#I think this episode is what truly bring me into the serie and the fandom
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2# Father of the Bob
And this is a perfect example of a great episode beyond a holiday special episode (I didn’t even realized that it was a christmas special until I read the series wiki)
The episode gets me since minute one. Since the very first scene I knew this episode would be it. And is just that this first scene is devastating, seeing how Big Bob demerit Bob’s efforts and ideas, he doesn’t even take a moment to think about how this hurts Bob, it’s not important, is not a moment that would mark Bob for life, is just another day. It makes me sick.
Then I saw the 15 minutes rule, and it reminded me so much of my own relationship with my grandma that Big Bob became immediately a villain in my head, some hurtful man who didn’t care about his son, but oh boy if I was wrong.
Big Bob is not a villain, is not a bad man, he’s just a very imperfect dad. Because yeah (for me) Big Bob is not a good dad, not a bad dad either, and I get this for others episodes as well.
Big Bob wasn’t a great dad, he loves Bob of course, but he also hurt him deeply over the years and since a young age, but how the serie deal with this is what amazed me. Big Bob in this moment of his life, where he thinks he already lost his son, is still trying to change, which is huge for me.
Big Bob, even if at first didn't wanted to admit it, understand why Junior go, why they couldn’t work together and finally recognize that he made things in the wrong way, and he is indeed trying to change and be more accesible and communicative, we see more of this in further episodes. But he doesn’t do this expecting for Bob to go back, he does it because is the right thing to do, is what needs to be done.
I’m not trying to say Bob wasn’t also in the wrong, cause he was, but he’s the one to extend the branch of olive and he does it in the best way possible.
Who knew this man could actually communicate his feelings in such an on point way. Damn.
And know that we are in this scene and I have to clarify this next part is my brain looking too deep into things. (pls bare with me)
For me this whole scene in Pete’s Gay Bar alludes not only to Bob’s burgers ideas or him running away from Big Bob's Dinner, but is also about his sexuality (and maybe even his autism).
Bob can not believe his father is just so comfortable in this kind of place, surrounding by people that are just like Bob, this parts that Bob always thought his father couldn’t accept, this parts of him he couldn’t even voice out loud himself. Cause in this scene is obvious they both know, but they just don't talk about it. Bob assumes Big Bob will never accept it and Big Bob try to not mention it cause he doesn’t get it, but he wants to get it, want to understand, but he doesn’t tell Junior any of this, maybe under the assumption that Junior doesn’t even care cause it just too late.
The line “You have weird and happy kids” broke me. Big Bob knows as well as Bob that the kids are different, neurodivergent, but don’t have the knowledge to refer properly about it. Big Bob accepting the fact that the kids are weird but still amazing and, most important, happy as they are, close the circle of him rejecting his son in the past for being weird and ungrateful (not happy) and for the cherish on the top he says “You are a good dad” cause yeah Bob is certainly doing it better than him at the past.
I really love this episode so much, maybe even more that the actual Top 1 but for now here it is. Is a complex episode, that I could see over and over and still think more about it.
EXTRAS
I love how passive-aggressive Linda is with Big Bob, she really wants for him and Bob to have a good relationship and she forced as she does with her own parents. But in this and other episodes is clear that she doesn't forgive Big Bob for all the things he put Bob trough.
The kids are the glue on the episode. With their innocence and naivety in the matter they get to bring the family together. They don’t get why their dad doesn't like Pop Pop but they don’t really care, they like their Grandpa and that’s what matters.
I kind of ship Big Bob and Pete, there it is I said it. Leave me alone. This destroy all my discourse but I just love the idea of Big Bob finding love again and in this man that obviously support him and like him the way he is, they get each other. Shut Up! leave alone.
Oh and "Baby You Can Chive My Car Burger" is so special to me, I'm just waiting for the right moment to cook it, is like one of my dreams in real life.
#bob's burgers#Father of the Bob#this ended being an over analysis of Big Bob and Bob's relationship but meh#if you think I skip a day and post this a day later#you are right but#shush#keep the secret#better late than never#so here it is#I love this episode deeply#is an important one#and I felt kind of self conscious talking about it here in the vast internet#I think this episode is what truly bring me into the serie and the fandom#so yeah...kinf of important for me#maybe not my favorite christmas special but maybe definitely my favorite episode#Big Bob and Bob's relationship is to complex and beutiful for me to get in just this post#but I tried my best#again if the drafting is poor an apology#I didn't though writing my thoughts of episodes would be this hard#maybe is because I dont really speak english but who knows#hope you enjoy it#and a real thanks if you read it
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Folks going "WHAT they made a show about the Fallout franchise?? I've been hearing people say Bethesda messed it up, but I haven't watched it myself, so I'm going to trust the word of other people -- some of which also haven't finished watching it" is driving me insane.
Being a hard core fan of something obviously brings with it a lot of passionate feelings when adaptations come into play. Of course, there's going to be people going "but in 8 episodes of the first ever season they made, they didn't explore Theme C or D, didn't introduce factions E and F and G, and because the source company is notorious for its scams, we and everyone else who's a TRUE fan should hate it".
The Amazon Original series Fallout follows the videogame franchise of the same name. It is a labour of love and you can tell by the attention to detail, the writing, the sets, and YES THE THEMES ARGUE WITH THE WALL. It's clearly fan service. I mean, the very characterisation of Lucy is a deadringer for someone playing a Fallout game for the first time. She embodies the innocent player whose expectations drastically change in a game that breaks your heart over and over again. Of course, she's also the vessel through which we explore a lot of themes, but I'll get to that.
There're some folks arguing that the show retcons the games, and I gotta say... for a website practically built on fandom culture, why are we so violently against the idea of someone basing an adaptation on a franchise that so easily lends itself to new and interesting interpretations? But to be frank, a lot of what AO's Fallout is not that new. We have: naive Vault dweller, sexy traumatised ghoul that people who aren't cowards will thirst over, and pathetic guy from a militaristic faction. We also have: total atomic annihilation, and literally in-world references to the games' lore and worldbuilding constantly (the way I was shaking my sister over seeing Grognark the Barbarian, Sugar Bombs, Cram, Stimpaks, and bags of RadAway was ridiculous). Oh, and the Red Rocket?? Best pal Dogmeat? I'm definitely outing myself as specifically a Fallout 4 player, but that's not the point you should be taking away from this.
The details, the references, and the new characters -- this show is practically SCREAMING "hey look, we did this for the fans, we hope you love it as much as we do". Who cares that the characters are new, they still hold the essence of ones we used to know! And they're still interesting, so goddamn bloody interesting. Their arcs mean so much to the story, and they're told in a genuinely intriguing way. This isn't just any videogame adaptation, this was gold. This sits near Netflix's Arcane: League of Legends level in videogame adaptation. Both series create new plots out of familiar worlds.
Of course, those who've done the work have already figured out AO's Fallout is not a retcon anyway. But even if it was, that shouldn't take away from the fact that this show is actually good. Not even just good, it's great.
Were some references a little shoe-horned in to the themes by the end of the show, such as with "War never changes"? Yes, I thought so. But I love how even with a new plot and characters, they're actually still exploring the same themes and staying true to the games. I've seen folks argue otherwise, but I truly disagree. The way capitalism poisons our world, represented primarily through The American Dream and the atomic age of the 45-50s that promoted the nuclear family dynamic -- it's there. If you think it's glorifying it by leaning so heavily into in the adaptation, I feel like you're not seeing it from the right angle. It's like saying Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck glorifies the American Dream, when both this book and the Fallout franchise are criticisms of it. If you think about it, the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is a graveyard to the American Dream. This criticism comes from the plots that are built into every Fallout story that I know of. The Vaults are literally constructed to be their own horror story just by their mere existence, what they stand for, what happens in each of them. The whole entire show is about the preservation of the wrong things leading to fucked up worlds and people. The missions of the Vaults are time and again proven to be fruitless, unethical, plain wrong. Lucy is our brainwashed character who believed in the veritable cult she lived in before she found out the truth.
