In The Long Game, Shane has a thing for public sex, but only conceptually. He likes the idea and fantasy of it. He wouldn't actually do it.
Which, honestly, is good for Ilya, imo. Because let's be honest, he'd seethe with jealousy if anyone but him saw Shane the way he did. The way Shane goes all pliant and soft? Only for Ilya. The way his eyes go hazy with pleasure? Only for Ilya. The way he begs for Ilya to go harder and faster, with a "please" thrown in? Only for Ilya. The way he completely trusts Ilya and gives him power for this moment? Only for Ilya Rozanov, and he will not be sharing.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
My headcanon for when Shane and Ilya legitimately have an argument is that they make up very quickly. They just need a few hours or days to cool off and process their feelings.
As frustrating as they are in The Long Game, I appreciated that they made up before the big airplane scare. I don't mind the whole airplane scene and it's role in the story, but I liked that it wasn't made overly dramatic as a way to force the two to make up because they already did.
Besides being able to get drunk, I bet Kara also goes to planets with red suns to feel normal. On Earth, she has these powers she 's unfamiliar with, when her whole life she was just a normal person, so going to red sun planets is the closest she can be to feeling that again.
I'm a fan of fanfics where everyone (hockey players and non-hockey players alike, men and women) thinks Shane is hot and try to hit on him or blatantly state how they want to, while Ilya just goes through a constant cycle of torment.
"Ah, too bad Shane and Rose didn't work out, but that just means I still have a shot!"
Ilya's thoughts: You have no shot in hell! He is mine. We knew each other since before rookie season. Your shots are nonexistent!
"I know, right? We have photographic proof now that he'd be an amazing partner. Carrying your bags. Opening the door for you. So polite, so kind."
Ilya's thoughts: Of course he's amazing. He's perfect. He would rather rip his arm off than hurt someone. He always has Coke in the fridge just because I like it even though he never drinks it.
"And good looking, too. Can't forget that."
Ilya's thoughts: He is beautiful, especially his freckles. But don't look too long at them! They are mine to look at. And you will never see him with glasses on. It is not for you to see.
One time at All-Stars, a player with way too much confidence tries to buy Shane a drink, but he politely declines.
Ilya's thoughts: You have no chance, and if you really cared about Shane, you would offer to buy him a ginger ale.
Some days at practice, either the Raiders or the Centaurs, depending on the timeline, wonder why their captain is a little more aggressive on the ice than usual.
I liked it. I thought the pacing lagged a bit in the middle (granted, I thought the same of Superman), but otherwise enjoyed it.
Spoilers
Pros
Kara's flashbacks to Krypton/Argo made me cry. What do you mean, she wanted to be buried with her parents instead of being sent away? Yeah, I totally get her wanting to just be drunk all the time and not feel anything. That actually sounds like a great plan. Nothing more relatable.
I liked Kara and Ruthye's banter. And you know, if I came across a 13-year old full of self-righteousness (no matter how justified), I'd act more like Kara in that moment.
I loved the scene with Ruthye at the end with Kara fighting the bad guys and it looks like a tornado of dust, lasers, and flying machinery and The Middle by Kelty Greye and KidMotel playing in the background. Oddly peaceful.
I appreciated that Lobo didn't overstay his welcome. He's there when he's needed, and leaves when he's not.
I feel like Ruthye took a bit of what she learned from Kara in order to get out of the jail cell. Kara might have an instinct to punch, but she also does pretty well talking her way through things as a means of stalling until she has a plan.
I'm impressed with how much of space they managed to put in this movie (buses, planets, rest stops, bars, etc.), seeing as Kara spends only a few minutes on Earth.
I will 100% back up that Kara should kill Krem, so she doesn't make the actual child have to live with it and so she does not allow him to continue hurting others. Besides, with the survivor's guilt I'm sure she feels from Krypton/Argo, any guilt about Krem is gonna be pretty low on the list.
I'm gonna need to know what Kara and Ruthye got up to before Kara returned to Earth. They managed well enough when they used different tactics to deal with obstacles (Ruthye wanting to fight the space pirates and Kara wanting to do something slightly more tactical), so I can't even imagine the shenanigans they could pull off when actually working together.
Damn. Lex really dodged a Kara-sized bullet in Superman.
Cons
Did Bomar, Mareck, and Sarna have to die, though? I liked them.
