#I’m still on the last episode WENDY NO | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

revelwrittenscenes · 7 months

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Reaction: Red Velvet - You Can't Fall Asleep Without Them

Idol: Red Velvet

{ Fluff }

Requested: Yes!

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Note: Thank you to the anon that requested this! And to other people that requested, I'll write as many as I can. Enjoy~

Irene:

When she came home after a long practice session with the girls, she found you curled up on the bed, humming mindlessly to yourself.

Her heart warmed at the sight and warmed even more once you spotted her, inviting her into your now open arms.

“I’m home.” She murmured softly, settling herself against you.

“Mmm, finally, I can sleep.” You mumbled into her shoulder, before closing your eyes and tightening your hold on her.

Irene felt her heart fill with joy (no pun intended) and she drifted off to sleep herself, secretly loving the fact that you needed her.

. . .

Seulgi:

Seulgi sat on the couch, basically on the edge of her seat and mussing her hair constantly as she watched the last few episodes of her favorite drama.

“No no no! He was dead, wasn’t he?!”

“Seulgi, pleaseee.” You whined for the third time. “Let’s go to sleep, I’m exhausted! Work was horrible today.”

“One second, Y/N. There’s just 2 more episodes to go.”

“But I’ve told you, it’s really hard for me to fall asleep without you there.” You yawned. Seulgi quickly paused the episode.

“Wait, really? You can’t sleep without me?” Seulgi cooed.

“Mm-hm.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go to bed. I don’t want you to be too sleepy tomorrow.”

. . .

Wendy:

It was 11pm and Wendy still hadn’t returned from the kitchen. You sighed, deciding to go see what your girlfriend had gotten herself into at this late hour.

You couldn’t say you were surprised to find her mixing a bowl of some kind of pastry dough. Wendy usually made sweets whenever she was under stress.

Wendy took one look at your tired face and confessed her worries.

“Our new choreo is so complicated. Which is a good thing because our Luvies have always wanted better for us!” She rambled on. “But at the same time, I’m worried I can’t keep up with the members. They’re just such good dancers and our comeback is in 2 weeks and-“

She was interrupted by the feeling of your arms hugging her from behind.

“Wendy, I’m sure whatever you’re making is delicious and normally I’d help you finish it. But I’m really, really tired and…I have trouble sleeping without you.”

“Your best is enough, Wendy. I know you’re gonna kill this choreo. And all the fancy vocals.” Wendy leaned back into you, before letting out a sigh of relief.

“I know you’re right, Y/N. Here, let’s put this in the fridge and go back to bed, since you know, you can’t sleep without me.” She gave you a cheeky smile.

. . .

Joy:

“I’m home!”

You looked up from the book you were trying to read, smiling at your girlfriend. She seemed bouncier than usual, and you suspected it was because of the numerous shopping bags she had in each arm.

“I see you went shopping. Did you go with the girls?” You asked, trying to suppress a yawn. The sun had gone down hours ago, and you’d had a long shift at work.

“I did! But you shouldn’t have waited up for me if you’re this tired. Didn’t you work overtime today?”

“Yeah, but..” you yawned. “I kinda have a hard time going to sleep without you.”

Joy was quiet for a moment, before tossing all the bags onto the couch and speedwalking her way to you.

“Let’s get you to bed then.” She cooed, her arms around your waist and her head on your shoulder. “I can’t let my love be too sleepy for our date tomorrow.”

. . .

Yeri:

“To be or not to be, that is the question!”

“What…I thought we were rehearsing for your drama?” You laughed, and soon Yeri began to laugh with you. You’d been up helping her for her latest drama, which would begin to shoot the following day.

“I know, I know! I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.” Yeri gave you a cheeky smile. “You seem pretty tired.”

You yawned. “A bit, but the more I help you rehearse, the faster we can get to bed.”

“That’s very sweet, but if you’re this tired I can practice by myself?” Yeri put an arm around your shoulders, stroking a finger against your arm.

“I could try, but I can’t really fall asleep without you there with me.”

Yeri’s face lit up.

“Really? That is so cute.” She pinched your cheek. She stood up, taking the script from your hands and putting it aside, along with hers.

“There, I think I’ve rehearsed enough. Besides, I’m really craving some cuddles right now.”

#red velvet #red velvet reactions #red velvet imagines #red velvet x reader #red velvet fluff #kpop imagines #kpop reactions

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quartings · 4 days

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The original Gravity Falls pitches and pilot just dropped!!

(Link for those who want it)

For those who don't wanna look through all of it, here are some highlights I found!

Interesting changes from the pitch (What Alex Hirsch showed Disney to make them greenlight the show):

Stan’s secret was that he’s secretly protecting the townsfolk from weirdness, nothing to do with Ford. No mention of Ford in the pitch at all. Stan also wanted Dipper and Mabel to be his successors in this version.

Mabel used to be the unhygienic one instead of Dipper.

Wendy was brunette and didn’t work as the Mystery Shack cashier, instead selling veggie juice out of her van.

As such, Soos (Jesús in this version) worked the register in addition to his handyman job in this version. He was a bit less of a hard worker here, watching telenovelas on the job sometimes, but still loves his job and is extremely loyal to Stan.

Robbie was almost exactly the same, parents’ backstory and all, but there’s an interesting note that he occasionally clashed with Gideon in this version (which we never got in the final show)

Speaking of which, Gideon’s last name in this version was Garrymore instead of Gleeful.

Gideon used to personally harass and prank Stan, going out of his way to vandalize Stan’s stuff himself.

Manly Dan was always planned to be Wendy’s dad. In this version, he hates the idea that his hipster daughter prefers conserving the environment instead of chopping down forests

(For those who wanted more Wendy episodes, I’m surprised Hirsch didn’t use this as a conflict for one of them- it makes her interesting without costing any of her “coolness”)

Sheriff Blubs was originally Sheriff “Blumps”. Durland has the same name likely because Hirsch said he’s named after a real guy.

With no Ford and no Journal mentioned, episodes were originally very different-

“The President’s Cabinet/Irrational Treasure.” Instead of via the journal, Dipper and Mabel find a record of Quentin Trembley in a box buried in the yard. No Pacifica mentioned here.

“Secret Dungeon” Dipper becomes obsessed with a recalled arcade cabinet. Mabel must try and save him by finding the original high scorer.

“Thtupid Thursday” One of the many ‘Shining Twins’ episode concepts Hirsch wanted to do. Dipper and Mabel learn ‘twin telepathy’ from some creepy twins, and soon regret it.

“Periodic Mabel” Mabel invents her own element for the science fair and Dipper is jealous.

“Only the Clonely/Boyz Crazy” The exact same episode just without Candy and Grenda. Sev’ral Timez is called “ReelBoyzzz” in this version.

“Big Dipper” With surprisingly no tie to Little Dipper, Dipper asks a fortune teller to make him older so he can win Wendy over. But she makes him 22, so he and Mabel have to undo the spell.

“Sweater off Dead” Mabel buys an antique sweater and is possessed by the soul of the granny who last wore it. Stan is terrified by the spirit because she reminds him of his ex-wife Marilyn (Deep Edalyn Clawthorne lore???) so Dipper must “Swexorcize” his sister and save her.

“Teed Off/The Golf War” With no Pacifica, this was originally a Dipper vs Gideon episode- No Lilliputtians, either. Instead, the 13th hole is cursed and traps the cast in a time loop.

Now, changes from the Production Pitch (I’m guessing for when the show was already greenlit and this was a way to brief crew members on what the show would 100% be about)

Stan’s secret (likely the portal) and the journal are now set in stone.

Emphasis on continuity and character development. Nothing gets “reset” by next episode. All plot developments are permanent.

All character names and designs are locked in. Pacifica has now been added, as well as Waddles, Gompers, Lazy Susan, Candy and Grenda, and McGucket (No mention or hint at his past here)

Interesting to note is that there is still zero outright mention of Ford and Bill in this version, even though multiple episodes were seemingly in production at this point.

Manly Dan’s conflict with Wendy from the original pitch is still here. Making it even more mindblowing that we never got it in the show

Blubs and Durland are described as a little more playful instead of mean like in the original pitch.

All episode examples made it into the show with no changes this time. They are Tourist Trapped, Legend of the Gobblewonker, Fight Fighters, Boyz Crazy, and The Land Before Swine.

#gravity falls #gravity falls pitch #q speaks #alex hirsch

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 2 months

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hi!

i saw your post the other day spreading the joyous news that is the moonknight boxset in which you talked about a deleted scene: confrontation with wendy. i’ve never heard about this deleted scene before and i’m having trouble finding information about it online. i was wondering if you perhaps could bring some clarification?

i’m so starved for more moonknight (tv) content and am racing to whatever crumbs are scattered; i’d love to know more about what you were talking about!

thanks so much! :)

P.S. i absolutely adore your work on ao3 and analyses. mwah mwah ty

So they released this image AGES ago shortly after the show finished up. They said they had shot a scene where Marc and Steven are still in the inner world Duat room thing and they both confront Wendy over her abuse and how it hurt them and how she no longer has power over them.

They noted that they were able to do most of it in one shot because at this point in the filming, Oscar had Steven and Marc figured out so well that he could switch between them without any effort so you got to see him talk to Wendy as Marc then Steven then Marc then Steven without cutting. And they said Oscar was AMAZING in it.

This scene was supposed to be towards the end. It explains why the last episode was cut up so weirdly in editing. If you're looking for it, you can feel where the missing scenes is supposed to be and once you know what that scene is...

UUUGHH. Why would they tell us about this scene and then never bring it up again?!

Basically, when you hear people say "Release the Diab Cut!" they are talking about wanting to see this scene and putting it back into the show as Director Mohamed Diab had intended.

#Moon Knight #Ask away #Talk to me about Moon Knight #Why did they hurt us with this knowledge?#I don't care how sloppy it is or unfinished. I want to see it #I'd pay anything to see it

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artist-issues · 1 year

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I feel like Luz’s palisman is a representation of what’s going on in the writer’s room for The Owl House ever since the end of Season 1.

Build up to a big reveal, get people guessing and hoping, and when it finally arrives, it’s…every animal, instead of committing to one. It’s a new creature with no previously-set-up lore or presence in the show…that is able to morph into anything.

Not a little owl, to symbolize she found a place where she can belong as The Owl Lady’s only true apprentice. Not a little wolf-King-lookalike, to symbolize her commitment to her friends and call back to Eda’s line from the first episode. Not even a little bat or singular animal to symbolize how she’s her own person. Just a lazily slapped-together last-minute creature that might as well be called “Whatever You Want-o-Saurus.”

