#suffering through a rewatch of season 5 for love of my so

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Adrien is Marinette's Therapist, NOT her Boyfriend and it's Gross

Mental health struggles are no joke and, if you have those struggles, then you absolutely need a partner who will support you through them. That's why, at face value, Adrien supporting Marinette with her PTSD and anxiety is very sweet. It's what a good boyfriend should do. The problem is that Adrien is being written like her therapist, not her boyfriend.

Adrien has his own struggles with depression, loss, and paternal neglect. Yet none of these struggles are brought up once Adrien and Marinette get together. Instead, the relationship is all about her needs and struggles even though this season ends with Gabriel's take down, meaning that focusing on Adrien's issues would have made more sense from a narrative perspective. How much more powerful would the final have been if Marinette really understood Adrien, Emilie, and Gabriel's relationship?

But why do that when we can make everything about Adrienette instead? Why bother to mention Emilie when Marinette is a much better point of conflict between Adrien and Gabriel? After all, if we did that, then Adrien would have a life outside of Marinette and that would be, well, sigh, let's get into it, shall we?

In Derision, we learn that Marinette apparently doesn't have some form of anxiety or ADHD or any of the other things that people have theorized over the years. No, vanilla-Marinette is a totally relaxed, go-with-the-flow non-planner who only started planning after Chloe, Sabrina, and Kim gave her PTSD. Does this insult her character and make no sense? Yes, but let's not get into that. Let's just accept the retcon and look at the fallout of Adrien knowing that his new girlfriend has massive trauma that's mainly focused on romance and controlling situations.

The very next episode is Intuition. In it we see Marinette calling Adrien to show off her ability to do things without planning (or, at least, with less planning) and it's clear from context that this is an exercise that they're doing:

Adrien: Well... (his phone rings) Fancy that! Marinette! I like spending time with Marinette. (picks up his phone) Marinette: (on-call) Guess what I'm calling for: nothing! Can you believe it? I'm calling you randomly, totally out of the blue, for no reason at all! Adrien: So you didn't write down everything you might need to say to me based on everything I might say to you? Marinette: Not at all! Well... I did. I really tried not to, you know, but it was too hard! Anyhow, I limited myself to fourteen possible conversations, including this one! Adrien: Congratulations! Marinette: (on-call) Thank you! Adrien: And did you prepare questions for science class? Marinette: (on-call) Not-a-one! Not even for the live video conference we're doing with Max's mom on the super awesome Tsurugi space jet! I, Marinette, will improvise questions, unpredictably, without planning anything!

In the context of the show, this conversation is deeply concerning and I don't know wtf the writers think they're doing. There is no way in hell that a 14-year-old should be guiding his girlfriend through a therapy session or therapy exercise unless he has the guidance and approval of a trained mental health professional.

Seriously look at what Adrien is doing in this dialogue: Marinette tells him that she's called him without planning and he doesn't just say "that's great!" Instead, he asks if that's true, congratulates her for her mild improvement, and then prompts her to talk about another situation where she would plan things out. In other words, he's asking about the therapy homework that he's clearly given her or that they've decided on together. It's also clear that this isn't their first discussion on the topic because he's very comfortable knowing what to ask about to see if she's done her homework right.

Why was this homework chosen? Who knows! It certainly wasn't picked by someone with training! A therapist wouldn't tell you to avoid planning for a school assignment (something that we've never seen Marinette overplan before, but once again, we're ignoring the retcon). This scene would arguably be inappropriate for an established adult relationship, but a nascent teenage one? Absolutely not.

My SO and I have both done therapy and seen wildly unbalanced relationships. This conversation threw massive red flags for us on both fronts. This is not what a healthy relationship looks like. This is not a give and take. This is why you need a therapist to at least guide you through this type of situation or you will set yourself up in roles where person A is not getting their needs met because the relationship has an established dynamic where person A is the giver and person B is the taker.

This is especially true for a young relationship that's just getting its feet off of the ground. They're supposed to be in the honeymoon phase! More established relationships are better able to handle phases where one person needs more support than the other which absolutely happens and is totally normal. However, when those things happen, it's vital for the supporting partner to have their own support since they can't get it from their partner.

Miraculous denies Adrien this suport. In the very next episode, we get this:

Adrien: I've always seen Marinette acting funny in my presence. I thought that was just the way she was. I thought it was sweet. I thought it was just her charm. But now that I know it's because she loves me and she freaks out about telling me, I feel bad. Because it means that this whole time she's been uncomfortable around me, and I haven't done anything to help her. Kagami: But you didn't know. Adrien: It doesn't take away from her suffering. I just wish she could feel more at ease when she's with me. Otherwise, one day, it'll be too late and she'll give up. Kagami: What can I do to help, Adrien? Adrien: Thanks, but it's not up to you or anyone else to help. I'm the one who's gotta do something.

No! Adrien, you are not equipped to deal with this solo. Ask Kagami to help! Ask Alya to help! Ask Marinette's parents to help! There are times when it's okay to involve others in your relationship and this is one of those times! This isn't even a relationship issue! It's a mental health issue! I know we're flipping gender roles here, but it's not somehow cute or healthy just because a guy is trying to "fix" the girl for once. No one should try to take on that task. This is what therapy is for.

If therapy is not an option for financial or other reasons, then yes, sometimes you have to struggle through and loved ones can help, but in TV land? Especially aimed-at-kids TV land? Show the ideal scenario! At the very least, show a support network! And I mean actual support, not Kagami asking to help and Adrien shooting her down! Writers, you are making Gabriel's dislike of Marinette valid! You are making it so that she is dragging Adrien down! Stop doing that!

Adrien deserves love and support, too. Adrien deserves to be romanced. Adrien deserves more than a kiss and an "I love you" that he had to fight to hear! He never even gets one of the presents from Marinette's chest. She did more to woo him before they got together and it's such pathetic writing.

The fun of getting these two together is letting them do all the stuff they've always wanted to do! Let Marinette bring him macrons! Let him bring her roses! Let her enhance his wardrobe! Let him write her poems! Let them be a healthy, balanced, sickeningly-cute couple! It's fine if she's nervous at the start and takes a while to act normal, but this show takes it to a level beyond teenage jitters and it's not funny or cute. It's concerning.

All of these issues start with Derision's romance-based-PTSD retcon and it was the worst thing they could have done for the Love Square. It poisons the rest of the season and is why I just can't ship these two in canon even though I love what they could have been. They have established such a horrifically unhealthy dynamic that I can't see this ending well unless they get couple's therapy in the very near future and that's not even touching on the baggage that will come from the lies and still unresolved Ladynoir trauma.

As soon as Marinette has romance-based PTSD, she was incapable of being in a relationship until after she'd learned to manage her PTSD. (PTSD cannot be cured, btw, you just learn how to manage it and the symptoms can lessen.) The writers apparently knew that. It's why they gave her a therapist to support her as she worked through her issues and got to the point where she can say "I love you". His name is Adrien. Isn't he cute?

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #adrien deserves better #suffering through a rewatch of season 5 for love of my so #ml intuition #ml derision #ml perfection #marinette deserves better #I just wanted a cute romance not whatever the writers think they're doing

[pheonix-inside]

After watching the new Hazbin episodes I gotta say

1) I'm totally gonna have to rewatch them to get past the internet-brained critic that is my mind whenever I first watch something

And 2) I really wish Hazbin got more episodes per season, because - even setting aside the overly critical part of me that's purely fueled by self consciousness caused by the hate the show gets - I really do think that for the story they're telling, it needs more room to grow.

They've only got eight episodes, so I understand why things are going fast and, say, emotional payoff is happening so early. Like that's not the fault of the writers. But I wish that they had more episodes. I honestly think that double the amount would be best. Then they'd have more room to introduce concepts and really explore them before having to conclude them to move to the next point in the story.

I'm not shitting on the story itself, but the timeframe they're given. Shorter seasons like that work in shows like Helluva Boss that are meant to be episodic, with mostly disconnected episodes. But Hazbin isn't like that, and so they're having to rush through some of the plot points so that there'll still be enough episodes to really get to the main plot without having to completely put the character arcs in the backseat. And the whole story suffers for it.

Don't get me wrong, I still really like it and I still think it's good. But so many shows in the past that I love and have held as a standard for my own writing had the space to grow, with at least 20-something episodes per season, if not more. Steven Universe had 52 in its first season!

The problem is whoever is in charge of deciding the number of episodes. I won't pretend I know much about how tv shows are made - I've been honing my writing skills to create books, not shows - but I know enough to figure out that the episode count is not the writer's choice. And that makes me sad, because Hazbin is already really fun and interesting and GOOD, and it would be so much better if it had more room to breathe.

I'm really enjoying watching Hazbin, but I do wonder how it could be even more enjoyable if we really got time to see the characters' relationships grow. Get some more buildup of things like Angel's whole breakdown in episode 4, or Charlie and Lucifer's heart to heart in episode 5. Or Vaggie's reveal in episode 6!

