#and other “bad episodes” like emanations | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

timetodiverge · 4 months

Text

TL:DR: a brief treatise on learning to love Ahsoka for the gifts it gave us, rather than its shortcomings

Reasons why I struggled to like Ahsoka on first watch:

-my Rebels-fan brain constantly chanting WHERE IS EZRA WHERE IS EZRA WHERE IS EZRA; every episode that ended without him had me screaming

-the portrayal of Ezra as some noble war hero/wise Jedi instead of the little shit devious street urchin thief who, after four seasons of growth, pain, and temptation to turn darkside, turned into an IGnoble war hero with the potential to become a wise Jedi

-the show's habit of far-too-casually dropping facts that emotionally wrecked Rebels fans (ALL the Wrens died on Mandalore?? Could we maybe explore that a bit?? Dave do you remember when you had Sabine collapse into what she thought were her mother's ashes, and the depth of her relief when she realised her family was still alive and she still had a chance to make things right with them?? DO YOU???)

-the show's refusal to recap/reference insanely important events from Rebels and The Clone Wars (Mortis Gods, Trials of the Darksaber, Vader v Ahsoka and Ezra rescuing her via the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka's entire existence, etc) that would have made Ahsoka, Sabine, & Hera's importance in the larger Star Wars universe much more comprehendible for non-Rebels & TCW fans

-watching Sabine, who only ever wanted to be a valued, equal member of a family & team, and who was already incredibly skilled (art/warfare/mechanics), belittling and limiting herself trying to play the part of Jedi Padawan

-the wasted potential of show that could have truly explored how non-Jedi&Sith engage with the whole spectrum of the Force (e.g. other force users such as Nightsisters, loth wolves, purrgil, and non-force-sensative people such as Sabine), instead ultimately championing the light-dark binary and the traditions of the Jedi order (which many of us have little respect for) such as the Master-Apprentice relationship

Reasons why I now adore Ahsoka and would defend it to the death:

-the breath-taking care, love, and attention the production team put into every tiny detail (the sets, the costumes, props, the MUSIC, the background art, the ships and weapons, my god the detail!!)

-the shameless centring of diverse, layered female characters and the exquisite, subtle performances of Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Genevieve O'Reilly

-a mature exploration of how traumatic events e.g. wars may technically "end", but don't end for everyone: Ahsoka and Sabine are still traumatised ex-child soldiers mourning people they desperately loved but had complex & unresolved issues with; Hera still has zero boundaries between being a soldier and her personal life. And this PTSD has very real consequences to the narrative

-the show ultimately resisting the urge to choose a plot-twist Ezra reveal (e.g. turns out Thrawn and Ezra are now buddies/Ezra is the new big bad/Ezra was Marrok), which may have been more interesting but would have deprived us of the wholesome Ezra reveal we actually wanted

-Eman Esfandi giving us the most successful animation-to-live-action transition since Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan, and being so perfect in his mannerisms and behaviour that it was almost worth the wait (and looking so much like Ezra's father in Rebels!!)

(...unless you include Chopper, whose transition was actually 120% perfect)

-ultimately refreshing and levelling-up the potential for mature and diverse Star Wars narratives, like Andor did, but instead of leaning away from SW tropes and traditions like Andor, digging deeper into SW tropes and history, and linking non-mainstream-SW-elements such as the Nightsisters of Dathomir, the Mortis Gods, the World Between Worlds, and the existence of other galaxies

#we interrupt our normal schedule of shitposting to bring you this brief moment of seriousness #ahsoka #star wars rebels #sabine wren #ezra bridger #the clone wars #star wars #ahsoka tano #star wars discussion

49 notes · View notes

cleabellanov · 2 months

Text

Jet-Skiing through Identity: a deep dive into Mobius M. Mobius (part 5)🚤

The analyst is now going on missions, and he is doing such a great job. Plus, he's looking damn good doing it.

I think that in episode 2, "Breaking Brad" (one of my favs, like i really really love this one) , we get to see both extremes of Mobius as a character, which is great! We begin with his steady personality, looking for trouble to resolve it, not to cause it.

This is when we can see Mobius and Loki use that trust that they previously built, and working together. The comfort emanated in the scene where they're trying to fix that TemPad, for example, feels so good and natural specifically because it has background. (...and they're very, very good together. And Tom and Owen always knew what they were doing. Anyway, you get the point.)

Brad/ X-5 is a complicated person, and the others knew that when trying to get information out of him. Does that stop Mobius from trying to ease the atmosphere with one of his jokes? No: he's still running to the beat of a good heart, he can't help it. His way of being, this approach, is part of him, and we've seen that in season 1 as well.

The trigger is, however, pulled in him when Brad tells him he's a nowhere man. He usually endures things well, so what made him snap this time?

I think that hearing it out loud, AND put like that (f u brad), Mobius finally got hurt by the emotions he was trying so hard to suppress.

Distancing from that, and all the past he knows nothing about, he alienated from himself too, because they are essentialy part of him.

Saying "You're a nowhere man" to Mobius is similar to saying "What, like you did with your mother?" to Loki. It's a half truth that hurts especially because it was left in the darkness. Like someone flashing a lantern in your eyes after you've been wandering though a cavern.

We can see he uses denial too as a coping mechanism, in our most beloved scene: the pie room one. He doesn't admit it at first, but with Loki being Loki (and the person he cares the most about as well), he admits he's wrong: "Listen, that wasn't tactical. I lost it".

So it's not pride when he doesn't want to see his mistakes! it's a need to make everything perfect, for others more than for himself.

It's also no secret that Mobius finds comfort in food, especially pie. So having a sweet with Loki certainly calms him down.

Next, he tells Loki:

"The TVA is the only life I've ever known. I like it!"

and

"Something bad I can handle. What if it's something good?"

Does he really like his life there, or only the meaning of it?

I interpret him not wanting to look, not even now, for avoiding feeling guilty about leaving that behind. Maybe he even draws a parallel, and realizing that he has a life on the timeline it hits harder that so did all the people from the timelines he pruned

But also, he can't leave his mission! He can't leave Loki! Remember how in season 1 he told Ravonna that if he could go anywhere, anytime, he'd go to his place on the timeline? This changes now, when it's actually possible. A life he never known doesn't have a purpose for him. This one, though? This one definitely does.

One last thing thing I want to mention *for today* is how sweet Mobius is telling Loki that he's the God of Mischief. After years of this title being used negatively, Mobius says it as a compliment. He not only knows the comfort of touch (s2e1), but of words of affirmation too:

see you for the next part!! I underestimated how long this series of analysis would be :)), but only 2 more parts to go 💙

#well come on you're the God of Mischief!!! Right??#english is not my first language #so sorry if i did any mistakes #character essay #character analysis #mobius my beloved #mobius m mobius #owen wilson #loki #loki series #lokius #lokius nation #tom hiddleston #marvel #mcu #mobius #💚💛#show some love to this💛💚

36 notes · View notes

jazzycasino · 8 months

Text

I’m glad Eman as Ezra is a wonderful casting, because he’s great so far. But do you know how BAD it is when he’s only been in barely 2 episodes and has better acting and characterization than the other two ghost crew members (Sabine and Hera) ?! Like holy cow they’re so unrecognizable to me it’s actually sad.

#star wars #ezra bridger #sabine wren #hera syndulla #j talks about that show #star wars critical

26 notes · View notes

bietrofastimoff23 · 2 months

Note

Hello! all good? I hope so, I recently saw a post of yours talking about Tai Lung and I just love how you write about he! therefore, I wanted to show you a headcanon/part of my kfp au that I've been doing that involves Tai Lung, to know what you think about this headcanon of mine, hehe, anyway, let me start

For a while, I stopped to think about how Tai Lung ended up with evil in his heart, then I remembered (my favorite character) Fenghuang.

She ran away from the jade palace for wanting to dominate the jade palace and for losing a fight against Oogway, but she still saw a sense of home emanating from the palace, so she went there from time to time (hiddenly, of course) on these visits, met Tai Lung (still young) and told her story and her powers that left her invincible

She said that if he really were the next dragon warrior, he would have all the powers she had, that he would be invincible, that he would be worthy of dominating the weak, and he believed.

