#i also REALLY WISH WE SAW MORE OF HER PARENTS THAN IN JUST EPISODE 3

[twig-tea]

Only Friends Ep 6 Scene By Scene

This is the episode we've all been waiting for. It's the first episode where everyone is objectively a bit of an asshole; it's the first episode where truths are finally talked about, it's the episode that starts to answer two of my most burning questions (what is Boston's home life like, and where is April?), and interestingly it's the first episode we get without any obvious narrative framing or character perspective.

It was so interesting, as the clear pivot point of the story, that there was no obvious framework this ep, but this entire episode was parallels and callbacks and hypocrisy/relying on viewer knowledge to understand all of the subcurrents. I have so many thoughts that I'm talking about each scene so this post is LONG.

First scene: Top and Mew by the pool. Not enough people are giving Force and Book credit for keeping the awkward tension between these two even though they are having textbook cute moments, because these characters still don't trust one another and this scene establishes that before the rest of the episode blows them up: Mew says he's not sure they'll be together in 3 months, explicitly calling out the fragility of their relationship; and Top gets defensive at Mew insinuating he doesn't need a relationship and doesn't trust that they'll stay together, and straight-up lies that he's stopped doing drugs and having casual sex [though I do wonder how much he believes it's a lie because he's clearly cut back from his usual, and when someone does something all the time changing to doing it rarely does feel like not a big deal in comparison] and asks what else about himself he needs to change for Mew [all, by the way, while Mew is preparing to undergo permanent surgery to his eyes for Top]. We also get this called back later in the ep when Mew tells Ray to quit drugs and Ray says sure, and I have to wonder how many times that exchange has happened and if it's partly why Mew is suspicious of Top's "easy" change. Also interesting that Mew seems to be one of the only people in this friend group who has two parents (his moms) that care about him and who also have a good relationship with each other. Mew's point that he doesn't need fulfillment from a relationship because he gets it from his friends and family is interesting; especially given his friends. [Sidenote: This is basically how I feel about my own life so I am curious how other people read this assertion.] The ephemeral change of sleeping around and doing drugs vs the physical and permanent change of Lasik is really standing out to me this scene as significant.

Second scene: the meeting with the professor. It's interesting that even though they're presenting, they're the ones sitting down. Cheum says they can keep personal and professional lives separate and Ray turns to stare directly at Boston. I love that this is even before anyone else knew that the Boston/Top hookup was at the soft launch party for the hostel. Also noting Cheum's catty comment about even Boston helping; this girl is so much messier than people give her credit for [just saw @lurkingshan 's breakdown of this episode as I continue to update this post and yessssss call her out!!]

Third scene: noodles. This is I think the same place they planned the soft launch party. I'm seeing parallels with everyone pressuring Boston to date Nick to everyone pressuring Mew to sleep with Top in the first ep. Also, interesting that Cheum promises to behave this time [and then definitely doesn't]. We've all (or at least I have) been wondering where April is and now we get some explanation. I do wish they'd established this as more of a pattern for Cheum to complain like this, but I'll take it as setup now. The way Ray and his seething is invisible in this scene has been covered beautifully here [by @poetry-protest-pornography and @respectthepetty ].

Fourth scene: Ton and Nick wakeboarding. The parallels here to Top/Mew are twofold: we get the similar sitting by the water parallel from earlier this episode, in which there is a clear undercurrent of hypocrisy between what the characters are saying and what the audience knows about them (that conversation with/about Gap was so good, with the tension in Nick knowing he still has that audio clip and still hasn't deleted it as Boston berates Gap for the same thing), and then there is the contrasting parallel to when Mew took Top wakeboarding for the first time with the rest of his friend group. In contrast, Ton took Nick here alone, clearly still trying to play this game of not dating Nick but doing things with him that they would do if they were dating, that send extremely mixed signals. This scene again underscores the fragility of the relationship Boston and Nick have and how easily it can be broken.

Fifth scene: The hospital. Sand and his mom, in which we see how used he is to taking care of someone who is a bit of a mess [affectionate], and how he can still only be somewhat honest with his mom about his relationship with Ray (more than we'd expect between a 20something and their mom, but less than we the audience know is the truth--they're just having fun but it's not what he wants). And then the confrontation between Top and Sand. Top characterizes his relationship with Mew as "I get what I want" and I have to wonder how much of that is posturing to annoy Sand and how much of it is honesty. I did also think that maybe he meant it when he said "I hope you get what you want soon" because he wants Ray's attention away from Mew.

Sixth scene [start of part 2]: Sand intentionally drops and stomps on his phone to have an excuse to borrow Nick's so he can steal the sex audio. This is the first time that Sand consciously does something shitty to one of his friends, and I am living for it--let good characters make bad decisions! The parallel here is of course to Boston getting his phone fixed by Nick and having Nick steal his photo and adding one of his own from the beginning of the series; also a small one of Sand using his mom as an excuse to lie to his friend, the way Top used his dad as an excuse to lie to Mew the night he slept with Boston [not a comparison Sand would like, which is why I enjoy it]. I love that we see Nick get worried at the end of this scene because he's a phone tech and of course would know to check what Sand did with his phone.

Seventh scene: Top taking care of Mew after Lasik; this is maybe the least tense scene between Mew and Top, and the fact that Mew can barely see and is drugged for it is on point. I do also like that Top isn't great at caretaking but he is trying. This scene reminds me of Mew taking care of Ray and vice versa, especially the latter when Ray kisses Mew while he's sleeping and how that's contrasted with Top (Mew's boyfriend) only kissing Mew's forehead when he realizes he's asleep. The sketches that Top does are also really interesting, and how they hit Mew later is even more fascinating. The conversation they have in which Mew establishes that this is all happening right after they've had penetrative sex for the first time (so not long after ep 5) and makes clear he's still nervous about his performance and then credits Boston for their relationship, setting everything up for later, is just so good, it underscores the importance Mew has been putting on his virginity and sets the betrayal up to hit harder. I love how Top pushes back on giving Ton credit for their relationship here because it makes him so uncomfortable.

Eighth scene: Sand calls Ray out to play the stolen clip for him. This feels like a parallel to Boston calling Top out to play the video of Mew and Ray kissing. Other folks [ @xceanlynx and @respectthepetty linked here] have pointed out that in this scene Sand is choosing his hatred of Top over his potential relationship with Ray here, which I don't disagree with, but also what occurred to me here because of this parallel is the similarity in that both Sand and Boston seem to be motivated by their jealousy of Mew in these scenes too. I also just can't stop thinking about how wild it is that everyone recognizes Top and Ton by their sex noises alone.

Ninth scene: Boston and Nick with Boston's dad. We finally get some background for Boston and he clarifies he's always been planning to bail on Thailand to go to New York. It's interesting that it's made explicit that if Boston fails he's more likely to go to New York sooner, especially after the warning their teacher gave about the hostel project and how we know it's Boston's drama that is threatening to blow that project up. Boston's conversation with his dad is a contrast with Sand and his mom earlier; while Sand sleeping around was not judged by his mom, she did warn him about his feelings, while Boston's dad seemed to celebrate his callousness. The way Boston continues to ask Nick to not be dramatic while stirring up constant drama in his own friend group, and his insistence that his relationship with Nick is special but not a relationship is really something. Also that this convo takes place in Boston's dark room, which gets called out later as one of his regular hookup locations, and where Nick first got suspicious about Boston and Top, is interesting, especially in the context of permanent physical photos vs digital recordings that you can't necessarily erase vs how gossamer thin their relationship security is, and how tied up in voyeurism all of these things are.

Tenth scene [start of part 3]: Ray confronts Boston at the hostel (blatantly running contrast to "we can keep personal and professional lives separate"). We see Boston nervous here when first being confronted before he decides what approach to take with Ray to keep his mouth shut (not for the first time; we saw him nervous in the showers when he first tried to get Top to have sex). Also, I just have to say, respect to Ray for going to Boston first to confirm it's true before deciding what to do with the clip.

Eleventh scene: the birthday party at Yo's bar. It's poetic that the start and end of the Mew/Top relationship is because of conversations at Yolo. Once again, the spectre of failing school [because of the project] comes up in Mew's birthday wish. Cheum immediately breaks her promise to be "good" and teases Boston about Nick. She also says "everyone is dating someone now", apparently forgetting entirely about Ray. This entire conversation was so passive aggressive and @lurkingshan 's post (linked above) breaks it down really well. I am fascinated by Mew's reaction to Top's gift; I hope we get more insight into that because he seemed legitimately shaken, and it didn't seem to be positive. Also highlighting that once again Boston is credited for their relationship (this time by Cheum), and both Boston and Top seem deeply uncomfortable with it but Top doesn't argue it this time.

Twelfth scene: Ray and Mew in the bathroom. I already mentioned Ray's promise to quit and how it parallels Top "quitting for Mew" at the start of the ep; Mew is expressing care for Ray here but in a way that is distant and frankly a bit callous (to say "you'll be dead by thirty" to a guy who was/is suicidal is not the smartest approach even if it isn't intentionally referencing that). He insists that Ray not drive home but doesn't take his keys or stay with him to make sure he does actually get a ride, which is admittedly a big ask on your own birthday but just indicates the intentional boundaries Mew tries to set with Ray about not caring too much, I think. I don't think this makes him a terrible person, but it makes him not a great friend. This is in contrast to Sand, who stayed with Ray and made sure he would not drive before he even knew him, and followed him at the end of this ep to make sure he would not hurt himself or someone else even after Ray pushed him away.

Cursed thirteenth scene: Ray blows everything up [ shoutout to @liyazaki for this perfect post]. First, the same song is playing as the silent disco, calling back how Top's fate was sealed before Mew and Top had even gotten very far. And then once again, Sand's band is interrupted so that someone can take the mic, just as Top did when he asked out Mew for the first time. Mew calls out Cheum and April for their less than perfect relationship despite what it seems on the surface and more specifically calls out Cheum for being a bit of an asshole actually, mentions that Boston is a gossip about his hookups (which is not actually something we've seen evidence of, and I'm interested in how true it is), tells Nick he's not special, tries to explain to Mew that he (Ray) is not who Boston thinks he is and didn't share the clip with Mew to get him for himself [only knowable on rewatch of course]. Cheum finally admits that she fully knew Ray was in love with Mew this whole time and has just been ignoring it/pretending not to [vindication!!] and accuses Mew of exactly what he was trying to deny. Top finally acts his nastiest self in front of Mew, putting his arm around Mew's shoulder and claiming ownership for the second time this party in Ray's face (first time was when Yo joked that she wanted to go out with Mew now that the glasses were gone). Sand can't get Ray to stop, and Ray tries to shame Sand needing money by implying he should have sex with Ray for money. Ray goes after Boston, and Mew can't get Ray to shut up either so he hits him (even knowing why Ray is acting like this; and that's my favourite part of this entire episode, that Mew has decided he wants his moment to confront Top his way, once again using sex to control his feelings--this time to make him humiliated rather than fall in love--and he's willing to punch his friend to get his moment, and I am obsessed).