I could go on about this for a while, but it's late and I need to go shower. I just have thoughts on the new season, the majority of them good, but a select few of them disappointed. Not in the show, but for it.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #long post

[nances]

Here’s a handful of cautious optimism as a treat, my brothers in byler

I think there’s a huge misconception about the state of this ship atp. You guys do realize we’ve always been 10 steps ahead of the general audience, right? We knew Will was gay as early as in 2017, some were aware of this back when the first season released too. If I’m not mistaken, the idea that Will might be in love with Mike was around and going strong especially post-season 2, and especially after that one line in the script “Will isn’t looking at the cute girl, he’s looking at… Mike”

Most of us expected explicit byler in season 3, needless to say we were morbidly disappointed. What we did get, however, was yet another hint at Will being gay, and the number of articles with speculation about Will’s sexuality started increasing exponentially. Any way you break it down, we really only got evidence of Will being gay, and there was little indication of him having feelings for Mike.

Season 4 brought the plot line of Will being in love with Mike to the table in canon. We got to see how strong his feelings for Mike are, how they are absolutely eating him up and yet he’s still putting the happiness of his sister and the person he’s in love with above his own, even if that means he suffers. We saw both him being in love with Mike, being absolutely selfless about it AND beating the homewrecker allegations. Personally, I’d call this a W.

Now I understand why we had our expectations regarding byler so high up, Noah’s comments were only stirring the pot. I don’t know if he was truly trolling, and all this buildup amounts to nothing, but he did say “they can’t end it there”, and on some level, he’s aware of the outline for season 5.

If this is indeed gaybaiting, I by no means want to defend that but we have to acknowledge that his idea of “building up byler” pretty much matches that of the general audience’s. We’re only getting groundwork as of right now. As much as we like to joke about him having a secret account on here, a couple of years ago he was, on some level even hostile about the prospect of Mike and Will being gay.

The fallout of what vol.2 turned out to be hit hard, there’s no denying that. Most of us were shocked they actually ended up fueling midleven even more, despite the fact that we were so convinced that going that route would essentially be anticlimactic and bad writing. There was a lot of dissatisfaction with using Will’s feelings as a prop for the straight ship (understandably so.)

But the thing is, the general audience is now for the first time properly aware of the possibility of byler being canon, and a lot of people are picking up on just how bad the lead-up with the monologue was. A lot of people agree that midleven is getting repetitive, and that the monologue was mediocre at best. Is it really indicative of delusion to assume that this ship is being set up for doom? Meanwhile byler’s popularity is skyrocketing and the tag has gained yet another thousand followers after the release of Vol.2 alone.

We don’t know what’s going through the Duffers’ heads. Oh I wish we did. But we really don’t. We do know for a fact though that they don’t really rewatch their show (albeit I hope they’ve learned their lesson after this) which drastically diminishes their credibility as skilled writers. In terms of cinematography and soundtrack, Vol.2 was absolute peak, but the narrative, however, was a mess. They left a lot of loose ends untied, and they’re going to have a shit ton of exposition to do next season.

So either they’re really shit writers, or midleven was anticlimactic and mediocre on purpose.

Despite everything, there’s still the fact that one of those loose ends is Will’s lying about El commissioning the painting. It’s evident in the letter in episode 1 and as far as we know, she’s never really played D&D. If they’re really as good at constructing stories as they’re hailed, we should expect this to go somewhere. Because the Steve and Nancy stuff was left unresolved as well. Same with Max’s letters. If they really decide to leave all of that unaddressed, it simply won’t be a look good for the show.

Bottom line is, they did say they wanted to write an authentic story, and I really hope they realize that having the main guy and main girl end up together is the most overused trope ever. We should all sit on the fact that we did get a fairly good amount of content to advance byler, and that they could’ve just left this storyline about Will’s feelings for Mike out altogether. They made a conscious choice not to. Now I don’t think that half of the shit presented in the byler slides was intentional, but I do think that there still is a chance that they’re heading towards a midleven breakup and byler endgame. I could be wrong, but this is just how I see it now that I’ve let it simmer for a while. We’re still in for an entire season, jopper’s development spanned over 4 seasons and jancy got together in the span of one, so realistically, anything is possible.

#idk if this dissertation of mine makes sense at all it’s 2am and i’m rendering an edit as we speak & i’m really tired so sorry if it’s #incoherent #byler #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things season 4 #stranger things theory

[assigned-boyking-at-birth]

Tagged by @wilsonthemoose to make a Supernatural Seasons Tier List and it was a lot harder to do than I thought

Here’s my thinking…

Seasons 1 and 2: My love, my life, the blood that runs through my veins. Truly peak Supernatural

Seasons 4, 5, and 7: Consistently good episodes with lots of Sam suffering (crack to me). Worthy of rewatching for sure.

Seasons 3, 6, 8: Some good episodes mixed with some meh. All had plot lines that I enjoyed but also had things that I felt just dragged the whole thing down.

Seasons 12 and 13: Okay they literally fought the fucking British in season 12 and I can barely even remember season 13. However each has a few redeemable episodes.

Seasons 9, 10, 14, and 15: I feel like seasons 9 and 10 are self explanatory tbh. I simply just hated the demon Dean/MoC plot lines. In 14 I was forced against my will to see Dean wear a stupid hat and also the fight scene at the end was so embarrassing that it caused me actual psychological damage. Now 15, they literally fought actual fucking God. Idk it just feels stupid to me.

Season 11: I watched season 11 at such a weird time in my life that it honestly feels like a fever dream to me. Idk??? A+ for Sam trauma D- for whatever the fuck was going on with God’s sister

I’ll go ahead and tag @bradycore and @madwomanwithawarehouse but no pressure <3

#thanks for the tag bestie #spn #supernatural #tier list #tag game

[valeriianz]

10 fandoms / 10 characters / 10 tags

tagged by @virgo-dream and @seiya-starsniper, thank you! this took me a while... the way my hyperfixations work is, i'll completely devote myself to a piece of media for a time... then once i find something else i move on almost entirely lol. i of course still have a very soft spot for the shows/video games listed here (as well as my blorbos, such as they are) but the only fandom im currently active in is, of course, Sandman.

1: Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan

I am in a love/hate relationship with AoT lmao (and some day i WILL finish the final season) but nothing, not even fandom war, will ever change my love for Levi. I'm obsessed with his backstory, how he came into the Survey Corps, and how it all sheds light on the decisions he makes and the tragedies he suffered through. I was fascinated by him since S1 and after the No Regrets manga came out, I was done for. He has been through so much and despite how cruel and unforgiving he seems, he actually has the biggest heart and-- guh I just love him. He deserves the world ;^;

2: Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Truly was torn between Zuko or Katara... but I have always had mad respect for Zuko's redemption arc and how brilliantly it was written. I love how it takes a full season and a half for him to have this war within himself, that he makes the right decision but then regresses... before literally becoming sick with indecision and change. And then he finally proves his worth and becomes the most loyal friend and a perfect leader to rebuild a broken society. I'm a sucker for good character stories, and Zuko's arc in ATLA is my hands down favorite ever.

3: Roxas - Kingdom Hearts

God I just love tragic male characters, huh? lmao. This one is a no brainer to me. Roxas is the OG blorbo. I fell in love with him at the tender age of 17 and have never looked back. He is kind and loyal but also a feral gremlin. He is so goofy but sad and god dammit, I love his voice and his baby blue eyes. Also this line, "This could have been the other way around." *shakes fist* MY BOY!

4: Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop

We love complex characters in this house! Faye has all the traits of a character I usually wouldn't vibe with: she's arrogant (without much to back it up lol), lazy, and is susceptible to addictions. But oooh do I love a character who uses negative traits to hide how emotionally vulnerable they are. Faye appears strong, mean, and confident to a fault, but inside she craves companionship and is incredibly lonely (despite her lone wolf tendencies). Rewatching the show as an adult, I found Faye and I have a lot in common lol. She needs a hug.

5: Hob Gadling - The Sandman

Do I really need to say anything? lol I love that Hob is the fandom's plaything; molding and shaping him and writing him in all sorts of different ways... but I do adore his canon character. He is brash, stubborn, at times cruel and violent... but then immeasurably kind, loyal, and forgiving. He takes on immortality in unexpected ways. he thrives, he suffers, he works, he regresses, he makes mistakes, he learns from them, he changes... he is THE human experience.

6: Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

Robbed. Robbed. Absolutely robbed. The writers did Daenerys so dirty, I refuse to accept the final 3 seasons of GOT as canon lmao. (and here's another thing: I would totally accept her spiral into "madness" if it had been handled seriously. If the writers didn't just pull this out of their ass and instead thoughtfully worked in justifiable reasoning for her to go crazy). I'm 100% a stan and there's actually nothing you can say that will change my mind :)

7: Cal Kestis - Star Wars, Jedi: Fallen Order

My SON. My BOY! I have the adoption papers ready.

8: Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII

Another OG blorbo lmao. She's been with me since I was a teenager (also I always shipped her with Cloud, not Aerith. I do however ship Aerith and Zack... the latter whom almost made this list. Anyway-). Tifa is the badass motherfucker with a heart of gold. She is insanely loyal and truly the wisest of the bunch.

9: Mickey Milkovich - Shameless

ANOTHER BROKEN CHARACTER WHO GOES THROUGH EXTREME DEVELOPMENT? Can anyone sense a pattern?? This motherfuckerrrr *shakes Mikey and slaps him in the face and sobs* God I love it when a seemingly irredeemable character goes THROUGH IT and comes out shining a new, yet somehow the same old, sarcastic bitch.

