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#it only has an ep so far but it's hilarious
hualianisms · 2 days
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TGCF Audio Drama Ep 12 pt 2: XL gambles himself in exchange for one night of HC's company
[context: see part 1 translation. basically, after the Gambler's Den dice-throwing scene, SQX & LQQ need a distraction to investigate Ghost City, so XL gambles against HC to cause a distraction. XL asked for HC to accompany him for one night as the prize if XL wins. HC has just agreed.]
HC: Alright.
Ghosts: (shocked) Chengzhu agreed!
HC: However, what this gege seeks is of considerable value. It's also my first time.* Accordingly, the stake you bet on must also not be arbitrary.
XL: Of course, it cannot be arbitrary.
HC: However, there's a small matter gege must be reminded of. The last thing gege has on his person, he has already lost to me yesterday.
XL: Ah… Yes indeed. Please wait. I will search again. …Um… I…. Here… (searches his sleeves and pockets and finds nothing)
Ghost 1: I say, Daozhang, if you really have nothing to gamble with, why not just use your clothes to gamble with? Every time you lose one round, take off one layer of clothes!
HC to ghost 1: Shut up.
Ghost maiden: Daozhang, what is that which you're wearing on your neck?
XL: (takes out the necklace of HC's ashes) Are you referring this?
Ghost maiden: This ring looks like a really amazing treasure.
XL's thoughts: This is what San Lang gave me…
HC: This gege, do you wish to bet on this ring, and gamble with me in a game of victory or defeat?
XL: …I can't do that.
HC: Oh? Why not?
XL: This item is far too precious, it cannot be carelessly handled and disposed of.
HC: It's been given to you, so it's yours to do with as you please. Why can't it be carelessly handled?
XL: That's all the more reason I can't. This is the kind of gift I do not accept. If I do accept it, then of course I must treasure it, only then I can be worthy of the sincere intentions behind it. How can I possibly use it to gamble, and squander it away frivolously?
Ghosts: So that's how it is, there's even these sincere intentions behind the gift!
Ghost Maiden: But this can't be used, that can't be used, then Daozhang, what do you have left?
XL: (Sheepishly) …It seems… The only thing left is me.
HC: Alright.
XL: (blinks) …What?
HC: You.
Ghost maiden 1: Wonderful! If you lose, you can sell yourself and come here to wash clothes and fold bedsheets for old Chengzhu, serve tea and pour water for him!
Ghosts: What a great idea! Yeah! Yeah!
SQX: You'd better not agree. This bet has no winning odds!
XL: Alright, I will place my bet!
HC: (chuckles) Great.
Ghosts: Xiao Daozhang, you will definitely lose!
SQX: (gloomily) This time, we're really done for!
XL to SQX: Don't worry. This time I might not lose. You guys, go quickly [to investigate Ghost City].
[Translation notes:]
*This line is likely also innuendo (subtextually). the CN line here literally means "It's also the first time for me", which on the surface mean HC's first time accepting such a request. But the subtext seems to imply it can also mean HC's first time (sexually). The ghosts clearly interpreted the sexual meaning as they were gossiping later in this episode that "Someone wants to gamble for Chengzhu's 初夜!" 初夜 refers to "wedding night" i.e. the first night of a marriage where the marriage is expected to be consummated for the first time.
Essentially HC is saying, since XL wants something of such great value' (HC's company; subtext implying HC's first time), then XL must also give something of equal value i.e. "You". I interpret it as HC deliberately trying to leverage the value/rarity of XL's request as an excuse to get something just as intimate from XL in return. The way HC said "You." was so slow and seductive hahaha
Bonus: there's also a part later in this episode where the ghosts are gossiping and hilariously misinterpreted. A ghost said "I heard that Chengzhu's brother wants to gamble him and steal away his wedding night" (aka first time) 😭 As that line is from the uncensored revised novel, I assume MXTX wrote it to make fun of how censorship wants to turn hualian into just Very Good Bros.
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lesbianpegbar · 9 months
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What are your thoughts on season 2 so far??? I’m still a bit worried about lg… but idc about that BECAUSE QIAO LING!!!!! WITH THE STEEL POLE!!!
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yeah <3
#actual thoughts in tags lol#its sooooooo good so far like AUGH so good#sleeping on it i think its kinda fucking hilarious that lan did All That to make us think lu guang was dead#i just KNOW they were giggling and kicking their feet this whole time#also i think lu guangs in the clear but wouldnt it be so funny if they killed him now after all that#interested to see how things develop but so far i like the villains theyre establishing!#it obviously has a very very different tone from s1 (or at least the beginning of season 1)#a part of me misses the more lighthearted tone BUT i think its only natural as the plot develops that things become more serious#and it seems like they are keeping the sense of humor when appropriate which is all i need!#moments like them making fun of lu guangs age and everyone teasing cheng xiaoshi after the reveal keep the levity#its clear its still retaining its heart and remembers that whats important is these characters despite the drama and insanity around them#animation went insane also#the moment right at the start of ep 1 where lu guang is passing out. animation is INSANE god#plus the fight choreography and animation is so so good#you can really see the characters different abilities and personalities in their fighting styles which is so cool#also theyre still keeping the insane cliff hangers <3#literally let out a very loud squeak/gasp when chen bi fell at the end of ep 1#also QIAO LINGGGGGGG !!!!!#im so so glad shes becoming more involved#not that she had no role in s1 but i think its high time she got some real spot light#so overall i really really enjoyed it!! im so happy to have link click back oh my god#hearing the gang tease each other and smile at one another and support each other again was all i needed#link click spoilers#asks#shi guang dai li ren#mine
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therantingsage · 20 days
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Because I promised this, and I really wanted to do it anyway, here's a really really long-winded rambling dissertation on:
Why N and Uzi secretly dating since before episode 5 is genuinely super plausible and also stupidly hilarious /pos
Under the cut cuz it got obscenely long oops-
Idk where to start, so I'll just cover my bases: why people think they've been in a relationship already in the first place.
We all saw this scene:
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And legit it can only be implying one of two things. Either A: this is his confession of feelings for her. Or B: this is him admitting that they've been dating for a while at this point. With the hearts it's pretty clear that this statement is meant to be romantically interpreted, and Nori's aghast reaction confirms that that's how it's being interpreted.
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Obviously no matter the interpretation, N only writes that because he can't think of anything else to snap Uzi out of it and thereby stop this confrontation from ending poorly. And it works obviously so good on him for the quick thinking.
Two things that make me lean towards the 'we're dating' interpretation over 'confession' interpretation, though: firstly, he's not writing this to tell Uzi something, he specifically calls out to Nori before writing it. "Hey btw I'm dating your daughter" makes more sense than "Hey btw I like your daughter romantically" because if it was the latter, Nori has far less reason to be mad at Uzi about it rather than N. It's not like Uzi can control how N feels. But if they're dating, that means Uzi is partially to blame for that and Nori can get upset at HER.
Secondly, the awkward wording. Like it's really vague and without the hearts you'd have no reason to assume anything but platonic meaning. But these are words we, and him, have heard before:
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...from Uzi, in response to a question about who she is and, by proxy, the nature of their relationship. She says it defensively, follows it up by telling N to shut up. N repeating her wording which, again, is a description of the nature of their relationship....but this time implying something romantic with it, it suggests the idea that it had romantic implications the first time.
I don't think it's far-fetched to say Uzi at least has feelings for N at this point in the story. I don't think anyone's arguing that that's not true. But the idea that 'hang out' means the exact same thing both times is what I'm arguing here. They're dating, but this version of N is a stranger to her. A cute stranger, as she says, but a stranger nonetheless who she isn't comfortable admitting to that she's dating him in the future to his face.
Backing up a bit, Uzi's reaction to Nori's reaction:
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This is a clear and obvious parallel to the previous episode, when 'Tessa' says "Don't date my robot, please."
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In both instances, someone gets on her case about the idea of them dating, and in both cases she doesn't deny it but instead defends both his and her own agency in the matter. No one is allowed to tell them what to do and Uzi refuses to let anyone try.
When Nori says it, though, she does seem to try and deny it for a moment. "I'm not-" She cuts herself off so we can't say for certain what she was going to say (if anything. it's entirely possible she started that sentence with no plan how to finish it, I do that a lot personally). But that's also because, like, she's Uzi. If this was meant to be a secret relationship, it would probably be her who made that decision. And like with butler N, she has no reason to disclose that kind of information to a stranger. She'd probably try and deny it whether its true or not.
As for when it would've started, after camp is the only big timeskip where we don't have much clue went on during. Cabin Fever is a big episode for them, and the three episodes that come after it are all back-to-back-to-back. The only time it makes sense to have started is sometime between eps 4 and 5.
And guys. Guys.
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This, more than anything to me, paired with the idea that they've been dating for a while by the time the most recent couple episodes happen.....doesn't this seem so, so romantic? You could easily call this a love confession! So easily! It sounds like one much more than 'we just kinda are hanging out a lot idk' at least.
Like, rephrase that even a little: "Being with you makes scary things fun. Being with you makes me feel brave. It makes me feel safe. So I want to keep being with you."
And Uzi agrees with that sentiment. He promises to stick with her. And she laughs and smiles with him as he makes the scary thing she's been dealing with into something fun, something they can laugh about. The together line gets repeated in the most recent episode, directly calling back to this scene as well.
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Like, just...AGH. In Cabin Fever he says it once as they're falling and a second time once they're grounded. The second time its a question, and one she eagerly answers with physical affection, which is super rare for her. In Mass Destruction its a statement, because he already knows her answer. Its a repeated promise. A vow.
Backing up again. Let's assess some interactions under this context. Assuming they're dating in secret. Because it paints so many things in a different light and basically nothing contradicts it which is fricken wild. This:
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Isn't a sheepish Uzi trying to hold her crush's hand in a moment of fear. This is an Uzi who wants to keep their relationship a secret but is so in need of comfort right now she's willing to risk exposing them to get it.
This:
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Her being so relieved because she almost watched him die but he's alive he's ok and she doesn't care who sees it because she needs to hug her boyfriend rIGHT NOW GUYS I DON'T CARE I'M HUGGING MY BOYFRIEND-
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This whole scene. Uzi interacts with him so gently here. She's not gentle with anybody else at all. She sees him stressed and uses his own "you good?" on him and it's just so dang tender when you think about it. Because no one else can hear them talking to each other. It's just these two sending face texts and everyone else's focus is on the Sentinal so they can afford to be as couple-y in this conversation as they want.
And after:
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Blushing because they like each other so so dang much.......sweating bullets because the other two can see them do this. Suddenly without either of them really thinking about it they're being romantic around other people and wow! That's nerve-wracking! Peak young love early-in-the-relationship behavior they ain't slick.
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His tone of voice in this scene is gentler I think than we've ever heard from him before (Michael Kovach you are so damn good at your job). His loss-filled fury is cooled in an instant when he realizes how close he came to hurting his girlfriend. It's heartbreakingly gentle before 'Tessa' cuts him off.
And when she cuts Uzi off:
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He looks like genuinely pissed at her. "Did you really just interrupt my gf while she was talking?? She's scared and you're disrespecting her tf is wrong with u??"
And like- the fact he was genuinely willing to off Tessa for her. Like he realizes there's a possibility she tried to get his gf killed for no reason and upon her not even trying to deny it he just kills her instantly. Because it's no longer a question of the universe or Uzi. It's a question of Tessa or Uzi, and its a choice his heart has already made before this point.
But here's like. The thing about all this that gets me. This is meant to be a secret relationship, right? Like nobody but them is supposed to know about this. And the fact that we the audience didn't have any reason to assume them to be an established relationship without heavy headcanoning means they did a decent job at that, right?
Guys. Guys.
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N is terrible at keeping secrets. Like. Horrendously bad at keeping things on the down-low. Every single time in the series he's supposed to not spill info he like. Fails. It's wild. And because the relationship happens after "Inclusive reflexes!" that means that Uzi damn well knows this and still trusts him to try.
But based on V's reaction to the handholding in Dead End:
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I'm honestly willing to bet she knew. She doesn't sound surprised, just annoyed that she has to see it. Which means N probably like, heard her badmouthing Uzi or something and got like way too defensive about it and she clocked him instantly. Because he's bad at keeping secrets. And she doesn't bother mentioning it during any of these episodes out loud because she doesn't care what these idiots do in their free time.
Can you imagine how many hundred close calls they must've had? How many times Uzi must've had to aggressively shush him or cover his mouth because he was going to say something slightly too sappy in public? The only reason we don't get to see the time period between eps 4 and 5 is because it would've been painfully obvious that these two dating is the worst kept secret in the entire bunker. I'm going insane.
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Uzi fell in love with a proud himbo and they both know it. It's genuinely a miracle they didn't clue the audience in sooner.
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chaosandwolves · 1 month
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You know what else was interesting
They have to re-introduce the characters to the new audience, right?
So they show Chim being insecure he's not enough for his romantic partner... Like in the beginning of the series
But then his whole dynamic with Maddie and just the love and adoration between them
They show Bobby and Athena and make it clear what a high stress life they have but that they did find an anchor in each other
And they show how vigilant Athena always is and how they immediately work as a team
They show Hen as the competent Captain with a side of paramedic and also her empathy and kindness
and her and Chim being hilarious best friends
They show Buck and Eddie together talking about dating first and then about Chris
The easy communication between them
That they're partners not only at work because
They show the Buckley Diaz family. They show how natural this dynamic is. Eddie is like... Hey I was hoping you'd talk to him and Buck just does and Chris doesn't even question it
They position Buck as Chris' guardian /father as if it's the most normal thing
They bring up Shannon and show how much she and what happened in the past has impacted their life and relationship to each other but they also throw some healing into this
Some kind of closure to this
Still, it's interesting that they show Buck as the link there
Chris does not only not question why Buck is talking to him about dating but he also trusts Buck enough to tell him how he really feels which is a huge thing
In general but also cause Chris is a teen now
It's also interesting they brought up Eddie's panic attacks
On the one hand they're showing that something was going on with him but that he's healed a lot and doing much better than before
On the other hand it might be foreshadowing
To the changes in his romantic life and the link to the shooting
To the upcoming trauma and triggers
(please please let it be foreshadowing)
And then.....
they told us shit about Marisol
Eddie didn't even answer Buck when he was like... Oh I thought things were going great with her
She was there, yeah, but not even as an active presence
They didn't give her any room or interaction with Chris either
And I think that's so telling!?
So yeah absolutely loving it all so far and find it very very interesting what they chose to show about the characters within the first ep
I do find it weird though that all the other kids were left out and Karen as well
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matan4il · 11 days
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911 ep 705 first watch reactions
Of course 911 would "punish" the "You are the boss of you!" guy with an alien hand that attacks him, and does what it wants. Pooor Buck and Eddie paying the price for that...