Fourteen: Only Sand goes after Ray, once again the only one actively trying to stop him from killing himself or someone else on the road. Sand snaps and yells at Ray to pay attention to him, Ray's "what are we to each other?" comes off as desperate rather than accusing, which I love--the question of what they are to one another has come up so many times and neither is willing to admit they want to be more first. Ray again calls Sand a whore this time explicitly, and drives off. Sand follows Ray. This is a beautiful parallel to the first time Sand took Ray home. Like every other couple scene this episode, the tenuousness of their connection is highlighted and even threatened in this scene, but Sand doubles down.

Fifteen: April and Cheum finally have a scene. They reconcile, but (like all of the couples) it feels tenuous. April asks that Cheum not lie to her just to avoid conflict, and Cheum promises to do that--but I am fully expecting this to not last. Since we know Cheum knew Ray was in love with Mew this whole time, it's confirmed that her lying or just glossing over reality to keep things easy is her personality not just something she does with her girlfriend's films.

Sixteen: the scene that we've all been waiting for. This was such a good fake-out, and it's the start of Mew's unhinged era he promised us all at the start of Top's pursuit of Mew. The way he set the stage, prepared a script, and as best I can figure out, TIMED A REMIX OF THE SEX AUDIO TO HIS SEDUCTION is absolutely sending me. Being more sexually confident, initiating sex and holding Top down, and making sure he could see Top's face when he realized what was happening, whew boy what a set-up. I am thinking about how much of that was him wanting Top to feel tricked and violated the way he felt tricked and violated. I also love Mew jumping to the conclusion that Boston and Top planned this and were laughing at him because that's a) indicative of something Mew would do, clearly; b) totally something people think when they're embarrassed, they assume everyone else knows and is laughing at them; c) not totally wrong because Boston did make fun of Mew's lack of experience to Top (shoutout to the YouTube comments for the reminder).

And that last sentence of the episode deserves its own paragraph because it just so perfectly encapsulates exactly where Mew went wrong in his thinking from the start: "I wasn't good enough for you to love only me"... As though other people's behaviour is controlled by your goodness and earned through your own behaviour. As though love and sex are value judgments. As though the world is fair. As though goodness is an objective judgment that allows you to control the people around you. This thinking is so harmful and so pervasive. It's really a sign of Mew's desperate need to be in control (in this version of events, even Top having sex with Boston is actually Mew's doing, which means in theory Mew could prevent it from happening again if he betters himself). And it confirms what we all suspected Mew's been trying to do this whole time: Manipulate Top into changing into a "better person" [read: monogamous and drug-free] through his own behaviour.

I also noticed that almost every camera shot in this entire episode was close faces and there was a lot of hand-held camera work. Intimacy, instability, lack of clarity, all of these things were coming through the way it was shot.

Ahdhsh tumblr keeps eating parts of this so I'm going to stop. But whew this episode just gave and gave!!

@ranchthoughts @slayerkitty @wen-kexing-apologist @neuroticbookworm @waitmyturtles @lurkingshan @distant-screaming @chickenstrangers @clara-maybe-ontheroad

Tagging the ephemerality squad because if any of you pick up on any of these threads and parallels and tie them into your meta I want to know about it! Tumblr is showing me only like half of what people are posting these days and unfollowing people without my consent so pls tag me

#only friends the series #only friends meta #only friends #ofts meta #ofts #ephemerality squad #bl meta #typed so i can stop thinking it #going to also use my relevant tags #let a main character be hot in glasses for the whole show you cowards!!! #no character should be perfect this is my ultimate agenda

[gigigle]

I really hate how ursa is done in the comics idk

Like I'm done with the arranged marriage and her and ikem but I hate the other stuff.

1. Her and azula

I kinda wish they made her and azulas relationship more complex and nuanced instead of it being that ursa loved her all along and never favored zuko

Because I just think that's a little lazy. I feel like if ursa had favored zuko it would've made sense like if we keep the ikem part of all of it then I think it would be interesting that ursa favored zuko because he reminded her of her past and ikem. Also that with zuko she could at least pretend he wasn't ozais.

But with azula she couldn't pretend at all. And then coupled that with the fact that azula had a spark in her eyes that zuko didn't and she saw how ozai reacted to that and how he treated zuko that she would feel like she would need to protect him even more. I think it would be an interesting thing if zuko reminded her of her old life while azula reminded her of her present life.

And that would cause a rift between them. And then we would have azula acting out for her mothers attention and acting more and more similar to ozai which would just further increase the rift. Because ursa would struggle to separate her daughter from her abuser like she can with zuko. Especially since azula would also spend most of her time learning from ozai and listening to him.

Im also not saying she would a horrible mother either. Because I think even with this scenario that she is still nuanced because she got forced into a situation she would have never chosen and is just trying to get through it day by day. I think it would be that like ursa, azula was just a casualty of azulon and especially of ozai. Because had ozai not been there I think she would have been a much better mother.

Like idk I just feel like with how the comics wrote ursa and ozais relationship this would make even more sense than her being just a slightly flawed mother but she was trying her best. Idk I'm not very articulate.

2. The forgetting thing

It sucks. I hate it so much actually. It's just so bad, like I feel like the writer couldn't think of anyway to make it make sense that ursa would never go back to her kids but tbh I can think of some ways.

Like ursa is definitely terrified of ozai and he knows where she went and she would still go back to her hometown.

So maybe ozai knows this and every now and then he sends soldiers around there to just do a bit of patrol maybe even have them raid her parents house as a way of telling ursa that if she does something her parents and ikem are gonna be the price. Which I think would work.

Also I think with azula and zuko that she just kept telling herself that zuko had Iroh and that azula was ozais favorite. She probably just repeated those constantly like how zuko does with azula always lies. And soon after like a year she believed it.

Also I think she wouldn't get any information on them because ozai would make it harder and like we see in canon not that many know of or recognize azula and zuko. Like in the beach episode kids who seem to have noble parents don't even know about them so I think it would make a lot of sense that the royal family is way way way more private esp during ozais reign. Because yk ozai killed his father,stole his brothers birthright, and In ozais opinion had a failure of a first born. And maybe ursa was also too terrified of what shed find out or just to leave hir'a/her hometown.

Also part of me thinks it was lazy writing so that they wouldn't have to have ursa have difficult conversations about why she never went looking for them or just a conversation with azula because we never actually get a real ursa and azula convo.

3. Kiyi

I hate her. Like she just feels like such a a replacement and lazy writing. Like they wanted zuko to have a healthy brother sister dynamic with someone and they didn't know how,didn't think of, or just didn't want to write that with pre established characters, they decided to make a character that was everything azula wasn't and was the perfect little sister and daughter.

Like I think she could be fun but I also think she was just so that zuko could have that dynamic without having to put in the work of writing azula a semi redemption arc or smth.

But also I think maybe they could've given zuko that brother sister dynamic with katara or toph. Like we see zuko jealous of sokka and katara and maybe we get stuff we're zuko and katara will act like sibling or like the relationship he always wanted with azula but then gets reminded that he can't have that.

Also It feels like a way to also give ursa the perfect daughter but I do think rewritten she could work. I think she's a fun concept.

End

Tbh I just wanted to rant because I feel like so much was done that was just kinda boring and lazy.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #azula #azula in the spirit temple #uncle iroh #zuko #the search #smoke and shadow #fire lord ozai #ikem #not ursa slander #ursa #avatar comics

[nerdasaurus1200]

I saw Dragon Prince season 4 and hoo boy do I have thoughts (in no particular order)

First off, it's adorable how much of a magic nerd Callum is. He's grown so much and become so much stronger in two years

Stella is baby. She's living her best life with her cuddlemama and future cuddle papa. Speaking of, let Callum becalled a cuddlepapa by himself or Rayla next season

Zym and Ezran have grown up so much and it both breaks and warms my heart

Okay, so Rayla is a Dragonguard. Good to know.

Terry is my son now. I adopted him, he's mine.

I feel like Callum is just a little bit jealous of Stella getting love from Rayla

“The other elves saw me as a doe, but I knew. I always knew that I was a buck. I..chose the name Terrestrius.”....This line here. This line is gonna stick with me forever. I honestly didn't expect them to outright tell or show us Terry is trans but I'm so glad. That's gonna mean so much to trans kids watching this show. And the fact that Viren has no problems with it at all makes it even more special. Although Terry's wording makes me wonder if someone in his family didn't accept him.

Oh man I just read his wiki page and apparently Terry is still mid transition

I'm calling it now, that girl that figured out Araavos is Harrow and Ezran's descendant

Well, at least we know how loyal Terry is to Claudia.....someone get this poor boy a mug of hot cocoa, a blanket, a hug, and a therapist; he's earned it. He was 100% having a panic attack

"I'm gonna feel all the feelings!" THAT'S RIGHT YOU GO MY FUNKY BOY

I KNEW IT! I KNEW RAYLA'S PARENTS WERE IN THE COINS!GOD POOR RAYLA! ETHARI AND CALLUM ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR SHIT!

Hot damn, Ezran's speech combined with Ibis and Claudia fighting was powerful...that whole scene really encapsulates what the entire show is about, I think

Zubeia gets more and more badass with every episode

I wasn't expecting the chocolate tart to be brought back but it's nice that Rex Igneous liked it. Although how could he taste so much of such a little thing?

Ohhhhh wait, I just got that! Rex means king, he's KING Igneous!

Oh man I had no idea Ezran's crown is made from Harrow's sword

That possesion scene was straight up creepy, I honestly thought Callum died for a second

Speaking of creepy, I never wanna see snake Claudia again, please and thank you

I know Callum is angry at Rayla but he needs to talk to her, really. I feel like he's using the possession thing as an excuse to not talk about their relationship. Like, I do think he's genuinely shaken up by it but he's choosing to focus on that because it's easier

Soren...god, Soren has changed so much. In just 3 years, this boy has gone from picking fights with dragons and being eager to kill them to not being able to turn away from a dragon in need. He even shed his armor for her. Season 1 Soren would NEVER have done that in a million years

Another thing S1 Soren would never do is that talk with Claudia. Man, that was deep.

