#and its a solid season of television

[do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas]

I'm probably a bit biased cause "casual stakes season centering around my favorite ship but still has bouts of fanfic fodder and angst" is exactly what I wanted from a TV show and I finally got it, and s1 is kinda meh in terms of what I like in a story. So yeah I like s2

#good omens #let.me.dream.with.goodomens #and if you actually asked me honestly? #id say it was a pretty damn good season!! #like they told their story extremely well #and its a solid season of television #that still has a lot of emotion #and leaves you asking questions that #you cant figure out if theyre plot holes or not

[undead-potatoes]

Hate when you start watching a tv-show that has only one season, and in the beginning you're like "this is quite good, I wonder why it didn't continue"

But then you get to the second half with about 19 different loose plot threads that doesn't give enough focus to anything and where none of them give any sort of closure at the end, and it's like 'oh that's why"

#Sunny Life #begging show writers to just make good and solid seasons of television that can stand on their own if needed #how many shows have sucked bc of this? like just setting up way too many things and never ending any of them bc #they expect future seasons they will never get bc the first season on its own fucking sucked

[princesssmars]

sweet✰honey✰buckin

a rodeo!abby x reader.

its a hot spring in the south and rodeo season is here. your hunt for a new fling leads you to an up-and-coming hotshot bull rider with an aversion to groupies. maybe you can change her mind.

wc : 2.509

contains : fxf relationship. barely attempted country slang. fluff. smut. oral and penetrative sex (r!receiving). nicknames (baby, darlin', a single bunny).

a/n : yeah guess who just listened to cowboy carter. idk why i posted about this before writing a single word but i didn't procrastinate this time yall clap it up and enjoy.

if you think about it, this was really all dolly partons' fault.

you could still picture the first time you saw her, the grainy recording on your grandmother's television, the gentle melodies from the blonde bombshell wrapping around you like a warm hug. you'd only been exposed to the south for a few weeks, and you already knew who you wanted your role model to be.

and the buckle bunny stuff also wasn't your fault! you were gorgeous, as people so loved to remind you at every twist and turn. and maybe you used your looks to your advantage sometimes. the first time was when you batted your eyelashes to make a boy do your project a day before it was due in junior year. he was... good-looking, you supposed. smart enough to be on the chess team, so he would do.

so you went to a little party with your friends that night. a spacious house, nice music, and good enough booze. everything was normal until you saw her. she was lean and mysterious, and under the lid of her black ridge top hat you could see her eyes tracking your body as you danced

so yes, her eating you in the back seat of her truck until you cried, holding down your hips when you tried to move changed your brain chemistry just a bit.

now a few years later, you're a little taller, a little smarter, and have collected a handful of studs for your belt. sure you've collected a...not so savory reputation in some of the local bars, but it was nothing a smile and a little flirting couldn't help. and its only going to get better; as the air warms and the trees bloom pussy spirit starts buzzing, and you know rodeo season is upon you again.

it was a hot night at the cow belle and the people even hotter as you scoped the scene from the rim of your glass. you and your friends were perched at the bar, daisy dukes heightened and crop tops tied under your busts.

"i heard red devil rosie'd be here tonight," savannah whispers to your group from beside you, her tall dark legs relaxed with her arm resting on the wood behind you. she always had a bit of a thing for redheads, and she'd had her eyes on rosie ever since it got around that she'd broken up with her fiancee.

"jesus, sav, the poor girl just got heartbroken, now you already wanna jump her bones?" charlize laughs, taking a hard swig of the beer in her hand. standing at a solid five feet and four inches tall the little kentuckian was a handful, always the first in line to ride a mechanical bull or jump in the front of a line dance.

"whats that saying men always use? as soon as you lose one hop on a 'nother?"

"you are deplorable."

as the girls banter back and forth your eyes focus on the rising commotion at the front of the bar. with a slight rise on your toes, making sure not to scuff your boots, and you can't help the growing smile on your face when you spot that blonde hair pushed down by her signature brown stetson.

abigail anderson, the rodeo's angel. she'd only been in the circuit for under two years and sponsors were lining up and begging for her to go pro. it was always easy to spot her, frequently trailed by her already professional friends manny alvarez and owen moore, along with a handful of groupies begging her to look their way.

luckily for you, manny had flirted with you a few weeks back and remained friendly after you turned him down, and he was heading straight towards you while his friends headed to a booth.

"oh god, hide your wives and girlfriends, the buckle brood is here!" he laughs, thanking the bartender for his beer and taking a swig.

"whatever manny, you're just upset our darling here didn't give you a chance." savannah winks.

"i think god was doing me a favor. y'know dixie's been trying to call you for about a week? the poor girls even thought about sending a bouquet. dixie. a bouquet."

"i made it clear before we slept together it would be a one-time thing. 's not my fault she wants more." you sigh.

that just makes the man laugh harder. he chats it up with charlize about how the rankings are looking when he notices how your gaze keeps wandering off, following your eye straight to-

"no."

"hm? i didnt say anything!"

"you said it with your eyes. and im gonna tell you with my mouth that you don't stand a chance. abby hates groupies." he shakes his head.

"abby, huh? i like it." manny grows exasperated as his words go in one ear and out the other. "'n and im technically not a groupie. never seen the woman in my life before now."

"well, look don't touch. or maybe don't look at all, before you put a spell on her or somethin."

you pout, reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck and bring him into a hug. you see abby look your way in the corner of your eye and make sure to stretch your torso just a tiny bit until you're able to feel the bottom of your shirt ride up just that much more. when you see her eyes trail down your waist you hide a smile into the side of your arm.

you let the man go with a sweet goodbye, watching as he grabs two more beers and heads over to the booth and twisting your head before you can catch the blondes gaze.

its only a few minutes later when manny comes back with wide eyes and invites you over to sit with them.

sitting across from her, you can see why people are so attracted to her. she’s big, her muscles bulging out from the sleeves in her plaid shirt. despite her size she doesn’t try to take up more space then needed; confident but not cocky.

she clearly notices your glances, and maybe even the smile on your face when one of her past flings with a girl is brought up in conversation.

“so, you’ve had girlfriends before?” you ask, stirring your cocktail with the little colorful umbrella that came with it.

“no no, don’t answer that, you’ll regret it.” owen butts in, meeting your glare. you’d never talked before, but you were pretty sure you had slept with his fiancée a few years ago. last you’d heard they’d had a baby, maybe you’d offer to babysit sometime.

“why not? are you a groupie?” abby asks.

“can’t be a groupie if i barely know who you are. so why don’t we get to know each other better. preferably in private.”

“whatever you say, darlin.”

you hear the sudden sounds of a few hoots and claps and a familiar song that they always play to get people dancing.

“why don’t you show me some of your moves, big girl?”

she rolls her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh before following you onto the dance floor.

as much as she’s trying to fight it, you can tell abby is enjoying herself, learning quickly as you show her the moves to the dance. you’re a bit surprised she doesn’t know it already until she tells you she’s originally from utah.

“what, they don’t have country bars out in salt lake.”

“no, not like this. at least i never went to any of them.”

“wellll if you ever need a tour guide i’m available. whenever you want me.”

“god, manny told me about you.”

“really? what’s he say? i can probably guess.”

“so you know everybody thinks you’re a playgirl who sleeps with cowgirls for damn near a living and you don’t care?”

you shrug. “‘m just young and having fun. maybe everyone else, including you, is too uptight.”

“oh really? and what, you're supposed to help me loosen up?” she raises a single eyebrow. you don't answer, deciding to just look at her face for a while.

you like how pretty she is. the soft blue of her big eyes, the freckles dotted across her face that trail down her neck and disappear into her shirt. you feel pride in your chest when you see her cheeks redden.

when the song ends you pull away from her, ready to go over and tell your friends goodbye when a large hand grips your wrist, tugging your body back to its previous position. before you can question her you feel the weight of her hat sitting on your head.

"well? you gonna answer my question?"

you can still remember the looks on your friends face's when abby told them she was heading home, still gripping your hand. manny looked like he had just seen pigs fly.

it was hard to ignore the way she didn't let go of you until she was driving or the looks she was giving you when she was looking at the road, or how desperate she was when you finally got her here, dragging you to her room and attaching her strap like she'd die if she didn't get you in bed.

"i don't see what the big fuss is about, this really isn't that hard." you tease her, admiring the way she whines when you refuse to let her wrists go from your hands, using all your strength to keep her from flipping you over

but maybe you should learn when to shut your mouth because she roughly starts bucking her hips, smiling at the euphoric look on your face before you hide your face in her neck, trying and failing to muffle your moans.

"what? i thought you said this was easy?" she laughs when she hears your muffled groan, failing to ignore when you roughly bite her. you can tell she's getting frustrated at being restrained, her hands clenching into fists and repeatedly trying to get them from under your hands. "fuckin - cmon, baby, lemme help you."

god, she was so cute. you'd never say it out loud but you liked all the little nicknames she gave you, the gentle kisses she would place on your skin when she was warming you up for her. if you didn't have a one-time policy you would have chosen to keep her around. just for a little while.

but you could also see the inner turmoil in her eyes, the battle between dominance and submission. when you first met her you thought she'd be a stone top, so you decide to take advantage and reach one of your hands up to her hair and pull, forcing a loud moan from her as her mouth gaped open.

"not so uptight now, are you?" you laugh, awwing at her when she lets out a small whine.

you didnt realize until it was too late that it was a mistake to underestimate her because she was attaching her hands to your hips, planting her feet on the bed, and thrusting up into you like a wild bull, sucking a mark into your chest like she can't see you struggling to breathe.

"yeah, that's it. not so easy now, is it darlin'?"

and oh how you hate how you can't answer her, only able to muster up a weak glare as the pleasure grows, feeling the burning heat gross in your stomach. you're trying to hold off, not ready for this to end just yet, and hating the satisfied look on her face when your shaky arms wrap around her neck.

"you gettin' close, baby?" she maneuvers your legs to spread wider, hitting that spot inside you at just the right angle. god, everything feels so hot and overwhelming and so damn good-

"that's it, show me how pretty you look cummin around me." once she reaches a hand down and roughly rubs your clit it's over, moaning and gasping her name as your orgasm hits you like a freight train. she never stops her movements, in fact, you think she goes harder once she feels your nails dig into her arms.

your head flops onto her shoulder, basking in your post-orgasm bliss as her large hands rub up and down your back. mind hazy, you feel yourself drifting off and giving yourself a mental pat on the back when you're shocked upwards by a fierce thrust from below you, wide eyes darting to abby's.

"what, ya thought we were finished? if you wanna claim me you gotta earn it, bunny."