So then consider the Brotherhood of Steel. I really don't think it exists in the story to glorify the military. We see just how much the Brotherhood has brainwashed people like Max (also, anything ominously named something like "the Brotherhood" should raise eyebrows). Personally, I don't like Max, but I am intrigued by his characterisation. I thought the end of his arc was rushed the way he "came good" basically, but [SPOILERS] having him embraced as a knight in the Brotherhood at the end against his will -- finally getting something he always wanted -- and him grimly accepting it from all that we can tell? Him having that destiny forced upon him now that he's swaying? After he defected? If his storyline is meant to be a tragedy, it wouldn't surprise me, because Fallout is rife with tragedies anyway. And a tragedy would also be a criticism of the military. That's what Max's entire arc is. It goes from the microcosm focusing on the cycle of bullying between soldiers to the macro-environment where Max is being forced to continue a cycle of violence against humanity he doesn't want to anymore because a world driven to extremes forces him to choose it to survive (not to mention what a cult and no family would do to his psyche). Let's not forget what the Brotherhood's rules are: humankind is supreme. Mutants, ghouls, synths, and robots are abominations to be hated and destroyed. If you can't draw the parallels to the real world, you need to retake history and literature classes. The Brotherhood is also about preserving the wrong things, like the Vaults (like the Enclave, really). They just came about through different method. The Enclave is capitalism and twisted greed in a world where money barely exists anymore. The Brotherhood is, well, fascism plain and simple.
Are these the only factions in the Fallout franchise? Hell no. But if you're mad about that -- that they're the main ones explored, apart from the NCR -- I think you're missing the point. These themes, these reminders, are highly relevant in the current climate. In fact, I almost think they always will be relevant unless we undergo drastic change. On the surface-level, Fallout seems like the American ideal complete with guns blazing that guys in their basements jerk off to. Under that surface, is a mind-fuck story about almost the entire opposite: it's a deconstruction of American ideals that are held so closely by some, and the way that key notion of freedom gets twisted, and you're shooting a guy in-game because it's more merciful than what the world had in store for him.
I mean, the ghoul's a fucking cowboy from the wild west character he used to play in Hollywood glam and his wife was one of the people who helped blow up America in the name of capitalism and "peace". There are so many layers of this to explore, I'd need several days to try and keep track and go through it all.
The Amazon Prime show is a testament to the Fallout franchise. The message, the themes? They were not messed up or muddled or anything of the sort, in my opinion.
As for Todd Howard, that Bethesda guy, I'm sure there's perfectly valid reasons to hate him. I mean, I've hated people for a lot less valid reasons, and that's valid. We all got our feelings. But the show is about more than just him. My advice is to keep that in mind when you're judging it.
#fallout series#amazon prime fallout#amazon prime video fallout#amazon fallout#prime fallout#fallout#besthesda#todd howard#fallout spoilers#some light analysis#the american dream#militarism#lucy mclean#maximus fallout#cooper howard#the ghoul#I know they're not planning a skyrim adaptation and that's fine#I prefer it remaining in its videogame medium while I write fanfics#so if they had to adapt any of their games I'm actually glad it was fallout#also please forgive me I wrote this very late at night so there's probably a bunch of mistakes#and I've played fallout for like six years and still don't know anywhere near as much as the hard core fans but I'm also not a newbie
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Why Doll perfectly exemplifies all of the strengths and flaws of Murder Drones as a series.
From the amount of posts present on my blog about the specific individual, it is rather obvious to assume that Doll Yurikova (I'm still convinced the fandom made up this surname) is my favourite character from Murder Drones and you wouldn't be wrong.
She just simply tickles my needy scratch for weird, cool complex villainess characters.
However, eventually I also realised that she more than any other character embodies everything that makes murder drones a great show and everything that detracts the show from being genuinely amazing.
Let's start off with the good, anything I say applies to the both of them:
Doll/Murder drones are generally cool, unconventionally attractive, have great potential (this point will be elaborated upon) and are very complex in both the themes that they bring to the table and the philosophical standpoints discussed.
Coolness factor is mostly subjective, but I am sure any Murder drones fan will tell you that the sci-fi/horror/mystery/romance/comedy show about sentient cannibalistic robots who fight against eldritch atrocities with Portal 2-esque music is an absolute blast conceptually and visually. In the same way the russian robo vampire who was previously a cheerleader before deciding to commit cannibalism to avenge her dead parents has swarms of fans simping for her.
Unconventionally attractive is determined by unconventional people, said people also have rewatched the show seventeen different times.
Now, regarding the great potential, although I've also elaborated the previous points, this is one that will carry over when discussing the negatives of both the character and the show, but as for positive, you can just feel that Murder Drones is so much different from anything else you have ever watched, it truly gives me haunted Ghibli vibes in the way the story plays out. It could really be amazing. As for Doll, every time I watch her in the show up to her death I just get really sad thinking about what could have been if she had a redemption arc or just a better life in general.
Murder drones has abuse as his main theme and how it circulates into destructive chains and Doll is definitely one of the more interesting examples of said theme, being part of the abused and mauled drone designation that became an abuser herself. I say one of the more interesting examples because her story is fleshed out better than someone else's, say Tessa or Alice.
And now for the negatives, we need to bring out the big elephant in the room:
The show is only 8 episodes long and they are writing the season one finale in the same way you would write a series finale since making Murder drones costs Glitch a crap ton of money when they could just lower the animation quality and allow the story more time to breathe (mind you this is also Liam Vickers fault). I just hate the 8 episodes 20 minute long formula, it has, in my opinion, destroyed modern show telling and I honestly can't bear it any longer.
Besides that, 8 episodes of 20 minutes means that Doll's arc has to be paced quickly in order to get all the other characters (particularly the main ones) and elements to shine and that unfortunately leads to the fact that both Doll and Murder drones lack the one thing that separates Doll from being a human being and Murder Drones from being an amazing show, and that thing is (drum rolls) the tissue.
To explain, they have the (exo)skeleton, the organs, the mandibles and all the things that would make a piece of fiction feel truly human, but without the connective tissue, the skin, they both end up just short of those standards and as a result I can't confidently say that they are truly evocative individuals. Tissue of course is a metaphor for quote on quote "filler" in regards to the show and "villain at rest" moments in regards to Doll and her arc. And let's talk about the ending of said arc because of its possibility of paralleling the conclusion of the show;
You can say a lot of things about Doll's death but one thing that's impossible to deny is the impact of her death in your mind, everything about its execution is just so brutal that it leaves you a lasting feeling in your body; in a similar manner, the show could end with an absolute gut punch that remains impressed in your mind for months to come.
#murder drones doll#murder drones tessa#murder drones uzi#murder drones alice#murder drones spoilers#murder drones analysis#glitch productions#liam vickers animation#murder drones ep 7#murder drones
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Hey Mike! I'm really sorry to hear about your experience on Hill House. I do a lot of work in VFX in pre/prod/post and I know that sort of production that feels like a sinking ship day in and day out. I do hope you have found some catharsis now that it's over.
The show shook me. Changed me. Made me reckon with myself as a storyteller and as a person. All for the better, I assure you.
I hope to one day tell such an impactful story of my own, either through one of my short films, or through the novel series I'm writing/illustrating.
Which brings me to my question: How do you navigate the complexities of having authored a work that did so much harm to yourself but also did a lot of good for others? What lessons do you hope aspiring storytellers like myself take from your difficult experience? Thanks :)
Thank you for saying this.
It's true, HILL HOUSE was a very negative experience to make - but I will always be profoundly proud of the finished product. It's some of my favorite work. I may never again face down something as challenging as episode 6, and I love the impact it has on a lot of its viewers.
There's a weird thing that happens when you finish a project - it really ceases to be yours in any way at all. It belongs immediately to the audience, and they're given an experience that you will never have. When HILL HOUSE came out, I didn't watch it - I'd seen it hundreds of times by that point, but at the same time, I've NEVER seen it.
Every frame of it is informed by my experience making it, or my intentions, or the compromises we made here, or the line we cut there that I wish we'd kept, or a bad day on set, or a problematic actor, or a visual effect we never quite got right (there are a LOT of those in HILL HOUSE, some of them still make me wince.) So I'm never able to WATCH the show. It's a tradeoff we make all the time - if you're lucky enough to make a movie, or a TV show, that's the price of it - you'll never be able to watch it.