Also I love Soren's new look, I feel like it suits him way better than his knight armor

I dunno why I expected an out of the gate dramatic conversation when Soren found Claudia. Although I am glad we still got them having that conversation

I will say though, I do wish we got more of a reaction to Terry from Soren

Can Squeaky return next season as Soren's dragon pal? Please? he's the only one that doesn't have an animal companion

"I wanna spend the last month traveling with my daughter, the most important person in the world to me" I....it's nice that you're finally learning to not be a jackass Viren, but did you forget that you have a son??? Is Soren just chopped liver to you?

That said, I do appreciate that Viren has changed. I feel like he's definitely not gonna become immortal.

Regarding Claudia's speech about human suffering....either she's been fed TONS of propaganda by Araavos or she's taking it way too personally after all this time. Like, girl, you have an elf boyfriend, calm down

Awww the return of big feelings time!

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #nerd talks #claudia #terry #viren #rayla #callum #harrow #ezran #araavos #rex igneous #soren #zym

[swamp-spirit]

I’ve been resisting getting into Internet Fights about my Oshi no Ko opinions, but they have been building in my heart and I need to get them off my chest. It’s a long ramble, but the upshot is:

1. People are way to harsh on Akane 2. Aqua sucks, but also his feelings about Ai are way more nuanced than he gets credit for 3. Ruby also sucks, and pretending she doesn’t is a disservice to her as a character 4. Holy shit this got long

Ahoy for manga spoilers

With the first episode out, I want to start by saying this: I am putting Gorou’s comments about dating Ai to the side for this meta. Obviously it is wrong for a grown-ass man to hesitate when asked if he’d date a teen celeb. I see his comments towards Serena as just trying to offer comfort, but his comments towards Ai are an absolute NOPE. If somebody isn’t able to engage with Aqua at all after that, or engage with the show, I think that’s perfectly understandable, but I also think, to discuss any other aspect of Aqua and his relationship with Ai, I am filing that under ‘yup, that’s some creepy anime bullshit‘.

Now onto the meta.

So Akane’s pissed people off again. And what she said is pretty fucked up. Like “I know your dead Mom better than you because I studied her“???

The thing is, she isn’t wrong. Like she shouldn’t have said it. Akane is good at reading people, but bad at communicating normally. But like.... she isn’t wrong.

Ruby has a very specific image of her mother. I’ve seen a lot of people comparing her to Aqua and how much more pure her love is. She called Ai “Mama“ and Aqua only ever used her name! He never got beyond seeing her as a sexy object.

This doesn’t ring true for me at all.

Ai was emotionally stunted and starved for love. Like a lot of teens in that position, she went looking for it in bad places. She became the idol of people who saw her as an object. She had children in hopes they’d give her a family.

This is actually a really common thing for teen moms, and the stories don’t usually turn out like Ai’s. Toddlers are dependent on their parents, but they don’t have empathy. They’re temperamental and selfish, they’ll kick and bite and yell that they hate you and you’re a bad mom. And that’s normal and natural! That’s part of being a kid! Aqua wanted Ai to have normal kids, but I think it’s somewhat lucky she got two kids who adored her so entirely.

To Ruby, Ai was perfect. Serena didn’t have present parents. She was a lonely dying kid, and Ai was everything she didn’t have. Ai was loved. She traveled, she could move her body like she wanted, she was beautiful and bright.

Even though Ruby wasn’t a ‘real’ child, I think Ai was entirely her mother. Serena attached to Gorou because he was there when her parents weren’t. Ai was Serena’s first chance to have a parent, and Ai seems to be this perfect being to her. Only now, as she reaches the age Ai was and experiences the intense emotions of coming into adulthood, she’s starting to wonder if maybe Ai was unhappy too. She never once considers that Ai would want the world to know about her kids. To her, Ai was the perfect idol, and anything that threatens that is disrespectful to Ai.

But that wasn’t what Ai wanted. We know now she felt stifled by her image and wanted to share her true self. I was particularly hit by the short story where one of Ai’s Idol co-starts deletes a vulnerable message from Ai, wishing for friendship. She can’t stand seeing Ai as a vulnerable, full person and wants to protect Ai’s image as the perfect idol.

I don’t mean to say Ruby’s love of Ai is any less, but she very much feels like a child who isn’t fully ready to see her mother as a person. I think there’s some happiness for her in being an idol, but I think it’s tragic. I see people wishing it could just be a sweet manga about a daughter chasing her dream to feel connected to her mother, but... I think some of those people miss the point of what being an idol means in this story. Ai became an idol to learn to love and be loved, and found herself isolated and fake. Ruby chases a sick girl’s dream and the connection idoldom gives her to the two adults that first showed her love, but we’re seeing that she’s putting that over the relationships she has now. She’s chasing the same dream of perfect love and sabotaging her relationship with everyone in her life to get it.

Now for Aqua’s feelings.

I think it matters a lot to learn about Gorou’s family situation. His life story is one of feeling he failed to protect women. And it’s made him real weird.

His mom died having him and like... lots of kids feel guilty for that, but he spent his whole childhood being blamed for it. Serena is the only genuine connection we saw him making and, by the way her carried that badge, I don’t think it’s just that his other connections weren’t on screen. He saw somebody else who wasn’t loved and did his best to be there for her. And watched her die again.

The crush on Ai is HELLA CREEPY, but, at the end of the day, he didn’t hit on her or put his feelings first. He focused on her health, and, when he was reincarnated, his thought was “good, now I can protect her“. He didn’t see her as a mother, but, unlike Ruby, he saw her as vulnerable. He wanted to protect his ‘fake‘ mother in a way he hadn’t been able to protect his real one, in the way he hadn’t been able to protect Serena, and he failed in the most brutal way. We see in his panic attack that he still feels like the responsible adult that should have been able to protect her, that Ai was a young woman under his care, AND that part of him feels like the scared five year old who was so small and tiny when a grown-ass man stabbed his mother in front of him.

It’s also defined the rift between the twins. Ruby sees herself as a victim, trapped on the other side of the glass as somebody took away her beloved mother, and who is still being shut out. Aqua sees himself as complicit, somebody who’d promised to protect Ai, that watched her get stabbed and bleed out. Ruby wants to protect her mother’s secrets and the perfect image Ai gave everything to, Aqua wants the world to know the human woman behind the image.

And it’s made Aqua weird around women. He doesn’t want Ruby or Akane or Kana to be another woman he fails to protect. He shuts them out, lies, and denies them agency to protect himself from losing them again. I think it’s also telling that, even though revenge was his reason for living as a child, when he thought he didn’t need to get revenge anymore, he wasn’t lost and without purpose, he was happy. (And declared he would now dedicate his life to protecting Akane, a chance to succeed where he’s always failed) He isn’t clinging to his revenge, he’s caught in the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and failure.

Akane is good at reading people. Kana and Ruby are both very much teens. Aqua’s actions are inexplicable and infuriating. Akane knows what’s up. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, but she knows what’s up. Aqua isn’t a baffling enigma, he’s a fucked up dude on a downward spiral.

She’s not trying to stop him from killing his dad because Murdering a Serial Killer is Bad. She’s straight up offered to help kill him. But she and the director are the only people who have picked up exactly how much Aqua hates himself, and that he very well might plan to die to do this. Aqua doesn’t think he deserves to be happy! He doesn’t value his own life! Shit is dire!

Aqua saved her, and is probably one of the few people she can truly talk to. Akane is a socially awkward weirdo who’s too smart for her age, and Aqua appreciates it and plays on her level. She’s emotionally clumsy and accidentally cruel, but I think she’s right that Ruby isn’t seeing her mother as a full person yet (which is normal for a teen! especially a deeply traumatized teen) and she’s right that, if left unchecked, Aqua will destroy himself because he feels like he deserves it.

Like, I totally get thinking Kana and Aqua are more romantically compatible, but right now, Aqua desperately needs somebody who can call him on his bullshit. I’m so sick of people hating on Akane for not being blindly supportive on what is pretty clearly a complicated suicide attempt.

#oshi no ko #suicide cw #AKANE DEFENSE SQUAD

[acephantoms]

Warning: This post will contain spoilers for Netflix’s Wednesday - do tread carefully.

Why I Think Wednesday Addams (particularly this adaptation) is AroAce.

———

Quick Definitions of Terms I’ll Be Using:

AroAce: someone who is on both the Asexual and Aromantic spectrum.

Asexual: experiencing little to no sexual attraction.

Aromantic: experiencing little to no romantic attraction.

Demiromantic: does not experience romantic attraction until they have formed a deep emotional connection with someone.

Greyromantic: experiencing romantic attraction but very infrequently.

——— Now let’s begin:

So I recently watched Wednesday and absolutely loved it!! I noticed specific things about this Wednesday that made me think she was AroAce. Despite her having feelings for Tyler, the way she acted around these non-platonic relations felt very familiar. I will say though, Tyler and her romance felt very forced (personally), but i digress.

In the first episode, Wednesday expresses to her parents, specifically her mother how she will “never be like her” and wishes to “never marry, or have kids” etc. which already began to intrigue me. An attitude and notion I had from a young age as well (and still agree with). Secondly, while on the drive to the academy, we see Wednesday get increasingly uncomfortable by her parents affection for each other (yes in general it can be gross to see our parents this way, but the nauseous feeling she mentions is relatable).

A Brief Look at Tyler & Wednesday:

A lot of the ways that Wednesday would react to Tyler’s advances in trying to be more than friends, she didn’t really pick up on (such as his attempts to flirt or ask her out). An example being, Tyler outside of the police station talking with Wednesday, “i thought you liked me” - Wednesday has this familiar face of confusion (and realization) that some might call asexual obliviousness (can’t tell when someone’s flirting, thinks their just being nice). At least, it’s familiar to me haha. Even when they do start to consider being more than friends, we see Wednesday sort of still confused by this possible romantic feelings that she hadn’t really taken the time to notice. Since beginning at the academy - She firstly never really had friends until going to the academy, and secondly, upon making friends then began to develop a romantic attraction.

