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#literally no drama with these two just 5 seasons of ride or die friendship
darkpoisonouslove · 4 years
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Winx Club Season 2 Thoughts (4kids) Part 1
I already posted some thoughts on season 2 last year when I legit just clicked through he episodes rather than actually rewatching them so I am back to give a more in-depth look on this season! (And, hopefully, it won’t end with disappointment for me.)
2x01:
- Eww, why voiceover? It just seems so unnatural since we’ve never had it before. Not to mention that Bloom told us what each of the other girls has done during the summer but she didn’t tell us anything about herself. Like, she set out to find out more about her origins back in the first half of season 1, and I know that she did learn about being the princess of Domino but she still has no fucking idea who her parents are as individuals apart from them being the rulers of Domino. Considering how big of a plot that is later on, it just doesn’t sit right with me that she doesn’t seem remotely interested in it currently and didn’t mention anything about it. It’s like that plotline is closed for her which we all know is not true. So I am having some issues here, not gonna lie (not with Bloom but with her inconsistent writing).
- Aww, am I the only one who thinks that Stella buried herself in fashion rules all summer because she didn’t want to think about her parents’ divorce? Poor baby has been going so hard with no rest to keep herself from grieving over it. But at least she did something! (Proving she’s not lazy and spoiled; she practically had a job. Her dream job. You go get it, girl! (but also take care of your mental state, please.))
- Why is Bloom so eager to learn her fortune? Has she not read Greek Mythology? Bad idea, hon. Bad idea. (The thing with the magical reality mirrors was cool, though!)
- (Is that a new secret library or is it the regular library? I’m confused. Does anybody have a handy layout of Alfea for me?)
- She just fucking told her everything! I’m not a fan of knowing your future tbh. It really messes with your head and you start thinking “Will my actions have a negative impact on it? Will I somehow change my own destiny for the worse?” and then you go and do exactly that. Not to mention that it would be so weird to stare at Layla and just feel the pressure of being told that you’ll be best friends. Like, what if it doesn’t work? And what if it is just the fact that you were told so that pushes you to seek the friendship of that person? I don’t know. It’s just not my thing.
- Layla is awesome, though! Climbing those rocks with no equipment, not to mention with so little power left. She probably couldn’t even transform and fly if she fell. That was dangerous but did she care? Nope. She was there to save the pixies! Brave little soldier. Too good, too pure for this world.
- Ugh, Darkar managed to annoy me with his very first sentence ever. Nice job. You are a loser, loser. So deal with it! God, how will I take all that narcissism for 25 more episodes? Oh god, oh no, please, no! Whyyyyyyyy?
- Ugh, Bloom, that diadem is doing the opposite of wonders for your hair, please! At least Stella had the common sense to remove it.
- Speaking of Stella, that moment with the multiplying beauty was so cute! I love how she complimented the others while complimenting herself! But guys (Stella & Bloom), you’re not discreet with the groping. Seriously.
- Oh, hey! Riven won! And Sky only came in third! Nice! But lbr here, Timmy is the real victor! The others came in on hoverbikes while he had an entire ship that he modified himself. I mean, idk about anyone else, but I would definitely go for the ship.
- Of course there’s Diaspro drama. God, can they not for literally five seconds? And also, “we’re just friends”? Wtf? Did you fall on your head this summer, Bloom? You were calling him your boyfriend last time I checked. And you were fawning over the romance in your future. Can you just drop the pretense already?
- Ooh, Layla is so smart! She managed to outsmart all the monsters and win even when she barely had any magic left! You go, you absolute badass!
- Did they even make any changes on that new wing at Alfea? I mean, besides the name.
2x02:
- How did Tecna know that Layla was the princess of Andros? Did she hack the interdimensional FBI system? Wtf.
- They could’ve showed some other things we hadn’t seen that Layla had to go through but, of course, why would they do that when they could just use the same footage and draw less animation, bruh?
- And we’re getting to the opposites. Right on schedule when the Shadow Phoenix has shown up. You gotta love how convenient those school lessons are (not to mention that Bloom suddenly started feeling her opposite out of nowhere. Nice!) At least we got a cool magical lesson. Though, idk how to feel about the ying-yang symbol. I mean, it is a perfect representation of what they’re talking about but kind of weird to see something so earthly in Alfea. Though, Earth did have magic so... Hmm. Okay, anyway. Moving on.
- Um, question, why do Stella and Layla not know each other? And in the first season Stella and Musa and Sky didn’t know each other even though they were all royalty (I am still unclear on whether Musa is a princess or not btw but anyway). Don’t they, like, have royal meetings with other kingdoms? (which they even did in season 5 when Domino was back. What, is Domino the center of the universe and they can’t function without it? I mean, come on!)
- The talk about love is getting on my nerves and I literally have “love” in my url and it is my fave word. So what is wrong with that? I do love that guard there. Heck, yeah, it’s a prison (it’s worse than that tbh). And the fact that they’re trying to make it out not to be is extremely fucked up and sickening if you ask me. Not to mention “You can force people to be happy. It just takes time.” I really hope whoever had the idea of that place (in-verse) is going to hell.
- They legit just kept recapping season 1 for a solid minute? Aaaaaaaand... SKIP.
- Can I say that a 30-page report is an actual living nightmare. Thanks.
- The girls are all friendly with Layla (well, outside of a slip-up or two). That’s cute. But where the hell is Tecna? Can the animators only animate five Winx girls at a time? What the hell, you guys?
- So the Pixie village is on Andros (if Layla found it accidentally. I don’t imagine she realm-hopped at will)? Why don’t I remember any of that? But hey, finally some flashbacks that we haven’t seen before!
- Oh, look! My guy Kerborg is here! (the only good part of this whole Darkar thing tbh)
- The Trix finally thought of trying to pretend to be happy in order to get out of there. Well, better late than never. Though, watching how it’s going I can understand why they didn’t try before that. It is, in fact, hopeless. (But at least Darcy is handling it! She always was a bit more controlled.)
- I am so majorly creeped out by Darkar. He just met them and he’s like “You belong to me! Mwahahahaha.” Ummmm? Can you calm down? But I loved Icy’s response. Though, it didn’t stick. And he’s at it again. Seriously, this is really giving me some major off vibes. He said they were going to be the queens of Shadowhaunt which, considering he’s the king, would imply they were his wives. Now there’s a mental image that I am not even going to let inside my head, thanks. Although, having in mind that he just kept buttering them up, I would say it was just him stroking their egos to get them to join him. Not to mention that his later treatment of them supports that theory. And of course, he had to test them first and see how they’d do.
2x03:
- Please, tell me that they’ll tell someone about the Pixies and won’t just go to Shadowhaunt on their own initiative.
- O!M!G! They actually told Faragonda! I can’t believe this! Finally doing something smart, I can’t! And of course she wasn’t going to just let them go. Though, did she really think they weren’t going to want to take the test?
- Shouldn’t Stella be weakened by the darkness of Shadowhaunt? I kinda wish she’d stayed at Alfea if that would’ve spared us from the arc that is coming. (Why?)
- Okay, but it was kind of rude of Layla to just overtake Riven’s hoverbike like that. I wouldn’t appreciate it if I had to give someone a ride and they shoved me out of the driver’s seat and occupied my car, thank you. I’m surprised Riven agreed to let her drive.
- I don’t really have much to say about this episode tbh.