Okay, love the storyline with Hen and Karen possibly eventually adopting an older girl. Too many shows just find easy, unrealistic ways to give their same sex couples kids, and I am really glad that 911 shows the reality of it, and that it is a more complex struggle for many, that it's an act of continuously choosing to be parents. That's actually an amazing, difficult thing, and it should be faithfully depicted and respected, for all of its heartache, and the little moments of triumph.
Buck and Tommy on a date, and Eddie comes along with Marisol? Love how Buck's bisexual awakening and coming out continues to involve Eddie so much. Tell me they're end game, even if they're not gonna get together right now, without telling me they're...
I did not need to learn Marisol is moving in with Eddie like this, with any build up, or even any sort of insight into the relationship, and nope, that does not bode well for them. IDK how 911 managed to do it, but they have somehow managed to give Eddie a love interest the show is even less invested in than Ana.
And the funniest bit, is that Marisol and Eddie's big development is only there to further Buck's journey anyway.
"You can never have too much closet space" LMAO the way 911 both made me laugh, and feel sorry for poor, baby bi Buck. XD
Hmmm. Were parts of this scene cut out? We don't get to see Eddie on his own date with Marisol, but constantly looking over at Tommy and Buck? Boo. I'm glad we at least got the BTS photos, then. But seriously, why!? That was gonna be so delicious.
Oh, Tommy's breaking up with Buck. I mean, good for him, and he ain't wrong after Buck's "after this, we're gonna go out looking for chicks" reaction, but man do I feel sorry for Buck. Him and Tommy might not be my end game (Buddie forever will be), but I do think this relationship could be good for our baby bi. Tommy being in the same profession, knowing what it's like to have this gap between who you are and the image of guys in your line of work, plus he's got more experience than Buck, is sure of himself, can help our boy figure himself out, and also Buck obviously does like his vibe. He deserves to be with someone he actually likes, not just the first woman willing to be with him that the plot pushed in his way.
Oh, baby Buck. :( You didn't even tell Maddie about Tommy. You really aren't ready it. But also (and as a Buddie shipper, more importantly), Tommy broke things off with Buck, but what is eating him up, is that he lied to Eddie. XD Yeah, this gonna end with wedding bells, sooner or later. On screen, off screen after the show ends with canon Buddie, or only in my head if 911 never dares make Buddie canon, I don't care. That kind of emotional devotion is not something that my hopelessly romantic heart can ignore.
OMG, this is how Buck comes out to Maddie? XD Via random pronoun mention, and as a by product of trying to figure out how to tell Eddie the truth? This is hilarious. lol It really makes it clear that, after all, the issue for Buck really isn't people knowing he is also dating guys (or checking their asses), even when it's the other closest person in the world for him, it's Eddie. Specifically. Buck's ready, even if he doesn't have the exact clear words yet, he's just not ready to tell Eddie. Can't imagine why. XDDD
What was that awkward post-sex scene with Eddie and Marisol? And the issues with her moving in are popping up a second after she has. But yeah, we have no idea who this woman is as a person, she's been a cardboard cut out so far, and then one of the first things we do learn about her, is that she would call her stuff better than Eddie's? Once again, this is not the stuff great romance is made of. Or... even just the stuff any kind of romance is made of.
Wait, Marisol was a nun, and Eddie didn't even know!? This whole ep is telegraphing in the news of how weird and awkward and underdeveloped this r/s is, not just for us as viewers who know nothing about Marisol, but apparently for Eddie as well.
And of course his Catholic guilt is gonna kick in now. I'd care, except 911 has given me absolutely no reason to. Seriously, I care more about Buck and Tommy after just 2 eps, than Eddie and Marisol, even though this is technically her 2nd season on the show.
Of course Buck went to find Eddie, and spotted him at the gym. Forever 201 vibes, with Eddie being the focus of Buck's attention. ^u^
I couldn't care less about Eddie's Catholic guilt crisis, and how it's actually a projection of what his real issues are with Marisol, but it's nice to see that as always, Buck's the one who can tell when something's off, and offer Eddie exactly what he needs (even when that's to talk to someone else, but Buck figures out immediately who the right person to address is), and then they just very naturally switch, because Eddie can also tell when something's off with Buck, and he wants to tell him something. Soulmates. THAT is the stuff that great romance IS made of.
:/ The imagery of Catholic nuns has not been around for over 2,000 years, please stop being ignorant about your own religion, and the very different way it looked in its early days.
Bobby is forgiven, he does give good advice, and his "her ex, the Lord" bit, which prompted that reaction from Eddie, is hilarious. XD
So... when Eddie is having issues with Marisol, he already knows he has to figure out how he feels about her, but instead of doing so, he goes to his safe place... Buck's loft.
Man, Eddie being into Tommy's choice of avoidning relationships with women, and hanging out with boys, after in the past, Eddie had dealt with his Shannon issues by running away from her, and re-enlisting in the army, where he gets to hang out with boys, when we all (Buck included) know why Tommy's "hanging out with boys"... I do like that if they want to (and hopefully they do), this further lays the groundwork for Eddie's own queer realization.
Buck and Eddie helping each other with their respective romantic problems, without realizing they are each other's respective romantic solution is gonna make me chew on my own fists. Again. But I'm not even a little bit surprised that Eddie was totally fine and accepting of Buck being bi, or that the first thing he thought of is how this reflects on them. Because their friendship IS way deeper and closer than normal for platonic friends, and Eddie's little reassurance is also an admission of that.
Man, for a second I was worried they also cut out Eddie in the loft, once more putting his thumb on Buck's pulse point possessively, in a perfect parallel to 303. I would have sued for emotional damages. But yeah, it says so much that the peak of emotional meaningfulness for Buck when coming out is in relation to Eddie, and that the scene itself peaks with Eddie, instead of finishing rushing out to take care of his own romantic business, hurries back to Buck first, to hug him, place his hand on Buck and give him orders. "Sure, you're gonna be dating this guy, but I'm still your real husband."
Well, at least Eddie amitted to himself and Marisol that he doesn't actually know her. But... I have never seen two people being both being so happy about not moving in together, and I'm supposed to think this r/s has a chance? Okay. Suuuure.
The scene with Buck going to Tommy to set things straight ready for something was lovely, it was nice seeing him excited, and get to choose, and hear he's wanted. But since the note Tommy and Buck's storyline in this ep should have ended on, is Buck showing Tommy he's ready enough to let others know he's dating a guy by inviting Tommy to come with Buck to Madney's wedding, then why is the very next scene playing the romantic switch again, making us think Buck's car just arrived at the wedding with him and Tommy, only for Buck and Eddie to walk in together? I see what you did there, 911.
Thank you for reading! If you're looking for more, you can find my s7 reactions tag here, and more of my Buddie meta and content in my pinned post. xoxox
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bronx-bomber87 · 4 months
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Happy Friday everyone! Doing today cause I shall be doing 5x01 On Sunday like I mentioned before to not be posting on Christmas. :) Holy crap we’re on the S4 finale. I remember when I watching it when it premiered thinking is this real life? Thought I was in a fever dream haha Made some long gifs to fit everything in LOL This one is super packed also this ep doesn’t need much more of an intro. So let’s get this party started.
4x22 Day in The Hole
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Our fav patch work family gets the cold open. This moment truly is Tim and Lucy in mom/dad mode. Makes me so damn happy. Tim complaining because Tamara is late to meet them. Moaning on and on saying they have to go... but makes no effort to actually move or leave. Because the both of them have Tim wrapped around their finger. That man isn't moving but will complain the whole time about it LOL Lucy going into wifey mode calming him down saying she’ll be here. Relax. ha
Tamara pulls in and almost hits someone. In a police station parking lot... Their reactions I’m dying. Just a couple of concerned parents watching their kid almost cause an accident. Lucy is a proud mom as she pulls up. Clapping her hands. Tim looking like the stern father. He glares at the car wanting to see if this car is safe enough for her. This is a glimpse into them as parents. I’m liking what I see. Also can I say how cute it is Lucy wants Tim to look at her car in first place. Of course he said yes.
Tamara comes out and says isn’t she pretty? Saying it’s her first car. Lucy correcting her saying actually her car was her first. Tamara makes a joke about it being her fifth if they’re talking stolen. Tim has such a dad moment. ‘What?’ She loves to push their buttons it’s hilarious. Telling Tim it's a joke. Just loves messing with her pseudo mom and dad. Lives for it really. This is a fantastic way to start this episode off.
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The family energy in this scene giving me all the feels. Lucy telling her to get it checked by the mechanic first. That you never know what cars from seized police auction go through. Tamara says Tim set her up with his guy already. Lucy is beaming about this. Says ‘Awww you do have a heart.’ ha Tim can't be seen as soft so he deflects.
But you are soft for both your girls Tim…This much is obvious ha You're a soft little puppy for them. I mean it's only for them but a marshmallow none the less. His reply is sassy af. Saying it’s purely out of self interest. He didn’t want to deal with Lucy being a drag with her dying in a mangled fireball of metal on the 405. The scoff/look Tamara shoots his way is hilarious. Tim fires back ‘Joke.’
Like Father like daughter and I’m dying with the cuteness in this cold open. Also Tim mirroring her posture from when she said 'Joke' to him. LMAO Unfortunately a drug sniffing dog starts barking at the car. Tim opens the hatch back and searches it. Find kilos of drugs hidden in the compartment. Tamara looks so sad. ‘I’m not getting my car back am I?’ Hahaha Sorry my dear you are definitely not…
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Lucy looks up who the car is registered to. It's ‘Jake Butler.’ Lucy pulls up his mug shot and is confused as hell. Ahhhh the beginning of Dim it’s glorious. They pick up his doppelgänger and it's pretty amusing. Didn’t have room for that portion but his ‘Yo, why you looking like me?’ LOL Kills me. They get him into interrogation and the girls are having a field day with it. Enjoying Tim's discomfort so very much. Tim isn’t about this whatsoever of course.
Lucy says maybe they were separated at birth? Tim replies he’s a year older than him and was born in FL. You can see how unsettling he finds this. Tim tries to brush this off. Saying he doesn’t look that much like him. Ok honey… Angela saying he’s not the brightest bulb. Lucy gets excited and says ‘Tim and Dim’ LMAO Enjoying herself far too much with this. Angela and Nyla are joining in on it laughing with her. They aren't helping tamp down her excitement about this at all.
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Tim calling Jake 'Dim' is hilarious. Lucy's face when he does is too cute. Also It cracks me up the minute they enter interrogation Dim hits on Lucy. Doesn't waste any time. I’m dying. Also you know Melissa and Eric had a blast filming these scenes. They’re so funny. The cockiness on Dim saying she would remember ha! Man isn’t lacking in the confidence department that's for sure. They tell him they found his car. He gets all excited saying someone stole it LOL
They inform him it was towed cause he parked by a hydrant haha Tim confronts him about the drugs in the car and Dim denies having it. Because of course he does. His fingerprints are all over the bags. Tim says he helps them and they’ll keep him out of prison. Dim gets offended and says he thought they had a bond ha.
Lucy asks where the drugs came from? He tells them Mexico that he was supposed to drive them over the border. But then he wanted to see his girl first before he dropped them off. I.e. Juicy heh When he came back out the car was gone. Tim asks for the name of the guy they were going to. He tells them Ray Hajek. Lucy gets a look in her eye and asks if his crew ever met him? He tells them no but why? We watch Lucy light up and Tim is confused why she is so excited haha
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It’s here we see Lucy’s excitement go into hyperdrive. I love this portion because she is like a kid in a candy store with this. The sugary high to go along with it LOL Grey and Angela are no help to Tim whatsoever. They are beyond amused by Lucy’s antics. Like to note how easily Tim gives into Lucy’s demands here btw. You're married you just don’t know it yet.
Once he agrees Lucy gets ultra hyper which has me cackling. I love how she stops him with her hands. Because she’s too excited to walk now. Saying all the things they need to do to get him to look like Dim. Tim pointing out she is enjoying this way too much. Duh. I love her excited speed walk to catch up to him and say he needs tattoos. Lucy was a little too excited for those tats heh She sure loves the idea of a clean cut Tim Bradford covered in tattoos.
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We pan to Lucy being on the team watching Tim’s OP. Part of the rescue team if needed. Kinda nice to see her on the watching end instead of him. Being just as much the worried wifey as he is the husband for her when she does UC. He gets taken up to the boss and does a damn good job of it. They’re pissed at him first because he disappeared with their drugs. Tim saying he went to ground because he didn’t want to get caught. Trying to avoid jamming him up.
He then asks why Wisco his heavy shouldn’t throw him over the balcony? We watch Lucy and Angela tense up. Tim has this handled with his reply above though. He is shocked with his intelligent reply. Saying he heard he was dumb. Tim continues on saying he wants people to think he’s dumb. Means they underestimate him.
That answer is enough for him. Tell Tim get his cash on way out. Or he could do another job for him and triple it. Tim asks what kind of job? He won’t divulge that portion just yet. Only that it’s heavy and tomorrow. They’ll need a driver. They heard his old lady is fast. Tim makes a crack 'Sometimes too fast.' He laughs and tells him they’ll be in touch with him.
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Angela catches Lucy and tells her she had Dim’s GF picked up. Lucy is like 'Ok…Wait why are you being weird?' Angela says she needs to see for herself. She is enjoying this far too much. It’s Juicy! Haha Having AU Tim and Lucy makes my soul happy ahahah Now Tim is the one enjoying himself. Lucy is in shock when she sees her doppelgänger. Angela adding in ‘I guess we know who’s going undercover with Dim.’
Tim’s taunting is funny I’m rolling. ‘Yeah Juicy.’ ‘No’ ‘Mmhmm It’s Juicy’ LOL I’m dying this is so hilarious. Not so funny when it’s your double eh Lucy? Also you know Angela was enjoying this way too much as well. Lucy’s ‘I don’t like that…’ cracks me up. She is so disturbed by having her own double. She was having fun before and now she doesn't like it. Also probably stirring some stuff up there is an AU version of them out there. Not only that but they're together.
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We’ve arrived at THE scene for the episode. Tim is over at Lucy’s for OP prep. Saying the backstory has to be airtight. Lucy agrees with him and asks how they met? Tim's answer of a BBQ is vanilla as it gets. This is why she’s the UC babe LOL Lucy telling him that’s lame. I love her just being so upfront with him. She always is but there is a confidence here I love. This is her wheelhouse and Tim is just along for the ride. This is her show really and she proves that in this scene.
Tim is such a stubborn turd saying ‘You think you can do better?’ Oh Timothy you’re about to have your mind blown and your brain broken…She starts out strong saying ‘Watch me.’ Lucy rubs her hands together. Saying they met because he was on the run from the cops. Tim nodding along but not totally sold yet. Lucy continues on with he ended up in her building frantic.Looking for a place to hide.
That she was the one who opened up the door for him. That she lied to the cops for him. It's here we see Tim starts to be impressed with her backstory. That sweet smirk of his in the second gif. You know he is in awe of her right now. That smirk and head tilt is a dead giveaway. Look at how soft he looks gazing at her. Fooling no one sir.
