#yes i rewatched follow that egg recently why do you ask

[lesliemeyers]

happy pride to those two guys from colorado who unknowingly helped legalize gay marriage in the state when they were in fourth grade

[purplesurveys]

785

When was the last time you changed your opinion on somebody? A few days ago I found out that someone I probably know (but is anonymous) filed a complaint towards another person that I also know for acting indecently towards the complainant. I always knew that person had a...vibe, but I just didn’t know it was going to be the worst vibe possible. I never want to see them ever again because I might actually kick them. When did you last change your opinion on a situation? I haven’t changed my opinions in a while... literally what I can only remember is listening to a few Billie Eilish songs and accepting that she has some okay music lmaoooo, and this was a few months ago. Why did you last visit the doctor? My left eye was acting up so I wanted to have it checked before the lockdown that we all knew was going to happen. What was the last thing that made you feel proud and why? Finishing my thesis. Because duh, I actually did it? Do you like salt? Sure, it makes a lot of food more delicious.

Do you feel uncomfortable when people you hardly know confide in you? Honestly yes. I pride myself on being a good listener, but it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with listening to everyone. I prefer keeping that opportunity to my close friends. I suppose it’s flattering when people I’m not close to see me as trustworthy, but if I had it my way I wish they went to another person instead. Have you ever regretted what you said in drunken conversation once sober? Sometimes. Is there anything coming up which you're dreading? I’m a little afraid of the period following graduation because it’ll be the first time in 18 years that I’m not in school, and it’ll be such a crazy transition. Let’s hope it doesn’t eat me alive. Anything you're looking forward to? Also the period after graduation, because yay adult life and independence and no more exams and stuff. Idk, lots of mixed feelings about it obviously. Do you ever do tedious tasks just to keep your mind occupied? Yes. It actually really helps and I like having things to do when there’s conflict or tension going on in my personal life. Have you ever lived with somebody with truly repulsive habits? Nah, I don’t think that about my family. Repulsive traits sure, but not habits. Do you tend to say things because they're appropriate not because you mean them?  Sometimes, and it’s usually to be polite and/or nice. It costs nothing to tell someone you like someone’s dress or makeup or shirt, and you can even help make their day. What was the last thing to perplex you? Probably some stupid, nonsensical thing Duterte said in one of his addresses. What was the last thing to fascinate you? I rewatched Beyoncé’s Homecoming on Netflix and everything about it fascinated me, as always. I will neverrrr get tired of watching her concerts; she always puts so much love and effort and soul into each show. What was the last thing to annoy you? I don’t feel like getting into it. When did you last work your socks off fruitlessly? A few months ago, in the earlier stages of making our thesis. Andrew and I would often bust our asses into the night, tweaking and researching and editing, and submit our work feeling proud of it only for it to be thrown back at us with a million comments and corrections in bloody red ink. I feel like we got a record number of sermons and unaccepted drafts compared to other students, so it just made me detached from my thesis altogether and in the end I mostly finished it for the sake of finishing it. I’m proud of finishing it of course, but I’m no longer passionate about it like I used to be, and I doubt I’ll ever bring it up in future conversations unless someone asks. When did your hard work last pay off? Today, in the final stages of our thesis. I really wish I loved it more, though. What is a word you hate? Grind makes me uncomfortable lol Do you have a favourite childrens book? Sure. If yes, what is it? Corduroy. I would go to the school library to read it almost everyday; I never got tired of it. I also really liked Tikki Tikki Tembo because his whole name was so fun to pronounce haha. When did you last feel a need to be alone? Last week when it rained and it was cold for the first time in months. The weather made me feel ~some type of way~ and I stayed in my room all day. I wasn’t sad, I really just wanted to savor the weather by myself. When did you last "need" to be around people? Right now. I’ve increasingly been feeling this way by the day.