Tai Lung never told anyone in the palace about Fenghuang, and Fenghuang stopped visiting the palace after he was arrested...

hehe, first, sorry for the big text, but that's it, what do you think? I can change over time

hey! I'm fine, thanks for asking) I hope you're having a great day too <3

I'm glad you like my posts. It's nice to share your thoughts and feelings with other people.

warning: bad english.

Tbh, I haven't watched the show, but your message prompted me to read her biography. what can I say, you have great taste!) I'm even thinking of watching episodes with her now.

I really like your au! and I am glad of any communication here. I'm not sure how accurately my idea of her personality is formed, as far as I understand, she is ambitious and power-hungry in her own right. I mean, there is no predisposing tragedy. her own power became the ground for a sense of exclusivity, superiority.

My first thought was that she contacted Tai Lung not only because he had no preconceptions about her (cause everyone needs an understanding listener at one time or another), but also because she mistakenly could see herself reflected in him (this erroneous distortion probably arose from the fact that Tai Lung himself is not of interest to her, he is more a instrument, and without a deep understanding of his personality, it is more convenient for her to project onto him).

She sees in him the same exceptional talent, great potential, and a thirst to achieve great heights. but if in her case it comes from the belief that she has the right to do so because of her own exclusivity, then in Tai Lung it comes from the desire to prove to everyone, and first of all to himself, that he has the right because he deserves it (I do not know if I was able to express myself clearly. in general, she sincerely believes in herself and her right, and he is struggling with impostor syndrome).

and her comments ("if he really were the next dragon warrior, he would have all the powers she had, that he would be invincible, that he would be worthy of dominating the weak") could just fuel Tai Lung's desire to become stronger, faster, master all the techniques of kung fu, become the best, and all this to prove that he deserves to be here. perhaps there is some genuine pity for this unfortunate in her words, but I think there is more sadistic pleasure here because of her own frustration. Like, "I've been here, I've been down this path. You're going to fall too, kid."

life consists of persons coming and going, and this is probably their story. Tai Lung is part of why the owl was still coming back here, because he is her only listener, because she sees herself in him. and when he disappears over the horizon, she loses the last reason to visit the palace, which has long ceased to be her home.

As you can see, I also came up with a lot of words. let me know if I made a mistake somewhere, because now I'm sharing my opinion like a person who has only seen movies. and I will be glad to know further changes to your au :)

#tai lung #fenghuang #kfp #kung fu panda #my post #ask me #[ I reread the message and now I'm not sure that this is what you were waiting for #But I hope my brainstorming didn't confuse you.#It's just that your au activated my imagination. (% ]

10 notes · View notes

trojanteapot · 7 months

Text

Oh my god the Ahsoka series gives me hope that there can be good stories told onscreen in Star Wars again! Maybe I'm just a sucker for the characters from TCW/Rebels but I am so glad that this new series which is supposed to draw in new audiences and introduce them to Ahsoka remembered to also keep the writing solid for the old fans as well.

All of the decisions that the returning characters make really do make sense given where they are in the narrative and the new obstacles they have to overcome. Ahsoka trying to train Sabine in the past but then abandoning her training makes so much sense because Ahsoka is still trying to get over Anakin's fall to the dark side. She doesn't trust herself to be a good mentor, and she doesn't want Sabine to end up like Anakin.

The Rebels characters desperately wanting to get Ezra back despite the poor odds also makes a lot of sense despite how boneheaded they all are about it because we know from Rebels exactly how much they all mean to each other. They truly are a found family and from watching the episodes I remembered exactly how much their bond really meant to me as well. I feel the new actors also were able to capture the sense of familiarity they have with each other super well (especially Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Eman Esfandi).

And it was soooo clever of them to show Ahsoka's memories of having to fight in the Clone Wars and spelling out in words exactly how damaging it was to her well-being that she was a child forced into a command position in a war. And even double clever that Anakin's ghost was there to guide her. When he said "One is never too old to learn, Snips" it got me so good because he's been told his entire life that he's too old to learn by the stupid Jedi council of assholes.

It's clear that Ahsoka sees this trauma from war is also carried on by both Sabine and Ezra, and that's part of the reason why she wants to train Sabine but is also afraid of training her. And another reason why she was glad in the end that Sabine was able to find Ezra and get him home, even though Sabine disobeyed her orders to do so. She must have felt bad that Ezra was forced to sacrifice himself when he had not yet reached/barely reached adulthood for the sake of winning a decisive battle in a war. Ahsoka saw that it was a decision she may have made if she was in his position, and that it's a decision no child should ever have to make.

Between the Ahsoka series and Fionna and Cake, I'm so so thankful that we have two sequel series that carry on the spirit of the properties they were sequels to! Bravo!!!

25 notes · View notes

waitmyturtles · 1 year

Text

Oh my EFF, where DO I START. Moonlight Chicken, episode 7 thoughts and impressions. But first, a question for the family:

Did any of you notice the filming style slightly change during the condo/living room scene with Jim and Wen (after Jim put on the chicken shirt), and the second scene with Jam and Li Ming, when they’re eating the ginger stir-fry? In both scenes, I noticed that the camera pans were a bit more fast/jerky between characters, and that Jim and Jam (#jimjam) were filmed from the chest up. I wish I knew more about cinematography, but it seemed to me that the other shots throughout the show were wider and taller. I don’t know if this means anything to anyone, but if it does, I would love to hear thoughts on it. I feel like the shooting style gave those scenes some kind of different old-school flavor.

1) JUST GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH WHY IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD. Sorry for the yelling, but now I know, I KNOW, full-bodied, there is no way one post is enough for each of these episodes, so just expect a whole freaking unspooling over the weekend. ANYWAY. I’ll try to organize the quick thoughts first, then the deep thoughts.

2) Just get First and Khao together again already! They can’t help their chemistry to be ridiculously great. AND HOW GOOD IS FIRST. HOW GOOD IS HE. Just knowing when to fume just slightly, when to pull back for the sake of a scene. AND HOW GOOD IS KHAOTUNG. God. His crying! It took me OUT. Tears over here, streaming tears.

3) Speaking of hearts aching, I cried not only during the funeral scene because of Khao, but because I love this now-repeating motif that Aof uses of bringing a song that’s sung in the show as music for the background of the show, à la Bad Buddy. To think of every step of art to weave into a drama to keep you fully connected -- it’s really beautiful to me.

4) Mark/Leng with his UCLA jacket, what up, Cali, cute cute. (By the way, I’m missing View/Praew. She was incredible in 10 Years Ticket, and I think she could have lent her brilliance to MC. I’m going to add The Shipper to my list for First/Ohm/View.)

5) The continued motif of showing the cast participating in time-honored spiritual rituals. As sad as it sounds, I love funeral scenes and the way a temple brings together a community. Even Wen working at the temple -- it’s very real (at least at the Indian/Asian funerals I saw as a kid) to basically have a lot of the funeral feel like a community get-together.

6) Heart joining Li Ming to hand out drinks at the temple just messed me up. It messed me up good. When the young adults automatically help out at events without being told by their parents. It means a lot in Asian societies.

7) Deeper thoughts. @wen-kexing-apologist hit on this in their BEAUTIFUL POST about the show being centered on parent-child relationships. There’s a lot here in this episode, I may not get to it all.

Here’s how I’d break it down (and this post by @justafriend-ql covers so much so well):

a) Jam comes back after years of not seeing Li Ming b) Li Ming is OBLIGATED, by UNSPOKEN CULTURAL RULES, to continue to respect her as a parent c) Li Ming, clearly, wants fucking none of it d) Li Ming/Fourth EMANATES distaste for what he’s dealing with e) Li Ming STILL has to control himself around his mom who moved him aside to live her life f) He has to ALSO DEAL with his uncle, who (yes, hypocritically) (but also hypothetically) asks him why he’s gay g) So Li Ming has to also deal with his uncle’s internalized homophobia and old-fashioned views on gays in society, which may very well arise in part from his upbringing in rural Isaan h) Jim has to also deal with his sister’s guilt over not having been a mom, and her trying to sort of half-heartedly show up (until the last scene with them, which I think was meant as a symbol that there might be healing happening among the three), and i) Jim beginning to see Li Ming for the adult that he is becoming.

