#isn’t it crazy that season 8 ended after 3 episodes

[samuelturn]

Ok so ok the advent of the 60th I had an absolute crazy idea on how to do a 60th Anniversary series of Doctor Who while Flux was still airing. And it involves Paul McGann.

In my mind, Flux ends with Tecteun winning. She didn’t die. The Flux, The Ravagers, Division, its all been a manipulation by Tecteun to usurp all of Time Lord society, to no longer be The Other. Rassilon is dead and Omega’s anti-matter universe collapsed during The Time War. She has a race bank of Gallifreyans and is going to the new universe, relatively young, to dominate and rule. 13 is trapped, beginning to regenrate. Yaz and Dan are far away in a seprate cell. The Flux and The Ravagers consume the last of the universe, and The Doctor has lost….END CREDITS

NEXT TIME: The trailer is 4:3. The picture is softer, the music isn’t surround sound and not as grandiose. Paul McGann and New Companion (NC) step out of the TARDIS onto a new world, and the effects look decidedly 90s. Season 27 would begin airing in 2022.

What follows would be a series of NuWho length episodes that would begin as a sort of “What if Paul McGann series on BBC in the late 90s.” As the episodes go on we see more and more…paradoxes. Dhwan!Master keeps showing up, not attacking but not helping, trying to get 8’s attention. Moments flash and the picture goes back to HD. Skull-like objects in the background of various episodes seems to follow the camera with their eye sockets. In the final episode of the “Season,” reality breaks down. 8 starts seeing the camera, the production staff, the sets, the lighting. Staff call him Paul. The TARDIS is just a prop. He runs for the stage door…waking up elsewhere on Tecteun’s massive universe ship (the ship would be a lot bigger in my version), and Dhwan!Master is standing over him, alongside the Fugitive Doctor…and Richard E. Grant as the Shalka Doctor.

NC was just the Master trying to bring 8 out of the end of the universe and space and time. He stowed away and realized that Tecteun’s success would mean his and the Doctor’s ultimate demise. Him, 8, Fugitive, and Shalka team up as paradox energy threatens to tear the ship apart. Shalka and 13 can’t exist together, but he’s here, because the universe is collapsing in on itself. Derek Jacobi is also here as Shalka Master. 13 is caught in a looping regeneration. Not allowed to die but not able to be reborn. Fugitive goes to free her. Shalla Doctor goes after Yaz and Dan, 8 and the Masters storm the bridge.

Tecteun wanted to rule and wanted to eliminate her biggest enemies and regrets, as well as an opponent who would be detrimental to Time Lord survival. The Master is the real Timless Child, the Doctor as the TC was a ruse by Tecteun to motivate him to kill the Time Lords for her. The Doctor was the first successful TL who she was able to grant regeneration to. She had hoped to use them but both grew beyond her. Dhwan!Master is enraged and broken. Shalka Doctor returns with Yaz and Dan. Fugitive rescues 13 but is hurt in the process. 13 is dying but still slowly. Big fight. Fugitive and 13 turn the ship around and navigate the paradox energy storm. Shalka Doc, realizing that he can’t exist, alongside Shalka Master, scarifice themselves and their TARDIS to do a “restore from backup” on the universe. Fugitive disables Tecteun and then goes off to regenerate into 3. 8 pilots the ship into the protection of Gallifreyan space with the Master’s hell…before waking up in his TARDIS with no memory of the events…same as usual.

13 wakes up in Gallifreyan hospital. Romana is standing over her. The actions of her and her other selves have averted destruction. Tecteun has been tried and will be executed. The universe is put back to roughly pre-Flux state, but the enemies of the Doctor are fewer in number, Romana is president again. 13 will have enough time to send Dan and Yaz off and say goodbye, and the TARDIS has been given an overdue tune up. 13 says goodbye to Dan, then Yaz. Then regenerates.

Back on Gallifrey, the people are celebrating a festival in the Doctor’s honor, the Master sits in a cell, voluntairly in TL custody to process the hurt Tecteun caused to him and the Doctor. Somewhere in the shadows of the festival, two figures in skull masks and black clothes watch, plotting. The other enemy Tecteun wanted to get rid of has inadvertnetly returned. Their Grandfather caused and averted a paradox of such proportion that it dragged a monstrous enemy back from the dead. Faction Paradox has been reborn, and lie in the shadows, plotting and waiting.

#doctor who #eighth doctor #fugitive doctor #shalka doctor #the master #dhwan!master #shalka master #yazmin khan #tecteun #faction paradox #ramblings

[bridgertonandchocolate]

What I need more of in season 3 of Bridgerton. In no particular order (I’m going to try to not make this entirely Polin centric).

1. More of Will and Alice. Alice is so freaking hilarious and I think it could be a great opportunity to introduce similar characters *cough* Sophie *cough* They need to develop these characters because I felt like it was great for season 1 but for them to really just serve the overall Featherington story in season 2 isn’t enough.

2. Kate and Anthony intimacy. Enough. Said. They have so much emotional intimacy in the books and I’m not saying that wasn’t somewhat developed but I need more please and thank you.

3. Benedict. Benedict was not a huge presence through the books. In the show they’ve really been building him up. They’ve given a lot of Colin’s characteristics to him in my opinion. I feel like if they’re not careful the artistic route can get really boring so I’m hoping to see additional relationships outside of the family. I’m assuming we will meet Sophie in some capacity this season. I’d also love Benedict going after Pen a little bit to antagonize Colin. Like they’re at a ball and Colin is insisting that it doesn’t bother him that so many suitors are dancing with Pen (when we all know it does) and Ben is like “so you won’t mind if I dance with her then?” and Colin goes crazy.

4. Flashbacks. Please dear god I want to see a young Penelope and Colin. I think if they’re truly going with friends to lovers we need to see more of their friendship at the start. We need to see them meet! Also more Bridgerton family flashbacks with Edmund (although I’m doubtful as that was really just particular to Anthony’s story).

5. A legit proposal. Anthony was a little unromantic until the end of season 2 but even then it felt more of a declaration of love and intent than an actual proposal. I want Colin to realize his love ahead of the proposal also. Is that too much to ask?!

6. Lady Danbury being a mentor to Pen.

7. All of the general Polin must haves (the carriage, the mirror, the declaration in front of the entire ton) but also add in a wedding and maybe a honeymoon?

8. Francesca!! I think she’s going to play a much bigger role in season 3. At this point everyone that has just generally or casually watched Bridgerton forgets she exists. Her story is one of my top favorites so we need to start her development and I think they will.

9. Give the youngest siblings something else to do for heavens sake. Sometimes they’re just so annoying. Hyacinth is a schemer so I am hoping she is involved in some sort of Lady Whistledown hunt but I won’t hold my breath.

10. A swift Peneloise reunion. If they keep these two apart for more than one episode I will be in such despair. I won’t rebel because it’s Bridgerton.

Nice little 10 item list. I’m sure I’ll have more. Maybe I’ll do another list of things I absolutely don’t want in season 3!

#bridgerton #bridgerton season 3 #kanthony #kate bridgerton #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #eloise bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #it’s polin season #polin

[hiccupmistress]

Trying to Make Peace With Strange New Worlds’ Controversial New Episode

Warning: This post will contain major spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2 episode 8, “Under the Cloak of War”, and will refer to the episode with the assumption that readers have already watched it.

 This week’s episode of SNW has already proved very divisive. Some people are calling it the best episode yet, others are calling it the worst. It tackles a difficult subject and doesn’t pull its punches. I’ve seen people crying “character assassination”, and others suggesting that its “character development”. And in all honesty, both parties are right. We’re used to seeing main characters in Trek be virtuous paragons, especially medical practitioner characters, and we’ve had fifty-five years to build up our own headcanons and ideals about Dr. M’Benga. But at the same time, in terms of actual canon content, M’Benga got nothing substantial in his Original Series episode and only one aspect of his character was focused on in season 1 of Strange New Worlds; you can’t contradict a character that hasn’t been developed yet. And I’m saying this as someone who was on the “character assassination” side when I first watched the episode!

It reminds me of M*A*S*H, and bear with me, because its probably not for the reasons you’re thinking, although this episode of SNW has a lot of scenes set in a popup medical camp in a warzone, that’s not it; there’s a specific episode of M*A*S*H its reminding me of. For the uninitiated, M*A*S*H was a show that ran from 1972-1983, following up from a movie in 1970. Set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, M*A*S*H started out as a sitcom. As the years passed though, it became a lot more sombre, dealing with heavier subjects, even though it never fully lost its comedic origins.

In season 7, there’s an episode (“Preventative Medicine”), where the hospital is flooded with tons of new patients, apparently a Colonel by the name of Lacy has been getting reckless and wilfully endangering his troops. Lacy even drops by the 4077 MASH unit to give his men purple hearts and hollow platitudes, neither of which his men want from him. The worst part is that Lacy isn’t even done. Once his men are recovered, he plans on sending them on a mission with a projected casualty rate of 30%, equating to one-hundred soldiers. And all for a hill with no strategic importance other than bragging rights. Nobody in the 4077 likes Lacy, but our main character, Captain “Hawkeye” Pierce decides to take it into his own hands. With the help of his buddy Captain BeeJay Hunnicut, he spikes Lacy’s drink to trick him into thinking he needs his appendix out, with the intention of actually removing his appendix so that he’d be unable to send his troops on that suicidal hill mission; he’d pulled a similar trick back in a season 3 episode (“White Gold”) with Hunnicut’s predecessor, Captain “Trapper” McIntyre. This time though, Trapper’s long gone, and Hunnicut’s having none of it. He lambasts Pierce, telling him:

“That man is crazy, but that doesn’t make this right. Some things are wrong and they’re always wrong.”

But Pierce can only see the troops he’ll be saving and goes ahead with deliberate malpractice anyway. Afterwards, wounded keep coming in. There’s a war on, after all. Colonel Lacy being out of the picture doesn’t stop the rest of the war.