Elaboration below the cut.

Kind of like how the show can just be about any character. Oh, you thought this was a show about Luz and Eda, and occasionally their sidekick King, with even more occasional appearances by her new schoolmates? Nope. We don’t pick three main characters to focus on—EVERYBODY needs angst. EVERYBODY needs trauma. All characters must have big reveal moments, love interests, crying scenes, and relearn the same lessons over and over again. By Season 3, Willow, who should have had less screen time than EDA HERSELF, not only has more screen time, but is simply learning the same old half-a-witch self-worth shtick that she learned in Season 1.

Literally, it would be like if, in Star vs the Forces of Evil, the show zoomed in on Ponyhead, Heckapoo, and Eclipsa, (Hunter, Willow, Gus) and every scene included some reference to their emotional trauma, like a hammer hitting your head in the same spot over and over and over. Meanwhile, Star’s (Luz) screentime is limited but also solely focused on her self-hate for messing everything up, Marco (Eda) gets three lines of dialogue, and we’re treated to much more Glossarick (King) and Ludo (Collector) screen time, where’s he’s no longer funny but nobly self-sacrificial and confident.

Or if Gravity Falls, Season 2, gave Dipper (Luz) plenty of screen time to be an emotional prop for characters like Robbie, Soos, and Wendy (Amity, Hunter, and Gus) while he background-hates himself. Meanwhile Mabel (Eda) is almost written out except for being given two lines per episode about wanting to save Mermando from being turned to stone—oh, you don’t know Mermando (Raine) that well? It’s because he was just tossed in as a progressive love interest halfway through the final season—and Grunkle Stan (King) gets to be completely free of all previous character traits except “must save kids” energy while Lil Gideon (Collector) holds him hostage. Oh, and the interesting villain? The one we’ve been teased with and really are invested in seeing lose? Bill Cipher? (Emperor Belos) He’s just kinda crawling around in the background, powerless until we need to give Soos more emotional trauma. What I’m saying is, sure, Stringbean looks cool. The Collector looks neat and clearly is meant to be child-murderer creepy (oh but you can still feel bad for him because we poured Trauma™ on him, too.) The big playtime set pieces are definitely going for Gravity Falls’ “Weirdmageddon” vibe. Every character gets a snazzy new haircut and outfit change every three episodes (or ten minutes.)

But who the heck cares when the story is lazy, unrecognizable, carries itself like it has substance and commits to nothing—except the same old character beats from Season 1 but with more crying?

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uncaaj · 13 days

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Fanfic: Double Babysitter (from Frisky and Rad's POV) (Bluey)

READ NOW ON AO3!

A vibrating sound turned Chilli Heeler away from her book and to her night stand. She grabbed her phone and tapped the new notification. Her ears drooped upon reading the distraught text from her friend Frisky. “Oh no…”

Her husband Bandit exited the bathroom, wiping his snout and slinging the hand towel over his shoulder. “So where do you wanna go for date night, babe?”

Chill shook her head and motioned her big blue toward the bed. “Bandit, Frisky broke up with Bosco.”

“What?” Bandit laid down next to her and skimmed through the ongoing conversation Frisky was sending pictures of. “I thought he was the one. He seemed like a stand-up guy.”

“Frisky thought so too. Apparently he was chatting up another girl at a barbecue last week who then told Frisky about it.”

“Ooh, bummer,” Bandit winced before shrugging. “Well, good riddance, I say. She’ll do fine without him.” He kissed Chilli and settled into his pillow.

Chilli set her phone where it was and nestled closer to her husband. “Eventually,” she said, wrapping an arm around Bandit. “I wanna help her, though.”

“Maybe babysitting the kids will cheer her up?” Bandit suggested.

“Didn’t your brother say he wanted to babysit this time?” asked Chilli.

“Oh, right, forgot. The kids love their uncle Rad.”

“Yeah, they do,” Chilli concurred. “He’s kind, strong, if a bit scatterbrained.”

“A lot scatterbrained,” Bandit corrected, and the pair laughed. “Don’t forget his propensity for jumping into pools.”

“But you’re all like that,” said Chilli, nudging Bandit with her elbow.

“Ha! I suppose. Yup, he’s a catch. Small wonder he hasn’t been snapped up yet.”

The pair let the warm night air and fluttering fruit bats outside start to lull them to sleep. Bandit rolled over to face Chilli and met wide eyes with a hint of mischief.

“Uh, babe?” he said, sitting up. “You’re making the ‘I have a plan’ eyes again.”

Chilli hesitated, but couldn’t help herself. “Okay, it’s crazy,” she said in a low voice, “But I may have a plan, and it’s called-“

+++

CHILLI: “This episode of Bandit is called ‘Double Babysitter.’”

+++

“Five min away,” read the latest text from Radley. Bandit locked his phone and grabbed the expensive cologne from the bathroom cabinet. “Are you sure this’ll work, babe?” he asked, spraying it on his neck fur.

“You never really know,” said Chilli, brushing her hair, “but my intuition’s never steered me wrong before.”

“I feel like I’m playing puppets with dolls I shouldn’t be playing with.”

“It’ll be fine, big fella.” Chilli placed her hands on his shoulders. “She was telling me last night she’d never try again. I want her to bounce back strong, okay?”

Bandit sighed. “Fair enough.”

“Plus there’s Lamingtons in it for you at the restaurant,” Chilli cooed, booping Bandit’s nose.

Bandit sniffed. “Well, you could’ve started with that!”

“Started with what?” asked Bluey.

The pair of Heelers looked down and there were their kids, as if by magic. They had a knack for it.

“Why does Dad smell funny?” asked Bingo.

“I knew it still worked.” said Bandit, making lovey-dovey eyes as Chilli rolled hers. Bandit knelt down to their level. “Me and your mum are going on a date, remember?”

“And your uncle Rad is on his way to babysit,” said Chilli.

Bluey slumped. “Oh yeah.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Bandit encouraged. “You’ll have lots of fun.”

“I love uncle Rad!” said Bingo, her tail wagging. “He’s kind and funny.”

A screeching sounded outside startling everyone. A hollow plastic thump followed. They ran to the balcony, searching for the disturbance.

“Don’t worry, Chilli!” called Wendy Chow-Chow, who was lounging in her front yard. “Bandit, your brother’s here! And I’d see to your wheelie bins before the bin chickens do.”

“If a little reckless…” Chilli sighed.

Bandit felt a buzz on his hip and took out his phone. “Yeah, he’s here.”

Chilli waved. “Thanks, Wendy!”

+++

Radley Heeler twirled his keys in his hand and strolled up to the porch. He opened the door and peered inside. Not a soul was there to greet him, which gave him a funny idea. He snuck inside, carefully shutting the door behind him and tiptoed to the red armchair, pulling it out just enough so he could hide behind it.

Just as he settled in, his niece bounded down the stairs, cheering, “Uncle Rad’s here!” She threw the door open and met with an empty porch. “Hi, uncle Ra…where is he?”

Radley pounced on the little orange Heeler and hoisted her up into his arms as she squealed and giggled. “How ya doin’, Bluey?” he greeted.

“I’m Bingo!” said the pup.

Did he misremember? He was certain the blue one was Bingo and the orange one was Bluey. Radley held out the pup by her leg. “Really?”

“Yeah, that’s Bluey!” she laughed, pointing toward the inside. Sure enough, there was Bandit, Chilli and Bluey walking into view.

“Ah, yeah, ‘cause he’s blue,” Radley nodded.

Bluey stomped her foot. “I’m a girl!”

“Oh, yeah, I knew that.” Well, he did it again. Best to just go with it.

“Are you putting us to bed tonight, uncle Rad?” Bingo asked.

Radley gave a thumbs-up. “You bet.”

“Hooray!”

Bluey looked away. “Not hooray.”

Chilli smiled tenderly as Radley put Bingo upright on the floor. “Bluey isn’t sure about babysitter putdowns, uncle Rad.”

“Don’t worry, Bluey,” said Radley, kneeling down. “Who better to do a babysitter putdown than your uncle Rad?”

“Hello!” came a different voice.

“Frisky!” cheered the kids, as they ran and tackled an English Cocker Spaniel with a bag slung over her shoulder.

“Frisky, this is uncle Rad,” Bingo introduced.

Radley was flabbergasted. She was beautiful, and her coat gleamed in the rising moonlight outside. “Hi,” he said.

Frisky smiled. “Hi.”

“Frisky, have you met Bandit’s brother Radley before?” Chilli asked, snapping Radley out of his trance.

“Uh, yeah,” she said hesitantly. “Didn’t you fall in the pool at the wedding?”

Radley shrugged. “Probably.”

“Frisky is Bluey’s fairy godmother,” said Bingo.

“Sorry, Frisky,” said Chilli, “Uncle Rad got in touch last minute and said he’d babysit. You must’ve got my message.”

“Oh.” Frisky dug her phone from her bag and scrolled through her messages. “No, I didn’t get it.” She put it back and stepped toward the door. “That’s fine. Um…I’ll just go.”

Bluey and Bingo took hold of both her arms, stopping her in her tracks. “No! Don’t go!” Bingo howled. “Both babysit!”

“Oh, well a-as long as it’s okay with uncle Rad,” said Frisky.

Radley heard himself say, “Fine by me.”

“Hooray!”

+++

The Heelers saw everyone wave at them from the front yard, and they waved back as they peeled out of their driveway and toward downtown Brisbane.

As they reached the bottom of the hill they called home, Chilli said, “You gotta talk to Rad about his parking.”

“Yeah, I do,” he agreed. “Can we talk about your performance back there for starters?”

“I told you it would go well.”

“Sure did. I couldn’t believe how well that went.” The buildings grew taller and taller, and the lights brighter and more colorful as they passed behind them. Bandit swallowed a knot in his stomach. “This still all feels funny to me. You didn’t tell Frisky Rad was coming over, did you?”

“Yeah, I didn’t,” said Chilli. “Luckily, the hard part’s over. My work is done.”

“Yeah, maybe I’m worrying for nothin’. All you did was bring them together. Whether or not Rad or Frisky takes a chance is up to them.”

“I hope Frisky takes that chance. She can’t another breakup get in her way.”

Driving into a parking garage a block from their restaurant, Bandit looked around for a spot. “Honestly, I’m more worried for Rad,” he said, pulling into a spot nearby. “Sometimes the only hint he can take is the answer itself, if you get me.”

+++

“Why don’t you have a wife?” Bluey asked.

“Whoa!” This was the last first question Radley expected for their game of 20 Questions. “W-well, how do you know I don’t?”