- It was cute that Stella jumped off the cliff for Brandon but it was not the smartest course of action. It probably would’ve been easier for him to save himself if he was alone and they may not have ended up being brought to Amentia. God, I hate this. I don’t want to be bitching about this every other sentence so just know that I absolutely despise this arc from the very bottom of my heart and that will never change.
2x04:
- They have no powers and Darkar knows they’re there. Sounds like a great situation, doesn’t it?
- That amazing moment when you either have to marry a person you’ve just met or watch the one you love die and then be forced to get married anyway. You gotta love that! I hate this so much! (And this is different from my previous point. Or at least has a different angle.)
- Wow, Riven is absolutely handling being a boyfriend. Somebody get him a manual, the man is failing spectacularly.
- I am not quite a fan of Flora’s “Must be nice to have a shoulder to cry on”. Like, you have your friends???? No, I get that she wants a boyfriend, nothing wrong with that, but it came out like she has nobody. Which is absolutely not true.
- What a lucky save that Stella just arrived when they were about to become toast. Can anyone tell me why she didn’t just teleport them where the Pixies are? Or anywhere closer to them if she could do that all along?
- Am I distracted or is there nothing to talk about in these episodes? (Both. It is both.)
2x05:
- Seriously, why didn’t they at least mention the option to teleport using that gadget from the beginning?
- Aww, Brandon was trying to be noble and get out of the marriage but it backfired. Poor him.
- Why are the Pixies bickering like that? Is it Shadowhaunt’s influence or just the fact that they’d been imprisoned together for so long?
- Wait, did they just... kill a pixie? (Off screen of course, but still. Damn!)
- So Bloom and Stella did... interestingly with the boarding.
- Why is Stella afraid of heights? Also, that’s never been mentioned before. Especially not when she jumped off a fucking cliff! Wtf. They just keep throwing in new stuff without setting it up properly and I am getting annoyed.
- What happened to Tecna’s computer?
- Oh, look! Chatta lied to Darkar to protect Pixie Village.
- It’s the Trix! Finally some action! And they are harder to defeat now that they’re stronger! Nice!
- Damn! Layla was really determined to get the Pixies out of there. (Which wouldn’t have helped if Darkar hadn’t let her but she still gets points for trying.)
- Oh come on! Do I really have to deal with fake Avalon so early in the season?!?!?! Dammit! Also, wtf is up with Bloom and Stella? Like, you both have boyfriends. At least Layla’s not affected.
- “Stella returned a compliment. What is that about?” XDDD One of the funniest lines ever! And look at Amore! She is so cute!
2x06:
- But yeah, seriously, just go get Brandon, please! (Also, good that they noticed something’s fishy.)
- Aww, Stella is absolutely furious and determined to get her boyfriend back. She should’ve gone for a plan tbh since it could’ve helped them get to the palace faster.
- I love how Stella’s known Layla for a week (half of which Layla was unconscious) tops and is already making her her bridesmaid. Am I the only one who finds this weird? Like, this friendship train is moving way too fast for my trust issues.
- Poor Brandon. She’s going to stretch him, wtf? These episodes are a horror show.
- How bad can a guard worm be? Hm, gee, I don’t know, Layla. Enough to stop you perhaps since it is a “guard”, y’know.
- And Brandon is talking to a parrot now. I am losing it just like he is. How much longer will this torture go on? Please, tell me this arc is coming to an end.
- Okay, so the plotline with Amore’s magic is less problematic than I remember it. I thought she was going to make Amentia fall in love with the flower pollen but it only leads you to your soulmate. That isn’t problematic, actually. Nice!
- Wtf do you mean they’re going to eat Brandon if he’s not a good husband?!?!?! I am getting nightmares over here. Just feeling them forming in my head. Thanks.
- It must be horrible for Stella to be standing there and watching her boyfriend being forced to marry another woman. How are these people not psychologically scarred anyway?
- Aww, they’re back together! I love how Amore is just sitting in Stella’s lap! It’s cute.
2x07:
- I was not ready for the Kiko angst even though I knew it was coming.
- Faragonda really thought she could just dodge that question without them noticing, huh? Yeah, well, no.
- Oh, look! The Shadow Fire is sentient. This reminds me of LotR tbh but anyway, moving on. So Darkar is a man who is possessed by the Shadow Fire? I so did not remember that.
- Oh, no! Is it really time for Avalon already? Dammit! I was just getting thrilled there was no Darkar in these last two episodes and now I get Avalon. Uggggh.
- I get Bloom’s annoyance with this but why does she keep blasting it when that obviously doesn’t give results?!?!?! This reminds me of that quote by Einstein that madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results. “I feel tired.” You think? You’ve been out there blasting that thing for hours. Get inside and get warmed up, oh my god! Seriously, how are they even alive? They don’t take care of themselves at all.
- This might be my more advanced knowledge of what the future holds for them speaking but I absolutely do not get what is Avalon’s appeal.
- Oh, how convenient. He’s teaching magic connected to their origins. Amazing.
- “I don’t want to seem obsessive” *proceeds to spy on girlfriend* At least the show is framing it well.
2x08:
- Ugh, I really hate these Bloom and Avalon scenes. They just leave a bad taste in my mouth.
- Ugh, I’m gagging at Bloom’s obsession with Avalon. I get he promised to help her learn about her origins but she’s downright lovesick. I am so with Sky on this and I understand his frustration.
- Aww, Brandon immediately revealed his own nickname to help Stella calm down. That was so cute! I love them!
- I love how the fairies are always invited, of course, but the witches are only invited because they helped. I mean, yeah, they do cause trouble, but like, they’re witches? I think the show should have done a better job at specifying what exactly being a witch is because currently it’s like “hey, they’re evil but they can legally learn how to be evil in the legitimate school for witches!” How does that make any sense?
- Ewww, seriously? On the one front I have Bloom and Avalon and on the other Icy and Darkar. What is wrong with this season?
- Oh, hey! It’s Helia! Now only if we didn’t have to wait half a season for Flora to confess her feelings, that would be great! I love how she got mad at Stella for introducing herself to Helia. Don’t just glare there, Flora. Do something about it! (About Helia, I mean.)
- So Saladin is also a dramatic bitch. Good to know. XD But hey, the new Red Fountain looks so much better. Before I started the rewatch, I didn’t even remember the initial vision. I only remembered the one from season 2 onwards.
- Poor Timmy! But what was Tecna’s problem? Like, you dreamed of him. That’s cool. I mean, you like him. What’s the problem? I guess she’s just not used to emotions like that, though.
- “I think it was Darcy” Jeez, really? Why is the fact that she ran away not enough proof that it was Darcy? Why would she run away if she was just a random girl? But I guess it’s a good thing Musa recognized her voice because people can actually do that unlike what movies would have you believe.
- It’s Kerborg time. Nice!
- Oh, yeah, “let’s leave Bloom and Sky in charge here”. Now you trust her. Last time she was there he blamed everything on her but hey, whatever.
- I loved Sky being supportive of Brandon and then the team up with all the rest. And Riven showing a better side of himself. That was really awesome.
- Oh, I think Helia’s got his eye on a certain fairy too! ;)
- But seriously. Literally an entire army of Specialists can’t hold the monster down while Helia did it on his own. With his glove. Wtf?!?!?!?! Though really, why am I expecting anything to make sense at this point.
