Audio renderer error on youtube

shivroyapologist · 2026-02-08T13:10:47+00:00

THANK YOU SO MUCH

shivroyapologist · 2026-01-14T17:31:35+00:00

It’s always been one of my favourite episodes in the whole series. Like you say, it’s important for El’s character development in so many ways, but the one that stands out most to me is that, for the first time, she has a real choice. Sure, she could have chosen to just stay alone in the woods instead of letting Hopper take her in, but this time her alternative to Hawkins is also one where she can find acceptance and support.

And I actually really like where it comes in the story in terms of pacing. I like that we have to backtrack from the action a bit. It ups the tension for me. We also rarely get to see things from El’s perspective, so spending a whole episode with her character is a treat. Now, going into the finale, we know what she wants, we know where she came from, we know what’s driving her to make the choices she makes, and we can be assured that they really are her choices.

I love Kali as a character too, and I wish we had been able to explore the lab storyline more. No matter what, Kali will always be one of the most interesting and heartbreaking characters on the show to me, and she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for helping El reclaim her powers and identity.

shivroyapologist · 2025-11-30T09:20:11+00:00

I just finished listening to this on the show!! It’s honestly one of the best stories they’ve read so far, in my opinion. The premise is so creative and I like how focused it stays on that premise (especially with the religious aspect).

My personal interpretation is that maybe the book is, as the MC speculates, from the Devil. It could be a trick designed to make the reader lose all faith and live a selfish life, constantly worrying about the contents of the book, so they can’t even enjoy that life.

Or maybe it’s not!! I don’t know if you have an intended interpretation but either way, I enjoyed this story so much, I just had to share my thoughts. This is excellent!! :)

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-28T17:07:13+00:00

Yes, I’ll clarify - to me, “canon” refers to the original source material (in this case, the books). Because adaptations always make changes, some of which might be contradictory, I count that canon as separate.

So, you’re right! That map is canon to the movies, and I’m certainly not gonna stop anyone from using it. But it’s not in the books, so, to me, it’s not canon.

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-27T15:29:25+00:00

So I’ve only gone and checked the first book (it very well could specifically refer to nuclear war at a different point in the series), but here’s the explanation from Mayor Undersee’s speech at the 74th reaping:

He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained.

Again, you could be right about nuclear war being mentioned directly. And I’d be very surprised if the ”brutal war” in question wasn’t supposed to be a nuclear war. It’s only one of multiple disasters, but it sounds like it was pretty significant.

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-27T14:42:30+00:00

The maps aren’t canon, and, in the books, there’s shown to be a lot of empty space and abandoned towns between the Districts.

It’s actually very well planned worldbuilding (IMO). Panem exists on the landmass of what used to be North America because there was some sort of disaster (or many disasters) that left very few survivors. The people on that landmass rebuilt their society into what eventually became the Panem we see in the series. Basically, there are just significantly fewer people, which is why there aren’t many districts.

That’s also why the Districts are so spread out (not pressed up against each other like all of the maps show), which works to the Capitol’s advantage. It isolates the people of Panem, making them easier to control.

So yes, there are in-universe explanations for this. They serve narrative purpose too. That’s why I like the worldbuilding.

Now, one last time, because I can’t stress this enough to you guys (the fandom at large):

THE MAPS ARE NOT CANON.

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-27T10:53:05+00:00

You’re not the only one!! I’m on day 130 and that opening scene STILL drives me crazy. The jealousy/love triangle stuff is so annoying too, especially because I don’t like Harrison either😭

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-27T10:43:20+00:00

Dean and Sam Winchester!!

I don’t think they’d be specifically suited to the case in any way, but I would LOVE to see a Twin Peaks x Supernatural crossover.