The bottom line there is that Hawkeye did a very bad thing, and the episode doesn’t have any last-minute resolution or remedy for that. The audience are just left to contemplate that maybe the funny, charismatic Pierce isn’t the hero he makes himself out to be. And that’s kind of what “Under the Cloak of War” is doing for Strange New Worlds. Doctor M’Benga does a very bad thing, and the episode smartly ends on that note, leaving the audience to contemplate. The difference is, back in the M*A*S*H days, the landscape of TV was different - Continuity was rare. Whilst SNW isn’t as serialised as the other modern Star Trek shows, there’s still though-lines and ongoing stories for the main characters. Even if there were no immediate consequences at the end of this episode, that’s not to say M’Benga will never face consequences.

Its not a perfect episode. There’s certainly a number of things I’d do differently. And yes, that ending was absolutely a shock, one that makes us perceive one of the main characters differently, but that’s the point. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to agree with what M’Benga did – on the contrary, if you you’re disgusted at what M’Benga seemingly got away with, the episode did its job. That’s not to say you have to like or agree with Ambassador Rah either. Like with “Preventative Medicine”, “Under the Cloak of War” is (in my opinion,) very much about the risk that in our attempts to stop heinous people, we can allow ourselves to sink to their levels. Colonel Lacy and Ambassador Rah were both very nasty people in their own ways. But that doesn’t mean medical malpractice or murder are okay, and sometimes, on rare occasions, we need to see heroes become villains for a story to send its message.

I hated “Under the Cloak of War” when I first watched it on Thursday. I watched it again in preparation for writing this. I still don’t “like” the episode, but I can make peace with what I think it was trying to do, and I look forward to seeing how it shapes M’Benga’s character arc going forward.

#opinion post #star trek #star trek strange new worlds #star trek snw #doctor m'benga #spoilers #strange new worlds

[wheelerthefroghere]

Season 4 Mike is super similar to season 2 Mike. No other season comes close.

1. Both start out with Mike feeling like he lost someone and acting more rebellious because of it. In S2, Mike coped by plagiarizing a paper, graffiting a bathroom stall, cursing out a teacher, stealing from Nancy, etc. In S4, he rebelled by being in the Hellfire Club and changing up his style. It might not seem like the same pattern at first, but since people are flat out accusing D&D of being satanic and causing all sorts of “problems”, having Mike openly embrace the game now is a huge act of rebellion (especially in a season where he’s supposedly trying to be normal). 

2. Playing in Hellfire also showed Mike returning to the hobbies that make him happy. In S3, he was hell-bent on “growing up” and he viewed playing games as childish and against the norm. In S4, he’s not trying to deny himself from playing it anymore. In a way, Mike was holding onto “childish” passions, much like how he wanted to keep all of his toys in S2 for emotional value. D&D, the toys, and Will’s drawings are also relevant to Mike’s childhood and also a means for him to cope with the loss of Will and/or Eleven in both seasons. 

3. In S2, Mike called Eleven nearly every night even though he couldn’t get a hold of her. In S4, it is implied that he made a similar effort to call Will often enough to complain about the line always being busy. In both seasons, Mike believed the other person wasn’t making an attempt to return the effort and reach out to him. 

4. In both seasons, Mike had (at least one) conversations where he vented about Eleven, only for the topics to shift into Mike and Will territory. Ex: “Crazy together” and the scene where Mike tosses El’s letter in the trash. 

5. In both seasons, when Mike was separated from Eleven and trouble started up, he became glued to Will’s side. Even if protecting him wasn’t Mike’s top priority, he still spent almost every scene with Will. 

6. The heart to hearts in S4 paralleled the talks Mike and Will had throughout S2. 

7. In both seasons, when Mike reunited with Eleven, all of the Byler build-up got brushed aside. In S2, Mike and Eleven started dating (Mike pushed Will into dancing with that girl at the Snow Ball) and in S4, Mike seemed to fall for the lie Will told him in the van and used it to confess his “love” for Eleven later on. 

8. In both seasons, after Mike confessed something big to Will or Eleven, he got closer to the opposite person at the end of the season. For example, in the shed when Mike told Will about the day they met, Mike went running back to Eleven. And, in S4, after Mike confessed to Eleven in the pizza shop, he was shown closer to Will than to her for the rest of the episode. It was even established that she didn’t want to talk to Mike.

9. In both seasons, Mike showed more physical affection with Will than in S1 and S3. Some examples from S4 would include the shoulder grab in Hopper’s cabin, the phone booth scene, the hospital hug with Lucas, the shootout scene, and probably more. Their proximity in S4 was just insane even outside of these examples. They were standing on top of each other in almost every scene...

10. In both seasons, Will and Mike consoled each other. In S2, it was mainly Mike comforting Will, but it was reversed in S4. In S2, Mike made Will feel better about being possessed by telling him that he was a “superspy” and that Will could be crucial in defeating the Mind Flayer and saving the day. In S4, Will told Mike that he was the “heart” and inspired the Party (he also boosted Mike up by telling him that it was “you guys who saved me”) when Mike felt like he was useless. 

This isn’t every comparison I could make, but I think it supports the point well enough. S2 and S4 Mike have very similar arcs and after the weird tension in episode 2 of season 4 (which honestly, there was tension between them during episode 2 of season 2 when they were trick or treating), I would almost say S4 Mike is the better version of the two. I mean, Mike was very sweet to Will in season 2, but like I said before, once Eleven showed up, he stopped paying Will much attention. We know Mike made the shift into spending ALL of his time with Eleven because that’s what was established in season 3. However, in season 4, after Eleven came back, it would appear that Mike is spending more of his time with Will. He could be going after Eleven and trying to talk to her more, but he chose to hang around Will instead. 

This is probably a hot take, but I don’t think season 4 Mike was bad at all. His behavior in the airport and roller rink were pretty much explained by Dustin when he talked about the Byers’ phone line always being busy. Mike didn’t think Will wanted to talk to him. He didn’t feel like he was needed or wanted. There was just a lot of miscommunication between them.

But it seems like season 4 brought their relationship back to a good place (maybe stronger than before) and that’s great. So, why are we saying past Mikes would want to beat the current Mike up? Even current Will is looking at Mike with more love than he ever has before. I don’t know. 

Bonus: I think a lot of the characters in S4 have story arcs that parallel the ones they had in S2. Joyce, Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan especially.

#Byler #mike wheeler #stranger things 4 #stranger things 2 #mike wheeler analysis #I can never tell if what I'm saying makes sense #I believe it though #I will always defend this boy

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

Would you be interested in explaining the bipolar storyline post more in depth for each season? Especially the foreshadowing. I‘m autistic and have trouble reading between the lines so I don’t know what the foreshadowing was supposed to be exactly and I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of small clues in the show :(

ok so to start, i am not bipolar. i’m neurodivergent and did research but if anyone who is bipolar see’s this and realizes i made a mistake, tell me! i would absolutely want to know if i get anything incorrect.

season 1:

only foreshadowing, there’s a scene in the pilot (maybe second episode) where fiona says that frank hates ian because ian looks the most like his mother, to this ian replies with, “he ain’t seen nothing yet”, which foreshadows everything in season 5 where he is constantly being compared to monica.

when lip and ian are taking dna tests, ian makes a joke about who will get the alcoholic gene and lip makes the joke about who will get the bipolar gene, foreshadowing both of their unfortunate fates (although it’s canon that by that time lip had already struggled with alcoholism)

season 2:

not a lot in this season. mainly just more comparisons to him and monica, especially in the part where ian and monica hang out together the way it’s directed is supposed to show ian’s closeness with his mother/their similarities.

the biggest moment of foreshadowing is when debbie begins to research bipolar and ian explains it to her, and when ian tries but fails to get monica out of bed (foreshadowing 4x12)

season 3:

shit, where do i begin? the entire season ian is slowly spiraling, especially after 3x05/3x06. firstly, the symptoms he already had are more apparent (hypersexuality comes to mind) and by 3x9 he has officially lost it, especially when he’s drunk at mickey’s wedding. by the time he enlists and says his goodbyes it is clear the old ian is completely gone.

season 4:

i feel like i don’t have to explain this but i might update later if anyone wants me to.

season 5:

same with season 4.

season 6:

although he isn’t manic anymore, he’s very depressed. this is overlooked. in 6x03 he’s clearly not doing great, and he stands over a bridge and it is HEAVILY implied he is going to kill himself. then the car crash happens, he is distracted, finds an opportunity to fix the relationship/occupation problems he’s having and…bam! the storyline is over

season 7:

7x03 he obsessively cleans the ambulance, speeds, and lets a schizophrenic woman in the ambulance escape and she gets hit by a car. he is sent home from his job for mania.

season 8:

god…the entire thing, really. gay jesus. i mean the entire season he’s very off. i read somewhere people with bipolar sometimes have a god-complex when they’re manic, and that is definitely accurate.

it’s very clearly triggered by mickey being in mexico, monica’s death, he and trevor having a complicated relationship, and the whole “my money or my meth” thing. it’s all very stressful and triggers him.

season 9:

he isn’t really in season nine. at the beginning fiona asks if he’s taking his meds in jail (maybe prison but i think it was jail) and he is literally a self-proclaimed relationship counselor. he also was incredibly upset about not being in jail anymore. he’s very impulsive, which he always was, but especially in this season. he seems a bit better by the end, though, having admitted his bipolar in court.

season 10:

well, he’s in prison for gay jesus at first, so that’s kinda obvious.

overall, he’s handling it well, but in 10x08 it’s kinda iffy…like, i don’t know what to say about it. he impulsively asks mickey to marry him despite his commitment issues and fear of marriage.

in 10x09 he confesses he doesn’t know why mickey would want to marry him because he’s bipolar. he asks mickey if he’s the crazy one for it. he seems erratic the entire time, but maybe it’s just love.

in 10x12 his brothers and mickey all ask about his meds and if he’s taken them and unlike his past self, he acts unbothered by the question and answers it simply and truthfully, saying he has taken them. also, he mentions missing monica and debbie says monica would’ve loved the wedding. that doesn’t really relate, but it kind of does, and it’s cute.

season 11:

in 11x03 ian quits his job and screams at his boss, after this in 11x04, he’s depressed. he’s sitting on the couch “eating his weight in froot loops” and drinking beer in the morning. mickey notices and is concerned, so takes him with him to work to distract him. there’s two deleted scenes in this; one where ian is laying awake in bed, unable to sleep, another where mickey expresses his concerns to ian about it and says “i gotta worry, you’re my husband.” (WATCH THE SCENE ON YOUTUBE IF YOU HAVEN’T, I LOVE IT!!!)