2x09:
- Okay, but as annoying as Darkar is, he at least knows how to steer the witches to do exactly what he wants.
- Really, Tecna, I think your facts are wrong. You aren’t completely grown up at 16, wtf.
- Who else is completely creeped out by Avalon? He really just gave all of his very female and very young students flowers. And he’s teaching them all individual things (which is just a cover so that his interest in Bloom doesn’t stand out, of course, but still). He knows they are all crushing on him and he’s exploiting that and doing his best to lead them on and reinforce those emotions. That is absolutely disgusting, thank you.
- Seriously, even Faragonda is falling victim to his “charm” (not)? I can’t with this episode anymore and it has just started. And here I thought Darkar would be the problem of this season. How was I so wrong????????
- Oh, he wants them to trust him as much as they trust themselves? How about they throw you off a cliff instead? Oh, wait, that won’t work because he has wings. Crush him with a boulder then? (This is getting very anti Avalon and I am so sorry for all the negativity but I don’t think I can stress enough how much this is upsetting and angering me.)
- Why do I feel like Avalon is the one who planted the book there so that Tecna could do all of that and embarrass herself so that she wouldn’t try it again and he could proceed with his real plans?
- Well, we finally got Bloom’s parents’ names and a very unclear peek at them. Though, props for having their designs figured out from the beginning, though I guess that is just thanks to the comics.
- Oh, hey! Palladium is back. (Why is no one crushing on him? He is so much better and more handsome than Avalon tbh.) Glow up time, bitches. XD
- Amaryl is being Amaryl, of course. But Palladium is having none of it anymore. And he saved Stella. Nice!
- The others trust Tecna, that’s great!
- (Honestly, Griffin is the only thing saving me from losing my mind in this episode tbh, Also the fact that she believes Tecna and that Tecna was suspicious enough to dig in the first place. At least someone hasn’t lost their common sense.)
- Oh, hey, how did Bloom get that medallion? Did she pull it out of the past? Pls, tell me that’s not what happened. It can legit mess the entire timeline.
- Wait, didn’t they start chasing him before midnight? Why is it suddenly morning? Wtf? You can’t tell me they chased him all night. Why is everything so wrong?
- Poor Wizgiz! Another invention is destroyed. I feel his pain.
- At least all parts of the episode came together nicely. The writing was actually good but I absolutely hate this episode, thanks! I still appreciate the effort with the script, though.
2x10:
- Seriously, why did Bloom instantly decide that Diaspro was involved in this? Ugh. Both she and Sky need to calm down with the jealousy.
- Omg, Griselda is so savage, I can’t! Her magic is so awesome. (Since when is Stella up for cooking? Or was it just because she wanted to see the cute guy that would teach them cooking? Ah, and she’s tired of take out.) I really loved how she used different methods to deal with the different powers of the fairies. Finally we’re getting all the magical lessons and it is absolutely glorious.
- (Btw, seeing Stella openly critique classes schedule makes it clear to me why she’s always been my favorite. That is such a me thing to do. I still can’t understand how teachers liked me since I was always arguing with them.)
- Of course. Sky wants to talk and Bloom immediately decided he wanted to break up with her. Why don’t you hear him out first maybe? (Sidenote: Stella and Brandon went on a date with unicorns? That is really cute!)
- Brandon is in his role of the wingman again. Considering he’s the only one having a steady girlfriend (and they’ve said “I love you” already), the rest should just listen to him.
- Mayhem globe? That’s really cool actually.
- Helia is here. Nice!
- Poor Stormy. She looked really hurt. I thought Darcy was the one with the illusions and riddles. Why did she get it wrong and why was Icy the one to solve it (through a detail that not only has never been shown but has been pretty much disproven by what we’ve seen)?
- Yeah. Tecna and Timmy were also knocked out, Bloom. Just in case you care about that.
- Kindness spell? And non-agression spell? That’s kinda cool actually. But problematic... again.
- I am not quite sure what Bloom did but I am actually glad to see they went with a hug there (and it was cute). But how many times are they going to become a boyfriend and a girlfriend? I thought we were over this.
2x11:
- Brandon is at it again. A true specialist... in dating tips. XD
- Wow, Flora. Nice Helia spell you got there. (Btw I am so loving that we get to see them in different classes and learning things! Yes, this is what I’m here for!) But Layla was so ready to help! And I also love that Flora went to Layla instead of anyone else. It’s really cute that they got so close so fast. (”He’s crazy if he doesn’t like you.” Perhaps Layla is the one who likes Flora. XD)
- Shoulda listened to Brandon, Timmy. (But Tecna so boldly went for the “us”. You go, girl!)
- Idk but to me “The Archaic Spells of Spheria” doesn’t sound any good tbh.
- Of course Stella is all about the romantic movies. But poor pixies. They had to imprison them to save them.
- Why did all of the boys know about the Codex in the previous ep but the girls have no clue about it? Why is Faragonda keeping it from them if everyone at Red Fountain knows about it?
- What was Faragonda doing? And why did she make Bloom look for the spell? Couldn’t she do that herself? (Also, she just threw the book like that on the floor. I get why it prompted her derision but damn, really?)
2x12:
- Flora and Helia are such romantic dorks. And they’re bringing their A game there. Poems and flowers... A beautiful romance blooms. (I’ll stop now.)
- This convergence talk is giving me all the friendship feels. Not just for Winx but also for Faragonda and Griffin since they have been spotted doing convergence too. Ugh, my heart!
- Wow, Riven sure has a lot of pictures of Musa, considering the way he’s acting.
- “Kind of involved”? Mhm, sure.
- So I understand Musa’s frustration with Stella’s meddling but on the other hand I can see Stella’s point. I love Musa x Riven but Riven doesn’t seem exactly present and Musa herself stated that she’s not really sure what the status of their relationship is so...
- Okay, but there is no way in hell that it is Darcy’s birthday. It is fall currently and Darcy’s birthday is May 5 according to Wiki. So yeah, no.
- I am getting a bit sidetracked again but can we talk about the fact that Bloom and Stella couldn’t do convergence after a simple disagreement even though they’re together like 24/7 while Griffin and Faragonda managed to do it seamlessly at the end of season 1 after not speaking to each other for years and kind of getting into a fight the last time they spoke at the Day of the Royals. Friendship goals (well, besides the silent treatment.)
- Okay but I think it wasn’t right to blame Stella. She didn’t say anything that was inherently offensive. She suggested that they try to get closer. That isn’t bad even if it upsets someone indirectly. There was no need to blame her. They should’ve just focused on making Layla feel better.
- Why do I feel like none of them really had friends before they found each other? But hey, they are this big found family now and that is awesome! (I am getting all the feels again.)
- And Darcy is messing up the magical reality chamber again. Didn’t we do that already? Also, why didn’t they try to... idk, take precautions and put better security on it considering how dangerous it can be? Like, those are simple things. Please, be responsible.
- Better not play Truth or Dare with Stella. Unless you wanna be kissing ogres. XD
- That was a good save Layla pulled off there. Also, I love how the girls are mad at the “technical” issues. Tbh they are right to. How many times are they gonna get stuck in the wrong world when sent into the magical reality chamber? Like, get your shit together teachers. Also, why don’t they simply do a test run before they get anyone inside it? You’d think they’d learn their lesson.