@justafriend-ql covered in their two posts about Li Ming the sheer SIMMERING, the shimmering ANGER that Fourth portrayed, and I felt @wen-kexing-apologist’s pain in my bones when I watched those scenes.

So much of what I am loving about Aof’s work as I enjoy my ride through his oeuvre is this family dissection -- the microscopic examination of the painful aftereffects of holistic filial piety (COUGH Bad Buddy) -- and I can never say enough how important his family art work is to Asian audiences. When I see these scenes of young adults holding themselves back with every iota of their energy to not JUMP KICK their parents when they’re acting stupid -- man, I feel that so hard.

Jam coming back and asking for Li Ming is just lame, and we all know it, and Li Ming knows it. And yet, he is BOUND by CULTURAL PRACTICE -- cultural rules that even JIM REFERENCES -- to need to hold back and respect his mother, because that’s what Thai cultural boundaries demand. So I agree with @justafriend-ql that what Fourth radiated was beyond brilliant. As a viewer, I really want to see Li Ming’s gates open and to see him rage, because my inner child wants to rage right along with him.

But that night scene with Jim and Li Ming, man.

I think this bit of this scene is what ended up helping Jim to relax, and to see Li Ming as an adult.

I am loving how Jim is written. The constant, CONSTANT pull between old values and new. This scene so beautifully depicted Jim in that balancing struggle.

Li Ming is just pulling Jim along to the light of the future, as children/young adults do. Li Ming NEEDS his uncle to see HIMSELF (Jim) in Li Ming. And I think that’s what’s happening, in part, in this scene. Jim sees that Li Ming CAN understand how complicated the world is around him. Jim SEES that Li Ming is a CRITICAL THINKER.

Jim has been a solo parent for so long. He’s worried about his kid. They’re poor. His kid’s gay. Jim’s worried about his kid being poor and gay. Jim expresses it, at first, in an old-fashioned, shouting, angry way. Jim accidentally outs Li Ming to Jam.

And then. The two guys -- the guys -- sit with each other, rest and wash in the process of mourning an important member in the community. Jim tries to hear Li Ming at Li Ming’s level. And Jim finds that he can hear.

And maybe, even, Jim is beginning to learn that he can transcend those old-fashioned values -- those UNSPOKEN CULTURAL RULES that still bind much of Li Ming’s behavior towards his mother -- to be a model for Li Ming, AND TO HIMSELF, to live a hopefully more fulfilling life. (I think that might be what’s happening, in part, with the cancellation of the diner’s lease at the end of the episode -- but the preview for the finale has me wondering if I’m right.)

8) I don’t know how much I have left, but I took these screenshots to also talk about Jim’s internalized homophobia. I think I’ve covered it already in my Li Ming analysis, but come AWN, just look at this SASS BUCKET OVER HERE:

I took these to confirm that Jim was “just being a dad” (ugh) in the moment of him yelling at Li Ming, but I think Jim redeemed himself with that night chat with Li Ming. So I’m just gonna leave these screenshots here BECAUSE COULD WEN/MIX BE ANY MORE SASSY?

I’m already missing these guys. I need Our Skyy 2 REALLY SOON.

I’m gonna need a lot of sleep tonight to manage tomorrow.

#moonlight chicken #moonlight chicken meta #earthmix #firstkhao #earth pirapat #mix sahaphap #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #fourth nattawat #gemini norawit #jim x wen #wen x jim #alan x gaipa #gaipa x alan #these tags already existed i have nothing to do with creating them

68 notes · View notes

narkinafive · 9 months

Text

ahshowka breakdown! tagged #ahsoka spoilers and #ahshowka

the good:

when i tell you i almost stood up and cheered during the memorial ceremony. i could feel the great cosmic energy surging through my VEINS, senator jai kell and clancy brown and UGH. thank GOD

relatedly, i really liked having hera be the first person to say his name. idk. it felt nice and in character that she still thinks of her crewmember-cum-son-and-boy

i, for one, am really, really really digging the slow, deliberate pacing. time will tell if it ends up more plodding than contemplative, but i love having the space to breathe and observe... almost like a jedi? lol, but mostly i'm happy not to be taken on a roller coaster

kiner bros putting their whole pussy into the soundtrack

EMAN ESFANDI ON THE RECORDING WHEN HE DOES THE LITTLE HEADSCRATCH i was like yes. yes. this man understands

showing sabine's helmet in the foreground and having her twice avoid it to pull out other stuff from under the table. i have so many thoughts

man i love that they're all kind of bitches to each other. i support unlikable women

huyang: man you suck ass at this whole force thing, huh

the... less good:

ignore the makeup ignore the makeup ignore the makeup

i'm interested to see the show tackle the idea of how to transition from empire to republic, and i think it can be a salient critique of capitalism to have the republic essentially absorbing the imperial workforce so as not to stop production, but i am, as always, skeptical, since LF has uh... not been great about this before (i mean narratively, not even like getting into unfortunate implications lmao)

utterly bored with we-have-asajj-ventress-at-home and the other dude (rip ray stevenson tho, what a phenomenal talent) but i'm hopeful that will change!

dreading thrawn just bc i hate thrawn but that is entirely personal and not at all a critique of the show 😂

seated and watching:

i am extraordinarily interested in the sabine/ahsoka dynamic, and i am dying to know more, because it really is reading like a nasty lesbian breakup. which i am totally okay with

i am less... concerned? wary? of sabine as ahsoka's apprentice than i was before we started. idk, given all the visual emphasis on sabine avoiding these two "opposed" poles (avoiding the jedi by not going to ezra's memorial, avoiding the mandalorian by shoving her armor away under the table) i am curious to see how this plays out. it feels like a natural evolution from her rebels arc of choosing her new family in the ghost crew, but inverted? which i'm interested in. idk. feeling hopeful, tho

there's an interesting motif of seeing things through (and failing to do so) in these first two episodes. obviously ezra says that to sabine almost verbatim, but there's also ahsoka walking away from both anakin and sabine before training was completed, there's the new republic failing to fully eradicate imperial sympathies (sometimes deliberately so), and there's something there too, i think, about failing to confirm thrawn's death. or account for his return? anyway. i'm interested

but truly, highlight of the premiere is huyang being like good god you are bad at this

#ahshowka #ahsoka spoilers #also yes ok to rb!

18 notes · View notes

bengiyo · 11 months

Text

Love Tractor Eps 5 & 6 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Ye Chan taught Sun Yeol how to pick strawberries and then they held a class for kids. Sun Yeol is not good with kids and was super rude to a girl who already felt isolated from her peers. She ran away, but Sun Yeol found her and injured himself while trying to help her (even though he was the one who further alienated her). Ye Chan and the community rallied to take care of Sun Yeol while he was injured, and our poor farmer got his little heart broken when he learned that Sun Yeol maybe has a lover in Seoul.

Episode 5

Oh good. Ye Chan only had a partial blackout. I don’t like when characters don’t remember anything.

Still a fan of the village head. Recommending that Ye Chan back off of Sun Yeol if he’s taken is the right advice.

It’s actually very fun for Ye Chan to rush to Sun Yeol when he calls for help, because Sun Yeol asking for help seems like a big step for him.

Oh ho! A hot boy has arrived!

Alright, fuck Sun Yeol’s dad. He broke up two gay musicians and forced his son to give up music. You also slap your son in public like this?

I feel bad for Inseo. He found a creator he admired and grew close to him. The Koreans are determined to give me second lead syndrome.

Ope. Inseo moved on. What in The Red Violin (1998) is going on with this emotional whiplash this episode?

I love how obviously Ye Chan’s feelings emanate from him. I like seeing characters who never needed to learn to mask.

I don’t care for Inseo. Kindness costs so little. There’s no need to be rude.

This show is getting as bad as Thailand with the dramatic changes in lighting between scenes. It’s suddenly night time?

Even the doctor is mad about Inseo being here. He said, “Where’s big gay man who was taking care of you? This twink looks unreliable.”

That’s right, Ye Chan! Don’t let that mean twink convince Sun Yeol to go back to Seoul!

Episode 6

Ye Chan’s mom is so intense. She’s not the sit around and chat about our feelings type, I guess.

I like him telling Ye Chan to go inside and wait. I thrive on hope.

This breakup scene is pretty affective even with how little time we’ve spent with them. They both gave up things to be together and it just didn’t work.