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Lucy’s confidence continues as she finishes up their backstory. It's the smug smile and direct eye contact she gives him as she delivers that line above that gets me. I watch this scene and I’m still in shock we got it. That Lucy is talking about their alter egos hooking up while the cops search for him. Thus his brain malfunctioning. Tim’s reaction is glorious. It will always make me laugh no matter how many times I see it.
Kudos to Eric for crushing it like he always does. Lucy short circuited his brain and it shows. He is having an repeated error message and failing to reboot. You can tell he’s trying to hide the fact she turned him on a little. She achieved this with her confidence through out the story and just blowing his mind right at the end. The man will never recover. He is legit speechless.
Tim was not expecting her to go there at all. She floored him while simultaneously turning him on LOL His professional brain came to a screeching halt when she finished. Also I'm sure he wasn't expecting to be turned on by just her words either. His body was not ready for such things. Good thing he’s sitting cause I’m sure his pants just got a little tighter….
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Tim then remembers he has to reply to her plan now haha Trying to gain his wits about him. Telling her ‘Ok….that..that's pretty good actually.’ Pretty good? She just blew your backstory out of the water. Then proceeded to make your brain stop working. You know he’s a mixture of turned on and impressed as hell with her. Won’t say so but his face said it all for us didn’t it? He legit had his jaw drop like a cartoon hahaha
Tim is seeing she truly is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to UC holy crap. She is also basking in the fact that she crushed his plan with her own, made him speechless, and then got a compliment out of him. Lucy is feeling pretty proud of herself when she says 'Thank you.' I love seeing this confidence on her. It's a good look. Just like I'll never over Tim's growth same goes for her. To see the confident bad ass woman she is now. How far she's come. I love it seeing it.
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Once Tim has some semblance of a brain back he mentions the elephant in the room. That if they’re gonna sell they're together. They’re gonna have to...You know…. Lucy knowing exactly what he’s talking about but giving him a hard time. Trying to get him to say the words. Pretending like she has no idea what he’s talking about. He continues to get flustered and stammers around. Poor Tim. He struggles with his words and stutters. He’s shocked she doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Lucy is enjoying herself far too much. Look at her face. Letting him dangle and trip over his words. Knowing talking about this is making him so very uncomfortable LOL So mean to do to your soulmate Lucy ha She finally throws him a lifeline and says we might have to PDA? Tim gets frustrated she strung him along and says never mind. Lucy stops him and says he’s right. If they’re going to kiss it shouldn’t be for the first time.
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Then the awkwardness that is them pre-kiss ensues. They’re not sure what to do now…So Lucy suggests they stand up. No one does awkward better than these two. They’re so out of their depth right now. It's hysterical. I love a nervous Lucy Chen she is beyond adorable right here. The way Tim starts to lean in and she bails LOL Saying ‘No’ with a nervous giggle ejecting far away from him I’m rolling.
She totally chickens out at first and I don’t blame her. After last episode I'm sure her emotions are going haywire in this moment. Being shy because she already knows of the feelings there. That this was going to bring them out even more. Tim is about to find out himself what this kiss will reveal. Tim is exasperated and not understanding what’s going on here.
He's got a let's do this and get it over with attitude. The thing is Tim is nervous too. Look at him in that first gif. Takes a deep cleansing breath before trying to give her a kiss. He is just as nervous as she is. One thing to banter and flirt with your partner. It's another to kiss them. They’re both buzzing with nerves and it’s adorable af. Hats off to Eric and Melissa in this scene. I can feel all their anxiety and giddiness in this moment. They do an amazing job in this portion.
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Tim get frustrated again and says ‘Oh, you know what? We’re professionals. Let’s just get this over with.’ Lucy’s reaction is the best part LOL Telling him 'Whoa! that’s romantic.' His childish reply of saying he wasn’t trying to be romantic LMAO OMG it’s a good thing you’re about to kiss. Because I wanna yell at them to kiss and get a room already.
Their banter is primo in this scene. Legendary really as is this entire scene. We talk about them being married a lot but never more so than before this kiss. Lucy telling him he’s succeeding and he replies with his pouty face. It’s all so hilarious to watch unfold. Lucy’s nervousness continues to shine through. Trying to reset herself as she psyches herself up to kiss him.
Tim never fails in making me laugh with his expressions and reactions. Telling her in an sarcastic tone to ‘Take her time...’ LOL Lucy trying to give herself a pep talk while Tim stands there exasperated af with her. He is so very done at this point. Just waiting her out at this point. Because he’s used to his wife antics. I love his annoyed deep sigh he let outs when she’s ready to rejoin him. The way he swings his arms in impatience lol
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Tim finally leans in and gives her the most pitiful peck on the lips. He’s so proud of himself when he pulls back though. It’s pretty damn adorable if you ask me. He is expecting praise from his girl only to be demolished by her. Lucy was definitely expecting way more than what he just delivered. It's almost like she has to hold back a laugh at his lack luster attempt. Also that he thought he did a good job with it. Saying ‘I'm s...Sorry, is that it?' After all that build up just an innocent peck on the lips? Tim is so offended about her critique till she lays one on him. Effectively silencing him with a kiss. Also like to note how I love how this season started with an almost kiss and ends with an actual one. Lovely bookend.
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I’ll never be over her cutting him off with her lips and grabbing him by the face. Pulling him forcefully towards her lips. *phew lord* Has his whole face in her hands while she has her way with him. I love how he stumbles into the kiss at first. If you watch him in the beginning of this gif you see him fall forward into the kiss. Wasn’t expecting that show of force from her. He needs a second to readjust his body into what’s now happening. Both of their frustrations with each other melting away once their lips touch. Takes them a moment to find their rhythm. Then it’s all about melding into one another. Fitting like the perfect puzzle pieces they low key always knew they were.
How Lucy’s right hand drops to his chest as she gets comfortable in this kiss. In his arms. Doing what comes naturally while in them. She keeps her left hand firmly on his face though. Keeping those beautiful lips of his directed at her. We watch Tim start to melt into Lucy as well. See how his body begins to relax against hers. His hand has made it's way up to her shoulder. Had this continued I have no doubt they would've swapped places from where they started. His hands continuing their journey upwards. Tim encasing her face in his hands as he continued to kiss her as if his life depended on it.
We see them start to get lost in their kiss. That argument of their's a moment ago is long forgotten. It’s such a sexy first kiss sweet lord. Tim has quickly adjusted from the beginning of the kiss. He's eased into it now and is ready to go for more. We saw him begin startled then quickly relax into her as the kiss goes on. Seems so natural like they've done this before. Reminds me of Chandler and Monica. When Joey/Rachel ask Chandler what he felt when he and Monica kissed after being friends for so long? Telling them felt like 'Why haven't we been doing this the entire time?' This kiss represents that line IMO.
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Look at the way he is melting into her as he looks to deepens that kiss. He’s attached to her upper lip. We can see a little tongue too. Don't think I didn't see you slip that in Timothy heh. He is ready to take this further when their pseudo daughter walks in….I love it being Tim who deepened that kiss. Making that all important first move once again. Lucy wasn’t complaining one bit btw. Cracks me up how Tamara's first solution is to go. Let them have more time alone. I'm sure she's thought of them getting together before.
She doesn't seem terribly shocked by this so much as incredibly amused. How could she not with how they are? Then the awkward hilarity begins. I’ll never be over Lucy’s ‘Oh!’ As they fly apart from each other. Both trying to put a continent between them. It’s so damn funny. Went from hot and heavy to insanely embarrassed. The music stopping abruptly as well. Never fails to make me laugh my ass off. There is so much to love after the kiss as there is with it.
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The way they scramble to explain why they were making out is priceless. Stumbling over their words and each other. Lucy trying to explain that this is 'Work' Uh huh. Sure let's call it that. Tim adding on they're going UC. Tamara is bemused to say the least. Telling them they don't have to explain themselves to her. Tim then starts looking desperately for items he didn’t bring LOL Then realizing he has nothing to gather up.
'You know what? No. I didn't bring anything...' LMFAO Flustered Tim Bradford is a joy to watch. Lucy already broke his brain earlier and then destroyed it with that kiss. You know he’s in love because that man doesn’t get flustered easily. He legit doesn’t know what to do with himself. Other than awkwardly retreat from Lucy. He is shook and it’s showing big time.
I love that he’s a complete disaster just from kissing Lucy. This entire scene is iconic and makes me so happy to watch. They awkwardly point at one another. For what reason I couldn't tell you. Other than they don't know what to do with themselves right now. The height of nervous awkwardness has arrived and I’m joyful Haha They’re both so embarrassed and flustered it’s glorious.
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Lucy is flaming red after she tells Tim 'G...Good work tonight'. She is mortified she just said that to him after they made out. Tim replies in kind because he is also nervously awkward as he leaves. She can’t even look at him as he makes his hasty exit. Her back is turned to him as he departs and does another dorky finger point. Saying bye to Tamara as he does. Lucy's facial expressions are legit killing me. She then she turns around to face Tamara and it only gets worse.
Lucy has no idea what to say to being caught making out with Tim. Tamara's face in that second gif is hilarious. It's like she's giving Lucy a chance to explain herself further. Wanting to see what she'll come up with. She notices Lucy isn't in the right state of mind for answers. So Tamara saves her further embarrassment and says she’s headed to her room…Bless you. Your pseudo mother needed that LOL
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We join Tim in the hallway post all of that mess haha. I once again must commend Eric and his wonderful expressions. He conveys so very much in this moment. It’s the range of emotions he expresses that is so impressive. He just nails it. This is the moment where Tim realizes his feelings for Lucy. Yes she short circuited his brain 100 percent here. But there is far more to this expression than that.
4x21 was Lucy’s epiphany episode. This is Tim’s 'Oh shit I’m in love with Lucy' moment. It’s like he finally has the answer to why he’s always felt the way he’s felt. Why he fought so hard for her not to wash out. Why he said and did things he didn’t totally understand for her. Explaining why he was so protective with her in UC. Why he was ALWAYS happier around her. Just like Lucy it’s hitting him like freight train. His feelings coming sharply into focus.
He goes from broken brain, to realization he’s in love with her, to oh shit I’m in love with my best friend...what am I going to do? The way his eye bug out a little as he comes to this conclusion is everything. That kiss cleared the skies in his brain. He can see clearly now and it scaring him a little. Everything was muddled before and now it’s clear as day. He looks back at her door before he is able to unroot himself from that spot. Tim Bradford is in love with Lucy Chen and it’s just hitting him ❤️
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The awkward cuteness continues the next day. Tim is sitting in his truck with his thoughts. Probably having an existential crisis in the process tbh. I bet you he didn't sleep a wink last night either. Probably trapped in his thoughts the entire time. Also he is clearly just waiting for Lucy to appear. Which is pretty damn adorable.
He perks right up when she arrives. Makes me heart so happy actually. Giving me all the feels. He is so adorable waiting on the girl he loves so he can talk to her. They’re both so smitten at this point my heart is gonna implode. She spots him waiting in his truck. Then does her adorkable wave at him when he notices her looking at him. It's so cute I cannot. They’re both so nervous it’s beyond precious.
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First off love them matching in colors. I feel this was intentional both being in light blue. Once they reach each other the air is rife with unresolved tension. They cut each other off both wanting to speak. Lucy tells him to go first. You can see Tim desperately wants to clear the air. Be vulnerable about the kiss. We see the hope on Lucy’s face as he struggles to find the words. That he is going to say that kiss unlocked something, that it was more than just a practice kiss etc.
That does seem where he is headed when he started this convo. Then our boy loses his nerve completely. Says they should work more on their backstory …You can see the sheer disappointment on Lucy’s face that he said that instead. Probably wishing she had gone first and not him. It’s ok Tim you’ll gain the courage in 5x08 don’t worry. My little awko tacos. How I love thee.
Phew lord that was daunting to write about and tackle haha The sheer volume of gifs out there for this one are immense. But damn I love their slow burn so very much and adore writing about it. Can’t believe we’re done with s4 what a trip.
~~~
Side notes-non chenford
Nolan had a SL but meh.
The only parts worth mentioning are Nell/Elroy being adorable. And how hilarious it was Pete slept through the entire fight scene for Bailey LOL
Thank you to all the readers been with me on this especially those from the very start. You know who you are :) Your likes, comments and reblogs have been a bright spot in my day shall see you all in S5 woo.
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crimeronan · 2 months
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i've downloaded zombies run & i'm three missions in & enjoying it so far, but it's also so Tragically and Hilariously clear how much this story was written in 2012. and how it was also less interested in subverting genre expectations than making you move your body (very fair!! given that that's what the game is designed for!!)
the two most egregious things in these first three eps are:
1. i was paired for a run with a coughing woman who insists she "just has a bad chest cold," and even though the camp supervisor firmly establishes that coughing is THE FIRST SYMPTOM of an infection, i'm instructed to go out running alone in the wilds with this lady. who's coughing. so much.
she keeps being like "it's just a cold 💕" while refusing to let anyone examine her and i'm like. YOU GUYS DONT HAVE QUARANTINE PROCEDURES?? PUT HER ASS SOMEWHERE AWAY FROM THE REST OF US?? DUDE??
2. it's then established that everyone at the camp is suspicious of me because other camps nearby have been torched after being visited by shady-ass secret-keepers very similar to myself. but i'm still allowed to roam around and do supply runs like it's nothing. the NPCs just mutter mutinously about me and make allusions to how i'm gonna get everyone killed.
PUT MY ASS IN QUARANTINE?!?!? DON'T LET ME LEAVE WITHOUT ANSWERING QUESTIONS??? WHAT???? YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO GET A GRIP?!?!?!
the lack of quarantine, safety, and hardass procedures would be excusable if this was a hippie commune or solarpunk future or whatever, but it is Not. this is an AMC's walking dead style deal where the only people more dangerous than the zombies are the non-zombies.
so i'm like.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE LAST RUGGED BASTION OF HUMANITY. WHAT ARE YOU DOIIINGGG.....
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jq37 · 3 months
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The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 3 Fast Times at Fantasy High
Welcome back to Fantasy High! It’s a very exciting episode because something that we rarely see in this show about high schoolers studying at an adventuring academy is happening: The Bad Kids are actually going to class. 
But first, they have to get to school. Riz, unsurprisingly, arrives first. On a big old 30 Investigation roll (+11 to a 19), overnight he did a deep dive into what everyone needs to do to get into a good college. Fig is actually doing great. If she would just go to her classes, she’d be fine. Kristen on the other hand is in serious trouble seeing as allowing your god to die is pretty much an auto-fail for a cleric. Fabian and Gorgug are both solid students with good extracurriculars. Their main hurdle is going to be the MCAT–the Multiclass Achievement Test. In order to multiclass, you need to get permission from your current advisor and pass the test. Then you can take 3/4 of each track for a 150% course load. And then, of course, he and Adaine are the party nerds so they’re doing great. They could maybe add some extracurriculars but they’re model students. 