"oh no, abby i cant-" you try to decline, not sure you can take another before she presses you back into her sheets, manhandling your legs over her shoulders and your arms under your back. she can tell you're about to fight it because she's pushing her strap into you again.

it's embarrassing how close you are already after a few minutes, unable to move as she splits you open in a damn mating press. trying to hide your face in the sheets is futile so you have no choice but to keep eye contact with her, which only brings you closer to the edge because she's looking at you like she wants to fuck you until she physically can't anymore.

she's quieter now but you can hear her mumbling under her breath about how 'you're too damn fine, jesus you're gonna be the death of me,' and the next thing you know you're both cumming, feeling the wet mess grow between your legs.

she sinks into you, boneless on top of you as she gently rubs at your sides as you do the same for her head. after a few minutes she gets up, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips at your soft whine at the strap leaving you before heading off to the bathroom to get a washcloth.

it's gentle as you both clean the other, softly trailing the rag down her arms as she observes you. its almost...domestic. which you haven't done in quite a while. it feels nice.

when she gets up to throw it in the hamper you reach for your clothes on the floor before she questions you.

"excuse me, what do you think you're doin?"

"uhh...leaving?"

"nope, bad manners if i let you go home now," she tosses you a shirt from one of her drawers, finding her own pajamas before flopping on her bed. "i don't know what kinda girls in the circuit you've been seein', but I'm not like that."

you're on the fence, rubbing the fabric of her large shirt before putting it on and settling in next to her. it couldn't hurt just to sleep with her, right? "fine. but you should know i don't normally do...this."

"me neither. but there's a first time for everything, right?" she smiles, rubbing your hip from over the shirt before trailing it under. "besides, maybe we can go again in the morning. still need to prove to you I'm not uptight."

thank god for dolly parton.

sorry if this is shorter than expected i feel like death. can we all do rodeo!abby this summer. pretty please.

taglist : @euphternal @jupiter-502 @vqxen @youcallmeconnor @andersonlore i love you guys im giving you kisses rn

#rodeo!abby #buckle bunny!reader #abby anderson x reader #abby anderson #abby anderson smut #abby #tlou #abby x reader #tlou2 #tlou 2 #tlou smut #tlou x reader

[fibula-rasa]

Cosplay the Classics: Elizabeth Montgomery in “Two”

“Two” first aired on 15 September 1961 and is the first episode of the third season of The Twilight Zone. Sadly, “Two” is the only episode that features Elizabeth Montgomery.

Montgomery was nearly ten years into her professional career in 1961. She had already carved out a solid resume in television, appearing prolifically on anthology and episodic shows and occasionally stretched her legs on the New York stage. Samantha Stephens was still three years away when Montgomery took her voyage through The Twilight Zone.

In its five seasons, The Twilight Zone was a crossroads of up-and-coming and well-established performers. “Two” paired the rising star Montgomery with Charles Bronson, who had a decade more acting experience in TV and film than Montgomery. Though Bronson was the more established star, “Two” is Montgomery’s showcase.

Read on below the jump!

“Two” relies on minimal dialogue throughout and notably Montgomery only has a single line spoken. The role relies almost entirely on Montgomery’s action/reaction, expression, and styling. The episode begins on Montgomery as The Woman wandering an abandoned city. The first nine minutes of the episode pass with no dialogue, with context given by visual elements and Serling’s opening narration. The entire episode takes place on a small section of city street (at the old Hal Roach studios, conveniently already in disrepair). 

We learn through newspapers and magazines that this city is in The Man’s homeland, invaded by The Woman’s nation’s army. Signs of the city’s long five-year abandonment are everywhere, including full skeletons left where they fell. (The macabre element of skeletons is used sparingly across the Twilight Zone and usually in circumstances less grounded in reality than “Two,” such as “Long Live Walter Jameson” and “Queen of the Nile.”) As The Man mulls over his first encounter with The Woman a dove flies up behind him as a symbol of his genuine desire for peace. Through a variety of posters and advertisements, we learn that The Man’s homeland had a culture heavily invested in war.

Collage of the war-related paraphernalia in “Two”

All of that is solid storytelling, but Montgomery’s acting adds an extra something. When The Woman first encounters The Man, Montgomery performs hair-trigger reactivity. Despite The Woman’s dire situation—a stranded foreigner in a decimated country with seemingly no chance to ever return home—her reluctance to trust The Man is significant. Pairing Montgomery’s wordless portrayal of these responses with the jingoistic quality of The Man’s homeland and the notable length of time that the city has been abandoned makes me feel that her feelings might not be a simple holdover of wartime hostility on her part but potentially extended trauma. Perhaps The Woman had previous awful experiences with other straggling remnants of The Man’s military, who may not have been as ready as The Man to give up wartime attitudes in spite of the war clearly being over.

The Woman is understandably acting like a cornered animal. As the episode progresses, The Man tries to be as calculated as possible in communicating to The Woman that he doesn’t want a fight through his actions, turning his back to her, and not retaliating the third time she launches an attack on him. Montgomery, in turn, does a great job of drawing out the cornered animal characterization—alternating between curiosity, hope, mistrust, and open hostility. Montgomery’s characterization gives the role the added dimension that saves the episode from feeling too much like an overly simple fable.

Unfortunately, it’s in executing the fabular aspect of the story where “Two” falters. The opening narration by Serling specifies: 

“It’s been five years since a human being walked these streets. This is the first day of the sixth year as man used to measure time.  “The time: perhaps a hundred years from now, or sooner, or perhaps it’s already happened two-million years ago. The place: The signposts are in English so that we may read them more easily, but the place is The Twilight Zone.”

It’s established here that the location is meant to be a stand-in for any city in any country, and that the use of English is merely a storytelling convenience. So, even though “Two” is intended as a Cold-War era anti-war statement, they are intentionally distancing the fiction from the contemporary real-world conflict. To create further distance from a contemporary place/time, they establish that the rifles are laser guns.

But, then, that one line that Montgomery speaks in “Two,” seventeen minutes in, is “Prekrasny” or “прекрасны,” a Russian word for beautiful or pretty. This pretty much grinds to a halt the concept that this is a cautionary fable and not a vision of a dark future where the Soviet Union and the United States moved to open warfare. While I’ll admit that the conventions used to establish “Two” as a fable are cheeky and a little on the corny side, the episode itself would have been stronger without the suggestion that The Woman is Russian.

I’m not sure who made the call to use a Russian word. I wonder if perhaps Serling wrote his introduction and he had a different read on the story than its writer, Montgomery Pittman. Maybe Pittman intended “Two” to be more of a dark premonition with a twist of optimism and Serling thought of it more as a fable and the two approaches hampered each other in the final product? This is pure speculation on my part of course, but it’s a black mark on what I think could have been an even better episode than it is.

Regardless, I think “Two” is a strong episode and a fine example of a Serling-esque story written by someone brought on to lighten the load of Serling, who worked himself to the bone on Twilight Zone. I also appreciate Pittman’s confidence to rely so heavily on visual storytelling techniques, taking into account that the high quality at which we watch the show now does not reflect the quality home viewers would have had in 1961. It reflects both Serling and the producers belief that viewers would be fully engaged in watching the show as it aired rather than just passively having it on in the family room while unwinding after dinner. 

Elizabeth Montgomery’s performance heightens the whole affair considerably. That’s no shade on Charles Bronson, in fact I think the monologuing he’s given could have come off as unbearably hokey if delivered by a lesser actor.

If you can believe it, this is my very first time cosplaying The Twilight Zone! (Though I did play Rod Serling in a set of sketches in high school. I was as weird as a teenager as I am an adult, okay?) If you didn’t already know, I run another blog called Twilight Zone in Close-ups, examining the powerful use of close-up shots on the show by testing out how much of each episode’s story can be communicated solely by its close-up shots.

☕ Buy me a coffee! ☕

#1960s #1961 #elizabeth montgomery #the twilight zone #Twilight Zone #rod serling #classic television #television #closet cosplay #cosplay #television history #OTD #science fiction #speculative fiction #horror #1960s tv #tv

[jbuffyangel]

Hot and Cold: Arrow 1x22 Review (Darkness of the Edge of Town)

There is no episode that exemplifies the disjointed nature of Season 1 more than “Darkness on the Edge of Town.”  We have Exhibit A: an OTA field op and the smoaking hot chemistry of Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards igniting in an elevator shaft of all places.

And Exhibit B: the other show. A frigid black hole I feared we’d never escape from.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity and OTA

Let’s start with the positive since there is soooooo much freaking positive! It can take time for a television series to find its footing in the first season.  Unfortunately, nowadays if the audience isn’t binging the entire season in 24 hours, the show gets canceled. But blessedly, this was 2013. Network TV was still the supreme ruler, and Arrow was pulling big enough numbers for the CW to allow for some leeway.

Twenty two episodes of leeway. Arrow finally found its groove and latched on to the mystical “it factor” that keeps an audience watching - Oliver, Felicity and Diggle. The chemistry and dynamic between these characters and the actors who play them is undeniable and it creates an action packed, laughing out loud, and sizzling hot episode. The writers are having FUN in “Darkness on the Edge of Town" and it shows, which means we get to have fun too.

Oliver decides to question his mother regarding the Undertaking, but she refuses to confess. So, Oliver and Diggle take a more brutal approach. The Hood kidnaps them both and beats the crap out of Oliver until she coughs up the information. It’s always hilarious when this show acts like David Ramsey can fit in Stephen Amell’s suit.

The burgeoning relationship between Oliver and Felicity is very much in its infancy. Oliver is fully in denial about feeling any type of way toward his IT girl. Never is that more apparent then when Oliver and Diggle return from the confrontation with Moira. Diggle gets a few solid whacks in, which I’m sure felt amazing given the absolute jackass Oliver was being the past few episodes.

Felicity has a much harder time concealing her feelings towards Oliver and it’s clear she worries about him. She is always the first to ask if he’s okay, offer a supportive ear to listen or shoulder to cry on. However, Oliver seems to draw a line in this episode when Felicity reaches to touch the bruise on his face. That small step was too much. He physically keeps her at arm’s length because the intimacy of Felicity’s concerned touch is not something Oliver is ready for. There is still a very big wall hiding all that pain, regret and unworthiness.

Source: @lyricalarrow

Admitting he remembers the exact day they met, however, is absolutely no problem. We shall come to discover just how much Oliver remembers about that day in later seasons. I have a lot of male friends and I guarantee you I don’t remember the day we met. However, the day I met my husband is burned into my memory.