I think we could have used a little less of Krem on the screen and his dialogues, only because I think it could be used more to develop Kara and her life on Krypton/Argo. I would have liked to see Kara have friends she lost or try to help the people around her to really emphasize the feelings of hopelessness and despair, and maybe survivor's guilt afterwards.
I wish we got a bit more of Kara's actual fighting here and there. For example, in the bar on Bilquis, most of the focus is of Rutheye in the foreground with the fighting blurry in the background. I appreciated the comedy of the scene, but I'm all for seeing Kara bash some heads.
Overall, it's a solid movie and a great story, and I really want to see Kara and Clark team up on Earth, because i know it's gonna be a learning curb for them both.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I like how, when you watch Superman and Supergirl back to back, they emphasize how much Clark and Kara complement one another and how they go through their individual journeys.
Clark's bio parents basically said, take over the world and repopulate the Kryptonian people, while Kara's parents just told her to be good, not even nice, but be kind.
If Kara had been given Jor-El and Lora Lar-Van's, she maybe would have had slightly more motivation to do it (definitely the conquering part), while Clark would have been totally onboard with Zor-El and Alura's message.
But they each have to come to their own conclusions of who they want to be and what they want to do, and I think each of their respective movies handle it well.
Which really makes me wonder what kind of relationship Jor-El and Zor-El had with each other if their respective messages to their children were so vastly different. Comic readers, don't come at me, there's too many to keep track of, okay?
I was rewatching the Vegas 2014 bedroom scene, specifically the "I need you" moment, and was impressed my the amount of self control Ilya had because that man was fucked. It's shocking that the tuna melt scene didn't come earlier.
He's spent the last 6 months focusing on hockey, trying to redeem himself from the Sochi Olympics. Trying to prove himself to his father that he's not lazy. Another 6 months of being harassed by Alexei (especially after winning the cup, I imagine).
And here's Shane. Shane who gently and tenderly kissed him on the forehead after having what was probably the most amazing sex Ilya ever had. Telling him that he needs him. Not Ilya Rozanov the Stanley Cup winner. Because with that look in his eyes? It's only Ilya that he wants.
I know in the show, they couldn't manage Shane's sex condo, so they just have Shane's Montreal apartment. And while I think rationally a sex apartment is more in character with Shane, the possibilities of Shane and Ilya hooking up in his Montreal apartment are juicy.
After they become exclusive and the first time they go to Shane's apartment, they're kissing and making their way to the bed when suddenly Ilya stops.
Shane: What's wrong? Are you okay?
Ilya: Did you bring Rose Landry up here?
Shane: I mean, yeah, it's my apartment.
Ilya: We cannot have sex here. You have to replace the bed.
Shane: Are you serious? Ilya, it's fine. I washed the sheets and everything. Also, it's been months.
Ilya: It doesn't matter. You must replace it. Burn the mattress. Maybe the sheets, too.
Shane: Fine. If I have to replace the bed, you have to replace yours in Boston. I'm sure you had sex plenty of times on it with a bunch of women.
Ilya: Eh, no, just Svetlana.
Shane, thinking to himself, Ah, yes, the Svetlana he suggested he marry for a passport: Oh, sure, that makes it better. Are you really not gonna fuck me on the bed because Rose was here?
Ilya: No, I will not.
Shane: And where were we going to sleep afterwards?
Ilya, shrugs: We can fit on the sofa. Or on the floor. I'm sure you have plenty of spare sheets, since you don't like them dirty.
Shane, rolling his eyes: You're such an asshole.
But they do have sex on the sofa, and later sleep on it. Just as well, it gives them an excuse to cuddle close together after being apart for too long.
Later, they do end up replacing both of their beds, because they can't stand the idea of the other sharing it anyone else but them.
Just finished ATLA Live Action and needed to get my thoughts out. It was better than season 1 but still kind of just okay.
I liked some of the changes they made and didn't like others.
Here are the things generally holding it back:
It takes itself too seriously, when in the animation, there were a lot of moments of levity and comedy. There's a few scenes that genuinely feel like ATLA, but there's not many of them.
It makes sense to change things, but I think trying to cram 20 episodes into 8 hours - and in this case 18 episodes in 7 hours - makes the pacing wonky.
