terrorist and resistance icon on Brahma. Twenty years ago he took an entire city hostage, and he’s been threatening to drop it out of the sky ever since.”

The next picture is a piece of graffiti, stenciled with spray paint: a vengeful seraph is swinging a sword at a planet. In its way is a shield, held by a stylized, almost cartoonish young Peter Nureyev. Bold lettering captions the image: “OUR REAL GUARDIAN ANGEL”. 

“In fact, Arch Chancellor Rossignol reached the position she has on the promise that she’d be the one to bring him down. And two weeks ago, that’s exactly what she did.”

She gestures again, and Juno knows exactly what video will be playing when he looks down. He can’t look. He just can’t.

“And less than four hours later, the first assassin drone came looking for you at your apartment.” 

“Why?” His voice is almost inaudible.

“Maybe someone on her staff was a fan of the Kanagawa feeds and recognized Nureyev from the propaganda posters. Maybe someone from the local gangs wanted to get cozy with the ruling class on Brahma. But somewhere along the line, Rossignol must have figured out that the best way to get to Nureyev is through you.” 

“That doesn’t make sense,” Juno says. Or it does, but he can’t acknowledge it even when it’s staring him in the face. “Why bother getting to him when he’s already dead?” 

“Because I don’t think he is,” Alessandra says. “Look at that footage. There are cameras all over Brahma, but they only ever showed one video. No other pictures. No other angles. Nothing before, no body afterward. Not even a report of how they found him or what he was doing at the time.” 

Juno lets himself fall out of orbit and into that black hole. Time and light and space stop making sense. “You think the video was staged.” 

“I think it wouldn’t be the first time somebody got replaced by a mechanical puppet.” 

“To make good on her promise,” Juno says, and his voice is cold as the void.

“But the fake wouldn’t have mattered for anything if Nureyev popped up again afterward. So she’s been attacking you here, probably hoping he’d try to contact you, to warn you or tell you he’s still alive.”

“And meanwhile they’d be watching to see where that communication came from, and they’d track it back to him,” Juno concludes. But he’s reached the singularity, and at the other end of it is a blinding, beautiful light. “But they wouldn’t think to look at you.” 

“Not at first, anyway,” she says. “But by the time they realized I was protecting you, I suspect my client was already long gone.” 

Her client, who knew about the case Juno and Alessandra worked together, because he was there. Who knew they had a connection, respect– hell, he probably even knew about their make out during the stakeout. And that was a connection nobody else would make. 

And suddenly he wants to throw off these blankets and take a shower and get out there and beat some goddamn heads in, because he’s thrumming with energy along an entire spectrum of wavelengths– anxious and exhilarated and furious and defiant, all of them at once and more.

Because Peter goddamn Nureyev is alive.