RIz also has done some research about possible college options: Astral State University (where they visited in the one shot), CUS Dabus (in the City of Doors), Bastion City University (who are doing big, world changing stuff), the Society of Shadows (the rogues only group that forces you to leave your life and friends behind that Penny Luckstone refused to join in The Seven), and–most hilarious but also saddest–Lord Salazar Edge's College of Lone Adventurers (which we learn in the AP was a Murph pitch, lol). 
Back at Mordred, Adaine is doing her best to get her less studious friends up and ready for school, going as far as casting Friends on them to get them in the car. Fig willingly fails and Kristen–who really wants to be convinced–sets the DC at 10 and gives Adaine the Help action. Before they get to the car, Lydia (Ragh’s awesome mom) slaps a toxic looking blue energy drink from Kristen’s hands and gives them all full trash bags full of food for lunch (she’s used to feeding half-orc athlete Barb Ragh, not three spellcasters).
Jawbone loads them in the car and, on the way to school, they hear the song of the summer which is this emo anthem. When they meet Riz, he’s super excited to see everyone and show them their dossiers. He even made one for Adaine just for fun even though she doesn’t need any help and she loves it. What she (and Riz) don’t love however is Fig’s new school plan which, as we learned last week, is to enroll in something other than bard classes and then go to her bard classes (since a part of her isn’t going because she has chronic Stick-It-To-The-Man-Itis). Riz and Adaine try to figure out if they can gaslight Fig into going to her classes or hack the system somehow. 
Back at the Thistlespring tree, Gorgug is doing some last minute pre-school work: creating his homunculus (which is kind of like an artificer’s familiar). It’s a hastily made archaeopteryx (flying dino thing, if you know Pokemon, think Archeops) that’s light on the feathers. He accidentally names it Cloaca (a birds multipurpose excrement chute) which his parents love because it’s spreading awareness of non-traditional bodies. Then they launch into a story about mermaid reproduction that I’m not gonna get into because not even Gorgug wanted to hear it. He’s clearly anxious about his skills because he feels his parents disapprove of the bird even though they’ve never been anything other than 200% supportive of him in their lives. 
He gets a ride to school and his friends meet Cloaca, who he nicknames Chloe–the name I’ll be using even though the Bad Kids of course will exclusively call it Cloaca. Riz hands Gorgug his file which he reviews along with the letters from his parents. It’s a lot of the same info except that one of the letters is a rejection re: Multiclassing with a note to talk to his advisor (Porter, the Barb teacher who Fig hates). 
Fabian shows up, starving and shabbily dressed without Cathilda to take care of him–she’s still in Leviathan. The girls share their trash bag food with him which he wolfs down gratefully. (When he mentions his parents are away, Fig seems surprised that Gilear left. Interesting to note for future eps because that feels out of character for their relationship). Anyway, he mistakes Chloe for a piece of trash because is it really the first day of school if Fabian doesn’t insult Gorgug (accidentally this time. progress!) and then the bell rings. As it does, the Bad Kids look around and realize something strange: they’re Juniors now. That means more than half the kids here are younger than them now. They’re not the Freshmen they once were. 
The Sorc Prof (Jace Stardiamond) is filling in as VP while Gilear is away and as he makes an announcement on the intercom, Fig almost falls into an open construction pit (a SECOND construction based incident) but is saved when she’s hit with an armful of gym equipment instead. Put that on the Faeth luck swap conspiracy board. Anyway, Jace also says that Aguefort is gonna be out so they have a new Principal: Emergency Backup Interim Principal Grix. The Bad Kids have never heard of this guy before. 
In the spot where they saw Dane and Penelope campaigning to bring back Prom Court their first year, the Bad Kids now see a table for Student Gov manned by Jawbone and a minotaur student he seems to know: Mazey Phaedra–a senior and the student body prez. She’s also based on a Scottish Highland cow which isn’t important to the story but it is important to me because those cows are super cute. Riz suggests they sign up so they go talk to Mazey who seems cool: She thanks them for saving the world, she knows Ayda, and Fabian clocks later that she’s a dancer bard. All green flags. 
After indulging Fabian’s ego for a bit, the squad encourages Kristen to go for President. Before she can though, she’s beaten to the punch by a halfling student with major Tracy Flick energy who introduces herself as Kipperlily Copperkettle. Kristen immediately shoots back with, “What are you, four different dogs?” which is maybe the funniest thing a Bad Kid has ever said. The Bad Kids hate her vibes on sight but Kristen especially is full aggro. Riz notices that she’s wearing a pin of a rat’s butt being grinded between two gears and when asked about it, she says it’s Ratgrinders pin–Ratgrinders being the name of her adventuring party. They ask who else is in her party and she points out Reuben–an emo, gnomish bard who is signing autographs because he’s the one who wrote the song they were listening to on the way to school (before Kristen changed it to a health and wellness podcast). 
Kipperlily (who I’m gonna call KP) is told that she can sign up but she has to find time to campaign outside of her classes. She says that won’t be a problem because she’s already aced Junior Year and she slides over an envelope to Jawbone to prove it. Apparently, the way Rogue classes work here is that the students find clues and puzzles throughout the school left by the professor but they’ve never actually met them. If a student is able to find the Rogue professor, they automatically get an A for the year and, apparently, KP did just that. 
Paperwork in order, KP is about to leave but Fig stops her to ask what her platform is. Her answer: “Equality, equanimity, and fairness under the rules. In the past, there has been an eccentricity to the bureaucratic and administrative decisions of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy that has favored some students over others. Very nice to meet you guys.”
As she leaves, they hate her even more. 
Adaine tries out a new trick she has which allows her to see into the ethereal plane. She sees a lot of Aguefort’s wards but also the fact that the wards are porous enough to let in ghosts because one of the professors is a ghost, though they don’t know which one. She suggests to Riz that maybe the Rogue prof is a ghost. She also sees some ghost steaks in the fridge, presumably belonging to the ghost prof (btw: steak for lunch at a high school seems wild, lol). 
At this point, Fabian notices Mazey’s dancing shoes (Badidas of course) and clocks that she’s a dancer bard. He talks to her about how he’s looking to multiclass and she hooks him up with a note to give to the dance class professor (Terpsicore Skullcleaver) that says he’s a good kid. She also tells him that Jem Peppercorn (the absolute legend who stayed in the gym eating for the whole Goldenhoard fight) graduated last year and he had the party house which means there’s an opening for a new party house. And Fabian has a very big, very fancy, very empty house. Kristen does an Insight check and gets a Nat 20 to clock that yeah, there’s a little bit of a flirty vibe going on. So of course, she uses Thaumaturgy to create tremors–a move I was extremely confused about at first blush but I think she was using to give Fabian an excuse to hold her or something. Clearly, she’s a more attentive Wingwoman than she is a Saint. 
Anyway, conversation finished, they go to the Auditorium where Jace announced Principal Grix wanted to give a speech. Grix is a gold, warforged spellcaster with a ball comprising his lower half instead of legs. Apparently, he was created by Arthur Aguefort to take his place while he’s on vacay. He speaks in a stilted, robotic manner and gives a speech parallel to Aguefort’s day one speech about what an Adventurer is. But instead of the rambly, unhinged answer Aguefort gave, he simply gives the Dictionary definition: One who goes on adventures. And then he starts going off about order, bureaucracy, and rules. 
The Bad Kids are taken aback–even rules gremlin Riz.On a 27 to clock whether he’s been hacked (because she can’t believe Aguefort would make a robot that acted like this) Adaine sees Grix steepling his fingers and saying “Perfect order” which isn’t conclusive but is def troubling! They start raising their hands and asking Jace questions about if they really have to follow rules in a hard way this year–it still is Aguefort after all–but Grix cuts in and says that the backtalk he’s getting is exactly the problem. He casts Time Stop (a 9th level spell) and the entire auditorium finds themselves in the hall, in a single file line, ten minutes before class is about to begin. Not a great start to the year! And on a dirty 20, Kristen doesn’t see KP anywhere. Suspicious! 
Riz tells Fabian and Gorgug about any extra MCAT stuff they don’t already know. He also tells the group about the Frosty Folk Festival and Gorgug mentions that his parents are hosting. Fig says she wants to maybe try out some of her new songs there…once she’s written them. Fabian asks if they can take a break from hardcore Bad Kid stuff this semester and Kristen says that’s a good point because she has a campaign to focus on. Fig declares herself secret service because, of course she does. She also announces her plan to go to Bard classes…but disguised as a new persona (Tiny Emo Girlie: Wanda Childa) so she can befriend and spy on Reuben. Riz and Adaine are at the end of their collective rope. 
With his free time before the bell rings, Gorgug wants to talk to Porter to sort out the MCAT stuff. Porter lays it out for him. He thinks Gorgug has amazing, raw, natural talent and he uses his rage in a really noble way to protect his friends. But he hasn't seen him reach his full destructive potential and he’s not impressed that he defeated the Night Yorb will tools and “magic” instead of rage. He would be fine if Gorgug wanted to get some Fighter levels with Ms. Jones or something else that would dovetail nicely with Barb classes, but as of now, he hasn’t seen what he needs to see to think that Artificing classes would do anything but steal focus. Gorgug can of course quit the Barb track and move to Artificing, but Porter is not giving his approval. 
Meanwhile, Fabian is having a much less hostile meeting with Terpsicore (after an accidental detour to Adaine’s wizard class because he trusted Fig–who’s never been to bard class–to give him directions). Terps is this tiny (5 ft 3in) Half-Orc with crazy, hyper positive, aerobics grandma energy who immediately breaks down Fabian’s cool guy jock persona and gets him into a dance, jam sesh with her that moves through different styles of dance and music. I can’t do this scene justice, you have to watch it. Her “Uh-oh, uh-oh! Uh-oh, uh-oh! A challenger approaches!” tells you everything you need to know about her. 
By the end of the dance, Fabian has fully embraced his weird art kid energy and Terps has approved Fabian for multiclassing. It’s looking like all sunshine and roses for Fabian until Terps tells him that if he’s gonna make this multiclass thing work, he needs to be really serious. Lots of rest. Lots of healthy food. And no parties. Uh-oh indeed. 
Next up, we turn our attention back to Riz who’s still in the hall and tries to steal the envelope KP turned in to Jawbone to get some info about the Rogue prof. Jawbone catches him and is good natured about it but won’t let him have the envelope: not for moral reasons so much as because a good rogue has to earn it by not getting caught. 
Riz asks about KP and Jawbone says she’s a good kid but kinda Type A. He asks Riz if he’s getting some “I’m in the picture and I don’t like it” energy from her and Riz denies it. Jawbone decides to give him a little bit of a hint re: the Prof and says that KP technically didn’t find the prof. The prof found KP. But he won’t say more and he would appreciate him not saying where he got the info. The main reason he’s giving the info at all is because KP was snooping and heard him talking about Kristen’s god dying. She then asked Jawbone a bunch of questions about Kristen which he answered so he figured fair’s fair with regard to giving Riz some info about her. Riz is troubled. Jawbone tells Riz that they’re due for a heart to heart but Riz says he’s good and he’s stressed but stress is good. Yikes!
Kristen is also still in the hall and finally properly signs up for class president but, as she does, she hears some familiar voices: it’s her parents, dropping her younger brother Bucky off for his first day at Aguefort. She has serious deja vu as they’re saying the same “Don’t mix with the weirdos” stuff they said to her on her first day. Kristen fails a Wisdom save and is deeply affected by watching her parents basically bullying her younger brother who she hasn’t seen in a good bit now. The last time she had any contact with them it was just to give them her dragon gold and that was over the phone.  She sees that her not being in the household to shield her brothers from her parents has led to them having to take all that parental abuse and pressure alone. She goes over to confront them feeling hot under the collar and Riz senses a crackle of something in her aura. 
Cass chimes in, thinking she’s been summoned, and asks if it’s a good time for them to talk and Kristen snaps at her that OBVIOUSLY it’s not a good time. Kristen feels a spasm in her body and, for the first time, Cass snaps back at her: "Fine! I can make my own people to talk to!“ Deeply concerning, but we’ll come back to that. For now, we follow Kristen as she reaches her parents and brother. Bucky immediately goes in for the hug and seems very happy to see her. Her parents, not so much and the feeling is mutual. “Second time’s the charm, hopefully” they say, tacitly deeming her a failure. She pretends to be directing traffic so she can hustle them out the door ASAP and gets a Nat 20 to do so (rolling with advantage for reasons Brennan doesn’t expound on). Bucky says he wants to talk to Kristen about something but he’s late so can they meet up after class? She says sure thing and he runs off, his longsword trailing after him. 
Kristen is left alone with her parents and it’s a bit of a standoff. Her mom asks how she’s going and seems to genuinely want to know to some degree but it’s still mainly jabs about her lifestyle and choices and leaving the church. Her dad especially comes down hard on her for leaving Helio without a chosen one and becoming a cleric to a night goddess right before they were struck with four months of night which, admittedly, is a fair thing to have questions about. But Kristen has died and come back from the dead. If that can’t keep her down, her parents certainly can’t. She pirouettes away from the conversation and heads to class (because she may not be worried about her parents but she is worried about what Cass said to her). 
We hop over to the second nerd of the party, Adaine, who’s in wizard classes with Professor Tiberia Runestaff who Brennan says has “Evil Lucille Bluth” energy (which is different from regular Lucille Bluth how?). She’s a friend of Aguefort’s from the Mountains of Chaos and Adaine wants to impress her so so bad. 
She starts off her lesson by saying that this year is the weed out year. This is the year that separates the paltry magicians from the truly great casters. Then, she starts listing out the materials they need for this week’s castings–a list that includes TEN BARRELS OF DIAMONDS. For ONE WEEK. Adaine may come from money but she doesn’t have access to any of that money right now. She raises her hand to ask if there’s any way she could borrow some diamonds from the school or something and basically gets a harsh, “That sounds like a you problem” kind of response that she shrinks back from. Tiberia continues to list the ridiculously expensive materials needed to continue on and Adaine knows that she can’t ask Jawbone for any of this. She resolves to call Aelwyn for help during lunch. 
We then move on to a Fantasy High first: Fig going to class! Although she’s not going as herself. She’s disguised as her alter ego Wanda Childa. The professor (Lucilla Lullaby who is some kind of chill Eladrin) seems to perhaps think she recognizes her before she sits down next to Reuben. She charms him by smelling of peach schnapps and cigarettes and they have a flirty emo-off before Lucilla points out that she’s 100% not on the roster and, despite the fact that it doesn’t always seem like it, this is a school with rules. This year especially! She leaves, but as she lingers to give Reuben one last look (and sniff) she notices that he has a Ratgrinder tattoo that matches KP’s pin. 