I can tell that all of these actors are trying their hardest, but the script and direction isn't quite there. Sometimes a word is repeated in the same five seconds, and it doesn't sound like a word the other character would use when they have a dialogue. Or there's a second or two long of a pause between two characters speaking.
Adding on to the previous bullet point, it feels like they take too long to say a thing, when the dialogue could be more efficient and the editing could be faster. This is probably a symptom of it being on Netflix, which insists that all of it's shows be dumbed down for an audience on its phone.
Things I Liked:
The costumes. I always like seeing the way they interpret the animation into live action, with the detail in the clothing. My dream is to be able to cosplay some of these, but I definitely don't have the skills yet.
The sets. I liked Wan Shi Tong's library, just the shelves and the way they displayed scrolls, books, and artifacts.
The bending fights. Those are pretty good, imo. Probably not perfect, but I don't mind. I'm still traumatized by The Last Airbender 2010 where it took them forever to do something, so I take the win.
Now, if I wanted to get into spoilers, I would require three months of in-depth analysis, a giant wall, and red string to ensure I covered everything. Maybe I'll get there, but for now I'll process.
We all know Shane and Ilya are terrible communicators - books and movies included - but they're also competitive as hell. So what if they challenged each other to be better communicators?
Granted, I'm not sure how this would work. Both of them have so many internal conflicts and obstacles that prevent them from always being truthful with each other, let alone themselves. If given the choice, they'd rather do bag skates. But they love each other, and if communicating ensures they stay together, they'll do it.
Maybe it would start off small. They're both on the Centaurs. Shane says he doesn't like clubbing because of the noise and general dislike of alcohol, but he doesn't want to keep Ilya from having a good time. Ilya says he doesn't want Shane to be in a place he doesn't want, though he does like his company. So they decide Shane will just leave early after an hour of clubbing. There. Easy. We're so good at this.
When they move in together, Ilya finds the infamous Canadian Olympic flannel, and tells Shane he is sorry for the way he acted in Sochi, explaining the pressure he was under from his father and fearing for Shane's own safety. They fuck about it, of course. But hey, look at that! Freely given feelings. Double points for me, Shane! I opened up about my past and my feelings.
Once Shane is more comfortable with the Centaurs, he starts audibly comparing them to the Metros. "Yeah, if I missed an easy pass like that, Theriault would just shout at me for fifteen minutes," or "After I came out, the other guys gradually stopped inviting me to join them after games. I guess it's fine. I don't like clubs, anyway." Shane doesn't necessarily realize there's really anything wrong with what's he's saying, but he figures sharing with Ilya about his time on his old team counts as communication, so points for him. Ilya, on the other hand, is seething, and the next time they play the Metros, his checks are just a little harder than normal.
After a lot of therapy with Galina, Ilya is able to notice signs when his depression starts to act up. So - with great courage on his part and telling himself that he will earn triple the points - he finally tells Shane when he starts to feel like his limbs are made of lead and that he can't go out tonight. Shane is on it. Shoves Ilya onto the couch with a blanket and Anya, orders his favorite takeout, and puts on the Fast and Furious (he's thankful that there's so many to choose from). They eat and cuddle and Shane asks Ilya for the hundredth time, "Who are the good guys chasing again?" Ilya tries not to cry at the gesture, but a few tears slip out anyway. Shane just holds him tighter.
Ultimately, no one ever wins - because, you know, you don't win communication - but they do admire the tally of points each of them racks up and want to see how high they can get.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
we all know ilya loves trash tv, fashion, gossip, and pop culture. somewhere along the line, he ends up bored one night, and stumbles across a documentary about Princess Diana. big mistake
needless to say, ilya watches this story of a kind, beautiful, loving young blond woman whose rich and powerful husband abuses and resents her. she struggles with mental illness, and dies young, leaving behind two teenage sons. the youngest son becomes an exile from his home country, in large part because of who they chose to love. shane finds ilya crying so hard he throws up
Okay, in addition to Brokeback Mountain, what other movie/TV shows/media should Shane and especially Ilya NOT watch? What media will have them crying at 2AM on a weekday?
Nimona on Netflix
"It's an fun animated adventure story, and there's a gay couple in it!"
Ilya breaks down at sweet Nimona willing to end her life, and what do you mean the gay couple - one of which is a handsome Asian man, the golden boy of his world - is going through a rough patch?