Timeline is a bit hard to track, but it seems like they haven’t seen in each other in a while.

Big fan of the “sweat yourself into exhaustion so you can rest” approach. It’s the best part about volunteering for me.

Okay, Village Head, I see you and your veiled insinuations.

It’s a party!

It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes!

Oh BL dream sequences, my belothed. At least this one was obvious.

Ye Chan is so helplessly gay. I love him.

Look at our brave farmer admitting his feelings even if he’s scared!

Okay, I will say I really liked the way Inseo was used this episode as a warm up for dealing with the dad stuff before the end of this. This show is actually pretty cute.

#love tractor #korean bl #bl series #Ben watches

22 notes · View notes

sociallyawkwardseal · 6 months

Note

I have an idea for a fanfiction

Maybe one where Ashlyn and Taylor talk (which could happen during the last episode that came out) where Ash feels guilty for what happened and thinks that Taylor blames her, but Taylor doesn't think that way about her and tries to calm her down (apparently Ashlyn is capable of having a panic attack or starting to hyperventilate when she gets desperate)

It would be interesting...

Yeah, seeing Ashlyn so overwhelmed with how much she had been holding back--and bawling her eyes out of it was. Something to me. I think Tyler helped her out a lot, but I think she still feels pretty bad, especially considering some of what we saw in episode 58.

I'm saying this takes place kind of between them all leaving the hospital/after Tyler wakes up and is in his hospital bed and before everyone actually gets to Jessica and Daniel's place; probably around 5am or 6am? They probably tried to stay at the hospital as long as possible, though.

Words: 858

Ashlyn clicked her seat belt to release it, shifting as it wound back up and fell into its original place. She watched her parents climb out of the car first—both of them talking quietly, stretching their backs as the cool night’s air hit them.

“Are you two coming?” Mike asked, resting his arm on the top of the car. He leaned in, making eye contact first with Ashlyn, and then Taylor. “It’s fine if you need a minute, but I want to let Dan and Jess know we’re here.”

Ashlyn barely nodded, her throat tightening around the sob threatening to climb out once again. “We’re good—we might. Need a few minutes, though.”

Taylor, hands clenching around the corner of her seat, glanced over at Ashlyn without turning her head. It took everything in her to hold herself still, to keep from sobbing. She was used to being the one to comfort others, but now, she couldn’t even comfort herself. She could only do her best to swallow her emotions as best she could.

“Take as much time as you need. Just turn off the car and bring the keys when you come in, alright?” Emma nodded, closing her door. “We’ll let everyone else know where you two are—”

“But text us if you need something. Anything. Alright?”

“We will. Thanks…” Ashlyn leaned back further in her seat as Mike closed the door; she watched the two of them walk to the front door, wait for it to open, and then disappear into the cold, practically white light emanating from inside.

The two stayed quiet for a moment, the overhead lights fading out and eventually dimming entirely to leave them in the dark. Once the two had settled into the silence, Ashlyn called out. “Taylor…?”

When she raised her head to meet Ashlyn’s eyes, Ashlyn looked away; she felt her throat tighten again at the barely-visible sight of tears brimming the corners of Taylor’s eyes, how her mouth struggled to stay in a tight line, trying not to waver with another round of tears.

How would you say this? Ashlyn’s fingertips dug into the sleeve of her jacket, her arms tightening around herself. Though the jeep wasn’t cold, she couldn’t help but shiver just a little bit. Ever since we met, you’ve been the one reassuring everyone. Comforting them. But how do I even start to say I’m sorry to you? How do I even start to help you here?

She knew what she could offer in the phantom dimension; she could make plans, she could try to protect them—though, it wasn’t like she’s had the best track record with that so far, she could… Do something. More than what she knew how to do here.

“I’m sorry.” Ashlyn’s voice, as strangled as it was, found it’s way out. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say,” She held her sleeve more tightly with one hand, the other pushing up her cheek to wipe the fresh tears onto her sleeve before her fingers found themselves tangled in her frazzled, somehow-still-braided hair. “If I turned the jeep around, we all would have—I didn’t want to lose Tyler, I didn’t want anything to happen to any of you, I—you have every right to blame me, and—”

“Ash,” Taylor’s voice, trembling just as much as her hand that now held onto part of Ashlyn’s palm and her wrist, caused Ashlyn’s wide eyes to snap back to meet hers. “I don’t blame you.”

She sounds so hoarse. Ashlyn silently added, her rapid breathing now frozen as she slowly squeezed her fingers against Taylor’s hand. I shouldn’t be bothering you with this. You shouldn't be comforting me. What am I doing?

She continued, her voice wavering as she slowly pulled Ashlyn’s hand further away from her hair and Ashlyn closer, into a light hug. “I know. I know you didn’t want anything to happen to us. Any of us…” She left enough room in the hug for Ashlyn to move away—if she wanted to, if she felt trapped or overwhelmed—but slowly buried her face in her shoulder.

She was holding it together as much as she could.

Both of them were.

Ashlyn nodded, mimicking Taylor’s action and burying her face in her white sweatshirt as she moved both of her own arms around her. She held onto her a little more tightly than Taylor had initially held onto her, her fingers clutching the back of her shirt.

“I’m here for you.” Ashlyn whispered, feeling Taylor shiver against her. She knew that she was trembling, too. “I’m here…”

“Here for you, too.” Taylor murmured, tightening her arms around Ashlyn. She sniffled, pressing her face harder against her shoulder.

Ashlyn squeezed her arms around Taylor briefly, something she had seen her do with Logan, Ben, Tyler, and Aiden countless times before, and exhaled shakily. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about me, though. Just. We’ve all got you…”

She could feel Taylor’s stomach tense, her arms tightening more around Ashlyn as she fought back her tears. “Th. Thanks.” Taylor mumbled, a choked-back sob following after. “Thanks, Ash…”

#not on ao3 #my fanfics #2023 #requests

8 notes · View notes

mrpsychokiller · 1 year

Text

getting a real bad depressive episode and feeling really shit for a while only to end up getting on my period always feels like a punch in the face. feels like being told haa you sure didnt expect this but its us again: your hormones. we fucking gotcha. fell for the oldest trick in the fucking book: the "several days of endless psychological torment" prank. a classic. and you ALWAYS fall for it. its hilarious you should see your face. we are so fucking good at this were the best most whimsical pranksters in existence. dipped in pure raw tomfoolery sauce. emanating the horrible stink of hilarious shenanigans and also other things not worth mentioning right now. we honestly are so good we should start a youtube channel. i can see it: the video titled "PRANKED THE IDIOT LOSER WHO OWNS THIS BODY INTO INTENSE EMOTIONAL IRREGULARITY UNTIL HIS WOMB INEVITABLY EXPLODED (GONE WRONG) (BECAME SUICIDAL)" and the thumbnail is your face as youre crying on your room at 5 am thinking your friends hate you, with a big red circle around it and an arrow pointing to "FUCKING GOTTEN" and we get so popular we get 10 million subscribers in 6 months and become millionaires and buy a mansion right besides jake pauls. thats what it feels like to me

34 notes · View notes

jwnchstr · 1 month

Text

Title: Let Me Tell You (dribbles) (episode 1)

Summary: The Alpha has a big heavy responsibility which was making sure his Pack Members was protected, his Pack Warriors strong, the Pups safe in his Territory. That also means ignoring his nature about mating even though His Omega was sitting right there. Until a plane crashed onto the Alpha's Territory, leaving a pack of human Men wandering closer and closer into his Pack House. Somewhere between the Hunt, the Alpha realises that what if he was one of those Men? What if he died and leaving His Omega think that he rejected her Mating Call instead of only keeping her safe?

Other fics | My Wattpad | Series Masterlist (will update later)

Once upon an evening, just after sun down, the Pack was having dinner at the Kitchen in the Pack House. There were several long tables in the huge Kitchen, arranged in V-shape.

An Alpha King was sitting at the head of the Middle Table. On his left was His Second-in-Command while on his right was the Chief Pack Warrior. The rest of the Middle Table was occupied by the Higher Rankings while the rest of the table in the Kitchen were other Pack Members. The Pups were separated in their Den only one door down.

