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you-cant-spell-subtext-without · 3 years

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so get this. I was gonna roll around in Tombstone related fluff today - but no, no - this post came across my dash so Now We Are Gonna Discuss the Carnal Consumption of Meat as it appears on That Show Supernatural. YEAH BUDDIES!

(also my sincere apologies to OP of the inspiration post who innocently tagged it with “lunch date!” because I am about to go Elsewhere, cursedly).

Let’s all go meat man, after the cut!

This analysis centers primarily on 5x14 Bloody Valentine. The title of course is a semi-homage to a 3D Slasher Film Jensen starred in circa 2009.

Which I will be renting soon I guess. ,[<- parasocial panda GET BACK IN YOUR ENCLOSURE]

Also Its Really Fun that the trailer for Said Cinema ends with “nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to hell” [are you also thinking of Cas pulling Dean out of hell, or are you normal?] ***unironically the teaser for 5x14 is -

EXT. SIDEWALK - IN FRONT OF ALICE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

RUSSEL

First date.

They then eat each other. Literally they eat each others flesh. They also do it while dirty talking about it. SPN IS A SHOW

ALICE Ugh! I've been so alone. So empty...

RUSSEL I know. Me too.

ALICE I want you, Russel---All of you... inside me...

[they both take bites out of each other, Alice chewing on a piece of Russel's flesh]

****Remember this detail, as it is important.

ANYWAY, it’s truly Cursed that not only are we doing an homage to this 3-D Jensen Horror Date Flick but also this episode is specifically centered on Valentine’s Day. The day honoring romance and love Now Coopted by Hallmark, everyone, that is the day spn writers chose to introduce us to

Sir Horseman of THE Biblical Apocalypse Famine.

Canonically, we are aware that the show is drawing from the book of Revelations in its depiction of the Four Horsemen. Here’s what it says about Famine -

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”

-Revelations 6:5

Famine holds scales (used to weigh out grain in times of food scarcity). Spn’s depiction is represented as hunger, a bottomless pit of need. It consumes souls (demon and human alike).

Cas describes Famine a little more poetically:

CASTIEL

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... "

"... and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. "

"His hunger will seep out and poison the air. "

***Consider a prior season in which we are introduced to the Seven Deadly Sins. Which are the sins associated with hunger?

Gluttony

and Lust.

***this is also important

Back to the episode. Case cold open, and we find out that Alice was a Nice Girl. In that she didnt drink, smoke or

have premarital sex.

***So Alice’s hunger for the sin of Lust caused her to succumb to it; and her demise was presented as Gluttony (literally eating her partner’s flesh). HMM

Famine’s presence is affecting the town, and Cas is not immune.

DEAN

And when did you start eating?

CASTIEL

Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.

***They lay it out a little more in case you missed it ->

SAM

I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food.

CASTIEL

Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--Sex, attention, drugs, love...

***this is so important. but of course because its spn and our textual narrators are generally unreliable (even in a Ben Edlund episode, yes I know)

we get a red herring

CASTIEL

Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.

***but that’s not accurate. they didn’t get married or become obsessed with each other (remember the cursed coin in 4x08 Wishful Thinking and the unconditional love wish? not what happened here). they had premarital sex. they did the thing Alice considers wrong, and dark, and sinful. and then they ate each others’ flesh.

DEAN

Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

CASTIEL

It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect

***mad lad Jimmy Novak’s hunger is for...red meat? He is starving for red meat? You are telling me that the Novaks, red blooded conservative religious midwestern Novaks, ate RED MEAT SO SPARINGLY that Jimmy Novak was LITERALLY starving for it?!?! No way. Absolutely no way. This is a man who was such a religious zealot he STUCK HIS HAND IN BOILING WATER and accepted an angel of the lord into his own body but his secret hunger was for fucking ground beef?

give me a damn break.

to me this is an absolute coverup. Because Cas’s burger consumption is not related one iota to his vessel Jimmy Novak.

it is a representation of Cas falling. Cas’s cravings for meat represent his growing (and very much prohibited) feelings for...humanity (Dean Winchester), and they are presenting as Gluttony in the form of his downing more and more copious amounts of red meat.

SERIOUSLY, consider this - at one point the depiction is so desperately carnal that he is eating raw ground beef with his bare hands. It is fucking uncomfortable. and it is SUPPOSED to be. Famine stirs up hunger for the prohibited. For the sinful. That which we are starving for but do not believe we can ever have, so we lust and we lust and we LUST after it, but should we allow ourselves even just a taste of what we have been ravenously craving, we binge it until we ourselves disappear into the oblivion of our own sinful, dark desires.

Since You Want More Examples of why this cant possibly be hunger for Cheeseburgers and Cheeseburgers alone, Consider Famine’s effect on Dean. Remember his doctor kink?

**when its revealed that Doctor Corman has succumbed to Famine’s poison by drinking himself to death, Dean - very uncharacteristically by the way - reacts by saying out loud

DEAN Thanks. Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.

***please note that Doctor Corman says the following to Dean in the prior scene they have together -

DR. CORMAN [to Dean]

Agent Marley, you just can't stay away.

****was that a flirtation?

***Also, Dean doesn’t want to go out and chase tail for Valentines Day.

SAM

I mean, what do you always call it-- Uh, unattached drifter Christmas?

DEAN

Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year.

SAM

So you're not into bars full of lonely women?

DEAN

Nah, I guess not. [takes a sip of his beer] Ahh. What?

SAM

That's when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.

***oh look we are relating things to eating again. sex/lust to gluttony. hmmm hmmm hmmm

ANYHOW - *takes deep breath*

this is also the Episode Where This Scene Lives

****JACKTING JOICES

oh and speaking of jacting joices, this is also the Dean Notices Cupids Crotch Episode.

frAckles, I am once again asking why you only permit celestial beings to hug you from behi-[gunshots]

but Dean isn’t hungry. Why? Famine has the explanation, and we get it after Dean immediately runs inside after Cas heads in to complete his portion of their plan barely giving him any time to do so because he misses him that much.

FAMINE

I disagree. [Famine moves closer to Dean and touches him] Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.

DEAN

Oh, you're so full of crap.

FAMINE

Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me!

***not Dean making all of those homophobic/homoerotic jokes every time he’s in danger or feeing uncomfortable; not that, that can’t possibly be what Famine is referencing, right?

I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated.

***not THIS parallel:

AMARA:

You're a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel, except… It's cloaked in shame

You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions.

***not the motions of performative heterosexuality!!

***Dean’s not hungry because in his heart he truly believes that he can’t actually have what he hungers for. That Thing Which This Episode Overtly but Also Very Clearly Made Obvious. It’s an angel riding shotgun [I did Do That and I am Not Sorry], eating a burger in the front seat of the impala. But, I’ve deviated from the meat of this essay [gunshots] [this time just for the bad joke].

BONUS

there’s Exists another episode in which a man ravenously consumes red meat; eventually succumbing to eating raw beef with his bare hands in the season prior to this one.

Yes Supernatural the Show That Brought Us Not One But Two Scenes of Persons Carnally Consuming Red Meat With Their Bare Hands.

This episode is a MOTW - the man in question is a rougaru - a monster that starts out as human but due to some specific genetic disorder (hmmm hmmm hmm crack in THE chassis hmmm hmmm) soon begins to be extremely hungry - “for everything, but eventually long pig.” AKA human flesh.

Wanna know the kicker?

Episode’s called Metamorphosis.

(GIF by jackttwist)

I’ll see myself out.

[DOUBLE BONUS for extra credit:

if you really wanna wild out, go watch the scene of Jack the rougaru looking at himself in the mirror in 4x04 - and then meander on over to 7x01 and check out God!stiel looking in the mirror as the leviathans writhe inside him over there. It’s worth the walk.]

***oh and @lilac-void im tagging you in this one because in exchange for your KIND creator content nomination I guess I will respond by cursing you with an Honorary tag in this, a Meat Meta. you’re welcome slash I'm sorry XO [but seriously thank you again for your kindness and appreciation; it really motivated me to sit down and get moving on making more content <3]

#yes I did do a meat meta #and what of it #destiel #spn #spn fandom #supernatural #spn family #myspnmeta #my spn meta #hellerism #deancas #longpost #spn analysis #spn 5x14 #spn bloody valentine #meat meta #<- I do not even want to know or see what else that tag would lead to

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Why The Great North Isn’t Just Another Bob’s Burgers

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It’s easy to take one look at FOX’s newest animated comedy, The Great North, and assume it’s exactly like the long running and beloved Bob’s Burgers. Two of The Great North’s creators wrote a good chunk of Bob’s Burgers episodes and the shows share a near-identical art style after all. At first glance some of the Bob’s Burgers character archetypes seem to be involved as well: awkward daughter, an odd sarcastic youngest child, and a loving, if somewhat offbeat, father. So why bother with something like Bob’s Burgers when you could just watch Bob’s Burgers?

While there are a few surface similarities, by the end of the first episode of The Great North you’ll realize there’s so much more to it than just an Alaskan set version of the Belcher family. It’s got humor all its own, unique characters, and the potential to be something that isn’t merely a rival to Bob’s Burgers but a truly unique experience.

So let’s head up north to discover all the reasons why The Great North is so wonderful. As a brief primer, the show is set in Alaska and follows the Tobin family with fisherman dad Beef, artistic daughter Judy, loveably dumb son Ham, bear-suit wearing son Moon, oldest and eager to please son Wolf, his always chipper and new to Alaska fiancé Honeybee, and Judy’s best imaginary friend Alanis Morissette…played by Alanis Morssette.

The Family’s Lack of a Mom is Refreshingly Handled

A lack of a mom is a huge trope in animation at this point (look at damn near every ‘90s Disney movie) and if there is a mom, especially in a comedy, she tends to be wacky or overly loving. The Great North puts a new twist on both of these in its very first episode.

The plot of the premiere deals with Beef struggling to get over his ex-wife years after she abandoned the family. An ex-wife isn’t anything to write home about, a single dad taking care of a family is a comedy trope in of itself, but it’s what we learn about Beef’s ex that makes this element so refreshing.

Instead of the mom just not being present or having died off screen, Beef only acts like she’s dead, a fabrication everyone goes along with to keep him sane. When he isn’t around though Judy is quick to point out the rest of the family doesn’t buy this and they never liked her much anyway. She even flat out states,

“She was a really bad mom, okay? And it was actually better when she left.”

The other kids then list off horrible things she did, like name their dog Grandma solely so, “she wouldn’t be lying when she said we were with Grandma when people asked.” She runs a blog with her “new lover” about stores that wont chase you if you shoplift. Even in her goodbye letter to Ham she just wrote, “smell you later.”

I love this so much because it replaces all the easy sentimentality of a dead or simply absent mom that comedies love and instead opens up some fantastic new storytelling opportunities. In the pilot alone it gives us deep insight into Beef, that despite how awful she was he refuses to think anything but the best of her. Why is he like that? Is it his way of not thinking about all the terrible things she did? She’s left him so broken he has to concoct an elaborate fantasy to keep himself sane. It makes you instantly love the character and while he does seemingly get over this denial in the pilot I can foresee it impacting him for the rest of the series.

It’s also so refreshing because the kids aren’t all that broken up about it. Knowing their mom was terrible helps reflect a lot of what kids go through in real life. Sometimes they just have a bad parent and there’s no deep explanation of why, they just are and it’s not great. Maybe Judy and the others are hurt by this and I’d love to see the show tackle that in the future but even if it strictly keeps this part of their characters on the comedic side of things? It’s empowering. These kids aren’t broken up by their awful mom and want her back; they’re thriving BECAUSE she isn’t around.

Nick Offerman Being Nick Offerman

Over the years Nick Offerman has perfected the deadpan and loveable character that brought him to fame in Parks and Recreation. His role as Beef isn’t a major departure from that mold but it does allow Offerman to be even warmer than his most famous character.