The team determines the only way to stop Merlyn from leveling the Glades with a man-made earthquake machine is to find the location of the device. Unfortunately, Felicity is unable to hack Merlyn’s system so she needs direct access to his mainframe inside Merlyn Global Headquarters. LET'S DO CRIMES!

Oliver makes an appointment with Tommy (more on that later) while Felicity continues to up her adorability factor by dressing up as Big Belly Burger employee delivering lunch to a security guard otherwise known as John Diggle.

The burger is laced with benzodiazepine, so it knocks out the other security guard and gives John free reign to control the elevator & cameras. Do we know how Diggle is able to pose as a security guard? No. Do we care? Nope. Let the hijinks commence!

Oliver and Felicity make their way to the elevator, but not until Oliver unloads an unwelcomed dudebro hitting on Felicity.

Jealousy looks so good on him. The way Stephen Amell plays this scene, with his nails-on-a-chalkboard look at the word “sweetie” to robotically knocking the papers out of the elevator, is physical comedy at its best. Something Amell rarely gets to do, but he’s great at it.  

The mainframe is on the twenty fifth floor, but the elevator only goes up to the nineteenth, so Oliver and Felicity have some climbing to do. It seems Felicity is thinking of a certain kind of climbing as well and really who can blame her?

Source: @lyricalarrow

Oliver lifts her WITH ONE ARM out of the elevator, which is so freaking hot I cannot.

Then, very gently, bends down to wrap his arm around Felicity’s waist and loop her arm around his neck. Oliver is moving with the precision of a jungle cat, but it also feels like an incredibly elaborate way to grab hold of someone. It has a very superhero sweep-her-into-my-arms sensuality to it. The mission is giving Oliver plenty of reasons to touch Felicity and he doesn’t seem unhappy about it, particularly when he softly tells her, "Hold onto me tight."

Is it warm in here? Holy Moses, Oliver Queen. Get control. This man is a god to women, so he clearly understands the connotations of, “Hold onto me tight.” There’s a thousand different ways to say that platonically, but nope! Oliver charges headlong into the blinking neon lights of SEXUAL INNNUENDO.

Felicity’s Freudian slip didn’t feel so Freudian either. She knew exactly what she was saying and leveled her full meaning in a single look. I thought the elevator was going to combust from all the heat. If you are looking for the text book definition of undressing someone with your eyes than look no further than these two. They way they hold the gaze. WOW. Can we have all the nakedness now?!!! It’s a sin against science for Oliver and Felicity not to bang regularly BECAUSE THE CHEMISTRY.

THIS IS NOT THE BEHAVIOR OF A MAN MADLY IN LOVE WITH LAUREL LANCE.

This scene has the classic Superman and Lois Lane feel to it.

Source: @olicitygifs

Oliver is doing his vigilante thing, but his partner in crime isn’t the leading lady of Arrow. It’s a supporting character who’s feeling less and less supporting with each episode.

Unfortunately, Felicity is about to be discovered while Oliver is held up by Malcolm Merlyn, Thea and Roy Harper. This is a very popular day to visit Merlyn Global. Oliver’s frustration under his cool and calm exterior builds the tension nicely and we do wonder how Felicity is getting out of this jam. Never fear! It’s John Diggle to the rescue. Top notch comedy from both Rickards and Ramsey.

Source: @olicitygifs

Their first official team mission outside of the bunker is a wild success. Felicity still has to search through all of Merlyn’s data to determine the location of the device. Despite all the heat, hilarity and hijinks on this side of the show, Oliver makes an abrupt decision regarding the other side of the show that makes absolutely no sense.

Lauriver and Merlance

Still feeling warm friends? Well don’t worry. I have a nice bucket of ice cold water to dump on you.

As predicted, Oliver’s love confession messes with Laurel’s mind and obliterates any clear path back to Tommy. He drops this bomb on her and they have not spoken for a WEEK. Of course, this is all Laurel has thought about and she makes a rather elaborate speech admitting she has feelings for Oliver too.

Yeah, none of this is a surprise. Tommy knew Laurel had feelings for Oliver. We knew Laurel had feelings for Oliver. Hell, even Oliver knew. The only one who wasn’t admitting it was Laurel, so at least she’s finally being honest about things. You don’t get a love triangle if the central figure in the love triangle doesn’t have feelings for two people. The issue is who does Laurel love MORE.

Laurel: Maybe Tommy was right. Maybe he and I weren’t meant to be.

She had a clear answer last week. It was Tommy. She absolutely wanted to get back together with him, but Oliver decided honesty was the best policy on this one subject only. This line enrages me because Oliver has distracted Laurel from the man she is truly meant to be with. I will die on this hill, friends. DIE. ON. THIS. MERLANCE. HILL.

Laurel: Tommy’s a good guy. Are you?

Oliver: I didn’t have an agenda. I didn’t mean to make it more difficult to fix things with Tommy.

Oh for fucks sake. Yes, you did Oliver. That’s exactly why you said it. This is just a straight up lie. Oliver absolutely wanted to confuse Laurel. He just doesn’t want to look like the bad guy for doing it. This is some A+ Ollie behavior.

After Laurel makes a wonderfully impassioned and heartfelt speech about her feelings for Oliver, after probably obsessing about it for seven days straight, Oliver dumps her. AGAIN.

Oliver: Nothing’s changed. My life hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed.

I am infuriated on Laurel’s behalf with this flip flopping back and forth. The time to make this speech was last week in the hospital hallway. That was the moment to let her go and put Laurel on the plane with the man she belongs with, but Oliver couldn’t do it because it was too damn hard. It was just cruel and horribly unfair to both Tommy and Laurel because Oliver has absolutely no intention of being with her. But now it’s too late. The information is out there. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, my dude.

Laurel pays her father a visit to basically get his permission to date Oliver again. Yeah, let’s make the man who lost his daughter to Oliver’s selfishness sign off on banging his other daughter again. This show.

Quentin’s speech is equally as empty as any speech Laurel’s made about seeing the change in Oliver because we, the audience, have not been privy to those moments. We’re just supposed to take their word for it even though the last time Quentin saw Oliver Queen he was trying to arrest him for drug trafficking. But sure, Quentin thinks he’s “changed.”

In order to make this storyline work, you have to give proper attention to the Lance family interacting with Oliver and the writers do not seem interested in doing that. All the important emotional growth takes place off screen and we’re supposed to accept it as fact because the characters tell us.

Meanwhile, they are organically growing the relationship Oliver has with Diggle, Felicity, hell even Roy! So we know the writers are capable of SHOWING these moments of character evolution. They just choose not to when it comes to the Lance family. It’s why the show feels so completely disjointed.

Oliver pays Tommy a visit and wants to have a chat.

Source: @queensarrow

So it's safe to say Tommy is still pissed.

Oliver encourages him to work things out with Laurel – kind of?

Oliver: Lord knows, I am guilty of a lot of things between us, but not you are her.

What’s infuriating about this conversation is that Oliver still refuses to accept any kind of responsibility in their break up. Oliver pretends to be a friend to the all feminists and touts Laurel’s independence and free will. She makes her own choices and she chose Tommy.

Tommy’s point is clear, even if it is self pitying; Laurel is not dealing with all the information. If she did have all the information then she would choose Oliver. From Oliver’s standpoint, it doesn’t matter because he can’t be with her.

That’s not reassuring to Tommy nor is it supposed to be. If the elements keeping Oliver and Laurel apart were removed (the Hood) then Oliver wouldn’t think twice about making a move on Laurel. And Tommy knows this. These are not the actions of a best friend, which is why he’s so pissed.

Now, Tommy’s big mistake was throwing in the towel too early. He should have NEVER given Oliver an opening with Laurel, but he did and it set them on this path. No we have to watch it play out.

Oliver: I promised myself that when I crossed all of these names off the list, I’d be done, but taking down these people, it doesn’t honor him. I was just treating the symptoms while the disease festered. I stop the Undertaking… I wipe out the disease.

Diggle: What are you saying Oliver? You would hang up the Hood?

Oliver: Merlyn’s plan is what I returned from the island to stop.

Does anyone else have whiplash? Oliver does a complete about face and determines he can be with Laurel since he only needs to cross one name off the list instead of dozens. He’s just missing one step, gee what could it be? Oh! I know. OLIVER STILL HAS TO CROSS MERLYN’S NAME OFF THE LIST AND STOP THE UNDERTAKING. Talk about counting your chickens before their hatched.

A hero’s journey is a very specific type of story. Joseph Campbell outline seventeen stages in 1949 and Christopher Vogler created an updated version in 2007 for screenwriting. I’m not going through all seventeen steps, but we can skip to the very last one regarding this storyline.

Freedom to Live/Return with the Elixir – meaning the hero has faced their internal and external struggles, has conquered the demons around them and earned the right to live as they choose. From a spiritual sense, the hero lives without fear of death.

It’s similar with Vogler’s elixir stage. From a community perspective, the hero has found the magical way to heal their wounded land. They are bringing hope, life and freedom back to their loved ones. In doing so, it gives the hero a personal victory. They’ve earned the right to experience peace and joy, which can be represented in a wide variety of narratives.

Oliver is hero. Arrow has made his endgame very clear - save Starling City. Has he saved the city? Has he stopped Malcolm Merlyn? NO. So why is his leather clad ass running all the way back to Laurel Lance to enjoy the fruits an elixir he has yet to procure? If Laurel is endgame, this makes absolutely no sense. This is too fast. It’s too abrupt. It doesn’t feel earned because it hasn’t been earned.

Clearly, the initial plan was to put Oliver (Green Arrow) and Laurel (Black Canary) on parallel, if not intersecting, paths. I’m not saying Oliver cannot be with Laurel as they evolve into superheroes together. But this is the first freaking season you guys! He hasn’t done a damn thing yet! Neither has she. And yet, here Oliver is, knocking on Laurel’s door, looking for some fruit.

Oliver: Ever since I’ve been back, we’ve been doing this dance. We come together and then I pull away.  Something pulls me away, but I think finally that something might be over.

Laurel: What are you are trying saying?

Oliver: That you know me better than anyone. And that you are more important to me than anyone. I just hope I didn’t wait too long to say it.

If Laurel has no clue Oliver is the Hood then can he really claim she knows him best? It sounds good to say, and probably what Laurel is dying to hear, but it rings hollow because there’s no evidence of this anywhere on the show. Laurel was wrong about who Oliver is all season. We are just supposed to accept some verbal acknowledgment of change, that she knows him better than anyone, but without any television scenes to back it up. That’s not how storytelling works, Arrow writers.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I warned you I wasn’t done with this topic - Oliver is still lying to Laurel. There should be more talking. What are those things pulling you away, Oliver? Why are they over? Are you a hooded, crime fighting, serial killer who has been mysteriously stalking me all year? Those are just some ideas off the top of my head. There is no person on this planet that Oliver needs an honest conversation with more than Laurel Lance, but nope. They jump straight to sex.  