“Do you have a wife?”

Radley looked down. “Well…no.”

“So why don’t you have a wife?”

It took everything in Radley to not tell Bluey the same thing he always told her Nana when she asked about his love life- 'I’m married to my job.’ “Uhhhhh, her turn!” he said, pointing to Frisky.

“How many friends have you got?” asked Bingo.

“Um…three?” Frisky answered. There was Chilli, her flatmate Cookie, Rollo Dachshund…

“That’s not many,” said Bingo.

“Why have you only got three friends?” asked Bluey.

When they put it like that, Frisky lost all her words. “Well, um…back to him!”

The kids turned back to Radley. “Why do we only see you at Christmas?” Bluey asked.

“‘Cause I work on an oil rig.”

“Is that why you don’t have a wife?”

“Oh! …maybe.” Gone every two weeks with meathead technicians and engineers who worked hard to ensure all systems were go, who went into crisis mode at the drop of a meter, and whose last thoughts were looking for romance amid the oil, heat, and back-breaking work? More like “definitely.”

+++

Bandit pat his belly as the Heelers exited the restaurant. “I ate so much, I feel like I’ve got a food baby in there.”

“You’re hilarious,” Chilli scoffed. “It was good, though, wasn’t it?”

“Sure was.” The nightlife in Brisbane drew the throngs of people in many directions, and one in particular caught Bandit’s eye. “How about some jazz?”

“One second,” said Chilli, stopping and retrieving her phone. “I’ll just call Frisky about the kids.”

The speeddial rang in her ear, and Frisky answered after a few seconds. “Hi, Chilli-dog,” she said in a quiet voice.

“How ya going, Frisk?”

“All good, kids are in bed. I’m just looking out on their balcony. It’s a beautiful night.”

Time for the big question. “How’s Rad?”

“Well, he’s…something. The kids love him.” Frisky fell silent after that.

“That’s it?” Chilli asked.

“Don’t worry about me,” Frisky reassured. “I know I can’t let this get me down on love, and I really appreciate you having me to watch your kids. But…I dunno. I’ll see you later.”

+++

Frisky hung up and slid her phone off to the side, returning her gaze to the shining stars above. As they twinkled, she imagined each one having a match for itself while she felt like the one with bits taken off from being separated so violently time and time again. Sooner or later she’d have no good bits left to latch onto, would she?

She heard creaking in the floor and blinked. She hadn’t even noticed how moist her eyes were. Radley was suddenly there, easing himself down next to her, his luscious orange mop top only slightly disturbed by the warm, gentle breeze. They stared at the night sky for what seemed like ages, content at first by only each other’s presence.

“So almond milk shampoo, eh?” said Frisky.

“‘Scuse me?” said Radley.

“Come on! Even without the ’20 Questions,’ a bloke like you couldn’t get his hair that plump without it.”

Radley chuckled as Frisky ruffled his fur. “I reckon not. My stylist Penny turned me onto a brand called Orchard Tree, and it’s been a game-changer. It’s the only shampoo I like.”

“The shampoo is great, but the conditioner? I don’t rate the conditioner.”

“Yeah, me neither. But you know, you can’t go around with open follicles.”

“Not a chance.” Frisky thought she heard covers ruffling behind her but when the rustling stopped, peace set in once more and she put it out of mind. “We have more alike than I first thought.”

“Yeah, the world’s kinda funny for putting two hopeless romantics down on their luck who use the same shampoo in the same place at the same time.”

The two laughed as quietly as they could and laid down on the deck. A kookaburra’s distinct call could be heard off in the distance. Whether it was a strange coincidence, or in some way the world was looking after Radley, he knew he couldn’t end this night without getting closer to Frisky. And that meant addressing something else nagging on his mind since the games they played earlier.

“I’m sorry, by the way.” he said gently.

“About what?” Frisky asked.

“You and this Bosco bloke.”

Frisky sat up and pulled her knees in close. “H-how do you know about that?”

Radley returned upright and faced Frisky. “I’ll admit I’m aloof but I’m not dense. That story we told the girls earlier wasn’t entirely made up, was it?”

Frisky sighed. “No. It wasn’t,” she said almost in a whisper, body slumping. “I don’t understand. Every time I think I’ve found the one, he winds up pulling a stunt like that, or I’m just left hanging like old washing.” She tried to keep her composure but felt her voice breaking with every word as the pain of Bosco’s cheating manifested itself again. “I…don’t know how many more times I can ‘give it another go’ before I run out of ‘gos’ to ‘give,’ you know?”

Radley scooted closer and put an arm around her shoulder. “I hear ya. I wish I could say I’ve been down as much as you, but…I haven’t.”

Frisky raised an eyebrow as him. “What? A model dog like you?”

“Yeah, can you believe it?” Radley joked, flexing his free bicep, before returning his gaze to the stars. “I dunno. I suppose it feels like I’m a puzzle, and I’ve got a piece missing in me, and I’ve been trying different things to fill the hole, but nothing’s felt like the right fit. But goodness knows I can’t think about that keepin’ an oil rig running.”

Frisky could sense the loneliness in his voice. “I guess not,” she said. A shooting star whizzed across the expanse before fluttering into darkness. It traveled along no matter where it was in the sky or how far it had left to go. Frisky willed that star to go as far as it needed to reach its destiny, and prayed for some of the same courage to be passed onto her.

“But,” said Radley, drawing her attention back to him, “if you’ve got one more ‘go’ to ‘give,’ in ya, I’m sure someday I can find my missing piece.” He locked eyes with her, forever reflected in his irises. “May even be closer than I think.”

She smiled back and patted him on his shoulder, feeling hard muscles under his pillowy fur. “We’ll see, Heeler. We’ll see.”

+++

“We’ll see” turned into a phone number exchange before Bandit and Chilli returned home, which turned into a few dates, which turned into a Christmas trip to Bali, which turned into a wedding in the Heelers’ backyard. For Frisky, this was the ‘go’ that went the distance and Radley finally found his missing piece. Even if she almost let him go due to him wanting her to move west with him, he affirmed that nothing would be more important than his family, the ones he already had and the one he was gaining.

After dinner, Chilli and Frisky were on the front porch laughing about memories when Frisky said, “You know what’s funny? I made a bet with Trix years ago about me getting hitched with a guy you introduced to me.”

“Oh, really?” Chilli asked hesitantly. “Well, you know Trix. She’s got bets with everyone.”

“Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms, “and she’s collecting tonight.”

Chilli startled, nearly spilling her drink. “Wha- You think I-?

“I’ve know you how long, Chilli?” said Frisky, “‘Double Babysitter,’ indeed.”

“I did not!” Chilli denied as Frisky rolled her eyes.

Bluey bounded in and plopped herself between them. “Frisky, you’re having a happy ending!”

“Well, we’ll see, won’t we, Bluey?” Frisky responded. But in her heart, she was sure. This princess had finally found her prince. Her true love.

#fanfiction #bluey #frisky bluey #radley heeler #bandit heeler #chilli heeler #bingo heeler #bluey heeler #trixie heeler #bosco bluey #romance #humor #radsky

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the-orion-scribe · 1 year

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In Defence of Escape from Reality

Reddit version

Not long ago, there was a discussion thread on the r/GravityFalls subreddit on which is the “worst episode” of Gravity Falls. Now, to put my two cents on this question, personally, I have no strong hatred for any of the episodes, including Roadside Attraction – the fandom’s most riled episode like how Fly is very lowly-regarded in Breaking Bad. For me, Roadside Attraction lowers the stakes and brings us outside of Gravity Falls for a while before what is to come. My favourite part of that episode is Dipper trying to be more confident of himself, even if I agree perhaps the flirting subplot is rather unnecessary. Still, it's a nice break from all the rather momentous episodes, and improves the relationship between Stan and Dipper.

I would actually argue that the preceding episode The Last Mabelcorn is actually the episode that’s out of place, given it was intended to be a space for a low-stakes Wendy-centric story the writers never managed to crack. But that would be another discussion for another time.

I’m deeply amused, nevertheless, when Escape from Reality is mentioned as the worst. Now, before my rewatch, I only had a ‘meh’ impression of that episode. But after rewatching the episode to verify those claims, I now have a newfound appreciation for the episode. In fact, I will personally rate it above its preceding episode – Weirdmageddon 1: Xpcveaoqfoxso.

There are some ‘problems’ the critic of the episode has highlighted, notably how the episode “cuts entirely the rythm [sic] and the tension and rythm [sic] of the entire finale” and shows “the lack of character of development of Mabel Pines” who is “NEVER held accountable for anything she did during Weirdmaggedon”. To check through these claims, I decided to rewatch the Weirdmageddon arc – from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale, before forming my own conclusion. And I say, the rewatches gave me deeper insights which I think plenty of us overlooked.

Let’s start with Dipper and Mabel vs the Future. I must watch from here, otherwise, the rest of it wouldn’t make much sense given Gravity Falls is a continuity-based cartoon.

It's a fantastic penultimate episode from start to end (I call it penultimate before WMG). Goofy at the start like many of the Gravity Falls episodes, and we explore both the siblings’ arcs. One with Dipper and Ford to find the adhesive to seal the rift in the UFO, and Mabel trying to prepare for their 13th birthday party at the end of the summer.

Mabel's subplot really hits the feels. I still recall how it hits me when a holiday is ending. And while the episode starts off with optimism, Mabel soon realises the harsh realities of growing up. And she also realises her summer friends (Grenda and Candy) won't be with her to celebrate their birthday and see them off. This gradually crushes and peels off the positive ideal Mabel holds, and thus she realises that the future after the summer is not what she wishes to face.

Stan comes in, and offers encouragement that Dipper would be by her side. And that scene, likely overlooked by many, hits hard too, especially when he said “not everyone can say that”, referring to his falling out with his twin Ford (and even Stan realising he would be out of the Shack soon, even if he hasn’t said that aloud). And then when she heard Dipper's willingness to take Ford's apprenticeship, that one hope she held was gone and broke the straw on the camel’s back.

So why am I reviewing all of these? We need this context to understand what happens after. There are claims, especially from Mabel’s critics, that Mabel knew about the nature of the rift and just willingly handed it over. However, from the episode, Mabel only has a vague idea that whatever Dipper and Ford plan to do is to “save the world or whatever”. And Ford keeps the rift when Mabel comes in to check on her brother. So she's unlikely to link that to whatever Ford and Dipper were planning to do to save the world. In fact, neither told her about the rift, even in the previous episodes. Ford even stated in Journal 3 that it’s something he must keep a secret.