As Beef he’s a capable man who gets up to see the sun rise and chop wood. He loves nature so much he steals a potted plant from a mall to take better care of it. His love for his family is on full display and he often goes to absurd lengths to keep them together. Offerman brings a great charm to the role and all of the jokes he delivers are winners.

The Rural Location

Bob’s Burgers draws much inspiration from its city setting, while The Great North is set in rural Alaska. This may seem like a surface level change but once again opens up all kinds of new opportunities for stories and characters. Where the Belcher family was somewhat cynical to city life (you would be to with a landlord breathing down your neck) the Tobin family openly embraces the chilly north.

Judy sits out on the roof and talks with her imaginary best friend, Moon takes great pride in his ability to mimic a soon to be eaten cadaver laying out in the snow, and Beef specifically gets up every morning to stare in wild wonder at Alaska’s majesty while whispering “hot dog.” The whole family even delights in going to the mall, which is the kind of joy only someone living out in the middle of nowhere can truly appreciate.

The Different Character Dynamics

Even after eleven truly fantastic seasons Bob’s Burgers characters still manage to never feel stale and the team behind the show always finds new ways to play around with them. With such a rock solid cast of characters you’d think they could tackle any story imaginable but The Great North is already proving to be a home for stories that just wouldn’t work for Bob’s Burgers.

The most noticeable change is that most of the kids are older. Judy and Ham are both sixteen which opens up a lot of possibilities that couldn’t be done with the Belcher kids. They can get involved in more serious relationships, have jobs (as Judy gets in the first episode), and are able to be more autonomous from the family. Wolf, the oldest of all of them, is engaged! Imagine what could be done with a soon-to-be married couple? Honeybee herself also functions as a delighted fish out of water to Alaska, her thoughts on the Tobins’ life a needed commentary. Her outgoing personality also clashes well with Moon’s stoic nature.

The 10 Best Bob’s Burgers Episodes

By Chris Cummins

Judy and Ham also share a more loving sibling dynamic than any of the Belcher kids ever have. In Bob’s Burgers the kids don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves, they’re more likely to make sarcastic quips about one other. The Great North though has Judy and Ham share a special bond, the two have a secret handshake that goes for an indeterminable amount of time. It’s really sweet and it makes me excited to see what kind of comedy can be mined from this more openly affectionate family.

Ham Is Gay And I Love Him

Ham is my favorite character so far in this show. He’s a little slow on the uptake but loves everyone in his family a lot and can even make a perfect replica of a cadaver… in the form of a cake. He also happens to be gay, a fact that is wonderfully confirmed in the first episode when he blurts out, “I AM GAY!

To which Moon responds, “we know. You’ve come out to us a bunch of times.”

Beef then adds, “we love you just the way you are, damn it!”

Ham, clearly not remembering his past comings-out, yells, “WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ALLY!”

It’s a great scene and kicks any subtext out the door. Queer audiences don’t have to sit around guessing who COULD be queer in the show (as they’re so often forced to do with so little representation in media) there’s a character who said OUT LOUD he’s gay. He’s one of us!

Bob’s Burgers has had several one-time gay characters (Bob did refer to himself as “mostly straight” once but that was more of a gag) but getting a gay teen in the main cast is sublime. He’s also a different sort of gay teen then we’re used to in television, with a tiny “probably thinks it’s cooler than it actually is” mustache and his “not quite all there” personality. He’s not a stereotype, he’s got some obvious flaws, but he’s loveable! Sure enough, his family loves him and accepts him.

Having a gay character in the cast opens up so many story possibilities. Are there any other gay kids in this rural town? What if there’s only one and he’s forced to date him? Does he know what kind of guys he likes yet? Where do the gay kids hang out in this town?

It also must be reiterated that his family loves him and accepts him. While drama over coming out and acceptance is totally valid, I’m glad that Ham will get the chance to just be gay and his family will support him all the way. We can just see him happily (if somewhat absent-mindedly) live his life and that’s needed in a world with so little queer representation. As a pansexual man myself it’s heartwarming. I wish I had a character like Ham when I was growing up.

Alanis Morissette Is A Main Character

Yes, Alanis Morissette is in The Great North (played by the actual Alanis Morissette) but in an absolutely perfect choice she’s not the REAL Alanis Morissette, she’s Judy’s best imaginary friend who just happens to be Alanis Morissette. Judy’s artistic so it makes sense she’d look up to someone as incredible as the Canadian musical genius. As an imaginary best friend she tends to serve as a sounding board for Judy’s thoughts and gives absolutely flawless advice.

Even better though? The imaginary Alanis Morissette also only appears in the Aurora Borealis. That’s… incredible. What a way to take advantage of the show’s location!

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The Great North is a delight. It’s only been two episodes (the third one premieres February 14 and the first two are available on Hulu) but it’s already shown a lot of promise. Not in the “oh it’ll get good eventually” sense but in the “no it’s already great and I want to see more of it!” Don’t think of it as another Bob’s Burgers, just think of it as its own wonderful moose-filled show (it’s Alaska, what did you expect) and you’ll have a fantastic time. Truly, in these dark times we could all use a little help from imaginary best friend Alanis Morissette.

The post Why The Great North Isn’t Just Another Bob’s Burgers appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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bookswritinghappiness · 4 years

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Title: Red, White & Royal Blue • Author: Casey McQuiston • Number of Pages: 421 • Rating: 5/5 Published: May 14, 2019 • Read: February 6, 2020 - February 15, 2020

Goodreads Synopsis: What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

My Review: Okay, first of all, I think my year-long reading slump has officially ended because I don’t think I have ever read a 400-page book this quickly in my life, especially not during the academic year. Second of all, I would honestly die for Casey McQuiston and her books. I literally do not have a SINGLE negative thing to say about this book, which is honestly rare since I usually have at least one, even for five-star books. Casey McQuiston truly wrote a perfect book, and I need her to teach me her ways because if I could write even half this well, I would be overjoyed. Anyway, let’s get into specifics - here are all of the things I loved about Red, White & Royal Blue!!

First of all, Alex is a dork and I absolutely love him. I love all of the characters, and I love that every one of them feels so freaking real, like people I would find walking around my own college campus, except, yaknow, with the added factor of being members of the First Family or being a literal prince. I love that every single one of the relationships (romantic, familial, platonic, or otherwise) in this book felt unique and genuine, and I loved when the characters interacted with each other because they more often than not made me laugh. These characters are written and developed so well that I can so clearly envision their lives beyond the pages and honestly that’s how you know you’ve done your characters justice.

Second of all, the level of representation in this book is absolutely phenomenal, and I loved that it was present enough to be an essential part of the story and the characters, but not enough to be the characters’ only defining factors.

Third of all, where can I find this alternate universe where Ellen Claremont is president instead of certain other people because I would like to be there. NOW. I am so happy that I read this before the 2020 election because instead of panicking about that, I can pretend I’m in this universe instead when election season really kicks off later this year. Seriously, I would love to see That State go blue in 2020 in real life. Oh my goodness. Also, stay tuned for a photo of me in a “History, huh?” tshirt on my Instagram (@melanieraush) on November 3rd. I usually vote by mail because college but I will somehow find a way to be home on Election Day just so I can vote in person in my first presidential election with that shirt on. Oh, also, I love that I’m reading this book right before reading Yes No, Maybe So - ’tis the season for election-themed romance, I guess.

Speaking of romance, I am so glad I read this over Valentine’s Day because the romance in this book is truly EVERYTHING and there were multiple times when I was reading this book in public and could not stop grinning like an idiot. Now that I think about it, I would love to have seen June and Nora date each other but honestly considering how perfect this book was, that’s too much to ask. Anyway. ALEX AND HENRY ARE PERFECT.

I seriously loved every single second of reading this book and it physically pained me to have to put it down to do other things, like, yaknow, to sleep, go to class, and do homework. I highly highly highly recommend this book to literally everyone and I will scream about it forever. WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2021 FOR A NEW CASEY MCQUISTON BOOK?????

Red, White & Royal Blue on Goodreads This Review on Goodreads My Goodreads

#original #book reviews #red white and royal blue #casey mccquiston #5 stars

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thegeminisage · 5 years

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on a lighter note 4.10 is probably one of my favorite episodes in the entire series...i did re-stan arthur for like ten minutes near the end...it was So Good. a cut because i talked for so long about how good it is:

first of all i love that the episode opens with everyone giving elyan shit not because i dislike elyan (i love him he does not deserve to be the butt of jokes) but because i like that as far as this group of guys goes their primary form of affection is roasting each other. that’s toxic masculinity! it’s also a little charming

when i first watched this episode i thought the reason arthur looked so spooked at the shrine was that it was spooky and potentially magic and he’s not down with magic. rewatching it now that i Know has me screaming into my hands!!! when he first catches sight of it he looks as though he’s seen a ghost and watching his slow creeping recognition is like. mm. really good. good stuff

(as an aside: i’m not talking about it: but if i was: merlin calling arthur nothing but sire during this ENTIRE EPISODE as a form of rebellion because he’s still pissed about gwen is a whole ass mood. i have never loved merlin so much as i did when he was gwen’s only friend and stuck up for her and stuck his neck out for her REPEATEDLY despite knowing it could cost him)

gwaine talking about salt circles made me nostalgic for a different show :’)

arthur with stew in his hair is what he deserves

i was VERY MAD AT HIM for this WHOLE EPISODE so when (possessed) elyan was trying to kill him i was all YEAH BABE CMON GO RIGHT FOR THE NECK but then arthur USED HIS FOOTSTOOL AS A SHIELD and effectively fought off an ARMED ATTACKER while TOTALLY WEAPONLESS. it’s so under-appreciated there aren’t even gifs of it (i know, i looked, i would kill for some). it’s one of the coolest fight scenes in this entire series despite only being 20 seconds long. my love for arthur pendragon returned with a vengeance and i had a good bit of difficulty shoving it back down

elyan’s buddies all tracking him down and tricking him into surrendering peacefully only for percival to punch him in the face to knock him out. GUUUYSSS come on

merlin like straight up weeping upon witnessing the BRUTAL GENOCIDE that “uther” committed there 20 years ago is like...jesus FUCKING christ. they went SO hard.

ok so do we all remember in 2.08 when arthur tried to kill his dad (changed my life......) in the throne room or dining room or wherever that is and uther would only block and not strike back because arthur’s rage was just and true?? WELL PARALLELS because now arthur’s the one blocking and not attacking and i know a lot of it is because he didn’t wanna hurt elyan but also in my heart it’s partially because that little kid’s beef with him was LEGIT!!! and i think part of him realized. we even had merlin running up there to put a stop to it and arthur begging him to stop because he didn’t wanna kill him

i think the plot twist at the end of this episode (that it’s arthur, NOT uther, who was responsible for the slaughter of children at the druid camp) was really good and it makes for a very interesting second watch. case in point: arthur’s face when merlin and gaius are explaining to him that the spirit seeks revenge and the only way to save elyan’s life is to atone. very haunting: merlin says that uther is dead, and he can never atone for what he did now. unspoken: arthur’s NOT dead, not yet, and he CAN.