But, I get to see how it affects other people. More than anything else I've made, HILL HOUSE seems to have the largest and most passionate fanbase. (BLY is a close second, though that's a whole other blog entry - I could write a book about the complicated, fascinating experience of the BLY fandom).
But with HILL HOUSE, I'd hear a lot from people who lost loved ones, who navigate complicated family dynamics, and who have wrestled with depression or grief. It means the world to me. It's a strange divide, as I'll never see the show that they saw - but I am so grateful that it touched them the way it did.
I'm just about at the point where I think I'm capable of sitting down and truly watching HILL HOUSE. It takes years sometimes. I've watched a lot of my early work, like HUSH or GERALD'S GAME, and finally had the experience of really SEEING it. But HILL HOUSE has always felt a little too raw, and my memories still overpower my ability to separate myself from it. Maybe that's changed. Maybe I'll give it a shot this year. Half a decade seems like enough time.
But yes, it is complicated and strange with all of them. I so badly want to watch MIDNIGHT MASS, the project that was the most personal to me - but it flew off into the world just like they all do. I spent a decade working on it, and felt it flowing through me every day - like it was a part of me. But the moment the show was done and released into the world, it wasn't mine anymore, just like all the others. I remember feeling almost knocked over when it departed, for some reason I thought that one would always feel like a part of me... but no. They're like children, they all have to go live their own lives, and they don't belong to you. Not really.
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Sugar Rush: September CPNs 🍬🍭
The month of BXGs had some very exciting candies! Let’s review them together ^^ Same disclaimer applies. Only for CPN-loving bxgs. If you hate this kind of thing, please spare yourself the pain and scroll along.
• Similarity between Shengyang & Yibo ( when what you love becomes a career )
• Same brand = Covernat
• Them being the Sun 🧡
• WYB’s Pechoin Ad spotted in an episode of SBMS
I really have a lot of feelings with the Shengyang x Chen Shuo AU pairing. They are so perfect together!
I mean….. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
• There is something about the similarities between shengyang & yibo in the way that they look at the person they care about the most that gets me. it’s this whole “puppy” devotion they got going on. an innocent kind of love.
the kind where you look at the person’s reaction first when something happens, you wanna see them happy before you enjoy what’s in front of you. even if they don’t talk, you carefully observe their body language cause you wanna figure out how to help them and show them that you’re on their side. ☀️
• In a BTS released by One & Only, they showed some wardrobe and looks for Chen Shuo. This one is him wearing a black helmet instead of red. Did you see the peppa pig sticker? and i can’t make out the other one. What a coincidence, considering the CQL crew’s “history” with peppa pig 😂😂😂
• Not really CPN, but to archive this incident where cpfs commented WYB photos on ZZ’s douyin post. This reminds me of that 95 post on weibo, where it was all cpf, then 🍤 of course did the most to “erase” that. but that comment section has so many interactions. I’m 50/50 on this, I think it’s unnecessary to do it, knowing full well that it will “provoke” a fan war and i personally don’t want that. The other half of me tho is cackling cause cpfs surely know how to troll. My fave tho are photo comments of cute fandom dolls 🥺🥺🥺
• One and Only top box office in Chongqing on 9/4
• Summary of SBMS clowning material from 9/1 to 9/5 ☀️
• Similarity in WYB & XZ selfies ( vintage motorcycle gear )
• XZ’s mystery driver, and was it WYB?
• INNER MONGOLIA MYSTERY : I’m naming it as such because it’s truly a mystery as of writing. There’s been some rumors already that LOCH & Mermaid will have scenes shot in IM. XZ tho is confirmed to be there. The cast and crew were spotted and XZ is not exactly hiding it either, his IP is there.
What makes it sus is a video captured that is allegedly of the hotel entrance where XZ stays. It’s too dark to see who he is with but some cpfs are saying you can see someone who is like WYB going in too w/ XZ. the way the person walks tho is so WYB as far as I can tell. And the most sus thing is the hotel closed all the lights in the lobby. Who the fuck does that. Yeah I know XZ is VIP and they will do everything to protect him and make sure no photos of him will be taken. But to actually close all the lights??? There must be something more… probably another VIP guest????
and well this.. whatever this is… it’s not covering with umbrellas anymore, it had come to this kind of hiding already. and how they were hiding who was coming in and. there were 2 people. so yeah. 👀
again, i am including this here to archive but i’m not fond of them being followed around like that. just leave them alone to work in peace. 🙃 we should be more focused on their projects and not act like paps. understand the reason why there are proxy shooters is because there is an audience.
the most sus thing do, is come monday, the black cloth and all the cover up was not done anymore. So it makes you think that they were really trying to hide something in those days they used it. 🤡
• SBMS clowning series version 2 / version 3 / version 4 / version 5 / version 6
• Hangzhou Asian Games power couple 🔥🔥🔥
• THEM and Li Qin as leading lady 😂😂😂
• Their long hair! Please bring it back for both please and thank you ☺️☺️☺️
and the fact that GG is absolutely glowing in the photo. We’ve been speculating that WYB visited him, so is this the result????
• YIBO-Official 9th debut anniversary debut clowning: who folded the shirt // 2019 memories, new? black panther drawing and day&night selfies // XZ signed the artwork + the pose is inspired by yibo
• Edited background in yibo’s selfie + Why we think this was taken in Inner Mongolia
• Couple autograph !!!!
• RIO becomes cpf’s friend lol
• Love is like this / Fireworks
• The timing of their posts ( an example )
• This is so funny!!!! Now that we have a glimpse of Wei Ruolai, he is being paired to Xiao Sa — who we know is Mister Ye’s. So it’s now a love triangle 😂
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
• bracelet & hand cpn - i don’t personally buy into this cpn but a huge chunk of the fandom were talking about it so i’m including it
• XZS Vlog Chapter 6 candies: ZZ & WYB similarity in XZS vlog + xzs and ybo are working together again & salomon shoes & mosaic design + panda rumor
• Matching Mid Autumn festival post ; Also how WYB’s look like there is a Mole. ☺️
There are also talks of the photo being taken from a proper camera, the most popular guess being a leica. I guess how YBO reposted this and said something like how Bobo is a “photographer” clued people in. But it could be because he posted an artsy photo like this instead of a selfie. 📷
—— END ——
See you all next month! 💕🍬
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so, i'd been stalking your blog in silence for the past few days/weeks because i used to be a huge fan of LO (i paid patron, was on the discord, own merch and a volume, spent money on fast past for over FOUR years). but as it happened to most fans, i got frustrated and gave up fastpass, and for a while i was trying to stay away from LO critiques because it just made me mad to realize something that was a comfort thing for me was bad all along (and i didn't wanna go full blown anti-LO) but i just finished reading your analysis on the mid-season finale and oh my god dude.
the retcon on how persephone feels about apollo after over 4 years of seeing her hate him because of what he did nearly pushed me over the edge. i feel sick to my stomach, this has to be among the worst things rachel has done and i just wanna say thank you for bringing it up and talking about it so eloquently. i'm a victim of SA and its comforting to see people in the fandom take it as seriously as it should be.
also LO rekindled is a breath of fresh air, thank you for creating it and putting so much work into it <3
Aw man, it's wild when I see people go through the pipeline of realizing LO has issues, mostly because it's a common attack on the critical community that everyone in it are just a bunch of "trolls and haters", but really, a lot of us started in the same boat as you, myself included. I unfortunately just missed the Patreon era, but I remember when I was a diehard fan of LO, it was one of the biggest facets of my friendship with the person who introduced me to it, I would literally be swiping my app refreshing it over and over again in the last seconds leading up to new updates trying to get the episode to just load, I drew fanart, I even did a tattoo of it once for that same friend who got me into it, and yes, I was really pissed that there was an anti community surrounding it.
It's crazy to think back on those times. I do miss how the comic used to make me feel, but at the same time, I know there's no going back to that time so I try to make the best of what I have now within the critic community, and what I've gained since then in terms of dissecting and discussing literature.
I feel so much for your feelings regarding the SA plot, I'm also a victim of SA so it was one of the biggest plot points that drew me into the comic in the first place, so it was really hard to truly realize what the series had become as the SA plotline took a backseat and the characterizations fell apart. It felt like something that I had gone through - and many others who also related to Persephone's struggles - was being used for cheap drama and that feels especially apparent now with how the series seems to be backpedaling it, or at least, replacing it with different motivations to make Apollo the villain, almost like it's an attempt to distract us from the SA and make us want to see his downfall for reasons that Rachel can quantify in a more black and white "good vs evil" kind of way.