(Also please note that Lip Gallagher almost made this list. Another shining example of the writers doing his character the WORST injustice just to keep him on the show. He should have stayed in college. He almost GOT OUT. He almost broke the chain. What he did was not in line with his character and I will stay mad about it).

10: Cesare Borgia - The Borgias

THIS. GUY! AURGH!! Arrogant, violent, sexy bastard. You piece of shit. Cesare actually did everything wrong, he doesn't want to be redeemed. But he is so fucking charismatic and I love that he uses it to his advantage. He's so fucking smart and quick on his feet. He's SUCH an asset on the battlefield. And he LOVES his family! He will kill a bitch with his bare hands if they dare insult his mother or sister. I love that he grumbles when given advice from literally anyone that isn't his most trusted friend, bodyguard, and assassin, Micheletto. Doesn't even flinch when he discovers Micheletto is gay, actually teases him for being a momma's boy, and genuinely grieves for his loss when he flees. He says out loud how he misses him and actually begins to doubt himself without Micheletto there to counsel him. Cesare is everything to me, actually.

tagging, no pressure!: @rainy-days-and-nights @the-cloudy-dreamer @kemurai6-dominion-of-dust @ferelden-loser @teejaystumbles @tj-dragonblade @hardly-an-escape @sutoribenda @quillingwords @mathomhouse-e

#woo okay #this was kind of difficult because i usually always have multiple blorbos per show lol #choosing only one from each was a struggle haha #thank you guys! #tag game

[waitmyturtles]

Drama Accountability Pinned Post!

EDITED April 24, 2024: Hello! Thank you for landing here. This blog is devoted mostly to Asian drama and movie reviews and meta analyses, along with your random fashion post and maybe a floating meditation on parenting along the way. This pinned post will help me keep track of where my scattered brain is at with what I’m watching, what I want to watch, and what I have watched.

My major focus regarding dramas is in completing what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC), where I’m learning about the young history of Thai BLs through an expansive list of GMMTV and non-GMMTV dramas, to learn about the genre’s fumbles and improvements, as recommended by @absolutebl in their original post on the topic. I’m also inspired to learn about the development of Thai BL as an art form, complete with tropes, frameworks, and responsive commentaries, as described by @miscellar in an analysis post on Bad Buddy the Series. 

I’m also catching up in general with other classic and/or essential QLs of all other Asian countries, reviews of which you can check out on this tag. 

I tend to go down actor/actress rabbitholes when I’ve watched a drama of theirs that I have fallen in love with; I don’t always watch things chronologically; I LOVE SHOWS ABOUT FOOD AND/OR COCKTAILS, and I’m still new to Tumblr fandoms. But this is my space to absolutely just dump and analyze thoughts, so please, welcome, and thank you for reading!

What I’m watching!

Living With Him (J, BL, Thursdays) (my thoughts here) My Precious the Series (T, Thursdays) 23.5 (T, GL, Fridays) (my thoughts here) Cherry Magic (J, BL, anime), and fast-forward rewatches of Cherry Magic (J, BL) and Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (T, BL) (2022) (The Old GMMTV Challenge)

Past Big Meta

Pain, Suffering, and Narratives in Some Asian Dramas (Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars, Our Dining Table, He’s Coming To Me, Double Savage, Dark Blue Kiss, and more)

Pain, Trust, and Separation in Some Asian Dramas (Bad Buddy, Still 2gether, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Until We Meet Again, I Promised You The Moon, and the movie version of Cherry Magic: 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!)

What’s on deck (generally speaking):

Make a Wish (T, BL)

What’s on deck (The OGMMTVC Project and historic/significant Thai BLs): 1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 and part 2) 37) Honorable Mention: War of Y (2022) (for the sake of an attempt to provide meta BL commentary within a BL in the modern BL era), with a complementary watch of Aam Anusorn’s documentary, BL: Broken Fantasy (2020) (thoughts here) 38) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 39) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (watching) 40) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 41) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 42) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 43) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 44 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 45) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 46) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 47) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 48) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 49) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 50) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 51) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 52) 23.5 (2024) (GMMTV’s first GL) (thoughts here) (There are many, many more on @absolutebl‘s wonderful compilation lists that I’ll want to check out eventually, and will adjust this list accordingly.)

What’s on deck (the Jojo Tichakorn/pre-Only Friends playlist):

Gay OK Bangkok (2016) (review here) Gay OK Bangkok 2 (2017) (review here) 3 Will Be Free (T, 2019) (review here) Mama Gogo (T, 2022) The Warp Effect (T, 2022) (review here) Dirty Laundry (T, 2023) (tag here)

What’s on deck (the Fluke Teerapat/Tanachot Prapasri playlist):

YYY (2020) (review here) My Ride (2022) (T, BL) La Pluie (2023) (T, BL)

What’s on deck (the JamFilm playlist):

Khun Chai (To Sir With Love) (2022) (T, lakorn) Laws of Attraction (2023) (T, BL)

What’s on deck (essential non-Thai BLs and other shows): The Gifted (T, 2018) Blacklist (T, 2019) Let’s Fight Ghost (T, 2019) The Gifted: Graduation (T, 2020) Takara to Amagi/Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (J, BL, essential BLs)  Seven Days (J, BL, essential BLs)  Ototo no Otto/Otouto no Otto (My Brother’s Husband) (J, 2018) Summerdaze (Singapore, BL) Guilty: Kono Koi wa Tsumi Desuka? (J) Nee Sensei Shiranai no (J) Kimi wa Petto (2017 version with Shison Jun (J)) Ingredients (T, BL)

What I have watched that I recommend you MUST MUST WATCH FOR YOUR SOUL:

Kinou Nani Tabeta (J, BL) (my writing on KNT) Old Fashion Cupcake (J, BL) (my writing on OFC) Cherry Magic Japan (J, BL) (my writing on CM) Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bad Buddy (T, BL) (my mini-thesis on BBS, and my BBS tag) Moonlight Chicken (T, BL) (my writing on MC, my manifesto on khao man gai/Hainan chicken rice/nasi ayam, and my master list of MC Big Themes) A Tale of Thousand Stars (ATOTS) (T, BL) (review here) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x ATOTS (T, BL) (my OS2/BBS tag, my OS2/ATOTS tag, and my OS2/BBS/ATOTS tag) He’s Coming To Me (T, BL) (review here) Make It Right seasons 1 and 2 (T, BL) (review on season 1 here) (review on season 2 here) The Eighth Sense (K, BL) (my writing on T8S) Life as a Girl (Joshi Teki Seikatsu) (J) (my writing on LAAG) She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (TsukuTabe) (J, GL, seasons 1 and 2) (thoughts here) The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (J) (review here) Love For Love’s Sake (K, BL) Drive My Car (J, movie) His (J, BL, movie) Tonbi (2013 version with Uchino Seiyou) (J)

What I have watched that I highly recommend:

Unknown (TW, BL) (my thoughts) (final review coming) I Cannot Reach You (J, BL) (my thoughts) I Feel You Linger in the Air (T, BL) (my thoughts) Be My Favorite (T, BL) (my thoughts) Our Dining Table/Bokura no Shokutaku (J, BL) (my thoughts) The Eclipse (T, BL) (my writing on The Eclipse) KinnPorsche (T, BL) (my writing on KP) Semantic Error (K, BL) (review here) Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 1 (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 2 (J, BL) (my UKS2 tag) Kabe Koji/Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized (J, BL) (my writing on Kabe Koji) Eien No Kino (Eternal Yesterday) (J, BL) (my writing on EY) Kieta Hatsukoi (J, BL) (review here) Extraordinary Attorney Woo (K) (my writing on EAW) Silent (J)  Okaeri Mone (J, asadora) Life: Love on the Line (J, BL) Mozu (J) Wakako Zake (J) (seasons 1-4) XX: Blue Moon (K) Shinya Shokudo (Midnight Diner) (J) Crash Landing on You (K) Like Father, Like Son: Soshite Chichi ni Naru (J, movie) After Life (J, movie) What I really want to watch, but I’m in not a huge rush:

Home School (T) Raise de Wa Chanto Shimasu (three seasons and SP) Kim Ji Young: 1982 (K, movie) It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (K) Again My Life (K) Run On (K) The Tale of Nokdu (K) Little Women (K) Thirty Nine (K) Nora From Queens (US) My Liberation Notes (K) Doom At Your Service (K) Ishiko to Haneo: Sonna Koto de Uttaemasu? (J) Sotsugyo Time Limit (J)

What I have watched, in no particular order (besides the OGMMTVC shows above):