Have you ever been in a job where you didn't fit in with your co-workers? Not a job, but this was me during my experience applying for a local chapter of an international youth org called AIESEC. I really thought I could fake my way in and I was adamant at first because I like what the org does and besides, AIESEC looks really good on a resumé; but it’s one of the rare times that even faking it didn’t cut it for me. I was miserable and no one talked to me every time I hung out in their lounge, and their org culture was so different from what I’m used to with my home org. I didn’t last long and I ghosted the application process after a month. What do you do to "expand" your mind? For me that’s always best achieved by trying out new things, so I make it a point to have brand-new experiences every time I can. When did you last REALLY want to go out but couldn't for whatever reason? LOL. March to present. Do you need a wee right now? I do not. Is there a certain noise/sound which scares you? Yeah, loud ‘DUN’ sounds that come with jumpscares, the Windows XP shutdown sound is also weirdly scary to me, and people yelling when they’re drunk. The last one particularly reminds me of fights at home. When did you last eat sweeties? Idk what you mean by sweeties, but the last time I had anything sweet was this afternoon when my dad made churros with a chocolate dip. Do you have a favourite micro-organism? No lol What was the last thing to upset you? The recent news about a wrestler, Shad Gaspard, who was reported missing after he got swept out to sea while at the beach with his family. He told rescuers to save his kid first, but they were never able to find him after. They tried to look for him for several hours but eventually, they called the search off and now he’s presumed to have died. It’s very sad and heavy and a lot to take in. He was one of my favorites growing up because he was in a hilarioussssss tag team with another guy, JTG, and both of them were always so entertaining. It sucks, and 2020 continues to suck. What was the last thing to make you happy? Like I said, I watched Homecoming earlier. Beyoncé always puts me in a better mood, so there’s that. Have you ever eaten chocolate for breakfast? Just hot chocolate. I’ve never eaten like a chocolate bar or anything similar. Do you like balloons? They’re admittedly fun, but I know they can also be harmful to the environment so I don’t buy or use them if it’s even remotely unnecessary to. Out of the people you know, whose birthday is next? Laurice. Does that person have any plans to celebrate their birthday? I’m sure their family has something planned out inside their house, but obviously they can’t celebrate by going out for now. Do you enjoy swimming? Yes. When will you next go to the beach? I have no clue. When at the beach do you like to swim in the sea? Ugh man. Awful timing for these questions... yeah I guess. But I don’t want to think about that now. If you have pet fish do you bother to name them? When I was a kid I did name each of my goldfish. Do you like adventure games like Monkey Island and Diskworld? No. Did you ever read the Terry Pratchet "Disk World" books? I did not. If yes to the question above, what are they like? Have you had to change a nappy lately? Nope, no babies around here. Would you like a holiday about now? Not really. It’s not like I can celebrate it or go for a vacation. What's stopping you from going on holiday right now?  So tired of saying it every time. If you know you know. Do you keep your eggs in the fridge? Yes, we do. Have you ever owned chickens? Nope. Super common to just see chickens running about the highway once you reach the province though hahaha. Do you like classical music? Some. I sometimes like listening to classical playlists when I study, but not always. When did you last listen to music? An hour ago. Have you ever seen "Canibal the Musical"? I haven’t. Are your breasts sore? Nopes.

[sol1056]

anons on the dragon prince

Yes, we all know the comparison points, so I’m skipping those to focus solely on tDP. Alright, starting from the top.

It does speak volumes [...] that tDP has seemingly (and unless proven otherwise in s2 by a fan theory coming true) killed one of a major CoC after only 3 episodes [but] the fandom, and PoC fans more importantly, still trust Ehasz/Wonderstorm and the story to not let them down ...

I was talking to someone the other day who DM’d me about finally seeing tDP, who said something along the lines of “I feel like I can breathe.” Which isn’t that far off what @ptw30 and I were telling each other, when we binge-watched tDP the night of its release. 

First episode, we were both a little ennnhhh over the animation style. Second episode, we barely noticed that anymore. Third episode, everything went to hell in a handbasket and yet our shared reaction was something along the lines of, “I feel like I can settle in, and let the story go where it’s going. I don’t have to stress about this. The writers have got this.” 

Think of being a passenger when the driver isn’t sure where they’re going. They slow repeatedly to check road signs, show an ‘ehhhh oh right no no we’re fine’ expression (or say it out loud), or switch lanes back and forth unexpectedly. Eventually you’re going to give serious thought to pulling out your phone and offering to navigate, just so someone in the car has a clue. Failing that, you end up worrying whether you’ll get there on time (or at all). 

Not once did tDP give me the remotest worry about where it’s going. Even if it seems counterintuitive that we could get to a Manhattan happy ending by way of a Brooklyn character death, the story must have a good reason. We can relax and enjoy the trip. 

It’s hard to pin down what creates that trust for an audience, because it’s so many things. It’s a combination of setups and payoffs. It’s getting emotional beats at regular intervals. It’s having questions raised and getting just enough answered that you don’t feel like the story is covering for not actually knowing and/or hoping you won’t notice it’s making things up as it goes along. 

More behind the cut: tDP’s handling of race, who’s right vs wrong, and whether tDP’s storytelling can/will surpass AtLA.

I rewatched The Dragon Prince recently and it's amazing how carefully they show racism in only 9 episodes [where other shows failed in multiple seasons]. You can see what happens when people in charge care not only about their own characters, but also the audience following their story.

It’s a very thoughtful story, in the sense that the writers clearly put a great deal of thought into each character’s perspective and place. General Amaya is a walking poster child for How To Do This Shit Right Yo, as is Ava. It makes sense that no less attention was paid to the potentially complicated issue of racism, and how viewers’ real-world experiences would impact and layer on top of what the story is trying to do. 

I mean, tDP could’ve decided that Amaya would be deaf... and then proceed to make up its own sign language. Or that magic could (and should) heal disabilities. When the story did neither, it told me the writing team is aware stories don’t exist in a vacuum: that disabled viewers have also been waiting to see themselves on screen, as characters with agency, treated with respect. 

(The lack of subtitles for Amaya may’ve confused those of us who don’t know ASL, but it was absolutely a gift to those who do. It was saying: hey, this is just for you. All those times you’ve missed something that hearing people take for granted? Now’s your turn to be the one in the know. And come on, that’s just awesome.)

Will tDP stumble at some point? Sure. Stories and people are complex things, and the world is a thousand times more so. It’s not the stumbling that bothers me. It’s when a story is thoughtless, because it won’t even recognize its stumbles, let alone fix them. 

I really struggle with liking the show, specifically because it seems to take the stance that the elf girl was "right" to betray the other elves (leading to the slaughter of her entire team). beyond the pain of the ribbon, she doesn't seem to show any sadness or remorse, and then it seems that the human characters are quick to condemn the elf assassins, instead of the king's slaughter of the dragon king. what writing purpose does this serve?