I'm so glad you like Rekindled, I made it for people like you and I who loved LO once upon a time but mourn for what it once was before it turned into what it is now. It's been such a cathartic project for me and I'm so happy that others enjoy it too <3
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I really loved your view on when did Brian fall in love with Justin and I saw how happy you were about a qaf ask, so here I am:
when do you think britin reunited after the finale, specifically how long do you think they lived apart for AND how do you they reunited? (I couldn't bring myself to watch that episode because this is gonna break my heart) OR do you think they are not together?
I love this fandom and I love you. I’ve been wanting to write some more fic for them for a while and haven’t had the motivation, but this might spur me along.
In the meantime…I’ll start with the last episode and why I have an unpopular opinion about how it ended and then get into how I envision their reunion.
Finale
I know there is a lot of hate for S5 finale, but I honestly love the “It’s only time” speech that Brian gives and it’s so so special to me. I feel like it is one of the most romantic lines in the show because in Brian Kinney-speak “It’s only time” is "I will always love you. I will love you just as much tomorrow as I love you today and the next day and the next and the next. I will die loving you. I will love you if you come back to me and I will love you if you never come back to me because time doesn't matter, you are the person I love and that will never change.”
Not joking, QaF fundamentally altered my view on romantic love. I previously only thought that familial love could be unconditional, but it was such a believable representation of unconditional romantic love that it shifted my perspective. They both truly just want what is best for the other, even if that means they cannot physically be together or at times are not in a relationship. It took my breath away.
All that being said, I definitely do not think of their last scenes together in S5 as a break-up, maybe just a break. They needed to exist separately and apart from each other for a little bit. I think Brian is fairly conscious of their age gap and he never wants to hold Justin back from anything because of their relationship. We see him struggle with this throughout the series, remember him encouraging Justin to make some friends his own age, “Enjoy your youth…I sure have ;)” as well as his many attempts to get Justin to go to and finish college. Even when Justin was with Ethan, of course Brian was hurt because of the cheating, but he also didn’t hold it against Justin because he ultimately wants him to have everything he wants and desires and Brian recognized that he couldn’t give Justin that at the time (let’s Brian’s struggles with low self-esteem aside for the purpose of this conversation). On the other side, Justin loves Brian exactly how he is, and I think Brian’s sudden change of heart (i.e. declaring his love, proposing marriage, turning down opportunities to hook up with tricks etc.) scared Justin.
The two of them went through yet another extraordinary trauma with the attack on Babylon and I think the rush to get married was an extension of that, but I don’t know if either of them were actually ready for marriage. In the same way Brian is afraid Justin will wind up resenting him and their relationship if it were to keep Justin from reaching his full potential as an artist, I think Justin is afraid that if they do get married, Brian will later resent it because he was only caught up in the fear of once again losing the love of his life. But no matter what, something big did shift in a very real way for both of them and made Brian feel freer to express his love for Justin.
Reunion
I think Justin moves to New York and has the exact experience he was looking for. He struggles for a bit and he hides it from Brian and his family because he wants to prove to himself that he can do it, that he can take care of himself and Brian lets him. He supports and loves his independence. I think they see each other frequently and are madly, passionately, exuberantly in love even though they live in different cities. I think Brian flies to New York every few weeks and Justin takes the bus to the Pitts every chance he gets.
The first time Brian visits, Justin picks him up from the airport and they can’t stand another moment not touching each other, so they don’t even make it home and end up having a quickie in the airport bathroom. Then Brian takes them to a hotel because he is not sleeping on Justin’s ratty second-hand mattress and letting his roommate hear them fuck their brains out for the next 48 hours.
Eventually, Justin’s art starts selling and he stops struggling. He makes a name for himself and is being flown across the country for different shows and speaking engagements. Meanwhile, Kinnetic becomes the top ad agency in Pennsylvania and begins to gain clients throughout the northeast and in New York to the extent that developing a satellite office in the city only makes sense. Brian moves to New York, not because he is following Justin, but because it has always been his dream. He sells Britin and swaps it for a penthouse in Manhattan that he puts in both their names. Justin moves in without either of them talking about it.
I see them getting married about 7 or 8 years after we last see them in the show, and this time it feels right. They go back to Pittsburgh and their chosen family, the gang and some new friends, are all there to celebrate them. I do not think they will ever choose to have a monogamous relationship. It is not what either of them want nor do they see it as a way to show their devotion to each other. Their non-monogamy looks a lot different than it did when they were younger though. They are both more intentional about the partners they choose and it’s more like the trick of the month vs the trick of the night (or even hour if you’re Brian Kinney). More often than not they wind up in threesomes or moresomes together rather than seeing someone separately. They allow the exchange of names and numbers because they feel more secure in their relationship with each other. The prohibition on kissing anyone else remains.
They don’t have kids together, but they both are in and out of Toronto with enough regularity that Gus sees them as de facto parents who helped his moms raise him. Gus often goes to New York to spend long weekends with them and in high school and college he will spend entire summers in New York with Brian and Justin.
They are the consummate New York power couple; they help each other’s business and are always attending each other’s events. They travel separately for work but always make time to leave the country and vacation together a few times a year. Eventually, they move from the penthouse to a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone and at some point, they (cover Brian’s ears) grow old together.
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so howd you like it what are your thoughts
Anon, I hope you don't mind it but I'm going to use this ask as an excuse to do my Full On Rambling post about my honest thoughts. I'll try to keep is as coherent as possible, but I can't actually guarantee it :')
Also putting it under a cut because some of it is going to sound negative (as I said, I want to exorcise any critiques I have so I can go back to Vibing asap) and I know many people (undestandibly!!) won't want to read that, and I don't want to burst anyone's happy bubble :) . And also because of s3 spoilers. Bear in mind that it's not a rant post, I still had tons of fun with the season. But since I'm going to be talking about the things I enjoyed forevermore and gonna try to keep all my 'didn't really like this :/'s contained in this post, it may come out sounding like I enjoyed it less than I truly did. Here we go, get ready for some Thoughts
-> Content
Okay, listen. This season was fun. I had a nice time watching the newest shenanigans. New characters (with one notable exception) were a joy to watch (yes, even the thing. We're in a toxic situationship) and I was greatly amused by their adventures; most of them kept me on the edge of my seat.
(ok, here's where the negativity begins. Please don't take me for someone who wanted everything to be done for Their Specific Standards or who thinks they know more than the professional and extremely skilled team that was behind the series. I'm just throwing around thoughts about how I feel, but in the end, the only thing that matters is that Luke Pearson and the team got to tell the story they wanted to. If that was achieved, I'm happy regardless)
However, I couldn't help but think that some of it felt... like it was "thrown" at us, in a way? To be fair, I think most of the negative points I'll discuss in this post are a consequence of this season being 6 epsidoes short of what the writers originally planned because, as I've mentioned before, I do think the show's writing is great and that the team puts their heart and soul into making this the best cartoon possible. Anyway, what I mean is that at times I thought the episodes seemed so worried with delivering all the information they could that a lot was left behind and some stuff didn't really tie together with the rest.
For example; I still cannot understand why aunt Astrid and Anders had to be these big surprises that had never been mentioned before if Hilda, the character who we see this world through, already knew about them? Don't misunderstand me, I am well aware that these nitpicks of mine are subjective and only my personal opinions that may very well simply be a consequence of not understanding what the writers were trying to achieve. I just feel like Johanna's family and Hilda's father are topics that have been discussed so at lenght in the fandom, precisely because they'd been so carefully skirted around in the previous seasons, that the reveal that nothing really dramatic had happened (between Johanna/Astrid and Johanna/Anders, at least) feels anticlimatic to me. It just feels (again, to me, personal opinion) that if this was going to be the case all along they could have mentioned these characters before, and it would have made the narrative make a little more sense.