As she exits Lucilla is making a call on her crystal and there’s a good chance it’s connected to the encounter Fig has when she gets to the hall. Jace Stardiamond is leading an eagle aarakocra Council of Chosen agent (think FBI) who is investigating truancy in the area and calls Fig by name–well by pseudonym anyway. He is incidentally also looking into the disappearance of Hilda Hilda. Sensing her chickens are finally coming home to roost, Fig gives a weak lie about not knowing how schools work and skateboards away, using Cutting Words to prevent Agent Clark’s attack of opportunity on her. He vows to find out who she is as she makes her escape. 
Proving you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it go to bard class, Fig goes outside to spy on her class through the window instead of attending because she thought Lucilla actually seemed pretty cool. She doesn’t hide well enough though and Lucilla spots her through the window. She’s shocked to see Fig for the first time in two years and welcomes her in like she’s the prodigal son. Fig asks if it would be weird for her to attend. Lucilla assures her that it’s the opposite of weird and, in fact, mandatory. 
She settles in for her first day of bard class–this semester and ever–but out of the corner of her eye, she notices a sneering Rebuen texting someone. It’s Lola Embers. Looks like they’re signed to the same label. 
Finally, we hop to Kristen who’s headed to cleric class with Professor Yolanda Badgood (a wispy air genasi). Before class even starts she tells Kristen to meet her after class. We timeskip to that meeting and, like many others in this ep, she thanks Kristen for saving the world. But she has a followup question: How did she do it when her god is dead? Kristen says she has a lot going on with her estranged parents she just saw and her scattered mind and her feeling like the stairs are disappearing behind her as she climbs. She has to update her god in the files and her address for that matter because, as we learned when she talked to her parents, all her mail is still getting sent to her old address. Her professor sincerely asks her how she’s feeling and Kristen says she’s fine but asks if there’s some kind of test she can take that will tell her what god is right for her. Her professor is like, “Didn’t you just say you had a new god???” But Kristen feels so much pressure with Cass and she mainly feels annoyed by her presence. Professor Badgood says that she’s allowed to change her god as much as she wants–she herself gave up an active relationship with a divinity so she can be kind of an interfaith minister to all her students. And she says that all faiths are trying to capture a piece of the truth–even the out there ones with evil gods and such. She recommends that Kristen spend a week earnestly trying to connect with Cass and if she still feels like she wants to split she can go from there. 
Kristen has a followup question: What do you do when your god says, "Fine, I'll- I'll make new followers"? Badgood seems taken aback, and she’s even more so when Kristen says she’s been rude to her god. Kristen asks if she should apologize and Professor Badgood gives her the most gracious version of, “Duh, obviously” a person can manage. She directs Kristen to one of the million prayer rooms in the class so she and Cass can talk. 
Kristen actually takes this seriously–or at least more seriously than she takes most things. She clears her mind and meditates until she finds herself in the forest of Sylvaire where Cassandra is crying to herself. A bright moon that would erase any shadow or doubt encroaches. When Kristen tries to touch Cass’s shoulder, the god flinches away and sobs that Craig–her only other follower–has joined the Wolfsong Revival. Tracker’s movement.   
Cass is scared. She doesn’t want to end up dead in the Astral Realm like Yes? Kristen apologizes and says that she understands that she’s getting to point where chaos isn’t cute anymore. She follows that up by saying that her top two priorities are Cass and her student president campaign however so I don’t know how committed she is to being serious. Cass isn’t either because she flat out states that she can’t rely on Kristen. She’s so so lonely and she’s confused about why things aren’t working out. They started out so big and magical and they’re still so stuck. She thought it might be because of her somehow but then she learned about the trail of abandoned gods in Kristen’s wake and realized that *she* was the connecting factor, something that Kristen cops to verbally: “It’s me,” she says. 
Cass announces that she’s getting some help and Kristen asks who. A cleric? Nope. No clerics for now. She just wanted a friend. Kristen sees her petting something invisible and asks if it’s a dog. 
“I’m more of a cat person,” Cass says as a black cat fades into view. 
“Hi Kristen,” Kalina says. 
And that’s where we end our ep!!!! The bitch is back!!!!
Honor Roll
Riz for Thinking Of All His Friends
In Sophomore Year there was a thing with Riz’s dad where it was like, sometimes you show your love through work and, viewed through that lens, Riz *really* loves his friends. I recognize that the likelihood of his meticulous plan actually working is slim to none and he’ll have to accept that even if they all stay really close friends (which they better), they’re likely on at least slightly different life paths, I do think it’s really sweet that he’s putting so much effort into making sure that ALL of his friends are successful by the metric that he’s using. Also, the “Hi Adaine :)” binder for her was so cute. I love nerd friendship. 
Detention 
Fig for Hilda-Hilda-ing Too Close to the Sun
Girl the Fantasy FBI is after you!!! Just stop lying and go to class!!!!!
Random Thoughts
In the AP for this ep, Emily mentioned some cool warlock thing that might be worth taking the MCAT for and officially registering (she’s currently off the books multiclassing) but it’s never mentioned in the actual episode so I assume it got snipped away in editing. 
I really love how polite Adaine is to anyone who hasn’t earned her scorn and the little moment of her taking a reasonable amount of food from the trashbag Lydia offered her and thanking her was very endearing to me. 
Zac is very quick on his feet and Chloe is a GREAT save for Cloaca but it is ABSOLUTELY not gonna be what anyone calls that bird but me and him. 
When Jace said over the intercom that Sorc classes are just talking about how fun and easy magic is, I’m surprised Adaine have anything snarky to say about that, lol. *I* had a comment and I don’t even go to that school. 
Is anyone else getting like…Santa Clause 2 energy from the Grix situation? If that ends up being the vibe then that’s super funny because iirc Santa Clause 1 was ref’d a bunch with the oracle stuff in Freshman Year. Full circle baybee. 
KP seems like she is springing into existence to fill the voice left by Penny Luckstone getting her GED and leaving. They’re like on the exact same level of one axis of a cartesian plane but on opposite sides. Both at 100% intensity but vibes in opposite directions.  
I kinda wanna add a poll to this post that’s like, what is the crazier story? Mermaid reproduction with the Thistlesprings or snapping turtle man with gun up his secret cloaca story with Jawbone?
Honorary Honor Roll to Ally the person for the legendary 4 dogs joke. Honestly even funnier knowing that that’s the actual name of Brennan’s old PC. Burned the man to his face. Roasted him like corn. 
OK, so what are we thinking about the Ratgrinders? Is that a ref to grinding rats for XP or more how they see other people/what they’re going to do to people who get in their way? KP is obviously very rules focused but in a Lawful Annoying way. I do think it’s interesting though. Have any of you guys ever seen the Community episode where it turns out everyone at Greendale hates the gang because they have major main character syndrome and are always forcing everyone else at school to accommodate their flights of fancy (a perfectly reasonable reason to have beef with people)? I’m wondering if there’s a bit of that energy happening here. Either way, this strikes me as a party that’s interested in exploiting loopholes and such for maximum efficiency (eg: finding the rogue prof for instant straight A’s) and that’s a different kind of maverick behavior than what the Bad Kids do which is go buckwild, breaking rules if necessary, but getting real results. It’s like the BK’s are Aguefort’s perfect party and I’m suspecting the RG’s are Grix’s. Speaking of–
A FH concept I had ages ago was rival adventuring party to the main group which has like, bizarro versions of everyone. And we may be getting that! We have an emo bard to contrast Fig’s punk rocker energy. And a rules follower (derogatory) rogue to contrast Riz who is also a rules follower (blessed). Very curious to see the rest of their party! And very curious to know if they’re Bad (™) or just annoying in a high school way. Sometimes people just don’t vibe with you. 
Oh, a specific concern that I have: KP specifically asked where Kristen was able to create a god. I don’t think that’s info I want a super type A person I don’t trust to have. 
Very sweet that Jawbone’s immediate instinct when he thinks an earthquake is happening is to bodily shield Fig and Adaine, his two kind daughter-figures in the Bad Kids. 
Kristen says that Cass is a hard sell but I have to disagree. Look at this flyer. It looks convincing to me!
“I think songs can accomplish a lot, if you let yourself hear the music.” Gorgug :( He’s gonna show Porter this season. I just know it. I believe in you Spring Break! 
Love Murph throwing in the Frosty Folk thing apropos of basically nothing just to make sure they had an in-character reason to all know about that for later, just in case. Info management! Important! 
I remember Bucky being a lot younger but either I’m confusing him for one of her other two brothers or it got retconned (or Quangled lol) older to make this storyline work. Very interesting that he went in for the hug, not the other way around. Seems like at least one person missed her. With his longsword and his parents’ inclinations, it seems like he’s most likely a Helioic Paladin. I’m very interested in how they’re going to treat his relationship with Helio because even though Kristen rejected him and we’ve seen that he has some followers that range from just shitty (K’s parents) to downright culty (the Harvestmen), that doesn’t mean that all of his followers are like that and we’ve never actually seen Helio be anything but pretty chill when he’s appeared. He wants to talk to Kristen about something and my conspiracy theory brain is wondering if he was asked to be Helio’s new chosen one but he hasn’t told anyone yet. That would be very interesting and I’d like to see a storyline about the tension of K and her brother having very different relationships with the same god. The chill peace and love god might have been a great person for him to turn to in absence of his one lifeline in the house leaving. But it could also be tons of other things so we’ll see. 
Wild that Kristen has pissed off or abandoned every member of that godly family (Sol, Helio, Galicaea, and Cass). She really is the constant here. 
Ally says Kristen is wearing an Adidas tracksuit meaning that this world canonically has both Adidas and Badidas. 
It’s a funny moment when Terps is like, “Is there harm in your life? ”to Fabian when he mentions eating food out of a trash bag but like, the kid isn’t doing *great*. Def some neglect happening and he said he was wearing yesterday’s clothes and still banged up from the Night Yorb fight. If I was a teacher, I’d have questions too! 
Yolanda Badgood. Terpsichore Skullcleaver. Lucilla Lullaby. Most of these professors are named like My Little Ponies and I love it. 
When Lucilla say “Wanda” it seems like she briefly (correctly) thought it was Fig which is funny because it paints the picture that she’s been actively waiting on pins and needles for her to show up for the past two years. It’s funny because she’s not a missing person. She’s highly visible both from saving the world and being a rockstar AND both of her dads work at your school! Just get in touch! 
Really hope Adaine follows up on the Aelwyn conversation because I wanna see two kids raised in old money discuss the price of ten barrels of diamonds. 
Also lol at random things like Fabian being the FUTURE OF DANCE being pinned on Adaine’s oracle prognostications. 
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birdmenmanga · 1 year
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yeah but there's something so awesome, narratively speaking, about Suletta challenging Sophie to a duel. Because in Season 1, while Suletta fought in TONS of duels, it was almost always other people challenging HER, other people wanting things from her, or it's her fighting on Miorine's behalf, and she's forced to play along because this system is normalized in Asticassia, and it has power here.
She doesn't have much that she wants for herself, and the things that she does want— making friends, going on dates— aren't things you typically strongarm out of other people. She doesn't particularly want to participate in this system, and even expresses how she feels it's unfair—
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Wait, how can guel's stake be forcing elan not to talk to me?! my relationship with elan is MY business— to which Shaddiq replies:
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well, if you're unhappy with it, participate in this system more to get the result you want ^_^
She grew up in an extremely sheltered environment, and is forced into this new place with new rules, and while at the beginning she was pushed around and made to do seemingly arbitrary things, she just so happens to be privileged in having a banging mobile suit, and as such she has power in this arbitrary system. She's not losing anything, and she's even getting things she wants— Guel apologizing to Miorine, Miorine keeping GUND-ARM, things like that.
So at this point, in Ep. 14, she believes in this system. She believes in the power that's vested in the system, because it demanded compliance from her, or else she would lose something— she'd be expelled. And she's always wanted to go to school.
But Sophie knows better than that. Sophie knows that Asticassia is just a glass castle, a false utopia, and that its rules and stakes are so, so, so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. She finds it hilarious that Suletta believes in this system, and finds it ludicrous that something so fragile and arbitrary could have any power.
I think the interaction that really drives home this point is this:
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Suletta's almost shocked at Sophie's disregard for the dueling vow— wait, you're not doing this right! we're all supposed to participate in this system in a certain way, you know?! make it binding?! in front of other people!?— but Sophie doesn't actually care about the vows. She is literally a character with nothing to lose, like what are you gonna do? Expel me???? lmao!! she doesn't give a shit about that!! this false utopia has nothing that can be leveraged against Sophie, and as such she has no obligation to follow its rules!!
Which is to say, even though Suletta's murder at the end of Season 1 marked a huge tonal shift for the viewers... it didn't, not for Suletta herself. She's still living in Season 1 and playing by Season 1's rules, EVEN THOUGH we know that Asticassia is just a child's playground and that the Real World outside is a far harsher and crueler place.
It's like, wow, this is monumental character development, Suletta has things she wants to keep safe now, things she's willing to fight for voluntarily instead of just being a Guy who's Being Put Into Situations, things like the safety and happiness of Nika and Miorine and the people in the Earth House, and she's really taking a stand! Go girl!! ! ! !
—if only things were still so simple.
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hisui555 · 2 months
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Hazbin Hotel thoughts : Foils 3
(Foils 1 here)
(Foils 2 here)
(Foils 4 here)
Masterpost here.
Might as well crank out that one while I'm at it. Two words (and a half) : Alastor VS Vox.
(...Alright, not everybody at once, someone might get caught in the stampede.)
Yep, let's talk about two of the statistically main favorites (well, they're mine too in a way. In a "would like to see them trip up and crumble" way), who have a lot in common despite how much they despise each other. First of all, let's round up what we know : they have a Radio VS Video shtick that everyone and their dog knows about, inside and outside the show, are both Overlords, might have been closer in the past whatever that relationship was based on the torn photo of Alastor in Vox' possession (seen in Ep 8), Alastor died in the 1930s while Vox died in the 1950s, so the former has been around 20 years in Hell when the latter popped up there and highly probably met him there, Vox wanted him on his team at one point but Alastor turned him down as flat as his face, Vox infamously got butthurt (and it's implied he had/still has a crush on Alastor - at the very least a very strong interest to be noticed by him - if going by the Hazbin Wiki's cited sources, the archived "Hazbin Hotel Fashion Stream for the Comics") and metaphorically speaking declared war on him, while Alastor very much doesn't have the same obsession and outside of feeling aggravated by Vox' presence when Vox decides to crave attention, can't care less about him.