- Damn, they can be deleted if the program is turned off? Why didn’t Darcy just have Jarred unplug it then? Winx are erased forever. Boom, problem solved. For the Trix, I mean.
- Aww, the pixies were ready to go in. That was cute.
- I LOVED that convergence! It was such a cool idea to have them make a figure. Also, they just created life. Damn! I am impressed.
2x13:
- Poor Layla. She has all those nightmares. But at least Piff helps! That’s really cute.
- I see Flora still hasn’t solved the Helia problem yet.
- They just ditched school to go to a club. What chaotic dumbass energy, I can’t.
- Aww, Layla is sharing about her harsh childhood. At least she has friends she can talk to now. But damn the difference between Andros and Solaria is very striking in scenes like that.
- Layla totally nailed that improv. Nice, you go, girl!
- I love the difference between Griselda and Faragonda! XD
- I loved that convo between Bloom and Vanessa! Yes, thank you for that. I am a little confused as to when Bloom learned Daphne was her sister. Did I miss something or did the writers miss something? But aww, Vanessa can’t see Locket. That’s making me sad. :(
- They did go to the club, though, huh? Nice one, you guys.
- How will Faragonda learn if they use magic on humans but not otherwise? That doesn’t sound very logical to me. (Speaking of logic, where is Tecna? They didn’t show her in this ep.)
- Oh, no! Poor Layla. But damn, she’s powerful. And the others are there to help her. (The pixies can cause so much trouble considering how small they are.)
- I love how Faragonda and Griselda just showed up to get them. It was cute. Though, now they’re being punished. Well, technically, Bloom didn’t break any rules because she had permission to leave but I guess she’s also in this because she shouldn’t have taken the others with her. (Cheeky to welcome Faragonda and Griselda to Earth.) At least Faragonda managed to get them the permission for music back from Griselda. XD
- Aww, babies! They are so tired from cleaning the whole school, they fell asleep. And the pixies helped, too.
- I’m not sure how Flora got that Helia is “the one” from talking to him for half a minute, but damn, wanna share those powers with the rest of us so that we can know immediately when we’ve met the one as well? (It was so cute to see Flora lean on Layla to sleep with her. And Piff, too. If she weren’t just talking about Helia, they would’ve been like a picture perfect family.)
This got very long so I decided to split the post for this season in parts. Part 2.
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nicol3houghts · 5 years
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STOP WATCHING THE OFFICE:   other things to watch this summer
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Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ZIE OFFICE!! But as much as it pains me to say, the office isn’t a personality trait, so I’ve decided to make a list (e.g. Buzzfeed lists) of my top 16 recommendations for TV and podcasts to watch and listen to—since we all need to stop being basic bitches and FOCUS! 
I hope you listen to me when I say these shows are amazing and actually watch them if you have the time. I'm doing this because I care about you and your TV preferences.
I'll break it up by streaming service, starting with Netflix then Hulu, YouTube, then Podcasts last.
*I apologize in advance for the lousy grammar and lack of editing, but also not really sorry bout it.
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On NETFLIX:
1. Arrested Development
Number of Seasons: 5
Number of Episodes: 91
Hours to Binge: 35
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Okay, number one on my list is Arrested development. A lot of people I talk to, especially in my age range, don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, but this show is GENIUS... on G*D. I’ve watched it around four times now, and each time it gets better and better. I read somewhere that it was created as a satire of Bush-era incompetence and idiotic hanky-panky during the Iraq war. But at its heart, the show’s about a rich family with four adult children—who are all goofy and quirky. Their dad get’s thrown in jail for doing business with terrorists or something like that and Micheal Bluth (Jason Bateman) has to get them out of weird ass situations.
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Above is one of my favorite scenes  (Best clip I could find on youtube!!).
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This show has a LOT of jokes and long running bits that you kind of have to pay attention to to get the storyline. It’s hella META, and at times, can be really weird (see George Micheal Bluth and Maeby Fünke’s little Les Cousins Dangereux). In conclusion, however, Jason Bateman is hot, Micheal Cera is hot, and Tony Hale is ~super~ hot.
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P.S. a lot of memes come from this show that you would know but don’t know that it’s from this show.
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2. The Haunting of Hill House
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 10
Hours to binge: 9
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Scary as f*ck! Do not watch yourself or u will die. I warned you.
I'm not going to spoil it too much, but it's about a family living in a spooky house and crazy ass shit keeps happening to them. They eventually move out, but even 20 years after--when the kids are all adults--the haunting of the house follows them.
There's even a 17 min scene that they shot in one shot!!!!!!!! That's wiLD.
3. Schitt's Creek
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Number of Seasons: 5
Number of Episodes: 66
Hours to binge: 25
Yet another show about a rich family loosing all their money. A bit different than Arrested Development. This show is about a rich ass family loosing all their money and resorting to live in Schitt's Creek--a town in Nowhere, U.S.A. the family bought as a JOKE. It's a really easy watch. The characters in this show are SO un-relatable and mean it's hilarious--only if u f*ck wit dry humor tho.
Here's my favorite character, Alexis Rose just being iconic:
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Give it a try, the first few episodes are rocky, but it gets better. That's a guarantee.
4. American Vandal
Number of Seasons: 2
Number of Episodes: 16
Hours to binge: 9
A lot of people already probs watch this show, but it's honestly so beautifully written. The show is an homage to Making a Murderer, a true crime mockumentary of sorts. It follows two guys, Sam and Peter as they try to figure out a mystery: WHO DREW D*CKS ON THE TEACHER'S CARS?
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Also, JIMMY TATRO!!!!!
Season 2 follows a different crime and it's... it's poopy.
5. Mindhunter
Number of Seasons: 1
Number of Episodes: 10
Hours to binge: 9
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YUH. Just started this, already on ep. 8, very interesting. Mindhunter is about the first FBI agents to use profiling to catch serial killers. THE CHARACTERS IN THIS SHOW WALKED SO THAT HOTCH AND REID COULD RUN.
This show is no joke and based on true serial killers like the coed killer, the shoe fetish killer, and BTK, it's very.... very creepy.
ALWAYS carry pepper spray on ya, that's fer sher.
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
pinot noir, caviar
7. John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid
eat ass, suck a dick, and sell drugs
8. The Good Place
is it really the good place?
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On Hulu:
9. Broad City
Number of Seasons: 5
Number of Episodes: 50
Hours to binge: 18
One of the greatest television series of all time about two baller best fraaands who get into the schemes of the century in New York City. Illana, a ferocious kween wit ZERO f*cks, and Abbi, an aspiring artiste with a great ass. The two work min-wage jobs in NYC (so they're broke) and they're just trying to find luv and a good bacon egg and cheese.
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Think Sex and the City but fresh and new and wild. Abbi and Ilana's dialogue and schemes are relatable af, it makes it seem like you're there with them. Their co-dependency is so powerful... yet at moments, a lil destructive. I once had a friendship like this.. and let me tell you... co-dependency is a wild ride.
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Some of the funniest scenes in this show is just of them talking on the street. Sometimes, when I'm walking with my friends, I pretend like I'm in the show lol.
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I recommend you start from beginning to end because of the endless callbacks and running gags, but if not start with season 3, episode 7 B&B-NYC. Blake Griffin is in it.
10. Community
Number of Seasons: 6
Number of Episodes: 110
Hours to binge: 41
What can I say about this show to make you watch it? Well first of all the fact that Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) is in it should already have you clicking over to Hulu by now.