Let’s talk about the sex. This has been built up all season. These two characters belong together. They are bulldozing over Tommy Merlyn to be together because they are this passionate romance that time cannot quell. It should be like the fourth of July in Laurel’s apartment right now.

Source: laurelscanary

Instead, of heat we get frigid. Fish have hotter sex.

I’m willing to acknowledge "Radioactive" was the hit song of 2013 and every show on the CW was using it. It has a very sexy beat and big crescendo. It sounds like a good song to use during a sex scene.

Except for the fact that it’s called RADIOACTIVE with lyrics like, “This is it, the apocalypse.” This is not the romance your Plan A couple usually requires in a scene like this. They had Blake Neely for a composer. Where’s Oliver and Laurel’s love theme? We'll probably get it in the season finale but anything would be better than "Radioactive."

Source: laurelscanary

Next issue. Black socks and jean shorts?  Wardrobe – what were you thinking? Nobody felt the need to tell Katie to take off the sox? Details matter!!

Source: laurelscanary

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy kissing are like watching two pieces of flat cardboard trying to hump each other. Can they choose a direction? Are we biting or no biting? Are we using tongue or no tongue? Can Oliver unbutton his shirt or does Laurel need to help? Is Oliver going to drop Laurel while trying to get her sweatshirt off? It was just so awkward from start to finish. ZERO SPARKS.

Source: habibialkaysani

And for the coup de grace, they leave the curtains pulled wide open, so Tommy can see them screwing from the street. The look of utter devastation on his face is heartbreaking and that’s the final image they leave us with as their love scene fades to black. Oliver and Laurel reuniting are not framed as a good thing. It’s framed as a betrayal, because that’s exactly what it is.

Source: @queensarrow

Even worse, Felicity finds the device while Oliver and Laurel are asleep and HE LEAVES. No note. No, honey I have to run out and save the city real quick, but I’ll be back for round two later. Nothing. But please, tell me again how much Ollie has changed.

When I watched this episode live I was horribly disappointed the big reunion with Laurel and Oliver fell flat. This was really my last gasp trying to be a Lauriver shipper. And I use the term “trying” loosely. I was more or less looking for any redeeming qualities in this love story, but after this hypothermic love scene I was officially out. I could not ship these two. I could never forgive them for betraying Tommy. But I feared Arrow would never move on from Oliver and Laurel.  

Of course, their real intention becomes all too clear later. Arrow was trying to blow them up to make way for something infinitely better.

 Theroy

Speaking of flipping back and forth, these two break up every other week. Roy is clearly committed to finding the Vigilante, which leads them to Merlyn Global and a run in with Oliver, the disapproving older brother. Again, Stephen Amell’s acting is superb.

I loved the way he said “What” to Thea and the firm alpha male handshake he gives Roy, warning him to stay away.

Obviously, Roy accomplished his goal. He found the Vigilante. Roy just doesn’t know it. He thinks Oliver Queen is too much of a wimp to ever consider him as the man in the hood. Thea was good and ticked off with that “wimp” remark. Enough to dump Roy. She will not tolerate any slander of her brother. #QUEENSIBILINGSFOREVER

But this is like the fifth time these two broke up, so it’s losing the impact. This isn’t all about the Hood’s identity and thanking him for saving Roy’s life. He wants to BE the Hood, so Roy can protect the people he loves and never lose anyone again. The question is – who did Roy lose? Unfortunately, Thea storms out before we get an answer, but hopefully one is coming in the season finale. (No I do not remember who).

Long story short, yes I like these two, but the faster the Arrow writers move the characters into the Hood storyline the better. Otherwise they are just marooned on their own show like Laurel Lance Island.

Stray Thoughts

Yao Fei died! It’s so sad and traumatic. I forgot he’s shot in the head. Really didn’t need to see that twice.

Fyers is shooting down a commercial airliner to destabilize the Chinese economy. It’s always about money for these assholes.

Walter wants a divorce and I would say their differences are irreconcilable. Moira is getting what she deserves. You can’t kidnap your husband for six months and then offer him tea and crumpets when he comes home.

"Who the hell is Felicity Smoak?" Uh oh. Quentin has Felicity’s name. That ain’t good.

“Is the other archer working for Merlyn?” Please don’t make Diggle look this dumb again.

Merlyn versus Oliver battle was EPIC! The fight scenes this season are so stellar.

“Psychopaths are color coding themselves. That’s helpful.” HA!

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x22!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

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

#arrow #arrow 1x22 #olicity #anti lauriver #arrow reviews #anti laurel lance #tommy merlyn #ota #john diggle #felicity smoak #oliver queen #arrow episode review #arrow episode reviews #olicity fandom #watchover #watchover podcast #watchover with jen and calli #arrow rewatch #season 1 episode review #season 1 episode reviews

[magicfootballstuff]

London Derby (leah williamson x reader)

Summary: Your relationship with Leah is going smoothly until the day when you have to watch her play against the team you’ve supported since childhood finally arrives

———

There’s a photograph that takes pride of place on the mantelpiece at your parents’ house of you, aged six at the time, standing beside your brother, both of you wearing identical claret football shirts with pale blue sleeves. You’ve been a West Ham fan your entire life, you probably came out of the womb already cheering for the Hammers, so engrained is your love for your team. You watched the men’s team growing up, then, more recently, you started to follow the women too.

It was a surprise to nobody more than yourself when you fell in love with somebody who is as much of an Arsenal fan as you are a West Ham fan. And not just an Arsenal fan, an Arsenal player. Maybe even a future Arsenal captain.

But you love Leah, and loving her means wanting to see her succeed. Wanting Arsenal to succeed.

So you reluctantly took the Arsenal Women’s team as your second team. You share a playful rivalry with Leah over your opposing London clubs, while cheering her on diligently from the sidelines or through the television screen whenever she plays.

Whenever she plays a team other than West Ham.

“I’ll cheer for you against every team but one,” you promised her, when she presented you with your first ever Arsenal jersey, red and white with “Williamson” printed on the back.

“West Ham?” she asked, although she already knew the answer.

“I love you, but I don’t think I could bring myself to root for another team when my Hammers are on the same pitch.”

You thought it would be easy to compartmentalise. You’d cheer for West Ham, while obviously being delighted for Leah if Arsenal won on the day.

But when the day of the match comes, you feel more conflict than you could have possibly expected. Your desire to see your beloved West Ham triumph today conflicts with the longer term wish to see your girlfriend lift the WSL trophy at the end of the season - in the grand scheme of things, a loss today won’t affect West Ham’s overall season much at all, while every point counts for Arsenal, who lead the league by the narrowest of margins with Chelsea not far behind.

You sit with the West Ham fans, your brother beside you in his jersey that matches yours, just like that photo from twenty years ago, but the cheers and applause you give as the players walk out onto the pitch in two neat lines are in equal parts for Leah as they are for the West Ham girls.

She doesn’t look for you in the crowd, she never does, but especially not today, instead staring straight ahead with her resolute game face, unsmiling as the teams shake hands then disperse to their respective ends of the pitch in preparation for the start of the game.

Your nerves calm as the whistle blows and the players kick off, both teams using the opening minutes to settle into the game. Arsenal controls much of the possession, with Leah a solid figure in central defence, while West Ham make the most of the opportunities they get to press and counter.

You can do this, you think, as you relax. It’s a win-win situation. Either your team wins, or your girlfriend does. It’s easy.

That is, until about twenty minutes into the game. When Mackenzie Arnold tips a long range shot from Beth over the crossbar, Katie steps up to take the resulting corner and Arsenal crowd almost all their other players into the box. Leah, as tall as she is, moves up the pitch to join in, hustling in amongst the opposition defence.

Katie raises her left hand, then fires the ball into the box. It finds an Arsenal head, exactly which one you aren’t sure, then the goalie’s glove, then there’s a mad scramble as Arsenal players try to nudge the ball into the back of the net while their West Ham counterparts defend with their lives.

Time seems to stand still, your heart in your mouth, as the ball somehow finds its way to Leah’s feet, and with the goalkeeper still on the floor from the last save, Leah virtually has an open net at the near post, but a last ditch attempt at defending from a West Ham player is enough to put Leah off and she pokes the ball just wide with the tip of her boot.

As a central defender, Leah doesn’t score many goals and that was as clear a chance as she could ever have asked for.

The players run back to their positions, and you can see from the stands how frustrated your girlfriend is with herself. Kim puts a hand on Leah’s shoulder and says something to her as they reset for the goal kick, but you can tell Leah’s still not happy. The game has been a tight one - if Arsenal don’t get a win in the end, if the game, or even the title race, comes down to that one moment, Leah won’t be able to forgive herself.

You had joked with Leah before the game, perhaps knowing that goalscoring opportunities for your girlfriend would be unlikely, telling her that the only way you would accept an Arsenal win today would be if she scored the only goal.

Now, you realise that was stupid, that Leah’s happiness is always going to be more important than your own. You don’t care who scores, as long as Arsenal get the three points.

The rest of the first half is pretty even again, no clear cut chances for either side, and though you allow yourself to get swept up in a few chants with the other West Ham fans that surround you, you’re not disappointed by the large zero next to your club’s crest on the electronic scoreboard as the whistle blows and the teams go in for half time.

Arsenal come out stronger in the second half. You make a mental note to ask Leah later what was said in the dressing room, especially when a clever ball through to Stina from Viv exposes West Ham’s defence a couple of minutes after play resumes and the Swedish forward only just misses the target with her shot.

They continue pretty relentlessly, staying on the attack, desperate for the goal that even you, decked out in full claret attire, have to admit that Arsenal deserve. West Ham are tiring, certainly not helped when Jonas turns to his bench for fresh legs to reinforce his side. You cheer as the substitutes are made, earning a disappointed tut and an eye roll from your brother beside you, not because you’re cheering for the new players that enter the pitch, but because when Kim leaves the field she passes the captain’s armband to Leah.

You might imagine it, but you swear Leah carries herself slightly differently when she wears the armband. You’ve noticed it for England too, like the weight of the captaincy doesn’t burden her, but instead makes her stand stronger, lift her head up.

It’s very sexy.

The only thing better than seeing your girl as a captain is the pass she picks out a couple of minutes later when the ball finds itself at her feet, a beautiful long ball that soars diagonally across the pitch and finds Viv, who controls it down, flicks it past the last defender, then slots it into the bottom corner beyond the keeper’s outstretched glove.