(This is especially true to me in Anders' case. Bc it felt to me like they had been trying to highlight how irrelevant Hilda's dad was to the story in the first seasons by not bringing him up at all, by not even pointing out his abscence. But I can't really see the point in that if you're gonna bring out the man either way)
Ironically, at the same time I felt like some of the arcs were a tad overachieving, especially the Johanna's parents one. I just felt like it was Too Much Too Quickly, which once again is likely because of the season having been shortened. I feel like if they really wanted to do that arc, and that way, it would have been helpful to cut some other storylines so they could begin fleshing out this one earlier. They way it was done I just personally (can you tell I'm terrified of being taken as a hater?) felt like there was no time at all to get either used to the idea of Johanna being half faerie nor to get attatched to her parents. Like. I know the episode was the season's emotional peak, but it just didn't hit me the way I know it should.
Not sure if this was a me problem, but I felt like the audience wasn't given enough time to process what had even happened when they got stuck in the fairie island, nor to even consider that they'd truly be stuck there forever, much less to fully process the sacrifice Johanna was making when she left it with Hilda. I didn't get to get attached to Johanna's parents or to the dynamic they have with their daughter. I didn't suffer the way I wanted to when I saw them having to part ways, because I couldn't become invested in their bond when I was still trying to wrap my head around what their backstory even was and pay attention to the action heavy scenes that were to come.
What I'm gonna say here is way meaner than the people behind the show's writing deserve and I know, I can absolutely tell it isn't the case because you can see some of the foreshadowing once you have the benefit of hindsight, but it felt to me like some of Johanna's backstory was written for shock value alone. Which, considering the previous components of the season that I have already mentioned felt underwhelming, was even more jarring.
Another thing is that I feel like a lot was sacrificed in order to do these overachieving arcs. This maaay just be the side character lover and change hater in me, but I do feel like in order to present to us all these new concepts that would be necessary for the backstory to make sense, we were deprived of some elements in Hilda The Series that are arguably what the show does best. It felt like they all but scratched all of their previous stories, characters and components to switch them up for new ones. Pikablob has said it better than me, tbh.
However. I do feel like saying that none of the fears I had for the season came true. No character feels ooc, no one was left with an incomplete arc, and though I can't see how Anders contributes to the story, if he had to be there I feel like the way that was it done was the right one.
-> Pacing
Frenetic. Run for the hills kind of thing sometimes. Which, once again, I can't bring myself to believe was the writers' fault, not when they had other 6 episodes planned that they didn't get to do. I absolutely understand that they had to condense everything they wanted to show us into half the runtime. But it did become an issue (to me) when instead of the trademark Hilda Idyllic Tranquility I usually feel while watching (even plot and action heavy content like TMK), I felt like I was watching a completely different cartoon. Carmen Sandiego, or something like that (please note that I do also love Carmen Sandiego). Many times it just felt like there was no breathing space, which isn't necessarily bad when done well, but I hadn't gone into the season prepared for that.
It wasn't a problem that was all around present, though. I do want to point out that imo "The Giant Slayer", "The Laughing Merman", "Strange Frequencies" and even "The Forgotten Lake" still felt like Hilda to me. Which is where I realize what the main issue I had with the season was. That a lot of it just felt like a different show.
-> ~ vibes ~
I am bringing back the disclaimer that if the team told the story they wanted to, then good for them, I'm pleased as can be. I do enjoy that the series played with some different concepts. The musicality and colours in The Laughing Merman, for example, were absolutely delightful to me. Seriously, I want an entire Hilda musical now.
But some things I just couldn't help but feel were so disconnected from the previous feel of the show that it felt to me like they didn't belong. You can sum the rest of this post up by saying that season 3 would have been one of my favourite ever cartoons if it had been its own thing. But it's not, so I can't help but compare it and try to understand how all of the installments work when together.
The faeries, for example. I was so excited when I saw the trailer and knew it was going to be one of the plots, because I thought it was going to be another adventure of the day type of thing that would span over three episodes max. And listen, I've talked about how much I love Celtic folklore, and maybe this is just my consistency loving brain being annoying, but it felt a bit... clashing? that this season was based on tales and creatures and treaditions that weren't the scandinavian ones that inspired the rest of the series. It just felt like a major shift in tone that I don't really understand (once again, me problem, may very well be a skill issue on my part & I'm not saying they shouldn't have ventured so far just bc I didn't quite vibe with it). It just feels a bit off to me, knowing that Johanna's backstory was likely planned from the start, that there wasn't any celtic lore at all in previous seasons to make this sudden detachment from nordic folklore feel less out of the blue.
You know that joke that Disney movies like Aladdin and Raya take concepts from different cultures and smash them together like they're not completely different? I felt to some extent (bc OF COURSE Hilda is much better researched and has a lot better quality than that /gen) like they did that this season. But with white people. Which, fair, I can appreciate the irony.
Back to the topic of bold storylines, I understand what the Hilda team did with all the Johanna backstory. I understand that it's something that everyone wanted to see soo bad and they wanted it to be great (and it was). The thing I got stuck on is just that it ended up changing the vibe of the show to me. Whereas previous seasons feel like "slice of life in a magical place", I felt like this time I was watching a magic centered fantasy. Especially when they got into trying to explain the origin of magic and everything. Which is ironic, because I enjoyed the concept a lot and will explore it in the future, but it still felt like something that I wouldn't have expected Hilda the Series to tackle. Like there was a giant shift from folkloric to fantastic that isn't bad, but it is different and I hadn't been prepared for that lol.
God, I feel like I just wrote all of that and just to be A Bitch. I just wanted to get these thoughts out but I don't expect you guys to agree or anything. I genuinely liked watching this season, and I will continue to reiterate this in the future. And even if it doesn't beat s1 or s2 in my heart, I'm still grateful we got a final season at all, and everyone who was involved in it deserves all the praise <3
#me while writing this: dont say retcon dont say retcon#retcon is the word toxic 'fans' use when something doesnt go exactly the way they want and they can't interpret media DONT SAY RETCON#(<- friend just brought to my attention that I wasn’t clear on this - I don’t mean to say that retcons don’t exist#or that bad writing isn’t a problem!! I just mean I’ve seen so many discussions where the word was used badly#that now I can’t take it seriously nor use it anymore#)#I don't mean to say no one can critique the writing or that it's wrong to not enjoy what was done#I just don't trust myself to do it right KJSHDFKJHDS#& I don't want to soundl like a whiny and entitled jerk :(#kinda traumatized about it after that One ao3 commenter#hilda spoilers#hilda s3 spoilers#hilda critical#I cannot BELIEVE I just used that tag#should I tag for negativity?? I will just to be safe#negativity#hilda netflix#hilda season 3
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What I'm Reading Wednesday...
On the Duck Prints Press reading server, it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday where we all share what we finished in the last week, what we are currently reading, and what we think of these books.
I figured hey, why not bring that to the rest of the world for myself. Because I love yelling about my current reads. And I’ve always got several things in motion at one time, between physical, audio, and ebooks, plus things I’m reading for specific reasons.
Here’s the summary from the last week in visual format (the actual discussion is behind the read-more):
Fiction
I am currently reading Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (from Duck Prints Press). There are so many things to love in this book. The world building packs so much into such a small space. The culture clash between human and shapeshifter is wonderful (and Harley’s shapeshifters truly have a culture all their own). I thought it was going to be a quick read because it’s short, but the language and depth of information have me going slower and savoring every word. That said, I’ve also reached the point where I want to take it in faster, so I find myself spending a little extra time every time I pick it up, just to get a few more pages!
Manga & Graphic Novels
I have one manga and one graphic novel in progress.
I’ve been reading The Complete Elfquest, volume 1 by Wendy & Richard Pini for a little over two weeks now. We have several of these volumes, and my intention is to read one chapter/issue a night, so I am able to savor them slowly, but also get through them. Reading this first volume is like coming home into a fandom from childhood. The first chunk of it was also collected in the original Warp Graphics compilations, and I can’t remember how often I read those back in high school. I’m reaching the parts now where I probably only read the individual issues once or twice, so it’s familiar, but not to the point where I’m like oh yes, I remember gazing at that panel for hours. I still love these elves, and this story, and I cannot wait to get home each day and be allowed to read a chapter. I’m looking forward to when I reach new-to-me material.