Heartstopper on Netflix
"It's a laid back coming of age story about queer youth in England!"
Ilya gets flashbacks about his family when he sees Nick's distant father and his bully of a brother. Shane also gets triggered at Charlie's past with bullying and eating disorder.
Our Flag Means Death
"It's gay pirates!"
Ilya breaks down at Blackbeard's childhood flashbacks of his terrible childhood and killing his father.
The next time someone suggests a movie night, Shane glares daggers at them and says, "Learn to use the Internet first, and then we can watch it."
Obviously baby Shane was obsessed with hockey, but did he ever sit down and watch public children's TV? Specifically the reviled... Caillou?
He at least knows about it, and when he babysits Hayden's kids, he manages to watch a few episodes with the twins, and then quickly changes it to something else, not vibing with the brattiness of the main character. Don't worry, the twins are too young to really understand and just want to color.
Fast forward to present day when Shane and Ilya are together, and the kids want to watch something on YouTube. Ilya searches for something to watch and then asks, "What is - Call-owe?"
"What?"
He points at the screen.
"Oh, yeah," Shane says. "Caillou. Anything but that."
"What is Kai - you?" Ilya asks.
"A cartoon about a kid in his every day life. But he's a total brat."
"Like you?" Ilya teases.
He rolls his eyes. "Ha, ha. Seriously, just choose something else."
Shane goes off to chill with Arthur and his books on dinosaurs, and Ilya gets the mischievous idea to check out this Caillou with the twins and baby Amber. It can't be that bad, right? Shane is just overreacting.
After the three episodes, Ilya is appalled. He was just hoping for some mischief, but this kid is a total whiner. He would never last a day in Russia. And his parents - why were they even there? They did nothing to make things better. Also, why did everyone have hair but the main characters? Why does the younger sister have hair but not the older brother?
He changes the show, but not before telling the twins and baby Amber, "Girls, whatever you do in life, you must not be like this bad child. He is a horrible role model. There are better ways to be fun. We're watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It has real life lessons."
I was rewatching One Piece live action and finally realized that the street singer in 2x01 was singing "My Sails Are Set" in what is presumably Italian. Man, I love the details of this show!
Look, I know I'm years late to the game, but I had a thought... what's the Ancenstral Plane like for Shuri's family? They're definitely on the same plane of existence, but are they in the same vicinity?
'Cause T'Challa had some hang ups at the end with his father. Killmonger had a whole movie about his motivations, what with trying to take the throne of Wakanda for himself, not to mention the resentment at T'Chaka for doing nothing to help N'Jobu. And what about the tension between T'Chaka and N'Jobu?
Are they at each other's throats all the time? Does the Ancestral Plane come with family therapy? Or does everyone just have their own section they can go chill in? Is Ramonda just off on her own with a glass of wine and opera glasses, watching the newest Days of Our Lives: Wakandan Royalty Edition?
I thought it was a solid show. It maybe could have used a bit of polishing in the writing here and there, but it stands on its own.
Disclaimer: I have not read the books, but I have the power of the Internet, which tells me what the books were like.
Spoilers below
Things I liked:
Hannah being the one to make a big, grand romantic gesture (singing over the speaker system in the rink). It's usually the guy doing it, but this time, it's the girl. And it still feels intimate and less weird because they're alone - there's no one else but them.
Garrett not inciting a hands off ban (Through the power of the Internet, I'm aware of this plot point). It's a nod to the books but interpreted through our modern lens while also bringing humor to the situation. Because of course a bunch of dumb hockey players would start gossipping and get things misinterpreted along the way.
The editing. It's been a while since I saw some fun editing, namely the split screens that parallel Hannah and Garrett's individual moments.
Drunk Shakespeare. That is all.
The practice bench scene where Garrett admits he likes Hannah
Kendall got her closure and a decent apology from Garrett.
The openness of male characters talking about their feelings. Yeah, I know the bar is in hell, but it's still nice to have this sort of dialogue in romances out there. It speaks to our current desires in what we want to see in media.
Same goes for the consent talks. The bar is low in real life, but having these discussions in fiction help us take the steps to emulate them in real life. I'll take what I can get.
How Justin wasn't a total douchebag or anything. He was maybe a little up his own ass at times and could learn to be more considerate (see the first scene with him and Hannah), but he was a decent person who liked music.