You barely restrain yourself from cheering, aware of the disappointed West Ham fans that surround you, but you applaud the effort, your heart swelling with pride as you know that it was Leah’s vision to pick out that pass that has more than made up for the missed chance earlier in the game, earning herself an assist and Arsenal the lead.

Arsenal puts the game to rest in stoppage time, doubling their lead with an effortless tap-in from Caitlin just moments before the referee’s final whistle, two goals sealing the three points they need to stay top of the league.

Leah finally relaxes now that the game is over and she’s secured the win. She’s always so stoic and focused during a game, but she celebrates with her teammates with a smile on her face that has your heart fluttering in your chest, even from where you watch her in the crowd.

“Go on,” says your brother, elbowing you in the ribs to nudge you out of your trance as you watch Leah shake hands with the opposition on her way to the ring of Arsenal girls that starts to form around the coaches. “I’ll wait for you in the car. Go and congratulate your girl.”

When the team huddle is over, the Arsenal players disperse and start to make their way around the perimeter of the pitch, thanking fans for their support. You hang back from the edge of the pitch, letting the younger fans who crowd the advertising boards have their turn as the players sign shirts and pose for photographs.

Katie is the first one to notice you, clapping to the fans as she does a lap with Beth, and she does a double take when she recognises you.

“What’s that your wearing?” she calls out, as Beth pauses to take selfies with a few young girls in Arsenal shirts.

You glance down at your West Ham shirt before grinning back at Katie.

“I’m not sorry!” you shout back, feeling more brazen about your choice of outfit than you would have done had Arsenal not just won all three points. “West Ham’s in my blood.”

“I’m not having that,” Katie responds, grinning and shaking her head. “I’m telling her to dump ya!”

Your laugh is only brief, because you spot Leah making her way around the edge of the pitch not too far behind Katie.

Truth be told, you’re more than happy to stand back as Leah interacts with the fans. She’s in her element and you love watching her, the simple act of greeting the fans highlighting so many of the things that you love about Leah - how considerate and humble she is, how she tries to be a good rolemodel to young girls. And, even though you won’t admit this one out loud, how obviously proud she is to represent the Arsenal badge.

You see the exact moment that she spots you. Her eyes are on you for just a split second but her whole demeanour changes, probably unnoticeable to anybody who doesn’t know her as well as you, a smirk playing with the corners of her mouth as she turns around to pose for a selfie with another group of fans.

You wait your turn, watching as Leah thanks a group of teenagers for coming to the game and signs an England shirt for one of them. While the girls are giddy to have met their idol, you simply smile as Leah finally turns her attention to you.

Like Katie, her gaze drops to your West Ham top and scarf, but all she says is, “Hi.”

“Hey, you,” you grin at her. “You got time for a picture with a fan?”

“Wearing that?” Leah scoffs. “Not a chance.”

She keeps a straight face for just a couple of seconds, before she breaks into a soft smile that only you can induce from her and plucks your phone from your hand.

You snake an arm around her back across the advertising board that stands between you, your fingers giving her waist a tiny squeeze, then press your body into her side as she snaps the selfie.

“You played well,” you tell her, as she returns your phone and you slide it back into your pocket. “I’m proud of you. That assist was something else.”

She smiles shyly, and you know she’s far too humble to acknowledge that her pass to set up Viv’s goal was what changed the game for Arsenal.

Which is why you decide to tease her about the missed shot in the first half.

“Although that chance you had from the corner…”

“Don’t,” Leah groans, closing her eyes and you force her to recall a moment you know she will want to cleanse from her memory.

“Babe, it was so kind of you to keep my team in the game by missing a chance like that but I’d still have been happy if you scored.”

“You’re not gonna let me live that down, are you?” Leah asks, arching an eyebrow at you.”

“Not at all,” you grin.

———

She gets you back that evening. As you both get ready for bed, you step out of the bathroom to find her sitting on the edge of the bed with her phone in her hand, a smug grin on her face.

“What have you done?”

“Nothing,” Leah replies. “You look nice.”

You’re wearing a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and one of her Arsenal hoodies. You’re not falling for her attempt at distraction.

“What have you done?” you repeat.

“Nothing. Well, nothing bad.”

Your own phone, lying on top of the covers on your side of the bed, buzzes and the screen lights up, revealing a string of new notifications, most of them from Instagram. You open the app, surprised to see that you seem to have gained a few hundred new followers in the ten minutes you were in the bathroom. You quickly find the reason though, when you recognise the first photo in your feed as the selfie that Leah took with you after her match today.

You roll your eyes as you read the caption under the picture.

Big 3 points on the road 🔴⚪️ Always grateful for the fans, even if some of them support the wrong team ❤️

She’s tagged you in it, no doubt the reason for the influx of new followers, but it’s the comments that catch your eye, fans speculating about the nature of Leah’s relationship with you.

You’ve never hidden your relationship with Leah, nor have either of you ever broadcasted it. The people who matter know and it’s not Leah’s style to blast her social media full of relationship PDA. But that’s why this gesture means so much - it’s probably as close as Leah will get to publicly confirming that she’s in a relationship and the fact that she’s picked this photo, one where you’re proudly wearing the colours of a team that aren’t Arsenal, touches your heart. In posting this photo, Leah’s message to her followers is that you are somebody important to her. Her message to you is that she loves you for exactly who you are, even if who you are is a West Ham fan.

“You know, there’s a transfer window coming up,” you tease. “I think you’d look good in claret…”

Leah knocks your phone out of your hand and climbs on top of you, pinning you to the mattress as she nuzzles her face into your neck.

“Not a chance, babe.”

#leah williamson x reader #leah williamson imagine #woso imagine #woso x reader

[xoxoemynn]

Hi friend! I appreciate your fighting spirit and hope for S3. As much as I'd like for it to be renewed, I think it deserves more than max would give. I'd prefer someone else to pick it up who would give them their 10 episodes and the amount of time they need.

Would it be more beneficial to campaign at potential buyers for a rescue rather than pleading with someone who's already made their decision? I feel like the BBC at least already had enough interest that they brought the broadcasting rights, and they have no problem with short running (3-5 season), 10-episode series. They also have an MO to run programming that is representative of the license fee payers.

Idk, as a UK resident this is the best scenario I can think of. I'm not as familiar with other companies, and I know viewer opinions do carry weight as pretty much everyone in the UK is taxed to fund the BBC. They have a televised show, Points Of View, which is entirely for people to contact with their feelings about currently airing programs.

I don't expect you to have the answer, just thinking out loud! (I did contact renewasacrew about this but haven't heard anything back yet). Regardless, I did contact the BBC myself saying why it'd be beneficial for them to rescue it the day after we got the news.

(They also have a good track record for releasing stuff on DVD)

Yeah, I agree that OFMD is too good for Max. To have a show do THAT well, and then receive a 40% budget cut for its second season, and then get canceled before it can complete its story? Insulting.

I have no industry knowledge, so this is me just wondering out loud, I keep going back and forth on what would be more likely, Max reversing its decision or another streamer picking it up. On the one hand, reversing the decision would be a blow to Zaslav's ego. Men like that don't like admitting they made a mistake. On the other, I imagine there would be more red tape to go through selling the show elsewhere? I don't know! I just wonder. And I just really want that final season!

I don't know a ton about BBC, but from what you say here, it seems like a solid option! And from what I've been hearing, reaching out to specific services (as opposed just tagging all of them in every post) is the way to go. Make it more personalized, make them see the benefits, etc.

Now that @asneakyfox has won me over, my preferred choice at the moment is AppleTV. There's an international audience, they don't seem as IP hungry as Max (Ted Lasso was also anticipated to be three seasons from the beginning, and that's what they got), they appreciate unique, quality shows that value storytelling that may not be picked up elsewhere, such as Severance. They don't seem as strict on run times, so it means we may be able to get longer episodes with Taika and Rhys doing bits! And there are a good amount of parallels between OFMD and Ted Lasso (feel-good comedies that go surprisingly deep, found family, discussions of mental health) that OFMD could very much fill that void Ted Lasso left behind.

But we'll see what happens! The important thing for now is to just continue making it clear how beloved OFMD is and how any platform would be smart to pick up a show with such a passionate, loyal fan base.

#ask #random-red-ramblings #ofmd #renew as a crew

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

So S3 of OFMD isn't happening- and you're feeling like shit. Let's talk about it.

This fandom is still an amazing space full of creatives who made this community what it is. Many of us feel hopeless now, especially for those of us who have been in fandom before because we all know what this means. This means the start of saying goodbye for some of us.

Some will move on, starting now. The most fun I've had in fandoms were during hiatus'. For good reason. There feels like there's a goal. There's something to work for. Now-it looks like we don't have that anymore. The wind has been taken out of our metaphorical sails.

But that's not really how fandom works. The show is over, sure, but our love for this thing isn't done. Our affection for the tropes and stories and characters we've found here aren't suddenly gone.

I still read fic for fandoms that 'should be dead'. I still find comfort in podfics for fic created about shows I now hate.

It's not over, because you're still here.

This feels easier to say as I personally wasn't in this fandom the main pairing. For those fans, I hope the current ending for Stede and Ed brings you some comfort. They are in a perfect place for you to pick up their story.

Not a writer or author or 'creative'?

Doesn't matter. Take a second, right now even. What happens next? Do you follow history? Do they escape? What about the crew? What about the Republic, what about all the other pirates? What happens next?

I'm an Izzy fan, and guess what? The fucker died, and we're still here! I have a solid 20 stories in my bookmarks that are still updating. I'm still writing Izzy fic, and many more are still stuck with the OFMD brain rot.

So, take a moment to mourn. You absolutely should! Because this is bullshit. By any metric, this show should have gotten another season. It made back its money, trends constantly, and sold a shit ton of merch. It was popular enough for a S3. Even if it ended up being 3 episodes long. I've gone on record as not loving a lot of S2, but y'all deserved an ending that wasn't so rushed. Modern-day television is a new hellscape that most shows aren't surviving unless they appeal to the broadest audiences.

It's all bullshit, so let's let ourselves feel like shit for a minute. Just to get it all out and process it.

If you want to rant, I'm here! Send me an anonymous message about what's got you feeling what you're feeling right now. Because me? I'm-

[currently plotting a S3 ish thing where the show follows history/and or a time travel story where S2 Izzy mentally goes back into his S1 body and changes the future. So. I'm. Coping.]

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #izzy hands #stede bonnet #ofmd s3 #no ofmd s3 #ofmd s3 renewal #College for me started YESTERDAY...my first day after a gap year #The ideas haunt me and I can't write

[balioc]

Holiday Engineering: Leap Dave Williams

S6E9 of 30 Rock, "Leap Day," provides us with a fascinating and valuable artifact from a holiday-engineering perspective: an invented, made-from-scratch festival that is designed to feel like a real and successful festival that already has legs.