Marry My Dead Body (TW, movie) Ossan’s Love Returns (J, BL) (my thoughts) Cooking Crush (T, BL) (my thoughts) Wednesday Club (T) (my thoughts) Double Savage (T) (my thoughts) Only Friends (T, ended up being BL-ish, BLOOP) (my thoughts) Cutie Pie (2022) and Cutie Pie 2 You (2023) (T, BL) The Promise (T, BL)  (my thoughts) SOTUS S (T, BL) Bed Friend (T, BL) (my review of the finale) (my Bed Friend tag) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (T, BL) (review here) Our Dating Sim (K, BL) A Shoulder To Cry On (K, BL) Jack O’Frost (J, BL) (thoughts!) The End of the World, With You (J, BL) (my writing on TEOTWWY) SOTUS (T, BL) (thoughts here) 10 Years Ticket (T) (review here) The Novelist: Playback (J, BL, movie) (review here, spoilers) Ameiro Paradox/Candy Color Paradox (J, BL) (review here)  Dirty Laundry (T) (my posts on DL here) Individual Circumstances (K, BL) (review here) The New Employee (K, BL) (review here) Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo (J) (review here) Cafe Minamdang (K) (review here) Hiru (J) (review here) Ase to Sekken (Sweat and Soap) (J) (review here) Big Dragon (T, BL) (review here) Ichigeki (J) (review here) The Director Who Took Me to Dinner (K, BL) (thoughts here) Two Office Workers Who Are Too Poisonous for One’s Eyes (Me No Doku Sugiru Shokuba No Futari) (J, BL kinda) BL Metamorphosis (J, quick review here) Why Her? (K) Let’s Eat (seasons 1, 2, and 3) (K) Where Your Eyes Linger (K, BL) Kodoku no Gurume (J) Chef wa Meitantei (J) Crisis: Special Security Squad (J) Meitantei Akechi Kogoro (J) Teppachi! (J) The Novelist (J, BL) Mood Indigo (J, BL) Izakaya Shinkansen (J) Sayonara Itsuka (J, movie) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Avenger Scar (J, movie) Hatsukoi (2020) (J, movie) Rinjo (J) To Heal Wounds of the Heart (Kokoro no Kizu to Iu Koto) (J) Hoshi to Lemon no Heya (J) My Husband Got a Family (K) Tony Takitani (J, movie) I'll Still Love You Ten Years From Now (Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite) (J)

What I tried to watch, but couldn’t finish:

Alice in Borderland (J) (I couldn’t do it, I can’t do violence, but Machida Keita’s Karube is really wonderful, and Yamazaki Kento was also fabulous of the bits I watched. Please don’t take my inability to watch this as a judgment of the show, it’s clearly a FANTASTIC show for people who can handle blood and games and killings and fights and stuff) (I will try this again considering so many people like it!) <3

On hold/dropped (permanent or otherwise)

Playboyy The Series (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bake Me Please (T, BL) The Sign (T, BL) Shadow (T) Gokushufudo (J) (on hold) Keishicho Outsider (J) (this is such a good show but I don’t have capacity to watch it, but Nishijima is FABULOUS IN IT, I will watch it at some point) A Boss and a Babe (T, BL)  All the Liquors (K, BL) UMG (T) Wakako Zake (season five) (J) Banshaku no Ryuugi (J) Tokyo In April Is... (J, BL) Minato’s Laundromat/Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry, Season 2 (J, BL) (my thoughts so far) (on pause) Dangerous Romance (T, BL) Absolute Zero (T, BL)

What I’ve watched that I recommend you please do NOT watch, it’s not worth the expenditure of energy:  The Unusual Family (K) TharnType (T, BL) Step By Step (T, BL) (my thoughts) My Husband Won’t Fit (J) (I could go on and on and on about how I think this show was particularly irresponsible, but I might have a Western bias about my interpretation, sigh) Super Rich (J) (maybe this is necessary if you’re a total Cherry Magic/Akaso/Machida stan, but this show was unbelievably bad and a total waste of their talents -- if you really need some fan service, zoom through episodes three to five and SKIP THE REST)

#list #drama list #drama accountability!

[divinekangaroo]

Fav season of peaky? Why..

Best gal for Tommy? Why..

Is death the best end for Tommy? Why..

Thank you 😊

Fav season of peaky?

Season 5, season 6 close second, because of Themes.

In an interesting outcome, S5 is better for what then happens in S6. Tommy's experiencing the emotional/moral trauma/consequences of the deferred traumas of all his other seasons' worth of activity by S5 and yet still pushing forward, because it's all he knows how to do (all about action) and it's what he thinks needs to be done (do good things that can only be done by a 'bad' man because of what/how he has to do it), and the ego aspect is thinking only he is capable of doing it and what that then means for him/everyone around him; putting himself into an even worse pressure cooker (British politics stretching into global impacts) for which he is blatantly unprepared and honestly, feels like he's floundering, compounded by the class/sexual/political/ethnic attacks imposed by Mosley all in one aristocratically snarly package? So interesting. The dynamic between him (good man doing bad things for good reasons and perceived as a bad man) and Mosley (framed as evil and righteous and all things accepted by British culture as proper) is insane. That sense of creators creating a situational pressure cooker and watching to wait for it to go bang...

I do struggle to rate the plotline in S5 / S6 - so many coincidences, so much happenstance, so many things that even on detailed rewatch and script reading and headscratching I grapple with. But thematically wow. S1, S2 and S3 were better written/plotted, S4 felt like huge amounts of fun and was dramatically and visually great, but S5 and S6 for thematic emphasis.

Best gal for Tommy?

IE, who would be the most healthful? Jessie Eden. Ironic how it ended with her, because that was the one relationship where I was like, this woman who, in and of her characterisation only, is someone who could work with him as a partner and who would recognise and navigate his traumas without adding to them or taking them on her own shoulders. Everyone else, there were huge swings and roundabouts in power dynamics, blame, self blame etc. If he'd married Jessie between S4 and S5, he might have actually been equipped for S5's confrontations. Although that would have created a very different story XD.

I do love watching/writing Tommy x Lizzie for multiple reasons, and I do think there is love and care there, but they have a conflicted and complicated relationship which makes it difficult to say "this is best for Tommy".

I don't believe May would have been good long term for reasons explained before. May also wasn't love, it was just...fun. And sex, and interest. I don't think May could have ever accepted who he was. And I don't believe Grace would have been good long term because Tommy immediately put her on the most insane pedestal, and I think he was too immature to recognise that; I imagine they would have divorced, or similar to my thoughts on May, he would have had a diifferent kind of (and much earlier) breakdown through forcing himself into a mould he didn't fit into. And I know there's this thing about "only you see me" with Grace after he beat a man to death; but that was one act only, his violence, and it was a reachout to balance Grace's own violent act which was also scaring her right then. But that didn't get anywhere near his lying, his deceiving, his dealing - in S3 it was immediately obvious Grace was unaware of the extent of what Tommy does for business; I think it was represented that he did definitely love her, but he was also putting on a front for her no matter that line or his love, and I think that would have backfired at some point.

Is death the best end for Tommy?

Nope. Get old, live, suffer, live, learn, go to prison, still have to live, actually change, actually grow, etc. Also more storylines if he lives!

Plot and theme wise, I think it would be SUCH a cop out to have him die in any closing movie. There's nothing very appealing about this idea of repentence through death-sacrifice. There's also too much religious connotation to that to be of purpose with who Tommy's character is, slipping into a saint's martyrdom or a jesus-like sacrifice feels too easy.

Plus, they've now effectively done a death (and subverted) in S2 (brilliant), S5 and S6 (very good for very different reasons to S2), substituted Arthur's death in S4, and had a few representations of 'little death' in S3, so if they repeated that? Like how many ways can they do this?

I mean, repentence through death has always itched at me though, because he doesn't seem repentent? He does have a sense of wanting to balance bad acts with good, but he doesn't exactly regret those bad acts...only their consequences if they bounce back at him.

I suppose I could buy into a cool shock-value death sequence if he dies through pure incidental mischance in the first fifteen minutes of the movie and the rest is about how his brothers/family have to pull their shit together for revenge, but not a death-as-repentence sequence.

#peaky blinders #tommy shelby #fannish thoughts

[hotchbian]

criminal minds Q&A (Qs from @/concretemercy on twitter)

who’s your favourite character? hotch, emily and spencer are my big 3 but if i had to choose between them.. i think hotch

which season is your favourite? early seasons >>>>> but more specifically i think season 4! although 3 and 5 are close too, that whole era has some of the most interesting cases and as devastating as it is i love the focus on hotch’s home life both pre and post haley’s death

who (in your opinion) is the most underrated character? i’m not mega attached to any of the characters who filled emily’s place in the seasons she was away but i did rly like kate callahan!! i’m surprised she’s not talked about more, she’s such a cool character imo and her storyline with her niece is also underrated!

who (in your opinion) is the most overrated character? this is a hard one but i think i’d have to say rossi? there’s several reasons why i dislike him a bit compared to other characters but he just felt like quite a step down from gideon and i just feel like his personality and backstory have less substance and are less interesting compared to the others’?