Hilariously enough, though, they have quite the lot of parallels, even hitting idependently the same idea - religious outfit, multi-shot of themselves around a target to get a point across, mocking doodles for a broadcast, ominous about-to-lose-it "What did you say" in a heavily filtered voice, clawing up a surface under out-of-control emotions, hundred-watts smile to keep up appearances (and as a tool like Alastor himself points out), the clothing style (though Vivienne liking bowties and suits does have a hand in it), the go-to guy where problems arise (Alastor being the powerful one dealing with physical threats the Hotel faces, Vox being the local babysitter to make things fall in line), the showmanship, the pride, the issues with control, the attention-craving tendencies and hatred of being ignored... you certainly saw the posts on Tumblr, I'm not the first one pointing this out, by far (deuxaeonn has a very good one here). But looking closely, it looks like either they have naturally a lot in common, or that someone (not naming names but giving you a hard sideglance, Vox) has caught habits or is emulating the other sub/consciously. Given that one had a 20 years heads-up in Hell on the other, well, can't be that far-fetched (even if nothing is confirmed at this point by now, at the time of writing).
The main difference is how they go at it : Alastor is steadier and truer to himself than Vox, who privileges quantity over quality. While both have issues with control and presenting an unflappable front (which they are very much not), Alastor manages to keep it better together, whereas Vox dissolves into what can be only called a tantrum when things don't go his way ("FffuhuHuck !") and his ego takes a blow. Vox also has to try harder or more actively to get attention to him (Stayed Gone's beginning, where he We Don't Talk About Bruno-ed himself by speaking about Alastor to say that it's useless to speak about Alastor. "Stop giving him the time of day !" - great job, buddy) while Alastor just has to pop up and in three quick sentences dresses him down in front of everyone. While Vox floods people with too much and meaningless information - be it visual or audible, hopping from scene to scene, Alastor plays with mystery and withholding information so that everyone goes crazy guessing ("I'm sure you've all been wondering") - which works well on the fans outside the show, but inside ? Not so much : Carmilla just shrugs him off, Zestial is mildly curious at best, the other Overlord don't even ask, Lucifer doesn't even know who he is, which drives him up the wall. The only one actually caring (despite insisting on the contrary) about what he does and why he's back ? Ironically, that's the one Alastor doesn't want to acknowledge !
(Oh, Vox, you wish Alastor would look at you the same way he looks at Lucifer... boy this is peak comedy gold.)
Alastor only needs his voice and aura of enigma wrapped into a mystery, while Vox has his face everywhere. Alastor chooses each moment to make them more impactful and plays his cards close to his chest, while Vox wants to be on all fronts and keep the cards coming to drown the opponent with them. Alastor only has to speak to intimidate, Vox relies on his bullshit-talking skills and hypnosis, though they both have confidence and charisma : Alastor's is more about danger and unpredictability, someone to be wary of, Vox' is about false friendliness and advertising, someone to trust. Alastor joins the Hotel for his own personal amusement and is very upfront about his sadistic motives, Vox plays friendly and hides his own behind false niceness and pretend service. With both of them, you need to read the fine print : literally with Vox ("Trust us ! With what ? None of your business" - seen on one of his posters in Ep 2 if you're looking for it) and metaphorically with Alastor - he'll honor his word, and his word alone.
Both also don't drop the façade when in private, though it doesn't take much for Vox to be pushed over the edge (a certain name will do it just fine), while Alastor keeps on the smile even in the middle of a breakdown (though if it's out of habit, or because he maybe literally can't is up in the air for now). They both want control and to be in control, and fancy themselves to be quite powerful. Their arrogance also doesn't help : Alastor goes against Adam without any angelic weaponry, and guess who loses the fight ? For Vox, Stayed Gone is basically him wanting to throw a stone and realizing too late it was in fact a boomerang. That he caught with his face. This guy should write a book : How To Shoot Yourself In The Foot 101. Funnily enough, they also seem to have issues with boredom and frustration : Alastor needs to be entertained, and Vox' life isn't sometimes as glamourous as he paints it out to be - that with having to deal with coworkers that put the "dick" in predictable and the "ass" in pass.
Alastor however is much more competent (if equally petty) at keeping it together than Vox, never losing that gentlemanly attitude (or almost). He rebounds more easily, and while both are manipulative, Alastor pushes the right buttons (not unlike Velvette, even if she's doing it very agressively) he knows will give him the best response, playing into insecurities and weaknesses (Cheap Booze (TM) for Husk, catering to Charlie's need of approval by playing the 'dad figure'), while Vox guides people to the conclusion he wants them to make by letting them think they did the process on their own (seen with Valentino) and prodding for the right answers. It's also interesting to see that, while he responds if provoked, up to know Alastor never really starts a song on his own : even Inside Of Every Demon Is A Lost Cause is a reprise riding on Charlie's Inside Of Every Demon Is A Rainbow that he composes on the fly. Stayed Gone has him responding to Vox, Hell's Greatest Dad is him hijacking Lucifer's show to steal his thunder, Ready For This has him as a part of the group, and only the Finale verse has him alone and clashing with the rest of the song, only popping back up from "And we'll do it with a smile !" line onwards.
It underscores nicely Alastor's ability to insert himself in the life of others and riding the coattails of what's currently going on to his needs, going along with the flow until his goals are met, from the shadows that make up his powers. Vox on the other side presents himself as a necessity taking over everyone's lives, in center-stage and spotlight, dominating all fields from TV shows to cereals and ice cream, for crying out loud, just like he did technology. His powers are lightning-based (outside of technology-themed), which makes a funny contrast with Alastor's shadows. Also, just to nail it home, one has an almost-complete red palette (with black accents) while the other's is blue (with bits of red). And of course, they're both the Old (Alastor, who dislikes anything made after his death in the 1930s) and the New (Vox, who keeps up with technology's evolution, always chases after new trends and replaced body parts like his head to fit better) - hence Vox also appearing more shallow but also more adaptative than Alastor, who's more upfront about his intentions but also a bit behind the times and could be left in the dust if he weren't so powerful, but in a way, like radio, is less regarded but still useful and relevant. As many people pointed out, radio waves are the basis for TV, after all.
Their ascentions to power are also different despite similarities : they both became each one of the well-known hot acts in Hell, though with Alastor it came completely out of left field to the shock of everyone, as he's rumored to be one of the most powerful Sinner souls in Hell on his own (presumably) and nobody knows how, while Vox is the powerful CEO of a domain that has monopoly on entertainment in the Pride Ring, and most-likely climbed the ladder in relatively "normal" ways compared to the sheer mystery surrounding Alastor : Vox made the right connections, used his knowledge, forged the right contracts and alliances at the right times and like other companies associated himself with the right people for it to work (the Vees). Vox managed to fight Alastor and live to tell the tale (getting "almost beaten"), and while Alastor can easily upstage him, this means that he's still worthy of the title of Overlord and probably no slouch in an actual fight. Probably. Or at least has a style of fighting that makes him annoying and/or dangerous to face. However, what Alastor can face on his own and mainly alone, Vox has to do while relying on others.
But seriously, if these two are revealed to have been sort-of buddies in the past, I wouldn't be surprised.
(Also, just adding : the idea of Vox getting dissed romantically by someone who thought they just dissed him in a business-way, because they're completely blind to the potential romantic implications, and Vox thinking this was on purpose, is just gut-busting hilarious. I don't know which way it'll go in the show, but if it happens that way, I WILL crack my whole ribcage in hysterics.)
Welp, see ya next time by brain goes "ding !" again.
Again, Masterpost here.
PS : Thank you deuxaeonn for allowing the link to your post !
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absolutebl · 10 months
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This Week in BL
June 2023 Wk 3 
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Step By Step (Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - There sure is a lot of drinking in this show (who am I to talk?). Omg so awkward: The not-break-up not-confession. I have heartburn. Also I could not watch Jeng break down. Just nope. Then time jump? If that was our DOOM episode the timing is off. Or next week is the final? Or we get 3 eps of domestic bliss and sexitimes? I’m confused. 
La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - I like how trope-subversive this show is - first soulmates, then love triangle, now the faen fatal. NO SINGING. Oh good. They didn’t! Yay! So yeah I still love it. But I am also still a touch scared of where it might go. This one can’t be trusted. 
Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - not a bad ep this week or was I too drunk to register nuance and damage? You decide. Trash watch here.
Luminous Solution (Sat Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - I always have to psyche myself up to watch this show, because I want to fast forward through most of it, but it’s on Gaga so that’s damn near impossible. At least this is the penultimate episode. I think after 3 BLs I can safely say Gun is just not a good actor. Speaking of... crying clothed in the shower? I haven’t seen that trope in years. But I LOVE the high school boys and their story so much. Love Sick level of earnest floppy goodness, I’m such a sucker for this kind of romance. I want them to be in a completely different BL. I’m so conflicted. I NEED this show to end so I can decide how I feel about it.
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Love Tractor (Korea Weds iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - So much is happening, evil x-boyfriend shows up. We got flashbacks to coming-out drama + nasty dad (super unusual for a KBL). But baby’s first taste of desire is hilarious. This one is full of lovely contrasts, and contrasting life experiences. It’s all about support and neglect. 
Tokyo in April AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - Very much full of hero worship and giving me My Beautiful Man vibes (only softer and office set). “Dazzling” = always an interesting word when it comes up in JBL subs. It’s clearly a Japanese word/concept like kawaii  that is more complex than the English word being used. Meanwhile, this being Japan we get lots of hints as to separation and dark past events. 
Tie The Knot (prev Under the Same Sky) (Pinoy YouTube) eps 1-2 of 8 - From OXIN Films (Rainbow Prince), based on a true story (?!), Briggs's family runs a bridal business but he has never fallen in love until he meets a groom to be in an arranged marriage. EXACTLY the same premise at Mame’s forthcoming Wedding Planner. There are so many characters and prospective couples (including a v bi girl with a female fuck buddy, not seen that in a BL before) that it is a little hard to keep straight (heh). I’m sure it will shake out. It’s intriguing so far, if a touch silly. I actually like the arranged marriage premise because the two rich kids involved in it are so weirdly kind & platonically sweet to each other, even if they’re both on the same page about it only being for show. 
Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 7 & 8 of 12 - Apparently there is very little difference between a cat and a demanding princess of a boyfriend. That clocks. Basically this was the dating times. 
Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - There is a lot more meat to this silly little BL then I thought there would be given the premise, but it’s Japan so that’s as it should be. But, as it’s Japan there’s also a little too much cringe for me. I do enjoy how generous Japan is with late bloomers and I would def like to host a kimchi party  but otherwise... meh. 
Stupid Genius (Vietnam Fri YouTube) ep 3 of 6 - Bi erasure still alive and well I see. This one remains fine for VBL but no more than that.
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It’s airing but ...
House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.
Stay (Pinoy YouTube) 7 eps - It’s mostly in English and set in LA so I’m not bothering but the first one did drop.
Ever After (Pinoy YouTube) - I investigated but as spies reported it's a real mess (not a hot one). Don’t bother. 
About Us but Not About Us (Pinoy Prime?) - from 2022 supposed to be finally getting inter distribution, didn’t show in my territory. A professor grieving the loss of his partner meets an ambitious literature student. I’m not fussed. 
Stay With Me ... NO! 
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In case you missed it
What Did You Eat Yesterday movie, BL Express posted a review. I’ve yet to get hold of it but if you enjoy Our Dining Table this is it’s grown up parent series & movie. 
Café in Love - I finally got around to watching this. And frankly it hits all the tropes but is so damn bad. The setting is cute, the central brotherly relationship is sweet, the side cast is v queer (baby gay has all these auntie queens catting about) and some complex bisexual awakenings but… but… everything else is a chemistry void. Some fun language wordplay and exploration of cultural tropes like cheek kissing does not save it from an unnecessary amount of punching  and a but ton of sexual harassment and statutory rape. No thank you. I had to rewatch Destiny Seeker to get over this. 3/10 
I gave up 
Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I? Apparently it finished. I still can’t find it but it’ll be off this list next week.
Why You (Khmer ????) - Billed as a horror romance, not sure if this is a movie or a series where it aired... nothing except that it exists.
Next Week Looks Like This:
3 BLs are finishing but nothing is starting up. We running lean these days. 
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Just started today (Sunday): Dinosaur Love (Thai iQIYI) Trailer 10 eps - from Ultimate Troop about a uni student, Rak, whose partner cheats on him with Rak's best friend. This gives bad boy hazer Dino an opportunity to hit on Rak at last. From The Yearbook people so I shouldn’t watch this as it airs. After Remember Me? I swore never again with them. But there’s so little on right now, I might fall on the pulp sword. 
I’ll include it in next week’s summation. 
I’ll have the July 2023 upcoming for you next week too. 
2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)
THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS
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I love him, Your Honor. (Be My Favorite... HIM, he’s my favorite.) 
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I love them, Your Honor. (Luminous Solution) 
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Watch a tiny GL ship set sail across the seas of overly optimistic tumblrs... (La Pluie)
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MY PRECIOUS! OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH. (Tie the Knot) 
Incidentally, I would like a future as a dictatorial elder queer running a slightly shady business fleecing the straights via their dumb marriage traditions surrounded by nubile half-naked hotties.
And ya know what? I think this is achievable life goal for me. 
Gotta go, I have a future to plan. 
(Last week.)
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LITA Ep. 5 Rewatch Thoughts Part 2
Phayu is looking WAY too happy to be called a bastard
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Idk this shot is just funny
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AHHHH It's our other resident cutie!! I missed you Prapai <3 Also yay for P' Aon and P' Saifah my beloveds
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The exchange between Prapai and P' Saifah is so funny and I wish we'd gotten to explore the twins' and Prapai trio more in the show. That would've been so fun! As it stands take a P' Saifah side-eyeing self-proclaimed VIP Prapai
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Ah so P' Saifah did hear things last night (poor him). Also I'mma need everyone to stop calling Phayu names when all he does is be a SIMP
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If the beast was actually a puppy, sure. I'm not sure these boys know how metaphors work.
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Poor Sky's world is about to get a lot windier with turbulence. It's not time for us to talk about that yet though. Also peep the manga collection, I stan
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HE EVEN SNEEZES LIKE A KITTY I CAN'T HANDLE THIS CUTENESS
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P' Phayu you're hilarious - wdym germ-spreader as if you don't literally stick your tongue down his throat in circa 5 minutes
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Man is really gunning to impress the in-laws - do you see this smirk?? He knows he's won their favor (at least Mama Rain's so far). Poor Rain can feel himself being replaced as the favorite son >.<
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I just know Phayu's inner-self is SCREAMING rn at seeing his triangle being so treasured by Rain. This is probably what prompted that very "you are my fate and the heavens themselves brought us together and ilysm" musical number coming up later on. Also for the millionth time, Boss has v nice hands heh
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I love how utterly hypnotized Rain looks every time Phayu gets close to him. obsessed with this set of expressions, actually!
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Why is Rain saying 'mia' with that look on his face so powerful?? Phayu sir how did you hold back from immediately smothering his face with kisses bc I certainly couldn't be that strong
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Phayu I'm going to slap you bc what is this behavior?
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Rain is understandably not ok. Noeul did a spectacular job here of giving us subdued shock and realistic tearing up. Generally speaking, he's a good crier (even in ep 3 I think he portrayed it well without overdoing it).