It serves to prompt exactly what you’re doing: asking questions.

The story is full of conflicting interpretations of events, actions, reactions, and motivations if you just think twice. The humans may fear the elves, and do their best to prevent the elves from succeeding --- but Harrow acknowledged explicitly that it’s not as though the elves don’t have just cause. Harrow wasn’t going to go down easy, but I saw no condemnation on his part upon the elves’ retaliation for human crimes. 

Callum argued with Harrow over why Harrow couldn’t just ‘make peace.’ When Rayla shows Runaan the egg and demands Runaan call everything off, isn’t she effectively arguing the same thing? Additionally, Rayla went into the castle determined to make up for her failing; if she’d succeeded in her mission (especially with Callum’s misdirection), it’d be a very short story, indeed. Instead, the three protagonists end up unified in their hope that this could prevent any further bloodshed. 

Note that I say ‘further’ because what is done, and out of their control, is done. Rayla didn’t act out of a wish to betray; when she choose not to assassinate the prince, she acted out of a hope there could be peace. When the first ribbon falls off and the messenger-arrow flies overhead, Rayla’s assumption makes sense, based on those two details: her team achieved at least one of their goals. We don’t know their fate (other than Runaan), but it also sets up a later plot-point where Rayla discovers the team did not, in fact, all return intact. 

For that matter, by the time she learns those details (and concludes who won and who lost), she’s already befriended the princes. From the very first scene, it’s clear Rayla isn’t cut out for this assassination business. She’s incapable of seeing targets. As Ezran later notes, she sees people as, well, people, even when they’re strangers. Is it really so surprising that she’d waffle even more, once those strangers have become something nearing friends, or at least allies? 

So she chooses to keep silent, and her motivation is wonderfully complex, from a writer’s perspective. She wants peace, and believes returning the egg will do that, so reminding the two princes of her role in their father’s death would alienate them, and put her desires at risk. She likes the princes by that point, and doesn’t want to hurt them with such news. And she’s also feeling guilty for the part she played, especially knowing her secret (not just of failing her mission but of preventing anyone else from succeeding) is probably already known. 

Most of that thought process seems to get decided early in the journey. After that, Rayla goes through all the stages as she realizes the consequences of failing to fulfill a sacred oath: anger, bargaining, grief. At the end, Rayla weighs the two options --- keeping her hand, vs killing someone innocent of any crime --- and decides her hand is a small sacrifice in comparison. 

(Note that thematically, this is echoed in Ava’s story. Ava’s paw was caught in a trap, and escaping came at the cost of her paw. Yet Ava remains perfect as she is, and it’s only other people who require Ava appear to be whole. Part of the reason for going up the mountain is to save the egg, but Rayla also implies she wishes she could save her hand, too. Ava’s story is telling us that such a disability doesn’t and shouldn’t render Rayla broken or useless.) 

Alongside that, the boys don’t seem to have fully put together their father’s role in the current situation. I think Callum might have (in a roundabout way), but not so much for Ezran. It’s a process, though. First we’re shown the princes were raised with a bias they’ve never had reason to question, about elves being bloodthirsty monsters. The story lets Rayla call them on it and express her hurt, and the boys are remorseful. 

The story also doesn’t position Callum (as human) as always knowing the rightness of things; hell, it takes Rayla calling him a mage before he even realizes the meaning of what he’s done. The story also shows the boys are eager to learn (and willing to question their assumptions), when Callum asks Rayla what it’s like in her country.

By the end of S1, both princes have worked their way through several points: from ‘all elves are bad’ to ���Rayla is the one exception’ to ‘maybe elves aren’t the monsters we were told they are.’ The next logical step is for them to begin questioning their father’s actions. Like you, the story is leading them into questioning things that they took for granted when the story began. 

That’s the purpose of creating a story where perspective shifts with each new character: the story is rewarding you for digging deeper.    

A story that doesn’t want those questions raised --- that isn’t prepared to grapple with them --- would tell you from the get-go, “elves are plain evil, that’s all there is to it.” Or, “humans are always good and their actions are righteous.” Any hint of a conflicting perspective would eventually be revealed as false within the story, or a minor oversight outside the story. 

Where tDP is so well-crafted is that it’s given everything enough layers and conflicts that poking at the story reveals more underneath. All you have to do is give it a bit of thought, and you can see a larger picture, and that larger story’s view may be tilted from what you’ve seen so far, if not flipped outright (or flipped back again). That’s the beauty of a large cast where each character has their own motivation, agency, reasons and beliefs and assumptions: there’s always another side to things.

That’s what makes a story truly rich and deep. Not the worldbuilding, not the complexity of the final solution, not the number of product placements or jokes or high-octane fight sequences. It’s characters with individual perspectives and motivations, agreeing and conflicting per their own purposes, and each one seeing themselves as the hero of their own story.  

...what is it about TDP that makes it a good show for you? What is it you like about it, what about it pulls you in? And would you say it's on par or close to the quality of Avatar?

I think my answers above have probably already covered your question, but I’ll add this: I think tDP has potential to not just be ‘on par’ with Avatar but to leave it far, far behind. 

I mean, AtLA is already ten years old. In 2003, Ehasz’ credits consisted of three freelance episodes for two shows, and one episode as a staff writer. That’s it. That he catapulted from that to head-of-story for AtLA speaks to a definite talent --- but of course he’d get better from there, with ten intervening years of continuing to hone his craft. 