who’s your favourite cast member? SOOO difficult i love them all 😭 i think thomas’s acting skills are seriously underrated, i rly don’t believe many actors can achieve the duality between hotch and david from love and human remains as successfully as thomas does,, equally i loveee paget she’s such a sweet incredible soul 🫶 also bonus: aubrey plaza one of my #1 celeb crushes 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 she plays cat so well 😫

if you could change one thing in a plot what would it be? rossi being canon racist in his youth.. but if we’re talking more major (?) plot points i think maeve’s death - everyone agrees spencer suffers by far the most trauma throughout the years and i think it would’ve been nice for maeve to have survived and for her and spencer’s relationship to have progressed further, just to add a little sprinkle of consistent joy into his life :(

your favourite canonical ship? does garvez count as canon or not.. bc it is in my mind

your favourite non-canonical ship? i’m not much of a shipper i think bc the team feels like such a found-family i cant imagine their relationships to be anything other than platonic but.. i might go niche and say elle x emily (ellily? emme? emelle? idk) bc i think if they ever met emily would have the maddest crush on her lmao (i need them to meet, pls let them meet one day 😫)

favourite episode? again crazy difficult but i have to say 100.. literally not a day goes by where i don’t think about that episode, it’s television and acting perfection (thomas being the most talented actor ever strikes again) bonus #2: seven seconds (the one where the aunt is the unsub of the girl that goes missing in the mall) is also perfection, the tension throughout it is insane, i could write essays about it

favourite quote? the scene where hotch and will are talking about a victim who was the will’s closeted co-worker and will says “icb he flew hundred of miles to be someone else” and hotch replies “no he flew hundreds of miles to be himself” 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 hotch my little ally

why did you start watching the show? one of my school friends loved it and convinced me to watch it bc a family friend had given us her prime video log in but i only got through season 1 until i got logged out so i went two years without watching it until i subscribed to disney+ at the start of this year and picked up where i left off

have you watched criminal minds more than once? i finished my first watch-through a month ago and i went straight into rewatching it all the next day! so i’m currently at s3 on my first rewatch :)

what is the most heartbreaking scene from the show? the entirety of 100 is the obvious answer for me but also when derek faces his abuser (both times) and ofc “he was alive yesterday?”.. mgg your directing destroys me

favourite scene? too many.. any moments between hotch and jack, jj’s wedding, emily’s return from death, derek telling spencer that hank’s middle name is spencer ❤️‍🩹

when did you start watching the show? watched s1 in late 2020/early 2021, had a two year break and picked it back up in early 2023

favourite cast photo? my bffs 🤭

17. have you watched the spin offs? cm: evolution (if that counts as a spin off?) yes, the others no, i was planning on watching beyond borders but it’s not top of my watchlist priorities

18. who’s the best unsub? cat.. i feel so evil for loving her (that’s just what aubrey plaza does to me ig)

19. what was the most terrifying case? the only case i’ve been so genuinely scared of i’ve had to look away from my screen is the capilanos (the mgg directed killer clown episode), but i also love that ep bc spencer mentions a village near my hometown lmao

20. whose death was the hardest to watch? haley’s ofc and maeve’s

21. is there a character you can’t stand? when he was first introduced i didn’t like will and i was like.. why would jj like him of all ppl (i think i just found his accent and bad flirting annoying 😭) BUT i love them together now, they’re rly cute especially in s16

this took way longer than i expected 😭

#criminal minds #criminal minds questions #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #spencer reid #david rossi #jennifer jareau #elle greenaway #penelope garcia #derek morgan #luke alvez

[piracytheorist]

Top five deciding factors on who is a blorbo to you?

1. WHUMP. I'd be lying to myself and all of you if I said that isn't the top deciding factor. Just yesterday I rewatched the first few episodes of Naruto that I'd watched eons ago, and as we were introduced to Kakashi I started thinking "Why was that one the favourite?"... then there came the episode that he used his sharingan for the first time and at the end of it he collapsed from exhaustion... and that was it. That's what I had watched as a 13-year-old or so and said "This one. This is the favourite."

But seriously, most if not all of my blorbos have had canon moments where they get whumped in one way or another and that's what clicks it for me. I don't think I've had a blorbo that I didn't make up whumpy fanfic scenarios for. They're like geodes - they have to be beaten up to show their true beauty :D

2. Some kind of empathy. Look, call me boring, but while I can appreciate a well-rounded villain that gives no shit about how much pain they cause... if I'm to emotionally connect to a character, I need them to portray that same kind of emotional connection to someone else. They don't even have to be perfect heroes with clean records either - Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time and Twilight from Spy x Family are examples of the exact opposite of that - but I want them to be able to understand what it's like for someone else to hurt, and to want to comfort them in some form. It's not a coincidence that it was during season 3 of OUAT that I started loving Killian - when he started breaking through his bravado and showing how much he understood others' pain.

3. Characters who feel a lot in general. I want my blorbos to feel things, even if (in Twilight's case) they try to push them away. It's one of the things I realized while re-discovering my love for Yamato from Digimon. He's a character who felt a lot, tried to repress it, and it came bursting out of him until he accepted that it was okay to feel things a lot. He was also my only blorbo who hid his feelings out of a misplaced pride - and in his case it's understandable because he was a kid; other blorbos who hide their feelings mostly do it for self-preservation after having experienced a lot of hurt, with the narrative implying that they need to grow out of it eventually if they want to be happy. On the other hand, I had blorbos like Douxie, who were unabashedly themselves and never bothered to hide their feelings out of any kind of shame. And I really enjoy my blorbos being so expressive - it allows me some relatable moments so that I can explore my own feelings that way. (Also why whump helps. It forces out a lot of emotions)

4. SAD. I want to look at my blorbo and be like "Aw, poor guy. Now make it worse >:)". Like, I wish they can have a happy ending (Ethan ;_;) but I want them to suffer until that happens. Look, I ain't babysitting them! I'm consuming their content to escape reality, and watching characters go through shit is my way of expressing my own angst, because the world we live in forces us to undermine our own issues all the time and think "It could be worse!" so I've learned to find escapes through fiction. So make them SAD.

5. That said, Angst with a bit of humor. YMMV but I cannot handle a character who is all depression and is never ever used in a humorous way or form. From Killian "I'll flirt with anything that moves, to my own detriment" Jones, to Douxie "can't sing one note worth his damn" Casperan, to Manny "Grim Reaper on stilts" Calavera, to Ethan "Horrible One-Liners" Winters, to Loid "I have a totally normal wife and daughter :)" Forger, while I adore the angst they go through, they're still fictional characters and a tool for our recreation and expression, so they need to have a break where either the characters themselves or the narrative present a more humorous side to them.

Ask me my Top 5/Top 10 anything!

#wow that was hard lol #I had to think a lot for 4 and 5 #some introspection for y'all haha :D #nette speaks #priscilla9993 #ask and ye shall receive

[monstermonstre]

31 days of horror 2023 (part 1/?)

Every year in October I challenge myself to watch 31 horror movies, 1 for each day, with varying success. If you're new here, I love horror and so the challenge is more about the commitment, than pushing myself to do something I wouldn't enjoy or do otherwise (thankfully).

So far, so good, I haven't watched anything that angered me or bored me to death. Those first 11 days were actually pretty great overall, and with only 2 rewatches.

Cherry Falls (2000): I thought a slasher starring Brittany Murphy would be an easy like but instead this was the only film in the bunch I did not care for. The attempted subversion of one of the genre's best known tropes (the Virgin Will Be Spared) was not done in a way that felt compelling; the script felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen, like so many hands had touched it that the original intent had been lost; and aside from that one subversion it was just too bland, too unremarkable. And the transphobia didn't help. Brittany Murphy was stellar tho.

Possibly in Michigan (1983): Day 2 found me already scrambling for a short film as my day was ending, and lucky me otherwise I might have never watched this classic. "80s feminist cannibalism musical" feels like it's maybe doing it a disservice but it's what got me to watch it and I wouldn't know how to begin to talk about it in a more substantial way. If that tagline appeals to you in any way, it's on Youtube, go watch it.

The Exorcist (1973): I had seen that movie once as a teenager, when I was still very new to horror, and all I remembered from it were the scares. Watching it now, the scares are the least of the impressions the movie made on me. If I was a sadist with a cinema I'd program a triple feature on loneliness, alienation, and the loss of the body with this, Lake Mungo, and the original Cat People. (P.S.: I really recommend the following video essay.)

4. The Exorcist III (1990): First time watching and it scared the shit out of me. I loved it but I haven't been scared like that in a while. Again, there's nothing I could say about this that hasn't been said before. It had some of the worst (honorary) and best things I've ever seen. There is a carp swimming up and down in my brain.

5. Chucky S3E1: Yes episodes of TV count. Anyway, Chucky is back, it's my favourite horror franchise and the show has been, so far, one of the most fun I've had following a TV show ever. That season 3 premiere was a bit underwhelming for me, but certainly not bad. I'm looking forward to the rest.

6. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010): Suffering depression from watching the two Exorcist movies back to back, I decided that rewatching a horror comedy I loved was in order. I used to worship Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but now...it felt very "eh". I've been damaged by too many excellent films and some of the jokes from this classic just didn't do it as much for me anymore (aside from the "howdy-oh officer, we've had a doozy of a day" bit that makes me crack up every time). However it was still a good time and Dale is still one of the hottest man in horror.

7. Motel Hell (1980): Found out about this one through Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake trilogy and I wasn't expecting much from it so I was delighted when I found out how funny it was. Great time for slasher lovers, darkly funny, great performances, some really neat imagery (altho I could've done without the sound the "plants" made, like nails on a chalkboard). Just a silly good time.