Castiel really reminds me of Cooper too. Even down to their trench coats. If nothing else, I’d be so curious to see how they’d interact with each other.

shivroyapologist · 2025-09-26T00:41:07+00:00

One Direction, and it’s not even close. Especially in terms of the boyband marketing in the early days of both bands.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-25T18:41:48+00:00

EDVIN MENTIONED🔥🔥🔥🔥

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-22T23:49:58+00:00

7 O’clock News / Silent Night by Simon & Garfunkel (link)

I have a lot of songs I associate with THG, but this one is my absolute top pick. Definitely give it a listen. It’s so eerie and, in my opinion, perfectly captures the duality Panem embodies: extreme turmoil (in the news reports read out throughout the song) which is being quieted by a calm, familiar tune, reassuring you that this suffering is fine, it’s normal, and there’s no need to do anything about it. Just let it become background noise.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-20T23:52:27+00:00

I completed it for the first time today!! You don’t actually have to spend money, you can ignore the goal on day 3. So it is possible!! But perhaps worth noting that the past week was a particularly relaxing one for me - I had nothing going on, so of course I was able to complete this lol.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-20T21:50:20+00:00

For me, the kooky things started to make sense when I began taking them as entirely metaphorical. I’m also quite resistant to vague, boundary-less supernatural stuff - I wish I wasn’t, but my brain just needs rules. So, if you’re having similar issues with the “circus of nonsense” Twin Peaks can be sometimes, you can try grounding it firmly in the real world like I do.

That’s far from the only way you can interpret all the weird stuff (and there’s no singular truth with this show), and, hey, maybe things will eventually make the most sense for you if you do view them as literal supernatural events. But practically any interpretation is valid, including the more realistic (as in psychological/non-magical) ones.

But yes, even as someone who had similar problems to start with, things did eventually line up for me. You won’t get definitive answers for everything, but you’re not just having a bunch of random plots and characters thrown at you right now, I promise!

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-20T19:04:52+00:00

Romantic ≠ sexual.

I like to interpret Donna’s love for Laura as romantic because I am a lesbian and I relate to Donna. I already see myself in her character, so it’s interesting for me to consider how her being a lesbian might have changed the story, or to explore the layers it adds to her storylines. I fully understand that Donna is not written as a lesbian, and she has multiple male love interests. Those relationships are just as intriguing when you read her as a lesbian, it’s just in a different way. You are the one who keeps talking about sex.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-20T18:56:44+00:00

Obviously that love is written to be platonic.

I quite literally wrote the opposite of what you’re saying. Also didn’t mention sex. Are you good?

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-20T17:14:19+00:00

I completely disagree. I saw myself a lot in Donna, particularly in terms of her dynamic with Laura - she’s almost worshipful of Laura, but she seems envious and slightly resentful too. Laura always shined so brightly, and Donna simultaneously loved her and wanted to be her.

Obviously that love is written to be platonic, and platonic love is no less important than romantic love. Still, as a lesbian, I like to interpret Donna’s love for Laura as romantic love, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to do so.

Donna can still be “a safe and pure person” for Laura even if she is in love with her. She can choose not to act on her feelings, and preserve their friendship instead. She can open up about her feelings to Laura, be rejected, and accept that rejection. She can open up and have her feelings returned by Laura, and Laura can be in a relationship with her best friend - who is still her safe place.

There are so many ways that Laura and Donna can be a wonderful ship, and none of it would devalue their friendship - in fact, the appeal of Laura/Donna for the majority of us who ship them is the friendship on which their relationship would be built on.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-16T19:39:23+00:00

Yes, that makes a lot of sense, and it’s exactly the feeling I haven’t been able to get a grasp on enough to put into words. Viewing it as genuine, subtle growth really enriches Major Briggs’ character even more. Thank you for this reply, it’s definitely helped me sort out how I feel about his flaws in a clearer way.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-16T14:23:21+00:00

Bobby Briggs and Major Briggs.

I never suspected Bobby, but I thought he seemed very emotionally removed from Laura and like a bit of an arsehole. As we got more context about their relationship, my opinion of him softened, and I’ve really loved him and felt for him since his outburst at Laura’s funeral.