How the feelings of jealousy never got out of hand. I don't think Justin ever exhibits jealousy - there's a scene of him, Hannah, and Garrett sitting at a lunch table at one point, and no one's being weird. Kendall never lets her desire to be Garrett's girlfriend go into soap opera territory. She even gives Hannah advice during her first hockey game. No one tries to sabotage the other person because of romantic jealousy, and it's so refreshing. They just sit and work through their feelings.
Things I was not crazy about:
Why is the Black gay dude just the best friend? I thought we were moving past this trope :(
Representation in general. I watched Full of Lit's video on Off Campus, and she pretty much sums up everything about representation, so, "what she said."
The gratuitous sex scenes at times and the shoving of women's boobs at the camera. Again, see Full of Lit's video.
The distinction between Garrett and Justin's answers to the "What's your favorite song?" question. I think both answers are valid. You should be allowed to appreciate a piece of music for the feeling it evokes and also its composition, because many times it's the composition of the song that helps evoke those emotions.
Neutral things:
The costumes were sufficient for the storytelling and characters. For instance, Hannah's clothing always looked nice, but it didn't look like she was shopping at designer brands.
Also, did I miss a fashion trend? Why are so many people wearing corseted tops? Dexter, Allie, Hannah (wearing Allie's clothes), Kendall, and even a side character at the Halloween party wear one. I know they exist, but I haven't seen this many in a TV series before that wasn't a period piece or historical fiction.
Overall, it reminds me a bit of The Summer I Turned Pretty - a modern romance that was written awhile ago updated to fit our current sensibilities. There's a sense of restraint in dealing with the typical romance tropes, and characters get their time to shine.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I'm feeling nostalgic. I kind of understand why The Selection TV series - or anything - have failed to come to fruition.
First, I think there's a huge issue in deciding the tone of the adaptation. Is it romance focused? Is it a "dystopian"? Are we really going to dive deep into the world? Should we focus in on the politics of the world? I'm sure it's possible to balance a romance and dystopian, but I've yet to see it done well.
Second, the general aesthetic. It has the gist of medieval structures and society (monarchy, strict class system), but they still have plumbing and electricity, heck, they have celebrities and TV - just not computers or cell phones. So should the aesthetic be inspired from medieval times?
Most of the emphasis is on palace life, anyway, as a sort of wish fulfillment where the characters are surrounded by luxury and wear ballgowns, etc.
I think if these two questions could be decided, it would help set the foundation for the characters and their journeys and what approach to take.
If it's just romance, America's decision would be romance-based. If it's more than that, she'd be motivated by more than just romance.
I will never understand why people don't praise healthy character flaws. Without them there's no character growth, they become boring and cookie cutter.
It's okay for a character to mess up and be selfish at times. It's healthy. It's the kind of human messiness we need more of in media. Characters recognizing their mistakes and growing from it is part of all the best stories.
It's okay that Ilya is selfish at times. It's okay that Shane is too.
And please don't erase all of the hard work that went into making Ilya a Russian character instead of a character with a Russian accent by ignoring his realities when it makess Shane look a bit bad.
Don't ignore the subtle choices that were made to make Shane autistic and then blame any "flaws" on his autism. Let my boy be flawed and autistic. Do ignore when Ilya crosses a line and Shane doesn't know how to appropriately handle it.
Don't ignore that not disagreeing with something the other characters says/does/plans doesn't mean they fully agree.
I am begging you, don't rip the complexity the show adds to the characters just because it changes the narrative from the book.
Hell, doing that is why we're all currently mad at RR. Let them be flawed and damaged. Let them grow and heal together.
And for the love of all that's holy it's okay if the first plan a character makes isn't the best.
Ilya: I am more than happy to explain exactly what I want from you sexually in the most direct manner possible.
Shane: Cool. Can you do that with everything else, too (like feelings, your family, your living situation, etc)?
Ilya: What? No. What are feelings? I am very obviously fine. Everything is fine. (But are you picking up the hints I’m dropping with extreme subtlety because talking about anything else is agony?)
Shane’s autism hard at work: No, I’m not picking up any hints because you said everything is fine.
Shane: I guess… And you’re sure -? (And he only asks this because he knows Ilya well enough that something seems a bit off)