Personally with such evidence that I saw, I would headcanon her as Asexual Demiromantic OR as Asexual Greyromantic. Maybe bias as an Asexual Demiromantic myself, but her character just felt too familiar in her sense of exploring platonic and non-platonic feelings.

Addressing some Misconceptions:

I’ve seen some discourse on here about people either wanting:

1) Enid & Wednesday as a ship

OR 2) to be AroAce.

I think some folks forget that AroAce people can still be in romantic relationships (or sexual relationships) and engage in romantic/sexual activities. Aromanticism and Asexuality have a broad spectrum of identities under their umbrella terms.

Enid, Wednesday, Tyler (and Xavier) thoughts:

I honestly think Enid & Wednesday would make a cute couple!! Tyler & Wednesday were okay, but like i said it felt VERY forced. Not entirely sure if they are trying to set up Xavier and Wednesday but I would like to see more female - male platonic relationships too. Don’t need to always have them in a relationship ugh!! Final reminder: AroAce folk can still be in relationships!! Also you’re valid!! 💗

Anyways,

thanks for reading my little tangent!! /gen

Let me know what you think in the comments!! [Any form of aphobic comments will be removed!] - Using tone indicators would be appreciated!! <3

#Wednesday #Wednesday Addams #Netflix #Wednesday Netflix #Netflix Wednesday #Netflix Wednesday Spoilers #Wednesday Netflix Spoilers #Headcanon #AroAce Headcanon #AroAce #Addams Family #The Addams Family #Renew Wednesday #Queer #LGBTQ2IA+ #AroAce Is Valid #Asexual #Aromantic #Demiromantic #Greyromantic #Wednesday Addams Discussion #Jenna Ortega #Tangent #Headcanon AroAce

[rifki16]

Tadaima, Okaeri Episode 4 :)

Photo credit: Tadaima, Okaeri Twitter Promotional Account

A very delicious well-seasoned warm soba.

Before moving to the analysis, I would just like to congratulate Hiro-san and Ma-chan on their growing family, I'm so happy, and I wish all the best for them, and all the love for the newborn bebe Hinata and her big brother Hi-chan :)

The episode was a very good calming bottle episode. We only saw the four main characters, five after Hinara was born. My statement from Living with Him episode 3 analysis might be wrong, I think there have been many bottle episodes in the BL series which I have watched, it's just that I did not notice it.

You know, when I was becoming a big brother, I think I was also teased and joked around by a lot of my parents' social circles, however, I did not really remember as I was only 5. I think Hikaru handled the teasing way better than I did. I love that he's just him, his authentic self despite the social pressure of being an older sibling.

The microaggression in the mall was really uncalled for, I guess that's what the omegaverse is like, I suppose. I'm so glad tho that the old alpha person was made to look like the weird one when he put all of the imaginary, speculative, future burdens of being an alpha and a fujiyoshi to Hikari. Bro, he's no more than 3 years old, you already determined how his future was gonna look like.

Now, I'm gonna write this delicately. When Masaki was contemplating whether his daughter, Hinata, was going to be an alpha or an omega, I really wanted to write about how many disabled parents would not wish to burden their children with the traits they have. I have watched so many birthing scenes in sitcoms, and all I heard from them is the fear of how their new offspring is going to be some kind of disabled. However, I have not found any scholarly articles or even a news article about disabled parents and their fear of passing on their traits to their children. However, I did find an NYT opinion article about an XLH-gene having mother who passed it on to her son and daughter. Of course, she cherished all her children and that all of them were healthy. And I agree with her that disabled people must be seen through a generalized lens, rather that all of them are unique individuals like all mankind is. And I think, Masaki was very brave and emotionally strong in actually confronting his fear and preconceived notions about being an omega, internalized omegaphobia, when he said

"I'm the one person that cannot reject her"

I think it's good that he's not pushing his omegaphobia thoughts too far away and that he chose to address it. Hinata is so lucky to have a very dedicated, loving, and accepting parent like Masaka.

I really felt it when Hiromu hugged Masaki after the spiraling thought. I really hope that one day, I can have a great support system like Hiromu and Masaki.

The hide-and-seek scene was very lovely. The way that the whole family participated in the game was very heartwarming <3

I cannot end the review without cheering on Matsuo and Yuki. I was so sad that I thought the dating scene would not have appeared in this episode, but it turns out, that they made it into a post-credit scene. so kawaii ^^

watch it yall, it's so good :D

#gay #japan bl #bl anime #tadaima okaeri #shonuen ai #omegaverse #harumi and masaki #hikari fujiyoshi #hinata fujiyoshi

[spooky-salesman]

Since my brothers special interest is demonology and religion, he made me watch Hazbin Hotel with him. This is my honest review (This will contain spoilers)

Disclaimer: I know Viz has done heinous and weird shit, so Imma start off with that I know she’s a shit person. I don’t like her. And I would steam roll her with my car .

Now , On with the review. I will start off with what I do like

1) Character design - Each character has a unique shape, and I adore how it really plays into shape language and silhouettes. Each characters color pallet is easily accessible, and the colors don’t necessarily clash. It was really fun to just look at them

2) Music- this ost , SLAPPED . Like actually has me jamming out. Dancing around my room. Shits been added my cleaning playlist. Everyone’s voices are so fluent and talented! They all knock it out of the park again and again!

3) Character plot- I some how got attached to any and ALL the characters. Even the characters I was supposed to hate I was laughing at and with them. Especially the Vees in the Finale, and I was CACKLING with Adam. The vees are like a shitty team rocket, the angels are aggressive and fun. The hotel crew is all so unique and awesome! Angel and Husk had me invested, Alastor was absolutely charming! Lucifer being my short representation/j . Sir Pentious was so incredibly hysterical and sweet, and I wish we got to see more of him and Cherry

4) Lesbian Standpoint- Charlie and Vaggie were so sweet, and it was so nice to see a HEALTHY WLW RELATIONSHIP. It felt like a breath of fresh air that they weren’t fighting- fighting or wanting to kill the other. It was so sweet and nice. Of course there are going to be secrets but what matters it that they WORKED THROUGH IT.

Now onto my issues with the series

1) Male lead in a supposedly “female lead show”- I can count on two hands Vaggie, Charlie, Camila, Rosie, Sera, Emily, and Velvette had of screen time COMBINED. Compared to Angel, Alastor, Lucifer, Husk, and Vox + Val. I really hope she can clean this up later in the series, as it mostly seems like Angel has just. ALL the spot light, two songs, several episode about him/just him also hanging around. Alastor having like 3 songs. Yes Charlie has a bunch too, along with Vaggie. But I just really feel like I saw more of the male cast than the female cast. Especially comparing it to Hellvula boss, who’s female characters are only there for the male’s development. Almost all the female characters are demonized.

2) handling the pacing- I get it, only having 8 episodes is a LOT to put such a big plot in. But all the different plots felt so loose. Only really being vaguely strung together.

3) my overall gripes with the writer- I’m sorry. I just. I can’t stand her. She’s made zoophilia art. And is just overall fucking weird. Many people complain about the cursing (but y’all forget it’s like really normal. Like I swear all time. I grew up with swearing all around me) I just. I can’t stand her. Plus her weird fetish with SA. Just as long as y’all pirate her stuff, or at least watch it KNOWING she’s a piece of shit. I won’t parent you, I can’t parent you over the screen. Just. Be aware.

(Check my Bio before getting nasty btw. I won’t be rude if you’re not rude either. This is meant to be a civil critique)

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel review #show review

[winderlylandchime]

2/2 of 2x08: ‘why is she acting like this? Is she okay? Oh god, is she sick? What’s wrong deb? Talk to me, redhead! *deb tells vic about ben* please, for the love of everything i own, stop talking. Why are you still talking? I said STOP! Twist your words? Deb, girl..that’s what you said, do you want me to rewind the tapes? AND TO SAY THAT TO VIC?! YOU WISH HE WASNT WHAT NOW? Listen to me Deb, straight still gets hiv. MIKE GET BEHIND ME, I MIGHT HATE YOU BUT I GOT YOU! OH NO HES HEARING HER! WASTING AWAY TO NOTHING? AND SHE SAYS THAT TO VIC OF ALL PEOPLE?! Poor vic. Fought for his life and now his sister says all that?! *pauses the tv and looks at me all scared* just so you know, i would NEVER say something like that to you. I might be an idiot but I’m not *waves his hand at the tv* that dumb…can you get me another soda?’… ‘he’s more sad for vic than himself? Damn, he has his nice moments. Deb, why would he have to tell you about Ben? That is literally none of your business. What’s up with you and Ted? SHE FORBIDS HIM FROM DATING BEN? Man, i hope Ben fucks the shit out of Mike this episode. I’m talking can’t walk for a week type of fuck! Because yall are pissing me off!’ And now the scene with britin is up!!!! ‘Ohhh look at them. Getting busy! Why is Justin talking about Ben? What is going on this episode..Man, ben has to have the craziest hiccups this episode. THATS RIGHT BRI! ITS MIKES DECISION! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO IS SMART! *pauses tv* justin. No. Please never do it raw. You can’t trust anyone THAT much. Cheating exists. And also you and Bri Bri don’t exactly have the most….how shall I put it nicely? Ethical relationship..is that respectful? Idk either way *shakes his head* no blondie! Brian..smack sense into him, don’t encourage him! GOOD BOY! EXACTLY BRIAN! Condoms are your best friend *shakes his pill bottle* next to these lil shits. HE WANTS HIM SAFE! AND HE WANTS HIM AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, YOU MIGHT AS WELL SAY I LOVE YOU! (My name) did you hear that?! He wants him safe! And around! FOR A LONG TIME! That’s like many years! I cannot wait for him to say i love you to Justin! Would be a dope finale. Like *pretends to be brian, ig* “Justin!!! I love you. And i wanna be with you!” Yeah that’s the shit!’ My heart breaks for when he’s gonna see the finale. ‘Brian looks good. Leather jacket, messy hair…i fuck with it. Ohhh i like Brian and this bandana chick! Look at him taking his kid to the park. OH FUCK HER PARENTS *the scene in the park with that random lady comes up* the fuck they do?! I bet Michael just got a boner hearing her say that..Brian..Brian, come on i was rooting for you! Not to be the devil’s advocate but at least his reasoning was nicer in some weird way.’ He just scoffed at the sight of Deb so i’d say he’s doing well ‘Deb..you’ve talked enough. I think you should be quiet for the next 3 episodes..oh vic forgave her way too fast! Couldn’t be me tho’ ‘…no offense but if your parents don’t like you, you really shouldn’t care..but i get it, our greatest fault as human beings is the need we all have to be loved, it’s the only thing we all have in common. *look at me as if he just saw me* ice cream! *goes to get ice cream*’ I honestly wonder how he would watch this if he wasn’t high as a kite. ‘Is justin blowing a strap on?? Go off, i guess! Oh shit oh shit! Oh the dad is having a blast. i am honestly impressed that brian is quiet’ The scene with Ben and Mikey is on and he is not okay ‘NO MIKE NO! I mean do what makes you feel comfortable but NOOO DONT LET THEM GET TO YOU! But also I support your decision but fuck’ this obviously ended with him going for a smoke and is currently outside talking to mom and lying about why he was MIA, he also tried to turn the subject on qaf but failed badly bc his attempt was ‘how would you feel if i had a boyfriend with hiv?’ It was followed by ‘no mom, i im not gay. I’m not. HE IS JUST A FRIEND’ Keep my soul in thoughts and prayers because i am going through it.