At the end of the episode, Mabel is in her most vulnerable emotional state – the world is falling apart around her, especially the prospect she has to face the hard future alone. And she fears that history will repeat itself, her deep-seated fear, established since A Tale of Two Stans, that she and Dipper would grow apart quickly and become hostile like the Stans. The twins have been each other’s source of strength, and they still have more time to mature and grow together. It is unimaginable for her, just at the age of 12, to be separated from her twin for a long time.

And the Bill-possessed Blendin arrives. I also note critics saying she should have known better and not trusted him given “he tried to kill her and her brother not long ago”. Let me reiterate that, since the end of Blendin’s Game, the twins and Blendin are on better terms, given the twins decide to exercise mercy on him and let him go. Anyway, even then, she does not know that it’s Bill Cipher she’s talking to, and in that extremely vulnerable emotional state, she’s in no position to think anywhere close to rationally. Blendin offers her a tantalising offer that seems to address her problems.

We need to relook this scene from Mabel’s perspective. Bill only shows her in a holograph the object Mabel has to pass over to him and dismisses its significance as “a little gizmo (that) he (Ford) won't even know it's missing." So in short, no, she doesn't know what she’s handing over and what she’s in for. Bill is exploiting her emotional weaknesses to get the rift. Swayed by Bill’s persuasion, Mabel thinks the rift is some ‘small gadget’ that will somehow grant her ‘a little more summer’, not a permanent loop without end. And she also thought he was Blendin, someone whom she thinks she could trust, and with the goggles, it’s hard to tell Blendin was being possessed.

The last we know about Mabel is that she got knocked out when it all started. So that brings me on to Escape from Reality.

But let me also do a quick review of WMG1. It’s not bad, though rather slow. It sets the stakes well, but takes some substantial time just for Dipper to figure out what he must do. But it’s indeed distressing for him, who just lost his mentor and the three journals and he is unable to figure out what he should do. A major plus for this episode, nevertheless, is Wendy being more involved and being his guide (wendip fans rejoice) and we also get to see Gideon’s transformation for the better to turn against Bill.

Escape from Reality is wonderful. In fact, this episode is an important turning point – a friend even commented this is “the emotional and thematic climax of the series”. I agree it might be a little jarring in tone, since we were “shoved” into a “sugarcoat land”. But I welcome variety, and actually if you realise, Mabeland is a juxtaposition of the dark and surrealistic nature of Bill's world with Mabel’s worldview. It’s not as clear compared to the previous episode, but you still get peeks of Bill’s touches of what seemed to be an ideal fantasy world. Mabeland’s lack of rules sounds exactly like Bill's "join me" sales pitch to Ford in the subsequent episode. As he claimed: "I'LL REMAKE A FUN WORLD, A BETTER WORLD! NO MORE RESTRICTIONS, NO MORE LAWS!"

I agree with Bill that he has created “the most diabolical trap” he's ever created. It’s a gilded cage, designed to fulfil Mabel’s wants and desires. As it is a prison, the ultimate purpose of everything in Mabeland is to prevent Mabel from leaving by keeping her trapped inside what is essentially a waking dream. Really, Mabeland was just a massive, literalized Sweater Town. Bill believes the bubble to be inescapable because he knows that he would not be able to escape it, and because these “mortal meatsacks” are so inferior, there's no way they could be capable of something he isn't.

Let me also address some pieces of criticism, that Mabel “admits she knows she is in a fake world, she sees what's going on in Gravity Falls multiple times but doesn't even react or show concern”, and instead, she throws all of Dipper's unconditional love and support for her back in his face by not just creating Dippy Fresh, but also sending him to a trial where he will get kicked out into the apocalypse if he doesn't convince her to come out by giving up the apprenticeship. She shows absolutely no remorse over anything she did and very less admits it, and acts as if she had nothing to do with it.”

First off, there's nothing in the episode that shows Mabel is fully aware of what's happening outside. Remember, I said Mabel was knocked out when it all started. She said to Dipper: “But then I woke up in a place that gives me exactly what I wanted: an endless summer where we'll never have to grow up!” And it seems, as Dipper suspected, that Mabel was entranced and hypnotised by all the magic, almost completely caught up in the delusion. She’s not at all aware of what’s happening outside, and Dipper hasn’t so far told Mabel what’s going on.

Bill exploited Mabel's deep-seated insecurities and crafted the fantasy in such a way so that Mabel would remain trapped in her fantasy forever. Indeed, the prison is pretty diabolical and insane like Bill himself, and Bill even said it would take “a will of titanium” to break out. The depiction of Mabeland really expresses the depth of Mabel's almost pathological fear and denial, showing a very underlooked side of Mabel that really paints a terrifying picture of how broken deep down she was. It's easy to brush off the surface of the world as Mabel's selfish denial for growing up and wanting to keep things as they are, but it also can be looked at someone who is wanting to be seen and fit in, in a world that is continuing to no longer care for her way of life.

I admit Mabel's biggest personality deficiencies are her lack of will and self-awareness. When Mabel woke up in the bubble, she would have still been in the same mindset she had at the end of Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future – that her brother was leaving her forever. Mabel's mental state in that episode and leading up to it really paints that picture; a child who's losing grip and control of the reality she was so accustomed to, and without anyone there willing to take the time to stop and listen and help guide her, finally snapped.

Mabeland was her last attempt to maintain the reality she was so used to, to try and let go of the impending reality of truth. An unhealthy way of dealing with it, but the product of the mental state Mabel had fallen into. What Mabel wanted more than anything in the world at that moment was for her brother to be there and comfort her, just as he always has been up to this point. So, that's what Mabeland tried to give her – Dippy Fresh, the fandom’s most hated character. But he turned out to be a twisted fun-house-mirror reflection that's more like a male version of Mabel herself than it is like the real Dipper. I’m sure that Mabel knew this was not her real brother, but it's the closest she was going to get to him during that time of deep emotional vulnerability.

There's also two top Mabel-moments here. Actually three. I think this is actually one of the greatest episodes centering on Mabel. First, Mabel, in her good nature, actually offered to share the fantasy with Dipper and the rest when they first arrived, when she’s not yet aware of the darker side of her world. Second, when Dipper is about to be banished for mentioning the real world, Mabel doesn't want to throw him out right away and is willing to listen to what her brother has to say through the trial.

Dipper: Are you really gonna let them banish me?!

Mabel: No! Of course not; that’s my brother, guys! There’s gotta be another way.

So no, sending him to a trial is not for him to be kicked out into the apocalypse, but offers Dipper a chance to plead his case.

Sure, the court is rigged. But remember this whole thing is crafted by Bill, and Mabel holds an illusion she has control over their world. Mabeland tries to throw out Dipper’s case, but Dipper then shows her there's a better way to get through it than denial, and that's with help from people who care about her. While Mabel raised two past examples of them being bullied, Dipper also shows how the two stayed together thick and thin throughout their childhood. These memories showed that they both work together to better themselves, which, again, furthers the fact that they are co-dependent. “It's how we've gotten through our whole lives.”

The courtroom scene played out extremely well, incorporating a ton of symbolism in regards to the duo's respective individual thoughts. It's touching to see Dipper reminisce about the past with Mabel only to convince her that the future may not be as grim as she perceives it – a precedent laid out by most of the Mabel-centric episodes that forward this very scene. Dipper, her own brother, has always been the only person who could ground Mabel in reality and pull her out of Mabeland, for better or worse. Mabel, on the other hand, knows how to get her brother to take himself less seriously and chill out a little bit by acting intentionally dumb and goofy. The “yin and yang” Wendy mused to Dipper back in WMG1.

Seeing Dipper's love for his sister brings her back from the abyss is really heartwarming. Their sibling bond wins over, and Mabel accepts to return to reality out of her own will. If Mabel is that selfish as what some haters claim, she would have rejected leaving no matter what Dipper tells her. Mabel isn’t a rational thinker, and Dipper must be the one to lay out his case that convinces her. Dipper is the only one who can get through her and understand and address her insecurities. I find it unrealistic and out of character to expect Mabel to just snap out of it herself. I know Mabel is flawed. But the most important thing is, she still chose to go back to the real world with Dipper.

I like to think that what in the end made Mabel wanna face reality was not Dipper saying he'd go back home with her, but hearing him say he understood her fear; admitting he too was scared of growing up. Perhaps hearing her own brother admit that was what she needed to hear; that she was not alone in her fear and that Dipper understood it too.

I'm not sure if it's an intended parallel, but the bond between twins (later Stan and Ford) is what eventually leads to Bill's demise. Like how the cementation of the twins’ bond (sincere sibling hug) eventually ended the fantasy. (In fact, tbh I’m going crazy over this part – it’s a neat development from ‘awkward sibling hug’ from the first episode).

“Aw, man, I never noticed how bright this place is, ugh! Have I actually been listening to the same song for an entire week?”

It was when the spell breaks that Mabel fully snaps out of her trance and has further clarity of what’s going on. As the whole thing unravels as a nightmare, Mabel actually helps them out by summoning giant Waddles and they break out.

And after they emerge into the real world, it is Mabel's first proper look into what's actually happening, and horror sets in.

It’s also of note that as they emerge from the bubble, Mabel says to Dipper that she wouldn’t “get into her brother’s way” if he chooses to take Ford’s apprenticeship. Nevertheless, Dipper decides to stick with his sister when he recognises the cost if he were to take it up.

Actually, Dipper was already hesitant about the offer at the start in the UFO. After that, given the adrenaline of rescuing his Grunkle and overcoming another obstacle (facing without fear), to him it seemed like a rational decision that he can step up to be Ford's assistant, albeit shortsighted. He was riding the high of rescuing Ford and didn't think about how this would hurt Mabel, Grunkle Stan and his parents. And when Mabel ran away and he joined Ford, Dipper also had second thoughts about the decision and started to think with his heart.

I don’t think it’s realistic at all that Dipper should really take up the apprenticeship since he realises the serious implications if he takes it up. The turning point for Dipper's character arc is the realisation that he needs his sister in his life, too. The fact that he attained Ford's approval and consequently the right to be his apprentice himself is undeniable, though in terms of being a human being, that's where he needs her. I personally believe that Dipper would have fully changed his mind right then and there even if things were to go as planned.

Even at this point, I don't know why anyone expects Mabel to take responsibility for causing WMG there and then. I think her being imprisoned in her own bubble is already a sufficient consequence of what she has done. Plus, neither Dipper nor Ford has not blamed Mabel at all since he thought the rift might just accidentally broke. Neither witness what Mabel has done, or even aware what Mabel actually did. As far as they knew the rift must have broken accidentally “The rift must have cracked inside her backpack.”