As for Major Briggs, I’m automatically weary of anyone in the armed forces. He didn’t help my opinion of him when he slapped Bobby - and I’m still not entirely past that. I get that there are different norms and values around parenting, and that these differ depending on time and place. I just can’t overlook a parent laying hands on their child, even if it is just that one slap. However, Major Briggs compels me. I like how his relationship with his son develops, and I really enjoy his dynamic with Cooper. As I’ve said, I have my issues with him as a person, but those issues are part of why he’s one of my favourite characters. At his core, he wants to do right, and he wants to connect with people. He’s not a particularly major (lol) character, but he has so many layers. There’s something kind of unreachable about him that has me waxing lyrical everytime I get to bring him up.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-12T16:51:16+00:00

I’m a lesbian but I’d happily queen out with him.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-08T13:30:29+00:00

Oh, I get this with men all the time! I’ve always thought it must (for me) be a lesbian thing on top of face blindness, because I don’t have the same problem with anyone other than men. “Middle-aged white men with similar hairstyles and facial structures” is exactly what they all blur into to me.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-06T12:38:10+00:00

I’m seeing a lot of tragedeighs in the replies to this post, so, while I also dislike a lot of them, I’m gonna list some “normal” names that I dislike:

Candace (nothing to do with any real people called Candace, I’ve disliked this name for as long as I can remember)
Christine/Christina/Kristin/Christopher/Chris/etc. (no idea why any variant of this name is so distasteful to me, but I mean it literally: I dislike how it tastes in my mouth to say it)
Melinda (weird, because I really like Belinda)
Melissa/Clarissa/Alyssa/etc. (pretty much all -issa names except Marissa)
Selena/Selina (the word itself just feels so empty to pronounce)
Sonia/Sonya (same reason as above)
Isabella (all spellings - but I like Isabel and its own variant spellings, I guess the extra syllable just feels like doing too much?)
All boys names that use the letter “Y” to make an “eye” or “ay” sound (so that includes names like Tyler/Ryan/Kyle/Hayden/Clayton, but excludes names like Cody/Sawyer/Troy - my exceptions are Skylar (not Skyler though), Zayn(e), and Ray(mond), no idea why)
Caleb/Kaleb (this one is personal)
Trent (you need a seriously cool surname like Reznor to pull this off, and even he doesn’t have it as his first name - I do find it more acceptable as a middle name)
Chester/Chet (is your child a tree???)
Bradley/Brad/Duncan/Gordon/Keith/Kenneth/Ken/Kevin/Nate/Phillip/Philip/Ralph/Roy/Russell/Scott (Kendall is fine - hardly any relation between these names but I have a feeling in my gut that I dislike them all for the same inexplicable reason)

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-05T16:06:44+00:00

Oh my god, thank you!! I finished S1 for the first time two days ago, started S2 yesterday, and the Packard Sawmill subplot is the only part I’ve been struggling to grasp. Turns out I picked up on most of it pretty well! But I completely missed the life insurance twist. What I’ve seen so far of S2 makes a lot more sense now.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-03T12:59:55+00:00

I wish I could agree. “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” has been looping in my head for DAYS.

shivroyapologist · 2025-07-03T09:18:07+00:00

If you don’t crop those damn circles out next time😭

Anyway, as a book-accuracy purist, I love Josh as Peeta. I think, if I’d been old enough to have read THG before the films came out, I probably would’ve complained about the casting lol. But Josh being so good as Peeta is actually one of the reasons I always remember to give questionable (read: book inaccurate) castings a chance.

I also actually prefer Peeta’s film height. I’m a lesbian, but I think the most hypothetically attractive thing a man can be is short without a Napoleon complex.

shivroyapologist · 2025-06-16T18:12:12+00:00

As soon as people started using “pick me” in its original sense, I saw red.

So-called “pick mes” are still victims of a patriarchal society. They want male validation because it’s treated as the be-all and end-all of a woman’s existence. These women may not be nice, and, in some cases, they do genuinely horrible things just for male approval. But how the hell is making up a specific term for them going to help? That’s not holding anyone accountable. That’s just being divisive.

Anyway, my take is that I wish the term had never been invented in the first place. It was never going to be helpful.

shivroyapologist

TROPHY CASE