AHAHAH YES. Exactly. Deb is such a fucking hypocrite. Ugh she is the worst about Ben’s HIV. And then Michael makes it so fucking awkward when he confronts Debbie IN FRONT OF BEN.

Your brother screaming about a) wearing a condom and b) I WANT YOU SAFE AND I WANT YOU AROUND FOR A LONG TIME is all of us. He is in the fandom. Brian DOES love him.

“our greatest fault as human beings is the need we all have to be loved, it’s the only thing we all have in common” - I know you described him as a himbo but Brother Anon is spitting some serious thoughts here.

Asking your mom how she would react if he had a boyfriend with HIV. I am dyingggggg. I love you brother.

Thoughts & Prayers Anon. You are truly doing the lord’s work.

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf us 2000 in the year of our lord 2023

[boypussydilf]

tryng to think of who to send that hasmt been sent yet for the character hcs thing uhhhhh koyuki and also. hrmgh. pururu? the purble pimk frog. tell me about them or else

the NEED. to do ask games. vs the limited amount of characters that exist in this world. FUCK yeah Them. Koyuki time

Sexuality Headcanon: GOOD NEWS KOYUKI IS A CANON LESBIAN!!!!! one part of her wiki page claims that there have been some passing references to her being interested in guys but i dont believe that bc i have never seen it hqppen ever. we know 1 person koyuki is canonicqlly attracted to and its natsumi

Gender Headcanon: koyuki is a trans girl. koyuki is also a trans boy. you know how it is

A ship I have with said character: YAAAAAY FOR KOYUKI AND NATSUMI. GAY PEOPLE. i dont have anything to say about them because relationship wise they’re just so normal. they just hang out in a normal way. they’re just cute

A BROTP I have with said character: *gestures to my icon*. You know how it is when you find a Weird Fucking Thing in the woods and adopt it as your dad. They’re so fucking funny. shout out to when dororo is koyukis wingman which i think has only happened 1 time but it did happen and it consisted of trapping keroro in a bathroom and it makes sense in context but only in the way anything in this fucking series makes sense in context. Anyway they care each other. Also shout out to Mukuro!! Who we’ve only seen like twice but she was koyukis First Friend and also the person who gave her her name!!

A NOTP I have with said character: hmm. It seems like a small amount of ppl ship her w saburo bc of the anime episode where natsumi thinks koyuki and saburo are dating (koyuki is just asking saburo for advice on what gift to get natsumi iirc) They can and should be #besties but koyuki is a lesbian and saburo is aro theyre not in love

A random headcanon: uhhhhhh. I’ve decided it doesn’t count if I just say “she’s autistic” i already said that a bunch. And its not a headcanon its a divine truth. Ok it’s not really a headcanon bc i don’t have any Answers but I wish we knew more about her childhood?? I think the manga implies she lived in shinobino village like her whole life since she was a baby or something but the anime distinctly implies that she omly started living there when she was like, 6. Either way WHY ? Was she only just getting NAMED for the first time at age 6? It’s never outright stated that she’s an orphan but, you know, she’s never mentioned to have any parents and she was given her name after several years of life by a girl only a few years older than her. So???? What happened. I’m just curious. Anyway I think koyuki would listen to 100gecs. Actually so would mois. Mois and koyuki should hang out

General Opinion over said character: MY FAVORITE LITTLE :3BOY EVER. i have been soulbonded with koyuki from the moment i saw her i love her so much because she is the greatest. She’s incredible!! She has it all!! She’s gay! She has ninja magic! Her whole family is adopted! She doesn’t know what rice balls are! She is constantly grappling between 2 seemingly incompatible aspects of her life BUT SHE STAYS SILLY. I love her. Everyone vote koyuki. “In what” i dont know…. vote koyuki…..

pururu goes under a cut to save space <3

on mobile glitches these doesn’t it

making a few lines to avoid the way mobile fucks with my readmores.

leave me alone tumblr.

Sexuality Headcanon: Huh…. I’ve never thought about it…… i think pururu is just straight

Gender Headcanon: she can be a trans woman if she likes <3

A ship I have with said character: GARUPURU. they are “accidental parents of the found family to lovers”. To me. Their “found family” is 2 kids who are insufferable assholes and 1 guy pururu’s age who wants to kill her childhood friend. They’re a weird family but I believe in them. Go forth pururu and date giroro’s older brother, deeply distressing him

A BROTP I have with said character: entire Dysfunctional Childhood Friendship Trio <3 She REALLY loves those assholes. dororo is the one she interacts with the least probably but i would like their friendship the most i want it to be more real. On paper they seem like they would both be the Sane and Reasonable Ones together, but, like. Pururu brings perspective. Pururu’s presence enhances the fact that keroro giroro & dororo are all complete dumbshits in a way no one could have expected because they’re already so obviously dumb. Dororo is the reasonable one until you put him in any fucking situation. I want a dororo & pururu focus story. Fuck them other kids. I dont know what the hell would happen if you put Just them together for a while. How do i find out.

anyway that probably also covers All The Friends Pururu Really Has? shes childhood friends w the childhood friends. she has a Strictly Professional relationship with the entire garuru platoon. and she hung out with chiruyo or whatever her name is in 1 episode of the anime. and i dont know. if she has any other canon. like. Friends. come on girl form relationships

A NOTP I have with said character: i feel like garupuru might be the only pururu ship ive ever even seen. i dont feel like ive even really seen ppl shipping her w keroro or giroro or dororo which is kind of wild bc technically in canon they did all crush on her as kids at least in the anime. Anyway uhhhh. I guess if someone shipped her w bariri id hit them in the head. Give her a break

A random headcanon: Thinking abt the one (1) shot in the anime of her in her bed and she’s got like a little frilly nightcap and a fancy lamp and a fucking pocketwatch….. Canonically pururu being Typical Woman Character is terrified of aging. I think that she tries to Look & Dress Young but she goes for like. styles of accessorization and decoration that were popular w girls on keron when She was a teenager. so the effect fails. Anyway for comedic effect the popular keronian girlstyle 6-7000 years ago may or may not have just been like late 1800s-early 1900s britain style. This is so fucking dumb and it’s been living in my head for too long

General Opinion over said character: I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT MY OPINION OF PURURU IS. she’s a bad character. she’s a good character. she’s interesting but you have to scrape off all the layers of LITERALLY being the MOST GENERIC CONCEPT OF “A WOMAN” to get to the interesting parts. She’s very normal but she’s so weird. She drops everything at any time to hang out with those 3 kids she knew in grade school who have not gotten any smarter since then. She became a nurse because she is a sadist. She’s. She’s something. I think I like her. Cheers here’s to many more years of pururu being… whatever pururu is

#CLAPPIMG YIPPEE THX #basilask

[meganwasbored]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts Season 3 Episodes 3 and 4

Episode 3

-I’m sorry I know what Rayla’s parents did is probably a huge deal in Xadia but she had the audacity to say that she wishes her parents were dead when the boys are literally orphans now

-woah Callum that’s cultural appropriation cancelled

-“have you had a change of heart”

“No, but there’s something I want to tell you that might change your heart”

You see to me this came off as a burn but then you remember it’s Ezran and he’s probably being sincere

-Ezran being half Prince Kasef’s height is funny but also Kasef is a jerk and I want him to either go home or die because I can’t stand his attitude anymore

-who’s this dude and what’s he up to

-cuties

-I was literally smiling and giggling at my phone like a 6th grade girl because of how cute that scene was but now it’s ruined because apparently she’s a ghost???

-“Soren could’ve died!”

“That doesn’t matter!”

I’d say what I think of you but as a Christian woman I don’t even feel comfortable typing the words that are in my head right now

-we’re gonna ask Runaan? Is he not the one that is inside a coin as we speak?

-well that was sad, but I saw it coming

-we already knew Amaya had guts but dangggg

-also the fire elf lady almost looked like she felt bad that the queen is going to kill Amaya

-“he’s gone because you abandoned them” she’s a CHILD what the heck was she supposed to do that the other assassins couldn’t do

-“Claudia, did you really think I would ask him to do such a thing? Surely you know your brother is… easily confused” it’s the gaslighting for me

-he’ll really take any opportunity to insult Soren that he can get

-I swear if one more person makes Soren feel stupid

-oh this dude again

-he addressed Viren with respect and called him High Mage so obviously he’s in on all this

-“my heart goes out with this one”

“I promise I will return your heart to you”

imagine your otp

-if the literal fire elves can’t look at the light how is she supposed to

-we’re just gonna ignore the fact that it is humanly impossible for her to still be able to see at all ever again after that

-runaan’s flower isn’t all the way down which means they have to be freeing him from the coin eventually, I’m holding them to that

Episode 4

-bruh it literally just started and I already had to watch the pretty message bird die (ik it’s not actually alive but it screeched in pain when it was hit and that hurt me)

-big feelings time, that’s freaking adorable but also I’d rather die than unload my thoughts on someone else that’s what tumblr is for

-Zym: “uh oh mom and dad are fighting”

Look at his FACE

-bro literally what’s stopping you from going to war on Xadia without Katolis he never tried to stop you he just said that Katolis would not be a part of it you have three armies why would you waste valuable time and resources fighting with us

-also what does that have to do with Viren

-WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK

-there isn’t any connection I just wanted to point out that Nyx is the ancient goddess and personification of night in Greek mythology

-it’s giving “hey little girl I’m your mom’s friend just get in this car and I’ll take you to her *wink wink*”

-obviously we don’t want people to die but just as many, probably more, people will die if we do what the Prince Kasef wants but then it will be doing something that we don’t even believe in, he brought other armies into your kingdom without permission and they all want to attack you right now why can’t we just attack them now?