At this point, it's not a time to play the blame game, as their main focus is to take down Bill. I would think perhaps beyond WMG, and when the Pines discussed what happened, would only Mabel be able to piece together what has actually happened. Mabel’s recognition of what she has done would only be clear after the series.

I decided to wrap this review off with my view on WMG3 and I say… This hits really quite hard. Even for an hour-long, it goes through a roller-coaster of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, dread, sadness and also nostalgia at the end.

Despite their best efforts, the Pines' lives were again on a thread, and Stan's sacrifice really packed a punch. I was also relooking to note the swap between Stan and Ford. What's also rather emotional is Stan and Ford discussing how their siblinghood had deteriorated, and how and why their grandnephews are still able to work together. From all of these riveting experiences of the summer, they've both grown tremendously, so much so as we, the audience, to have absolute certainty that they'll not turn out like the older duo. I note Mabel still plays her role in her story, rallying and encouraging the people to stand up to Bill, and also her grappling hook skills to help the groups navigate the Fearamid.

I still support the decision for Stan to recover enough to be able to send off the kids at the end of the summer. The goodbyes at the end are really deeply emotional. The finale really wraps up the show in a tiny neat bow, ending many of the characters' arcs in the most satisfying way. Of course, it’s not exactly the end, since the twins still have a lot of growing up to do, but the story ended on a very high and promising note.

This is my entire review of the entire WMG arc from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale. It’s something that I’ve put off for a long time even though I know the episodes are fantastic. And I’m glad actually that post calls me to review this rather underrated episode.

I conclude that much criticism of Escape from Reality is rather baseless, overblown and overexaggerated and stems from the person’s own biasedness toward Mabel. Thanks to them, Escape from Reality has now become one of my favourite episodes of the show (I’m sorry, but Tourist Trapped and Weirdmageddon 3 still take the top spots). I can understand some of the animosity especially if you think the episode doesn’t fit the general tone of the arc. But when the episode is viewed as a whole now I think it plays great – and really is the culmination of Dipper and Mabel's siblinghood. The priority is settling the twins’ problems before the real shit goes down in WMG3. Also all the callbacks, big and little, are great.

If you haven’t rewatched the entire WMG arc, I suggest doing it and judging for yourselves. I understand everyone has their own preferences and opinion when it comes to characters in media, but hate or harm towards a fictional character, or anyone else, is never acceptable. It is important to remember that fictional characters are not real people and should not be the subject of hate or harassment.

Drops microphone and leaves

#gravity falls #essay #personal essay #mabel pines #dipper pines #escape from reality #weirdmageddon #pines twins #gravity falls essay

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tryslora · 26 days

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What I'm Reading Wednesday...

On the Duck Prints Press reading server, it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday where we all share what we finished in the last week, what we are currently reading, and what we think of these books.

I figured hey, why not bring that to the rest of the world for myself. Because I love yelling about my current reads. And I’ve always got several things in motion at one time, between physical, audio, and ebooks, plus things I’m reading for specific reasons.

Here’s the summary from the last week in visual format (the actual discussion is behind the read-more):

Fiction

I am currently reading Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (from Duck Prints Press). There are so many things to love in this book. The world building packs so much into such a small space. The culture clash between human and shapeshifter is wonderful (and Harley’s shapeshifters truly have a culture all their own). I thought it was going to be a quick read because it’s short, but the language and depth of information have me going slower and savoring every word. That said, I’ve also reached the point where I want to take it in faster, so I find myself spending a little extra time every time I pick it up, just to get a few more pages!

Manga & Graphic Novels

I have one manga and one graphic novel in progress.

I’ve been reading The Complete Elfquest, volume 1 by Wendy & Richard Pini for a little over two weeks now. We have several of these volumes, and my intention is to read one chapter/issue a night, so I am able to savor them slowly, but also get through them. Reading this first volume is like coming home into a fandom from childhood. The first chunk of it was also collected in the original Warp Graphics compilations, and I can’t remember how often I read those back in high school. I’m reaching the parts now where I probably only read the individual issues once or twice, so it’s familiar, but not to the point where I’m like oh yes, I remember gazing at that panel for hours. I still love these elves, and this story, and I cannot wait to get home each day and be allowed to read a chapter. I’m looking forward to when I reach new-to-me material.

I watched the 24 episode anime The Apothecary Diaries and I wasn’t ready to let it go when it was over, so I started reading the manga by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage. I finished volumes 5 & 6 this past week and am currently reading volume 7. I have the remaining already published volumes waiting for when I’m done with this. I adore Maomao and Jinshi, and am incredibly excited to get to the point where canon moves past what is in the anime. That said, getting to revisit events I already watched on TV and linger over what was said and the exact expressions has been soooo good. (And yes, I know the light novels also exist and will be rolling into those in ebook form after the manga; I might be a tad bit obsessed).

Audiobook

A while ago I thought “I should read some TJ Klune” so I checked the library list I had for audiobooks, and the first of his Extraordinaries trilogy was available in audio. I listened to it. I was addicted. I’m now on the third book—Heat Wave—and I find it very very hard to put it down. I can’t listen while working, only while commuting, walking, or doing chores—things that don’t require me to actually think so I can multi-task. But hey, it’s a GREAT way to get me to do my PT since it means fifteen minutes more of audiobook listening! Nick, the POV character, has ADHD and I flail a lot over pretty much everything he thinks and does. I love every character in this series. I love how Klune is using superheroes as an allegory for the queer experience and for racial issues, but at the same time, is actually addressing those issues explicitly. I both want to listen faster to find out what happens, and linger so it doesn’t end.

Ebook

I have been reading Wayfinder by CE Murphy, which is the second in a duology. This is a romance, yes, but it’s another fun culture clash book, this time between humanity and faerie, and I am so here for that. Murphy is an author I used to read a lot from, and I’m trying to work my way through her back catalog slowly because I’ve always enjoyed her style. Accessible and fun. This series is about a woman who has always been able to hear lies (a Truthseeker), and how her talent develops, and how she works with the faerie kingdoms to try to help them (despite some of them not wanting help, and the original situation not being the one she’s actually needed for).

Non-fiction

I have been working my way through three non-fiction books.

One is A Year of Zen by Bonnie Myotai Treace. I had been looking for a journaling prompt book, and decided to give this one a try. I made the difficult decision to write directly in the book itself, then the additional decision to let myself fail if needed. So if I don’t get to answer a prompt on a day, I just answer it the next day. One prompt per day. It’ll take me more than a year to go through it, but that’s okay. The idea is to have me think and write a short paragraph every day, and not feel guilty about messing up. It’s working surprisingly well. Learning to let myself fail has been a big part of my process this year, and hopefully I am learning to let go of some of the anxiety about things needing to be matched and rigid.

The one I am stalled on right now is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. It was recommended as a book that therapists like to use for themselves, not merely recommend to their patients, and it reminded me of the radical acceptance I’m supposed to be practicing (and apparently am, despite myself, according to my therapist after she listened to me). The problem is, it has exercises (doesn’t everything?) and I stalled out because I didn’t have time.

Time is a theme, y’know? And that’s what happened with the last non-fiction book. I’ve been working through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, taking it as a self-guided 12 week course. I’m currently on week 5. However, I did a week of just doing morning notes before I really got started, then I took a week off when everything went haywire in my schedule because of the power outage. So it’s been about seven weeks so far. This week, as I worked on exercises, I found myself really digging in to my emotions about this book. And in the end, I decided that while I can see the value in some things, the book itself is giving me more anxiety about everything to do with my writing, while at the same time making it impossible for me to find time TO write (while following the advice it gives). So. I am no longer doing it as a course, with exercises, but I will finish reading it. And if an exercise appeals, I’ll do it. It’ll still take time, because I’ll probably still read one chapter each weekend, but I am already feeling WAY less stressed and I only made this decision last night.

So…

That’s it for me! What are you reading?

#what i'm reading wednesday #duck prints press #reading #books

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burningtacozombie · 10 months

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random mayans thoughts, 5x09 edition:

- Felipe, Angel and Mav were so damn sweet at the beginning. to quote Downer here, what every kid wants is for their dad to tell them they're proud. I'm happy for Angel he finally got that. but I'm beginning to think he might never find out what really happened to Luisa and instead they let him keep thinking she just took off. but who in the writers room did Clayton piss off? first Luisa, now possibly Felipe and EZ next? pops took on the invading Sons like a boss and while I've been expecting him to die for weeks, it'll still be heartbreaking if he did. which we don't know yet. Felipe took out at least 2 Sons, maybe it wasn't him in the bodybag.

- Miguel and Cristobal are just as adorable, I love them so much. now he's making a deal of his own with Devlin, full immunity for any and all information to take down Potter and she accepted. while I'm always for taking that motherfucker down, or out, I'm sure that despite Miguel getting the deal for himself and his wife, his own crimes will come back to bite him in the ass. that lady does not seem like someone who'd let one criminal get away to take down another, she wants them both.

- Emily figured out it was Luis who killed her sister, at last. and now she’s putting cameras all over the place. mama city hall clerk did a number on her telling her there are more people who know what she did.

- the Broken Saints are just moving away after what happened? to where? we don't know who 'mother' is or what they're gonna do with their president, it is her fault after all, and it feels kinda weird and unfinished to let them leave like that. amigo Elio didn't make it out of the fire, this might unleash something very Guero-like in Bottles which would be hella interesting to see. I hope both Guero and Bottles go wild in the finale, since neither of them had enough screentime this week. but after what they witnessed they probably needed a break.

- EZ is flattened with his bike because he swerved for an animal? he got beat up, could barely sit up straight and look out of his eyes but drove home without incident. but swerving on a dry, straight street does it. right. and then Wendy, is that her name?, so happened to drive by. I only know that actress from somewhere else so no SOA connection here. she did say a lot of things that made sense but it's the second to last episode and the time they spent together dragged on for too long. we do not have time for random stuff.

- Isaac needs to kick the bucket, I'm sick of this motherfucker. and these other 2 Sons definitely know Terry lied. let them all kill each other for all I care.

- same with Potter, he needs to go. I hope that when he does, he's not taking Kody down with him. not her smartest idea to align herself with him.

- not one club house scene this week? is everyone else on vacation?

generally not my favorite episode but the series finale has been confirmed to be two hours long so maybe this will be enough time to bring storylines to a satisfying end. let's wait and find out.

#danny pino #miguel galindo #andrew jacobs #guero #clayton cardenas #angel reyes #mayans mc #mayans fx

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shippergirl-14 · 4 months

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Kyle head canons

These are a little based on the episodes and popular opinions, but I also wanted to share some of my ideas. I guess most of them apply when he is older.