also interesting: merlin’s attempts to comfort arthur fall flat. “you can’t be held responsible for everything your father did” gets a dark look and a quick dismissal. it’s because merlin doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about

it’s a REALLY interesting dynamic swap because usually merlin is the one keeping his secrets close while arthur unknowingly blunders around in the dark trying to guess at what he’s thinking...with this, it’s the other way around, and i gotta say, arthur’s poker face is MUCH better than merlin’s. when he stews on something he stews on it hard. none of merlin’s horsing around and playing the fool and barely scraping by with dumb luck for arthur: he’s a WALL. maybe this is just the arthur stan in me but it makes getting a look at what’s going on in there SO much more gratifying

i know how this sounds, but i almost wonder if arthur didn’t give merlin extra chores on purpose - the extra chores were why he was up so late, and why he saw arthur slipping out of the castle in a cloak...this is far from the first time merlin’s followed him, and far from the first time merlin would witness him totally losing his shit emotionally (2.08 babey), so maybe arthur was scared of going back by himself and didn’t know how to explain the whole thing and ask for the company because toxic masculinity, and it was easier to just set merlin up to do what he naturally does best: be a nosy little shit

evidence: he catches on to merlin’s tailing him VERY quickly (was he looking out for him?) and doesn’t seem at all surprised or angry that he’s there, nor does he order merlin to go back (his exact words are “feel free to go back to camelot anytime you like”) - if you watch very VERY carefully, you can also see his expression shift just a little after merlin states his intention to tag along - there’s just the barest hint of a smile

arthur looks SO SPOOKED walking back into this shrine. it’s so good. he gets real intense

merlin also sort of shifts his weight back after arthur confesses to his checkered past as a WAR CRIMINAL and like...wow

this dynamic. arthur is kind of afraid of magic and merlin is kind of afraid of arthur’s reaction to his magic. and when i say “kind of” what i mean is they’re scared shitless of each other despite trusting each other implicitly. it’s a lot for me. it’s my favorite dynamic in the entire world

i restanned arthur for this section because he was SO GOOD. he’s really actually quite scared of dying (in the opener for s4 he was really troubled by his supposed upcoming doom and in this he lowkey starts to hyperventilate when he thinks the druid kid is about to kill him) but he’s always jumping at the chance to lay down his life anyway - they say atone to save elyan, he fucking atones, even if he has to die for it

AAAAH his whole SPEECH he was YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED he was TRYING TO PROVE HIMSELF TO HIS DAD he can STILL HEAR THE SCREAMS hes NEVER GONNA LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN god im gonna LOSE MY MIND

like i said aloud going into this “i am still so mad at him he better display some top-tier empathy if he wants out of the doghouse” BUT HE DID...MY BOY...

also i feel like this hug from this kid he GOT KILLED is maybe only the 8th time he’s ever been hugged in his whole entire life

am not a big fan of merlin giving him shit about his lil moment in the end but like also...maybe he was just trying to cheer him up...the way Men do...i hurt

anyway this is like the first sign we’ve seen since arthur’s coronation that maybe he isn’t going to be totally anti-magic like uther forever...the first sign we’ve seen that he truly is anti-genocide...it’s true atonement and it’s Good

and not to give the writers this much credit but in my heart the reason he was so adamant to save that little druid kid (mordred) in season 1?? was because of this, the dead druid children weighing on his conscience. also gives new weight to the very brief scene in i think the s3 finale where he held his sword to a druid kid’s neck in exchange for the cup of life, and maybe explains a little bit why he looked so fucking spooked in there. no they didn’t do it on purpose but why ignore something that’s so good even if it is accidental THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT

#personal #merlin blogging #the short version of this is that somehow i stan arthur more after they revealed he's a war criminal. fantastic #sometimes i even stan him very much against my will. horrible!!#liz's meta #liz's merlin stuff #liz makes stuff

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jq37 · 5 years

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When you have time, can we get breakdowns for epusodes 3 and 4 of Bloodkeep? I'm going to be honest: I thought for sure that having a fight thousands of feet in the air was going to go about as well for Brennan as having a fight in an active volcano, but I was surprised

**spoilers for airship ambush**

I am not completely caught up on CR and I likely never will be because that backlog is truly stunning but I do know that Matt had a ship battle this season that one player (Taliesin I think) derailed completely. Now idk if that was before or after this was filmed but I have to imagine whichever one happened second had Matt flashing back to whichever one happened first.

I really appreciate all the work Brennan puts into all the unique mechanics for all of his fight, specifically the ship stuff in this ep.

Sohkbar putting the potion in a cone of beef like he has a dog and not a horrifying monster abomination.

Efink being like, "Why did we let Galfast live?" and everyone being like, "Your??? Dumbass???? Husband???????"

Are there ever gonna be siblings on D20 who don't want each other dead? Marcus can join Adaine in the, "My sibling can go straight to hell," corner. (Kristen’s brothers don’t count, they had like zero screen time).

"Ye shall pay for it."/"Aw come on." I love Mike.

Efink's spirit guardians are freaking Elven paparazzi.

Maggie being BFF's with John is my fave.

Sidenote, I really love how all of these guys reskinned their attacks to make them fit their aesthetic and the campaign more.

Everyone applauding the Lord of Shadows.

A Brennan soundboard: Hell Yeah! Incredible. Bud.

MONSTER BANK.

"Who wore it better? Tom Cruise or this Mystery Bird?"

Marcus being like, "Yeah, I come from a pirate city. We're basically all bad guys."

Lilith takes a cue from Marcus and works on recruiting a SECOND eagle. And she rolls a 26!

John throwing a pocket square at the other-other eagle.

"Don't do it Leiland! You have so much to live for."

I love it when a player rolls, nods approvingly, and then is like, "Right, that's a [terribly low roll]."

Leiland being the personification of that John Mulaney gif as he falls off the ship: You know those days when you're like, this might as well happen?

Did the card for Hellish Rebuke actually say, "Set someone on fire if they hurt you"? Because if I got a card that vague as a newbie PC I'd be like, "Well he emotionally hurt me. Does that count?"

Matt using his reaction just to yell, "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

"Because you have spent a good couple of sessions establishing yourself as extremely materialistic, this object is a close personal friend of yours."

That is is one of my favorite DnD sentences ever.

"I WILL DIE BY YOUR HAND."

Efink rolled two, twos and I had Naddpod flashbacks. Shout out to the two crew!

The annoying thing about DnD is that you can just roll total garbage for an entire session. True randomness means that, sometimes, you just can't hit anything for a full 2 hours.

"Tokyo drifting your airship."

I've said this before but it's really a shame Matt doesn't get to play more. He's a great DM obviously, but he's such a stellar player too.

Wild Nat 20 from Leiland and then he tells LIlith to CUT THE CHAIN THAT’S KEEPING HIM FROM FALLING.

The Vingury showing up is one of my favorite things. Players being forced to face the direct consequences of their own RP actions is the best.

I think the lesson on D20 is Spirit Guardians are Good.

One-liner king Trapp purposely whiffs the easy one liner.

"There is a slim chance that all goblins in the Bloodkeep have a bomb in them. Just a slim chance."/"WHAT?"

"Did we put them there? Is that on us?"

What was Brennan on when he came up with that mechanic?

One of my other fave DnD things is having a lengthy, pointless conversation as a giant battle is happening.

lol, Efink is a cleric. I also forgot.

Poor Leiland being in the radius of her Turn Undead. Buddy.

"You're making doors! You're doing that which you hate."

Boss use of druidcraft by Lilith. I like it when people use mainly flavor spells for combat.

"You could dramatically go above decks and jump OR you can just walk through the giant hole belowdeck."

"WOT IS HAPPENING? DID SOMEONE CLOSE A DOOR ON THE SUN?"/"I thought you liked that. I'm so unclear."

Leiland is getting straight Roadrunner'd by Hamhead and it's wild. (I forgot that the players also made a Loony Tunes ref and they did it right as I was writing this line).

“Puddles of fire.”

Just waves upon waves of enemies this fight, huh? I think that’s a good DM move because it means you can gauge how it’s going and send out more or less depending on if you’re players are getting murdered or if they’re totally breezing through it.

And while we’re talking about the fight, I guess sometimes you womp the terrain and sometimes it womps you and this was a scenario 2. I also think Brennan might have been more prepared this time with like the rooting Ents and the sturdy dwarf and the waves of enemies.

The indignity of not only getting slayed by J'er'em'ih (or however you spell that) but specifically by his butt hands. Wild. You’d think Marcus would care more about not getting the killing blow but, actually, this is almost better because it’s not even a cool, noble, aesthetic pirate death.

Trapp: Lol. Wouldn't it be cute if it was like J'er'em'ih was flying the boat?

Brennan: No, he needs to do that. Roll.

HE ROLLS AN 18.

Everything Brennan says about J'er'em'ih is equal parts fascinating and horrifying.

"DON'T BACKSEAT DRIVE EFINK!"

Parachute J'er'em'ih is just so wild.

"Just barely better than J'er'em'ih at driving."

"Oh, you're negging me, I see."

I always forget that Leiland is floating everywhere like he's on a freaking hoverboard.

The running thing of Leiland being useful but no one being able to see it is so so good.

LOTR needed more parachuting. I mean, I assume. I've never seen LOTR.

"It seemed super metal at the time."/"As a religious choice, it makes sense but saying it's for cleanliness doesn't make any sense." These guys are so good at improv. So consistently dropping gold.

"How does physics work?" Mike Trapp asks, as if that's something that has a hard and fast answer in DnD.

"I will actively go prone to sit where I am and pout." What a whole-ass drama queen.

lol Amy finally found Brennan's limit.

Even though they didn't do it, I love how down Rekha was for the insane airship plan.

Lilith treating Leiland like her adult disaster child is my fave.

"Please push harder."

Leiland drops darkness and the Goblin rolls a nat 20 to blow up the ship. Is there a moment more encompassing of this dude's existence?

"I understand that everyone here wants to rob me of my joy." DM mood. (Matt: I genuinely feel you there [and I’m reminded of that CR ship battle.])

The last shot of everyone falling out of the sky is so nice.

"WHAT THE HECK BRENNAN!?"

Anyway, as I was finishing this up, I got an ask about the next ep which is a doozy and prob my fave of the season so far. I’ll answer it as soon as I have another block of free time!

#asks #a-salty-alto #bloodkeep #escape from the bloodkeep

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jbuffyangel · 6 years

Text

Mid Life Crisis: Arrow 6x20 Review (Shifting Allegiances)

“Shifting Allegiances” is a step up from “The Dragon.” A small step, but a step none the less. I’m coping with back to back bad episodes by viewing them as the filler stepping stones to 6x21-6x23 that they are. Who’s with me?

We’ll make this short & hopefully painless. Let’s dig in…

Diggle and The Noobs

I will stop calling the Noobs the Noobs when they stop acting link dinkleheads. This is not that episode.

Rene is back and it makes me sad because I did not miss him at all. Curtis and Dinah can say what they want, but it’s not a “hero’s welcome” when the hero tried to kill another hero with an axe.

Annnd… then a bunch of stuff happens. Listen, I tried to pay attention. Really I did. I just couldn’t because I was so bored.

The Noobs go up against The Quadrant, but all that matters is a Quadrant flunkie has a rocket launcher and it’s nifty. I have all the Buffy feels.

Rene has some form of PTSD and is now afraid to go into the field because he might die. I guess? Is this PTSD from Oliver kicking him in the chest? Listen up Hoss, you went all Jack Torrance on Oliver.

Actually, I think Jack may have been more reasonable. There’s a very linear cause and effect line to draw. So, here’s some tips:

1. Don’t swing an axe at Oliver.

2. Then Oliver won’t kick you in the chest.

3. Thus avoiding accidental near death experiences.

Follow this simple three step process and you’ll be fine Rene.

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to Rene before this that he could die in the field, but I can assure him it won’t be at Oliver’s hand – as long as Rene PUTS DOWN THE FUCKING AXE. I am a little bitter. I doubt that will be fading.

Diggle spends the majority of the episode saving the Noobs’ ass, so really nothing has changed by switching from Team Arrow to A.R.G.U.S. Can we please talk about that uniform? I’ve seen flight attendants with better uniforms than that. How is this “suit” any better than SPARTAN? For god sake Diggle, you switched from Kevlar leather to polyester. The fashion alone points to what a colossal error this is.

Diggle also apologizes to the Noobs. Just insert all my screaming about Felicity apologizing to Curtis in my 6x19 review here.