there’s more, and again, if there’s anything i messed up please lmk. i’m terrified of saying the wrong thing so please tell me

#ian gallagher #shameless #gallavich #mickey milkovich #shameless us #ian gallagher bipolar #monica gallagher #bipolar disorder #ian x mickey #i think this is right #there’s a lot more

[somebodylovesyougcv]

what's your better caul saul season ranking 🤨

this actually was so difficult to answer because it’s not like the ranking is favorite to least favorite??? i don’t dislike a single episode ???? Or season. They’re all so good. this is just my subjective opinion and weird logic

1. season 5. i love lalo salamanca, mcwexler marriage, BAGMAN, the entirety of wexler v. goodman (the mesa verde commercials..), jimmy actually becoming a version of saul goodman, nacho! and then him and lalo together. the little snippets we get of kim’s past. i love this season so much. Every episode is so so so so so so good. And i love lalo so bad

2. season 3. chicanery, the entire jimmy v. chuck storyline that spans the entire season is so captivating and all of it culminating in “you never really mattered all that much to me” agonizing. And brilliant; then we have the nacho storyline of him trying to take down hector to protect his father. Love it sm. I just love this whole season so much there’s so much within it. The scene of kim stumbling out of her wrecked car with the gatwood oil papers flying everywhere lives in my brain forever. Also orange jumpsuit jimmy is my favorite. More on that in the future

3. season 2. origin of giselle and viktor, wexler-mcgill!, the mesa verde 1216 scam, nacho and mike working together is a dynamic that i love so so much. erin brill my girlie! kim wexler is brilliant this whole season and so beautiful. i love watching her go at it alone (ish) in solo practice. jimmy and his davis and main cocobolo desk

4. season 6. some of the craziest television ive watched in my entire fucking life. the way the show wraps up each characters storyline by the end and gives us an ending that both hurts and makes sense and it’s so bittersweet and jimmy is redeemed! (at least to me he is) only qualm is that nacho dies. In my dream reality he lives and runs away to like michigan idk. just far away from the salamancas. But seriously like 6.07/8/9 I don’t take a single breath the whole time.

5. season 1. i love jimmy endlessly in this season, watching him try to claw his way to success. crazy ass kettlemans are also a highlight. A Mike background story! “what are you packing?” “pimento” and of course we get to meet new characters and the seasons sets up the show very nicely. ill only say that i felt like it moved slow for the first 3 episodes. But i watched it immediately following completing breaking bad and after that final season of course anything feels slow in comparison

6. season 4. this season has my favorite scam: the letter writing campaign to keep huell out of prison. but jimmy isn’t a lawyer and i miss that aspect of the show a lot. also him and kim having a weird dynamic for a while makes me sad. But lalo comes this season :) and werner ziegler which brings about the change in mike’s character which i loved to see. Also the scene of kim ripping howard a new one during the reading of chuck’s will is one of my favorite scenes ever. And her crying while jimmy reads the letter. Even though this is my “least” favorite season I still love it so bad. I love this whole show so bad

#olivia’s corner #jake thank u for this question #even though you opened a door in my brain that cannot be shut because now i just want to talk endlessly about this show

[dawllick]

How I would remake Twilight:

1. First and foremost, there will be no imprinting on babies here. Not even a no but HELL NO

2. The 5 Cullen “kids” are not already in relationships when the story starts. Emmett and Rosalie are on the verge but angst keeps them apart. Alice can’t see who she falls in love with. Jasper is in the closet. Edward is still pretty but bitchy.

3. Bella isn’t the bestest most specialish girl when she arrives. She is observed for the shiny new thing she is but is quickly forgotten as she is not sociable and has weird fascinations.

4. Jacob is there, but he is older (like by two years or smth) and gives off more big brother vibes to the audience, but Bella is smitten with him.

5. Carlisle and Esme are married, but tend to lead a more open marriage life style (consensually from both parties and neither feel like full commitment to the other), but have no plans to introduce another into the relationship. They do see Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward as their own.

6. Carlisle is less nice and more strict but not in a dickhole way. Like…could you imagine being a vampire dad to 5 fully grown monster toddlers…

7. Charlie is there and single still. But after Bella and Edward start dating, he begins to see the good doctor more. I think it would be hilarious for Charlie and Bella to both know about vampires but try to keep it secret from each other.

Charlie finds out via his budding friendship with Carlisle and his lovely wife Esme somehow idk maybe Carlisle saves him bc he is a cop. Charlie 10/10 develops a crush and gets to have all the internal dilemma that has nothing to do with sexuality but “but he’s married” kind of thing

Idk what the resolution needs to be here but yeah

8. Bella meets Edward who reacts the same but mainly due to his thirst. He misses one day of school, and returns but acts stiff and uncomfortable around her.

MEANWHILE Alice introduces herself to Bella and they become friends. Alice spending time with Bella draws in Angela and Jessica, very heavy implications that Angela is not straight.

9. Jacob shows up from time to time and there is weird tension between him and Alice. It’s where he is a werewolf and doesn’t know, but Alice has a hunch as he reeks of them. Since this is my silly AU, Jacob x Alice are long game, insane slow burn, ETL. You get forbidden romance, they can fight each other and not die, but also have so much chemistry and tension to drive people crazy. They won’t even kiss till like the final arc, won’t even be nice until like…season 3.

10. Btw in my head, each season covers 1 book, and the final battle/epilogue will be a mini series (4 seasons, and a few episodes to make up a “movie”)

11. Season one finale ends like the movie, BUT it ends with Carlisle being summoned to the Volturi.

12. The werewolf thing will be treated more as a family thing as opposed to a spiritual animal thing. And oh yeah, after Bella is like for sure about vampires being real she totally asks Edward “hey what else is real that I don’t know about” but he lies (bc he thinks that it’s protecting her)

#long post #I will add more to this later #later

[asphodelical]

The Great Anime Rewatch of 2022 - Part X

Uchouten Kazoku seasons 1-2

First watched: 2013, original airdates Rewatched: July 2022

Original ratings: 8, 7 New ratings: 8, 7

I still can’t believe this was animated by PA Works. It’s kind of hard to specifically pinpoint the reasons why I like Uchouten Kazoku. The first and obvious answer is the titular family, who have great chemistry and genuine love for each other. The chaotic situations they find themselves in are entertaining and vibrant, and there is tension in the more dangerous scenario. Yasaburo is a likable and enjoyable protagonist, though it’s a shame they got rid of his gender fluidity after the first few episodes. There’s also Benten, who has such presence, bending most of the cast and the scenes to her will. She’s fascinating to watch. 

The second season doesn’t quite do it for me in the way the first season does. I think that’s mainly due to a shift in focus from the Shimogamo’s and a darker tone. It introduces more characters and doesn’t necessarily excel at juggling them all. It also decided to get rid of the villains by way of a deus ex machina, so that wasn’t cool. It’s still got a lot of charm and heart, and the team poured their love into it. Someone else can talk about Uchouten Kazoku much better than I can. I’m really glad I revisited it. 

__________________________________

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Movie 1st & 2nd

First watched: 2013 Rewatched: July 2022

Original ratings: 8, 9 New ratings: 5, 7

I’ve got a lot of nostalgia with Nanoha. I was introduced to it back in 2007-2008 from a bunch of people on a forum. I always thought the mecha elements were super cool, and enjoyed he devices. I drew the characters so often I knew every detail of their designs from memory. In the interest of time (and better animation), I opted for the films. So how’d they do?

1st - The music is great. The pacing is wild. Precia still fucking sucks. In the end, I finished this movie without being entertained or engaged very much. If you take away the uniqueness of the sci-fi elements, then you’re left with a rather standard story that doesn’t do much for me anymore. 

2nd - Holy shit this movie is two and a half hours long. Within the first ten minutes we’re already wasting time on recapping. But after that, this is more like it. I was much more invested. It got rid of the stupid masked man story element that I never liked in the original TV series, though it failed to make Zafira anything more than just a counterpart to Arf. The biggest downside is that my old love for the series never fully returned. 

Seven Arcs continued to milk this franchise as recently as 2018. If they continue to do so, I may just have to sit it out from now on. However I’ll always appreciate Nanoha for launching Mizuki Nana into superstardom. 

__________________________________

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni & Kai

First watched: circa 2008? Rewatched: July 2022

Original ratings: 8, 8 New ratings: 4, 5

I used to love Higurashi. When Gou was released in 2020, I was excited to watch, only to drop it at eight episodes. Was it the adaptation itself, or had my affection for the franchise dissipated? 

The answer is: my affection for Higurashi dissipated. Completely. Turns out having poorly drawn and animated children make crazy faces, scream bloody murder, and mutilate each other isn’t scary anymore. If anything, the most unsettling thing about it is how the show revels in the torturous situations it puts its characters in. The comedy sections are terribly annoying and unfunny, too. Higurashi is comprised of two extremes with little to no middle ground. It doesn’t work for me. 

Kai works much better for a few main reasons: 

1. we now have a core objective.  2. there’s a middle ground between the horror and comedy.  3. instead of the question being “who will die and how?” it’s “will the party succeed?”

It doesn’t really do any of these things well enough for me to care. But Kai is much more watchable, and has a broader and more genuine emotional spectrum. Being a direct sequel, the same things I hate about the first season still plague Kai: most of the school life scenes, its dreadful sense of humor, and unintentionally hilarious/cringe worthy facial expressions.

Revisiting Higurashi was disappointing, but it was important in making me realize just how much my preferences in horror have evolved. If I want something that actually scares me, I’d reread The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, or replay Nier: Automata, or reread Ito Junji’s Uzumaki- no no no nope not that last one, nope. I don’t think I can go there again. Just like how I will not touch the Higurashi franchise ever again. 

__________________________________

Only Yesterday

First watched: March 2012 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 5 New rating: 5

English dub this time. (Does Dev Patel not have a standard American accent? His British sticks out like a sore thumb, and I don’t think his voice fits the character.) 