Please feel free to share your own head canons here ^^

He is very responsible, but still lets himself be convinced to join another adventure with his friends.

He was the tallest of his group when they were younger but now Stan is taller than him and regularly teases him about it.

He is the vice student representative and he only applied for the position because Cartman wanted to be in charge. He and Wendy are doing a pretty good job.

He has a habit of sneaking in Stan’s room at night to either sleep by his side or hang out. He regrets sleeping over sometimes since he is a light sleeper and Stan moves too much.

He still plays basketball and is the point guard of his team. He is really good with game strategies and he is the vice captain of the team.

When they were younger they would regularly go ice skating as a group and Kyle still drags Stan with him sometimes.

He is super organized and hard working since he doesn’t want to stay in South Park more than he needed.

Kyle has some kind of academic rivalry with Wendy going on, but they are really good friends. He also hangs out with Bebe, Tweek and Tolkien outside of his group.

His group has often trolled people online while being on a voice call. He is also really good at Mario Cart, but sucks at Super Smash.

He can still play some songs on the guitar, but he learned to play the viola since it’s calming and it looks good on college applications

He is a little germaphobic and likes cleaning in general.

He enjoys gossiping with Bebe and lets her do his hair or his nails when she is bored.

He randomly shaves his head when he loses his patience with it. He hates his curls ( I wrote a whole ass fanfiction about it).

He still really likes fnaf and is invested in the lore, but doesn’t want to play himself since he hates jump scares/ is a little scared. He rather forces Stan to play and he watches. He also enjoys horror movies.

Kyle will annoy his brother when he is bored, but will defend him with everything he has when someone else teases him.

He tends to over work himself.

Also, if I had to add a sexuality head canon I really love the demi aroace + omni ones. I’m aroaco so I’m kinda biased xD

I saw some people hc him as russian or polish because of his last name and someone even said he was German so I would really like your take on this or hear your own head canons.

#south park #sp kyle #kyle broflovski #south park kyle #south park kyle broflovski #sp kyle broflovski #sp style #south park style #style

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eupdosia · 15 days

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I will cry / my conspiracies

where is my sweet tooth hyperfix guys at (spoilers be warned)

guys. guys cmon. plz. i have been SO SO SO addicted to sweet tooth. i love the show, i love tiger and bears relashionship until yknow last episode season 2, i have been addicted to sweet tooth since i can remember, but i only know TWO irl friends who have watched it before. (one is a random polish boy in my class who i forced to watch it) ((he still did)), i love bear & wendy’s sisterhood, i love tommy and i love johnny abbot. this is mostly just a rant post i don’t even know how tumblr works lowk downloaded it only 30 mins ago max.

i have a conspiracy that um johnny abbot is still alive, maybe i love him too much to get over his so called ‘death’ but DUDE. hear me out yall, okay, so, at the end of s2 when tommy was talking about like all the shit ppl lost n allat and talking about aimee etc etc, y’know the parts where they showed everyone who died in that episodes grave? yknow? the sight of the last men and the animal army when they fought at their homebase ye? basically everyone who died and allat? well tell me why they didn’t even show johnny. no grave, not even his body, NOTHING. sure it showed his gutair but what is THAT supposed to mean?? like i know there was obvious signs he ‘died’ when his brother shot him (f u) BUT what if he was saved by dr. singh when he came after gus, tommy & wendy & becky left? what if he found johnny? i know it’s very unlikely but atp i do not care. i need this man to have some respectful funeral in some way so badly, i miss him sm he lowk deserved more than what he got. i love him and all he wanted to do was go HOME. 💔 like johnny no don’t cry please i love you plzzzz sigh.

also i love you birdie please don’t be dead even tho u caused liek family trauma basically and you MIGHT have been the reason the whole world died :P, love you bae 💕 c u in alaska 🤫

anyway any sweet tooth fans out there hmu cuz i’m craving a conversation rn

#sweet tooth #gus sweet tooth #johnny abbot #sweet tooth netflix #fandom things #rant post #peace #idk man #idk what else to tag #womp womp

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nothingunrealistic · 6 months

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a rundown of all the shots from billions season 7 trailers that we haven’t yet seen (as far as i recall) in any episode, as of 7x11

Billions Season 7 Official Trailer

at 1:44, a shot of wendy and luke together in some outdoor location. my assumptions of wukey concretely Happening this season have largely hinged on this shot. this looks more like they’re dressed for winter weather, which we’re now getting out of as the action moves into late march / early april, so i wonder whether this was cut from an earlier episode rather than being saved for the finale.

Damian Lewis & Paul Giamatti on Reuniting for Season 7

at 0:16, chuck and axe together at prince capital, with axe wearing a metallica t-shirt. (though in this particular shot, damian at least does not appear to be in character as axe.) in 7x11, axe says regarding the axe global office that “It’ll do for now. Still have my eye on a different space for the long haul.” i think that different space may be mpc, axe’s once and future kingdom.

at 0:27, axe in a chair at axe global, again in that metallica t-shirt.

at 0:49, more of chuck and axe at prince cap, in character this time.

at 0:52, chuck and axe at prince cap again, with axe saying to chuck, “Don’t fool yourself. I’m not the same guy I was when we first met.”

Billions Season 7 Mid Season Trailer

at 0:17, taylor sitting at their axe global desk. they’re wearing the same outfit here as in the one shot of them in the 7x12 trailer.

in the elevator at axe global, presumably.

back to the mid season trailer: at 0:18, prince riding in a car. i’d guess this is the same car trip we see in the 7x12 trailer, presumably taking him to camp david.

same shirt, same american flag pin.

back to the mid season trailer: at 0:21, wendy, taylor, and axe walking out of an office at axe global, with axe leading the way and wendy stopping taylor from following him right out. taylor’s in that same outfit as before, and axe is in the metallica t-shirt.

at 0:24, prince angrily putting on his jacket, which bears an american flag pin. i think he’s wearing a different shirt than during the car ride, but the lighting makes it hard to be certain.

at 0:48, dollar bill & victor hugging, while ben kim & tuk hug behind them and philip & wags watch, all at prince cap. sure seems like what might happen if axe returned and reclaimed the place and brought wags and ben and tuk with him. and philip looks happy about all this!

at 0:48-0:49, axe and wendy in prince’s (possibly now axe’s again) office, as wendy steps toward axe. if the writers put this *and* that scene of wendy and luke in the finale things are gonna get real heated among certain segments of the viewership.

bonus: at 0:49-0:50, prince throwing the printer through wendy’s office wall. which we have seen before, but that last shot is a new angle, *and* we can see that 1) he’s in the same shirt as in that earlier shot of him putting on a jacket 2) he’s Not wearing a jacket here 3) both points also apply to two other shots of him from the 7x12 trailer

this shot where he’s in the car again and looking very unhappy.

and this shot where he’s storming out of the elevator, about to ask where wendy is, and carrying his jacket.

#billions #7x12 #wendy rhoades #bradford luke #chuck rhoades #bobby axelrod #taylor mason #mike prince #dollar bill stearn #victor mateo #ben kim #tuk lal #philip charyn #mike wags

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finalfilms · 7 months

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final destination characters and what movie/tv shows i think they would like

alex - the walking dead. has seen every single episode even though it’s been running for over a decade. says he could probably survive a zombie apocalypse. is the biggest glenn defender ever.

tod - community. 100%. when the movie got announced he went apeshit on twitter. he loves troy, has seen every episode at least twice, and actually liked the fourth season for some reason.

george - he doesn’t watch tv unless it’s like a sport. look at him. if he had to pick, brooklyn 99.

clear - shameless. she sat through all eleven seasons, would have watch parties with her friends, and liked to take notes on the psyche of the characters. she HATED frank with a passion and loved fiona. actually cried at both finales.

billy - my babysitters a vampire. claims it was his “childhood” and is still upset they ended it on a cliffhanger. rory def rubbed off on him growing up. he prefers the first season to the second but has seen each episode like a million times. will sing the theme song totally unprompted

carter - breaking bad. actually tried making meth cause he thought walter had the “right idea” with the money. is the kind of guy to retweet sigma male edits of the characters

terry - locke and key. watched it cause she thought the main villain was hot, and when he was a girl too she went crazy on twitter. live tweeted the second season, and will defend kinsey locke to no extent.

kimberly - first kill. clear or shania told her to watch it saying it was like a better version of twilight. (she loves twilight). she was on the front lines trying to keep the show from getting canceled. she has probably made an edit of caliette. she’s crazy like that.

rory - he also likes breaking bad, but he’s more into better call saul. saul goodman is HIM. literally so relatable and babygirl. he saw better call saul first, so when he showed up in s2 of brba he went APESHIT

eugene - abbott elementary because there is “finally” a REAL show about what it’s like to be a teacher. he also never gets into sitcoms so it was a shock for him that he liked it so much

nora - bones. she LOVES crime dramas on daytime television, and bones is no exception. she finds herself trying to figure out the twist every single episode. she also gets way too into the characters. (tim was explaining to her that bones was autistic coded and she went :o)

tim - kid LOOKS like henry danger, but i’m gonna say malcom in the middle. secretly wished for a big family growing up. alex told him that the father makes meth and since tim didn’t know about brba he was actively seeking out that plot line.

evan - literally anything with wrestling.

kat - the office. not in like, a “basic” way or anything but because she is a businesswoman and needs to feel included. she likes pam a lot. wanted dwight to die once. she got through about eight seasons before calling it quits.

wendy - i feel like she’s a house md fan??? idk why or how but it just makes sense to me i suppose. probably an rsl fan or something

kevin - okay unpopular opinion but i feel like he’s a huge fan of the will forte era on snl. he’s a will forte fan in general so he’s probably seen clone high, last man on earth and macgruber

ian - def a santa clarita diet fan. trust me when i say this man was having meltdowns on twitter when it got canceled. you have never seen him more passionate in his life!

erin - okay this is very unpopular and very out of character but she has a guilty pleasure show and that is dawsons creek. joey is her fave and she is Completely Normal about pacey + joey. her regular show is yellowjackets, however. god bless cannibalistic high schoolers

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imichelle-l-rigby · 7 months

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Reflections: Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition

Season 3, episode 3

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*I am a music prof (predominantly classical vocalist), and I LOVE listening to Cillian’s music choices! That being said, sometimes I won’t like a song simply because of a vocalist (it’s a professional hazard - sorry!) 👩‍🏫

** The following are my own observations/opinions. We may not agree, and that’s ok! That’s what makes music fun! 😊

*** I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Cillian’s music preferences, but I do enjoy them (for the most part). I always wind up adding to my own playlists after listening to Cillian’s recommendations.