I’d say there are two places where it’s most apparent: exposition and humor. While I (mostly) like AtLA, the exposition could be somewhat clunky. It needed to be in there, but it wasn’t always quite as deft as I would’ve liked, in terms of combining information with characterization. 

The writing in tDP is far superlative in that regard. We get exposition, yes, but it's not delivering answers so much as answering one thing to raise ten more questions. There are almost no “as you know Bob” exchanges. When Rayla talks about what her country is like, it’s exposition, but it’s also a wonderful characterization moment; Rayla’s love for her world shines through, along with a certain ambivalence about her place in that world.

The other place Ehasz has improved a thousand-fold is his humor. One of the things I hated most about AtLA was its use of bathos: taking a serious moment and turning on a dime to crack a joke and trivialize the moment. (Sokka was the worst offender, but no character was immune.) As AtLA went on, the story scaled back on that, but it still raised its head often enough to make me wince.

In contrast, tDP’s humor is seamlessly organic. When Rayla yells, “I’m not falling for that flashing frog trick again!” she’s deadly serious, but that makes the bizarre phrase even funnier. When Gren translates Amaya’s sarcasm and has a beat in which he’s clearly trying to find a family-friendly way to translate “bullshit”... that beat is the joke. We don’t need someone gesticulating wildly to tell us it’s funny. 

At the same time, Ehasz is clearly unafraid, now, to let the serious moments be. He doesn’t trivialize the characters’ emotions with a joke; the story isn’t afraid we’ll see it as cheesy or asinine -- as less -- when it’s being sincere. 

As Carol Burnett once put it, comedy is tragedy at a distance. What tDP is doing isn’t comedy in that sense, where the characters themselves (as AtLA often did) use humor to distance themselves. Instead, it’s humor most often in one of three modes. 

One is when a character intends to crack a joke: Soren and Claudia jibing each other, or Callum attempting to lighten everyone’s spirits. This is kept relatively light, so it’s not a constant thing, as if too much levity is to be feared.

The second is simply a witty delivery, like Rayla when her temper’s up. She doesn’t deliver the line “I’m habsolutely hurious” as if she expects a laugh; she is angry, after all. Or when Soren decides to let Callum 'win’ the bout: Soren’s melodramatic as all get out, but he’s not mocking Callum, for whom impressing Claudia is a big deal. Soren’s dramatic words and over-acting are actually a wonderfully compact characterization that tells us a whole lot in a single scene of what someone should expect when Soren tries to ‘help’. 

In the penultimate episode, when Rayla accepts the consequences of her choice and decides she’s okay with paying, this is a significant emotional beat. Her conclusion is... well, it makes sense given her thoughts to this point. 

But it’s also a blunt and rather startling way to put it. Again, this isn’t cracking a joke to create distance from emotion. It’s wittier than that. 

Ezran’s shock as he registers the words is barely two frames. Any longer and it’d be overplayed. Between basically saying someone's friendship is worth a body part, and Ezran’s half-beat of shock, the combination definitely startled a laugh out of me. 

And here’s the thing: in AtLA, one of the two would’ve cracked a joke. The story would’ve backed away from what really, underneath, is a pretty phenomenal admission. Not just of friendship, but also of how Rayla herself has changed so significantly between when she made that oath, versus where she sits now. 

Ezran’s response is both funny (again, in a witty sense) but also just as heartfelt. It’s also extremely telling in terms of Ezran’s characterization. 

The one character most likely to crack a joke --- Callum --- doesn’t always, either. In fact, sometimes he’s remarkably vulnerable and honest in ways Sokka, his spiritual predecessor, wasn’t allowed to be. At the same point that Ezran and Rayla are having their heart-to-heart, Callum’s admitting freely that he doesn’t have immense power; he just has a swirly stone that does the work for him. He doesn’t make a joke of Ellis’ compliment, nor make fun of himself. 

Ellis’ line was delivered seriously, as she has every reason to believe her perspective is true. If Callum were to joke, he’d be mocking her sincerity, and the story is willing to respect that Callum is someone who responds to sincerity with sincerity of his own. 

In a word, tDP is unafraid of its own heart. 

[douxreviews]

The OA - Season 1 Review

By Billie Doux

(The first part of this review is spoiler-free. I'll discuss the ending underneath the adorable spoiler kitten.)

The OA is an eight-episode series currently available on Netflix that was created by Brit Marling, who plays the lead, and Zal Batmanglij. It tells the story of a young blind woman named Prairie Johnson, missing for seven years, who returns home unexpectedly.

Prairie, no longer blind and inexplicably referring to herself as "The OA," won't tell the FBI or her parents (the wonderful former Borg queen Alice Krige and equally wonderful Walking Dead alum Scott Wilson) what happened to her during the seven years she was missing, although there are physical indications that she was imprisoned and abused. Instead, she begins telling her story to five random people in an abandoned house at midnight. The story, and it's a wild one, is told in chapters on successive nights throughout the succeeding episodes, and it has a dramatic effect on the lives of the five listeners, all of whom are from the local high school.