8. No One Will Save You (2023): I appreciated the risks this movie took and its story but I struggled to get invested at all. Maybe the alien element just wasn't for me, the minute I saw one of the aliens (which kudos to the film for not beating around the bush and going straight into it) I just stopped caring. I did have a good time overall tho and I was pleasantly surprised at, again, the risks taken and the resistance to spelling every thing out to the audience. The ending was pretty neat.

9. Shutter (2004): The winner of my little poll and I'm grateful to everyone who voted for it. I have no idea how this film ended up on my watchlist but I had been putting it off for while because ghost movies are still one of the subgenres of horror that terrifies me the most. I am glad I was pushed to see this because not only was I not that scared (no really, I didn't even jump that much, I certainly was much calmer than when watching Exorcist III, I am so brave) but I really loved the film's atmosphere and visuals. It's rare, I feel, to see a horror movie so awash with light more or less constantly and still retaining a very compelling moodiness and tension. Very unique atmosphere and that ending wowed me. Also was I the only one to read Natre as trans? I even felt like the film was implying it for a while.

10. Creep (2014): Creep was also in my little poll and, when it ended, I realised I felt slightly disappointed it hadn't won. So instead of waiting on an excuse to watch it, and feeling emboldened by my frankly supernatural bravery during Shutter, I decided to just watch it. And it was the calmest I've ever felt during a found footage film. Seriously not one of the jumpscares got me, that's absolutely unheard of with me. But that didn't make me have any less of a good time. I thought it was hilarious (but obviously not funny in a way that I would recommend it to most people I know), Duplass was magnetic, and I really enjoyed the storytelling. It was also pretty close in some ways to a wrestling storyline that I'm very invested in at the moment so maybe that contributed to how tranquil a time I had. Again, if I owned a cinema and was sick in the head I'd do a double feature with this and the 2022 documentary Mister Organ.

11. Creep 2 (2017): I hate those Reader X Fictional Character fics that haunt tags on here but that's what that film was and I had a good time with it.

If you've read this far: wow. (and see you soon for part 2)

#mo's horrorthon 2023

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

We're finally at the final (thank the gods)! Things that we talked about that I haven't seen discussed:

Nathalie trying to kill Gabriel is such bullshit. "You can't do this! You'll hurt someone!" Nathalie, you have known that since day one! You knew he was working on this all season and you're good now! Why are you only trying to kill him now? You were healthy most of the season! You even physically pinned him! Oh, right, because you're not actually good. It's all just "better than thou" lip service. Hypocrisy is the easiest way to make us dislike a character and Nathalie's a massive hypocrite, so we're not fans.

Evil Nathalie was pretty fun. "Good" Nathalie is aggravating and has as lackluster a redemption as they gave Felix or perhaps even more lackluster. Felix at least switched for love of Kagami. Nathalie switched because Gabriel didn't heal her even though she had zero knowledge that he truly had a chance to do so (she wasn't there and Gabriel has never given up an opportunity to save Emilie so that he could chase Ladybug before). Adrien was never Nathalie's motivation or else we would have seen her protest things like Gorizilla, Style Queen, and Chat Blanc.

Moving on!

The mass teleport to Ladybug should have killed everyone because the whole world is supposed to be after her. A couple billion people teleporting to the same location should mean people squish each other or that portals open over each other/on top of people. Just saying. Budget saved her life because Mirauclous' Earth has a teeny tiny population due to rendering costs.

SO was mad how anticlimactic the final fight between Marinette and Gabe feels. Oh two people who barely interacted, have minimal personal connection, and always hated each other are fighting? Such a big moment! I'm so invested! He talked about how other shows build up to moments like this by making the villain terrifying or by making the villain and the hero have a strong, personal connection or even by making the fight super fun to watch, but miraculous did none of that. SO seriously didn't care about the fight at all and, to be honest, neither did I when I first watched it. I only tuned in when Marinette detransformed and I went, wait, wtf are you doing?

We get to all the scenes with heroes in other locations and SO paused the show every few seconds to ask me who tf person X was. Fei resulted in multiple pauses because of her varied forms. So I can confirm that the casual viewer totally followed this part and it was a wonderful addition (that's sarcasm, btw). He did ask "why would the French say that they need a bunch of Americans to win?" Which I though was pretty funny. That's certainly one way to read the Americans showing up!

SO works in IT. He was so mad that the laptop wasn't remotely wiped after it was lost/Lila stole it. And why does it have access to the Agreste mansion and not just the police robots? I thought Tsurugi corp was a tech company? This is all security 101.

SO's final thoughts: well that was soulless. I feel nothing. I can see why you're so done with this show.

Credit where it's due: while the final was massively disappointing from a story perspective and while I don't think Caline Bustier was written like a good teacher for anyone above the age of 5, it is really cool to show a pregnant woman run for office, win, and then be allowed to do her job with her baby in tow without any of that being treated as a joke. That's a really powerful thing for a young child to see and I'm glad it was included even Caline would make a terrible mayor in real life.

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #ml finale #suffering through a rewatch of season 5 for love of my SO

[the-stray-liger]

God that first episode of GWitch Season 2... Hell, even the OPENING is shredding my heart to pieces. Nothing is the same anymore for the students at the academy and it feels like Earth House is starting to fray at the edges. Guel is still AWOL, Nadim is at his wits end being thrown into the deep waters with all those sharks called CEOs, and Suletta is desperately hoping she hasn't irreversibly damaged her relationship with Miorine while trying to remain strong for her friends... I am SHRIEKING.

Shakes my laptop violently while foaming at the mouth

SO MUCH GOING ON ON THAT FIRST EPISODE. The earth house is obviously traumatized but Suletta somehow seems normal which shows just how fucked up she actually is. Prospera effectively raised her daughter to avoid critical thinking and ignore a super traumatic event with her mantra of move forward earn 2 which makes me so nauseous now skfblsndkslssnxlalsk oh my god shes so fucked up??? Meanwhile Lilique and Ojelo can't look at a mobile suit battle without getting visibly uncomfortable. And THERE IS A GAG ORDER over the earth house. THEY CANT EVEN TALK ABOUT IT. Bruh

Then come Sophie and Norea WHY THE FUCK NOT. Let's make Nika's life harder because that's what Nika does right? Suffer. I do love Norea ngl. That moment when shes telling Elan all the nice things about Asticassia and we see the sketches of the skull and the dilapidated building and the snake skin and she ends it with 'it makes me wanna puke?' LOVE IT. I love Norea's bitterness and violence. When she pulled the knife on Nika I had flashbacks of Kinue in 00. Nika was so close to death TWICE in this episode and I'm so stressed because I feel like if anyone is gonna die soon it's Nika and I don't want her to sknfkslkdksls

And Miorine!!! She's obviously shaken but man Im just so fucking relieved that she blames Prospera and not Suletta for everything that happened. Of course Prospera is gonna take advantage of her too. Jesus I need a cigarette

I wish I could keep up with Shaddiq's intrigue but unfortunately Im stupid so it'll take like 5 rewatches of the whole series before I understand what he's doing ajdbkskd

Above all Im kinda relieved and sorta surprised we went back to the school setting after that. Im relieved because I expected it to go full gundam and start with the carnage right away, but also Im pleasantly surprised because of what the previous events do for the tension in the current setting. These kids just saw war, they were attacked with the intention to kill, and they are forced to go through with their lives like nothing happened and aren't even allowed to talk about it. And the one person who would, who should understand, Suletta, acts like everything is fine and nothing bad ever happened.

How would the earth house kids react to knowing that the people who attacked them are among them, actual fucking earthians too?????? AAÁAAÁAAA

Im ripping my hair out over here Im so obsessed with this show

#gwitch #gwitch spoilers #spoilers

[lateral-org]

1 13 and 18!

1) Is John misunderstood or a villain?

False dichotomy here. I think John is well understood by many fans in that he was a traumatized man and absent father who indoctrinated his sons into a brutal and violent lifestyle (raised them to be soldiers). Like Henrikksen was pretty spot on when he called him a cult leader. The demons just happened to be real.

It's disgusting to me how much John actively avoided his sons during season 1. They didn't even know vampires were still around! (???) John would just drop a pin at a location and send them on goose chases and maybe grace them with his presence if he needed them or they literally tracked him down. Despicable parent behavior.

I don't think this makes him a "villain" though. He's not actively antagonizing the boys (other than giving them soooooo much trauma that they aren't gonna work through). Arguably the most villainous he is is when he tells Dean he's gonna have to kill Sam, and then he dies.

So I don't know. I think he's a shitty dad who fucked them over at every opportunity, but in my head there's nuance between that and villain.

13) Leather jacket or Mary’s ring?

I'm definitely forgetting or missed the lore about Mary's ring, I'm assuming its one of the rings Dean used to wear before Jensen decided no he wouldn't. Or maybe it's from s12? Either way it didn't leave an impact on me (feel free to send me meta to change my mind 👀)

If I have to choose based on symbolism, leather jacket. The leather jacket is such a strong visual signifier of John's impact on Dean's life (your car is his your clothes are his even your music is his etc) AND the fact that he sheds it after a while demonstrates his growth away from being John's shadow. (I know they lost it but still it works for me in canon)

A ring just doesn't have that same (hah) ring to it, especially in a live action show where we don't get that many lingering shots of hands, or insight into how Mary affected Dean.