I watched the 24 episode anime The Apothecary Diaries and I wasn’t ready to let it go when it was over, so I started reading the manga by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage. I finished volumes 5 & 6 this past week and am currently reading volume 7. I have the remaining already published volumes waiting for when I’m done with this. I adore Maomao and Jinshi, and am incredibly excited to get to the point where canon moves past what is in the anime. That said, getting to revisit events I already watched on TV and linger over what was said and the exact expressions has been soooo good. (And yes, I know the light novels also exist and will be rolling into those in ebook form after the manga; I might be a tad bit obsessed).
Audiobook
A while ago I thought “I should read some TJ Klune” so I checked the library list I had for audiobooks, and the first of his Extraordinaries trilogy was available in audio. I listened to it. I was addicted. I’m now on the third book—Heat Wave—and I find it very very hard to put it down. I can’t listen while working, only while commuting, walking, or doing chores—things that don’t require me to actually think so I can multi-task. But hey, it’s a GREAT way to get me to do my PT since it means fifteen minutes more of audiobook listening! Nick, the POV character, has ADHD and I flail a lot over pretty much everything he thinks and does. I love every character in this series. I love how Klune is using superheroes as an allegory for the queer experience and for racial issues, but at the same time, is actually addressing those issues explicitly. I both want to listen faster to find out what happens, and linger so it doesn’t end.
Ebook
I have been reading Wayfinder by CE Murphy, which is the second in a duology. This is a romance, yes, but it’s another fun culture clash book, this time between humanity and faerie, and I am so here for that. Murphy is an author I used to read a lot from, and I’m trying to work my way through her back catalog slowly because I’ve always enjoyed her style. Accessible and fun. This series is about a woman who has always been able to hear lies (a Truthseeker), and how her talent develops, and how she works with the faerie kingdoms to try to help them (despite some of them not wanting help, and the original situation not being the one she’s actually needed for).
Non-fiction
I have been working my way through three non-fiction books.
One is A Year of Zen by Bonnie Myotai Treace. I had been looking for a journaling prompt book, and decided to give this one a try. I made the difficult decision to write directly in the book itself, then the additional decision to let myself fail if needed. So if I don’t get to answer a prompt on a day, I just answer it the next day. One prompt per day. It’ll take me more than a year to go through it, but that’s okay. The idea is to have me think and write a short paragraph every day, and not feel guilty about messing up. It’s working surprisingly well. Learning to let myself fail has been a big part of my process this year, and hopefully I am learning to let go of some of the anxiety about things needing to be matched and rigid.
The one I am stalled on right now is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. It was recommended as a book that therapists like to use for themselves, not merely recommend to their patients, and it reminded me of the radical acceptance I’m supposed to be practicing (and apparently am, despite myself, according to my therapist after she listened to me). The problem is, it has exercises (doesn’t everything?) and I stalled out because I didn’t have time.
Time is a theme, y’know? And that’s what happened with the last non-fiction book. I’ve been working through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, taking it as a self-guided 12 week course. I’m currently on week 5. However, I did a week of just doing morning notes before I really got started, then I took a week off when everything went haywire in my schedule because of the power outage. So it’s been about seven weeks so far. This week, as I worked on exercises, I found myself really digging in to my emotions about this book. And in the end, I decided that while I can see the value in some things, the book itself is giving me more anxiety about everything to do with my writing, while at the same time making it impossible for me to find time TO write (while following the advice it gives). So. I am no longer doing it as a course, with exercises, but I will finish reading it. And if an exercise appeals, I’ll do it. It’ll still take time, because I’ll probably still read one chapter each weekend, but I am already feeling WAY less stressed and I only made this decision last night.
So…
That’s it for me! What are you reading?
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MONICA!!!!!! The concert was so good!!!! 😭😭😭 I’m assuming you’re ok with spoilers so here goes 😬
The first half of the show was them playing and recreating the key scenes and singing in them which I thought would trigger me tbh but instead I think it did me good to see the scenes I loved again 🥹 and Jimmy, Mark and Sea were so freaking good they cried in some scenes and I cried seeing them cry and it was so emotional again!!! I really wanna go back and rewatch all the good parts now, it’s still 80% a really good series!!
And they did Blame the Stars together!!! And you saw they did the “can I have my shirt back” scene!!! 😵🫠
(They played the breakup scene but not the reconciliation, it kinda just skipped to “happy ending” and I’m actually glad that we don’t have to rehash all of that)
They did full group songs and unit songs and what got to me was that MarkNamtan and OhmFilm did songs but so did NamtanFilm and MarkOhm!!! The NamtanFilm song was 😙👌
They did a whole Vice Versa medley!!! They did it for me!!! 😄 I was so happy and excited to see it!!! I hope that gets more of the newer fans to go watch it!!!
Jimmy, Mark and Sea had solo moments too, love that for them!!
They were surprised with a fan made video in support of them!! 🥰
Their speeches at the end were emotional and everyone cried, including me 🥹 Sea went second to last and Jimmy went last and he spoke the most 😁
It was just under 4 hours long, it started a little late (as all GMM concerts do tbh) but it was so good and worth only getting 4 hours of sleep 😅 I really hope you get to see it and enjoy it too!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR LIVE STREAMING EXPERIENCE OF THE LAST TWILIGHT CONCERT WITH ME KAREN!!!!!!!!
ngl reading this and seeing all the clips on twitter is making me want to buy the ticket for the rerun so badly like i always knew it was gonna be great and that everyone was gonna give their all but damn. the concert actually felt so well organized and thought out, i love that they basically turned the show into a musical and gave space for all kind of performances and pairings!!!!!! i've always wanted a duet version of blame the stars and im so happy they finally gave it to us!!!!!! and seeing namtanfilm and markohm slow dance alongside jimmysea was such a blessing THEY TRULY SAID THERE AIN'T NO STRAIGHT PEOPLE LEFT IN THIS SHOW
i really wasn't expecting it, but tbh i feel the same way as you. i think this did me good. maybe im just saying this because i haven't seen any videos of the break up scene so i can just keep pretending it never happened, but the parts i did see are kind of healing the hurt i've been feeling over the last three episodes of the show and bringing back all the love and excitement i used to have for morkday
ALSO NOT TO BE DRAMATIC BUT JIMMYSEA SINGING THE ENTIRETY OF THE VICE VERSA OST WITH A BRIGHT PINK STAGE SURROUNDING THEM MADE ME CRY LIKE A BABY like i truly did not expect them to bring vice versa up because last twilight is what brought them the popularity they always deserved so i was afraid they would kinda forget about vice versa, but im honestly just so ridiculously happy and emotional to know that it's still in their heart. or at least that they know it's still in ours, even if we may be a minority in the fandom now
i already had a meltdown over jimmysea this morning and i really can't afford another one and i don't think i would even have the words to express everything i feel but. im just so proud of them. it's honestly insane to me that they were able to pull off a performance like this in such a short period of time and with such a busy schedule. their dedication, their hard work, their kindness..... I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS THESE TWO BOYS DESERVES ALL THE LOVE AND RECOGNITION IN THE WORLD
#THIS IS SO LONG AND YET I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO SAY AND SCREAM ABOUT#BUT ALSO I FEEL SO EMOTIONALLY FLAYED OPEN I DON'T THINK I COULD SAY ANOTHER WORD#IM JUST SO HAPPY JIMMYSEA GOT TO HAVE THIS AND THAT IT WAS SUCH A HEALING EXPERIENCE FOR US#THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE AND YOUR FEELINGS WITH ME KAREN!!!!!!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜#jimmysea#karen 🧡#m: ask
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https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/733852081367269376/httpswwwtumblrcomlaf-outloud7338145430521446
I’m confused by people being shocked that J2 might work together again.
I sort of get it if people don’t want to see Jared work with Jensen again (prequelgate and so on), or just specifically don’t want Jensen on Walker (AAs are a nightmare and no one wants them near any show), but I’m pretty surprised that people actually don't expect them to get back on screen together at some point. Or see it as some "that ship has long sailed" situation.
Both Jared and Jensen bring up doing an SPN revival on their own. They don’t just say, "sure" when people ask them about it. I get people thinking this is just fan service, but if a fan doesn’t bring it up first, they certainly don’t have to say something at just about every con. I think they truly do want to do at least a mini series or something. Whether they’ll get the go ahead for it is another story. Also, they've been getting more and move nostalgic lately at cons, and more and more like old-school J2 on stage. I know, cons are for show, but the quality of their interactions over the last few cons just feel more fond than they did (for the most part) last year, for example. They always have good chemistry, but it’s been especially good lately. Yes, they do lots of stuff that is "for show" but there is just a different feel when they seem like they are truly vibing.