In the middle of the Middle Table sat an omega the Alpha could not stop staring at. Indeed, that was His Omega. He's been known about it for a few years now but he never answered the Mating Call whenever His Omega needed it. Or if he needed it.

He stared at His Omega, softly laughing at the jokes one of her alpha friends made and got jealous that his veins popped out from the knuckles under his chin.

"Alpha," His Second-in-Command warned. Not a challenge warn, but the kind of 'stay calm' warn.

The Alpha took a deep breath, tried his best to calm himself down by finding His Omega's scent amongst the putrid, rancid smells of his Pack Members.

Yes, there it was. He found it. Her Scent. He can't put a finger how His Omega smelled like but she smelled amazing like it hit him home.

"I don't understand," His Second-in-Command started, "why don't you just answer her Mating Call? Saves us all the trouble."

Indeed, it was a trouble for his Higher Rankings because it's hard to control the Alpha whenever she's in heat, or when he's in a rut, or when he just can't make sense. A dominant alpha, especially one like the Alpha King, needed His Omega whenever he's feral, but since he hasn't making it official, it's his Higher Rankings job to calm him down. Find him a cure. Lock him in the Alpha's Dungeon.

"You know I can't," was the Alpha's only answer. It's the same every time his Higher Rankings ask about him and His Omega. They could only imagine why the Alpha hasn't wanted to claim His Omega even though he's known It for years, but their best bet was because the Alpha has a dangerous, murderous job and he doesn't want His Omega to be a part of it.

But it's hard. The Alpha's mood swings really took a toll on the whole Pack especially when he's in a bad mood. Whatever that made him sad or angry, it affected his Higher Rankings, Pack members and His Omega. Then, His Omega fell into some kind of weird mood and it's affecting her work and people around her.

A pup entered the Kitchen with a cupcake in his hands. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him and approached His Omega. The pup gifted His Omega the cupcake that almost didn't look like cup cake already, but His Omega accepted it with the biggest, warmest smile.

The Alpha's heart grew. Something inside him twisted. Without him realising, his body emanated his strong pheromones causing the whole Pack to whine and bare their necks towards their Alpha.

The pup in the Den whined the loudest. They were still too small and too sensitive to the pheromones. The Alpha watched as His Omega turned back to her dinner, her hands shaking as she put down the cupcake.

"Alpha, stop it," His Second-in-Command warned again. "You're going to tear down the Pack House." This time his voice was laced with a bit of a challenge because the Alpha's pheromone was too strong that it caused the mated omegas to call for their alphas.

"Excuse me, Alpha," his Chief Pack Warrior had to excuse himself because his omega was whining and moaning and was calling and begging. It's not a bad call but not pleasureable either. Either way, the alpha knows he needed to help his omega to calm down.

Most alphas and mated omegas have started to leave the dinner. Some visited the Den to fetch their pups then retire to their chambers. Unmated alphas and omegas remained but by the look on their faces, they were keen to leave the Kitchen as well to relieve themselves. Either by themselves or newly-fated partner or one-night stands, no one ever cared. But His Omega left, shaking from head to toe, retreated to her chamber by herself.

#abo #alpha omega #pack house #mate #plane crash #humans #his omega #his mate #mine #werewolves

4 notes · View notes

schrodingers-tits · 11 months

Text

Butters Stotch’s mentality rant because I need to get it out of my system. Trigger warning for general Butters-family-ness. Also this isn’t edited I just wrote down my thoughts and couldn’t stop

I have spent days watching South Park, specifically Butters. He isn’t an ‘uwu’ Eric Cartman, he’s a kid who spent too much time with the wrong people. When your only influence is an abusive family and Eric Cartman, a master manipulator, it’s obvious who you’re going to trust: Cartman. Childhood trauma can have an intense effect on the brain and general development. I’ve witnessed it firsthand with many of my friends, and their situations look very similar to Butters’. This one kid I knew- my childhood best friend- is a prime example. They didn’t have a good home life, and ended up stealing things and being very bitter. Butters is in an even worse situation, and has only a neo-nazi to look to for help. Professor Chaos allows Butters a sense of control. And control is something that is often strived for in situations like Butters’. Professor Chaos was born from needing control, but Butters was born from the lack of it (a part of the reason I love the DID Butters headcanon so much). And, as shown in the earlier seasons, the only friends Butters had were Dougie and Pip. Even then, they weren’t truly friends: just kids stuck in a basement with Stan. Butters is the butt of jokes, and is blamed for everything. He doesn’t see a problem with this because it’s all he knows (as shown from his comments in the video games when exploring the world, and in Bebe’s Boobs Destroy Society). Adding on to the point from earlier about his role models, in the episode about Butters riding horses (I can’t remember what it is and if I lose all of this writing I’m gonna cry) his parents are preaching about the Russian kid being a communist bent on destroying American society. Butters doesn’t hold these views, but his parents do. Which then lead him to internalizing them. Butters wouldn’t insult someone, but the Brand company is telling him he would. They’re telling him he’s assertive or whatever. And thus; he is. Butters doesn’t do these things unless the people around him do. Just like in Post-Covid, it’s clear the writers themselves acknowledge this. When grounded, Butters won’t come out of his room. Even if it takes 16 years. He’s naïve, all he knows is that he’s supposed to be grounded. Try to escape? He’ll just be grounded even longer, dare I say he’ll get beaten/abused further. But when he’s let out of his room, and he isn’t grounded, he’s just… a normal guy. A normal, happy dude. Cartman, on the other hand, ends up on the streets covered in junk. The ending he always gets: a bad ending for the bad guy. But the writers don’t give Butters a bad ending, they give him a normal one. A happy one. He isn’t a bad guy, the people around him are. And he’s naïve.

TLD;R: the people around Butters are terrible, and thus, Butters emanates this terrible behavior. He isn’t inherently bad, just naïve.

#butters stotch #southpark butters #butters leopold stotch

12 notes · View notes

12pt-times-new-roman · 10 months

Text

"Sleight burst in time" excuse me?? what does that MEAN, matthew?? (I'm sure it's just hand-waving the time disparity, which is totally fine, but I wouldn't be surprised if this actually meant something)

"You're abstaining from being undecided?" "Yeah!" Never change, Ashton.

That's the thing, though. FCG is the only one who's staunchly pro-gods, yes, but everyone else is undecided -- they don't have the information they need. Chetney is right, history is written by the winners and the gods have almost always won, they don't know the other side of the story; but when the other side of the story is something that the Ruby Vanguard wants, you'd think that would be a moon-sized red flag. The issue is that the Bells Hells are not grasping or being reminded that the Vanguard is the fucking problem.

They need information they don't have, and now that they're in a place as ancient as Zephrah, they might finally be able to find it. Questioning Predathos' badness is, well, questionable, but not unreasonable; when the Ruby Vanguard wants it, it's probably bad. But questioning whether Ludinus is evil or not, like Laudna just did? Nah. That's not a fucking question, it's not a gray area. And I also just noticed that no one has mentioned Otohan during these arguments in at least a dozen episodes, which is.... concerning.

They continue to head farther into the Gray Valley. They pass by a massive patch of desecrated ground where the ghosts of soldiers still drift, like in the Barbed Fields. "A part of history forced to relive itself over and over again." Beyond that, a hill with a massive cleft down the middle with a structure that's emanating a smell of burning meat.

is.... is that the worst group stealth check they've ever had? 7 fails against 4 successes?

Time for combat! 2 vrocks descend on them.

It's definitely interesting that Matt isn't putting them in initiative order. This is a pretty easy encounter for their level, and maybe it's because of that or because it was a failed stealth check (hence why he doesn't have a map ready), but iirc last time they tried to do combat without initiative order it did not go well, so this not being an absolute clusterfuck is a testament to their skill tbh

They continue to approach the hill. They see a stone fort, very well-built but heavily damaged, at the base of the cleft. There are a few small plumes of smoke rising from it.

Orym recognizes this as the Erudin Bastion, an extension of a temple to Bahamut built in the center of the Gray Valley to keep watch on the demonic activities here. It acted as an early warning system for abyssal incursions from the area. But Chetney, using grim psychometry has a vision, red, like he's looking through a stained glass window. Not long ago, this structure was active, people walked it; then, shouts, flames, dark energy. One by one, the screams are snuffed. Not more than a few days ago.

Well, I don't think Matt could make this any more clear to them.