———————————————————————

First of all, thank you so much for your patience as I compiled my thoughts! It’s a busy week at work and there’s been a lot of things happening in my family. I appreciate y’all being willing to wait!

And finally, my thoughts on episode 3:

🎵Set 1 (Midnight in a Perfect World - Sister Midnight)

Midnight in a Perfect World: whoaaaa. This is so ethereal and gorgeous and techno but not. Love! 😍

I already like this episode better than last week’s 😂😅

Side note: as crazy as this week has been, this song is perfect right now. The insistent background and bass are steady enough for the irregularities above it. Somehow it’s calming/therapeutic.

Sister Midnight: a classic. While Iggy has never been a favorite of mine, I appreciate this groove!

🎤Talking break

His poor dog! 😂😅 🐕

Ah, finally a mention of Bowie! Shocked it took him this long!

MAMA CASS!!!!!

That horrible moment when you realize you’re almost the same age as Mama Cass when she died 😥😢

🎵Set 2 (Didn’t Wanna Have To Do It - Sinatra Drive Breakdown)

Didn’t Wanna: omg this is so beautiful. She died so young, but DANG. Her voice was so gorgeous! And this song!!! Omg!!! Again, love! 😍 ✨favorite song of this episode✨

I’m definitely assigning this to a student sometime soon 😂 🤫

Summer Rain: ooh, saxophone! 🎷 this started cool as a sax solo, but then it became a bitonal (2 keys at once) performance piece! Niiiiiice! Massive respect. I like how sometimes the 2 lines fit, and then sometimes they really don’t.

Dreaming in Another Language: I am loving the bass and background lines! So fun! And I’m not sure why, but this reminds me of “Rain” by the Beatles? I’ll let you know if I ever pin down why it reminds me of that song 😅

The distortion at the end DEFINITELY sounds Beatles - but like ‘68 not ‘66 ish.

Sinatra: much more rock n roll! This is not what I expect when I see “Sinatra” in the title 😂😂😂 I definitely hear a “breakdown,” but it’s also a pleasant surprise how chill the vocal line is against everything else.

🎤Talking break

Oooohhhh a reading!

Fun fact: I do introduce Wendy Carlos to my students when we discuss electronic music.

I need this book.

🎵Set 3 (The Shining - It Takes a Muscle)

The Shining Main Theme: so if you recognize the tune at the beginning, that’s the theme for the Dies Irae (part of the Requiem). Very famous tune and tons of composers quote it (although there are other settings of the Dies Irae text). The early electronic/synthesized sound is not my favorite timbre in the world, but still, this is a big moment in music history.

Side note: I’m a wimp and can’t do scary stuff. I’ve never seen The Shining. Or 28 Days Later. I had to watch A Quiet Place 2 with the sound turned off. 😅

It Takes a Muscle: this techno islander vibe is amazing! 😎

🎤Talking Break

Yay! Covers!

I do not know what French movie this could be. 🤷‍♀️

🎵Set 4 (Camille - Recat)

Camille: the beginning reminds me of Adele? Why?? This is nothing like Adele! 😅 but I do find the sample intriguing! I’m like “ooh… what are they saying??? Sounds dramatic!!” And more than that, I think it highlights the musical qualities of speech. Even when you don’t know what’s going on, there’s so much still communicated. That’s part of why music works! It’s a fascinating line of study!

Side note: Leonard Bernstein’s lecture series The Unanswered Question explores the above-mentioned speech qualities within music. They’re on YouTube

Intellijel Bell: the beginning sounds like a phone ringing, and I was a little confused when it switched to this song 😅 I guess that’s why “bell” is in the title? But another good example of composers/artists using “sound samples” as music. 👍

Recat: oooh! A nice pace changer! And if you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE me some complex rhythms! 😍 now this also has a lot of “headphone sound effects,” where you get that whoosh effect as the sound “travels” from 1 ear to the other. It’s a cool technique, even though it leaves my ears super confused 😂

🎤Talking Break

Tone and atmosphere: yes you can discuss them, but it’s a skill, for sure. I teach a whole class on writing about music.

2020 - only he could make that year sound good.

More whispers

The confusing Yorkshire mystery man!

Dude, actually loving Yorkshire man’s story today! 😂👍

🎵Set 5 (The Prickle-Holly Bush - Only Love Can Break Your Heart)

The Prickle-Holly Bush: once again, I am professionally (and personally) SO INTERESTED in folk music! Love this song! It’s got amazing harmonies, and the vocal production is so humble. It’s hard to describe, but it’s gorgeous. It’s a wonderful reminder that this is music of the people, closely tied to local culture, and ANYONE can join in, regardless of training.

Ok, rant over. Maybe. 😅

Only Love Can Break Your Heart: I feel like this is a “music whiplash” moment going from 1 song to the next 😅 Very pop, and I do like the lyrics.

🎤Talking Break

Ah! This guy was in No No (loved that song)!

🎵Set 6 (Alive Ain’t Always Living - I Saw)

Alive: I like this vocal line/rap. It just teeters in the edge of spoken/sung. Maybe you could call it sprechstimme, but it doesn’t seem to do this justice.

I Saw: whoa. Again, a strong juxtaposition! Very aggressive beginning paired with a chill main vocal line. But I think it’s got some strong lyrics, which is definitely a Cillian thing. But I will say the “brush your teeth, wash your face” section is hilarious! 😂

🎤Talking Break

Young Fathers record comment: boys to grown men. Wow. A great concept!

“When did it come out? I’m not quite sure”

🎵Set 7 (People Are Pissed)

People Are Pissed: this sounds like it belongs in a musical. I could easily see this being performed on stage, but it’s also got these atmospheric movie score qualities. The sudden pauses are a major appeal in this song. But what’s with the video game sounds?? 😂😂😂

🎤Talking Break

Ok but I’m actually ok with him making a “cover version” ident because all his idents have me ROLLING. 😂

🎵Set 8 (Inner City Blues)

Inner City Blues: YES this groove is so smooth. 😎 I really like this! Gil Scott-Heron’s got a loooooovely timbre to his voice. It’s like he’s a crooner. 💯 and the lyrics are amazing, as is the saxophone and other instruments used here! Phew! This is one heck of a song!

🎤Talking Break

Ask a reasonable question!

“Eminently reasonable question”

Of course he’s reading more Claire Keegan

I love how he gets so distracted while presenting 😂

Ooh! Archive material!

🎵Set 9 (King Harvest)

King Harvest: ooh, that Hammond organ! And he’s got some fun belt technique!

Side note: is it a coincidence that Cillian chose a song mentioning a union? 🤔

🎤Talking Break

Ok, but him forgetting to mention something is soooooo relatable to me this week! 😂😂😂

“If you can think of something reasonable to ask”

NINAAAAAAA!!!!!

🎵Set 10 (Mississippi)

Mississippi: I love Nina. While I think Ella Fitzgerald has the most beautiful jazz voice, Nina (and Billie Holiday) are tied for the best storytellers (at least in my book). Anyway. THIS SONG. There are so many powerful songs from the Civil Rights Era (and the decades prior), and this is one of them!

Side note: Nina is a FABULOUS pianist! If you haven’t seen this clip of her from the Ed Sullivan show, you should! She freaking improvised counterpoint!!!! 🙀🙀🙀 I am OBSESSED.

🎤 Talking Break

“See what I mean? She’s kinda untouchable” - yep. She really is!

🎵Set 11(Hard Drive - Mrs. Robinson)

Hard Drive: this is what “living in the present” means 😂. Nah, I like this.

Mrs. Robinson: YES!!!! You better believe I had a hardcore singalong while listening to this 😂😂😂😂

🎤Talking Break

I love when you hear a cover before the original. No particular reason. Just do!

🎵Set 12 (Big Black Mariah)

Big Black Mariah: very bluesy! Specifically country blues. 💙

🎤Talking Break

Noooo it’s the end!!!

“Thanks a mil”

“Miraculously they all seem to be in the same key”

I’ve never heard “saxophonist” said “sax OFF an ist” 😂

“Mind yourselves”

🎵Set 13 (Electric Ballad - Goodnight World)

Electric Ballad: I love the contrary motion and imitation in the lines! The electronic sounds are a bit strange to me, but it’s early days for electronic music, so of course they’re playing with their new toys.

The Lighthouse I: ah, it’s like the horns from tugboats or ships passing! Cool!!! And the hums are a neat effect as well.

Side note: I thought at first it was a bunch of hearings of Concert A, like the instruments were tuning, so I was a bit confused 😅 but I checked and it was a D, not an A. 🤷‍♀️

Goodnight World: omg it’s Goodnight Moon but not!!! 🙀🙀🙀🙀

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Thanks so much for reading!!! Share and comment if you want 😊

Tag list:

@iammrsrogers @deliciousnutcomputer @mariamoonie @brownskinsugarplum76 @look-at-the-soul @kj-davis @neverroad @teapothollow @thepurplearmyposts @possessedmarshmallow

#cillian murphy #Cillian Murphy limited edition #bbc6 #music

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boysplanetrecaps · 1 month

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Build Up Episode 9 Recap Part 1: Flower and Guide for a Subtitle Lite Environment

Hey team! Thanks for coming back to my Build Up recap series. In the last one, we finished Ep 8 and in this one we’ll be going on to Ep 9.

So if you’ve been watching Build Up, you may have noticed that sometimes the subtitles punk out a bit here and there. But for Ep 9, the subtitles punk out a lot. I’m going to write a fairly detailed recap of the beginning of Ep 9 to help you understand what’s going on in the absence of subtitles. I’ll do my best with google translate and my vague knowledge of Korean. I’ll have to take more screenshots than usual to help you connect what’s going on on-screen to the recap, so this will take up two posts (I’m only allowed to use 30 images per post). Anyway, enjoy!

I’m using this video link if you need one.

It’s the morning of the performance, and fans -- nearly all women -- are lining up.

Since I can read hangul, I’ll try to help you get a sense of what the signs say. Can’t promise to read every single one, but I’ll do a flyover.

That one girl in the gray jacket and black pants is holding up a sign for Suhwan.

There’s a man holding up a hand lettered sign for Wumuti in yellow letters, and his friend has a sign for Park Jeup in pink letters.

Then two girls (both with coffees and great hair!) holding up signs for Park Jeup and Lee Donghun -- ah, best friends! A girl with a sign for Woong. A group of young women, many of whom don’t look Korean, holding up signs for Donghun. More signs for Jeup and Wumuti and Suhwan, and of course a sign for Jay. So many signs for Donghun! A group of fans of Waterfire -- one for Hayoon, one for Wumuti, one for Suhwan. Some Milky Up fans, holding up signs for Geonu and the team as a whole.