I think I was too young when I first watched this. I can appreciate it more now, but it still doesn’t grip me the way some of Takahata’s other films do. I find the narration and dialogue focusing on processes and farming to be incredibly dull, and some of the scenes feel too long. Also, everyone in Taeko’s family treats her like absolute garbage, FOR WHAT? I’m surprised she didn’t grow up to be more damaged. 

The final scene is absolutely beautiful, though. Takahata’s work is always focused and dedicated to the human life—how different people and experiences shape us, what they make us feel, and how we process those emotions. His films cover a broader emotional spectrum than most directors could dream of. I may not love Only Yesterday, but watching the physicality of these characters is such a masterclass in visual language. Show, don’t tell. 

__________________________________

Perfect Blue

First watched: October 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 9 New rating: 9

Perfect Blue is still unsettling and scary as it always has been. With the way idol culture and worship has only escalated since the rise of social media, this feels even more icky and relevant. I can’t imagine what Perfect Blue would’ve been like if had been made today, and if Kon would’ve survived.

__________________________________

Summer Wars

First watched: August 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 4

Since Summer War’s initial release in 2009, depictions of the internet and avatars is no longer a unique concept. By now it’s become rather tired, and several sub-genres are identified with the concept. But Summer Wars also revolves around a disgustingly large family with too many characters who simply exist for the sake of existing. It was an unfocused narrative that provided little to interest or entertain me. And the romance? Kill me. 

Hosoda Mamoru’s work doesn’t nearly work for me in the way it does for a lot of other people. I absolutely abhor The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and thought very little of Wolf Children. I remember nothing about Bakemono no Ko, but I have it rated as a 6. After watching Belle, which had the EXACT SAME OPENING SEQUENCE from Summer Wars, right down to a big ass whale, I think his problem is that he’s trying to do too much in his films. There’s so much extraneous, irrelevant nonsense that’s an absolute waste of the audience’s time. Things happen way too conveniently. The content of the film does not justify the length. Film is a medium where less tends to be more, and simplicity is often best. Hosoda Mamoru is a director with a vision, but he is not a competent storyteller. His work simply isn’t for me. 

#anime

[bisexualmultifandommess]

I’m pretending that she either accepted or she ended up sailing for a bit, came back and they ruled as a power couple because I’m still not over this I’m gonna read all the fix-it fics

#game of thrones #game of thrones memes #memes #gendry waters #gendry baratheon #arya stark #gendrya #gendry x arya #arya x gendry #she comes back and marries him #but it’s an equal marriage and she has just as much power #they have kids too #one of them has to be called robb #isn’t it crazy that season 8 ended after 3 episodes #and there wasn’t anymore #they’re in love

[dailybuddie]

#i guess buck would know

[Image Description: 8 small gifs from 9-1-1, all of Evan Buckley. The first gif is in black and white and the rest are in color. Gif 1: A scene from season 5, episode 2. Buck shakes his head as he speaks to Eddie, saying, "That's not the way you talk about someone you're in love with." Gif 2: A scene from season 2, episode 4. Buck sits down on his couch, a fond smile on his face as he speaks to Maddie, "He [Eddie] loves that kid like crazy. He's a really great dad." Gif 3: A scene from season 2, episode 10. The elf has just said to Buck, "You two have an adorable son." Buck smiles in surprise and ducks his head bashfully, saying, "Um..." He looks back at Eddie and then at the elf and says, "Thank you." Gif 4: A scene from season 3, episode 3. On the phone with Maddie, covered with cuts and bruises and tears in his eyes, Buck says, anguished, "How do you tell your best friend that you lost his son?" Gif 5: A scene from season 3, episode 3. A close up of Buck's face, looking awed and stunned. The text reads his voiceover: "A few choice words can sometimes be the life raft that gets you home. To be seen...to be found...isn't that what we're all searching for?" Gif 6: A scene from season 3, episode 15. After Eddie has been buried underground, Buck insists to Bobby, looking scared and panicked, "Okay, then we dig by hand [to rescue Eddie]." Gif 7: A scene from season 4, episode 14. Buck fights back tears as he speaks to Chris, telling him, "You know, your dad...he's as tough as nails. He's a fighter." Gif 8: A scene from season 4, episode 14. Buck stares into the distance as he speaks to Carla, saying, "The team feels off without Eddie." /End ID]

#911edit #911 fox #ours #neethu #gif #buck #buddie #multi #buddieedit #evanbuckleyedit #userdhylen #tuserksn #userpaolo #userisha #userkitkaat #usermissjessie #userceecee #useraustin #useralie #usertriz #usermaripal #userdorksinlove

[starstress]

Void Touched: Grian (and Mumbo and Scar) after the Voidfall – A Theory

A fresh new season, a fresh new start. Boatem has disbanded, but it seems like no matter what, Grian and Mumbo always stick together and this time they’ve pulled Scar with them too.

Very similar to last season’s start, the three of them as well as a couple other go off exploring together and then Scar’s cycle of death begins, like a prophesized oath. And this time, they seem very eager to count lives.

You could argue, “But Star, Grian and Mumbo are always bloodthirsty. Last Life and Season 8 are prime examples of that!” and yes, you’d be correct! 3rd Life and Last Life have been exceptionally death-filled experiences and we all remember how eagerly Mumbo kept using End Crystals and how Grian would keep sacrificing Scar to the Boatem Hole like a blood cultist leader. However, it seems, it feels like something has pushed their fondness for respawn mechanics to 110. In only the first hour, Scar has died upwards of 10 times, at the hand of Mumbo and Grian both.

This isn’t Last Life, Hermitcraft isn’t Last Life. And yet, it seems like after the Voidfall after the Moonfall, 3 of Boatem’s members have had their bloodlust cranked up like crazy. (Note that I have yet to watch Impulse’s and Pearl’s episodes and Mumbo’s and Scar’s are not yet out at the time of writing this.)

It’s all fun and games until once turns into thrice and jokes turn into habits and the life counter keeps on rolling.

(putting the rest of it under a cut since it’s a LONG read. Consider reblogging it if you liked it!!)

At this point, Grian’s developed a very intriguing habit: creating and giving life to entities. NPG, whatever the everloving heck the hippy stuff was, Grumbot, the Mycelium, the Boatem Hole and now, The Entity. THE Entity. With each season and season half, it seems like Grian upscales his creations towards something more and more sentient and eager to absorb. And absorb Life at that. Seems like he finally is set on reaching his Magnum Opus. But. Is it only his Magnum Opus?

Now, to go back a bit.

Grian has another equally intriguing habit: Death and Chaos games. The Civil War, Dig Straight Down, Tag 1 & 2, the Mycelium War, 3rd Life, Last Life. A few others I’m probably forgetting about.

Notably, Last Life was somewhat a different brand of chaos. It had an entity, possessing players and making them kill alongside the already dangerous Red Lives – the Bogeyman. It’s a combo of the aforementioned habits Grian’s developed over the years, both the creation of life and the war games coming together life a refined potion mix. And out of that series we got something unexpected – lore.

Admittedly, this comes from a side source, Martyn InTheLittleWood, who did say that the lore aspect is something that he came up with for himself rather than for the entire member list. Doesn’t mean that we cannot apply this to our own theories, however, since Grian is known for his mischievous ways and for teasing fans in subtle ways. Most worthy of notice is his instance of him pranking Mumbo with signposts while invisible due to a game bug: “Always watching” and “Behind you”. (Lately there’s been more and more talk of him actually stalking about on Hermitblr which at this point I’m mildly inclined to agree with.)

The lore that was given to us is as such: Confirmation of Grian as a Watcher as well as the Watchers themselves being responsible for 3rd Life and Last Life. This has HUGE implications for many many things, but for now it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

Right, so that’s Last Life. The series ended before Season 8 did and so is seen as an event that has happened to the affected Hermits during the Hermitcraft season. Coincidentally, it is after the end of that bloodlust-filled series that the Moon in Hermitcraft starts getting bigger – pushed out of orbit and on collision course with Planet Hermitcraft 8. At the last possible moment, the people of Boatem jump into the Boatem Hole – into the cold unflinching Void.

Now, from the start of its existence, the Boatem Hole has been the centre of attention and the focus of many theories and stories, amongst which that the Hole was the Void either given sentience through the lives sacrificed to it by the Boatem Crew, either given wide access to the Overworld surface and once again taught to anticipate lives on a silver platter. Most were Scar’s lives, a detail to remember. (I myself have one such fic which can be found here: link. Grian takes a brief trip into the Void.)

I’ll take a brief moment to touch upon how Mumbo and Scar themselves are affected as a result of these series of events, mostly along the way:

Mumbo: Despite his usage of End Crystals from the very beginning of Season 8, Mumbo takes his killing strategy into Last Life. It’s worth to note that ever since Grian has joined HC, Mumbo has been growing ever more chaotic, likely influenced by his gremlin of a friend, but his own chaos takes a very different form, despite being similar. Mumbo decides to avoid tainting his game stats and instead uses a “peaceful” method of delivering his execution. Another thing that I can’t omit is the way Mumbo may or may not have created some lore for his own character: A shapeshifter that transforms into that which he eats. He goes from human to potato to carrot to human again after consuming Grian’s soul. And, at the end of it all, it is Grian who baits him into breaking his Peace, Love and Plants oath.

Scar: Well known for his Vex character lore, Scar himself often takes the form of a Wizard or Magician. Also well known for his many deaths and inability to survive more than a few hours consistently, Scar’s presence in both 3rd Life, Last Life and Season 8 takes the form of the Sacrificial Lamb. Fast to lose his green and yellow lives in both series, as well as being captured by the Bogeyman curse in the latter, Scar seems to orbit around Grian. Allies first, with Scar eagerly ready to give his life so that Grian may be crowned winner for the friendship and help he showed Scar. Reluctant neutral parties second, with Grian feeling guilt for delivering death to Scar’s doorstep again and again, as such avoiding him and allying with the Southlands, yet bittersweetly being the reason Scar ends up as a Red Life again. Grian is also the biggest reason why Scar ends up swallowed by the Boatem Hole the most, second only to Scar’s own impending gravity to the Hole.