The ending of this series, or possibly first season since there are rumors that there may be a second, is controversial and is generating a lot of discussion. For me, The OA isn't so much about the ending, although I'm one of the viewers who found it quite powerful. It's my opinion that The OA is about the strength and transformative power of storytelling. We've all read books that have changed our lives and made us see the world in a new way. That's what this story did for the OA's five acolytes, four of whom are high school students: Steve, a violent outcast who deals drugs; druggie Jesse; brilliant and disadvantaged Alfonso; Buck the youngest who is trans and struggling to make his parents understand him; and Betty Broderick-Allen, a teacher.

I'm not sure if I can wholeheartedly recommend The OA. Some are finding it utterly fascinating and well worth watching (like me. I thought it was), while others are pissed about the ending and think it was a huge waste of their time. Caveat emptor?

And now, some spoilers. If you're planning to watch The OA, go no further until after you do!

What was real?

It appears that Prairie Johnson was kidnapped and imprisoned for seven years. She was blind when she was kidnapped, and regained her sight before she returned. Her five acolytes indeed used "the movements" she taught them to distract the school shooter long enough to keep him from killing the children in the cafeteria. Were the five actually sending the OA through an interdimensional portal so that she could rescue Homer and the others, or was that all in her head?

Honestly, I was about to give up on this series while watching the first episode, until I got to the end when the "I was born in Russia in 1987" thing started, oddly coinciding with the title sequence. Who puts the title sequence at the end? It was like saying, the story actually begins here. Of course, her childhood in Russia and the way she came back from the dead was very secret princess. It was so unbelievable that this was the point where I started wondering if OA was making the whole thing up. Or if maybe she believed it, but was stark raving mad.

There are so many hints and parallels throughout that make it seem possible that OA is either lying about her past and her seven years of imprisonment, or that she is mentally ill and honestly believes things that are not true. Her parents kept her medicated for nearly her entire childhood because of her unbelievable stories. There were multiple references to her head injuries. After her return home, the doctors in St. Louis said she should be committed. In the final episode, she is again being medicated and has an ankle monitor. There are also many indications that OA is psychic, which could be true even if she fabricated the whole thing.

After I finished the series, I rewatched the pilot, searching for clues. The first thing she asked when she woke after jumping off the bridge was, "Did I flatline?" She said that she was trying to get back to where she'd been held captive, even though she knew that they were gone. She also said, "We all died more times than I can count." The first thing she did when she arrived in her childhood home was attempt to find Homer Roberts on her computer, and later, she did. Although why couldn't Steve and Alfonso find evidence of her story online, too?

Did Hap exist, or was his search for proof of life after death a way that the OA used to humanize her captor? During the series, we often see things from Hap's viewpoint, even to his trips to find other NDE survivors and that strange murder of his friend at a morgue. (What the hell really happened in that morgue? What was that other guy doing?) The OA told her five acolytes that her father was a miner, and Hap's house was situated at an abandoned mine. When the OA was little and her name was Nina Azarova, her father forced her into freezing water in order to cure her fear of her nightmares of drowning in an aquarium, and note the similarity to Hap repeatedly drowning his captive subjects. Plus, the series began when the OA jumped off a bridge, and the kids on the school bus in Russia went over a bridge. Note also the use of glass or plastic during the OA's seven years of imprisonment and in the final shooting scene.

The neighborhood that the OA and her acolytes lived in was outright creepy. It looked like a typical suburb on the surface, but it consisted of jarring and oddly naked tract houses and there were often strange objects in the street. And I dare say most suburban neighborhoods don't have a half-built abandoned house sitting in the middle of an empty street? There was also the weirdness of the OA's instructions to her acolytes to leave their doors open while they were at her storytelling seances, something I found uncomfortable in present-day America; was that because the FBI instructed the Johnsons that "doors should remain open at all times"?

Steve, the OA's first follower and the character who changed the most, was introduced with a jarring, explicit sex scene right in front of a picture window showing that strange neighborhood. A drug-dealing bully with rage issues, Steve was the one who chose the other acolytes — except for teacher Betty Broderick-Allen, who basically chose herself. Grief-stricken by the recent death of her twin brother, Betty at first appeared to be a closed-minded teacher parroting the views of a rigid educational system uninterested in connecting with children who are different. Phyllis Smith is wonderful as Betty, and I thought her developing relationship with Steve, and in particular, the night she gave away her inheritance to save him from the goons from Asheville, was one of the high points of the series. I also really loved the scene where the OA impersonated Steve's stepmother and talked Betty out of expelling Steve, especially the bizarre little detail of one of the OA's fake press-on nails popping off while they were talking. Note that the OA guessed correctly that Betty had just lost a sibling, another bit that made me think she was psychic.

So let's talk about the ending.

The scene where Alfonso found the books under the OA's bed was very Usual Suspects, but it was also ambiguous. Yes, the OA could have used those books to create the details in her story, but she also could have been reading about subjects that had a relationship to her life, couldn't she? Why did Alfonso look in the mirror and see himself as Homer? And here's the big one for me. What was FBI agent Elias doing in the Johnson home alone at night, and why was he so weird and unconventional in the first place?

After I finished all eight episodes, I checked out a lot of articles and reviews on the internet. What seems to upset critics the most is the insertion of a school shooting into the narrative, supposedly out of nowhere. (That, and the admittedly silly interpretive dance "movements" that were intended to open the interdimensional portal.)