The team splits up. Half of them climb up the hill with the intent to feather fall down, while the other sneaks up on the ground.

From above, they see the remnants of a terrible battle, bodies and limbs put up on pikes as decoration. Little impish demons fly throughout. A few larger figures walk about this demonic "encampment," warriors with massive swords and wings, keeping watch and looking around. They also make out three iron cages that hold humanoid captives. Lastly, on a stage-like platform, some imps are drawing multiple large ritual circles -- they're building something, preparing something.

Hey, remember last time we saw this happening? Remember how those demons were making ritual circles intended to bring more demons through? Remember how they were working for Tharizdun?

oh so that's why this episode is 5 hours long. that's big map

And, just to top it all off, a massive demon with fur and little wings lands from above.

FCG casts tongues so they can understand them. The larger demon speaks: "hurry, I must feast soon. Prepare, then celebrate."

From an alcove, something grabs one of the sentries, there's a burst of flame, and the sentry doesn't come back out. A figure emerges -- a humanoid, deep red skin, a mane of grayish hair and a beard, handlebar horns, and leathery wings. It seems like this is a fiend (possibly a devil of some kind, based on the red skin) who's taking out these demons. (the way I thought this was Ryn at first--)

Ashton putting the immovable rod in the hammer is so fucking cool!!! That's so sick. Tal really channeled Percy with that one.

Matt is good at miming??? (Also, who gave Sam access to verbs?)

Now we roll initiative. I get the feeling that this combat will take up the majority of the rest of the episode.

In one of the cages, Orym sees two figures: a female soldier with a broken arm, and a small gnomish figure with tattered Tempest Blade armor.

Fearne makes it to the seemingly-friendly fiendish creature. "Who are you?" "A friend." They, with a 30 persuasion check from Fearne, steps into the light. "I have no friends. But for now, we are not enemies." They step past Fearne and raise their sword.

Matt's using the Obann mini, so I'm assuming this guy is some kind of devil. Which has some fucking wild implications regarding the Betrayer Gods right now, if devils are actively fighting against abyssal holds on Exandria.

FCG gets stress points from using bonded blessing?

Imogen casts minute meteors! (I've always pronounced it minUTE, not MINute, but whatever.) this is one of my all-time favorite spells, and I think it's what widogast's web of fire was based on.

Their devil non-enemy flies over to one of the demons, and their sword does radiant damage! They deal a shit ton of damage (84!), and they're a fucking paladin multiclass who can cast 7th level spells.

Laudna using form of dread, unlocking the cage, shouting "you're free!", then immediately climbing into the cage herself is peak comedy.

Oh hey! Ashley remembered enhanced bond!

The devil takes more strikes against the demons. They get a flanking bonus with Chetney, so they are -- at leash mechanically -- considered an "ally." They deal 56 damage with 2 attacks, and Chetney flirts with them.

Chetney gets a kill with bloated agony! To the devil, "now, the big one." "Do not give me orders."

After three disarming strikes, Orym finally disarms the largest demon, and sends its sword spiraling to the ground.

Some vrocks come flying in, piling on. At this point, it's pretty clear that Matt intends for them to release the people in these cages so they can help, because this encounter is far more than the Bells Hells can handle alone.

FCG's spell save is 15?? That's so fucking low, what the hell? At level 10, their save should be at least 17.

Ohhhh, that's also an interesting rules interaction! Because Ashton's subclass is custom, I can't comment on it as extensively, but. One of Ashton's abilities pushes the creature they hit 5 feet away, breaking the grapple the creature had on them.

Imogen goes down, and Laudna challenges the demon that did it. "Let's go, bitch."

Orym makes a devastating blow against the main demon creature in protection of Laudna and Imogen and everyone in the cages.

Gods, Laudna just throwing everything into this one turn after the demon knocks Imogen unconscious, unloading all her spells trying to get away and deal damage........ cinematic glory. AND THEN Marisha using a nat1 to reinforce their love, to just simply stand between Imogen and the demon in her form of dread? peak pining lesbian romance. peak "oh god I'm in love with my best friend and I can't let the rest of the friend group know" energy. FCG gets Imogen up with a healing word, she prevents it from taking reactions, and she quickens invisibility on both her and Laudna. what a fucking turn, Laura Bailey--

"In her head, she hears, 'run away.'" "I say back, 'you do the same.'" And Imogen, because the demon can't take an attack of opportunity, just fucking bolts away.

The devil paladin takes their turn again, pumping a divine smite into their attack. They kill one demon with 77 points of damage, then darts to another one.

A voice enters Chetney's mind. "Take what you have taken. Together, we will do great things." Achievement unlocked: Travis gets a sentient sword

and the main demon teleports away. Orym, holding on to it, falls to the ground. It attempts to make an escape (♫ make an escape ♫). However, the people within the cages begin to make their way out.

As combat winds down, Fearne gets the HDYWTDT on the primary demon leader. Her spell glitters over them, causing lots of pain while looking like an absolutely beautiful display of vines and glitter.

The threat, in the moment, is quelled. Ashton checks, and the power being directed to the ritual circles is interrupted, and they are broken. The Bells Hells breaks open the rest of the cages -- in them, there are two members of the Tempest Blades (Jennis and Errana) and Bearnie, Orym's sister, tending to a dislocated shoulder. Orym bolts into a run toward Bearnie, who runs and gives him a hug. "Take it slow, take it slow." There's a heaping sob before she pulls away from Orym. "I knew they'd come for us, but I didn't think it'd be you." "It's just chance... the Tempest sent us out, just in time, it looks like." "I think so."

The devil lands nearby and approaches. "I am Tevon Klaust... I am one of the many champions of Asmodeus; some watch his domain, and others, like me, act in many realms. To some, I am known as the retribution of the Hells -- an infiltrator, assassin, and scout. To me? I do what is necessary. To whom do you owe fealty?" "Myself." "You... you are outside the knotted weave. While I know not the details, something brews in Exandria that has left my lord shaken, and me with the unique orders to, unless aggression comes to me, work with those who work under the Prime Deities or outside of them. You are lucky today that we meet on common ground; the future does not hold so much grace." "So you're working to help the gods?" "I'm working to help my god. And in some ways, all of the gods, in this moment. Remember they are brethren... this armistice has historical precedent, so do not feel nervous. Enjoy it while it lasts -- lest you seek new interests in your future? There are many gifts that are granted on certain paths."

Fearne holds his attention. "What does that entail, if I were to follow Asmodeus?" "An eternity of purpose, strength, and pleasures for those who fall under his shadow. You walk in the mud of the lowly demon princes. They are outside the divine order and likely stir in the wake of these times; pay them no mind. They are chaos without meaning." He takes Fearne's hand and kisses it. Her hand burns -- but burning doesn't frighten her. On her center knuckle, there's almost a tattoo of a black horned crown (the holy symbol of Asmodeus). "We are allies today. Perhaps, in the future, we will be allies again. The path is open; all you need to do is ask for his aid. Do you accept these terms?" "Let's do it, I'm in." "The pact is sealed... we will meet again." "Promise?" "Unbindingly."

I'm--

Oh no.

He flies up and speaks down to them. "The sky goes red to the south. I think our destinies are entwined." He teleports away.

This just made it so fucking clear that the Bells Hells know criminally little about the pantheon for people acting like they have any kind of authority to decide whether they live or die.

Bearnie led the expedition and expected to use the Bastion as a place of safety, unaware that it had fallen. The survivors were kept for a celebratory feast, for when they brought through the rest of their group. The main demon called itself Extevass the Gluttonous, a servant of Vrudaulin, a demon prince.

They scavenge for materials and head out into the Gray Valley. Bearnie leads them to a hillside, where she magically carves a cavern and closes it behind them for an enclosed campsite.

#critical role #note watches c3 #critical role campaign 3 #critical role spoilers #critical role c3 #critical role liveblog

17 notes · View notes

cringefaildiaz · 1 year

Note

Can I get your opinion on something? how do you feel about Ravi lately. Because I’m happy we’re seeing more of him but I also feel like they kinda gave up on giving him his own personality? Last season he was his own person: he was an introvert, a bit shy and hesitant but still competent and emphatic. and now he’s. well. He’s Buck. All jokes and random facts. last episode every time he spoke (especially at some point when he said statistics about something i don’t remember) I found myself thinking “that’s something Buck would say”. Idk it’s probably a me problem (i read an interview where they said “he’s gonna butt heads with buck because now he’s the cheeky one” so I’m probably focused on that), we still don’t know much about him and it takes me at least a few episodes to understand characters. Hoping we’ll see more of his backstory (praying for a Ravi begins) and his relationships with other characters and I’ll be able to get him better.