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Community is about seven quirky misfits: a disbarred lawyer, a failed housewife, an activist everyone hates, a racist old man, a stupid jock who lost his sports scholarship, a high-strung know-it-all who took too much adderall, and abed. They all end up at Greendale Community College with a phsyco spanish teacher and a colorful dean. 
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This show is kind of a parody of a sitcom, and it is VERY meta--often referring to themselves as TV show characters. The seven get into hilarious adventures and obstacles along the way. The show also genre hops from time to time. For example, they have a whole pillow fort vs. blanket fort episode (Pillows and Blankets, season 3, episode 4) in a Ken Burns documentary style, an episode in claymation for Christmas (Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas, season 2, episode 11), and a bunch of paintball episodes in style of Quentin Tarantino and StarWars.
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Again, you should start at the beginning, but if you want to get into it quickly, I really loved Pillows and Blankets (season 3, episode 4).
11. The Mindy Project
As a "petite asian woman" who is not petite, this show is very relatable. About finding love and eating good in the big apple.  
P.S. If you don't like Kelly from the office, you're dead 2 m3.
12. Brooklyn 99
Cool. coolcoolcoolcool. Jake Peralta is the greatest detective/genius.
13. Superstore
If Walmart and the office had a baby and it was incompetent.
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On YouTube and Facebook Watch:
14. The Real Bros of Simi Valley
Number of Seasons: 2
Number of Episodes: 14
Hours to binge: 4
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You straight up know these guys, fool. Four stoner/burn-outs who think your hometown's Mexican food is the best in the world. Amazingly written and surprisingly good acting. Lightweight lowkey thought they were speaking another language at first.
Jimmy Tatro, Cody Ko, Getter, and Nick Colletti. What more do you want? LITERALLY WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?
The unnecessary drama and endless quotable jokes in this show leads you wanting more with only 14 episodes totaling at around four hours.
Watch the first season YouTube here:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybcPQVipNAw
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Podcasts:
15. Tiny Meat Gang
Aha hah bro last night was a movie bro ON GOD.
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Noel Miller and Cody Ko talk about literally anything, but goofy. I can listen to them talk for straight up hours.
I usually listen on Apple Podcasts, but you can also watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ZCMs4FrC_c0
Just start listening, bro.
16. My Favorite Murder
No shade to Codel, but My Favorite Murder is my all time favorite podcast. Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark  are two hilarious women who love murder. Not murdering, but the psychology of murderers and survivors. Each Thursdays each of them tell a story about a murder. They don't make fun of murders, but it's their banter that makes it fun to listen to.
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If you're a fan of true crime at all, please listen so I have more people to talk about it with. shouts outs Jenna for putting me on to the show!
Here are my favorite episodes!
*tip: skip the first 15-20 min to the first murder when first listening.
150: How Dare You Kill Kelli
The Hanging of Alice Riley and The Murder of Reyena Marroquin
131: The Uninhibited
The Murder of Standford White and The Case of the Boys on the Tracks
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1, 5, 6, 10, 17, 19, 22, 23, and 34 for the yugioh meme?
1)  Favourite Yu-Gi-Oh! series
This is like asking me which out of my six children should survive while the other five die XD. I love all the series since they all have both pros and cons, and they all have interesting characters and stories, but I guess ARC V will always have a special place in my heart since it got me back in Yugioh fandom (I stopped after 5Ds for a while several years ago). VRAINS is currently my favourite series plotwise since it continues to surprise me and keeps me hyped every single week.
5)  Favourite opening/ending
For the opening, it’s a tie between second and fifth ARC V opening. “Burn” has an incredibly upbeat melody that makes me smile every time I listen to it. “Light of Hope” on the other hand tells a story of how there is despair but smiles will be there to make it go away. I’m rather torn between choosing either of them since they are both really nice endings. As for ending - “Close to You”, 4th ending from 5Ds. I first started watching 5Ds in English dub but once I caught up with it, I was too curious what is going to happen next so I started watching Japanese dub from that point on and that was probably the smartest decision ever. I got to see “Close to You” not only as the first Yugioh Japanese ending but the very first anime ending ever. I loved every single moment of it, of all the characters just chilling around the city, then meeting up, watching the sunrise and then riding D-Wheels with their dragons! It is an ending that is beyond perfect and really emphasises the bonds and friendship between all Signers. 
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6)  Favourite character
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If you had asked me this question before Takeru showed up, I would’ve probably blurted out the names of several characters and say how I love them all, but Takeru is a special case. You see, he is a character that I loved before he even officially appeared XD. I’m following the news, cast lists and summaries, so when Takeru showed up for the first time in an anime magazine (like a month before his official anime appearance), I fell in love with everything about him. Both his human self and avatar had all the right colours and designs that fit his personality well, his backstory was intriguing, I was already looking forward to seeing another Lost Child and out of all possible voices, he got to be voiced by one and only Kaji Yuuki (who is among my Top 3 anime voice actors!). Then he showed up in the new opening and ending and him being friendly and cosy with Yusaku was just plain adorable! I had no idea what his role was going to be but from that point it was clear - Yusaku is getting a new friend! And was his entrance perfect - lightning, fire tornado and then him! 10/10 Burner of Souls! Not only was he righteously hyped up, but he also continues to be amazing and I have a feeling his character will get even more development!    
10)  Favourite Duel Monster
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It’s hard to pick a single monster, but I love every single card in Johan’s deck aka. Crystal/Gem Beast archetype. The designs are simple but so well executed and out of all of them, it’s hard to pick just one. I love their story, the legend and just the fact how much they all care about Johan, trying to reach out to him when Yubel possessed him. A big plus is also the fact how much personality they all have and they are always there to help up Johan.
17)  Have you ever cried over YGO and why?
You should’ve rather ask me when I didn’t lol. But yeah in every spinoff there was a moment that I actually cried. In original series there were two moments, when Yugi duelled Atem in the fourth season, letting him defeat him and then fading away in his arms and the Ceremonial duel when Yugi stumbled on his knees and cried, I cried with him cuz I also didn’t want Atem to go. Then in GX, it was basically whenever Judai would show vulnerability, cuz really, I hated his guts and his goofy overpowered persona. But then when he lost Johan, when he was afraid of Yubel, when he succumbed to the power of Supreme King and the entire season 4 when he was battling with depression - to see someone so cheerful becoming a mere shell of himself was so darn sad. 5Ds started darker but nothing could prepare me for two scenes, Yusei nearly dying, being afraid to duel and then watching his friend die in his arms and then losing another friend for real (Bruno! :’( ). Zexal made me cry a weird mixture of happy and sad tears whenever Yuma and Astral did something. When Astral sacrificed himself for Yuma I don’t know when I cried more - when Yuma watched Astral die or Yuma suffering from major depression for the next few episodes. But that scene when he got reunited with Astral was that more powerful because of it and their relationship is truly the purest of them all. ARC V, spinoff all about smiles was probably one of the saddest series, not just because of many sad moments throughout the whole thing aka. Yuto dying in Yuya’s arms for real, Yugo losing Rin, Yuya losing Yuzu, the fate of other Bracelet Girls and Yu-Boys and the overall ending, but also how inconclusive the ending felt. I kinda get the point was to show the realism of war, how not everyone can get a happy ending but it could still be executed better. Then there’s VRAINS…. *sighs* where do I even start with this….