Of course, the Noobs say absolutely NOTHING in return because they are the most petulant toddlers to ever exist. Where is Super Nanny when you need her?!!!

I don’t mind that Diggle and Felicity apologize. They are the bigger people. They always have been. This is not a shock or out of character. They were the bigger and better people weeks ago when they apologized with Oliver and tried to squash this beef. OTA has always been on the high road.

However, I do mind that the Noobs haven’t apologized in return yet. No one apologizes to John for messing with his chip and putting his life in danger. So, the Noobs can suck it. SO. MUCH. SUCK. IT.

There’s a significantly pregnant pause from Rene after John’s apology. It’s the perfect time to apologize and he just… doesn’t. Yet, this pause highlights how necessary it is for Rene to apologize even more and how awful it is he hasn’t. It feels intentional because the same thing happened with Curtis when Felicity apologized.

So, my only conclusion is the Noobs haven’t apologized yet because their spiral into toddlerdom is a 23-episode arc and they will remove head from ass by the finale. Or at least that’s my hope.

The other possibility is the Arrow writers have forgotten how apologies work and someone will need to reintroduce them to the rules we all learned in kindergarten. The massive pregnant pause does offer a glimmer this is not the case though.

Diggle decides he’s going to trust the Noobs (the same people who messed with his chip and put his life in danger) more than Oliver Queen, his best friend and brother of six years.

You know what? Imma gonna cut Diggle some slack because Diggle is not Diggle right now. This version of John Diggle is having a midlife crisis.

His boy is all done and grow’d up. This has sent John into a tailspin. He is asking the questions we all ask when we inevitably hit the midpoint of life. What is the meaning of all of this? What is my purpose? WHO AM I?

Has Oliver gone to Diggle for advice this season? I honestly can’t think of one time. In fact, Oliver has been giving Diggle advice. We’ve all had the major case of the wiggins from Oliver’s whole and healed routine. We’re more annoyed with John than Oliver right now. This season is just really unnerving.

Sure, Oliver finally married Felicity – something Diggle told him to do three years ago. So, John can chalk that up to Oliver finally doing what he’s told. But I bet John was banking on some colossal fuck ups parenting William, but Oliver went to FELICITY for that.

Diggle, as first wife, graciously steps aside for the second wife. Then, Oliver gives him the Green Arrow mantle and suddenly John has a new lease on life. The nagging question of “How am I needed?” is answered with a new purpose. Rather than raising the Green Arrow, Diggle will be the Green Arrow. But then Oliver asks for the hood back and Diggle is back to square one. Those questions come rushing back.

So I’m equating this break up with Team Arrow and his alliance with the Noobs to Diggle buying a sports car. At least he didn’t lose his mind completely and cheat on Lyla. Although, technically speaking Oliver is his second wife (Lyla is one and three), so we could make the argument that’s exactly what Diggle did in “Shifting Allegiances.”

Never mind Diggle still has a son to raise. Never mind he’s a crucial and integral member of Team Arrow as Spartan. Never mind Oliver Queen will always need John (even if he needs him in a different way now.) These are all details Diggle can’t see right now because he’s taking a big swig from the Crazy Jar. It happens to the best of us. My dad bought a really big boat. My mother bought a new house. I’m almost 37. When I round 40 I’ll probably buy some obscenely expensive jewelry because sparkly things make me happy. We all cope with our inevitable and looming demise, and the meaning of life questions that come with it, differently. For Diggle, it’s breaking up with his bromance partner and wearing really bad polyester.

Oliver Queen

Oliver is still on his “I work alone” mantra. He tries to get Anatoly’s position back in the Bratva… I think? I am mostly annoyed Oliver went to Russia without Felicity and we were cheated yet again from a Russian rendezvous love scene.

Anatoly doesn’t want the Bratva anymore, which then begs the question then why is he still mad at Oliver? Nobody is really here for logic though right? Right.

When Anatoly asks about Oliver’s friends he responds

Source: @olivergifs

See, this is what I love about Oliver Queen. John Diggle dumps him and life ceases to have meaning – friendship wise. What about Felicity or Lance? Hell, I’ll even toss in William! Nope. Oliver has no friends. Not without John.

Anatoly kidnaps Oliver and brings him to Diaz, except Oliver wants to get kidnapped so it’s not really kidnapping. Dragon agrees to leave Star City if Oliver can kick his ass. I am happy to report Arrow has not completely lost their damn mind. Oliver promptly kicks Dragon’s ass. However, Oliver is still a bowl full of rainbows and gives Ricardo the chance to yield before snapping his neck. Season 1 Oliver did have his good points. Ricardo pulls a knife out and stabs Oliver.

I can accept the only way Ricardo Diaz can win a fight with Oliver Queen is by cheating. What I cannot accept is Oliver “I was trained by Slade, Shado, Maseo, The Bratva and Ra's Al Ghul" Queen didn't see it coming.

Source: @olivergifs

He did THANK GOD. The point was to show Anatoly which man has honor. It’s Oliver.

Whatever. Oliver could prove the same point by drinking Diaz under the table with Russian vodka. It’d be a whole lot more fun and less messy. Well… more fun at least.

Source: @olivergifs

Anyways, enough of the filler. Diaz decides to speed up Oliver’s court date and we’re off to the races. Literally, the only thing keeping me holding on during this episode is we will see THIS FACE next week.

Source: the-scarlet-archer

Bl*ck S*ren

Arrow continually telling me Diaz is the biggest bad we've ever faced and is all the evil that evil can be every five minutes doesn't equate to the character actually BEING those things.

Bl*ck S*ren’s behavior towards Diaz shines a glaring light on this issue. BS is a meta human. She can scream until a person’s blood vessels pop. We’ve seen her do it several times. So all of this “Diaz is so cruel. He burned a man,” is a bunch of bullshit and really insulting to Bl*ck S*ren.

LL fans were ready to tear the writers apart when Felicity knocked BS on her ass with one punch. *excuse to use this gif again*

But DIAZ they are okay with? I have yet to see Diaz do anything that would put him in the same league as Merlyn, Slade, Ra’s Al Ghul, Damien Darhk and Prometheus. Honestly, what does it say about BS that she’s afraid of him? Nothing good my friends! If Diaz is Arrow’s lamest Big Bad then this fear shtick automatically makes BS even lamer than Diaz. That’s just maths.

Sadly, BS is the ball in the ping pong game between Diaz and Lance. Either Diaz is teaching her how to villain or Lance is teaching BS how to be low level human. She can pretend she’s the toughest baddie in town, but BS basically sits around waiting for a man to tell her what to do. No thanks. I’d like to order a strong female character with a side of agency, please.

This is also the reason why her “redemption” is feeling unearned. BS flip flops back and forth so many times it’s hard to believe she’s truly invested in good or evil. She’s just hitching her ride to the man who fits her mood.

I’ve probably said this before, but I would have preferred that the writers go balls to the wall with BS and make her the season’s Big Bad versus the season’s Big Bad’s girlfriend. It just feels like a lot of untapped potential. It’d be a hell of a lot more interesting for Team Arrow to fight with the woman wearing their friend’s face, but is intent on destroying the city. Rather than watch this substandard goon clunking around and BS kowtowing to him. THY NAME IS AGENCY.

At least Lance grew a pair for half a second this episode. More evidence he’s going to die. I guess we’re supposed to infer Bl*ck S*ren’s fear while Diaz pawed her like a kitty in front of Lance, but the whole scene is just off putting. The idea of these two people snogging gives me no joy, but I was never under the impression BS was banging this bag of dicks because she was scared of him. When did we get to sex under duress? I feel like we missed a step. Ugh. I’m trying to logic my way through this and there’s just no point.

The one thing I can always count on in any version of L*urel L*nce’s character are the inconsistencies. I wear them like a warm blanket.

Stray Thoughts

Amell was really wearing that black coat.

The blood really brings out his eyes. Pretty. Source: @olivergifs

“Where in the ever loving fuck is Felicity?” – Me 15 minutes into the episode.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 6x20 gifs credited.

#arrow #john diggle #arrow 6x20 #anti newbies #oliver queen #anti laurel lance #anti black siren #anti ricardo diaz #anti rene ramirez #arrow spoilers #arrow reviews #arrow season 6 reviews #season 6 episode review #season 6 episode reviews

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mythological-survivor-no-mikoto · 4 years

Text

Episode 5 - Tribal Lines Are Gonna Screw Everything Up - Josh

A tribe swap occurred which shook the game up a little bit.

Olivia, Emma and Cori became the minority on Hiroku against the OG Awashima Majority of Rodrigo, Rachael, Josh, Adam and Vi.

On NuAwashima, the OG Hiroku held a minority of Abrielle, Aly, Nikias, Zac, Constance and Odd with only Marc and Katie from OG Awashima.

Katie quit for personal reasons. Tribal was still on since she quit before results.

Marc was the sole Awashima. Most of the tribe wanted to remain Hiroku strong. However, Abrielle and Constance voted for Odd in case Marc pulled an idol, creating a rift in the tribe.

Marc was voted out 4-3

youtube

“I am too drunk and now I will stop drinking for this challenge but shit when I am drunk I am too honest which at times is scary especially in a game like this. Sorry I am not too drunk I am just tipsy . Just though translation from Greek . Also you guys are the best hosts I ever had ♥️ you made this game fun while at the same time you guys are honest you guys with out passive aggressive responses and I really respect that ♥️”

“Bless the lord for i'm with my goddess <333”

“We swapped and I’m outnumbered 5-3. But vi is already giving a lot of info and said she’s with me to the end so”

“Ok i think the other tribe is gonna win a bunch of immunity challenges so i will have to manage to escape for potentially 3 tribal councils. I can already see how messy is gonna be. I kind of wanna solidify a 4 with Constance, Abby and Aly. I know Constance and Aly know each other and i know Constance loves Aby so they would feel comfortable. Now i don't believe i am in danger at the moment but this is gonna be a messy tribe and i can see that we will attend a lot of tribals so i think it would be in my best benefit to solidify a potential for this time around. Also i love some drama, legit we haven't had any til now”

youtube

Abrielle finally managed to cross the rickety bridge in the expedition system, giving her the Vote Steal Advantage: “thank fucking god”

“Alrighty little swap cast assessment:

Vi- absolute love of my life I would die for her and I hope we stick together (I would do anything to make that happen). I did worry about not telling nikias I know her but I would die for either of them and I hope he wouldn’t be mad like he’s become such a dear friend of mine like I love him sm.

Adam- hasn’t talked to me much, I know he has the idol. Seemed to have some sorta beef with Rachael and if I can I’ll use that to my advantage

Rachael- we already decided to host a season together soooo that’s goin well 😂 I know she’s friends with Abby (which conveniently neither of them have brought up) so I could target Rachael to isolate Abby?

Josh- we just had a really nice phone call. He seems like a gamebot? But I get the feeling I’d much rather have him on myself than against me. He emphasized not wanting to keep tribal lines and if we went to tribal he was very up in the air about it so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯He’s the first person I revealed to that I know Katie and I was anxious to be playing with her again and I think a little info like that was good to possible form a bond with him (it could sink me but I don’t think it will)

Rodrigo- he seems like a delight, we got along well talking about tv shows. Guess I just vibe well with foreign dudes 😂 (keegan applies here). Idk if he’s just being nice or if he’d actually wanna work with me tho, I won’t reveal any info to him.”

“cant believe ive been exiled for A FIFTH GODDAMN TIME”

“I know that I tend not to write a lot of confessionals but it’s simply because I build up before I decide to make one. The connections that I have made in this game from what I believe, seem to hopefully hold true through the swab. This could not have been any better. All the people that I am closest to our on this child and there are two previous Awashima members.