Right. To reiterate: Grian loves giving life to beings with mysterious goals, adores creating death games and is a confirmed Watcher who has unwittingly been the cause of many mysterious events. However, something feels amiss, especially when it comes to the Boatem Hole. The Void itself is an enigmatic entity, but we cannot say that it was Grian who gave it life. Rather…he gave it sentience. And fed it. And the Boatem Crew became its cult as they continued feeding it with each other’s souls. In the end, the Void grew fond of Boatem, and thus decided to cradle them into its inky nothingness as the Moon fell. It gave them shelter as they had in turn offered themselves to it.

So…what if, now that they’re on a new planet, on a new world, with a new update, the Void decides to be admired once more? Grian and Mumbo have killed Scar in that one ravine many times as Scar even called it Boatem 2.0. They did it again and again and Scar somehow never called for them to put a stop to it. He accepted each death as it came, either at the hands of his friend or the environment or his own actions. And Grian and Mumbo killed each other directly and indirectly and laughed in the face of it all.

What if they felt the Call of the Void?

What if Grian, Watcher and being of unbridled chaos and life and death, was haunted by the Void?

What if, in his own mischief, Grian fell trap to the consequences of his own actions?

What if, touched and chosen by the Void, he became a Vassal for the Void to gain form as it gained sentience?

(Folks I did NOT expect to write a 1.5k+ words essay following the very beginning of this new season, but here we are. What the HECK is up with this new season?? Also I’m calling this the Vassal Grian Theory (or Void Vassal Grian Theory if y’all wanna be fancy) or Void Touched Theory. Reblog and tell me your thoughts 👀 I’m going to sleep LMAO)

#grian #hermitcraft #hermitcraft season 9 spoilers #hermitcraft spoilers #hermitcraft season 9 #cult mention #tw cult mention #vassal grian theory #void vassal grian theory #watcher grian #mumbo jumbo #goodtimeswithscar #void touched theory #mine #star.text #star.post

[qwenck]

guys i had such a weird dream last night. it was about hermitcraft season 8, except things were surreal and shit. a list of stuff that happened in the dream:

- pearlescentmoon and another youtuber named geminitay joined hermitcraft. i really liked their videos (in the dream) but i’m not sure if geminitay actually exists. she had a cute voice though

- there was this bottomless pit that grian, mumbo, scar, impulse, and pearlescentmoon liked throwing people down

- joe still had his lime green hair from season 7. probably should have tipped me off that it was a dream

- tango enlarged his eyes in order to fit in with bdubs and keralis. it went away after a while but then all three of them had red sunglasses

- bdubs had a moss hoodie for some reason???

- cubfan became an eboy

- evil x, but with capitalism

- etho and iskall had a joint base in the middle of some really janky looking terrain. i don’t even know if that kinda terrain can even happen in minecraft but it looked really cool (i think. i don’t really remember. i remember thinking it looked cool)

- the moon started getting big? and the hermits started freaking out about it

- also joe had this catchy rap in his first episode.

- blocks started floating up and disappearing (because of the moon)

- the hermits started getting random effects (because of the moon)

- mumbo started a no-sleep cult (because of the moon)

- wait did i forget to mention mumbo? y’all will want to hear about mumbo, he went real crazy in that dream

- for starters he was vegan

- then he was a vegan potato

- then he was vegan potato superman

- then he was vegan potato cowboy (and started killing things with end crystals)

- he claimed the end crystals made killing people and animals “ethical“

- then he was vegan potato batman

- then he made a super cool mountain base. with like terraforming. and spent most of his season building it

- he didn’t end up doing much redstone, actually

- anyways then he put a texture pack on to make donkeys look like racecars. then he started calling his donkey a “sports horse”

- he also had a theme song. i think it was called “fast horse” or smth

- and he was the ceo of the bottomless pit. grian voted him into the position

- wild.

- anyway did i mention evil x. he was mind controlling xisuma and also minting cryptocurrency

- and also animated. evil x was animated

- and he turned jevin green (?) and turned beef into some kinda monster from some video game

- also zedaph did a whole “mad scientist” thing and put villagers in test tubes

- and experimented on other hermits

- and then those hermits experimented on him

- cubfan joined like 3 different cults/religions

- cleo owned a gym and had a whole 80s (i think?) workout outfit as her skin

- and a fitness line. she also had a fitness line.

- also tfc was there and made a branch mine

- doc and ren had a joint base together and called themselves “octagon”

- and they ran an arg and also made a cult

- and ren also had goat horns by the end of the season

- the moon eventually crashed into the server and everybody died, or got stuck in the void if they had airtight astronaut/crash dummy suits

- and then i woke up

this is the first time i’ve ever dreamed about hermitcraft (that i can remember) and it’s been fuckin weird anyways still can’t wait for season 8! hope this isn’t a bad omen

edit: oh.

edit 2:

oh

#hermitcraft #unreality

[lotzzoforangezoutside]

30-Fic Rec Challenge

I stumbled back into reading X-Files fanfic shortly after my birthday last year, so it’s been roughly a year of reading over 350 fanfics. I recently did a 30-book rec challenge and thought it was a good exercise.

So here’s my list for 30 recommended X-Files fanfic-- many oldies but so good. I tried not to repeat on the authors but got one double-whammy. Oops.

Oh, and they are all MSR, of course they are.

1. Currently reading: The Eden Series by Char Chaffin

Taken hostage during a 'deep cover' operation, Mulder and Scully lose   their memories, their very existence as humans… and must find a way to   survive against overwhelming odds… only to discover the monster responsible   for their attempted demise is still out there in the world - and making new   plans for them...         

2. A short fic you like: Detour by Apostrophic

“Second verse.”

3. A novel-length fic you like: Vox Mulder: Fired and Wired by darwin_xf  

When did the rash, brash, solipsistic, arrogant Agent Mulder quit his ditching and bitching ways and morph into the attuned, sensitive, generous, still gorgeous guy who wooed and won Scully (a-gain) years later? What if the giving started with a donation? Hmmmm. Begins at the end of season six and weaves through season seven... And perhaps beyond? Grounded in canon, but diverges in places. Replaces the Amor Fati trilogy. Here's my take on what woulda happened if the writers didn't harbor undue aggression toward the characters...

4. An AU fic that you like: Any Other Name by Louise Marin

Different dreamers live different Dreams. Will they ever be the same again?                            

5. A fic you like that has a person’s name in the title: Belphegor's Prime by Prufrock's Love

When someone wrote Time Travel for Dummies, the guidebook should include a chapter titled "Love as a Form of Self-flagellation." Or "She's Your Touchstone, You're a Stranger." Mulder's old files documented time travel, parallel universes, and wormholes. Back in the day, he'd been a regular G-man with a hot partner, a hazy job description, and a plan to thwart an alien invasion. Then the world ended. Scully vanished. And none of his X-files offered any guidance on romance in a time of pleated pants and shoulder pads. 

6. A fic that made you feel nostalgic: Eli, Eli Author by Marguerite

How do you pick up the pieces when the pieces have disappeared?

7. A fic that made you cried: Anamorphosis by Megan Reilly

Assigned to find a horrifying serial murderer, Agent Scully discovers things about herself and her past that she never suspected.

8. A fic you like that’s written by an author that’s passed away: Thank You for Shopping at K-Mart by Brandon D. Ray

Fill-in-the-blank for Arcadia. You gotta figure that the FBI evidence room wouldn't have been able to provide Moose and Squirrel with quite *everything* they needed for playing house together, right?

9. A fic you like that has a title of less than three words: Grand Seven by Jess Mabe

When Mulder voluntarily disappears, Scully traces him to an oil drilling platform in the Grand Banks. But what she finds there will lead her question everything she believes she knows about... extra-terrestrials.

10.A post-episode fic you like: 10:24 pm, Apt. 42, 2630 Hegal Place, Alexandria by leyenn

Hospitals, shadowy conspiracies, lies, deceit and insomnia - it's pretty much a standard week. There has to be another side to it all, or they'd go... well, even more crazy. Right?

11.A fic that you wish to be televised: The Games We Play by Wintersong

Mulder and Scully participate in an FBI wargame that raises interesting questions about what game is being played...and the identities of the players.

12.A cute fic: Melioration by Oracle

A late autumn bloom.

13.A fic that made your heart raced: Tine Rua by Menagerie  

Phoebe Green is back and Scully isn't having it. Phoebe tries to enlist Mulder's help with a case and gets the agents engtangled in an international crime.

14.A scary fic: And if I make my bed in Sheol by Threeguesses   

Mulder becomes his own x-file.

15.A fic you like that has the word love in the title:  Ghost, A Love Story By Jenna Tooms

The dead are always with us.

16. One of the first fics you remember really liking: Wager by Sweet Almond

Phoebe challenges Scully to a contest that she cannot refuse.

17. A good casefile: Psyched by Ten    

What do you do when a vengeful psychic lets loose embarrassing info about your partner, then, as an encore, reveals one of your own dark secrets?

18. A fic you like that has a color in the title: Blue Christmas by Plausible Deniability 

'Tis the night before Christmas, and Scully's holiday is turning out a little differently than she expected.

19. A fic you that you’ve read several times: Jasper's Last Thought by MD1016

Scully is abducted again, and returned to find her world has changed.

20. A fic in your ‘to-read’ list: Heuvelmans' On the Track by The_Mythopoeic 

No summary provided by author.

21. A *classic* fic that you’ve not read but have been meaning to read: Blood Oranges by syntax6           

The latest victim in a series of brutal murders  has a surprising connection to Mulder, but it's Scully who  has the connection to the killer.  Their relationship might  not survive either one.

22. A fic you read as a WIP or the author did not finish: 87 Shades of Black by Slipping Mickeys

When, once again, the most important choices of Mulder and Scully's lives are made for them, they learn that sometimes the best way to take back control is to simply fade to black.

23. A fic you’d recommend to a Phile who doesn’t read fic: a weatherman to know which way the wind blows by zauberer_sirin     

These are not all the ways and whys and hows Mulder loves Scully, just some. In reverse.

24. A dark fic: The Darkest Hour by Prufrock's Love

The Consortium intends to destroy Mulder by  traumatizing Scully, but instead, Mulder learns two  lessons: his capacity to love, and her ability live.

25. A fic you like that has an element of time in the title: Five Years and One Night by Shalimar

No summary provided by author.