-I just reread that and realized it makes no sense but it’s 1 am and I can’t think of another way to word it so good luck ig

-just want to acknowledge how pretty this giant giraffe/camel is

-this poor kid is going through the biggest ethical dilemma of his life because one man with the attitude of a toddler didn’t like being told no

-literally who even is this dude and what game is he playing

-I’m probably supposed to remember what the boomerang has to do with this but I’m drawing a blank

-why can’t we just let Bait be happy

-everything here is just so pretty all the time

-#1 rayllum shipper at the moment

-so like he’s still trapped in the mirror…but not? Even if this this is like a ghost of his body and the real one is still in the mirror, if his brain or soul or whatever you want to call it can go outside of the mirror, is he really trapped at all?

-now the question is, is she making this face because she thinks they’re cute, or because she’s about to do something shifty and is glad that they’re leaving

(edit: that was sarcasm but i just realized that that isn’t clear at all over text, obviously i know she’s up to something)

-y’all stop being so ominous and tell me what you’re going to do

-UHHHHHHHH

-WHAT THE HECK DID HE DO

-ARE THEY REALLY PUTTING A CHILD IN JAIL BECAUSE HE DIDNT WANT PEOPLE TO DIE

-VIREN IS JUST MAGICALLY NOT GUILTY NOW???

-IM SLOW I ACTUALLY DONT GET IT WHY ARE THEY PUTTING HIM IN JAIL

-OH GREAT NOW IM ABOUT TO GET A RAYLLUM SCENE BUT I CANT EVEN ENJOY IT BECAUSE EZRAN IS IN FREAKING PRISON FOR NO REASON???

-he really just went on a whole rant to a girl about how incredible she is and got surprised when she kissed him

-Callum you’re a freaking idiot

-you see I should be giggling at my phone like a 6th grade girl again rn but there’ll be time for that later because Ezran is in JAIL for NO REASON

-Nyx kidnapped Zym didn’t she, I feel like she’s someone who would do that

-WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince thoughts #the dragon prince season 3 #the dragon prince thoughts season 3 #tdp #tdp thoughts #tdp season 3 #tdp thoughts season 3

[mysticonsheadcanons]

My Top 5 Mysticons Episodes

Note: This are just purely my opinion, and will be going from worst to best, so my favourite will be number 1 on the list.

5. ALL HAIL NECRAFA: In my opinion, it's rare for the main characters to lose everything, but that's exactly what happened. I found that to be really cool to see, as they are not perfect heroes. The imagery in the episode is also very beautiful, and the idea of them thinking the Codex Pieces will help revive the parents, only to have Nova Terron want to destroy them, is interesting, and everything was done beautifully. The reason this isn't higher on the list isn't the episode itself, as it is a solid episode, but other episodes have things that appeal to me personally, such as favourite characters. So, while this was a solid episode, there are other episodes that appeal to me more due to other factors, which will be discussed with the different episodes up the list.

4. FEAR THE SPECTRAL HAND: This was a really good episode, and the ending scene is absolutely beautiful. This also really helped Dreadbane's character, as he wasn't seen since episode 26. I also really like how we got more background on Necrafa and the Spectral Hand. (while I wish it was discovered slowly, that's not episode-specific, so it still counts as a good point for this episode). This also gave the impression of them still being teens and being over their heads and needing help from adults (the Goldenbraids and Dreadbane) However, there are some things I didn't like in the episode. Arkayna and Zarya would never leave Choko behind (Arkayna at least asked where Gawayne was), and Proxima remembering that she can turn the Spectromancers back to normal right away, though a way to bring Dreadbane into the plot by needing him to undo his spell, felt as though it was thrown in. I'm sure that Proxima would have normally thought of reviving them before. And yes, this are nitpicks, but when you're thinking of favourite episodes from a favourite show, those nitpicks play a role.

3. A WALK IN THE PARK: Considering this episode had a curse and had my top two Mysticons having major roles, this episode was likely going to make the podium for Mysticons episode. I also like how Em has to learn to trust herself, as that's something I have to learn myself (for a bit, I even had the line "or maybe you should believe in yourself!" written with window markers on my mirror). It was also interesting to see them deal with one of them having a deadly curse. However, the Lovesbreath pollen was not the best moments, and could have been spent dealing with the implications of the curse (etc. how dangerous being a Mysticon can be, possibly losing a friend), but instead they made boring ship fodder that was done in many episodes prior.)

2. SISTERS IN ARMS: I know many people think that pilot episodes are bad, but I've always liked them. It's cool to see how a group got together, and Mysticons did that well. I'm especially impressed by how they weren't all friends at the end of the episode, which I find very unique in Magical Girl shows. Even without that, this shows the mix of action, humour, and emotion that Mysticons will have for the entire season.

1. LOST AND FOUND. This one was a very solid episode, other than the inconsistency between how this episode started and the previous episode (I honestly thought Arkayna kicked Zarya out of the Mysticons, so seeing them expect Zarya to be at the stronghold was a little jarring). While the inconsistency would have normally been enough to push this out of the top spot, the characterization of various characters makes up for it. Zarya dealt with difficult feelings of thinking the others are no longer her friends, and Piper had to overcome her fears of being away from Zarya. I also like how we saw Malvaron is seen to truly care for the Mysticons other than Arkayna, which I don't see too often.

#Mysticons #Opinion #favourite episodes

[glowyjellyfish]

OUAT Rewatch Report Part 2: The Shepherd through Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

1. I always expect Snow/Charming episodes to be boring, but the two of them are too precious to be boring. I think it would get old real fast with different actors. Of course, I haven’t gotten up to the “constant relationship drama” phase really, so we’ll see.

2. I’m excited to see more Dr. Whale, and think it’s cute how proud he is of David waking up, all “no way he wakes up on someone else’s watch”. Aw, Victor, did you have a little urge to yell “HE’S ALIVE!”? I’m also convinced that his little mini-success there helped change him, the way the major characters who got episodes to themselves changed when trauma from their previous lives was resolved in the present day. Nudged him from behaving like a womanizer with a wandering eye to more of a Gentleman. (Although I am half convinced he was more distracted by the color red than anything else. It is the first color he ever saw, if I recall correctly. And I am now totally convinced that Regina designed his cursed personality based on her experience of him. “He will be CONSUMED BY HIS WORK and DESPERATELY LONELY, CRAVING ANY CONNECTION, but he will only ever manage to break hearts THE WAY HE BROKE MINE.” or something.)

3. hilarious that Regina was like “I need someone without a heart” looked at Graham with tears falling down his face “PERFECT”. Pretty sure Regina made her decision based mainly on his hotness.

4. ugh poor Graham. Gaslit sex slave with what is functionally heavy depression (that’s the effect I deduced being heartless generally has, because it’s clearly not literally “can’t feel anything at all” but it definitely feels that way and leaves emotions very numb). It’s difficult to reconcile Regina keeping Graham as her mind-controlled sex slave with her eventual redemption. I just have to acknowledge it as one of the worst things she’s done, and I believe she considers him her possession more than her slave (which probably isn’t any better), and I think she thinks she cares about him. And she blames Emma for making her kill him, too. Not cool Regina.

5. If I remember correctly, the main reason kissing Emma broke the curse on Graham is because she’s the product of true love and therefore magic. I like to think it helped that he was developing feelings for her—nowhere near true love yet, but much closer than anything he’s ever experienced—and probably also it helped that his wolf brother was hanging around town clearly knowing what was going on. I mean, I headcanon Graham as being basically like FitzChivalry Farseer in terms of his relationship with the wolf, so it stands to reason if his wolf didn’t get properly cursed with new memories, it would be able to nudge him out.

6. Tiny baby Baelfire! Oh my god what a tragic life this kid has to look forward to. I wish we got about 100% more from his perspective. show what it was like for a kid from a medieval fantasy world to stumble into the real world with no parents and no support! (The pit stop in Victorian England with the Darlings did a bit of that, I think.)

7. I enjoy August so much, knowing who he is and what he’s about. He’s obnoxious when you don’t know what his deal is, but when you do? Chef’s kiss. He’s skilled at Not Lying without being even slightly honest. Also, I guess he needed the book to understand the situation and also restore his pages, but I’m not sure how he knew about it in the first place. If the book appeared with him and Emma, how did it end up in town? If the book manifested in town, how did he know about it? It feels like they were trying to imply he came to town at some point in the past, but like. Regina would remember him, surely? I feel fairly confident that the writers didn’t have any origin story for the book in mind and were writing by the seats of their pants about it.

8. Fruit of the Poisonous Tree is not bad but pretty boring. Sydney really could have used a better backstory. Off the top of my head, I feel like it would have been more interesting if he was a spell that gained sentience and was never a person until the curse.

9. I have a whole theory about how genies work and I’m not sure whether it works for all OUAT genies; it basically goes that the enslavement of a genie is intended to be the prepaid price of magic for the wisher, but it takes into account both the wisher’s intentions and the genie’s subconscious perception and judgment on the matter. So if the genie thinks a wish is too big, or impossible, or dumb, the magic will attempt to correct this by coming as close as possible or extracting a separate price or whatever. Which is how most wishes go wrong.

10. I forgot just how damn enjoyable it is to watch shiny crazy Rumple stick his glittery hands in EVERYTHING. I know it eventually got tiresome when no characters other than Rumple and Regina seemed allowed to have backstory with newly introduced fairytales anymore, but in s1 it’s fantastic. Especially knowing that he’s creating elaborate chains of deals for the express purposes of getting the curse made and cast, making Emma exist to break the curse, and putting himself in a position where he’ll be able to make sure she breaks the curse and he can bring in magic and find his son without losing his power. What fun!

I think at think point I can confidently say I still enjoy this show as much as I used to, and expect that to remain literally true as I get further in and get up to the increasing levels of dumb. We’ll see how much dumb I can handle nowadays; for example I deliberately chose to save Skin Deep for a different viewing session so that I would not be faced with starting a session with the incredible cheesiness of Dreamy. But I’m still having tons of fun, and expect to continue at least through Manhattan.