I’m not quite sure how to feel about Marc, seeing as I know he can be rather shady in nature. He has spoken to me and indicated if it weren’t for Regan quitting he would have been voted out, which I find a little weird considering he can connect with. Marc said Katie was leading the charge to get rid of him but she seems nice so we will see what happens if we lose. I would truly hope my tribe members wouldn’t flip on me seeing as I haven’t given them a reason to do so.

I am simply trying to walk on by in this game by doing what I feel is necessary for me while creating genuine bonds with everyone. I’m doing my best of playing a game similar to my favorite survivor winner. ❤️”

“Maybe it is just me but I have a feeling this round has been all too quiet. I would hope that my actual tribe members who I’ve worked with wouldn’t consider me much of a threat right now but in actuality I truly am the ultimate socialite at the moment in this game I’d like to think. I’m not sure what this prayer system is going to do because at the only tribal council I went to nothing occurred but I’d assume Marc doesn’t have many followers. In case of an idol play I have planned for Abrielle and I to vote for Odd. He may be silent, but he could kill competitions in the long haul, furthermore, he rarely speaks to me anyway. Kiss kiss.

I hope I don’t get fooled by my own tribe because that would be a huge cut in the back.”

“winning challenges is fun. its good to be back on top”

youtube

“Omg i had a pretty fascinating call with ODD, Odd just started to play the game and i really like that. I actually can see myself working with him in the future, i think Odd is someone that could be loyal if you treat him right, he has burn some fridges and i don't see him as someone who is gonna be a mastermind. Oddly, i have start to consider Odd as someone who i could go to the end with. If Mark doesn't pull a shitty idol tonight i could be in a great spot or otherwise how i call the swing vote and actually be someone who doesn't need people, but people need him.”

#Mythological Survivor #episode 5 #survivor

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buzzworddotie · 6 years

Text

Pickled Pink S10E05

A fun maxi challenge, beefs semi-squashed and a drama free Untucked?! I can barely mother-tucking believe it...

Thank you Netflix for allowing me to skip the recap and away we go! To kick things off poor Monet seems so heart broken after sending her New York sister home and Asia is more than a little peeved after being embarrassed on last weeks runway.

Cracker brings some wise words about how a gift should be given freely and she really does make some sense and is not trying to drag Asia down. Clearly there was an assumption on the part of many of the Queens that Asia had that challenge ‘sewn up’.

I’m a little torn on this one because on the one hand I do feel for Asia, especially when she says how the reason for coming to RPDR was to share their art, meet new people, gain a larger family and I would really hate to see her become intentionally blinded by the competition and totally ruthless. However, I do want her to slay and if she has to stop being so damn congenial to do so, she should! It is a competition after all, as we seem to be reminded in every episode there is 100,000 doll-hairs at stake!

There is a lot of time spent in this episode rehashing the events of last week’s Untucked between The Vixen and Eureka, so much time that when things went down they way they did I really did expect a different outcome by the end of this episode... But I digress.

The mini challenge was a cute little USA patriotism runway as the girls created Army inspired looks. The Vixen won (again, this girl got so much attention this episode...) and she got to pair up the teams for the improv challenge on Bossy Rossy!

To her credit, The Vixen mixed up the teams in a really interesting way, the sound editors would have you think the pairing of Eureka and Aquaria was mighty shady but I don’t see how! As if Eureka and Aquaria getting paired together was a major issue!!! They clearly got along since episode one!!! Why The Vixen thought that would be a genius move, I don’t know. Had she wanted to be truly cunning she should have tried to throw them under the bus by pairing them with someone who would be funnier and quicker than Aquaria and louder and brighter than Eureka.

Side note, Eureka’s face during the mini challenge looked fab, I really liked the darker lipstick on her.

Also, I was surprised The Vixen chose Asia for herself, I wonder if she was thinking along the lines of what she said before, wanting to work with someone who would essentially be subservient to her and not challenge her. I do think this came back to bite her in the ass...

The girl’s begin to work on their characters and back story, I loved the line from Monet when working with Kameron about whether she was home schooled! Bless Kameron, I do think there is a little introverted social awkwardness there which I can certainly relate to!

Blair and Monique seemed to get along well and, get them cookies, Vanjie makes even more impact in Season 10 as she becomes the safe word for the girls set. She is surely the greatest contestant to have sashayed away episode one?

We also had Cracker and Mayhem, I will say this, usually when there is a big, awkward costume to wear for a challenge the Queens never want to wear it but Cracker zoned right in on that thing and was dying to get into it! She also crackered me up with that white girl twerking bit in her Army runway.

Asia and The Vixen decide to rip on Aquaria and Cracker for their bit, which is probably what the assignment called for and they think it’s a bit wilder and shadier than I believe it really was since that was so four episodes ago! The Vixen needs to move past episode one already!!

We get a snap shot of Aquaria disagreeing with Eureka wearing a bonnet as if that is set up for some major conflict, but we know better now, don’t we?

Time to get Bossy with Rossy...

The maxi challenge kicks off and Ross is kind of adorable as the talk show host, Blair and Monique Heart get us off to a good start. Blair was really decent I thought, Monique stole the show from her without coming across as over powering. The Vanjie thing happened which seemed like Blair just running out of things to say and it was kind of cute but it was also a bit pointless but still, A+ for Monique and a B- for Blair.

Next came Monet and Kameron. Oh Monet, lovely, lovely Monet... It wasn’t good. I don’t know her, I have no idea where she was at during the run on Drag Race so far but I get the sense she has just such a high expectation for herself based on her success in the real world that she’s just buckling under the pressure a little. Like she’s too in her head right now, it kind of reminds me of Trixie during AS3 when she admitted not wanted to let fans down, or herself down, and the pressure that comes with it.

By comparison, Kameron really delivered in the improv, she had a full character and didn’t stumble across her words and out of the two of them she really did win.

Cracker and Mayhem. OK before the vomit inducing praise starts I’ll say this - Mayhem Miller was not bad in this challenge! She seemed to have so much fun with this character, she did a really decent job, she didn’t break (cough, The Vixen, cough). The judges’ comment that she shouldn’t have seemed afraid of Dr.Dill - Dill looked like and evidently was a pickle!! Of course she should have been freaked out by her!

It was clear however that her humour didn’t quite match Cracker though and now I shall gush.

Let me start with a segue, I am all for an over the top performance, I’m OK with it and I accept comedy is subjective. I’m not saying that Eureka isn’t funny, she was certainly loud, but give me Cracker’s weird, deadpan delivery punctuated at every step with a pun any day of the week. Her point of view is out there, cartoony and hilarious! And the thing is, it wasn’t just what she was saying, her every movement was a comedic performance. I could see how the cogs had worked in her brain, she embodied a total character. That moment when she “revealed” she was an actual pickle and stood, hitting that stance as she tried to reason with Mayhem was fucking laugh out loud funny.

(Gif from TheFilmExperience.net)

Right, grudgingly I will move on.

The Vixen and Asia did not work out too well, The Vixen broke character thanks to a bacon joke from Ross and in general she didn’t have any ‘haha’ moments. She was just kind of whiney and annoying, which I guess is her interpretation of Aquaria. Meanwhile, Asia was kind of funny and cute but their act fell flat against most others. I felt like Asia did her best, we don’t know if she really did miss performance cues from The Vixen since we didn’t see their preparation beyond the concept but let’s all safely assume someone will tell Asia what The Vixen said on the runway and it will result in some kind of argument next week.

Finally, Eureka and Aquaria. I thought Aquaria was OK, she wasn’t that funny and this is weird but she kind of reminded me of Dennis Reynolds when he’s in the baby costume in that episode of Always Sunny... Anyone? No? Moving on then...

Eureka, it’s not that she wasn’t funny, it just felt like the joke was ‘look at me, I’m fat and so look like a massive baby’. That seems unfair, she did have her moments but it just didn’t really do it for me. In terms of the assignment at hand, Monique and Cracker were my top 2 and while it seems like I did prefer Cracker, either of those two should of won.

Again, more screen time for The Vixen as we see a sort of resolution with Eureka via the mediation skills of Mayhem. The producers were almost as sneaky as when Shangela faked out the Trixie lipstick pull in this entire set up. They really had me going that The Vixen was heading to battle in a LSFYL and to be honest, since the maxi challenge I was debating in my mind what would happen in a Monet vs The Vixen performance, right up until that moment didn’t come.

It was certainly nice to see Eureka and The Vixen talk things out a bit, I do entirely stand by The Vixen though and I thought that Eureka was just nasty in that last Untucked, no, nasty isn’t the right word, maybe it’s vindictive... Anyway, I was thankful that The Vixen didn’t just hug or hand shake it out with Eureka by the end. I’m not a fan of that, when someone hurts you in some way and then once they say their piece, absolve themselves of their own sins look for some kind of recognition for the fact, to put a pin in it. It feels so awkward to me and I was happy to see The Vixen stand by her convictions, it seems like she is open to giving Eureka the benefit of the doubt but she’s also not about to turn this into RuPaul’s best friend’s race by any stretch of the imagination.

On the Runway, oh Monet... Monet... That face was beautiful but the look was a fail, I’m sorry girl I really hope I don’t see her in the bottom 2 again! Kameron had her moment with Shania which was cute just not near the adorable levels of Xtina and Farrah.

Cracker was cute and funny, The Vixen’s dress was stunning, go away Michelle with nit picking that look! Eureka looked good. Monique was adorable and I was so happy to see her in the top 2! Mayhem’s dress didn’t look denim but I found it weird to watch her critiques. First off, she had Carson and the panel giggling at her responses but then Michelle came in with the take downs. And I’m not necessarily saying Michelle was wrong, it just felt very deliberate.

Eureka won, it was her full circle moment and for some reason time and again on Drag Race loud = funny. And what is it with Drag Race loving when girls throw themselves on the ground?! Is that what commitment looks like, am I missing something? You know who else dropped to the ground, laid on a desk - Mayhem Miller! Eureka was extra during the challenge but she wasn’t side splitting, knee slapping funny.

Anyway she won.

The Vixen didn’t land in the bottom two, ultimately I think if 50% was the challenge and 50% was the runway maybe Mayhem and The Vixen were even. The produc-, I mean, judges decided Mayhem just wasn’t bringing the flavour so she landed in the bottom with Monet.

Man, I feel like a lip sync...

Monet vs Mayhem for the lip sync and honestly on first viewing I found it kind of hard to tell what way Ru was swaying. Usually, you can get a clear indication from Ru who she’s feeling but I was really unsure during this. As a viewer, Monet did take over. She is such a strong performer, and so is Mayhem, but Monet’s got tricks on tricks on tricks.

Thanks a lot to Mayhem for making me look like a complete eejit in my initial predictions and not getting Top 4!

Untucking Episode 05

There was no insane drama in Untucked, Mayhem was so sweet during the episode and so positive it really broke my heart to see her have to go. Kameron, who I really believe is one to watch this season (which probably means she’ll be gone like, next episode) got some screen and talk time before all the girls came back.

Cracker had her moment to hold her hands up and admit to not loving herself. What a very refreshing thing to say, and to word it in that way of not teaching herself to love herself. There is such a point made of loving yourself on this show, but it can be a challenge. It’s not that easy for it all to just click into place. It can take time, life experience but it’s not easy, it’s a process. Jesus, I’m not there but like Cracker I realise the need to teach myself how to do that and it’s important to not hate yourself, even if your not quite in the space of loving yourself. Just to be less hard on yourself and more accepting. Stop worrying about how you may be perceived on the outside or comparing yourself to others. It’s not easy, but nothing worth having is.

Eureka was being very supportive during this episode which was nice to see, it is nice to see that alternative, caring side to those big personalities like Eureka.

Monet broke my heart but she rode into the lip sync and slayed it. Mayhem reading her letters in the workroom made wet stuff come out of my eyes, such a sweet heart.