...this is rare. The people who invent new holidays are usually in the vanguard of new social/cultural/ideological movements, and they're usually doing so with an eye towards their immediate circumstances and their immediate goals; they want to Make a Statement about their favorite principles, they want to appeal to the idiosyncrasies of their most devoted fellow-travelers, often they want to promote group cohesion and insularity, etc. You don't often get people creating stuff from whole cloth while asking, "how would this work if it were already fully embedded in society and treated like a normal holiday?"

For that you have to turn to fiction. And most fictional holidays, I've found, are not very well-thought-out. But 30 Rock's weird bizarro-world version of Leap Day is...surprisingly impressive, and would-be holiday engineers can learn something from it. It's pretty stripped-down and basic, as you'd expect from a festival made up for one 30-minute episode of television that's mostly about something else. But there's some real there there. I think you could actually observe the holiday-as-written, without adding content, and people would get something out of it. Certainly, with a little embellishment, you could get something good.

(We're going to discount the part where there's, allegedly, a cheesy holiday movie where Jim Carrey learns the true meaning of Leap Day. That kind of thing is great if you can actually swing it, but you can't, so it doesn't help.)

Theme. This is honestly the holiday's biggest weakness, but even so, it's better than you might expect. The message is: "Leap Day is for taking a leap! Do something bold, something new, something unexpected!" Which is punchy and resonant. The problem, of course, is that it's not observable in a ritual context. You can't be in the proper Leap Day spirit without thinking outside the box, and holidays are all about providing a box in which you can stay for a little while. To do the Leap Day thing, you have to make reference to the particular contours of your own individual life, which is the opposite of how festivals work. But everyone can probably think of some way in which "making a leap" would be meaningful for him, so OK.

The flip side is that, because Leap Day is such a necessarily-individualist holiday in concept, it makes sense for the observances to be so minimalist. There's no Leap Day Festive Family Meal, and thus no traditions surrounding such a thing, but...that makes sense, right? You're not supposed to spend Leap Day going home to eat with your family, you're supposed to do something crazy.

Timing. Also kind of unfortunate. Once-every-four-years is not enough observance to build up resonance and holiday feeling. You're probably going to experience only four Leap Days over the course of your childhood and adolescence, when you're building your deep-seated associations, and each time the memories of the last one are going to be very fuzzy. Ah, well, it's baked into the core concept, nothing to be done.

Mythology. Every four years, Leap Day William emerges from the Marianas Trench to exchange candy for children's tears. And you know what? That's solid. It's a very simple story, but it's memorable, and you can riff on it.

Activities. You pretend to cry so that people will give you candy. Again, simple but solid. Easy-to-perform, but very distinctive. For a holiday that mostly can't be ritualized by its very nature, it's probably good to have a two-second ritual easy-peasy ritual to remind you that 'Tis the Season.

Symbols. You're supposed to wear blue and yellow. Garish, but that's the holidays for you. It's as distinctive a color palette as Christmas's. And if you don't wear blue and yellow, people get to pull your hair (or kick you in the shins) (or something). I have a strong personal dislike for the St. Patrick's Day-esque "enforcement of sartorial holiday norms via cheeky physical violence" thing, and I'd encourage aspiring holiday engineers not to include that kind of content on moral grounds, but -- from an amoral design perspective, it's great, it uses base human instincts to turn people into propagators of Proper Holiday Spirit.

Traditional food (sweets). Everyone loves candy. If want to add some cheap zing to your holiday, find a way to incorporate giving people candy. It's better to have a distinctive and memorable holiday food, but that's difficult and may not be appropriate. Candy is super easy and there's almost always an excuse for it.

#holiday analysis

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Now that s2 has had some time to settle, how would you all rank all the OFMD episodes? I don't care about how good you think they are objectively (because I know if I was ranking them from what I think are objectively best to worst, that would be a different list entirely), I care about how you rank them personally!

For me, the ranking goes:

Fun and Games, s2e4. She's everything to me. Ed and Stede making up and communicating, Ed's cute little smile, Izzy being a fucking nightmare (affectionate). Perfect episode in my eyes.

The Innkeeper, s2e3. I don't even need to justify this one, you all KNOW.

Mermen, s2e8. I know she's a little messy but I love her. My go-to comfort episode and a happy ending to the season. Ed and Stede fighting to each other across the beach is my favorite scene in OFMD full stop.

The Art of Fuckery, s1e6. I looove her. The OG bathtub scene that spawned a million bathtub scenes in fanfics, plus Stede beating Izzy in a duel and the best open in s1.

Act of Grace, s1e9. Solid episode, first kiss, Ed saving Stede's life, a heartbreaking ending. Fantastic.

The Curse of the Seafaring Life, s1e5. This to me is the perfect mid-season episode of a show like OFMD. It's fun, I love it, plus we get a moonlight kiss!

We Gull Way Back, s1e8. I love when Calico Jack is here fucking stuff up.

Wherever You Go, There You Are, s1e10. It's hard watching this now to believe this is how our show ended for over a year! Now when I watch it I think about how far they've come.

This is Happening, s1e7. It's just great, it's only so low because I like the first eight more!

Red Flags, s1e2. This one hurts me and I love it. It's a damn compelling episode of television.

Calypso's Birthday, s2e6. I can see why people don't like this one but I'm willing to give it a pass for a lot of shit. I really like Ned Low.

Discomfort in a Married State, s1e4. It's a wonderful episode. The bad thing about ranking OFMD episodes is I love all of them so I feel bad for putting one of my beautiful children all the way down here.

Impossible Birds, s2e1. Solid season opener that also hurts me. I love it.

The Best Revenge is Dressing Well, s1e5. Lovely episode, I just get sad when those racist assholes are mean to Ed :(

A Damned Man, s1e2. Again this episode is great and I hate that it's so low

Pilot, s1e1. This is a super solid pilot and I love it! Sets Stede up so so well. I love watching it and marvelling at how far he's come!

Man on Fire, s2e7. This is a fine episode! I like watching it and it's got a lot to love! I just like it better when you watch it with Merman as opposed to on its own.

The Gentleman Pirate, s1e3. It's fine, just not as good as the others! My cringefail friend Stede is especially cringefail in this one but I adore Spanish Jackie's introduction here and of course Our Prayer at the end!

#ofmd #our flag means death #this was really hard because i genuinely love even my least favorite episodes

[natsubeatsrock]

Top 7 Things I Enjoyed in 2023: Number 7

If you've seen my past lists, you'd think that I don't like much from DC. That's just a reflection of my current relationship with the company. They've only really made two comics I love this century and it's for B-tier characters. I've been out of touch with any movie endeavors involving heroes since Batman. I've never really gotten into the animated movie scene.

That was only sometimes the case. When I was younger, they ruled the animated television scene. First, it was the DCAU works like Justice League and Static Shock. Later works like Teen Titans and Batman: the Brave and the Bold were what I looked forward to seeing on weekend nights. Sadly, that magic seemed to have died as the years continued, and nothing else has been of interest to me on the animated scene in over a decade.

But what better way to get back into it than the man of tomorrow?

Number #7 – My Adventures with Superman

I've recently been hit with how old my generation is. It's crazy that a show like this feels perfectly suited for the Adult Swim block it aired on. This felt like the kind of show I would have seen around the same time as any of those other shows I mentioned. All while referencing things that my generation would recognize and appreciate. That said, it's thankfully not too adult. There's not too much that could keep me from watching this with my elementary school students, especially considering they're watching anime like One Piece and Demon Slayer.

Speaking of anime, one of the bigger complaints about this show has been feeling too much like anime. For one, have you seen a lot of what is airing around the same time slot? Two days after it aired, Toonami came on to show actual anime. And, for all the changes to character designs, these characters very much feel like the versions fans should know and recognize.

Ever since film audiences had to see Superman snap General Zod's neck on screen, followed by his death in Dawn of Justice, it's been clear the public image of Clark Kent has needed serious repair. While the fate of the DCU stands to be seen, it's amazing to have a story so uniquely focused on how good Clark Kent is. And I do mean Clark. Despite the title, this story feels more about how their world doesn't have to be afraid of Superman because Clark Kent is a good person. This is despite everything his world throws at him and the slander made his way.

And thank goodness for this iteration of Lois and Clark's relationship. This is a relationship that has seen multiple versions over the years. However, it just feels satisfying to see a solid romantic relationship progress in real-time. The best thing about this being for adults is that much of the "will they, won't they" nonsense that pervades teenage romance is replaced with honest conversations about feelings and amazing payoffs.

The only complaint I could have is that it felt too short. It could have easily overstayed its welcome, but there are things about this series that demand a second season. Thank goodness the end of the first season came with a confirmation of the second season's production.

This is normally how I talk about my favorite things of the year. And there were six things I thought were better than this. That's how crazy this year was.

#good riddance 2023 #my adventures with superman

[nyxelestia]

Be On Cloud REALLY wants to get a second season of Dead Friend Forever. Or at least a special episode. Or maybe a movie?

I'm thinking that they wanted a second season for KinnPorsche but never got it so they're really going all in to get their second season for Be On Cloud. 😂

On a more serious level - as a lot of other people have pointed out, there was a lot of build-up and hints and foreshadowing that just never went anywhere, which makes me think this wasn't intended as the final ending (of course, whatever their intentions are will matter little in the face of all the other factors that will impact whether or not they get a special episode or second season). While most Thai BLs don't get second seasons, BOC did land a television sequel for an original movie, so right now their track record for achieving a second part to a story is 50/50. That said, I'm trying really hard not to turn into one of those "Sherlock 404" nutjobs, so while I'll stand by my take that the writers wrote with the hope for or intention of another step (special episode or second season or movie) to wrap up all the threads they left hanging, I'm not going to assume that they will make it.

Independently of whether or not there will be a continuation:

If this is the ending, I am deeply unsatisfied with it.

The problem isn't that the show had an ambiguous ending; these can be really solid 'endings' in their own right and make their own statements.

The problem is that there were multiple plots going on and all of them are ambiguous.

If we'd gotten concrete answers about Non's death, the investigation, and how Tee's uncle was finally taken down, then the boys not knowing whether or not they ever actually escaped could make for a good ambiguous ending. "You know what happened in the past, but will never get concrete answers about their future."

Conversely, if the boys had made it out and survived, but never got answers about Non's exact death or the investigation, that would've been its own kind of commentary about the ambiguity of real life: sometimes, shit happens and you never get to know. We the audience get to see that the survivors will move on, but the lack of answers will haunt them and us forever, just like many real people have to deal with for real mysteries and events in life.