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VRAINS truly took the plotline seriously and doesn’t seem like it’s going to back down. It is like the writing staff put together a medley of the saddest moments in Yu-Gi-Oh! and were like, “Let’s make it sadder!”. From the fact that mere six-year-old children were tortured so badly, that Ryoken was so messed up by his father, that all Lost Children are still suffering in one way or another, that SOL practically killed a living being and all the drama that it’s going on between Yusaku and Kusanagi right now. Last week’s episode had me nearly tear up and for tomorrow I will most definitely cry. It’s just so painful to see someone so desperate to save their own family, to attack someone they were all set to protect just a few episodes ago… And VRAINS isn’t even over yet. I thought nothing could top Earth’s death scene, but from the looks of it, tomorrow will be getting a dose of the most painful feels.
19)  Least favourite series
It’s a tie between GX and the first series if I had to choose one. GX has a rather monotone first half when there is some stuff going on, but it’s really episodic and easily forgotten. While there were some interesting episodes, the rest was just one giant filler that tried to deliver too much nostalgia from the first series instead of developing on its own. And speaking of the first series - I know the card game wasn’t as developed at the time so tons of duels made absolutely no sense. Then it was only Yugi, Kaiba and Joey having the development and extremely long duels that were starting to feel off and annoying to watch. But overall - I know that was the very first series and the spinoff, so it was obvious it wouldn’t be perfect. What I truly love about Yu-Gi-Oh! is that it’s a franchise that continues to grow with every single spin-off, even if they’re becoming less relevant they are still getting stronger storywise.
22)  Least favourite character
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This little brat is a perfect representation of how to create the most annoying character. Everything about him screams “annoying, useless and awful”. It would be completely fine if he was an episodic villain, but noooo for some reason writing staff was like, “hey let’s make this dude into Yuma’s friend”. I get it, Yuma can make friends easily, but for the love of God, why him?! Yuma has enough friends already, why bring this brat into his group? Tokunosuke has literally no purpose to be here but to cause trouble or be a plot device to bring Yuma trouble. Okay, I was fine with that one time that he got Yuma into trouble and Yuma still forgave him, but why the hell did they have a need to repeat that three more times? I feel the same way about Kotori - she has no basic purpose but to be moral support or act as a damsel in distress.ZEXAL had way too many characters and out of them all, they picked the most useless ones for major roles. 
23)  NOTP
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Canon datastormshipping. I think I made it clear why I dislike it in two posts already, but I guess I could sum it up for the third time. In canon verse they are two unstable people who bring out the worst of each other. They rarely interact, their ideologies are vastly different and they are in a way obsessed with each other in a very unhealthy way. If the two of them dated it would most likely result in a very toxic relationship which would only worsen up their already broken mental states. Again, I greatly dislike this ship in canon verse (in anime up to episode 92) and my opinion could change by the end of VRAINS. I still like the fanfics and fanarts that depict “what if” scenarios where their relationship could work (I’m actually writing one at the moment and I have plans to write one where I focus on their relationship in detail), but canon shipping just feels off and dysfunctional.
34)  If you met Kazuki Takahashi, what would you say to him?
First of all, I would thank him for coming up with those amazing characters and plotlines. I still love the original manga and season 0 the most since it had so much creativity with different games, but I can see it keep getting included more with new summoning methods and unique stories. Then I would most likely present him my idea for the 7th series and its protagonist. From the start of the series, there wasn’t much about card game production or who designs them. We got some info on how Pegasus discovered Millenium Items and the tablet with Egyptian Gods and in GX it showed Hayato working as a card game designer. I would love to see a protagonist who loves games just like Yugi and wishes to create more, so he strives to become the best card game designer. He is not that keen on playing the game since he prefers to make the cards more, but when he creates a particular card(kinda like how Takato created Guilmon in Digimon Tamers) he is pulled into an adventure where he must find other cards that contain powerful Duel Monsters spirits and he has to lock them back into their cards. I would also love to have a protagonist that can talk with spirits again since while Judai had adorable interactions with Winged Kuriboh and Neo Spacians, it was still largely brushed aside and not that much explored. So yeah please make the next protagonist into a card game designer, it will be unique and open to so many interesting plotlines and potentials. 
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camsthisky · 6 years
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Batfam Feb (2018) Fic Recs
Sorry for such a long wait. I forgot about January, so to make up for it, this is a little longer than the past rec lists. 
Mistakes Were Made by CaramelMachete Words: 7,369 Summary: Nightwing joins Jason as Robin and Batman for a stake-out. When Batman gets called away, Nightwing and Robin are unable to follow Batman's orders. They bite off a little more than they can chew. So, how much first aid training does Robin remember anyway? Jason worries that if he can't handle this, maybe he's not fit to be Robin after all. Comments: This is a great Dick ad Jason bonding fic, and I think I’ve read it before, but I don’t think I’ve rec’d it. The characterization is amazing, and it does a good job juggling the strained dynamics between Jason, Dick, and Bruce. It’s from Jason’s POV as Robin, too, which I don’t think we see enough.
been trying to do it right, been living a lonely life by streetlight_skeletons Words: 2,287 Summary: “Kid, what are you doing out alone?”
Even in the cold, shivering, the boy glared defiantly, the white lenses in his mask pushed up, and pushed out, “I- I’m not alone. Batman’s here”
To his credit, his voice seemed to shake from the cold and not paralysing fear, which Selina had expected. She grinned, looking around her mockingly. “Well, I don’t see him, do you?”
“He’ll- He’ll find you and beat you up if you hurt me,” the boy informed and, of that, Selina had no doubt.
Or,
There's an injured bird, but it wasn't the cat who did it Comments: I need more Robin Dick and Selina interacting. Also the fact that it’s hurt/comfort and Bruce is like an overprotective mother bear? Gold.
Brunch with Bruce by DawnsEternalLight Words: 2,014 Summary: Dick's overworked and exhausted, but he's not going to let that (or a cold) keep him from having lunch with Bruce. Comments: Dawn always manages to hit me right in the feeling with her fics, because sick, overworked, tired Dick and overprotective and worried Bruce is one of my biggest weaknesses.
The Blame Game by DawnsEternalLight Words: 5,669 Summary: While on a case together Jason gets hurt, and Dick realizes he's sicker than he thought he was. Comments: Dick and Jason angst!! This plays off the events of Batman #16 with Bane, and it’s done wonderfully. It was disappointing that we didn’t get the full account of what happened in comics, and this is a great insight into what could have happened! Plus, all of the hurt/comfort and angsting between brothers is amazing.
Scatter the Heavens into Stars by DawnsEternalLight Words: 2,416 Summary: Dick is getting over fear toxin, and finds the best way to do that is work a little and spend time with his dad and little brother. Comments: Cookies!! Dick spending time with his family!!! Cookie Dough!! His family loving him!!! Dick eating the cookie dough!!!!!!! I’ve read this no less than six times since it’s been posted.
Foreign Object by audreycritter Words: 86,122 (37/37) Summary: Bruce Wayne deals with a serious illness, one that threatens the most crucial part of himself. He and the family try to cope with their own fears and expectations about it and then the aftermath. This is written partly as character study, partly as family drama. Originally posted to tumblr. Comments: I’m going to be honest and admit that I had a really hard time starting this fic. I’ve read other things from the Cor Et Cerebrum series, but I hadn’t gotten to this one since it hits so close to home. However, I read this entire fic in one night, and it was absolutely worth it. The characterization is so on point, and there’s a balance of hurt, comfort, angst, fluff, and everything else.