However. If Sam was wearing Mary's ring... That's something I could get into. Something about Sam latching onto a piece of the mother he never knew, wearing it every day (maybe on a chain so he could hide it under his shirt). Sam wearing the ring when he meets Ruby, wearing it on his hand after Dean goes to hell and staring at it when he exorcises demons (he's doing it for Her but really he's doing it for himself, just like John)

Agh I'm driving myself crazy with this idea actually, maybe the ring if Sam gets to wear it

18) When did Supernatural start declining in quality? (If it did?)

Hahaha well

I'm currently rewatching it so it's fresh in my mind. I've always said 4 and 5 are my favorite seasons but rewatching really cemented that for me. Supernatural is a show that varies in quality season by season, and after a certain point it varies drastically episode by episode. Seasons 1 and 2 are really fucking solid, but season 3 sucks a lot in a lot of ways due to the writer's strike. Then 4 and 5 come in and pick up the pieces pretty effectively.

I think if you're looking for a cohesive show with an ending that makes sense and narrative themes that work, you stop at the end of season 5. Season 6 is a huge dip in quality for me. The first half of the season is so fucking boring and confusing, and by the time it gets it's act together it's time for the finale. But that also makes it similar to season 3, just if season 3 had time to redeem itself.

But I love season 7. I love the new characters and the leviathan and the weird 2011 liberal sensibilities. Season 8 is straight up a vampire diaries soap opera.

Visually the quality declines drastically after season 5. Seasons 4 and 5 use a lot of interesting framing and visual symbolism which stood out compared to the rest of the show, and a lot of that is absent post season 5. A few episodes try to recapture it but the direction becomes pretty generic. The color grading too suffers a lot. There have been so many meta posts about it but truly why does the show get so bright and colorful. I'm not supposed to be able to distinguish dark green from black.

Character writing also suffers post s5. They put the boys through the same wringer over and over and Dean gets angrier and Sam gets quieter and that's it. Not that there aren't good lines or arcs, it's just that compared to the content of the first 5 seasons it's worse.

Notable exceptions, like I said I like season 7. I also think 11 and 12 are good. Season 15 is fucking crazy and evil but it also has like. A plot. Like it's doing season 5 again but at least it knows where it's going.

But yeah. Decline after season 5

Spn Discourse ask game

#ask game #spn posting #asked and answered #anonymous #thank you for letting me talk about eupernatural #i love her and i hate her #i will be thinking about sam wearing mary's ring a normal amount tho

[queenofthearchipelago]

Hiya! I've been following your blog for a while and can't help but notice that we share at least two fandoms. As a fellow suffering soul at the mercy of GO's season 2 finale, how are you doing?

First of all, know this ask made me smile and thank you so much for asking that. It's not every day in fandom life that we get a finale as heartbreaking and devastating as that and I love the people who have asked me how I'm doing about it. I love that this is a fandom where we're all supporting each other through all the heavy emotions.

I'm... I'm okay. Mostly. Probably. I think?

If you don't mind, I'm just genuinely gonna tell you how I feel about it. (Edit from the future, this got long, I'm so sorry lol) I went into this season expecting quiet, gentle, and romantic, and therefore, on that first watch-through, I was looking for quiet, gentle, and romantic. I didn't know what the season was going to be about other than that. I thought I was looking for the ways in which Crowley and Aziraphale were growing closer, and they did! But in that, I didn't know I was also supposed to be looking at the ways that they weren't communicating. I didn't know I was supposed to be looking at all the ways they clearly haven't healed from their traumas.

And so, when we got to that scene in the end, I was incredibly confused by Aziraphale. Crowley has always been my favorite character in this story, I relate to him most and I feel I always understand him. So I pretty quickly got his side of things. But Aziraphale... it just felt out of nowhere (and a little bit, it was. The Metatron really did just kinda show up and offer Az all of that) and it felt like I'd been betrayed a bit.

I thought Aziraphale had learned better about all of this at the end of season 1. That Crowley doesn't need to be an angel, he doesn't need to change. That Heaven is just as bad as Hell. That Heaven isn't exactly a system one person can just... fix. And for the first 5 episodes of this new season, I didn't recognize him struggling with any of this in the present day. He was happy and in love and he was okay with moving on.

And I was so confused why he was considering this, especially after seeing Crowley's reaction. And then after the kiss, Aziraphale still didn't really want to go to Heaven, he was gonna turn back. And he didn't because the Metatron rushed him. He went too fast. And I was so pained by it. Michael Sheen just ripped me apart with how he portrayed all the emotions Aziraphale was feeling. The microexpressions moved so fast it felt like I couldn't hold on to any one emotion any better than he could.

And so my heart was broken for Crowley, and I was confused and betrayed by Aziraphale. But I binged the entire season in one night, it was early morning when I finished it. I was tired, and I watched the season not actually knowing what I should have been looking for. And so I knew that it wasn't that Aziraphale was suddenly a bad character or something. I'm quite shocked by the people hating on Aziraphale's character. My first thought after I finished the season was literally, "I missed something. It's not Aziraphale's fault that I don't understand where that came from. I'm gonna have to rewatch this entire season when I'm more rested and watch it much slower. I'm gonna have to read all the meta written by people who still love and understand Aziraphale after this."

And that's what I did. I haven't rewatched the season yet, but I have been reading a lot of meta about Aziraphale's character written by people who genuinely seem to understand him. It highlighted a lot of things I'd missed the first time. The parallel between Lindsay and Nina and Heaven and Aziraphale. The fear that Aziraphale has been living in ever since Job, where he thinks he's crossed the line and deserves to fall. How his greatest temptation, in the eyes of Heaven, wasn't the food or giving away his sword, or lying. It was his relationship with Crowley.

I didn't realize how the purpose of the creation of the universe scene was that Aziraphale saw how happy Crowley was. And that he's willing to risk everything, his freedom and his beautiful life in the bookshop so that Crowley can be happy like that again. Because Aziraphale spent 6,000 years watching Crowley reject his own kind nature, his own impulse to do good, for the fear of Hell's punishment. It's not exactly that Aziraphale wants to change Crowley. It's that if Crowley was an angel, he could go back to freely being nice, and doing good. They could be together because there wouldn't be the threat of the Other Side coming for them and ripping them apart.

Aziraphale doesn't want to change Crowley. He loves Crowley. But he is still scared of what Heaven thinks of it. Heaven still thinks that angels and demons can't be together because they're on opposite sides. And the powers greater than them who believe this will always try to rip them apart.

He just wants a better world for Crowley. He wants Crowley happy and safe. Is this the way to do it, no. I think Crowley is right that Aziraphale can't change Heaven. I think Crowley is probably scared out of his mind right now that Aziraphale is going back into the lion's den. Because Crowley watched for 6,000 years as Aziraphale was manipulated by Heaven, he saw how scared his angel was. And now he's going back under some misguided understanding that it'll be different this time.

I think that's what Crowley was thinking about in the car in the end credits. I think it was part "I can't believe he chose Heaven over me, because he wants to fix Heaven FOR me, the idiot." and part "He's gonna be manipulated again. And when he realizes it, he's gonna be so scared."

All Crowley wants in this world is for Aziraphale to be okay. Wants him to be free and safe. Free to eat whatever he wants without guilt. Free to do good because he wants to, not because he's had his orders. Free to dance with a demon. Free to be an us. Because he watched Aziraphle be scared of these things for millennia. He watched his angel think he deserved to be a demon for it. And he doesn't. And now Aziraphale's gone back to a place where there is no food, he won't have the opportunity to do clever good deeds in human's lives (he'll be running heaven), and Crowley simply can't follow him back there.

But then, I also believe the metas that have noticed that both plans are unsustainable. Aziraphale won't be able to change the system. And Crowley couldn't keep them running forever. They'll have to find the secret third option to be free to be together safely for eternity, and that's what season 3 is gonna be about.

So, to circle back to your question, I'm not okay lol. But I will be. I believe that this is one of the best stories ever told, and the more I understand Aziraphale and Crowley's characters, the more the ending makes sense, and the more intrigued I am about what else I might have missed that I'll need to rewatch to figure out. The kiss still breaks my heart, but I wouldn't change a thing about it because it makes sense and it played out perfectly for their situations and who they are. It's beautiful in a heartbreaking way.

And I do have a sense of peace about all of it. Even when I had just finished the episode, I knew it was all going to be okay because that divorce was literally about how much they love each other. Crowley loves Aziraphale unconditionally. Neither of them have much experience with that. So Aziraphale struggles to accept it, and he's scared to show it back because what if it costs them everything. But Crowley doesn't struggle like that. He's been left behind on earth, for now. But I have no doubt that as soon as his angel needs him, he'll be there.

Aziraphale will probably say he's sorry. And Crowley's just gonna give him a hug, tell him he loves him, that he's not gonna say I forgive you because neither of them need forgiveness. Not anymore.

It actually feels really good having written all this out like this, I've not talked about good omens much, even though I've been reblogging a lot. I'd love to talk to you more about all of it, if you want. And of course, I want to ask you how are YOU doing? What are your thoughts on all of this? How are you holding up? My ask box and my messages are always open!