As for Jensen on Walker. I’m 50/50 on whether it will happen. But, I certainly won’t be surprised if it does.
Still, Keegan’s photo (which is what has people worried, I guess) was taken during the Nov 5th weekend when hellers were celebrating their embarrassing meme scene and waiting for Jensen to maybe make a mention of it, so the pic of J2 could have been in response to that, just in a delayed post. A little reminder that Supernatural was about the brother (not Destiel). Or, maybe J2 are actually still good friends behind the scenes and Keegan just wanted a pic of them and their long hair. 🤷♀️
I just think the fandom in general does a lot of projecting, and I’m certain,y not immune to it either. Jared doesn’t ever want to work with Jensen again, and him saying he does is just fan service, but it’s never going to happen (projection). J2 are vibing exactly like old times and are clearly still besties who already have a whole Season 16 of SPN planned out (projection). Jared has moved on and never plans to look back at supernatural (projection). Jared and Jensen are happiest when working together and they’ll make it happen no matter what (projection). Anyway, my point with these examples is we don’t actually know how Jared (or Jensen) feels about doing an SPN revival or having Jensen on Walker besides them saying they are interested publicly at one point or another, but assuming they don’t/do want these things because we don’t /do want these things, could lead to some unpleasant realities down the line.
Just out of curiosity: Will you still tune in to Walker if Jensen does get a recurring role on it? And would you watch SPN reboot/revival if it happened?
You make a lot of good points! The photo could have been counteracting the Destiel thing... but I also think Keegan being a Sunday con attendee, and having worked with Jensen and Jared together, has only every really seen SPN as the show about brothers, so his caption doesn't surprise me.
And you're right, none of us know what J2's relationship is really like right now... and fans (myself included) certainly throw our preferences around, lol! Personally, I don't think their con behavior is back to what it was post-prequelgate/end of SPN, but we all see things differently.
As for your questions... I would probably still watch Walker if Jensen had a recurring role... but I wouldn't be as excited to live-tweet or reblog gifs/screengrabs from those episodes. In fact, I'd probably avoid social media altogether simply so I wouldn't have to see AAs (and frankly, Jensen) try to make the show all about him, while completely dismissing Jared (and the other cast member's) contributions. They may be delusional, but they have the power to ruin every fandom they enter.
An SPN reboot is a harder question, mostly because it would have to be the exact right set of circumstances (right producers, writers, time-frame, lack of extras, etc.) for me to even consider watching.
I think the only reboot that I'd be glad to watch with both Jensen and Jared would be the one they talked about a while ago... Lonesome Dove. It would be about 10 years down the road... certainly enough time (I would hope) for the SPN fandom to settle down, and would be a chance for J2 to work together again without all of SPN's baggage.
#ask box#j2 speculation#j2 working together again speculation#spn reboot#fandom issues#fan projections#lonesome dove reboot#walker season 4 speculation
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it's been a wild ride, folks
i just wanted to thank first and foremost all of the people here who have followed this story, whether you were someone like me who was here before episode one even aired or if you just got into the show today. every person who has made a post about bd, whether it was stunning art, beautiful fics, headcanons, theory posts, memes, or just reactions to episodes, has contributed to this magnificent fandom in a meaningful way. thank you for loving buddy daddies, and thank you for making this one of the best fandom experiences i've ever had the pleasure of partaking in. i'm emotional just thinking about this show being over, but i truly hope we can all continue to talk about and enjoy this wonderful show for a good long while.
i want to give a special shout-out to the wonderful friends i've made in what we lovingly call the clown town server. i cherish each and every one of you and cannot express enough how much i'm grateful for bd for bringing us together and inspiring some of the best conversations and memories i wish to treasure for a long time. this journey wouldn't have been nearly as magical without y'all, so thank you so much for just being your wonderful selves.
i want to give one more huge thank you to @skeletonpunching for all of their hard work in translating just about everything there is to translate for this series. el, you truly are a foundational pillar in this fandom, and i cannot thank you my dear friend enough for your dedication and for sharing these translations with everyone.
cheers, y'all !!! we made it !!!
fridays will be empty without bd to look forward to, but here's to hoping we can all smile just as easy as kazuki, rei, and miri now and in the future. 💕
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I’ve always really disliked the idea of Adrien and Felix being Sentimonsters.
I mean, I don’t think the concept itself is inherently bad, but that clearly wasn’t something the writers had in mind before the introduction of the Peacock Miraculous. We only see hints of Adrien being a Sentimonster after the theory became popular in the ML fandom. There aren’t any moments in seasons 1 or 2 where we can go back and say “oh, now that we know he’s a Sentimonster, that makes a lot more sense.”
And it honestly makes the whole show and it’s world building all the more needlessly complicated and convoluted. Like, if Adrien was a Sentimonster the whole time, and Gabriel had his Amok, how the heck would it even be possible for Adrien to disobey his father and attend school in Origins?
YEAH NO LIKE
So!!
In /theory/, I don't mind the plot of 'they were Sentimonsters all along'. I don't mind the idea of other added in characters like Kagami or Zoé being Sentimonsters.
Honestly I kinda love the existential discussion that can come from such characters. At what point does programming become a person? Is artificial life truly real? So on and so forth. Anything from the Velveteen Rabbit to Chobits to I, Robot.
But yeah there are. There are so many plot holes.
Adrien is able to disobey Gabriel for the first two and a half seasons. Not even 'wiggle out with loopholes' but just straight up disobey.
Gabriel and Nathalie never sense that Chat Noir is a Sentimonster.
When Gabriel suspects Adrien of being Chat Noir, he doesn't use the Amok to force Adrien to tell the truth.
The Peacock Miraculous can casually create Sapient Life. This is not an issue for Ladybug killing them though.
So on and so forth.
Hell, Sentimonsters weren't even introduced until /the last five minutes of Season 2/.
Which brings me to another point re: the lack of setting this up: the actual lack of setup.
Let's compare this to two other recent series that did mystery/reveals WELL. Gravity Falls and Steven Universe. SPoilers for both of these ahead.
Gravity Falls had the reveal of Ford overall.
They set this up from episode one. The mystery of the Author of the Journals, Stan seeming to know more than he lets on, etc. Throughout the next season and a half, we got little hints to all of that. Some more subtle than others. But enough that the fandom caught on!
And it was a good mystery that even when we thought we were going to be proved wrong, thanks to Alex Hirsch trolling us with McGucket, there was still enough evidence to it.
Which made everyone scream when Ford actually showed up and confirmed that Stan had a secret twin who wrote the Journals.
Steven Universe had the reveal of Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond.
Throughout just Season 1, we are introduced to hints. Gems can shapeshift. Rose had secrets. There was a Gem Rebellion that Rose was the leader of. The Diamonds exist. Old ruins on Earth show an insignia with white, blue, yellow and pink diamonds, while modern ships show only white, blue and yellow. All sketches of Steven/Rose's Gem include it being diamond-shaped but just pointed inward.
And even when we get the reveal of Pink Diamond's existence, though thinking that Rose killed her, that's still a good reveal that made sense and builds up the next half of the mystery Rose being Pink.
These were great! They were good mysteries and had the fans going very early on!
And again, compare it to ML, who doesn't start this big mystery/reveal until half way into Season 3.
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What are your personal opinion about queerbaiting in anime/manga? Sorry for the random ask...It's just that most of my otps are of 2 male anime/manga characters that describes as bff/ rivals/ enemies that don't have any romantic relationships.....Even after I watched/read BL anime/manga, I still ship more of them that canonly are not a couple....Is that weird?
First of all, it's fandom! Be weird, that's practically what it's for! But I think this is pretty common actually. I know I certainly relate to it.
(I apologize in advance for how little anime I'm going to specifically mention here; Moriarty the Patriot is really my biggest foray back into the genre after a like 8-10 year break from being an otaku. I'm still catching up lol.)