Cold Hard Want by audreycritter Words: 12,310 Summary: “Are you happy?”
“I...I’m getting there.”
A follow-up to DC Rebirth Batman #35, in which Bruce recovers from being stabbed in the back and Damian considers the elusive nature of happiness. Comments: Holy shiitake mushrooms. Okay, so I’ve read this a few times, because it’s so good. Damian’s emotions are so real and present and I feel like I’m riding or dying along with him. It’s like I’m in the story and I’m seeing everything unfold, and my heart hurts for every single one of them. For Bruce, Selina, Dick, and Damian. It’s just so good.
Every Fiber of My Being by scxlias Words: 21,376 (5/5) Summary: As much as Dick and his siblings have argued, Bruce has never budged on his "Keeping Secrets Policy". There's not a person alive outside of the family that knows the secret identity of any of the Bats. Not even Dick's boyfriend. Dick understands the need for some secrets, knows that keeping their identities safe keeps them and their loved ones safe, but when he takes up the cowl, team dynamics aren't the only things that begin to change. Comments: This is a birdflash fic that I absolutely love to death. It’s an AU of the batfamily never telling anyone their identities, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. You can feel how absolutely alone and stressed Dick feels as the weight on his shoulders grows heavier and heavier, until he’s just about to break, and it makes my heart hurt.
Fallen Bird by Croppmar000 Words: 2,887 Summary: Something had happened, something bad. Dick was a wreak. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Batman's birds didn't just die. Comments: A YJ fic that deals with Jason’s death and how Dick reacts to it. I love that it’s Wally and Roy that are there for Dick. I just love their friendship so much.
The Joys of Fatherhood by theragingstorm Words: 2,408 Summary: Young Bruce Wayne has a chance encounter with two small children, while all of them are still ignorant of how important they’ll become to each other. Comments: This is a cute little fic. It’s probably an AU, but it’s still cute nonetheless. It’s a “if Dick and Babs met as small children and hide from their fathers as they go absolutely mad with worry” fic, and it’s the cutest thing. Especially when Bruce comes into it.
Two Dead Birds by InsaneTrollLogic Words: 29,034 (15/15) Summary: There's some lunatic in red helmet running through Jason's territory. He wants to think it's a copy cat.
He's wrong. Comments: A Jason-centric fic. I’m not usually too big on fics that don’t have a lot of Dick in them, but this is a very good fic in my opinion. Jason’s characterization is very well done, and I love Dick when he comes into it as well. Time travel stories are also one of my favorite tropes though, so maybe I just have a weakness for it. The only thing is, it ends in a slightly open-ended way, and I’m not sure if that means there will be a sequel of if it’s just how the fic was meant to end. Either way, it was worth the read.
Catch Me by TantalumCobalt Words: 1,453 Summary: He hates these nights. When he’s stretched thin from chasing leads on three cases, when he’s trying to wrap things up as quickly as possible because he’s hyper conscious of what date is approaching, when a severe thunderstorm has driven him off the streets and back to the Manor. Comments: Again, stressed, overworked, tired Dick is my weakness. And Ren does a really good acknowledging the Blockbuster situation and the effects it has on Dick.
The Bat's Crest by lilylamaire Words: 168,328 (29/?) Summary: Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.
Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls. Comments: Okay, so this fic is Tim-centric, and it has a lot of Damian in it, too. I was a little disappointed because I’d hoped that there would be more Dick Grayson in it, but it makes sense why there isn’t. And it's a very good fic to address the problems of what would happen had Bruce Wayne not become Batman. It kept me on my toes, and when Dick does come in, I definitely think it’s worth the wait.
All your resolve (dissolves) by animegoil Words: 5,424 Summary: Season two: Tim watches Dick fall apart. Comments: Another YJ fic. I think this is one of my favorite topics to read about. Dick was under so much stress during the time while Bruce was on Rimbor, and I don’t think it’s addressed quite enough. This fic is one of my absolute favorites to go to when I think about Dick in season 2, and it does a really good job with Tim’s POV and his helplessness of being unable to properly figure out why Dick’s so stressed. There’s a lot of levels to this fic, and I honestly think it’s some of the best writing I’ve ever read.
The Wayne Family Ghost by pupeez4eva Words: 1,713 Summary: In which Bruce realises that having a legally dead son, who regularly hangs around the family, might be slightly problematic. Comments: This fic is kind of hilarious. I don’t often read funny fics, but Damian getting in trouble for accidentally including Jason Todd in the family and Bruce having to deal with the fallout is always great.
Pixar by ChimaeraKitten Words: 3,076 Summary: Sometimes, favorite movies are influenced less by the movie itself, and more by the people one shared it with. (batfam + Favorite Pixar movies) Comments: This is literally one of the cutest fics out there. It addresses each individual kid with Bruce, and I love that I get emotions about each kid through their favorite movie. Chi does the dynamics between all of them really well, too.
Monkey by ChimaeraKitten Words: 570 Summary: Dick has a new shirt. Comments: Baby Dick is so cute and Bruce is such a good dad in this.
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xfearlessxbritt · 7 years
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Open Letter to Marlene King
I don’t know if Marlene will ever read this but I wanted to just post and air out some of my feelings after watching PLL last night.
Marlene,
I know you are a busy woman but I would really appreciate if you would take the time to read this. My name is Brittany, I’m 23 years old and have been a long time fan of the show. I have been here since the pilot season one episode one. PLL was a show that got me through some pretty rough times. The show began when I was around 15 years old and honestly that year was one of the roughest of my life. I lost my grandfather, I lost several friends that just grew apart, and it was high school as if that wasn’t stressful enough. PLL was an outlet it was a show that I could turn on and forget about my problems whatever they may be.
It was a show that gave me courage to embrace my quirks. I was the nerdy girl who always loved a good book and who loved school. I was deemed as odd for it but seeing characters like Mona Vanderwaal and Spencer Hastings made me realize that it was okay to be like that. That I wasn’t an oddity that there were strong women characters who were like that in the world.
As I said previously I was around 15 when the show started and had never been apart of any fandom, didn’t know what a ship really fully was. None of it I was clueless but PLL made me experience that for the first time. During the first half of season 1 Spencer and Mona grew to become my favorite characters but just loving two characters changed after one episode in 1B. That episode was 113. The scene where Spencer followed Toby into the ally and watched him cry, in THAT moment I knew that there was something there and I fell head over heels for what would become known as Spoby and they became one of the first ships that I ever loved. I remember after 113 aired saying that I thought they were a good match and people telling me no you are insane they won’t ever be together, then 119 happened. After that I was a goner. I had found my PLL ship. The one that I would be ride or die with until the very end.
I loved the pureness of them, the fact that they were so deep and complicated. I remember during 2B when you used to give fans tidbits and how you basically told us about the 225 kiss outside of the police station before it even happened just to reassure us Spoby shippers that they would be fine. I remember how during 3B after Toby’s A reveal (that literally had me in so much shock that I about threw my remote at the TV) all of us spoby fans would as you if you could give us ANYTHING at all and you telling us to wait for it. Did I mention that I’m an eternal optimist? I didn’t? Well I am, so during this time I garnered the nickname of Spoby Cheerleader of the fandom because when everyone else was so down I would say, we always have hope, Marlene told us to wait for it and I trust her. Spoby is her baby creation she’ll not do us wrong. And the waiting paid off 324 happened and you gave us two amazing parallels with the hands touching with the coffee mug like in 117 with the snow globe and the call back to the motel in 119. That was the moment that I felt like I let the final guard down and fully trusted you as a writer Marlene.