But leaving both unresolved - not to mention all the little cinematic tics and zoomings-in and foci and whatnot - is not a good story and doesn't really make a statement, save for "there's at least one more chapter but we didn't get the time to tell it."

#dead friend forever #dff the series #dff spoilers #pheejin #tee #dff meta #dff the series meta #meta

[hollow-keys]

Top 5 Second Doctor stories

Oh, hi! Uhhh

Somehow my brain completely skipped over second and thought I had to narrow down every story in Doctor Who to a top 5 😭. This is much easier. I could see myself shuffling the ordering around, but basically:

5. The Macra Terror

Authoritarian crabs... IN SPACE. Yeah, that's the pitch. No thoughts, just fun. Shame it's missing.

4. The Enemy of the World

It's silly, it's fun, I love it. The Doctor tries to take them to the beach and gets shot at because the main villain happens to look exactly like him. He convinced his friends he's not his evil doppelganger by miming playing the recorder. Salamander gets sent into the fucking void. Peak Doctor Who.

3. The Mind Robber

They just let themselves be silly. The TARDIS team lands in a world entirely made of fiction, shenanigans ensue. The fictional characters only speak using dialogue from their original work. We meet a fictional fictional character from Zoe's time. The Doctor has to reconstruct Jamie's face and fails miserably so they could recast him temporarily because Frazer Hines got chickenpox. They don't make TV like this anymore.

2. The Evil of the Daleks

It's about Jamie and the Doctor's undying trust in each other, it's about the human spirit being undefeatable, it's about ushering in 4 blessed seasons without a single Dalek episode. Truly a tragedy we're missing most of this serial.

1. The War Games

THE swan song for the second Doctor and includes the only episode of Doctor Who to ever make me cry. The entire thing is a Marxist critique of war made by a card carrying communist, the Time Lords have never been better in all their televised appearances since and the ending is heartbreaking but it's so good. It's the sort of thing that makes you want to create art about it.

But despite how much I love the idea of the story and a lot of the execution is also stellar, there's 4 things holding it back from being a solid 10/10:

It drags in places, which isn't surprising given it's 10 episodes long. This is my most minor criticism.

The racism and misogyny. Expected yet sigh inducing.

Treating all the soldiers like they're the same and allying up with British soldiers from the Boer war as easily as Union soldiers from the American civil war, despite one set fighting for colonialism and one fighting against slavery.

The ending wasn't given the gravitas it deserves. I assume they just weren't trying to be too heartbreaking about it, but Katarina's death in the Daleks' Master Plan was given its appropriate weight so I can't entirely put it on era of television.

It may be weird to include this much criticism on a post about best stories but it really is one of those "recommended with asterisks" stories to me. Makes me want to eat drywall (mostly positive) too much not to be on the list but that doesn't mean my criticisms go away.

Thanks for asking!

#second doctor #doctor who #classic who #asks #📨

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

You Should Watch Miami Vice:

A treatise on the most poorly-remembered show of the 80′s

If you’re like most people, when you hear Miami Vice outside the context of a bar, you picture the following: shoulder pads, speed boats, bikinis, and pink and teal pastel. You probably think about the worst excesses of the 1980′s, of a kind of cultural sinkhole where there was nothing cooler than Ray-Bans and masculine posturing.

However, much like Captain Kirk is (mis)remembered as a sleazy womanizer, and the first Rambo movie is (mis)remembered as a paean to how AWESOME KNIVES ARE, Miami Vice has been frozen in pop-culture memory as something it really isn’t. A funhouse mirror reflection of what it was actually all about.  Because the thing is: Miami Vice is good. Like, really good. 

At its core, it’s a show that is:

Well-written, with a coherent emotional and thematic arc across its seasons, despite being made before the era of arc-based TV

Incredibly beautiful, with cinematography, directing, and musical/sound editing choices that literally changed the way television was produced

Deeply, sometimes painfully human, with main characters who are often wrong and/or make bad decisions with real consequences, and who often ‘lose’

And on top of that, it’s not really copaganda (no, really), and it’s pretty damn queer (yes, really.) It’s also an old-school episodic show, which means the characters have a ton of space to breathe and grow and be multi-faceted, and the production has room to experiment, both with technical stuff and the writing. There are episodes that are so deadly serious your mouth feels dry as the credits roll; there are weird, silly, fun episodes where utterly bonkers things happen; there are episodes that feel like David Lynch was moonlighting as director. It’s neo-noir, it’s magical realism, it’s a workplace comedy, it’s a treatise on how there’s no reforming unjust systems, it’s a love story about two men who refuse to grapple with the idea that they’re the most important thing in each other’s lives.

You should watch it. But let me keep trying to convince you, anyway.

Vice was the brainchild of Michael Mann and Anthony Yerkovitch, and in 1984, it looked and sounded like nothing else on TV. There’s an auteur touch to the majority of episodes-- not just a unified look, but a willingness to try things that worked in the movies on the small screen. When you watch a lot of shows from the early to mid 80′s, they look the same as shows from the 70′s-- en episode of Spenser for Hire could’ve been shot on the same day as an episode of Starsky and Hutch. People talk about the legacy of shows that led to our modern era of “prestige TV--” there’d have been no Sopranos without The Wire, etc-- but in a lot of ways, with its artistic, film-like framing, melancholic New Wave aesthetics, and abnormally high production values, Miami Vice is the grandpappy of all of them. 

The recurring cast is very small: for most of the show, it’s these seven characters. (No, I don’t know why this cast photo is posed like they’re at a wedding for someone they don’t seem to like very much. Literally all of the promo photos for this show look like terrible wedding or prom shoots.)

From the top left, we have Larry Zito (Hawaiian shirt) and Stan Switek (pink stripes); they’re initially the comic relief. They love Elvis and bicker like an old married couple, and as partners they get a lot of the surveillance jobs. They do not escape the show unscathed.

The two ladies are Gina Calabrese (blue belted dress) and Trudy Joplin (palm tree dress); I adore them and they are wonderful, and each of them gets a couple of solid episodes, but they aren’t always given the most spectacular scripts. Gina is both the sweetest, most naive member of the group and the one most likely to shoot first and ask questions later; Trudy is an expert researcher and cannot be arsed to do emotional labor for her dumb male colleagues.

The man in the black suit with the moustache is the squad’s lieutenant, Martin Castillo. Castillo doesn’t show up until episode six, and when he does the show’s whole tone kind of suddenly clicks into place. Castillo is weird. He speaks very little and blinks less; he makes eye contact with no one unless he is making so much eye contact it makes you want to bury yourself in the dirt. Also he’s maybe secretly a samurai?

Then we have the two assholes in front, our main characters: Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Sonny (white guy in spring green and lavendar, the kind of man who wears a sleeveless shirt under a blazer) is a career Miami cop with a history of unprocessed trauma, a conga line of dead friends and partners, a wife who is trying her best to divorce him, and a six year old son he has no idea how to parent but loves very deeply. Rico (Black guy in grey and white, the kind of man who wears a three piece suit in 98 degree weather with 100% humidity) is a New York transplant with a dead brother, an utterly bizarre sense of humor, the world’s worst taste in women, and a terminal need to fix every broken person he’s ever come across while also probably sleeping with them. Their relationship is the emotional core of the series. Neither of them is equipped to handle this.

Sonny is probably the worst-remembered part of the whole badly-remembered series. Pop culture positions him as a wise-cracking cowboy cop who drives too fast and lives even faster, when in reality mostly Sonny is just very depressed, very lonely, and almost certainly a self-hating closeted bisexual.

He is a sad, bitchy pretty boy who legitimately thinks the only thing he’s good for is waving a gun around, and he only drives his government-owned drug dealer Ferrari so fast because he’s trying to drive away from his feelings.

Vice is a five season show, and unfortunately, you’ll often see fans arguing about the seasons and whether or not you can or should skip any of them. Here’s the thing: it’s an episodic show from the 80′s. No matter how much Mann or any of the other showrunners tried to make it consistent across its runtime, that’s not really how TV works. 113 episodes does not a movie make. Because of this, each season does feel a bit different from prior seasons, and which season you prefer is going to depend a lot on your personal tastes. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t recommend skipping any of them-- when you do watch the show from the pilot to the finale, it really does feel like one coherent storyline.

Season 1: Many people’s favorite season. A good mixture of tragedy, comedy, mystery, etc. The first six episodes are still kind of “working things out” tonally, but the whole season is worth watching. My personal favorite S1 episode (Evan, the second to last of the season) isn’t available on all sources, but is an absolute must watch, especially in terms of providing context for understanding Sonny as a closeted queer man.

Season 2: My favorite season. The show has its footing and knows what it wants from its characters and its audience. I would argue that almost every episode of this season is a good one, and it’s thematically very consistent. (Also, I think, possibly the most “fun” season despite a lot of darkness?)

Season 3: Also a lot of people’s favorite season, although PERSONALLY I think of S3 as “the police brutality is good, actually” season. Dick Wolf (yes, that Dick Wolf) was the showrunner for this one, and he wanted it to be “grittier.” I think S3 is necessary for understanding Sonny and especially for understanding the relationship between Sonny and Rico, but it’s definitely the copaganda season.

Season 4: The season a lot of people feel you should skip, because it’s “too weird” or where the show jumped the shark. There are some... real strange episodes in this season, including one about aliens and another about cow semen. For real. I’ll be honest: I kind of love S4. It backpedals the grittiness and focuses more on the characters’ inner lives again, S4 also ends with a fantastic two part cliffhanger that is picked up at the beginning of S5.

Season 5: A truncated half-season with a couple of “lost” episodes that actually fit in before the finale. Season Five is sad. The fallout from the end of S4 is heavy, grim stuff, and S5 doesn’t shy away from showing how that has fucked everyone to hell and back. The finale of the show is thematically excellent and emotionally satisfying; while the show was cancelled, they wrapped it up successfully.

“Okay, fine,” you say, sipping the cafecito I handed you while I explained all of this, “so it’s not just about a cool guy in an Armani suit driving an Italian car really fast. But you mentioned it was gay? It still doesn’t sound very gay.”

Well. Let’s see.

There’s what should be a cringey “very special episode” about gay cops in 1984 that is instead one of the most heartfelt and upsetting episodes in the series. Never once does this episode no-homo the main characters, and in fact, men being able to touch each other is positioned as healing and necessary.