26. A fic you like that was written before 2000: All the Mulders by Alloway

In the alien-controlled post-Project future, the bond between Scully and Mulder evolves into a strange and bittersweet romance.

27. A fic you read a while ago that stayed in your head: Objects Are Closer Than They Appear by Waywar

Arcadia post-ep story

28. A fic that you wish was longer, or hope for sequels: I Have Known A Boy Named Fox, and A Man Named Mulder by Penny Daza

Mulder becomes Fox.  It's a journey that he and Scully could not have ever prepared for.

29. The last fic you finished: Seeds Of Synchronicity by mountainphile

Six years after the events of "Aubrey," Scully and Mulder revisit the Missouri town to confront old demons and lay new ones to rest.

30.A fic you want to recommend just because: Small Lives Awake by Jesemie's Evil Twin

Thanksgiving, 2000.  

#fic recs #fanfic recommendation #challenge #merry christmas! #x-files fanfic #the x files

[erosia-rhodes]

Top 9 Newbie thoughts on Supernatural after Six Months of Madness

I started watching Supernatural a week before the series finale, and full disclosure, it was only because I heard about the gay angel. I loved me some Good Omens, so I decided to check out a series my only previous thoughts about had been, "Is that show still on?" In the past six months, I've watched about fifty percent of the episodes scattered across all fifteen seasons. I've also spent time following the bonkers-in-the-best-way fandom on Tumblr, and here is what I have learned:

1) Everyone who loves Supernatural also hates Supernatural

No one is capable of praising this show without also trashing it. Supernatural is as awful as it is awesome. Watching Supernatural is like hate-fucking your nemesis against a wall; you're totally conflicted about it, but it's enormously pleasurable and you know you're going to do it over and over again. No one has a pure, untainted love for this show. They only have complicated emotions. This is because…

2) The fact that the show needs to be fixed is an essential part of its appeal

Strangely, if this show were better, it wouldn't be as popular. If you love a show that is perfect, you watch it once or twice or thrice, make a bunch of memes, and move on with your life two years later when you find something else to hyper-fixate on. If you love a show that's broken, you spend the rest of your life obsessed with fixing it. It's the crooked photo hanging on the wall that yearns to be straightened (because, you know, this show is bad at making things straight). It's the stray dog you know would be adoptable if you fattened it up and socialized it with your other dogs, and just like some people can't stop rescuing animals, Supernatural fans can't stop thinking about how to fix a show that isn't great, but could be with a flea bath and a trip to the groomers. Supernatural fans are not fans of the actual show, but of the show they imagine it could be, one that only exists in an alternate universe. They are in love with the Platonic ideal of Supernatural. That's also the reason why…

3) The fans understand the characters and themes better than 95% of the people who worked on the show

The people who watch Supernatural have thought about it way, way, way, more than anyone who produced it. I have read complex essays about what the color of people's clothing imply and how the state of the Impala reflects the state of Dean's mental health and other things I'm certain this show did not do intentionally. People can find depth in the shallowest aspects of this series. Any random fan could explain the complicated dynamics of the Winchester family and the overriding themes of the series better than most of the people who worked on it. That includes the LGBTQ stuff, which leads to the fact that…

4) The show is simultaneously too gay and not gay enough

On one end of the spectrum are fans who are offended you would dare to suggest one of the Winchesters might like kissing a boy and they'll shove you in a locker and duct tape your butt cheeks together for it. On the other end of the spectrum are fans who think it's odd that every episode doesn't end with two attractive men dry humping in a dark corner of the bunker library. No one is happy with the level of gayness on this show. It's always got too much "No Homo" or too much queer subtext, which is why I've concluded that…

5) The audience this show wanted is not the audience they got and they are resentful of it

The original pitch for this show targeted a male demographic who’s into toxic masculinity in a non-ironic way. It was about bros and beers and muscle cars and shotguns and hot chicks who will be killed to further the man's storyline. However, when making that show, they accidentally created a show that attracted female viewers who liked speculating about the queer subtext of each scene while looking at pretty men with traumatic backstories fight back their man tears. The show depends on the unintended audience segment to survive, but is bitter about it, which they remind you of time and time again by killing the female and non-white characters and toying with endless queer-baiting. It's like the writers got a plane to Rome, ended up in a gay nightclub in Amsterdam instead, and even though the canals and tulips make it a lovely city to visit, they wanted to go to Rome, damnit, and they'll never let you forget it! I also suspect that…

6) The people who made this show were at constant war with each other

This show has such a split personality. Sometimes it leans into the gay stuff and other times it makes fun of it outright. Sometimes they'll introduce an interesting side character that could make the show more diverse and then they'll slaughter that person for practically no reason. Sometimes they praise free will and other times they force people down pre-destined paths. The writers feel like a dysfunctional family stuck at Thanksgiving dinner endlessly squabbling with each other—who then had to write a TV show together over dessert. That's why it's such a weird hot mess. The show's unevenness makes me think that…

7) Some people's attachment to the show can only be explained by the fact that it imprinted on them when they were young

Some fans have mentioned they started watching Supernatural when they were kids. It's a pretty common experience to go back and watch things you loved when you were a kid and realize they were…not so good. Your memories of them are far better than the reality of them, but you cling to them anyway. The shows you watch when you're young imprint on you in a way you never forget. Supernatural fans are like a baby duck who looks up at a cat and assumes it’s their mother. Then that cat slices open their poor little hearts, leaving them wounded but not dead, forever be toyed with in agony. The only relief is that…

8) The fandom is batshit insane in the best way

I started following the Supernatural fandom on Tumblr in November of 2020 and OMG, it was AH-MAZE-ING. It was total insanity. I didn't understand half of what was going on, but it was more fun than a yard full of puppies doing zoomies. People were posting detailed PowerPoint presentations theorizing how the series would end, citing extensive physical evidence like the background in Misha's hotel room. People learned election results through Supernatural memes. Destiel went canon every other week. When the Spanish dub was released, Tumblr literally crashed! Obama's Twitter was following a Destiel account. There was a Twitter wedding for Destiel on Valentine's Day, which made the one-month anniversary on Pi Day.

It's been a ride, y'all. I have no idea how you guys survived fifteen years of this. The fandom has been so much fun that I actually sat down and watched more than 100 hours of this show so I could understand everything better. It's like the show is an extension of the fandom instead of vice versa. If anything sums up Supernatural for me, that's it. It's all about the fandom and the show is secondary to that. It's like the fans willed the show into existence as part of some partially botched spell. And part of that twisted spell is that…

9) The show will never die until someone finds its bones and burns them

This show has been off the air for more than six months now and it keeps trending on Tumblr consistently. Misha recently trended on Twitter simply because he was at the Oscars. That was it! He didn't even do anything there, he just attended, and some people figured it out by the reflection in a photo posted by someone else! And just as I was proofreading this post, Destiel started trending again because John Cena is a stan or something? This fandom is crazy and unpredictable and I love it like Dean loves pie! If there ever does come a time when this show stops trending, that will be the moment when they decide to reboot it or revisit it.

There is a lot more I could say about this show, but these were the elements that seemed most unique and bizarre about it. I wouldn't say Supernatural is a ride-or-die fandom for me, and I have no intention of watching another 100 hours of this series, but it's been hella' fun to drop in for a while. The show is just as much a dysfunctional mess as the Winchester family and I guess that's why people love it, right?

#supernatural #spn #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #jensen ackles #jared padalecki #misha collins #destiel #the cw #tv #television

[rhetorical-ink]

Haikyuu!! SPOILERS: Chapter 401, How We Connect the Dots.

**PENULTIMATE SPOILERS BELOW**

I just posted a video with my live reactions to the chapter, but here are my highlights, because FURUDATE YOU MADMAN GENIUS. This chapter connected so much together. So, let’s do:

My Top 10 Thoughts on Haikyuu!! Chapter 401:

10. Of course. In true Furudate fashion, he has Kageyama block the spike from Hinata, BUT, what Kageyama doesn’t realize is all the training on the beach Shoyo has done to prepare for such a moment. And that heel kick! *swoons* Also, someone reacting to Season 4, Episode 9 of the anime, where Hinata kicks the ball back to himself called this happening all those months ago...Furudate is next level at foreshadowing. Not that we didn’t already know that.

9. Hey, remember how in the VERY FIRST chapter of Haikyuu!! Shoyo did this crazy run across the court to score? Yeah, Furudate knows we remember. And he pulls this -- and Kageyama’s beautiful reaction, only for --

-- Only for it to all be a DECOY. Kageyama, you made this monster, you know. I love that Shoyo has come all this way from wanting to score all the points to accepting that the decoy DOES have a vital role to play, and in this instance, it’s allowing Bokuto to score the winning point for the MSBY Black Jackals. Just look at that smile! And of course, Tanaka and Asahi KNOW the power of Hinata as a Decoy...because they’ve been in Bokuto’s shoes before. 

8. UGH, the aftermath of that moment is glorious, which will detail down below -- but I love Shoyo and Kageyama’s interaction, though. How they’re still keeping track of each other’s wins and losses, exhausting Miya, hilariously, and showing that they’re on equal footing now, after all these years. This chapter is just cementing the last several chapters’ worth of character development. 

7. ARE YOU SHIPPERS READY FOR YOUR FOOD?!

Because these next few pages were healing my shipper heart. I mean, yes, the Kagehina fanbase is raving right now, but let’s talk about THESE ships below, starting with:

Tsukishima x Yamaguchi:

So, Tsukishima, of course, is not sappy about any of this and just points out how the season’s just getting started (ready the fanfics, y’all). 

And of course, Yamaguchi wants to watch Tsuki play! Yachi says she’ll come too! I LOVE how just like he was with Akiteru, he doesn’t want them to come watch (even though we all know he’ll love it when they’re there). Now, some people have commented that Yamaguchi could be with Yachi, but y’all...Yachi is in Tokyo. Yamaguchi and Tsuki both live in Miyagi. I can’t wait for all the Sendai Frog/TsukiYama fanfics!