I know for storyline purposes sometimes you have to mislead. I understand that. That’s why when 324 happened I was like okay see this proves my point Marlene won’t betray us. Season 4 was a great season with little to minimal drama and it was nice for a change to be the ship that didn’t have constant drama, but then season 5 happened. The season that I like to pretend doesn’t exist. I understand that couples need to have conflict but having Spencer kiss Colin and Johnny two characters who were in 4 episodes or less just because she was having problems with Toby wasn’t my idea of a great season. But I stuck through it and we got 524, wasn’t happy that Spoby didn’t talk about their problems but I was just happy that they were back together.
Then 6A, the last time we truly saw our ship together. 609 that scene Spencer telling Toby that her speech was about him.. was such a great moment then to come back in 6B and know that they had been ripped apart was pretty heart breaking to say the least. I understand that it was realistic for one of the couples to break up during the jump, I didn’t imagine it would be all 3 of the main couples. I honestly thought that one of them would make it through. Then Yvonne happened.. I loved Yvonne as a character, I love Kara who plays her, but you all as a writing team really did Yvonne and Kara a disservice. Then on top of that Caleb happened.
Before the jump Spencer and Caleb was one of my favorite friendships on this show. Now I can’t stand watching any of their scenes. What was the point in making Spaleb happen? Just to create more drama? Because between that and Yvonne it made a lot of people mad. And all of us spoby shippers had to go through 6B and all of 7A with nothing. Then 710 happened. And I thought there it is, there is hope. There is hope that Spoby will be endgame that they won’t be rushed but boy was I wrong.
Killing Yvonne was wrong on so many levels and I think you and the other writers realize it. I didn’t WANT Yvonne to die just so Spoby could get back together. After the accident I was fearful that’s what would happen, but then Kara told us she filmed for 713 and I thought okay maybe that’s her last episode and she leaves town. It literally hurt my soul watching her die RIGHT after marrying Toby. Because Yvonne deserved better than that. Kara deserved better than that. But after that all of us spoby fans thought okay so this is their way of making the way for their endgame we’ll take it even though it sucks.
Now all of us spoby fans waited.. and waited.. and waited.. Then we got the promo for 718 and we thought FINALLY we are getting our reunion it may be with only 3 episodes left but its better late than never. Then it ends up being a one night stand that obviously never gets talked about. Or so we thought. So we were like okay, well the promo in 720 there is Spoby stuff and we know that Keegan and Troian filmed together so they have to be together right? Boy were we wrong..
I can say honestly that the only good thing to come out of Spencer having a twin was that Troian got to show off her acting chops. I remember a year ago when the twin theories began popping up. I thought cool idea, but I doubt the show will go there and it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. I was someone who thought that it was Wren and Melissa. When Torrey was revealed to be filming for the finale I thought it had to be true. Then to find out she filmed the scene at the stables then just filmed those two black hoodie scenes so that way Mona could peel off a mask of her face.. Just.. wow. In my opinion the finale was a mess. The pacing was so fast that it was hard to tell how much time had passed, the scenes jump all over  the place that my mother who is a casual watcher mentioned noticing it.
I can tell you that I had only 3 requests of this finale. I didn’t have to have all 3 but I wanted to have at least 2. I walked away with one and a half. Those requests were that AD make sense (did not care if it shocked me or not), that spoby was endgame and we saw them reunite on screen, and lastly that Mona got the endgame she deserved, that she got to have a happy ever after and not die. Ironically enough I thought that the last one was the one that I would walk away without.
This is my main gripe about Alex being AD why? I know in the finale it was explained as her being mad about Cece’s death and wanting revenge. Now to start off 6B it seemed like that was what AD wanted but it seemed as season 7 progressed that became less and less the motivation. By the end of 719 last week I had gathered that whoever AD was had strung the girls along saying they would win once AD knew who killed Cece and that would be that. Then why did AD set them up to where they would get caught with Rollins’ body by Tanner and go after them now a year later and not go after Mona? Mona is the one who killed Cece even if it was an accident, so why would Alex hire Mona on as a helper if that’s the person who killed her sister that she was so hell bent on getting revenge for? It doesn’t add up. The girls had nothing to do with Cece’s death. I would have honestly been fine with there being this many plot holes with the twin thing had you not involved Toby. What was the point of that? Having him basically be raped again without him knowing it. And tainting basically half of the spoby scenes we’ve had in 7B to boot. This is my question on some of the scenes where it was supposedly Alex instead of Spencer, how did Alex know about certain things. Like how did she know that Toby invited Spencer to the cabin if it was Spencer in the scene with him at the radley at the beginning of 718? How did Alex know that Toby said something about wanting to try horseback riding with Spencer when it was Spencer in that scene?
Only two scenes saved the final 10 minutes, Toby being able to figure out the correct Spencer and seeing what Mona did with Alex and Mary. I believe it was Keegan who said something about there being one final scene that he filmed with Troian on his last day that was super emotional and that it was just the two of them.. What happened to that scene? Was it cut for time purposes? Instead of doing the final scene as a backdoor pilot type situation for the Perfectionists couldn’t you have given Spoby fans a reunion of sorts? I didn’t have to be long it could have been a minute. Just of them saying they love each other one last time. Instead of that in the last scene of the girls we get one mention of Toby and that yeah they are sorta dating again. And what happened to the Toby script tease you posted about Toby saying “I used to know a girl that says hope breeds eternal misery” was that in the Spoby scene that was probably cut?
I’m normally not a bitter person. I’m usually an optimist, but I can say I honestly I’m mad, I’m sad, and I’m tired. Knowing that I was a long time fan of this show for 7 years and the one ship that I love got the complete shaft in the end. The one that you have claimed for years is like your child. I said above that I had begun to really trust you back in season 3 Marlene but now I feel like I’ve been kinda stabbed in the back. Honestly I wouldn’t be quite so mad if every other ship hadn’t have gotten a little bit of everything that we didn’t. Haleb got engaged before the last jump as well as married and are pregnant, Emison got two beautiful little girls (through unconventional and horrible means I do admit) and an engagement which they rightfully deserved, and Ezrians got an engagement way before anyone else did plus a wedding. While spoby shippers get a hey sorry that half the scenes that you thought were Spencer in season 7 were actually Alex and oh yeah spoby are basically back together mentioned in an off hand comment. I mean if you didn’t want to do a scene then why not have had Spoby sit next to each other at Ezria’s redo wedding, just showing them holding hands or something would have been enough for me at this point.
I hope you and the other writers read this and take it into consideration. And don’t get me wrong I don’t mind open ended endings, I was a fan of the Lost series finale and that is the most open ended finale ever. But after being loyal to a ship for 7 years it would have been nice to walk away knowing that they got to be happy and seeing it too.
Hopefully you all will do a spin off or a revival movie a few years down the road where Spoby can be explored a little more or if there are some deleted scenes you can put them on the DVD. Because we the fans deserve that after this finale.
Sincerely,
A Spoby fan
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