Honestly, I don't think the school shooting came out of nowhere. The focus of the entire series was saving the lives of children, and the five acolytes were all from the high school. The OA's story began with the Russian children dying on the bus, and then focused on five youths trapped under glass and killed and revived repeatedly in Hap's basement. Plus, it seemed to me that Steve fit the profile of a possible school shooter, and even though he momentarily reacted to the OA with anger in the pencil-stabbing scene, he was the one who changed the most, and for the better, over the course of the story.

We're now hearing that there may be a second season in the works. I cannot imagine what a second season could be about. Almost anything they do to answer questions about what happened in the first season might ruin the whole thing. Then again, what if the OA really did go through a portal in the end? What if Homer, Rachel, Scott and Renata do exist and are still imprisoned, waiting for her to rescue them?

A few bits:

-- OA may have meant "original angel." I thought that it could have been an interpretation of the word "away."

-- I didn't notice it the first time through, but there is a lot of purple, the color of royalty (secret princess), magic and spirituality.

-- There's Braille, too. There are actually strips on Braille on Khatun's face during the afterlife scenes. Also, the OA kept touching her white bedspread that had knobby protrusions like Braille.

-- How on earth did the OA and Homer write the symbols representing the movements on their skin? They couldn't touch each other; could anyone physically do that? Was that the reason the OA was told to make her arms longer during that scene with the bill and the trench?

-- Why were there potted plants in Hap's underground prison?

-- Why did the OA's mother Nancy freak out in the restaurant?

-- Loved the tiny blue quail eggs in milk for breakfast, and the bit in the afterlife about swallowing a bird.

So what is this show? Is it pretentious arty crap, or is it a powerful story about storytelling, mysticism and life after death? Lines are open. What did you guys think?

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[skythegogglehead]

I was tagged by @loveforluna

Rules: Answer 30 questions. Tag 10 blogs you want to get to know better.

Nickname(s): Sky, Tatsuya, Little Asian, Friegg, Fluffy, Beef, Egg, there’s more but that’s a lot to list off so lol

Gender: male

Sign: Libra

Height: 5’

Time: 5:41 pm

Favorite bands: I don’t have much favorites but to list a few that I have a lot of songs downloaded are Fall Out Boy and Twenty One Pilots.

Favorite solo artist: Probably Natewantstobattle

Song stuck in my head: Smoke and Guns by Natewantstobattle

Last movie you saw: I honestly can’t remember. I think recent movie I watched in general was Digimon Hurricane Touchdown but that was a rewatch. 

Last show watched: Latest Steven Universe episode yesterday. 

When did you create your blog: 2012 I think

What do you post and reblog: My blog is a mess of things that I like. Currently mostly shitposts, digimon, steven universe, pokemon, and just random nonesense lol. Oh yeah rarely my artwork and plush works too.

Last thing you googled: Tamagotchi Dream Mix Sanrio review. Was thinking of getting one so I need to do some research before wasting my money on another child lmao

Do you have any other blogs: Yes and no. I have technically created a sideblog meant for commissions but I haven’t gotten a chance to organize and make it official yet. Too busy with school, work and commissions at the moment.

Do I get asks: Yeah, not much recently though cause I disappeared for a long time and prolly everyone ran away and forgot me lol

Why did I chose my url: My name is Sky and I wear goggles.

Following: 216

Followers: 735

Average hours of sleep: lol prolly like 5

Lucky number: No clue

Instruments: guitar, ukulele, ocarina, piano, recorder, flute(it’s been years though so not sure how well I can play it anymore lol), and of course my shitty ass voice.

What I’m wearing: my boxers and an oversized japanese monkey T-shit that says “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, ???” with all the monkeys covering respective parts and the last moneky is covering the crotch lol.

Dream job: Not quite sure. I’m honestly happy with a job that won’t demand too much of me, pays me well enough that I can live a casual life, while I do plush and art commissions as a side job.

Favorite food: SPAGHETTI, I FUCKING LOVE SPAGHETTI, RAMEN, Yakiudon, Tonkatsu, Tom Yum (with noodles especially), Fried Rice, Orange Chicken. I just love food man

Nationality: American; I am Japanese-Thai American to be specific and proud of it.

Favorite song: I don’t have a favorite since they fluctuate literally all the time lol. Current favorites though are “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea” by Fall Out Boy, “Smoke and Guns” by Natewantstobattle, “Peace and Love” from Steven Universe, “Butter-fly” by Kouji Wada, and “Eden” by Aqua Timez.

Last book read: I don’t read sadly

Top 3 fictional universes I wanna join: Digimon, Avatar The Last Airbender, Animal Crossing

Tags: @redtaske @bluegrump @kingoffantasy516 @rose-everett @elecmon @lonekappaonabridge @erotesianangel @no1fan15 @taintedtruth @kurona7 

[melforbes]

the beast, fast asleep

“dick clark’s dead,” she said that morning as she made them both eggs over-easy. “he can’t be on his own show, so why call it dick clark’s new year’s eve?”

though he doubted she had the title correct, there was no point in correcting her, or if there was a point, the point was the same as finding meaning in why some truck cut in front of him when he was trying to get gas or why the measly town nearby had grown so overcrowded that he hadn’t managed to get her belated christmas present, a book he’d completely forgotten she’d asked for, before the end of the year. in the end, he only had to wait for the gas, and after he’d admitted to his forgetfulness and ultimate inability, she shrugged it all off and put the book in her amazon cart, letting him press the purchase button because she knew it would help him keep thoughts of inadequacy at bay.