And now for my final thought...

Another great episode of Drag Race, was I thrilled with the outcome, no but at the same time this competition is just so fierce this season any Queen who goes is a star already.

It’s really nice to see how much fun Ru appears to be having this season, cracking up over the Vanjie things again!! She seems like she’s having a lot of fun interacting with the Queens and I love it.

If you want to get something to satisfy those cravings between episodes can I just recommend Monet and Bob’s podcast Sibling Rivalry? It is so much fun to listen to, the chemistry of those two Queens is absurdly brilliant, last I checked there are only 5 episodes so far but it is well worth a listen and a subscribe!

Sibling Rivalry on Soundcloud and you can find it on iTunes and stuff as well I’m sure!

Next week is the Drag Con Panel Extravaganza, which sounds... interesting! Until next time....

0 notes

ios-lakevictoria · 6 years

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RITES OF PASSAGE

Dennis - Fuck you Jacob. <3

Nicole - Hi Jacob! Sorry we never really spoke, you seemed nice.

Tee - Sorry I didn’t get to meet you maybe next time

Zach - Seeing you in this game was exciting, as I previous got the experience to host you for an unfortunately short time. Kinda sad you couldn’t catch more slippery fish though :\ hope to see you around soon!

Dennis - You were the first vote of the season for me. We didn’t really talk that much, so the vote-out didn’t come with a surprise for you. Besides that it was a pleasure to meet you and learn that you apparently founded the House of shades series. I had a lot of fun this season and I guess in some way you can take props for that.

Nicole - JOSH, king of shade. I absolutely adore you, I was so scared when I saw you come into the game because I know you are such a good player and such a legend. I’m sorry that everything happened the way it did and that we weren’t able to spend more time chatting. You were cracked but I love it.

Tee - Sorry I didn’t get to meet you maybe next time

Zach - I never got the opportunity to connect with you, which seems unfortunate. I hope you’re doing well.

Dennis - We said more than “Hi” to each others during the time of the elimination challenge. So there is nothing much I can say to you, that wouldn’t sound Fake. Sorry :/

Nicole - I don’t know you but I’m sorry you were gone so early!

Tee - Sorry I didn’t get to meet you maybe next time

Zach - I’m BITTER! I’m sorry that you had to die so soon, you seemed like a nice soul from Zwooper Land.

Dennis - Even though we didn’t interact at all during this season. Your vote out definitely opened up a chance to survive the Swapphase of this season for me. So thank you for that <3

Nicole - I’ve seen you around and thought you had a good potential in this game so I’m sorry you left so soon!

Tee - we didn’t get much chance to talk but you are really cool and I am glad we have another chance to make things right

Zach - When I initially saw you were cast for this game I was excited to get another chance to play with you and hopefully go far this time around. Sadly we were unable to ever be on the same tribe before your elimination. Hope life is going swell.

Dennis - Thanks for drafting me onto your tribe. Even though it was scary at first, I definitely enjoyed everyone of the people you drafted. I met Ryan and Nicole who have been big parts of why I am at the Final4 today. I’m sorry that you got Swapfucked and I’m pretty sure you deserved better, but sometimes there is nothing you can do about certain Twists.

Nicole - Jacob! King of Ukewere. I was so sad to see you go after we bonded so much with our time on our tribe. I know you are a great player and hope the Tumblr community starts seeing that! You definitely had a lot of strategy and potential to show.

Tee - you were so robbed and I hope you enjoy your vacation any tips would be greatly appreciated since I’m going soon

Zach - I can’t believe you self-voted :/ no, on a serious note you were great. In this game we didn’t connect much but I got the opportunity in a future game and you’re such a fun person, as well as a fellow Lorde stan. It sucks that you had to die so soon due to the ugly triple-tribal twist. Catch ya on the flipside x

Dennis - Until the first Tribal Council of Ukewere I was fooled on how to pronounce your name and was kinda shook when I found out :D. Anyways I loved the time we spend together on Ukewere and idols are a power in the game, which you sometimes can’t do anything about. It feels like you lived through a similar fate like Jacob, which is unfortunate.

Nicole - Hello Aundra! I feel so badly about the way I was so unstable the vote you left, I did trust you but the idol I had in my hand and the potential idol Saxon had that actually turned out to be your downfall, really had me paranoid. I knew it was either you or me but, I had so much fun getting to know you while we were on our tribes together and I wish we could have went farther.

Tee - Sorry I didn’t get to meet you maybe next time

Zach - You’re another person that i don’t know well, and never got to be on a tribe with. Overall though you seem great and it’s sad we didn’t get the chance to meet or play together whatsoever.

Dennis - In our time together we did connect on some levels, it was very unfortunate that we had to go to TC again, after we survived the triple elimination. Someone had to leave and during that time it felt like you were the most viable option.

Nicole - In One World you told me that I had nice lipstick on in my profile picture and I always from the start regarded you as a sweet person! You seemed really nice and hopefully we play another game together!

Tee - Sorry I didn’t get to meet you maybe next time

Zach - My robbed vacationing queen… you’re someone that I adore in and out of this game so much and I was genuinely stoked to finally get to play with you. It sucks that people decided to be rude and vote you out though :( you deserved better and I hope to reconnect soon.

Dennis - From watching you, you were definitely one of the most entertaining characters of the cast. Even though I didn’t agree with all of your actions, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy your presence. Your presence was so big, that it put a big target on your back.

Nicole- hello Saxon, the man with the idol that actually did something. I remember seeing you beast through Jeopardy and leave us in the dust and recognizing you are a fierce competitor. Good luck in HOS!

Tee - we didn’t get much chance to talk but I’d love to get the chance someday you seem great

Zach - My literal partner-in-crime. Despite our difference of a past in our previous ORG, you and I connected quickly and I considered you one of my closest allies in this game. When we reunited at merge I was so so so excited to be given a chance to play together since we were swapped apart. To this day I still wish this vote would’ve ended differently, and i’m sorry that your life in this game had to end so soon.

Dennis - As much as I liked you, I was also very intimidated by you. You definitely are a smart person and seemed to know alot about, in the end you were more set on getting one of my closer allies out and that was the reason I turned on you. I appreciate how straight forward you are and how strong of an own opinion you have, but from my point of view those characteristics made it hard for me to rely/work with you. Looking back at my game I believe to remember 5 instances where I straight up lied to someone and unfortunately 2 out of those 5 were towards you. Blindsiding you wasn’t easy and if you don’t believe me. you will see that in my confessional after your vote out. I am sorry for that and truly hope that once this season is over we actually get to talk more. :)

Nicole - Kait, tumblr survivor legend. I honestly already had a high opinion of your skill and of you when coming into this game and seeing you. You definitely showed that you can put up a good fight and even though you went early merge I still feel like your vote was a pivotal moment where it became aware there were various sides of the game, and I think it’s just a testament to how the game split open and kind of came alive at your vote, the mark you left on this game.

Tee - my girl I miss you so much and hope to get our friendship restarted when the game is over it’s been so long and you were completely robbed

Zach - There’s something about you that intimidated me so much and I can’t pinpoint why. Like, through our minimal messages which I do regret since you seem like a nice person and all, I sensed this power player who would be a force to be reckoned with, and I was shook. I have no words to explain it. I’m sorry about your vote off though, and I hope to perhaps see you in a future game and have the chance to play together or something!! Wooh!!

Dennis - I know I told you that already during the season, but I hope you know that voting for you was a game-related choice and nothing personal. I appreciate you and all your effort alot and showed you before that I have your back, when you are being wronged, what won’t change :*.

Nicole - I wish we would have talked more! I feel like (if I’m not mistaken) we both share a love of makeup and so I think we would have really gotten along if we did speak more. I think your vote was also pivotal and induced a little chaos into the game as well. I hope if we ever play together again we can finally chat a bit more!

Tee - you know I find you amazing and would love to see you in another game as an ally or as a host

Zach - For some reason we barely communicated in this game. I figure it’s with some reason that we were unluckily never on a tribe together pre-merge, then when merge came around I voted you at the first tribal council. Not really sure, though. Anyway, it sucks to have had to write your name down but I just didn’t see us working together effectively considering it felt like there were sides and all, and it sucked yeah. Love u.

Dennis - Oh man… You clearly are a very likeable and entertaining person and either it was part of your game or you just don’t give yourself enough credit for that. I don’t know what and how you did it, but as soon as merge hit you somehow managed to sway to of my allies at that time into your charm. Quite honestly this scared the shit out of me and was the sole reason, why I was gunning for you as soon as merge hit. I didn’t want to end up in a situation where people, friends and allies had to choose between me, because the more time you had with this cast it seemed like the higher the chances would get that I’d lose that battle. I have high respect for you and your social-game abilities and wanted you to know that besides all the “beef” we had game-related I did enjoy the calls and the casual talking to you and hope this is something we can pick back up on, once this season is over.

Nicole - ALEX, don’t take this the wrong way. You are a little chaotic. But, this is what we needed in this game! You constantly wanted to take risks and make big moves and that’s not something I can say everyone wanted to do, so I applaud you for trying even up to your last round to turn things on their head and really try to make big things happen. You are someone who I’m sure the VL found super entertaining because even at tribals you could see some of that chaotic side just pop out.

Tee - I have to say I am envious of your singing ability I’m hoping maybe in the next game we can start out working together

Zach - I think you were the one of two people in this game that I ever called to talk about game AJSDFHKK. I’ve heard so much about you but to finally get the chance to play with you was great. Similar to Kait, I was hella intimidated by you day one but when we called that first time and just talked effortlessly for hours, I loved it. I’m sad that you were such a gigantic target early merge and onward, and I had hopes to continue working with you deep into this game. I hope to see u around soon and perhaps play again! x

Dennis - I honestly have not much to say about you. In both games we played, we barely interacted and to date I’m still not sure why that actually is. If I knew more about you I’d write it down here, but maybe that is something we can work on in the future.

Nicole - LISTEN BINCH (I know you love that word even though I hate it). I really feel bad that’s you seemingly always ended up on the wrong side of the vote but you were entertaining as heck. I loved your little side commentaries at tribal, and you livened them up a lot.

Tee - you were such a great player and I enjoyed getting to know you maybe our third game we can finally work together closely

Zach - I got to host you whilst playing with you at the same time… wig. I feel like in every game (which is only like 2? 3?) we play together we just… don’t talk or work together. However, that was slightly different in this game. We talked quite a bit, and I had fun working with you for the minimal time we did. I wish u could’ve stayed longer in the game but people just had different agendas and were mean!!!

Dennis - Honestly, it was a blast getting to know you and talking to you about anything every day (even though I spammed you quite a bit.. woops). I truly did enjoy it and believe we worked well together for the time we did. I just want you to know, that I did try my hardest to get the votes off of you at the F7, but no one else wanted to help with that plan... Another thing that actually made me sad was the things I heard you “leaked” from me towards Nicole, especially since they just weren’t true, during that time. I don’t know if it was you being backed into a corner and trying to scramble your way out of that vote, or if you actually were offended by something I said. I hope that the connection we made will last past this season and if there are any problems we are actually able to work them out.

Nicole - Hello, Mr. Cortana. I remember first seeing you (game wise) at Jeopardy when we both got our asses handed to us by Saxon, and hoping that they didn’t vote you out. I’m so glad they didn’t because we got to see your resilience and how much love you had for this game. You could literally see it at tribal councils when you got votes, and I’m proud of you for lasting so long! I hope you never took a vote against you personal and that you and I can talk more after this game because I loved our conversations, game related and not.