I define queerbaiting (and I think this IS the definition) as a situation where the creators of a piece of fiction have realized that their media is appealing to queer people, and have decided to capitalize on that interest without any intention of actually letting a queer story happen. So, Destiel for example is 100% queerbaiting: (many of) the writers dragged that out very intentionally while also being disdainful of and seemingly grossed out by their queer audience. They just wanted to see how much money they could milk from it.
On the far opposite side is something like Our Flag Means Death, which is like a love letter to queer audiences and has queer people on the creative team and is just generally a joy.
In between, you have things like Good Omens or Hannibal, that maybe weren't setting out to be queer stories, but embraced the love from that community and allowed that element to grow within the series. The anecdotal story about Hannibal; that Bryan Fuller as a gay man was actually setting out to explore straight male friendships that he didn't feel like he could entirely access himself, only to have the chemistry between the leads shift the story, is something I really love (regardless of whether it's entirely true.) THAT is the kind of romance story-telling I want to see; something organic played out between writers and actors and audience. A living thing, rather than a set-in-stone script.
So, bringing that back to anime/manga, and using the series I'm most obsessed with, I think SherLiam is a bit of that. They've been very clearly fitting into romance tropes right from the get-go, but I also would not be surprised at all if our Senseis were responding to positive feedback from fans as they keep letting it get gayer and gayer. Though I have zero expectations of the words "I love you" or of an on-page kiss (and frankly I like what we have gotten better), nothing about it feels like a loveless manipulative money-grab. It feels like, "we like this, the fans like this, so we're gonna let it be as much a romance as it can be within the confines of the magazine it's published in."
In a more general way though, I totally agree with shipping not-quite canon couples above couples in things that are strictly romances, whether straight or gay. If you're watching a romantic movie or reading a BL manga, the ending is a foregone conclusion. You know they're gonna get together. And quite often sex is brought in very early.
Personally, I prefer a genuine will they/won't they. I like not knowing. And I like a couple to get really deeply emotionally intimate before sex factors in. So slowburns and things that never really become canon, or become canon right at the end, really work for me. There's always fanfiction if things aren't resolved the way we want, and in the meantime I can enjoy seeing a pair truly get to know each other in a way that most couples who only get an hour and a half of screentime or a few episodes just don't. I'll take 100 chapters of pining with no resolution over a couple hopping in bed after 45 minutes on screen.
#rambling#queerbaiting#yuukoku no moriarty#moriarty the patriot#basically my favourite ship dynamic is anything that emotionally edges me for interminable lengths of time lol
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While trying to come up with a list of favorite/best shows seen in 2023, I realized that this year there hasn't been anything that truly impressed me. Some of them were good, others mediocre and some shows that I started watching and then abandoned for whatever reason. Apart from the last season of Succession, nothing felt exciting enough that would make me impatient for the next episode. I couldn't even gather 10 shows for this list, but anyway, here it goes.
1. Succession
I do think that the last season wasn't as cohesive as the previous ones and sort of lost its direction in the second half, but it still was one of the best tv series of the year. If not for the entire season, at least for the Connor's Wedding episode, which was a masterclass in acting/directing.
2. Barry
It took me a while to get used to Barry and I wasn't really into it at the beginning, but it turned out that season 3 had one of the most interesting pieces of directing in tv and really got out of its way in terms of experimenting with the medium.
3. Rain Dogs
This is a little show, perhaps not very well known. If not for its plot, I think the acting was top notch, but it's something I usually find in a lot of British series.
4. Bad Sisters
I never thought I could hate Claes Bang's face (I really liked him in The Square), but my god, his character was a complete asshole, the worst of its kind. No wonder those sisters came up with 10+ ideas on how to kill him.
5. Jury Duty
I'm always down for a mockumentary and this one was a bit particular, as the main character wasn't aware of what was going on. But I think the project worked and it landed the reveal well. James Marsden was my favorite here.
6. Minx
I've mentioned Minx here before. I'm happy it was picked up by another network after HBO cancelled it. It may not have a big audience, but there's barely any promotion for it. Which is absurd because it's such a fun show about combining feminism with 70s erotica for women in a way that only that decade could have done.
7. Winning Time
Another show barely promoted and also cancelled by HBO after two seasons. I'm not really into sports movies/tv series, but when I'm hooked and the story is interesting enough, I'm all in. I didn't pay any attention to The Lakers before, but its fictional story set in the 80s? Bring it on.
8. Swarm
This is a must see for anyone who is part of a fandom. Yes, it's fiction and it shows a version of what extremism leads to, but I do think it points a mirror to today's understanding of what it means to be a fan. Of taking a really toxic mindset from the online world and applying it in real life. There's a lot of food for thought there.
#m thoughts#top tv series 2023#swarm#succession#winning time#minx#bad sisters#barry#rain dogs#jury duty
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Ok i will probably get cancelled for this:
As characters I feel like Nobara is overrated while Sakura is underrated.
Now ik people are probably bubbling with anger, but here me out. This is based solely on what I think, what I have observed and seen.
Now on the internet people are fixated on Kugisaki Nobara and her feats and personality. People have gone so far as to make these memes:
Now I don't want to be the "boomer" on the internet who likes to make memes boring, but these memes are too much. They are treating Sakura as a villian of some sort and degrading her and her feats realllly badly. I mean, first of all these memes showcase Nobara being a bitch to Sakura like wtf?? Someone on the internet even claimed that Nobara would be angered to be Compared with Sakura. What the actual fuck? Nobara has sass and attitude but only for the right places or reasons. She isn't gonna be a bitch to people and would get along with Sakura really well. Honestly. This is so disrespectful.
While I wouldn't concur saying Nobara is a "perfect" character in comparison to Sakura (I love both a lot. But it would be hypocritical for me NOT to see Sakura's flaws)
My thing with Nobara on the internet is how she is called as "useful Sakura" her personification is "Useful Sakura". Like what????
She has already said this:
So no she is not fucking Sakura or "Useful Sakura" bullshit. I love both of them but the fandom treatment is bullshit. Is it REALLY necessary to bring down one character to make the other rise?
Next up: Haruno Sakura
Sakura is probably my 5th favourite female character in animangas. I really adore her and her character development. I would agree that Kishimoto was biased towards Sasuke and Naruto and didn't really give consistent development to Sakura. Well that was 1990's, females in shounen media that time were not expected to shine.
HOWEVER that doesnt stop me from liking Sakura Haruno from Naruto. I actually prefer her over Nobara and have some personal opinion-based reason for that.
Sakura cutting her hair and realising that she needs to be independent is character growth which is something Nobara didn't have. I saw Nobara come as a total badass. I was also driven in notion that Sakura is annoying until her episode 32. Her UNDERSTANDING the hard way that she doesn't want to be saved anymore and wants to be independent and confident. She herself goes on her own initiative wants to become Tsunade's apprentice. These tiny steps are growth which I enjoy seeing in character. This is not something I observed or could see in Nobara's character. Sakura's understanding of Naruto's dream and supporting him throughout the series UNDERSTANDING that the world isn't a walk in the park and she needs to be humble, confident and a protector. This sort of gradual developement is something I didn't see in Nobara. Which is why I prefer Sakura over her.
Now, am I hating on Nobara? Abse-fucking-louetly not. I love her a lot. No way in hell I would ever hate her. But the fandom treatment of Nobara is assy. Nobara gets along with people really well. She's strong, independent and amazing. She is not Sakura. Nobara's amazing because she knows HERSELF like nobody other. She isn't going to let people make a fool out of herself, and she's going to stand by her ideals. When she fought with the brothers holy shit that was badass af. I didn't get much hype, but I got chills everytime Nobara yelled Resonance and put a nail inside through her wrist. The Rose tattoo suits her well don't you think?? Nobara truly believed in equality is an amazing character.
In the same way Sakura is not "useless Nobara" Sakura is equally amazing(I prefer Sakura, but that's an opinion) She has saved the mc 11 times, healed her friends and villagers and opened a mental health clinic so that other orphans don't suffer like her friends did. She takes things into consideration AND has developed her own medical jutsu. She's incredible as well. She is cute and smart. Her highlight was Sakura versus Sasori. When she punched Sasori I felt that 😌 that was badass as fuck. She too believes in female shinobi and sees good in people (Sasuke). She learns from her mistakes and is amazing.
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