#I should have known I'd write an essay in response to this but I really didn't lol #good omens #good omens spoilers #thoughtsfromthequeen #asks

[kiss-my-freckle]

Hi.

Super fan here.

Will you continue your TVD Rewatch to the end? I ask because I just suffered through the second half of season 4 and now I am miserable in season 5. What did the writer's do to the characters?

So many issues, I am anxiously awaiting your commentary for season 4 and 5.

Thanks!

Yes, I'll be rewatching all the way through. Took a two day break, but I'm here, and I'm currently on 1x5.

There's a lot of overlay in season 5, things shown in that season that reveals truths about the Delena ship in seasons 3 and 4. Season 5 shows what Elena meant when she said, "When I'm with him, it just consumes me." Stefan's summer of drowning shows why Elena drowned in 3x22. The only way for me to explain this, is simply by saying Damon is the ocean, and Elena drowns in him. Every time you see Stefan fight to breathe, know that Elena does the same whenever she's with Damon because that's how deep their love is. Every time you see her spit up water... or spitting up blood like she does in 4x2... that's Elena showing actual physical signs of her love for Damon. Damon literally fills her lungs, so when she surrendered to him in 3x19, it was a metaphoric drowning. It was only a matter of time before she actually drowned. When Elena struggles to sleep because she has those visions of Stefan, the fans are given a glimpse of what it looked like for Elena to deal with that kiss from Damon in 3x10, which was every bit the reason she couldn't sleep.

Things like Damon feeding on Katherine while suffering the ripper virus reveals what happened when Stefan bit Elena in 3x5, only Klaus was able to stop Stefan simply by telling him to stop because he had him compelled to obey.

Augustine is one of my favorite storylines in season 5, which they first introduced in 1x5. That's why there's a lot of focus on 1953 in the first season. I'm not a fan of the traveler storylines... at all. I hate Tessa, Silas, Markos, Katherine, and every treveler scene. That's why season 5 is hard for me. I hate most of it.

But I do love season 6.

[moonlayl]

for the five things ask, 5 aos episodes:

Nothing personal (1x20)

Melinda (2x17)

Spacetime (3x15)

The Ghost (4x01)

Fun and Games (5x06)

Ooh, this is a good one! (also not me remembering everything about those episodes immediately 😂)

Anyway, I love every single one of these episodes so much, but I’m going to have to rank them, aren’t I?

So…for some of these, if you’d ask me this right after I finished watching the whole show, before any rewatches, I would’ve placed them higher. But going back and rewatching, while I still love the episodes, they’re greater when it’s the first time you’re seeing it, so I’m ranking based on what I like now, and what I would want to rewatch (and edit. And write fics about) now.

1. The Ghost (4.01)

It’s the one that’s easiest to rewatch. The angst is >>>> (I love it when my faves suffer) and it’s when Robbie first appears. We get Daisy and Elena interacting. We get a feel of what Daisy’s been going through (she’s a vigilante now!!!) and all of Ghost Rider’s scenes aren’t just mesmerizing to look at (seriously, flaming skull looks so good) but Gabriel Luna is such a good actor. We’re back to “Coulson is no longer director” which I LOVE, because it brings back certain obstacles from s1, where the team actually had to go BEHIND the director in order to save people, and Coulson is more of a rebel. Elena was just amazing in that episode. I love Daisy’s beanie. I love all of Daisy’s badass scenes and powers, and I love all her scenes with Robbie. There was a “mystery” feel to s4, and it started with the first episode. It was like a new era of the show beginning and the start of something new :)

2. Melinda (2.17)

We finally learn May’s backstory. Everything about those flashbacks, seeing more of Andrew (and Mildrew), seeing May from before, her fight scenes, her humour, and than the horrifying realization that it was the little girl the entire time? Holy crap, that was good, and completely makes everything we knew about May before, make sense. It was also very smart, the way it connected back to inhumans. Almost every mystery of s1 was connected, and idk but that was very satisfying to watch.

In the same episode, we get Daisy and Jiaying. (Which before s7 came out, I wouldn’t have been as appreciative of, but now I am.) Daisy finds her mom, after a lifetime of searching (and Jiaying finds her daughter, after decades). Unlike when she first comes face to face with her dad, her scene with Jiaying was so emotional, so beautiful, and they were both crying (which made me want to cry). We also get a little call back to s1 Daisy.

“Hoping for something and losing it, hurts more than never hoping for anything” (s1) and “deep down I think you knew [that I’m your mother]” “I was too afraid to hope” (s2)

Daisy opens up about her past a bit, about being sent away, about never spending more than 2 years anywhere (and she’s probably also emotional because she lost shield) which is also similar to that scene in s1, where she mentions she called a foster mom “mom” and how she gets sent away (but in this scene, she actually finds her mom!!!) it’s just…so bittersweet and amazing. Jiaying makes her promises (that she doesn’t keep, but they were GOOD in the moment) and Daisy finally feels at home in Afterlife. Jiaying helps her with her powers, and Daisy actually starts to control them without hurting herself. The “I moved a mountain scene”!!! Jiaying explaining Daisy’s powers, Lincoln being a sweetheart, Daisy making music. It was a good episode!

3. Spacetime (3.15)

Despite s3 being my least favourite season, (no matter the amount of meta I read or how often I rewatch episodes) this episode is one that I really love. I love how Daisy centric it is.

The entire thing about seeing visions and trying to prevent them from happening and being confused about them all, but each one making sense in the end? It was really well written.

The fact that it involves the whole team, that scene between Daisy and Coulson before she heads off. Coulson shooting the mirror, and us realizing it wouldn’t have made sense if he’d actually shot her! Coulson trying so hard to prevent it all (and failing spectacularly)

Daisy’s promise to protect Robin, how each scene led to the next, the final vision that leads to the rest of the season (who will die?) Daisy and May’s parallel fight scenes!

The entire team bonding while attempting to set up Daisy’s vision and act it out (that was so good!!) Fitz trying to explain science stuff but doing a terrible job, and he and Simmons disagreeing!

The whole first scene with the man calling out Daisy’s name and then dying in front of Daisy and her absolute horror and fear once she realizes the actual inhuman man was in danger. (Lincoln being very 💕 and holding her and trying to help her when she panics)

Many others have talked about this episode and why it’s so good (I haven’t done as good of a job 😅) but yeah it was just a really good episode. How it was written, and shot, and how each scene leads to the next, and how much focus Daisy got.

4. Nothing Personal (1.20)

I thought it would’ve been higher up in the list, because it has one of my favourite daisy scenes ever, but oh well.

I’m just going to talk about that scene specifically. One thing I will always love about this show and give it so much credit for, is how they DIDN’T make their female hero and protagonist “forgive” the terrible “misunderstood” attractive male character, or compromise her morals because she has feelings for him. Daisy cared for him, yes, but him ending up being a traitor, killing Koenig, and being HYDRA, was crossing a line, and immediately caused her to push him away and not want anything to do with him, her feelings be damned. Even after he admitted that he DOES actually care for her, her reaction is to turn away and say “I think I’m going to throw up” WHICH MAKES SENSE!!! That’s how a normal person would react to finding out a murderer and traitor has feelings for them. Ward’s look of utter shock and disbelief will NEVER not be funny. I’m so so glad the writers made THAT be her reaction (it was the moment I truly realized she wasn’t going to be written like all those other female protagonists written by men) because it was needed. Even despite the amount of Skyeward skippers, and despite the fact that them as a couple was something clearly the show was leading up to, they had her reject him (and keep rejecting him).

I loved when she hit him and insulted him. When she refused to help him, and her look of disgust and shock when he started going on and on about how “difficult it was for him”, 10/10!!

Her lines: “you did NOT just say that. It wasn’t PERSONAL? God, you might actually believe that. THAT, is the twisted logic they teach you even you sign up to be a nazi.”

and “I’m a survivor” “You are a serial killer”

and “because that was part of the mission, right? Just gonna kick back, and watch ME bleed, until it’s your turn to pull the trigger”

were perfect! Such perfect lines!! I was mentally applauding every word she said, every expression she made, that entire episode.

5. Fun & Games (5.06)

Unpopular opinion, I know, but I actually really loved and enjoyed the first half of s5. It’s disappointing what happened later, but that first half? Amazing. (Not many would agree lol)

In this episode, we finally get multiple reunions after the team’s been separated. It’s super easy to rewatch, feels fun (even while there are high stakes) and I just loved every moment. Daisy’s entire new look, and the arena fight. She looked so good and was such a badass. May also gets an arena fight, and like Daisy, was super badass despite being INJURED and having no powers! That whole scene where Daisy flies, Jemma slits a man’s throat, jumps with Fitz and they land and than all three run off to try and escape? It was amazing. Then they run into Deke, and both fitz and simmons are like immediately defending Daisy (for one episode, I thought fitz and simmons were back to being characters I enjoyed watching. I loved the dynamic between those three in that one episode alone). It was just really cool and the first time I watched it, I was definitely grinning because FINALLY Daisy and Jemma aren’t stuck with Kasius anymore.

So yeah, that’s my ranking. (I write too much XD) this was fun, thank you!

#aos #agents of shield #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #ask game #ryder616 #daisy johnson #melinda may #jiaying #robbie reyes #elena rodriguez #long post