Now the guys are arriving in black vans. They are excited for the show and want to win, of course.

I love them so much

They make their way to their green rooms. Jay’s team still has the one with the horrible yellow smudges all over the walls.

What IS that? Ewww.

Also, it doesn’t look like anyone gets to use the big nice room that DoReMiFa had last week.

Anyway, the teams are all greeted with notes stuck to the mirror.

The note says, “The cue sheet for the semi-final contest was written by the fourth round 1st place team: Milky Up. The Team With No Name.”

So, we flash back to The Team With No Name choosing the order.

Geonu is in a s w e a t e r! Yes, Geonu, come back toward the cozy side! And Seohyung is wearing his American flag sweatshirt again. I like to see people wear the same clothing item more than once. It reminds me that they’re just people, you know?

They’re given a note and they pretend to be absolutely astounded by its contents. The show doesn’t translate the note, so….

Here’s how Google Translate translated the note.

The guys discuss strategy and choose a running order -- they seem most worried about Jay’s team and Jeup’s team -- but we don’t get to hear their final order yet.

Flash back to performance day. We pan over the audience and see signs that say “I love you Eunkwang!” and “I love you Kim Yong Sun” (Solar’s real name).

Let’s check in with the judges.

Baekho has decided to wear a big weird shirt that’s loose enough to fit his muscles in. Must be tough to shop when you are built like him! He and Jeup can go shopping together, after they work out together.

I got some of these screenshots from later in the episode -- just some point when we could see them clearly. Here’s Solar.

She’s staying with the denim pants as a top thing. This time, the pants’ waistband is around her neck and the zipper is along her collarbone. You’re the best, Solar.

So, Wendy looks gorgeous as usual. But um, ok. So, I feel like every time I see Wendy on this show, I have to tell myself, “That’s Wendy from Red Velvet.” When I see Solar or Baekho or Vocal Coach Guy, I just recognize them. But with Wendy, I don’t. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I can’t pretend I don’t notice it any more. I’m not saying she looks bad; she was pretty before and she’s pretty now. But she doesn’t look like herself. She looks like just any random woman signed to SM Entertainment. Sigh.

But that said, she does look gorgeous. The dress is maybe not quite the right color on her…? But it’s a pretty color and the cut is flattering. I liked her tousled hair last week, but this smooth style goes better with the neckline of the dress. I’m always happy to see everyone styled correctly. But stylist unnie, please look into color theory. Wendy is a winter (in my opinion) and you’re dressing her in spring colors.

And as usual, the men sort of rolled over and found a blazer on the floor and put it on with a shirt that didn’t seem too dirty and were like, great, I’m good.

As for Dahee…

What a goddamned QUEEN. In the far shots we can see she’s wearing black semi-opaque textured stockings. I’m not sure yet if the combat boots have made a comeback, but I’m obsessed with these too-big-for-her gloves. I think she might have topped up her cheek fillers. It’s all good. Dahee, let’s go get froyo! Wear literally anything you want.

Dahee welcomes everyone to the semi-final. Tonight, the four teams will be performing brand new songs written just for them, and assigned by MNET production monkeys who want to make me unhappy. I assume.

The four teams come out to say hi, each accompanied by their song from last week and wild applause and cheering. The judges seem happy to see each one, and sort of dance to the music as it plays.

The Team With No Name

Left to right: Geonu, Haram, Seohyung, Soomin

Clothing courtesy of the Bedroom Chair line of fashion, whose motto is Non sordida est; Ego tantum semel utebatur.

Waterfire

Left to right: Hayoon, Sunyoul, Wumuti, Suhwan

Oh no! A terrible incident involving a time machine and a garment steamer took place and now Sunyoul looks like this! There’s nothing that can be done. You just have to wait it out when that happens.

Partners

You’re going to have to make your peace with the bias that I have toward this team.

Donghun has a glove on one hand!

Left to right: Bain, Donghun, Jeup, Woong. (One second later, Donghun has no glove!)

Ooo-oooo-oooh, you got me I-N-T-O I-T.

This is how I went them styled. This is the best Bain has looked -- the combination of the vest and rolled up sleeves give the impression of broader shoulders and a narrower waist. Woong’s silky suit emphasizes his feminine aspects, which are an asset on a team with masculine members. Instead of trying to outdo them on the masculine theme, he’s leaning into his softer appeal. I love it. And then you have Donghun and Jeup, both looking generally perfect. I feel like it is not impossible that Jeup’s blazer will come off. A girl can hope. A girl named me. Me. I hope that.

Donghun has really grown on me. Look how cute he is! But stylist unnie, that pearl necklace has really gotta go.

Jaehwan says to Irene Wendy, “They all look like actors!” Wendy agrees they look great together. Yes, and they sound even better.

Hunmunjaybit

Left to right: Minseo, Bitsaeon, Jay, Sunghun

I assume the all-white outfits and weird strings hanging from their sleeves will look good when they’re dancing. It takes a good looking guy to pull off all-white, and these are good looking guys and they definitely pull it off.

Ok, here’s about where the subtitles cut out, so I’ll do my best here.

Jaehwan says to Taeyeon Wendy, “This gives me goosebumps.” Imagine if you had a BMI of 15 and had bare shoulders, Jaehwan! Imagine the goosebumps you’d feel then!

Dahee says it’s the semi-final and explains that the method of evaluation is:

Judge points - 600

On site evaluation - 300

Online voting - 100 (and additional benefits)

“The online voting scores held from March 9th to March 11th will be awarded to each team as a bonus benefit by converting the number of team votes into a percentage.”

The on-site evaluators can only vote for one team, which means that they’ll vote for their pre-established bias and it’s already a done deal which team will win. Great plan! Grr. I don’t know why I’m surprised. MNET shows are just like this. Deep breaths.

Dahee asks the first team to come up to the stage

Backstage, Wumuti says, “What will be, will be.”

Backstage, Woong says, “Wow, I’m nervous already.”

Up first is Jay’s team -- Hunminjaybit.

Baekho says, “Oh, they’re going first again, just like last time.”

Eunkwang says it must be because this team makes everyone nervous.

Karina Wendy voice-overs, “They’ll do well. Every one of them does well, no exception.”

The team comes out and of course everyone goes nuts.

Backstage with the Team With No Name, Seohyung is like “I wonder why that team is up first!” And Haram is like, ah, we did that!

Wendy sympathizes with the guys for having to go twice, two rounds in a row. It’s not fair!

The guys introduce themselves, but there’s not really any theme to it. The best part is when Jay pretends not to remember his name and the audience shouts it out for him.

“Yeah that’s right, baby, I am Jay. That’s me. Jay. You know my name and you know my game. I’m here to win, no time for gin. I’m here to slay, get out my way. I’m Jay I’m Jay I’m Jay I’m Jay.” -- Jay, probably.

His hair is actually black now, which might be his natural shade for all I know, but I’ve never seen him with it. It makes his Filipino side come out, to me.

The crowd cheers, they’re handsome, it’s fine.

s w e a t e r

Suhwan notices that they’re all dressed in white, and Woong, whose team is dressed in black, is like, “oh, we’re opposites.”

Solar notices that Jay dyed his hair, and we get a before and after.

I think this is the first time on the show that they’ve remarked on a hair color change. Seunhwan went blonde, and a bunch others changed color a lot -- Wumuti, Yeo One, and Geonu spring to mind. But no one commented on any of those changes.

Anyway, Jay asks Solar how it looks, and she stutters that it looks good.

Everyone laughs, but I don’t totally know why. I have a few theories, but the captions just say “Sea of laughter” and “So funny” and stuff, so, I’ll let you decide for yourself. Solar gives him the thumbs up, and he seems genuinely happy to be praised. (That’s what the Korean captions say, too.)

The subtitles tease us that they’re coming back, but they’re not, so we continue.

VCG asks them how they feel about going first again,and Jay says, in what I think is carefully rehearsed Korean, that he’s going to make Milky Up regret it for putting them first. (Backstage, Haram is like “It’s ok!”) The captions say the judges’ anticipation for the battle is rising.

Dahee asks Minseo to introduce the new song. He says, “Our new song is called Flower, and to sum it up, it’s ‘fatally sexy.’” Oh, so it’s going to win. That’s how these things work.

Backstage, Bain is like, “oh, so they were inspired by watching our performance of Guilty?” Not really. They were gifted this song by a production team who must want them to win. I’m not opposed to Jay’s team winning exactly. It’s just that I want Jeup’s team to keep singing together forever and ever. I already know, without having seen any performances from this round, that I want Partners to do a cover performance of Flower.

Jaehwan asks if there’s a special highlight of the song, and Seunghun says the vocals are the key point. The audience will enjoy the flavor of both the sounds and the sights. He says originally the song was just filled with vocals, but for the first time in his life, to add dynamics, they had a rap-making challenge. (IDK, guys, just doing my best with these captions.)

Backstage, Wumuti and Sunyoul are like, what, is Seunghun here to “build up” as a rapper? Suhwan is like, “I guess rapping is in his blood now.”

VCG says that he’ll be checking on how focused Seunghun is with the rapmaking. Something like that. Seunghun is like I’m going to do my best!

“I will bboom bboom!” - literally what the captions say, IDK

The on-screen caption asks, “What will Hunminjaybit’s stage be like?”We cut back to a few minutes after the results were announced at the end of episode 8, right when this team found out they survived due to the audience vote.

The paint behind him is peeling? MNET, you can’t even afford to repaint these rooms? What is happening?

Jay is like, “We only survived because we’re popular.” Well, yes, but you’re popular because you’re very, very good. So there’s that.

Bitsaeon says something that google translates as, “This is the first time I have seen such an unglorious result.” (“Unglorious Result” is the name I’m going to give my next cat.)

We’re reminded that they came in last in judges’ scores, third in on-site audience vote, and first in online voting. (The only voting did almost nothing -- what saved them was the audience vote.)

Bitsaeon says he’s ashamed that the judges ranked them last, and feels bad that they survived when maybe they didn’t deserve to. Not true, my friend. You guys sang really well and that’s why the audience voted for you. The judges were straight up wrong.

He says he was embarrassed to come in third. “The next round will have to be do-or-die.”

Ok, I’m out of room for more pictures so I’ll cut off the post here. But you can go right on to the next one! See you soon!

#bpr recaps build up #mnet build up #build up #build up mnet #jay chang #cix seunghun

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