This time I am trying to select a Simpsons gif to go with each episode I watched (but then it really didn’t want to post 6 gifs, so I stopped at 5 episodes/gifs):

#ouat

[greenwith-ivy]

ok i’m writing this fresh off of finishing wednesday (fresh as in like half an hour ago) and BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS

- wednesday doesn’t blink! very cool. i noticed this almost immediately and i pointed it out to my dad (we were watching it together) and he said that he hadn’t noticed before! (he’d already seen it twice.) so that’s fun :D - i hated both of the White Boys. i don’t even remember either of their names but i despised them. they were basically the exact same person!! i could not keep them straight, they look similar and they act nearly the exact same. i am so annoyed that they both ended up playing relatively important roles at the end - dude!!!!!! eugene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love that guy he’s great. my favorite character - edin was kinda fun. i don’t think that’s her name but i can’t remember it. whoops. anyways she was also annoying but i think that was kind of the point, and her brand of annoying was way more endearing than the White Boys. she grew on me - i’m probably gonna make a separate post about this actually but wednesday is aro/ace and you can’t convince me otherwise. i rarely (never) headcanon characters to be a certain sexuality, but i feel so strongly about this!!  - now i’m gonna speculate what the popular ships for this show will be (or are). endi/wednesday is probably the most popular if i had to guess, then White Boy 1/wednesday and White Boy 2/wednesday will probably be pretty close in popularity. next up i think we’ll have wednesday/bianca. which. i haven’t written a thought about bianca yet i need to do that. after that maybe it’ll be enid/whatever his name was who she was actually dating in the show.  - okay i just checked ao3 and i was pretty close. i got the first three right and the fifth one! but apparently WB1/WB2 is the fourth most popular ship. which i didn’t even consider because why would i. they interact like a total of 3 times in the show and they both suck. why would anyone want to write more about either of them let alone both of them?? and it’s a little sad that bianca wasn’t up there in the 10 most popular (which is including friendships but i didn’t guess those) because she deserves it.  - bianca time!! she’s awesome i love her. i wish she wouldn’t do the blue eyed stare all the time but i can excuse it because she’s a fish.  - i was so sad when thing almost died. i couldn’t believe it i was in shock that they would DARE kill thing. fortunately for me i stayed strong and didn’t believe it and fortunately for them they didn’t kill him - love all of the unsubtle metaphors in this show. my favorite was probably lycanthropy as a metaphor for being queer. that one was incredibly in your face and it was fantastic - honestly a lot of the drama between wednesday and her parents seemed so forced??? like. maybe i just haven’t consumed enough addams family media (the only things i’ve seen are the two movies from the 90s and i know there’s more) but it felt like that was kind of out of nowhere? i get she’s a teenager now but idk i just never thought the addams family would have that kind of drama - fester annoyed me. we barely saw him but he just wasn’t right. (and again, maybe this is just because i haven’t seen enough other portrayals of him) - all the old women in this show had so much makeup on it was ridiculous. they’re old! let them have wrinkles please i beg you - speaking of makeup morticia’s eyeshadow wasn’t big enough and fester’s eyebags were too small and too light

i’m realizing a lot of these thoughts are negative and i promise that’s not how i feel. i loved the show i really did. it’s just i noticed i wasn’t happy with a lot of the details but i was very happy with the overall product. does that make sense? anyways, i’m excited for a potential season two at some point. i didn’t think they’d be able to get everything wrapped up in the last episode but they did! it’s a satisfactory ending (for me at least) and i would be totally fine if it didn’t get continued, but i wouldn’t object to another season either

#wednesday #wednesday addams #wednesday show #wednesday spoilers #i mean i guess #you can probably infer that from the first line and i think i kept everything pretty general #but it doesn't hurt to add that #also i mean the aro/ace wednesday thing #like i feel that with my whole heart #she is!!!!

[zenpouji-isaku]

50 NINTAMA FANDOM MEME!

filling out a (sort of old) meme from the fandom for fun. i get to talk about characters :]

original meme here.

1. I, Ro, Ha?

interesting starter!!! maybe ha. i think they have sweet personalities and a lot of potential but i separate characters in my mind by grade, not class, so it's hard to say.

2. Favourite from Ichinen Hagumi: I feel like Kingo tends to be a straightman character, but he has his silly moments. Also has a samurai family, which adds a layer of coolness to him.

3. Favourite from Ichinen Igumi: The denshichi/sakichi duo, but I'm a bit more biased towards sakichi.

4. Favourite from Ichinen Rogumi: it feels mean if i say i like heita because he's a scaredy cat but he has really wholesome interactions with his peers and seniors!

5. Favourite ninensei: Saburouji's so tsundere its entertaining.

6. Favourite sanensei: Kazuma is sweet! I'm interested to see more of his appearances (see note on ha-class above). My dream is that he gets maybe an arc or more episodes centered around him, but I'm getting off topic.

7. Favourite yonensei: Takiyashamaru!! I could go on all day but I'll try to be brief... I thought he was annoying at first but he's so annoying that you keep thinking about him more, and then that's when he gets to you /lh He's entertaining because he's goofy, but he's also so complex? When he's not being dramatic, he's kind and a little insecure which is cute. he worries about whether he's good enough of a "star" and his flashy facade tends to break down very easily. the author describes him as being afraid of being alone, which is why he craves attention so much...

i think a lot about this author's comment.

8. Favourite gonensei: Saburou. what's his deal... I almost want to say I wish we knew more about his background (though they had an episode going into the fifth years' past!!) but the mystery of it all almost makes me wish we didn't either...

9. Favourite rokunensei:

take a guess.

10. Favourite teacher and staff: I don't know if Ooki counts. But I like his guts (haha)

11. Favourite kunoichi: Souko! Maybe Teruyo though she's not a student, but the episodes about her are a treat. I think she offers a bit of sass to the older characters in the show that makes her refreshing.

I should consider the kunoichi more...I feel like they're not done justice enough nowadays

12. Favourite dokutama: Fubuki. I like his episode with Senzou, so he stands out to me.

13. Favourite villain:

I screamed when i saw him in the trailer.

14. Favourite member of Hyouho Suigun: Miyoshimaru has my favorite design! Onigomaru is my other favorite, but I feel like the joke about him being seasick does get a little tired.

15. Favourite family/ parents: Koheita's brothers and sisters are so cute! I think someone deduced he might be from a buke family or from more noble roots, which is interesting...

16. Favourite random character that haven't categorized above lol: I can't believe there's no Tasogaredoki mention. how dare you /j but Sonnamon is a great comic relief character. Other than that, I like his manga panel where he talks about taking care of Zatto in the past.

17. Favourite committee: Budget committee! They're a little overworked and really intense but they know what they're doing in the committee and it's just great to see how much they care each other, and their committee work. You trained them well, papa Shioe! also, the disaster that is budget meetings.

18. Favourite hairstyle: Ayabe's curls, or Tounai's bedhead bangs.

19. Favourite uniform color: Dark sixth-year green! It's a very stylish color.

20. Favourite skills/weapon: I like how Heisuke wields the suntetsu in the battle against shioe in season 28.

20. Favourite Shokudo no Obachan meal: I actually can't remember?? I'm really craving Japanese-style curry at the time of writing this right now...

21. Kirimaru's part time job you really want to try: The brush making job seems fun because I like meticulous stuff that keeps my hands busy, and it looks calming.

22. Favourite episodes: season 28 episode with takiyashamaru and teruyo (57) season 24 roommates episode (62), the genkin two-parter episode from season 25 (55-56) and the kunoichi-centric season 13 episode (23).

23. Favourite arcs: The fifth-years vs sixth-years arc is arguably one of the best arcs in the show and it's just really great to see each of the grades at their full power. The season 18 orienteering arc has a diverse amount of the cast interacting with each other and it was my first introduction to the show, so I like it.

24. Favourite quotes: if it counts, the Shinbei and Kisanta song from the episode where they built the tower in season 23.

25. Favourite song in the series: See above.

26. Favourite opening version: the 2012 version of yuuki 100% by sexy zone!

27. Favourite ending song: 3byou Waratte by junior boys! the glow in the dark teeth one.

28. Favourite Drama CD: I barely listen to these orz but 5th years.

29. Favourite seiyuu in the series: akira ishida's voice as ayabe is really nice on the ears and it captures his character nicely. i heard him in another show and immediately realized why the voice sounded familiar haha

30. MOST OTP(S): senmon :)

31. Ichinen pairing: shouzaemon and hikoshirou! i like that they're both student council and have such contrasting personalities. i think a mischievous shouzaemon would be nice hehe

32. Ninen pairing: saburouji and shirobei; they have some cute canon interactions. also, i appreciate the silly innocence of shirobei being affectionate to poor saburouji, who's too embarrassed to admit he genuinely likes someone to reciprocate properly...

33. Sanen pairing: samon and sakubei specifically but a combination of any of the three is good!! i think samon seems to be super enthusiastic (dogboy) and sakubei seems like kind of the straightman and it would be a cute dynamic. but i think it's also good if both samon and sannosuke liked sakubei and he was flustered about it... lol

34. Yonen pairing: hamamiki is really cute! i like how mikiemon cares a lot and looks after shuichirou and how much shuichirou likes mikiemon and how much they trust each other.

35. Gonen pairing: saburou/raizou is great from literally any perspective. angst, comedy, maybe potential for even jealous saburou?

36. Rokunen pairing: tomesaburou and isaku are a classic. though i'm also partial to tomesaburou and monjirou...it depends on the portrayal.

37. HET pairing: nothing that comes to mind :") now that i think about it, the kunoichi should interact more with the other characters... shipping aside, there's plenty i like platonically. the kunoichi and the main trio interacting with each other, kameko and chouji, teruyo and rikichi etc.

38. Yuri pairing: yamabuki and oshige...more dokutama love 🙏

39. Crack pairing: i don't think it's that crack of a pairing but yoshimon is very delicious. specifically the episode where yoshirou is dressed as tomesaburou. i like thinking about him flirting with/teasing a monjirou that's more caught off guard...

now that I think about this question, maybe I should be more creative. i've seen people set up pairings using shindanmaker before and its produced some pretty interesting stuff? we'll see

40. Pairing you don't want to happen: taking the coward route out and not answering because i'm timid :") but honestly, i'm okay with a lot of character pairings if you can convince me why it could work. if something I don't get does become canon and they build it up in a way that's compelling to me, I think I can probably get behind it

41. Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Meta: when they dropped the designs for the sixth years in their season 30 special episodes. In-show, the Zatto and Isaku fight from the second movie is really good.