If you’re looking for an extra Kagehina crumble, just look at the end of this adorable exchange between Romero, smol adorable Rubens, and Shoyo (who perfectly crouches down to talk to him MY HEART I CAN’T), to see Kageyama notice that Shoyo can speak multiple languages...oh, honey! If only you know about Hinata and Pedro’s marathons of DBZ in Portugese and English! ^^

Also, Furudate WE SEE YOU. We see you being meta and implying that now Haikyuu!! is over, he’s moving on...Akaashi’s line about going forward hit me hard...it’s like he’s telling us, the fandom, that going on to start something new isn’t so bad. SO YOU SAY. 

BOKUAKA NATION -- WE CANON NOW, RIGHT?!

I love that Akaashi gets to interview Bokuto (IS HE GOING TO BE THE STAR of the Volleyball manga Tenma Udai is writing?! He would be PERFECT for it!) and how happy Akaashi looks, even if he and Bokuto realize how differently they view the term “normal.” 

ALSO, it’s implied above that Akaashi, Bokuto, and Tenma were going out for drinks...which now....we know that it’s just Bokuto and Akaashi, since Tenma was going home. Uhm, FAN FIC WRITERS ASSEMBLE!

I also love that Udai joins the club, along with Fukurodani’s coach and manager, of people who realize that Bokuto and Akaashi are weirdos but they are weirdos together, so it’s fine. 

Keeping the “Ship Train” going, we get little bits of Shimizu x Yachi from the bathhouse before the Inarizaki Match, where Kiyoko finally acknowledges she is okay showing her legs...thanks to Yachi’s words. I also find Suga wanting to know “the tea” on the situation to be adorable. 

AND FINALLY, YES, Y’ALL:

I was spoiled with Kuroo’s return, but seriously, Furudate, you saved him for the end here so INTENTIONALLY. 

Because OF COURSE Kuroo would work for the JVA. As a promoter. CONNECTING people...with Volleyball...because that’s the Nekoma way.

And FURUDATE ARE YOU SUGGESTING TO US THAT KUROO AND KENMA ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS BECAUSE MY KUROKEN HEART IS SOARING -- 

-- and let it be known Atsumu Miya rightfully doesn’t trust Kuroo, and neither does Sakusa. A nice SakuAtsu crumb where we actually see Sakusa agree with Miya without sacrasm or question! Poor Shoyo is a salesman’s dream, though. I mean, Kuroo does look a little sketchy in some of those shots...BUT....

6. Kuroo’s speech about sports was SO fitting. Seriously, everything he says here is BASICALLY what makes Haikyuu!! such a great series. I DID laugh out loud at the line about “hardly anybody dies.” 

*Flashbacks to “Dead Daichi” meme*

5. It’s taken us the ENTIRE series, but Kageyama finally talks to Kindaichi and Kunimi. This was so heartwarming, seeing Kageyama wanting to play WITH THEM. AS A TEAM. This made my heart expand three sizes. The character development on Kageyama, and Kindaichi, is through the roof.

I also LOVE Kunimi the most in these panels. Kunimi is a MOOD. 

Y’ALL. I’VE WAITED 400 CHAPTERS FOR THIS PANEL OF THESE THREE HAPPY AND BECOMING FRIENDS AGAIN.

4. I love that Hoshiumi doesn’t see Hinata as a Rival, but as someone that is going to help him show the rest of the world the strength of someone who doesn’t have height. I also find it interesting that we see the Japanese Olympic Coach walking out just as Hoshiumi gives us that beautiful gaze. So...does Hoshiumi know he’s going to be on the Olympic team, with Hinata, maybe? Foreshadowing, perhaps?

3. Okay, okay, I held it together until this page. 

It wasn’t Ushijima’s panel with Washijo that got me.

It wasn’t Saeko and Akane reuniting, though that was sweet. 

It wasn’t the three “Pure Captains” reuniting, though it made my heart happy.

It honestly wasn’t the five first years together, either. They’re all so happy and having a laugh at Kageyama’s expense, and as beautiful as that panel is.

SUGAWARA IN LINE TO GET KAGEYAMA’S AUTOGRAPH.

That is what got me. 

Him in line, so meekly, to get the autograph of his kouhai, the man Suga joked would have to tell about how much he learned from HIM when he was giving out interviews and autographs...I just...Sugawara made me cry. That is all. 

2. Then there’s this last page. 2021. 

"We overcame difficulties and stand here.”

Furudate really said “screw you” to Covid messing up the timeline.

Yes, seeing Kageyama and Hinata in their original jersey numbers was amazing, but I think we all saw that coming if these two happened to get on the Olympic team. 

What I want to focus on are the two countries we see included in the bottom corner here. We see: 

Brazil -- and some fluffy haired man carrying the flag for the team.

And we see the United States -- there’s several American Flags and stars and stripes on the shirts of the crowd, there.

SO, HEADCANON TIME: 

* Oikawa was on the Argentinean League, so could he play for Brazil? It’s not likely, but not impossible....BUT, I don’t think that’s it.

I don’t think Oikawa is on Japan’s National Team for the Olympics.

If he is on the Olympic Team, I think he’ll be on America’s. 

Why? Because, and this could be because I’m the biggest IwaOi shipper, but Iwaizumi was still in the United States with Ushijima’s father at the end of Chapter 395. And if he’s still there, there is no reason why Iwaizumi couldn’t be a physical trainer alongside Ushijima’s father for the U.S. Olympic team. And why wouldn’t Oikawa trek over to the States to be on the same team as Iwa-Chan’s working with? I’m probably wrong, BUT -- 

We also still need to see Seijoh’s banner, and as others have theorized, how fitting would it be to see Hinata, Kageyama, and (probably) Ushijima on the team facing Oikawa? I just....I’m betting money that Oikawa shows up in 402. I hope we at least see him on the Olympic Stage. OIKAWA DESERVES IT. 

1. So, who are we missing that hasn’t been shown yet?

We still need to see the rest of Nekoma (Lev, Yaku, Yamamoto, Kai....could they be in the stands or on the Japan team? I guess we’ll find out!)

We haven’t seen Daishou and Mika -- I would love to see them watching or narrating in the audience during the Olympic game.

And finally, yes, we’ve seen Tendo in the Chapter 395 flashback, but we’ve never seen what he’s DOING. Furudate has shown us with every character what they’ve been doing since the timeskip....EXCEPT TENDO. I’m calling it that he’ll appear one more time next chapter, too.

So....guys....I’m staying off of Social Media from Wednesday to Sunday next week, to prep for the last chapter and not be spoiled. I’m going to do a live reaction for YouTube, and I’ll post it here. You can see the one I did for 401 now. 

Furudate, this series has been immaculate. Time for one more round.

Let’s all cry together next week.

#Haikyuu!! #Haikyuu spoilers #Haikyuu 401 #Haikyuu 395 #Haikyuu theory #Haikyuu time skip #Hq spoilers #thank u furudate #furudate you genius #Y'ALL I CAN'T #Kagehina #Tsukiyama #Atsusaku #Bokuaka #Tenma Udai #Bokuto #Akaashi #kageya #hinata shoyo #ushijim #Iwaizumi #Iwaoi #Oikawa #Tendo #Sugawara #Suga made me cry #yamaguchi #tsukishima #sendai frogs #MSBY Black Jackals

[neongreengummiebears]

Disorganized Thoughts on Sex Education Season 3

I binge watched the entirety of season 3 on Friday, and after sitting with it for a couple days, I have composed myself enough to offer some thoroughly disorganized thoughts on what I’ve seen. 

     While I did enjoy many things about this season, I don’t understand the people who claim it was the strongest. In fact, I believe that it was the weakest. I don’t know what exactly happened during the delay, but I swear they have to have lost staff. Writers, perhaps editors? Whoever usually reins things in a bit, keeps the show grounded, and everyone in character. Whoever had that job, they’re either gone, or they’ve just stopped giving a fuck which, while relatable, is unfortunate in regards to this show. Now what do I mean by that? Let me elaborate:

1. This season was gross. And I don’t mean in general, like I didn’t like it. No, I mean that the writers decided that being sexually explicit wasn’t funny enough and decided to add just a fuck-ton of fart jokes and toilet humor. And I get it, okay? This show prides itself on being crass. But you can be crass without being disgusting. I acknowledge that this comes entirely down to personal preference, but I can’t stand toilet humor and I feel like this season really ramped it up. Every episode was someone farting or talking about shit, or that god forsaken thrice cursed bus scene. Sex doesn’t gross me out, talk about sex all fucking day I don’t care, but I don’t need to watch an extended scene of someone digging their own shit out of a bus toilet in a sock and chucking it out the window onto someone’s car. And even just smaller things, like Aimee talking about the flour constipating her or her taking a massive shit in Jean’s toilet when she and Maureen were there. Those scenes weren’t necessary for the plot in any way, which leads me to believe they were just there because someone thought they were funny and if that’s you’re thing go off, but it most definitely isn’t mine. 

2. Ruby and Otis. And more importantly, what was the point of Ruby and Otis? Now don’t get me wrong, I like Ruby as a character and I found their relationship interesting. And I think that it would have been even more interesting if the writers had devoted more time to properly developing it- Ruby was getting better as a person but she wasn’t there yet. I liked it once Otis started standing up for himself more, and demanding respect in the relationship and as she started to actually care for him she did come to treat him more respectfully. I think with more time they could have been really good. But they didn’t get that time- she said she loved him and they didn’t even work through that fiasco before he was kissing Maeve at a gas station. Overall it had a lot of potential but the way they played it left me just sitting here like...why? Like from a narrative standpoint what was even the purpose? Because from where I’m sitting it really only served as yet another roadblock standing between Otis and Maeve and even though I shipped them like CRAZY in season 1 and 2 the constant unnecessary roadblocks are getting a little old. Which leads me to my next point...

3. Why was Maeve and Otis so unsatisfying? That’s not actually a rhetorical question, I can tell you: Because the writers put so little effort into what is supposed to be the main couple on the show. I feel like they put more effort into keeping them apart and then when it comes time to put them together they’re just kind of like NOW KISS, they only talk like once after and then they ship Maeve off to America. Now I’ve heard rumors that Emma Mackey might not want to return to the show for season 4 so if I had to guess at all of this I would say that both this point and the last was a sloppy attempt to cover their asses in the event that they can’t get her to sign back on. If she does return, they can explore the relationship between her and Otis in season 4. If she doesn’t, they’re probably going to put him back with Ruby. But they couldn’t just write her off without at least touching on the relationship they spent the past 2 seasons building, even though Otis and Maeve barely interact in this season, which is frankly another reason why it felt so shoddy. They spent exponentially more time talking to other people and then half the time when Otis was talking to her he was super cringe. 