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I love how they gave us dramatic thunder in the background to really impart the gravity of the situation. Foley artist I continue to love u <3
They also really went hard with the triangle imagery in this episode, or maybe that's just me seeing things. I do love how Rain's first instinct to get out of any Situation is to grab Phayu's arm.
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"It's time to stop studying each other." Yeah ok say it without looking at Rain's lips like 50 times first, coward
You can see the tear track and Noeul does this little nose twitch here that's giving me poor meow meow. Even Phayu couldn't resist touching
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Rain: is this clown serious rn?? we're talking about the WEATHER???
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The audacity?!
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Rain looks so distressed here, my poor son :(
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He finally breaks and we get to see that oh-so-adorable-only-for-Rain nose crinkle. Phayu is lucky he's so cute or Rain would've pouted for a lot longer
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Rain just went at him with the softest pillow in his arsenal. He's too nice.
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I know every single one of you went back to the shot earlier of his clearly unmarked back when you first watched this. I should know. I squinted for like 5 full minutes. Phayu you're a liar :(
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Rain hits him some more, and Phayu says he's already won. I really think this man looks wayyyy too smug, someone (Rain) should do something about it.
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And we're back to the neck cradling. I continue to admire how quickly Rain just loses himself (as shown by his suddenly very focused on Phayu's face gaze)
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To the next part we go!! Lots of sweetness ahead :)
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juneviews · 7 months
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Hi axelle! 😸 I've seen almost all bls but I haven't watched any gmmtv het show. which one would you recommend to a newbie? I prefer something light and funny. my favorite actors are Off, Gawin and Neo
hi! I'm glad you're gonnna give non bl thai dramas a chance, and as for your fave actors... TASTE 😌 here's my fave non bl gmmtv shows from best to still good but not the best:
the gifted: simply an amazing & super unique show with very little flaws & one of the best open-endings ever. haven't been able to bring myself to watch the sequel so watch that at your own discretion.
midnight motel: my favorite show of the year so far, fun & quirky, super tight execution, great plot twists, iconic characters & simply one of the most underrated shows ever. contains off & neo so you'll love it 100%!
ps: I hate you: the best female-led show I've ever seen. there's messiness & drama and the characters are all super flawed but you still root for them! the performances are also incredible & this show is truly one of my all time faves!
angel beside me: the first more classic romcom of the list, but despite being kind of a silly premise with an angel falling on earth, it actually tackles some really deep issues like depression & poverty??? and the chemistry & bond between the characters was crazy good. I definitely recommend!
happy birthday: this show will make you cry for 13 eps straight but you'll love it. it has some of the best performances ever & is just the kind of show that hits you right in the chest with feels & beauty. absolutely one of my most beloved thai dramas.
a gift to the people you hate: such an underrated show but absolutely iconic! if you like messiness & plot twists, you'll love this one! it's just unhinged & has a really cool world-building!!!
girl next room: richy rich: since your 3 faves are off, neo & gawin I really recommend you watch this! richy rich is off's most popular straight series bc he's simply perfect in this role (and biconic!!!), and gawin is in the motorbike baby story as mook's second lead & he???? absolutely ate, he's so dreamy in that! neo is in every story & absolutely hilarious (especially in the scenes with off, you cannot miss girl next room!
love at first hate: classic romcom but the chemistry is some of the best & the male lead??? IS DADDY MCDREAMY!!! a really enjoyable series!
46 days: another series with the offmild pairing from girl next room, and this show is crazy but has such fun characters, great chemistry & even the villain is my fave??? the whole cast is the best & it's the only show by this director that is truly genuinely so good!
mint to be: another romcom with mook bc she's the romcom queen lol, this one is short & sweet, the chemistry is excellent & the cast is really fun. there's none of your faves in it BUT one of the characters is obsessed with off who's an idol in that show & she has pillows with his face on it and it's ICONIC!!!
who are you: one of the most acclaimed gmmtv shows, notably for its actresses namtan & jan who acted their ass off in it! it's a really well done show with insanely good acting, but the reason it's not higher on this list is that it's a bit forgettable? it was in my top 10 fave shows from 2021 though.
my dear loser: monster romance: another romcom with mook lol no one is surprised, this one actually really surprised me bc it was the first time I saw lee outside of his usual perfect role. look, I love the man but most of his roles are kinda... boring? and here he ate. the whole universe of the show is super different from usual & the love story is very cute, and honestly it immediately became one of my fave straight thai romances!
baker boys: another show where lee plays a really good role! this one contains queer characters but is not a bl at all. I LOVED the found family trope of it, and literally cried when it ended bc I got really attached to the characters & me crying when a show ends is a huge indicator that I loved it. sadly this show is pretty tainted now bc my fave character was played by foei who's famously an anti-lgbtq+ bitch so yeah... but if you can stomach his bigot face I'd say give it a try, pluem plays one of the cutest characters in existence!
(also just realized I completely missed the light & funny prompt lmao. the most light & funny shows in this list are: girl next room, love at first hate, 46 days & mint to be!)
xxx
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bronx-bomber87 · 7 months
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Happy Tuesday Evening all :) Already at ep 3 of this season. Gonna blink and be done with this one ha This is a shorter season cause it was the year Covid really kicked in. Lots of goodies in this one though. Some good Tim analysis to be had and the next as well. Also a Lucy standing up for what’s right and not letting Tim sway her. All good things. Let’s get going.
3x03 La-Fiera
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We start the ep with one of my fav non romantic pairings. Tim and Harper. Tim saying how he hates training with the public. Nyla not one to pass up giving him a hard time says ‘Sounds like performance anxiety.’ That there are pills for that now haha. I adore their ribbing each other so much. Comes from a place of genuine respect and liking one another. They’ve come so far I love it sfm.
They’re talking about who’s gonna take the crown at the range. It’s firearm re-qualification day. Now that Angela is a detective she no longer qualifies with patrol. Tim is convinced he will be next in line for the crown. Harper says that’s cute because she’s there LOL Also I am not hating him in that shirt...
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Stanton makes a wager with Tim and Nyla. 20 bucks if their boot makes it out on top. Tim doesn't blink before agreeing. He knows Lucy’s top notch abilities. Would put his faith and life honestly in her hands any day. He does this on a daily basis anyways. Might as well make some money off it ha. Harper also agrees to the challenge. (Nyla literally set her twenty on fire betting on Nolan though LOL) Naturally Lucy comes out on top. Grey announces her as Mid-Wilshire's new champ.
Tim is so damn proud he’s beaming. He doesn’t even care that he didn’t win. (for the most part) Only that Lucy did. Also he looks so damn sure of himself when he hears the news. Look at him above. Not even a little surprised she took the top spot. Collects his winnings from Stanton and Nyla. Lucy is adorable with her reaction to winning the top spot. Feeling pretty good right now. The icing on the cake is Tim and Nyla tie for second place behind her. I love this so much.
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Tamara comes to see Lucy at work asking for signature on the title of the car. Lucy disregards it at first in total mom mode. Asking why she hasn’t confirmed their appointment with the social worker yet? Tamara says she will be there she promises. Lucy gives in and signs the title. Tim comes up behind her all smiles as Tamara leaves. Asking how the puppy is? Lucy proudly says she’s doing really great. Then outright starts up a work flirt. By teasing him about the gun range.
He rolls his eyes even though we all know he loves it. He can act annoyed all he likes. We know he’s so very proud she won. Instead of saying that he tells her 'Get changed'. Her flirtatious ‘Yes sir.’ as she heads back with a smile. It’s like they don’t even care they’re unreservedly flirting at the front desk. For all to see. Not even trying to hide it anymore. Makes my heart happy.
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We rejoin them in the shop. Lucy is gloating over her new title. Tim can’t let her know how proud he is so instead he deflects. Their competitiveness is one of my favorite things. It’s truly one of their love languages without them even realizing it is. His replies are him being such a sore loser it’s hilarious. He’s half proud but half irritated. Can't let her just think she's amazing. Has to make sure he's "grounding" her with some salty sass.
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Their banter is the bedrock of their relationship and moments like this only prove that. Lucy talking to him like no one else ever has or ever will. Tim only lets her talk to him this way. Calling him out for being salty and giving him crap for losing. Then asking for half the money he won off her haha Seems only fair to me. I love them so much. I always enjoy fun playful scenes like this from them. The way she says ‘Wow’ at the end I’m dying. Of course Tim is going to take this moment to puff up his training of her instead of praising her haha Can’t just say he is proud of her nope has to be a salty sore loser instead. God forbid she know he's proud. What a tragedy that would be Timothy.
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Before their banter can go any further Tim spots her old car. Looks like someone trying to steal it. They pull over and question the guy immediately. He says he just bought it. Lucy is incensed and stomps over to him. Saying what do you mean just bought it? He tells her he bought it for 4K. Making Lucy even angrier. Not only was her car sold but under its value. (according to her) Tim is enjoying himself a little too much about this. Look at his face during that interaction. He is legit giddy at how upset she is Tamara sold the car.
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They apologize and hand him back the title. He continues to struggle with the door. Lucy tells him how he’s supposed to open it and it pops open. He says 'Thanks.' Tim gives the most sarcastic thumbs up ever. I’m laughing so hard. He is enjoying her puppy rebelling already and so quickly after she signed over the title. It’s written all over his body language the entire scene. Such a turd. A hot one but one none the less. Getting a damn kick out of this whole thing. Idk how he can make being a jerk so hot but he does. Well done Eric. Don't ever stop.
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We catch them next outside their shop waiting to meet up with Tamara. First off why is Tim so sinfully delicious when he’s leaning against vehicles? What is that? Then he comes to full height like the tall drink of water he is. Phew. Love to climb that man like a tree…*ahem* but I digress.. Tim continues the sass by starting off the scene by saying ‘Bad puppy.’ Why is this also so sexy? He is enjoying himself far too much and not hiding it. Giddy really.
Lucy sees she has new clothes on and is enraged. Opening the convo with ‘You sold my car to buy new clothes?’ Tim can't help himself and adds in ‘And earrings.’ Tamara says it was her car to sell. Lucy is so upset. Going on to say it was to sleep in not to sell. Tamara makes a solid point about going to school with dirty clothes and greasy hair.
Goes on to say 'So yeah she sold it to buy some nice things.' Telling Lucy she just wanted to feel normal for once. Tim steps in and asks where the rest of the money is? She replies that it’s in her college fund. Lucy is still mad. (Hell I would be too) She asks her why she didn’t just say something this morning? That she clearly had a buyer in mind already.
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Tamara bites back she would’ve just said no. I mean she’s not wrong. She starts to walk away and Lucy isn’t done yet. Asking were she is staying? Tamara only replies her cousin and doesn’t answer Lucy’s follow up if it’s safe. Tim could not be more smug if he tried. Look at that man. He is basking in how right he was about the consequences of her taking on a puppy. Lucy is so very stressed and panicking about all this. Polar opposites above. Smug Vs Stress.
What I love about this is he isn’t yelling at her, or telling her she was wrong. Just enjoying the moment doing it for him. Crazy as it sounds that is growth for him. Just tells her it’s time to get back to work when a call comes in. Not much else to be done here. Lucy continues to watch Tamara walk away. Sighs and joins him back in the shop.
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Tim and Lucy roll up to a hot mess of a situation. They're both getting a real look at the disaster zone that is Doug Stanton. He has Mis-identified a suspect they’re looking for cause well its Stanton. Poor Jackson could not look more stressed. The whole thing is so uncomfortable to watch go down. Makes my anxiety go through the roof seeing how he terrorizes this family.
To see first hand how blatantly racist he’s being. It’s hard to stomach. I just want to clock him. Tim does his best to contain the situation. Pulling Doug aside to cool him down. Telling him their suspect was already caught. This was a bad call and the absolute wrong guy. Tim calls off backup afterwards telling Jackson to let the poor traumatized kid go. With his apologies and a card. That if they want to complain on Stanton they’re well within their right to. (Should sue his ass as much as possible)
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We return to them at a college campus. They are there to protect La-Fiera and her son against a credible threat. Someone is there to kill her and Diego her son on their tour. Stanton makes a terrible comment about taking an early lunch. Letting nature take its course instead. Lucy comments on this later when it’s just her and Tim. She is so angry and incensed at this point. She expects Tim to agree with her or at least have a comment of some sort. He doesn’t....
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Tim tries to agree without really agreeing with Lucy in his reply above. She doesn’t let it stand nor should she. Lucy is not one to shy away from speaking her mind with Tim. Especially when it comes to something moral like this. Telling Tim he terrorized that family. (He very much did it was awful.)
Then he comes at it again with a complicit non committal answer below once again. Trying to excuse Stanton's behavior by saying it’s cause he’s rough around the edges. Oh Timothy no….there’s a quote by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. I only know this because it comes from one of my all time fav Castle episodes ‘47 seconds’ ‘To sin by silence when we should protest, makes cowards of men.’
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By saying he’s rough around the edges is making Tim complicit in his behavior. Thus sinning by silence. Making excuses for his behavior by saying 'It's just the way he is.' 'Nothing to be changed about him.' 'He is who he is.' Lucy doesn’t waste a second before calling him out on it. Proud of my girl. You know I love Tim but he needed to hear this. He was wrong in how he was approaching this.
No one better to call him on it than her. The way she does it is so good too. Straight up saying he’s a racist and Tim saying we can’t know that…but we do my love. She sticks the landing with finishing off with ‘Let’s just make excuses for him....’ Tim is struck by her words below and has no comeback.
Now this next section below isn’t me agreeing with Tim. It’s me analyzing why he is replying the way he is. He does grow from this story arc which I do love so very much. Not just this one but even more so next ep. So to start we have to remember the generation he was taught by and the father he had growing up. You truly are a product of your environment. Your attitude and and POV on life stem from it. Whether you like that or not. Now it’s you who chooses to break the cycle of it 100%. Also by surrounding yourself with better more positive people. i.e. Lucy Chen for him.
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I mentioned last ep Tim is the kind to put his head down and grind. That’s how he survived his childhood with an abusive father. Both emotionally and physically. How he survived his time in the service and his own training as a rookie. To him if he can just hunker down and survive it he can make it past it. I think we all have things (if you don’t you’re a lucky human and were blessed with wonderful parents I envy you truly) our parents did or said that didn’t sit right with us as kids. You weren’t sure why but you knew it wasn’t ok. Things that left their mark. That we end up carrying with us into adulthood unconsciously.
I know my parents had quite the list. Things that as I got older and I would repeat or came out involuntarily, either I realized it or those around me did and would let me know. Even though as an adult I fought against it would slip out even if I didn't mean how it came off. Certain thoughts or actions come out and you realize that’s coming from your childhood. Things still come out of us involuntarily and you catch it. Tim sadly doesn't catch it till Lucy calls him on it. I think Tim was taught by ‘rough around the edges’ types and his father most definitely was that before his time as a cop. Before Lucy Tim was most definitely stuck in his ways.