Tee - you are so sweet and love your accent I would gladly ally with you in any game I miss our talks already and hope we can reconnect soon

Zach - Similar to Jacob, I got to host you for a short period of time, so seeing you in this game was exciting! When we first met at merge, you were someone I really wanted to work with because I saw the passion you provide when playing these games, which was truly admirable. Unfortunately it seemed like we always ended on opposing sides, or if on the same side, by some variety of luck. Then, you decided to be SNEAKY!!! And try to vote me out!! And attempt to get others to as well!! ARGH!! I’m sorry I ended up voting you out. Obviously I felt like that was the best move for my game since you were actively after me for being a competition threat. I hope to play with you again someday :B yeethaw

Dennis - My boy Ryan. When we got blindsided/ flipped on at F6, I was for the first time in this season, properly upset about a person leaving. I feel like you didn’t deserve this at all.. Everyone knows by now that we’ve been working together for the majority of the season and I can definitely say, that I was super glad to have found someone in this game I can 100% trust. I had alot of fun and am truly thankful for you sticking with me<3

Nicole - I’ve written a lot of ROP’s but this has got to be the hardest for me. You and I reconnected instantly, and you seemingly were always at the short end of my decisions in this game. I feel terribly guilty and hope that I haven’t hurt your feelings on a personal level. I’ve always felt this connection with you that I’m sure you know since the beginning of Crossroads when we talked about Coven, and I hope regardless of this game we can always be friends. I just don’t really like rocks, I prefer minerals...like quartz and diamonds.

Tee - you were very funny in the chat and good at competitions hope to play another game with you

Zach - I’ll be honest. When I saw you in this game on day one I was not excited. I got to witness your game slightly because of my sister and her roommate, and I was genuinely terrified of you. Like, when I was team captain I was like “there are two people I don’t really want on my tribe currently” and you were one of them!! I dont know i get scared easily i guess. However, when we got to play together at merge, it was great. You were by far my favourite person to talk to because unintentionally you were so funny. You’d change subjects without blinking; we’d talk about removing each other off jury if we got the chance, and so much more and i don’t regret a second of it. I hated your vote off so much and, yeah, perhaps I could have changed it given you a chance to stay, but there was a lot of intimidation and threat in letting you stay around. I’m sorry and I love u and I hope to play again because you were honestly great.

Dennis - I think that it is definitely clear that we have 2 very different ways of playing survivor. Even though your way of playing isn’t for me, that doesn’t mean I don’t respect it. I give you props for playing a strategy that I couldn’t play. I’ve worked with you before and even though it didn’t work out this season I definitely look forward to the next opportunity playing and allying with you again and hope that you actually want to reach FTC there, since one of my biggest pet-peeves is playing in a competition and not wanting to win/reach the end.

Nicole - I’m glad during this game we were able to sort out our Kalos beef, even though you weren’t on your A game this time (and from what I’ve seen you would have kicked my ass so maybe I should be glad you weren’t) you certainly proved to be one of the hardest people to get out! (I guess Dennis would agree.) Maybe working together in the name of feminism will work out...next time? Third times the charm!

Tee - you are such an amazing person and fierce competitor I enjoyed our talks and #girlpower lives on always

Zach - My sister-in-law (married in by Julia Rae). I am so excited we got to finally play and actually go deep in the game since usually it seemed like one of us would be killed early while the other goes on all the way… but let’s not talk about those games hehe. I also think, in this entire game, you were the only person I ever trusted 100%, and i’m grateful for that. I really considered u my ride or die and all that good stuff. It was so funny because everyone referred to us as “The Nutts” and i’d have to BS an excuse and be like, “haha it’s because she’s friends with my friend Julia!! Don’t really know her lmao!!”. When it came to your vote, it sucked. I slept the entire day on the decision that i had minimal impact in. I considered self-voting, or just doing anything so that I didn’t have to write your name down because it made me upset. I never wanted to vote you out of this game and I truly dreamt of us at FTC together. You might not believe that, but that’s the truth. Unfortunately I was just put in a situation where I felt like I had to vote you as that vote was ultimately between you and I, and I didn’t wanna go out just yet. I hope on a personal level you aren’t mad and that after this game we can continue our friendship because you know I adore my fellow Nutt.

0 notes

foursprout-blog · 6 years

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Mike 'Dirty Jobs' Rowe Destroys Woman Who Wants Him Fired For Being "Ultra-Right Wing Conservative"

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/mike-dirty-jobs-rowe-destroys-woman-who-wants-him-fired-for-being-ultra-right-wing-conservative/

Mike 'Dirty Jobs' Rowe Destroys Woman Who Wants Him Fired For Being "Ultra-Right Wing Conservative"

Authored by Derek Hunter via The Daily Caller,

TV host Mike Rowe is known for his measured, devastating take-downs of people who attack him or his work. He has perfected the art of subtly twisting the knife in the side of critics with calm, cool language.

This skill was on display Thursday when Rowe responded to a woman criticized his politics on Facebook.

Rowe narrates the show “How The Universe Works” on the Science Channel. The woman, Rebecca Bright, called Rowe an “anti-education, science doubting, ultra-right wing conservative” who should be fired.

“I love the show How the Universe Works, but I’m lost on how the producers and the Science Channel can allow anti-education, science doubting, ultra-right wing conservative Mike Rowe to narrate the show,” Bright wrote, according to Rowe. “There are countless scientists that should be hired for that, or actors, if you must, that believe in education and science that would sound great narrating the show, example: Morgan Freeman. Cancel this fools contract and get any of your scientists so often on the show to narrate it.”

In his response, Rowe started off by exhibiting his knowledge of the subject of the show and killing Rebecca with kindness:

Well hi there, Rebecca. How’s it going?

First of all, I’m glad you like the show. “How the Universe Works” is a terrific documentary series that I’ve had the pleasure of narrating for the last six seasons. I thought this week’s premiere was especially good. It was called, “Are Black Holes Real?” If you didn’t see it, spoiler alert….no one knows!!!

It’s true. The existence of Black Holes has never been proven. Some cosmologists are now convinced they don’t exist at all, and the race to prove their actuality has become pretty intense. Why? Because so much of what we think we know about the cosmos depends upon them. In other words, the most popular explanations as to how the universe actually works, are based upon the existence of a thing that no one has been able to prove.

As I’m sure you know, it’s OK to make assumptions based on theories. In fact, it’s critical to progress. But it’s easy these days to confuse theory with fact. Thanks to countless movies and television shows that feature Black Holes as a plot device, and many documentaries that bring them to life with gorgeous CGI effects and dramatic music, a lot of people are under the assumption that Black Holes are every bit as real as the Sun and the Moon. Well, maybe they are, and maybe they aren’t. We just don’t know. That’s why I enjoyed this week’s show so much. It acknowledged the reasons we should question the existence of something that many assume to be “settled science.” It invited us to doubt.

Oftentimes, on programs like these, I’m asked to re-record a passage that’s suddenly rendered inaccurate by the advent of new information. Sometimes, over the course of just a few days. That’s how fast the information changes. Last year for instance, on an episode called “Galaxies,” the original script – carefully vetted by the best minds in physics – claimed there were approximately one hundred billion galaxies in the known universe. A hundred billion! (Not a typo.) I couldn’t believe it when I read it. I mean, the Milky Way alone has something like 400 billion stars! Andromeda has a trillion! How many stars must there be in a universe, with a hundred billion galaxies? Mind-boggling, right?

Well, a few weeks later, the best minds in physics came together again, and determined that the total number of galaxies in the universe was NOT in fact, a hundred billion. They were off. Not by a few thousand, or a few million, or few billion, or even a few hundred billion. The were off by two trillion. That’s right…TWO TRILLION!!

But here’s the point, Rebecca – when I narrate this program, it doesn’t matter if I’m correct or incorrect – I always sound the same. And guess what? So do the experts.

Rowe then slowly turned his keyboard to Rebecca’s idea that he should be fired because doesn’t “believe in education and science,” and it gets brutal:

When I wrote about this discrepancy, people became upset. They thought I was making fun of science. They thought I was suggesting that because physicists were off by one trillion, nine hundred billion galaxies, all science was suddenly suspect, and no claims could be trusted. In general, people like you accused me of “doubting science.” Which is a curious accusation, since science without doubt isn’t science at all.

This is an important point. If I said I was skeptical that a supernatural being put us here on Earth, you’d be justified in calling me a “doubter of religion.” But if I said I was skeptical that manmade global warming was going to melt the icecaps, that doesn’t make me a “doubter of science.”

Once upon a time, the best minds in science told us the Sun revolved around the Earth. They also told us the Earth was flat, and that a really bad fever could be cured by blood-letting. Happily, those beliefs were questioned by skeptical minds, and we moved forward. Science is a wonderful thing, and a critical thing. But without doubt, science doesn’t advance. Without skepticism, we have no reason to challenge the status quo. Anyway, enough pontificating. Let’s consider for a moment, your very best efforts to have me fired.

You’ve called me an “ultra-right wing conservative,” who is both “anti-education,” and “science-doubting.” Interestingly, you offer no proof. Odd, for a lover of science. So I challenge you to do so now. Please provide some evidence that I am in fact the person you’ve described. And by evidence, I don’t mean a sentence taken out of context, or a meme that appeared in your newsfeed, or a photo of me standing next to a politician or a talk-show host you don’t like. I mean actual proof of what you claim I am.

Also, please bear in mind that questioning the cost of a college degree does not make me “anti-education.” Questioning the existence of dark-matter does not make me a “dark-matter denier.” And questioning the wisdom of a universal $15 minimum wage doesn’t make me an “ultra-right wing conservative.” As for Morgan Freeman, I agree. He’s a terrific narrator, and a worthy replacement. But remember, Morgan played God on the big screen. Twice. Moreover, he has publicly claimed to be a “believer.” (gasp!) Should this disqualify him from narrating a series that contradicts the Bible at every turn? If not, why not?

Anyway, Rebecca, my beef with your post comes down to this – if you go to my boss and ask her to fire me because you can’t stand the sound of my voice, I get it. Narrators with unpleasant voices should probably look for other work anyway, and if enough people share your view, no hard feelings – I’ll make room for Morgan.

But if you’re trying to get me fired simply because you don’t like my worldview, well then, I’m going to fight back. Partly because I like my job, and partly because you’re wrong about your assumptions, but mostly because your tactics typify a toxic blend of laziness and group-think that are all too common today – a hot mess of hashtags and intolerance that deepen the chasm currently dividing our country.

Re-read your own post, and think about your actual position. You’ve publicly asked a network to fire the narrator of a hit show because you might not share his personal beliefs. Don’t you think that’s kind of…extraordinary? Not only are you unwilling to engage with someone you disagree with – you can’t even enjoy a show you claim to love if you suspect the narrator might not share your view of the world! Do you know how insular that makes you sound? How fragile?

I just visited your page, and read your own description of you. It was revealing. It says, “I stand my ground. I fear no one & nothing. I have & will fight for what’s right.”

Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t think the ground you’re standing on is worth defending. If you truly fear “no one & nothing,” it’s not because you’re brave; it’s because you’re unwilling to expose yourself to ideas that frighten you. And while I can see that you like to fight for what you think is “right” (in this case, getting people fired that you disagree with,) one could easily say the same thing about any other misguided, garden-variety bully.

In other words, Rebecca, I don’t think you give a damn about science. If I’m wrong, prove it. Take a step back and be skeptical about your own assumptions. Take a moment to doubt your own words, and ask yourself – as any good scientist would – if you’ve got your head up a black hole.

Having said all that, I think you’re gonna love next week’s episode. It’s called Multiple Stars! Check it out, Tuesdays at 10pm, on Science.