     Overall, despite loving their relationship initially, the characters have changed so much from their original dynamic, and have interacted so little, that I really don’t even know what’s pulling these characters together. It’s disappointing to admit that I’m kind of over it but honestly even the writers don’t feel invested. it kind of feels like they put them together because the audience expected it and after 3 seasons of anticipation the payoff was generally underwhelming. 

4. Otis. Just...Otis. I understand that Otis was introduced as being a very nice helpful character in season one. He was the quintessential good guy. And then in season 2 he got to explore being a douche for a bit- which is fine. He is a teenager and he was going through some shit. But I really felt that by the end of season 2 he should have resolved that particular plot point. And he was a little better in season 3 I guess? But he didn’t really progress until the end of this season and from a writing standpoint I feel like they really dragged that out for too long. 

5. What’s with this show and it’s hard on for cheating? Like seriously, why does almost every relationship have some kind of infidelity. Like, were Otis and Ruby officially broken up when he kissed Maeve? Maeve certainly hadn’t broken up with Isaac, and this was almost directly on the heels of their very emotional sex scene. There was the issue with Jean and Jakob last season, and Eric cheating on Rahim with Adam. And then Eric (for some reason) cheating on Adam this season with random Nigerian dude whose name I can’t remember. Just...why is this a thing? 

     But also can we just talk about how weird the break up was? And out of left field? Like they literally spent the whole season developing their relationship, and then they get to Nigeria and after hiding the whole time he is subtly able to talk about Adam to his grandmother. And he sounds so proud, and so nice when he’s doing so, and not at all like he’s planning to end this wonderful relationship he’s describing. And then when he gets back, guilty after cheating on said boyfriend (like he should be) he asks Adam, seemingly as a test, if he would go out to a club with him. And Adam says no because that isn’t his scene and like...Eric knows that isn’t his scene. But at the same time, I feel like if Eric had sat him down and been like “You don’t have to wear makeup or dress outlandishly, just come to the club with me because it’s important to me” I really think Adam would have gone. And if the clothes and make-up were a dealbreaker like...why? You know who you’re dating. And while wanting him to tell his mom isn’t an overwhelmingly outrageous request, when you start getting into his physical appearance then that’s just actually trying to change him as a person and that’s just a really shitty thing to do. 

6. I promise there will be some positives in this list at some point but before that...what the fuck Eric? Like, I understand that Eric wants to get out there and explore his options, find someone more comfortable doing the things that he wants to go do. That’s realistic I guess, your high school relationships don’t work out and just because Adam came out for him he still isn’t obligated to stay in a relationship with him. But from a fictional narrative standpoint? What the fuck is this? Adam and Eric were one of the most popular ships on the show. They have been foreshadowed since season one, and had so so much effort put into developing them both as characters. Adam has come such a long way. They have brought him so far out of him comfort zone that Adam in season 3 is almost a completely different person to Adam in season 1. They spent so much of this season further developing the relationship they established last season, and for what? To break them up at the very end? WHY? 

7. Following on the heels of point 6, Aimee and Steve. They didn’t need to break up. I understand the direction the writers were taking this- Aimee wants to be single for a while to fully process her trauma and get to know her own body again. And that’s valid. I just don’t like it because I very strongly suspect that she will have a new love interest next season and that all her stuff about being single isn’t going to be shown. It will all happen off screen during whatever time skip they employ between seasons and then they’re going to use the fact that she is single to introduce a new more dramatic love interest for her since golden retriever boy Steve wasn’t interesting enough for them. Maybe that’s just me being cynical but if anyone can come out of season 3 NOT feeling a little cynical it would probably be a miracle. 

8. A positive! Finally a positive! I love the relationship between Adam and Rahim. Do I want them to date? Not particularly. I wouldn’t be mad if it happens, but I really just like them as like awkward begrudging friends. Some of my favorite scenes this season were the interactions between the two of them (Once again, the disgusting bus ride notwithstanding) I like Rahim a lot more when he isn’t interrupting my ship (which is a habit of mine. I liked Ola a lot more once she broke up with Otis) 

9. I don’t think Viv was out of character. Some people have been saying that she was, but I don’t think so. She has always been ambitious and even Jackson understand that about her in the show. And even when she was working for Hope and carrying out her rules, she was never an antagonist because she never gave up her personal morals to do it. For example, when Hope had them divided into boy and girl lines, Jackson asked her where Cal should go. She told him that boys went to the left and girls went to the right but as soon as Cal was like “Im not a boy or a girl,” Viv was immediately like, “ Oh! Right! Let me ask Hope.” She approached the situation in a way that made it clear that she recognized this issue as a legitimate problem and when she went to Hope it wasn’t framed like “This person is being an issue refusing to choose,” but instead like “We didn’t account for this possibility, that was our bad. How should we fix it?” Later on, on the class trip, Viv even lied to Hope and told her everything was fine because she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Viv took the opportunities presented to her, but I never interpreted it as her being an antagonist in any way. 

10. I love that Viv and Jackson remained friends, and I love that Viv has her sexy long-distance boyfriend who sexts about wheat XD Her sexting was one of my favorite scenes- well written, laugh out loud hilarious. No complaints. Sexy boyfriend was indeed very sexy and honestly, Viv absolutely deserves him. 

11. Mr. Groff better apologize to Adam next season, or at the very least have any kind of fucking conversation with his son at all or else why the fuck did I watch SO MANY scenes developing him as a sympathetic character? They could have spent that time developing ANYONE, but instead we were focused on him so like...I’m going to need some kind of payoff. Make it relevant

12. I want more bonding scenes between Adam and Maureen. I love Maureen- I love her friendship with Jean and I love how she always chooses her son over  her estranged husband (as she should) I especially love her very loving and supportive relationship with Adam, even though Adam is terrible at communication. It’s a self indulgent wish, I’d just like to see more. 

13. Isaac. I made many posts after the season 2 release, about how much I despised Isaac. Unlike Ola, I find that I didn’t have a complete change of heart but I don’t hate him AS MUCH as I did before. I still don’t like him though and while you might think “Yeah but you hate anyone who stands in the way of Otis and Maeve” no. This is historically accurate and yet, this season? Not true. For example, I don’t hate Ruby. Do I think her inclusion in the story was handled poorly in a way that made the entire plot point unnecessary? Yes I do. I also feel that way about Isaac, but less so because I feel like the relationship between him and Maeve deepening was better foreshadowed and was kind of the natural conclusion given the events of the previous season. As a character though, I still don’t really like him, and after 2 seasons of him I don’t think it has anything to do with him interfering with Maeve’s relationship with Otis- I just legitimately don’t like him. And I don’t like him with Maeve. I think the biggest irritant this season was the way that, after confessing about deleting the message he was like “yeah I fucked up but only because I like you so much, just forgive me” And then at one point I believe I remember Maeve apologizing to him for her reaction to everything. But then when he found out that she kissed Otis (admittedly a shitty thing to do) he got so mad and like, held a fucking grudge about it. And I get it, he has a right to be mad, but also boy you were the one groveling like 2 episodes ago get over yourself. They both fucked up in different ways but he acts like he has the moral high ground all the time and it gets really annoying. I don’t know, maybe I’m letting my general dislike of the character color my perception of events, but this show has managed to change my opinion on characters before but it still hasn’t made me like him so I think it’s just not going to. 

14. What the hell were they trying to do with Hope? Like legitimately, what? Because I can’t quite figure it out. And that’s mostly because I feel like they were trying to make her a nuanced and sympathetic villain, but they broke a cardinal rule- To make a villain sympathetic you must also ensure that nothing they do is inherently irredeemable. For example, principal Groff. He was a grade A dick for the past 2 seasons but I still feel that, now that we have a sympathetic backstory, if handled properly he could still come back from this. He can see the error of his ways and if he works really really hard to make amends to his family he could perhaps have his character turned around. In Hope’s case however, I would argue that they did makes her nuanced, but failed to make her sympathetic because as a character she went too far. If they had stuck to her just being a general tyrant of a headmaster - enforcing strict rules and regulations but doing so out of insurmountable pressure from her own bosses -  and then softened us towards the character by showing us her willingness to help Maeve get a scholarship, her troubled marriage, and her inability to conceive, it could have worked. The trouble is when they brought in her racism and general bigotry. Those weren’t flaws brought on by stress, those were deeply rooted character flaws that the character isn’t going to overcome because by the end of the season the character hasn’t even admitted them to herself. The issues were addressed by others, but not by Hope herself, leaving me to believe that the character herself still views them as a nonissue. I would be very surprised if she even appears in season 4 and moreso if they manage to even half-way redeem her. I’m relatively certain we won’t see her again, which makes me question the effort put into her character development. 

15. I like Jakob as a character, I don’t like him as a love interest for Jean, but I LOVE him as a father figure for Otis. It’s very conflicting because I want him to stay in Otis’s life, but I don’t like him as a romantic interest for Jean. also it’s pretty clear he isn’t Joy’s father so that’s going to be an awkward fucking conversation. If she even tells him. The way the show is going I kind of feel like she won’t, or will at least put it off for as long as possible. 

16. I want more interaction between Otis and Jean. Positive interaction, not just her being intrusive or Otis being a little bitch. I like their mother-son dynamic when they’re getting along so I just generally want more of it. 

17. Adam. Adam has become my favorite character in this show and I just generally want more of him and his relationships with others. I love his relationship with his mother but I want more if him and Emily, and him and Ola and now him and Ruby. I want to see him and Ruby discussing the Kardashians. I want him to train Madam and enter her in more competitions and just ultimately grow his social circle. Get all the love and support for god’s sake this boy needs it. 

Im sure there are plenty of things I’m forgetting and you can ask me about them if you like but for now it’s late and I’m tired. 

#sex education season 3 #sex education season 3 spoilers #sex education #otis milburn #eric effiong #adam groff #jean milburn #maeve wiley #Aimee #I don't know Aimee's last name #My bad