Sonny and Rico are the only people who think the other is funny. Their hands and eyes are on each other all the time. Rico used to watch Sonny’s college games on TV and remembers his number. They both repeatedly throw missions for each others’ sakes. They spend all of their time together. There’s an on-screen “I love you” (there’s a ‘man’ at the end but it rings like someone hedging his bets) and a few episodes later the character who received the I love you marries a random woman he literally met less than a week ago in what can only be described as the saddest and most desperate attempt to Not Be Gay Anymore ever caught on film. They cradle each others’ heads more than once. A song about “loving the boy with the pretty green eyes” plays in the background of a conversation they have about following each other to the end of the earth in the finale.

All.

these.

prom.

photo.

shoots.

  and whatever the fuck this is.

You finish your third cafecito, shaking slightly from the caffeine, trying to prevent me from handing you a fourth. “Fine,” you admit. “But I still need more convincing. I can’t just watch something that’s good and thematically whole and about two sad men in love. It needs to also have... have some kind of, I don’t know, je ne sais quoi about it. A little extra spice.” Your hand rattles the demitasse against the saucer as you speak.

I pull off my food service uniform to reveal that underneath, I’m dressed as a carnival barker.

WELL. LET ME TELL YOU, FRIEND, WE’VE GOT:

An absolutely golden 80′s soundtrack that is atmospheric, consistently used at pitch-perfect moments, and which has been preserved in its entirety without any licensing issues

A guest cast list that includes a ton of super fucking cool genre actors, musicians, poets, and other assorted famous people playing weird, fun roles (James Hong! Earth Kitt! Pam Grier! Frank Zappa! James Brown! ...G. Gordon Liddy!?) AND many of the future stars of the 90′s before they were famous (Bruce Willis! Julia Roberts! Liam Neeson! Helena Bonham Carter!)

Sonny has an actual pet alligator named Elvis. He lives on his boat and sometimes Sonny has to take him to the vet

Jai Alai

Rico is a vegetarian, which feels like a difficult thing to be in Miami in the 80′s

Izzy. Just. Izzy. The most perfect, most ridiculous, rat-bastard con man and wannabe poet, Izzy.

Episodes directed by both Starsky and Hutch

Sonny’s pathological need to put things in his mouth

Whatever is happening here:

I watch your face carefully for signs of acquiescence, but all the frothing at the mouth I’ve been doing has made it a bit hard to see through the foam. I assume you are convinced and hand you a seventh cafecito. You have not drank the fifth or the sixth. I will drink them when you leave, that’s fine.

MY JOB HERE IS DONE, I announce.

You ask me to elaborate on the whole “not copaganda” thing, trying to grab me by the candy-striped suspenders.

I can’t totally elaborate on that without spoiling a bunch of the show, but suffice to say: ultimately, Vice is about how you can’t change corrupt systems from the inside, that the police serve the rich and powerful, the function of vice cops is basically to create the illusion of order while letting the government quietly destabilize the countries the drugs are originally coming from, and that anyone who tries to be a “good cop” ends up eaten by the system, corrupt, or dead.

There’s some backpedaling on this in the middle of the series with the whole Dick Wolf thing (that man loves his fucking cops), and not every episode is totally consistent with its messaging, but season five definitely doubles down on “this is actually a bad system that really can’t be fixed.”

The show isn’t perfect (I mean. it’s still a cop show from the 80′s)-- it’s a product of its time, for better or for worse. But Miami Vice is really damn good. It’ll make your heart hurt in the best way possible. You will want, desperately, for Sonny to figure out that he’s worth something more than his career as a police officer. You’ll come out of it with a lot of feelings about Phil Collins. I think anyone who likes a good story about people has the potential to really fall in love with Vice-- I’ll admit I literally started watching it as a joke, and realized pretty quickly that everything I thought I knew about the show was wrong.

Satisfied with my answers, you try to leave.

I hit you with a plate of cocaine.

#miami vice #tv recommendations #fandom #80's #retro tv

[hundrkottr]

Just some thoughts I wanted to share. 🐺

//Topic - My nonhuman childhood and how it was never caused by media//

I commonly come across people who blame the internet and media influence for therianthropy/nonhumanity. And I can definitely see how that CAN indeed happen. I mean, media REALLY influences people, especially children/minors who are in their mental development stages.

For myself though its never really been the case? I dont mean "ive always felt i wasnt human". Like.. yes but its more than that.

As a child I believed I was some kind of physical shapeshifting creature. I believed puberty would transform me into the animal i was supposed to be.

Delusional right? Well, I was a child. And I never had anybody to tell me why i felt like that. I didnt have television, the internet or media. I had no way of understanding something that was never shown or taught. Not like any adult would ever even talk about this to begin with. Not until social media evolved of course. So yea... i believed "i must be physically nonhuman in some sense? Like... a hybrid?"

I knew the things that made me nonhuman. The animalistic desires and behaviours that surpass what is normal for a human being. Even more abnormal than earlier human ancestors. I felt limbs that werent there I thought, "if amputees can feel absent limbs.. well.. maybe mine were removed? Or they have yet to grow?"

Sure autism could influence my experiences. But regardless. These arnt normal behaviours.

I did know to hide my behaviours from adults though. My lil sister was the only one to see it. Id walk on all fours, id gnaw on dog bones and tree branches, id drink from puddles, id eat grass, id bark and growl and howl. Id hunt for real animals, roll in mud and stinky substances, I played more with dogs and cats than i did people. I ate anything that seemed edible outside (dont do this kids, its dangerous pfft). I wanted my meat as close to fresh and raw as possible (no seasonings or anything). I wore bandanas around my neck, because collars were a "no-no". I wore ears, and tails made of scarves. I let my nails grow and obsessed over my canine teeth.

This could all have been explained by early imprinting on dogs. But... i never had any close connections to dogs until much later on after these behaviours were already noticeable. I only had imprinted on cats, but that behaviour was entirely different. And all were indoor cats who lazied around. Nothing like the wild canine brained creature that I believed i was.

After over a decade of nonhuman behaviours, once puberty set in, i realized I wasnt becoming an animal. And slowly that realization sunk in, and I lost a part of myself. I felt alone, lost, confused. I stopped being myself for many years. Forcing a mask. Hiding my autistic traits, and my non-human behaviours. Wearing a mask and trying to be what others considered normal.

Until, I found the therian community.

I was 16 by then. And it was through my new stepsister who shared so with me.

I can remember finally feeling like I understood a part of myself. I wasnt crazy, or psychotic. I wasnt delusional. I was what people called a therianthrope. Someone who psychologically or spiritually is an animal. Within, not physically of course. People who weren't crazy. And who had a diversity of animal identities. Dogs, cats, birds, horses, fish and deer. All kinds. And not just children either. Adults, kids and other teens like myself.

I found a place I could belong. (A bit more at least, i still have a hard time belonging here.)

Now, after years, my identity is solid. I may not use any labels, but in some shape or form, psychologically or spiritually, i am and have always been a canine and a bear. I do still hide my animalistic traits from the public and my peers/family. But i express it when i can, in my own home or the woods that we own. 🐾

// When it comes to being a walk-in spirit, thats an entirely different thing. And i didnt mention the experiences tied to that. Its not the same, despite having some influence on my nonhuman identities. //

Alright! Thats it. That was quite a handful of information. But hope it was enjoyed. If anybody read it at all.

You can share your own with me if you'd like. Either in a comment, as a share or DM. 🌱

#therian #therianthrope #therianthropy #therians #alterhuman #otherkin #coyote therian #bear therian #wolf therian #canine therian #dog therian #non human #nonhuman

[blogger360ncislarules]

Miracles are rare in the 21st century, but watch pretty much any episode of The Chosenand they are bountiful. But the biggest miracle of all is perhaps the fact that a historical drama centered around Jesus of Nazareth (a warm and welcoming Jonathan Roumie), set in 1st century Galilee as He preaches, gains followers (and enemies) and, on occasion, raises the dead and walks on water, has built a passionate legion of faithful viewers. How did a crowdfunded production become a heavenly international sensation?

The holy cards were stacked against The Chosen from the start. Faith-based television is historically hit-or-miss. The Academy Award-winning 1956 classic The Ten Commandments, which has aired on ABC nearly every Easter season since 1973, regularly reaps solid viewership (3.2 million when it last aired on April 1, 2023). But in terms of scripted TV, for every spiritual success (think Highway to Heaven and Touched by an Angel), there are just as many failures (anyone remember ABC drama Of Kings and Prophets or the Anne Heche sitcom Save Me?).

The Chosen’s accessibility—it’s been available to stream for free online at thechosen.tv since Season 1—didn’t hurt in making the show a hit, but it also drew in curious audience members with fresh takes on well-known biblical figures that never feel out of touch. Roumie effortlessly shepherds a comforting and gentle strength in his Jesus, whether He’s confidently preaching the Sermon on the Mount to thousands or graciously healing someone in private. And He’s unapologetically human. He laughs hard and pokes fun at His Apostles, shows His frustration with hardheaded religious leaders, joyously dances at a wedding in Cana and even frolics in the Sea of Galilee.

His 12 Apostles—the actual “chosen”—come with relatable baggage, broadening their flat Bible counterparts into colorful characters. Hotheaded fisherman Simon (Shahar Isaac) scrambles to provide for his wife, Eden (Lara Silva). Later, the young couple suffers a miscarriage and Simon blows up at Jesus for not protecting them. Outsider Matthew (Paras Patel)—who has been likened to being on the autism spectrum—is lonely and ostracized from his family. Nervous Andrew (Noah James) struggles with feelings of anxiety.

The show’s female cast also shines a light on women in a time period when they were often overlooked and underutilized. The iconic Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish) deals with shame from her past, thoughts of suicide and the loss of a parent. She bonds with the honest Tamar (Amber Shana Williams) over the latter. Jesus’ caring mother Mary (Vanessa Benavente) grapples with the idea that her adult Son—the Messiah—no longer needs her.

The Chosen so beautifully weaves its many perspectives together, often creating compelling duos, like awkward Matthew finding a surprising ally in gruffly sympathetic Roman centurion Gaius (Kirk B.R. Woller).

Finally, the show brings dimension to the New Testament’s most famous lines of Scripture, and the messages never come across as preachy. They’re edgy and nuanced, with fun bouts of humor and a deep sincerity and unwavering respect for the source material.

After 24 episodes (27 if you count the three Christmas specials), The Chosen has lifted the hearts of fans, who give thanks both through an overwhelming amount of online praise and the generous crowd-funding donations that continue to raise the drama’s production quality year after year (over $40 million has been collected so far). And given that the Christian megahit has been pitch-perfect since the original 2017 pilot, we have faith that the flourishing show will only continue to collect more and more loyal disciples on its righteous journey. Amen!

#the chosen