It’s important to me that you (and everyone else) know that you can literally always ask my opinion on anything. Anytime. I love saying words.

Honestly, I never was part of the Ravi fan brigade (tho I’m really happy that he’s back) so my thoughts on who he is as a character are kinda ?!?!?!. His re-intro was phenomenal I thought, a great little retroactive explanation of where he’s been and why he’s been there—with the level of emotional depth that 911 is so good at giving.

I thought his “are you sure that’s a good idea”/“I did tell you it was a bad idea” this past ep felt on brand for him, but I also didn’t really clock his characterization that much in seasons past, beyond him being sort of hesitant in a way that made sense for a new kid Buck was harassing at every turn lmao. Moving him away from that hesitance now that he’s developed professionally makes a lot of sense to me, but again, I’m no Ravi scholar.

I like the idea of him being somewhat Buck-like but maybe a little more…grounded? Like as the newest member and also the one that’s existed outside the 118 in the LAFD, it’s kinda fun to have him side eying the team. I definitely didn’t read his characterization in this most recent ep quite as Buck-like as you did, but I get the concern. They both kinda emanate little-brother energy and I would hate to see Ravi turn into a Buck-redux.

I do think 911 is trying to prep for the next stage in the show tho, and bringing Ravi back is a key play in that imo. Like, clearly Buck is in the homestretch on the emotional journey he’s been on since s1, which presumably means getting linked up with his ~forever person~ in the next season or so. And reintroducing Ravi and giving him some familiar, Buck-like character traits might be their way of moving Ravi into that “star single hot firefighter” role Buck’s been filling for 6 seasons. Not to be Buck round 2, but to hint hint nudge nudge at the audience that he’s gonna step up into a similar role narratively; youngest on the team, still finding his footing in the 118 AND in the world. I think that’s a big reason we got the fire academy setting too, with named characters who had really distinct personalities despite having so little screentime—they need to be ready to sub in some new firefighters if they want this show to run much longer, whether the main cast stays after contract renewals next season or not.

That’s all massive speculation from me, but I just cannot get the idea out of my head that they’re readying themselves for the next phase of 911, and you mentioning Ravi’s characterization being reminiscent of Buck just kinda. Slots right in with that crackpot theory of mine.

#Buck gives ‘lovable dumbass with a passion for Wikipedia’ to me while ravi reads much more #‘logical type a person that has to deal with all this nonsense’ to me #i gotta go back and watch the ravi episodes tho clearly cuz the only things I can think of off hand are #‘I’m not with them’ and the quiet incident #911 fox #911 spec #ask a bean

10 notes · View notes

dustedmagazine · 9 months

Text

Dust Volume Nine, Number Eight

Spiral Joy Band

The music plays on through the end of the most disastrous summer in living memory, with Maui on fire and Arizona broiled beneath a heat dome and Vermont swept away in a 100- maybe 500-year flood. And here’s the kicker: next year will likely be worse. Still by force of habit, we continue on with the daily grind, cooking and mowing lawns and going to shows and listening to records. This month’s haul includes avant-black metal, turntablism, bass-forward jazz, jolting punk and music made in collaboration with our robot overlords. Contributors this time include Jonathan Shaw, Bill Meyer, Jim Marks, Jennifer Kelly, Tim Clarke and Bryon Hayes.

夢遊病者 — Skopophoboexoskelett (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

youtube

In past thinking and writing about this tri-continental, avant-garde, jazz and black metal project (whose name translates to Sleepwalker), your faithful reviewer has made concerted efforts to set aside any references to John Zorn’s Naked City ensemble. This time around, for the project’s Skopophoboexoskelett, such efforts face real challenge holding Naked City tracks like “Saigon Pickup,” “Punk China Doll” or “Razorwire” at any sort of distance. The atmospherics on Sleepwalker’s new LP explode with unpredictable noise, then emanate a patina of Noir-ish style and sleaze, especially the excellent final track “The Bad Luck That Saved You from Worse Luck.” It’s murky like a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, sexy like a stiletto heel dotted with droplets of blood, compelling like those cinematic moments at which Humphrey Bogart (as Philip Marlowe or Glenn Griffin) would grin his mean and tight grin, presaging antic, joyful violence. In spite of that violence, Skopophoboexoskelett may be Sleepwalker’s most listenable record. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how much you enjoyed being subsumed in the volatile chaos of their earlier records.

Jonathan Shaw

Agnel / Lanz / Vatcher — Animals (Klanggalerie)

Animals by AGNEL LANZ VATCHER

While the ability of great improvisers to make music out immediate company, available space, and their own personal resources might amaze a listener, after a while, that might become a bit routine. Perhaps that is why French pianist Sophie Agnel and American-born, Netherlands-based drummer Michael Vatcher have sought out the company of turntablist Joke Lanz, AKA Sudden Infant. Lanz’s aesthetics have grown out of punk, noise and actionism. But, being a man of a certain age, he’s been doing what he does for a long time, too, so his onslaught of well-timed body noises, electronic squiggles and good old-fashioned scratching further confounds by evading being confounding. Construction, destruction, mutual disregard and scrupulous attunement all come into play across this album’s 13 short-for-improv episodes of absurd grace. Never mind breaking this stuff down, the players are already doing that even as they make it up.

Bill Meyer

Vicente Archer Trio — Short Stories (Cellar Music Group)

Short Stories by Vicente Archer

Reviewing a release by the Bruce Barth Trio last year, I mentioned wanting to hear more of double bassist Vicente Archer, and my wishes have been answered. Short Stories, with Gerald Clayton on piano and Bill Stewart on drums, demonstrates Archer’s strengths as a musician and composer. The tunes are generally mid-tempo, mid-length, and with a kind of timeless post-bop feel. Three were written by Archer (“Bye Nashville” deserves to become a standard), two by Stewart, and one each by Clayton, Jeremy Pelt, Nicholas Payton and Pat Metheny.

An advantage of bassist-led piano trios is that the piano is usually not allowed to dominate the sound, and Clayton plays his role just right here, taking the occasional solo, as on the bluesy “Round Comes Round,” but giving the others plenty of space. The set includes a brooding solo piece for bass, “Lighthouse,” a playful duo featuring just Archer and Stewart, “It Takes Two to Know One,” and Stewart sitting out while Clayton and Archer recreate “Message to a Friend” by Metheny and Charlie Haden. Short Stories makes clear why Archer has appeared on 50 or more recordings over the past 25 years and makes the case for him as a band leader.

Jim Marks

BEEF — BEEF (Feel It)

BEEF by BEEF

BEEF jolts hard on the four-four, their songs a continuous up-and-down battery of guitar slashes, bass thunks and relentless, manic drums. There is nothing fancy or florid or even fluid about these songs. They rain down like punches, though there’s undeniable glee in the violence. Maybe it’s because the drummer, Takoda Hortenberry, is the main singer and songwriter that the songs take on such a percussive air. He’s not in it by himself, though. His wife Ally pounds the keyboards with equal force, while guitarist Sam Richardson (who also runs Feel It Records) keeps the riffs super short and super explosive. Whatever the secret, this is punk rock that slaps hard and makes you like it. “I know you want it! BEEF coming,” shouts Hortenberry in the closer, “I Want BEEF,” and the thing is, you do.