42. When it really disappointed you: They were going to make an english dub of the moon special. remember that? I still remember seeing that video of the voice actors recording lines in english! for this show! bummer

43. Saddest moment: I'm subbing the season 30 rokuro episode right now and it makes me feelsad for chouji...mentioned before, but the season 19 special tugs at my heartstrings a little too

44. Funniest moment: Tomesaburou making a joke at Monjirou being flirtatious in the season 20 episode is one of the more amusing moments in the show by itself but then they put THIS SCENE?

canon event for me.

45. One thing you hope really happens: If they released an episode of the sixth years in the past last year, and an episode of the fifth years in the past this year, then...the fourth years.....no...unless???

46. Things you wish will be animated: there's a special part in the manga where some of the characters (i remember doi and some of the tasogaredoki) briefly talk about their past? if it hasn't been done yet, a flashback episode about the tasogaredoki or even zatto during the events/aftermath of the fire would be awesome, though maybe a little graphic by tv standards lol?

47. When did you start watching/reading?: quarantine led me to this franchise, though I've only ever had my nintama tumblr recently.

48. One thing this anime does better than others: for a show with such a massive cast, they do a great job of giving each character a spot to shine in episodes. if you're a fan of a character, chances are they have an episode starring them that explores who they are, which is great for fans!

49. Unanswered question that bugs you about the fandom: not something that really "bugs" me, but how did people start shipping magohei and mikiemon together? i don't remember seeing them interact in the show? it's somewhat popular and I'm just curious!

50. At what point did you fall in love with Nintama: i...don't remember, really? it sort of just snuck up on me as I kept watching more episodes, but them introducing ninja tools and techniques in show was definitely what hooked me in more.

#i guess i don't think about pairings myself... #all my answers for the ship questions are a little boring but i'm omnivorous #so i can get behind pretty much anything if it looks interesting. please introduce me to your ideas… /hj #mine #social media is intimidating but i like how nice blogging is here...

[itsfunny-causeitstrue]

Season 2 Episode 2: Family

Episode Reviews: 1 | 3

All abroad the angst train!! It was really interesting to see the different types of family and their parenting styles - not just Nick and Charlie's! I adore the fact that my faves Taoelle are getting a good amount of time dedicated to developing them and their relationship. Also we get to meet some new friends, Sahar, Felix and Naomi!! David and Ben are also here, being pricks as always. 🙄

Lil funny sidenote: the GSCE scenes gave me such intense flashbacks to my own - can't believe it's been almost decade since I've had mine 😂

Now onto the Spoilers:

- I really appreciated seeing all the different parents and the transitional montage of Meet The Parents was a stroke of genius. It was a really cool and quick way to show how everyone was progressing in school and personally

- As I said in this post, while Jane was a little harsh and could have explained her reasoning better, she was right to do that. It's just the boys acting like the end of the world. Which as a teenager I remember what it feels like. But do not demonise Jane for doing what is best for her kid. It's not like they can't see each other at school or text. She might be the strictest parent on the show but yet this was still pretty mild compared to what I've gone through.

- I do think it's sweet that Charlie does The Most to try to meet up with Nick and it's very realistic in terms of teenage shenanigans. I do wish he had just talked to his mom. Now he's gotta deal with the consequences of his actions.

- Ben and David,,, where do I even start?? These two need to leave Nick the hell alone.

- They managed to give David an even more douchey hairstyle than in the comics. My head started throbbing the moment he came on screen. The climax of the episode with the Nelsons was done really well. David is really such a prick and everyone acted their asses off. Thank you to Sarah for calling out her shitty son, I bet she has never wanted to throw hands with him more than in that moment.

- As for Ben, he needs to stop starting shit with Nick in Study Hall and leave Imogen the hell alone (I wish she would listen to Nick). I know I shouldn't hate on a child but by god is Ben a demon.

- On to new friends: Sahar is the cutest person in the world!! I love her so much and can't wait to see more of her soon

- Felix and Naomi!! So glad Alice decided to write in new characters. They are both so cool and I'm glad Elle will have new friends in art school.

- Though this does bring in angst for Taoelle and I am not complaining cos it's done so well and isn't toxic. Hella realistic and it just made my heart burst they got a huge amount of time as the B plot this episode. The fact that it eventually pushed Tao to admit to the boys that he likes her!!

- I also LOVED seeing their parents. Tang Xu is just such a wholesome mom and very different from your typical Asian parent. I loved that Alice turned that trope on it's head. I really adored seeing more of Tao and his relationship with his mom. We also got hear more about his dad! I love love that Tang saw parallels between her relationship and Taoelle - what a cutie

I cannot wait to see all of this progress over the season. Overall, while not so much of a comfort ep, the angst was top tier!! I love all of them so much and can't wait for things to get better

#heartstopper #Heartstopper S2 #Heartstopper spoilers

[feuqueerfire]

Red Balloon Live Blogging

Apparently this is angsty and heartwrenching and I'm not super sure I'm in the mood for that right now but might as well give it a try. At least it ends happily. Also this is Taiwanese but reminds me of kBLs with the 8 10-minute episodes

Ep 1 (Jul 19)

I knew there were teenager and adult versions of the characters but I didn't expect it to start with the adult versions, thought it'd be more like YNEH where it's teenage years and then time skip

Speaking of Your Name Engraved Herein, hello actor who also played Birdy in that

Also slightly reminds me of His The Movie because there's a divorce + a young daughter. The vibes are quite different though, doesn't have the touch of aching and nostalgia but rather just harsh reality

lmfao "Ma'am, your husband is just extremely boring"

"How long has it been since? 13 years?" "13 years, 5 months, 6 days"

Ep 2 (Jul 19)

I wish they'd translate the written stuff. Gaga didn't do it for DNA Says Love You either, that one also had writing that I'll just not know the meaning of. Also, why does GagaOolala not allow you to fast forward or rewind with the < > buttons

lmfao Zi Chen's father is part of the mafia?

I keep getting confused who is who. So our main character played by Birdy's actor with the wife and kid is Zhi Chen? And Xiang Wan is the one with the camera?

I read the summary for the show on MDL finally and I'm guessing the fact that Zhi Chen is the son of the school board and mafia mans is gonna come into play. I was just startled when I first saw it like lol what's this doing here

Ep 3 (Jul 19)

In YNEH, Birdy is the one who's carefree and a troublemaker, so seeing his actor play a character who's the rule follower and tempted into tomfoolery by the other character is interesting and kinda jarring lol

Why am I unable to care about or connect with these BLs? I mean it's just been DNA Says Love You and 3 episodes of this short show but still, I wanna be invested but I kinda don't care much. Maybe VegasPete has too strong of a grasp on me right now?

Ep 4 (Jul 19)

Damn, his father having memory problems?

Naurr not the teacher giving the bullies a light punished + admonishing the bullied gay boy that he should be like a boy and consider what it is about him "that people cannot bear"

oh yeah Xiang Wan's ex the school teacher comes up sometimes

Zhi Chen keeping Xiang Wan company while he's going through it but also bringing his books along to study under his flashlight because he's got a test tomorrow lol

bro they didn't sub what Xiang Wan said after "You're weird" but then proceeded to stare at each other with background music, so am I supposed to interpret it as "You are weird but I still like you" or smth lol

Ep 5 (Jul 20)

Omg they replayed that scene and he said "You are weird but I like it" I see

Xu Yang's story of being bullied for being gay isn't new or innovative but I'm somehow freaking invested. The bullies giving a fucking hard time and the director being useless vs that closeted/DL guy giving him advice and the girls standing up for him.

lmfao this random 10 second total scene of the swim team + Zhi Chen saving miss girl Chu Qing? Will we not acknowledge it? I guess Zhi Chen's cold is the most important

Ep 6 (Jul 20)

This is years before Covid but the coughing everywhere willy nilly is

rip Xiang Wan saying his parents simply ignore that he likes boys while Zhi Chen saying if he liked boys and told his father, he'd kill him.

"Why don't you accept her?" "Why ask when you know the answer?" "Oi! You're saying that I have a chance?"

Ep 7 (Jul 20)

Nearly all the episodes start with ending of the previous episode, I wish it was just one movie or smth. Although finishing each little piece makes me feel I'm getting through it faster than one 1.5h movie

both of their expressions are really good in this scene with the "Oi! You're saying that I have a chance?"

It's making me very nervous that they're in Zhi Chen's house all alone because his father's gonna come at the most inopportune time or smth lol

lmfao and there he is. Hello father. don't kill Zhi Chen please

Zhi Chen saying his greatest regret of the summer is that he couldn't give the bullied kid's letter to his father... does not bode well

bro fuck hope we get a more conclusive ending for the bullied kid Xu Yang's story than just that he got beat the fuck up

wait no nevermind nevermind I don't want a more conclusive story fucking fuck is he gonna jump off the roof

fuck

Ep 8 (Jul 20)

last episode but at least it's 2x the length of a regular episode, hope they manage to fit things well

oh whew, he lives! and in his own Sailor Moon costume!

ah fuck "Xu Yang lived. He became a warrior whereas I became the hostage" It's interesting that Zhi Chen's father became soft enough to get the principal to look into the Xu Yang matter and properly punish the director + bullies but cruel enough to punish Zhi Chen for liking boys

this letterrrrrr

seeing the 2010 version of Zhi Chen's father forgetting things like who his son even is, the fact that his wife died, etc but still being homophobic enough to constantly ask if Zhi Chen's seeing that boy because he has to save face. fucking fuck

The balloons in the present-day Xiang Wan's bike

aw, ending scene of Zhi Chen and his ex-wife being friendly. Although, where's their daughter?

I definitely see what people meant by wishing we got to see older versions of Zhi Chen and Xiang Wan more. I liked the side story fine.

It was good enough, fairly typical LGBT youth exploration halted by society then finding each other again type of ordeal. I know Your Name Engraved Herein was released after this one but they're both similar in that sense. Although in this one they're definitely gonna be romantically involved + they met much younger.

I'm not really attached to the characters and wasn't super into any aspect of the show, so it's just fine for me. I think the fact that it was neither a longer series nor did it have the uninterrupted flow of a movie lessened its impact. Good enough but I don't think I'll ever think about it again.

Rating: 6/10

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