To Tim it was something you just dealt with and moved on from. You weren’t gonna change them so it was best to just get by. Is that the best attitude to have? No but it’s how he got by. Hence his advice to Jackson in 3x02 because that’s his default gear. From his survival mode from childhood and from his own training experiences. His reply is an outdated one. I don’t even think he knows its coming off the way it is. It’s a reflection of his environment and past experiences on how he was taught to deal with cops like that. Once again not excusing Tim but understanding why he is replying this way.
Now Lucy smacks some sense into him basically saying just because that’s how it was or currently is doesn’t make it right. She’s making Tim face being complicit in excusing Stanton's behavior by saying as such. Won’t let him get away with it. Tim is flat out wrong and no one better to let him know that than Lucy. He's learned from her just because that's the way it is doesn't mean that's the way it should be. i.e. this moment.
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The ripple effect of her words reflect in this next scene. Jackson is in Grey’s office telling him about Stanton. He isn't winning Wade over until Tim steps up. Tells Grey that whatever Jackson is telling him he stands with him. Which is huge. I think Lucy made an impact on him. Changes how he was viewing this situation. Now Tim is his own person and doesn’t get swayed easily. But Lucy has massive sway with him. Opened his eyes to this and gave him a different POV on it. Seeing he needed to intervene and not stand on the sidelines anymore. That it was just as egregious to do nothing.
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I love the scene when they emerge from Grey’s office. Jackson puts Tim in his place about being complicit about Stanton. Of cops like him in general. That by doing that Tim had given permission to those kinds of cop to continue to operate that way. Once again wishing Titus and Eric had gotten more scenes together. This one is *chef kiss* Tim is very resigned by Jackson’s chewing him out. He knows he was so very wrong in his thinking and agree’s with Jackson on it.
There is no fight in him to defend himself. He knows he wasn't on the right side of this at this point. Tim has been humbled today by all this. He got taken to school by both Lucy and Jackson. He leaves Tim standing there wishing there was more he could do. He got it from both barrels today. Smacking some much needed perspective into his world. Truth hurts but it’s how we learn and grow from it that matters. We see some massive growth next ep for our boy with this.
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Tamara comes to see Lucy at the station to apologize. I love love love this scene. Their bond continues to grow in this ending scene. Lucy saying the bit about trust being earned. Tim has rubbed off positively on her as well. She uses that in this situation with Tamara. Asking what she can do to earn that trust?
Tamara shows her the laptop she bought. That her cousin's is safe adjacent but not for her laptop. Lucy is wonderful and says she can keep it here. To check it out every morning so it stays safe. Lucy tells her about the campus she was on today. How Tamara should check it out. She laughs say she can’t go there. Lucy is her sunshine self says there are scholarships. She can help her apply to them.
I know Tim likes to give her a hard time about Tamara and being her puppy, but I think he truly knows the positive impact she will have on her. We’ll get to see that as their relationship grows. I love watching their bond develop. Truly enjoy them so much.
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That’s it’s for this one. S3 may be short but it’s packed with a lot of content and goodies. No side notes for this one all pretty intertwined.
Thank you to everyone who continually supports these reviews it means so much to me. The likes/comments and reblogs make my soul happy haha shall see you all in 3x04 :)
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dorizardthewizard · 3 months
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Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 13-15
Episode 13:
Funny how the Pirates, who have the most motivation to find the contact, are the ones supporting an immediate evacuation whereas Brim Simbra is going for the “no need to panic people” route
Brim Simbra: He's right. Especially since many people will leave Paradisia right after the final anyway. The evacuation has to take place calmly.
Well fuck all the retail workers and support staff on Paradisia then. You guys are at more risk because we'll only announce a proper evacuation once all the visitors are gone <3
Again they missed their chance to have D'jok and Sinedd taunt each other at the start of the match, their roasts used to be hilarious
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The way Mei is just watching them with her hands crossed sfdjhds girl, be ready!
Man I complain about Sinedd but D'jok's behaviour is annoying me more
Lol why did they just let the cat walk in, didn't they know about the incident at the start of the season?
Damn they really joker-ified Harris
Brim Simbra this wouldn't be a problem if you'd just ordered an evacuation
Luur came to watch the match in his football kit I guess
Damn, Galactik Football tournament finals can never go on without a disaster huh?
Why does it look like everyone has left the stadium already (that is a FUCK ton of people by the way, SEVERE danger of fatal crowd crushes. Which wouldn't be happening if you pre-emptively evacuated everyone, BRIM SIMBRA) but D'jok, Mei and Sinedd are still taking their time getting off the pitch?
I find it a bit hard to believe that D'jok's so far gone he'll literally just stand there as the stadium falls apart around him. In season 2 it was because he was in shock at least, and anyway this is all kind of a re-hash of the end of season 2 but worse
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This is so funny they're just standing there 😭 Unbothered
I do love Sinedd saving D'jok and that his excuse is that he can't fight him if he's dead dsfjkdf it's hilarious
Seeing the flux effect on the 2D animation is so uncanny!
They seemed to be able to switch to using the flux for different purposes pretty quickly, like in football it mostly just gives them more power/speed/agility but they immediately have no problem channeling the Breath outwards and shooting it at stuff
It's a huge moment though, seeing them use the flux outside of football. If there were more seasons it could have been cool to see this as a can of worms opening and a debate around the potential loosening of the rules, with a balance between the benefits flux can bring vs the dangers
Sinedd you dumbass they would have left already, that's how evacuations work. Although I see him being too scared of losing them again to think rationally
TRAIN BRAWL! TRAIN BRAWL! Spider-man 2 eat your heart out
RIP Harvey, a real legend. And flux war veteran!
Of course she's a serpent lady
ooo look you can see the space jump gates! Cool little bit of background lore on how travel works in this universe
Where tf is Sinedd
Ahh Phoenix is going down with the ship, pretty cool moment
DAN DAN DAAAAAN
Episode 14:
Aww Thran and Ahito holding hands 😭😭
MARK JUST... DANGLING MICRO-ICE BY THE LEG?? It's kind of cute he's comforting him in his own way, although Micro-Ice's very valid reaction to all this is still played for laughs lmao
Ok so how sentient ARE the robots in this show? Sidney is obviously very sad about Harvey being gone, and we've seen the Technodroids have normal conversations before. But everyone's reaction whenever Sidney gets sad is just 😬😬😬 awkward LOL. Are robots like second class citizens in this universe? No one believes their emotions are as real as humans? But are they?? So many questions
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Artegor coming over to help Aarch with unpacking sdhsdfjj and blaming himself for encouraging them to go to Paradisia 😭 Their hug 😭😭 Going feral over them
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Wuh... in the middle of a good natured conversation he just,, throws the trophy? Why? It's so random 😂😂
So did Aarch and Artegor actually resolve their dispute, as dumb as it was? Oh it was just thrown in to have drama for a couple of episodes and now suddenly they're good? Ok sure
Aw Norata seems so much happier now, look at him excitedly showing off rare flowers
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So these kids just.... use the flux? And NO ONE has noticed this yet? It's just... they were notified IMMEDIATELY that Rocket had used the flux to save Tia, how is this continuous use going undetected? I guess we already had that question considering Tia already knew how to use the flux in season 1, but with her you could at least make soooome sort of assumption of her being sheltered somehow as a daughter of diplomats. Maybe the flux society only noticed Rocket's flux use so quickly because they always make sure to track GF players really closely, but still if these kids are just chilling using it all the time, on GENESIS, it looks like the flux society are worryingly shit at their job lol
But that's the thing, season 3 introduces SO many crazy new concepts – new tournament, mixed flux teams, players moving to other teams, using flux outside of football, characters moving to different roles to shake up the status quo... so much interesting stuff but the execution just flubs it, especially with the character development.
Damn Tia's got gymnastics skills!
Oh so the last time we saw Sinedd, he was running back into a collapsing stadium to find his parents and we had no idea if he'd made it or not, and now the next time we see him he's just chilling walking with his team? I don't know much about direction in shows like this but I feel like we should have had a scene where he reunites with Mei at least before this??
Actually come to think of it, D'jok ends up on the Snow Kids' ship during the evacuation and we never get to see their reaction to him! Of course at first they all just want to survive and are obviously worried about him, but what about after? Was it awkward? Did they talk? TELL ME
Sinedd is a dick cutting Mei off like that but kind of sweet to see him refer to the Shadows as family
Wait have D'jok and Sonny interacted since Sonny got healed? I feel like we're sorely missing some father and son interactions here, and D'jok has been really needing it! And where's Maya in all this??
Mei is right to question the “parents” with how sketchy they're acting, but it's tough. Sinedd's finally got that part of himself back and there's no way he'll consider the idea of losing it again.
New flux society guy agreeing to move the date of the GFC, ooooor you could try and catch this guy? Useless mfers
Episode 15:
Show really doesn't give us any detail on how someone actually masters another flux. Like how does it work?
Oh Mei's getting sick now from the Smog, but how did Sinedd get over it? He did have symptoms of Smog poisoning in season 2 but I don't remember him ever getting cured like Artegor did? Aarch had to quit the Shadows because it had gone too far, is it actually something you can just overcome? Is it different for everyone? Is it down to overusing it? So many questions!
I like that Mei was just like. NOPE this is hurting me, even if I liked you I ain't staying! As she should.
Ooo Yuki's mastering the Elektras' flux!
Wait so everyone thinks team Paradisia are actually from the planet? Which iirc only became habitable not that long ago? I'm confused on the origins of these girls, how are they cyborgs? Do they have any lives and family outside of the team Lord Phoenix assembled? I mean they're not androids? I feel like since they're closely connected to a main character, they should have gotten some more backstory.
Oh so D'jok left team Paradisia already? Why exactly? He seemed all about winning with them. We don't even get a scene of him leaving them and their reaction??
What?? D'jok's just decided to do coaching all of a sudden? Because of one little encounter with kids playing football?? He was obsessed with winning tournaments like 5 minutes ago how did this change come about??? Like. I can SEE the vision and D'jok becoming a mentor figure is a fun idea but... we need to see the steps of getting there!
That Lightnings girl is so cute though
Mei says she only left temporarily but um... sis that was not the impression we got lol you disappeared abruptly and sent everyone heartfelt farewell messages
English dub goofs up again: D'jok says he'll never go back to the Snow Kids after what THEY did, but then goes on about how HE messed up and they'll never take him back. And again, what made him realise he was behaving poorly? You can't just set up a character's development, then suddenly show them once they've reached a conclusion. Was is the near-death experience? The fact Mei still wanted to help him despite how he'd acted? His loneliness finally catching up to him? I WANT ANSWERS
Mei: Don't you want to play for the cup? D'jok: We've done it, Mei. We've won twice! What's the point?
OK this is super interesting, I'm gonna link @millimononym 's post here about D'jok's potential arc (hope that's ok!) because I think it fits really well with this. For a guy obsessed with destiny, hitting his peak early could really mess with him. You could have such an interesting arc about this and accepting that life goes on and that our lives don't have to be defined by reaching some greater goal or purpose. It's about doing it with your friends and, if the show delved a little bit more in the whole post-flux war climate, it's also about being a symbol of hope for a planet that basically suffered the apocalypse. People joke about how the Snow Kids won three times in a row straight away, instead of doing the anime lose -> train to get better -> win scenario, but you could actually address this and use it to the story's advantage!
Aww Lun-Zia can't do it :( I can't remember what happens but it would be cool if she actually couldn't master the Breath, sometimes no matter how hard you try things just don't go the way you want
Wait so um... is no one questioning how the Paradisia girls still have their flux even though the planet is dead? And what are the girls even doing right now? They have no home and no Lord Phoenix, who took care of everything for them. And where did Nina-8 come from??
The Elektra's support of Yuki is so cute. Also kind of interesting lore that their planet is far from the other planets, and hence its residents find it very hard to connect to the flux, so much so it was assumed they didn't have one. A cool explanation for why the team hasn't shown up yet!
Oh she's been selected by the Wambas!! Of course they would want her on their team after seeing her play at Paradisia. Well that wrapped up nicely! Still, this confirms she was just some rando on the beach. And what was she up to before the tournament anyway? I wish we got to know more about her
Mark immediately has a crush on Nina-8 but somehow not Nikki-4 who looks just like her? XD
I don't mind Yuki staying with the Elektras actually, its the Elektra's first GFC and I can see her wanting to go further with them. And sometimes that's just life! Going on new adventures
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fox-guardian · 1 year
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Can we hear more thoughts on Oliver Banks pls
I love him so much he is literally so funny and fascinating like we all talk about how wild his ep 121 statement was with the impersonating and sneaking onto a boat to take a fat nap and how that was hilarious, but see also this bit from his ep 11 statement:
"Even more surprising was that my forward motion brought me over the edge of Canary Wharf’s roof and I fell. I plummeted, I don’t know how far, until I hit the ground with a crack. I would have expected this to wake me but instead I simply lay there, spasmed by dream-pain, you know, the knowledge of pain without the white heat of nerves."
He went splat. He just. Fell and went splat in his dream. And just laid there for a while. That's so fucking funny to me, man.
Also the entire thing with ep 168 like literally what was up with that. Out of every domain Jon Looked At and gave a statement for, Oliver was the only one (that I recall) where someone Gave the statement to Jon. That was Oliver speaking to and through Jon, telepathically beaming his gay little coroner's report into his brain like Why Do We Not Talk About This Why Did Oliver Get To Do That. It is both fascinating and very funny because how exactly did that work. Was it
A) Oliver beaming the formatted report into Jon with his own weird mind powers he has for some reason
B) Jon finding a physically written report with his eye powers and reading off that
C) Oliver just sitting very still in his domain thinking really hard about his gay little report ever since Jon stepped foot into his domain to prepare for Jon's supernatural IBS
Also I just looked over a smidge of the 168 transcript and I just. I wish so badly he could've had a voice appearance. Like if you think about it there wasn't too much reason they couldn't have done it in terms of like. Episode structure, and not much would've changed. The way Oliver talks about his emotional state and state of being tells us he wouldn't have run away like Simon did should Martin be present to start threatening murder, and there's a chance he was also Physically Incapable Of Moving. Like. "I am a fixed point" How Much So, Mr Banks. Are you vibing in your gay little goth treehouse?? Are you tangled in death roots, binding you to a spot in your domain, unable to move?? Are you simply so sleepy and constantly fading in and out of consciousness in a fancy death bed?? Please tell me I would love to know.
And of course the idea of Martin actually meeting Oliver has so much potential to it obviously. Martin getting more jealous because Oliver is Hot(TM), Oliver being basically dead inside apart from being very into Martin once he sees him and Jon fucking with both of them as a result because it's funny, etc. Also I just miss his voice and wish he had more of it. I love him so much. I need more juxtaposition between his statement manner of speaking and his normal one. Give me all the Oliver stutters. I need to hear a yawn.
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