Jennifer Kelly

Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses — Rune Kitchen (Balance Point Acoustics)

Rune Kitchen by Jaap Blonk / Damon Smith / Ra Kalam Bob Moses

Titles can tell you things, and in this case, the words on the front clue you to the lack of words in the music. Texts have their place in Jaap Blonk’s concrete poetry, but this session is improvisation most pure. It went down in a town near St. Louis during a transitional moment; bassist Damon Smith was ending one short tour with Blonk, and about to begin another with (now Memphis-based) veteran drummer Ra Kalam Bob Moses. Perhaps inspired by anticipation, Smith and Moses lock right in, playing briskly evolving sound configurations that bristle with forthright gesture and woody texture and even confronting the vocalist with swinging, time-keeping grooves near the end. Derek Bailey once opined that there are players, and then there are artists, and Blonk’s extension of century-deep Dada actions has often seemed to put him in the latter camp. But he also has a skilled improviser’s ability to detect prevailing winds and respond with strategic counter-huffs; in the company of two men playing their asses off, he follows suit. Unburdened by pages, he digs deep into the rudiments, growling like a fever dream of throat singing, muttering strings of phonemes, and uttering proclamations that sound so important, he had to invent a new language to convey them.

Bill Meyer

Cloudland Canyon — S-T (Medical)

Cloudland Canyon (MR-091) by Cloudland Canyon

Cloudland Canyon’s Kip Uhlhorn has long favored the non-organic end of the psychedelic experience, with long, wigged out experiments in synth tone like 2008’s “Krautwerk” from Lie in Light or the squiggly fogs of “pinklight/version” from 2011’s Fin Eaves. For this self-titled album, number four in the Cloudland discography, he engages even more deeply with the machine by tapping AI as a collaborator. The result is blippy, buoyant, denatured dance anthems, like “Internet Dreams” and “Circuit City,” which sound like the mathematical average of 100 other synth popiscles. Still even robots hit the mark occasionally, and “Future Perfect (Bad Decision)” is a woozy, blurred rainbow of psych pop longing, not unlike the work of another recent Uhlhorn collaborator, Sonic Boom.

Jennifer Kelly

Annie Hart — Weight of a Wave (Uninhabitable Mansions)

The Weight of a Wave by Annie Hart

Annie Hart has made four solo albums since her days in Au Revoir Simone, an all-female Brooklyn synth pop trio beloved of David Lynch, but she hasn’t moved too far away. Weight of a Wave floats flickery synth tones over rackety drums, splitting the difference between bedroom pop and strobe lit dance. “Boy You Got Me Good” does the classic girl-group trick of lacing sweet cooing melodies with the bitter taste of arsenic. “Crowded Cloud” rides synthesizer overload like a Pat Benatar anthem, then cuts back to the antsy minimum of drum machine and whispered chants. Yet though the soft-focus, gentle bop sonics haven’t changed much from Hart’s Au Revoir Simone days, time does its work on the mood. “Nothing Makes Me Happy Anymore” layers shadowy doubled vocals over a wheedling Casio riff, as Hart enumerates the people she’s loved in various ways whose phone calls no longer suffice to cheer her up

Jennifer Kelly

Holy Wave — Five of Cups (Suicide Squeeze)

Five of Cups by HOLY WAVE

Austin, Texas quartet Holy Wave have been at it for over a decade now and Five of Cups is their sixth full-length. The band mines a similar seam to Work and Non-Work-eraBroadcast: droning organs, motorik drums heavy on the ride cymbal, spaced-out vocals, jangly guitars. Though there’s nothing inherently off-putting about this 42-minute record, the songs feel listless compared to previous efforts such as Freaks of Nurture. The performances are tight, the production is three-dimensional and the arrangements are woozy and trippy, but it sounds like the last couple of years have knocked the wind out of Holy Wave’s sails. There are some bright moments in the track list, such as the dubby grooves and female vocals of “The Darkest Timeline,” plus late highlight “Nothing in the Dark,” which is a dead ringer for early Tame Impala.

Tim Clarke

Koeosaeme — Beige (Orange Milk)

Beige by koeosaeme

With Beige, sound artist Ryu Yoshizawa throttles down his usual breakneck blipscapes in favor of expressive phrasing and varied tempos. The serial Orange Milk resident allows his compositions to breathe, to hang back and to interject when necessary. His palette remains obviously synthetic: the strings are a touch too sweet, the reeds slightly nasally. Yoshizawa coalesces these inhuman tones into lush dreamscapes, embedded with only the subtlest hint of crackling glitch. He leverages the dynamics of modern classical and musique concrète to achieve a sense of movement and surprise. Coughs, harrumphs and whispers interject at random, but Yoshizawa uses these human elements sparingly. Instead, he relies on the lushness of his (synthetic) instrumentation to set the mood. At times he lets things get a little corny, such as when a Kenny G-like sax periodically slithers into focus, but for the most part Yoshizawa’s futuristic fusion is beguiling. Unlike its neutrally hued namesake, Beige is far from boring.

Bryon Hayes

Molly Ringworm — Despicable (Self-released)

youtube

This Molly Ringworm comes from Austin, TX, and seeks to do for hardcore what Jane Pain has done for black metal (careful with this link). Yikes. Despicable’ssongs land somewhere between energizing provocation and snotty gross-out, with the occasional nods to street punk and sludge. There’s another punky Molly Ringworm — an indie-twee outfit from Jersey whose music is more compatible with the 1980s cinema of John Hughes, with which actress Molly Ringwald will forever be associated. I prefer this band, with their snarling, trashy anti-aesthetic and their nasty sonic sensibility (which may put you in the mind of Ringwald’s work in Cindy Sherman’s Office Killer). So goes culture. I had a high school girlfriend in the mid-1980s who looked a lot like the actress, and she (the girlfriend) would spit with all the imperiousness and venom that only a 17 year old can summon, “Oh great, another movie with Molly Ring-worm.” Sorry, folks — doesn’t matter to me if you’re filthy, fractious Texas guttersnipes or ironical white kids from New Jersey. Susie E. from Berks County, PA, gets dibs on the name “Molly Ringworm,” now and forever.

Jonathan Shaw

Matt Robidoux — Music For Aluminum Corn (Crash Symbols)

music for aluminum corn by matt robidoux

Mills College may be shuttered, but its students carry on. Matt Robidoux combines symbolic and social action with accessible invention on Music For Aluminum Corn. The title derives from an instrument that the Mills graduate devised in homage to an early Buchla synthesizer that was kept at Mills. Essentially, they wired up an aluminum casting of two corn cobs to make a touch and movement-activated electronic instrument, and then called upon their fellow graduates to help him take it for a drive. A string quartet, a reed ensemble and the other instruments in Robidoux’s studio round out the sound palette, which is applied to a series of themes which, depending on their arrangement, sound like 1970s TV show themes, syndrum exotica and texture-oriented investigations. Robidoux’s electronic instrument proves more versatile than its novelty packaging might success, and the assembled crew play with a commitment to the endeavor that signals this heartening piece of news; while Mills College isn’t around anymore, the artistic community it fostered caries on.

Bill Meyer

Spiral Joy Band — Elvehjem (Feeding Tube)

Elvehjem by Spiral Joy Band

Without Saturn, you got no rings, right? It’s easy to see Spiral Joy Band as a similarly orbital entity, forever existing in relation to its parent band, Pelt. But, just as all those hunks of space rock would feel equally substantial if your rocket ship hit them whilst circling a planet or floating on their own through the galaxy, Spiral Joy Band has demonstrated on the recent archival recordings culled from its Wisconsin sojourn in the early 2010s, it has been its own thing, and that thing is pretty solid. Elvehjem is another album-length excerpt from Patrick Best, Mikel Dimmick and Troy Schafer’s trove of basement jams, and on this one, they assert an identity separate from Pelt. Sure, there’s plenty of long bell and gong tones, but there’s also some guitar and amp activity that’ll singe your whiskers with sheer crackle action.

Bill Meyer

Heleen Van Haegenborgh — Squaring The Circle (El Negocito)

Squaring the Circle by Heleen Van Haegenborgh

Sometimes, awareness of an artist’s inspiration will help you grasp their work. With Squaring The Circle, that’ll only get you so far. Squaring The Circle is Belgian composer Heleen Van Haegenborgh’s response to Johan De Widle’s Pi — Fugue pour les survivants, a graphic piece representing the number pi which is extended each year by its maker. While the mathematic foundation of this CD-length piece’s contents are hard to discern, their sounds just might give you a glimpse into the infinite. Performed by the composer and GAME, a percussion quartet, it combines the reverberant tones of drums, vibraphones, bells and other strikable metal objects with close-up, voltage-derived zaps. Even coming out of a home hi-fi, it creates a sense of ever-expanding space.

Bill Meyer

2 notes · View notes