“tradition, i guess,” mulder gave, taking his first sip of coffee. “i’m out of ideas for plans otherwise.”

at this point, he was so accustomed to such admittances that he wondered when they would start to feel far-out again. at the beginning of the year, he had been fighting back tears in front of his therapist, but now, scully would wake in the early hours of the morning to find him facing away from her, only his position acting as a shield, his cries obvious but gambling: he wouldn’t wake her but would ask for comfort if, through his not holding back, she heard him, woke, and inquired. it would be one thing if he knew he wasn’t trying, but he now had regimens in every part of his life, from the internet to sex to whether or not he was to leave the house, which, more often than not, he was to do. the only time he’d missed biweekly therapy had been when he’d taken scully on an ill-fated ski trip in the adirondacks, a tweaked knee leaving them holed up in a shared cabin airbnb with a pair of athletic couples who left their expensive yoga mats sprawled out on the hearthstones because, apparently, it was all more authentic that way, a spiritual practice next the quintessential introductory biology question: is fire alive, or is it not? 

sometimes, his therapist told him to take into account that simply getting through the day, even if he drank or binge-ate or pushed scully away or hurt himself, was better than the alternative, but it was hard to see everyone else and still understand that his efforts were, in fact, efforts. one notification saying that scully had added a stanford-educated doctor as a facebook friend, and he would find himself dissecting his education, his employment, his pile of dishes in the sink, the dust piling on top of a self-help book borrowed from his therapist. with the internet and with large-scale communication, people became global citizens as soon as they logged on for the first time, and with the depression, the latent post-traumatic stress, and the malaise that had followed him for so long that it had become a constant companion, he found the responsibility of reacting to every piece of news, trying to better himself, and making sure that he left the world better than he found it was a heavier weight than he could carry.

“are you trying your best right now?” his therapist would ask.

“yes, of course i am,” he would defend. “does it seem like i’m not?”

“no, no,” she would say, shaking her head. “i know how hard you’ve worked, and i know your persistence has been challenging and, in the end, productive. i’m more curious as to why you need to defend that you’re doing all you can.”

on that, he would draw a blank, maybe shrug, say, “childhood things, i suppose. perfectionism tends to be the go-to blame.”

and his therapist would give a little tight-lipped smile. he could only imagine how challenging it was to counsel a fellow psychologist, a playmaker who knew her moves possibly even before she did. 

“do you think dana is doing her best?” his therapist would ask.

“yes,” he would say without a doubt. scully was seeing a therapist as well, a different one in the city. every other week, she would come home late on wednesday night feeling sometimes triumphant, sometimes haggard, and he would meet her at the doorway with a kiss and with dinner on the table. he’d watched the shifts within her over time, how she would breathe into their fights or speak her mind with quiet, fearful vulnerability, unafraid of him but terrified of herself. he hoped - and figured - there would be a day when they could share such little tells with each other, a measurement of progress, compassion of spirit, and pure respect. 

“do you think she thinks you’re doing your best?” his therapist would ask.

“yes,” he would say again without hesitation, for scully had expressed that to him enough times to make him feel secure in such an answer 

“if you know that you’re both doing your best, then what else is there that you need to know?” his therapist would ask. “why does it matter what anyone else does or thinks?”

so, it felt like defeat to lack new year’s plans, but he knew that, come the new year, he would need to work on that. he didn’t understand the finite feeling of a year, for midnight would pass, the ball would drop, kisses would be had, and everyone would sluggishly make their ways to work on the 2nd, cast out of the liminal holiday haze, ready for what always ended up being an awkward and uncomfortable january. by february, resolutions would prove to have been pointless to make, and around valentine’s day, he would need to admit that to himself, and all in all, the year’s end was as relieving as the end of a college semester: though introductory psychology i was over, and though he was a hell yeah, winter break! kind of excited about that, introductory psychology ii was only three weeks away. a new year didn’t end his struggles or make his pain go away, nor did it bring him happiness or a sense of accomplishment. he didn’t quite feel dread, but he felt ambivalence, boredom; he didn’t see the point of celebrating a hard year, then finding excitement in the uncertainty of a new one.

“i’m glad we don’t have plans,” she said, plating eggs. “i’d really like to stay home.”

“is there something good to watch on netflix?” he asked, unsure of whether he was making conversation or grasping at straws, vulnerability straws, a sense that he needed to know exactly which title in the horror-slash-science-fiction section would be recommended for them based on his recent rewatch of zombeavers and her eye-rolled agreement two weeks earlier that gremlins was, in fact, a christmas movie in order to be the proper man-of-the-house that she’d never asked him to be. 

“i don’t know,” she brushed off. “want to find something while i finish off some work this afternoon?”

in the end, his task had been meaningless, a title intended to keep them up until midnight leading to them both falling asleep fifteen minutes in, and by the time he woke, the television had long ago dulled its screen, and against him on the couch, she slept, her ponytail tickling his arm, her glasses still on. from where he lay, he could just see the time on his watch, an hour past midnight, and uncomfortably, he tensed. they’d missed the changeover, the first minute of a most uncertain year. they’d missed it in the early 2000s, during their separation, a few times because she’d had to work, but they’d never missed it during a new year’s eve spent together. 

should he wake her? he wasn’t sure he saw the point now that the hour had passed, but he found himself floundering in this uncharted territory, this new place where everything was the same though he wanted it to be so different. against his better judgement, he nudged her, whispered her name, and she shifted awake, nestled closer to him on the couch.