Best, Mike

#Wealth

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survivorindia · 7 years

Text

I was summoned by the voices in my head- Episode 2

lol I'm probably going bye bye

So we managed to come up with a plan, Karen Kendall Alex and I will vote Ashley and it's only because I said she was contemplating self voting and I counted that as "I heard her name" SJAHFDHOFAOPUDJ like ugh it sucks but somebody needs to go tonight so =/

Well I just heard from Kendall that everybody is voting me out but honestly Im not mad at all. I almost quit this game twice so this will be just as good hahahahaha

So here we are again.. my tribe is heading to tribal for the second time in a row & right now I pretty much feel like a sitting duck. Lexi & I were the only two people really competing in the challenge & that pisses me off.. so I approached her with a deal that since the two of us were the only ones who tried, let's not vote for each other & she agreed.. so now the question is who DO we vote for? Of course I'm pushing for Casey, but both Lexi & Ruben are very good at not directly answering my questions of "who do YOU wanna vote for?" Like they always find ways to just kinda circle around the question & so finally I got tired of the shit & I said straight up to Lexi that Casey hasn't been pulling her weight & I want her gone next.. last tribal I noticed how paranoid & scared Lexi was getting because of the rumors & so this time I decided to play that to my advantage. I told her that basically the entire returnee villains tribe is still spreading the rumors & targeting the both of them. I told her that even though I don't believe the rumors, that won't stop the returnees from eventually targeting the two of them.. so I said that me, her, Ruben, and Dom need to just stick together & vote out the weakest tonight.. I'm hoping that the thought of the entire returnee villains tribe targeting her, will be enough to convince Lexi to vote my way tonight.

I'm shook! Steven got rocked out WHEW Honslee Im kinda sad bc I wanted to work with Steven later on, now I gotta talk to more of the newbie heroes and see who I can potentially trust 👀.

Ok so I was talking lexi and I'm yellin bc she's v pissed @ her tribe like she doesn't want her tribe winning anything at all skdndondk N U T! I'm here for it honslee! I want the other heroes tribe to self destruct ! Hopefully I can get something to lexi out tho bc I want her to stay long enough to wreak havoc on that tribe honestly truly

Ok so last night my alliance had a call to discuss who we should vote out and we came to the consensus that ace will be getting elimed, anyway so gav said that he was gonna talk to Ashley about the vote or whatever so fast forward to this morning I have a nice talk with miss Ashley about making amends after Sweden and i think we're on good terms now. So we discuss who to vote and she said that gav told her to vote ace and that Kendall is spearheading the anti ace campaign and honslee? It threw me off a little bc who throws their alliance member under the bus like that, like BINCH! Just say that that's what majority seems like and be done with it, she doesn't need any reasons. Ok so a little later I talk to ace and tell him that the vote is Ashley and that I have Kendall and Kendall has Alex so he made a chat with me and Kendall and I told him that we didn't need Alex in the chat bc we'd have majority after this, i also did it so Alex wouldn't get sus of me and Kendall soooo anyway! As of rn ace has majority vote and I think I'm in a good spot overall????

Oh my god... I was considering Steven to be someone who would be a driving factor of this season and it's just weird to think of him snuffed so quickly. I never would've thought this tribe would actually go to rocks and now it's like the rubble after the nuclear blast, it's time to repair and renew. We need to become strong again or else we'll fail miserably. On the bright side, that rock draw worked out amazingly well for me. Liam's survived and he's pretty much indebted to me so I got him as a free number for me :~) and Whitney was loyal to Liam and I so it looks like we hold the majority down 'ere. Not to mention that my relationships with the returnees aren't half bad - I've only spoken to two of 'em, but still. Alex Crooks and I are cool - he's the first guy I ever ruined my game for :') So that's a swell flashback I suppose. And then there's Gavin. I can't say he's the most trustworthy from what I've seen and heard in the ol' wiki community, but if he's selling me some deals I ain't gonna pass on 'em. And he did try to spill some tribe tea so hopefully h'ain't lying. (Linus, that reference was for you! It was all for you!)

I did NOT let that other Lexi leave WHEW. That challenge flew by REAAAAAL quick and thank goodness we won! Now let's just hope my boys on the Heroes returnees ain't screwed 'ere. But it looks like Dom's getting a strike for not adding any of us nice guys, so I bet he's getting the boot. Ruben and Casey did also disappear during the challenge so it could be them if they're basing this off of challenge performance here :v

That feel when you've been working on a terrible project I seriously regret making since it hurts my eyes all day so you haven't talked to anyone :v Thank goodness there's no Tribal and I'm on a boring tribe!

And by boring I don't mean the people are boring, they're kinda lit, we just are hella quiet.

Oh my god I literally went to rocks our first tribal I'm beyond shocked I made it out alive. Steven was taken out which was okay but Lexi would have been better for sure. But guess what we won this challenge so no voting for us I'm so happy we kicked ass

Okay FUCK YES DAHLING WE JUST WON IMMUNITY. So all day I've been bonding with Jordan Pines and like FUCK I actually really like Jordan. So I told him that I would have his back if we went to tribal, and he literally shut down my talk with "let's not talk stratagey now I just wanna get to know you more" which honestly, who wouldn't be scared by that, like FUCK. Anyways, I talked to Jordan and got to know him more, I just hope he considers me as someone he wants to keep around. Now, on the other hand I have my ally Sarah who I trust, you all pretty much know this by now. So Sarah told me that she needs to call me tonight because she has some info, which is terrifiying, but i'm glad she trusts me as much as I trust her, it feels good. Now ANYWAY Jordan came up with this brilliant plan for immunity and it WORKED. This witch ain't gonna be fourth boot this time around, IT'S GAME TIME BITCH HAHA!

Ruben and I got close. We are voting Monte out tonight because Lexi/Casey have beef from a prior game. That way we are swing votes and we decide what happens.

Whew this round has been exciting. Idol hunting is going decently me and Dom are working well together but unless he's lied neither of us got anything yet. I sort of took control of the tribe on this challenge being like heres what we need to do and heres how we need to do it. It was definitely a high risk, high reward scenario but it paid off. We won the challenge in an impressive 2 seconds and like I think i got the credit for that win. I am just really talking to people, keeping myself known in the chats as like a fun member of the tribe. Idk if its paying off but as of now I think I am in good standing with the tribe. We are probably swapping soon so I am just trying to work that tribe unity as long as I can hoping that however a swap goes we can work as a 6 and not a divisive unit. I think i'm doing good right now but time will tell.

Things are going pretty great right now honestly. I started out a little shaky and nervous but it seems like Monte and Casey both want each other gone now and both Lexi/Dom pulled me into a 3 person alliance. I think if I ride with those two I could find myself in a really good position long term. Both seem to consider me a potential final 2 and that's the best situation to be in on a small tribe. I think Monte should be going home unless there is a blindside coming up on me rip. For now I want to make sure Monte goes home so that everybody remaining on this tribe trust me 1000%. Also I have NO problem going to tribal more lol. Hero Lexi could be in trouble on her tribe with the whole rock draw thing going down and since that situation I feel like I'm in a more solid position to throw comps if I have to in order to keep her safe. Although I didn't have to do much this challenge to throw it considering Monte and Casey made it fucking easy for me by not showing up lmao. Good shit though

Okay, just for the record, that was BEAUTIFUL. Steven who was setting up my vote was rocked out, and now Miss Negative (Lexi) is a sitting duck, she knows it's 3 vs 2. Bitches, don't fuck with me next time.

Regan is pressing a gun to my head right now send help

youtube

What do I wake up to? Johnny messaging me that the tribe is going to "R O C K S..." and I'M HYPE! It's so early and already players are being messy as heck. Anyway, I'm glad Steven was taken out because from what I could tell, he seemed to be a schemer with real game know-how. Here's to hoping we don't need to go to tribal in the premerge!

I've been sick the past two days. I feel like it's hurting my social game a bit when I come online to see 100 messages or so. I don't want to be left out of the loop but it is worrisome. From what I gathered, Ace/Ashley are trying to get myself/Gavin to work with them. While on the flip side, Kendall/Karen are trying to get myself/Gavin to work with them. It's an interesting position for us two to be in. Gavin is my number one at this point, and I have zero doubt that we'll make the right move in the end. The problem is, is that Gavin/Myself have differing opinions on who to work with. I love Kendall/Karen, Gavin loves Ace/Ashley. I want to vote out Ace, and if I can't convince Kendall/Karen to vote out Ace then I will end up voting out Karen or Kendall. Because I can do that. I have that power to do this with Gavin, and that's what I'll do.

I always find myself having to reassure Gavin a ton. He's paranoid about the power duo of Kendall/Karen, but we're all literally fine. He's worried about being a fourth wheel and that I find understandable. But his worries make less sense when I'm more with him than I am with Kendall/Karen. I have his back 100%, but having to constantly assure him that him and I are golden, it's a bit tough and a tad sketchy.

Welp it turns out I remind Gavin of his ex girlfriend... not sure how to feel about that :P.

I feel shitty Oh so shitty I feel so shitty and hitty and gay And I pity Any person who feels in anyway~ Thank you thank you, you are all too kind! Well, not you on the left, or you in the front row or you reading this line. That's right you smug bastard I know what you did last summer! ... where was I going? Oh right we have tribal! Karen wants to vote Ace out and last night, in my sleep induced haze, I agreed with her but now that I am more lucid, I realize that this is a terrible idea. Ace is someone who I would always have in my back pocket. You could say they are my.... Ace in the hole. Fuck you I thought it was funny. Besides, I'm being to worry a bit about Karen. She's intelligent and calculating, for the time being this is good and it'll be in my best interest to keep her. But at some point, I'm going to have to get rid of her and I'll need some support. I don't know Ashley and I barely know Gavin. The only person I am solidly aligned with is Alex. And while Karen did call Ashley a bitch in Sweden, that doesn't mean that that bridge is completely gone. She could very well have her in her back pocket. Still, I will try not to do anything impulsive. The last few times I tried to save someone, I ended up fucking up real badly. Like to a comical degree kind of fuck up. I won't go out of my way to save them but I'll be damned if I don't at least advocate on their behalf.

I JUST NEED TO GET 6TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THIS TIME I WAS WORRIED ABOUT WINNING! ALL THIS TIME I WAS AFRIAD OF FUCKING UP BUT I UNDERSTAND NOW! I HAVE A MISSION A DUTY AMOUNG MY PEER (DREW) TO GET 6TH PLACE! TO BECOME THE ANTI JENN AND KAIT! I CAN NOT FAIL! LIKE JOAN OF ARC I WAS SUMMONED BY THE VOICES IN MY HEAD AND I SHALL SUCCEED!

I'm so sad :( I need to find the idol and try very hard in challenges or else I'll be the next person to leave

I am so glad we won immunity. It for sure would have been me or Lexi next if we had gone to tribal. It looks like Johnny and Whitney aren't too upset that I didn't vote with them but I can't take my chances. I had been searching for the idol for a while with no luck so I asked Lexi to help me find it. She found it within a few hours lol. We didn't find the idol but we found the idol grid. It's relieving to know it couldn't have been found right away. This gives me and her time to find it. Hopefully we'll get it before anyone else and we'll be set for the rest of the time on this tribe. I doubt anyone else on our tribe has found the idol page or would suspect that we found it. I'm thinking long term so the game plan would be using the idol on lexi and getting rid of Liam. If we happen to go to a tribal council after that we could try to get Whitney or Johnny to flip to our side. Even if they don't want to we can always force a tie so Lexi and I still have a strong chance of succeeding. We just have to find that idol!

So i was very pissed steven got rocked out. Liam deserved to go. He did nothing for the challenge. I think whitney had a pre existing relationship with liam. I got called out for ruben being my boyfriend and thats why they wanted me out but oh well. Him and Robin went to rocks for me and i was grateful. I don't like Whitney at all. She doesnt even give me a chance and i think i know why. But whatever i could care less about her lol. Johnny stopped talking to me so he must be scared or something if he wont even talk to me. Liam is useless to me. Like why is he even here lol. I'm only still helping my tribe win because of robin. I could care less about the other 3. I got the idol board and we all know i need a idol more then anyone.

#youdontgetmycrownjustcause

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