“i didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she gave groggily, eyes still closed.

“we missed the new year, scully,” he said anxiously. “we missed it by a whole hour.” 

peeking down at his watch, she admitted, “we did.”

“i didn’t mean to-”

“you owe me a kiss.”

tiredly, she scooted up against his chest, her face coming so close that their noses could almost touch. her glasses started slipping down her nose.

“first one of the year,” she said, a soft smile on her lips. “make it good.”

without thinking, he cupped her cheek for balance, kissed her without poise or grace or anything else that adorned the new year’s kisses of every hallmark movie she let play in the background of their holiday festivities. by the end, he figured her glasses had left a scratch on his cheek, but in the dark, he knew she wouldn’t be able to tell. 

“happy new year, mulder,” she said softly, nestling back into her spot against his chest. “i love you.”

“love you too,” he gave, and when she managed to fall back asleep, glasses still on, uncomfortable couch cushions be damned, he figured one awkward kiss an hour after midnight was more than good enough. 

[blackholeofprocrastination]

11 Questions

 I was tagged by @fedonciadale about a million years ago. Thanks for tagging me m’dear!

Rules: Answer the following 11 questions and then ask 11 of your own and tag people.

1. Your favourite book quote?

This is mean. I have TOO MANY...but for one I like at random?

“Hell wasn't a major reservoir of evil, any more than Heaven, in Crowley's opinion, was a fountain of goodness; they were just sides in the great cosmic chess game. Where you found the real McCoy, the real grace and the real heart-stopping evil, was right inside the human mind.”

- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

2. What teacher has impressed you?

My 5th grade teacher mounted a production of Macbeth with ten-year-olds and it was actually...kind of good? And rewarding. And challenging. And not as crazy as it sounds. I was one of the witches/Weird Sisters and I had a blast! (and still remember my lines lol). 

Leave Dr. Seuss to other elementary schoolers. We were just too metal for that.

3. What time would you like to visit in a time machine to have a peek?

This is SUCH and tough question for me cuz I am history TRASH but also being a lady in the past is just, generally speaking, a raw deal. That being said, I’d definitely like to wander around the 20s (sneak hooch, see the flicks, go dancing...the usual).

4. What person from the past would you like to invite for tea and have a chat with?

Eleanor of Aquitaine. Girl would have some stories, let me tell you.

5. What person from the past would you like to conjure up and punch in the face?

Oh jeez...and I only get one? Um...I mean aside from the obvious murderous assholes (Hitler et al). I’d probably go with (for very personal reasons tied to a specific finals week where reading/writing a paper on one of his books meant I’d be rounding out to 72 hours without sleep) James Joyce (sorry dude).

6. Your first OTP? Canon or not?

I mean...Wee Emmy shipped ALL THE DISNEY THINGS first. I was into Princess Aurora x Prince Philip and Cinderella x Prince Charming in a BIG WAY when I was about three and then proceeded to have a full blown melt down when I met them at Disneyland that year cuz...STARSTRUCK!!! (My mom has pics. I cried. Having my faves up close was too intense.)

7. Your age, when your read or watched LotR?

Confession time: I have not read LotR. *ducks as people throw assorted rotten fruit and vegetables in her direction*. I HAVE seen some of the films...and I was probably about 15, maybe? Not too sure. I just know my sister loves those books a LOT and is forever irritated I did not get onboard with her obsession.

8. Do you have siblings?

YES! Two human. Two canine. All good eggs. (I am well and truly blessed in this department.) 

My brother is a creative, super smart dude, who watches classic films with me, loves board games TOO MUCH, and makes me laugh. My sister is bold, and funny, and just SO MUCH PERSONALITY, and is basically my mini-me and best friend. Murphy...where do I even begin? Supermodel good looks. The OG Nap Queen. Best of dogs. And Maisy? Fetch champ of the family. Massive goober. (Oh, and also a super, secret Sith Lord on the sly).

9. The last movie that made you cry? And why?

I rewatched Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey recently because it was just added to Netflix and CHILDHOOD FEELS and let me tell you all, I was BAWLING. 

10. Autumn or spring?

Autumn because...BOOTS! And JACKETS! And BONFIRES! And FOLIAGE!

(I live in the American Northeast and it is a freakin’ gorgeous place to be that time of year)

11. Would you rather have roses or chocolate as a present?

Chocolates. Always.

Tagging: @goodqueenalys, @aureliacamargo, @greengableslover, @misssusanvance, @eliamartvll, @paperflowercrowns, @myriddin, @riahchan, @alienor-woods

My questions for you are:

Do you prefer going in person to the mall/store or shopping online?

What’s your favorite fanfic trope?

They're making a movie about your life. What song is playing in the trailer?

What's your favorite word?

Would you rather: parkour everywhere you go or permanently wear rollerblades?

What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do?

When going on a trip, what is a ‘must-pack’ item in your suitcase?

What historical/retro fashion trend needs to make a comeback?

Pencil or pen?

You're traveling down the Oregon Trail. Do you ford the river or caulk the wagons and float?

What TV show can you rewatch unconditionally forever?