#|| also me: *gets extremely frustrated by the execution and how the plot was pretty much non existent until 15 episodes in*

[quantumripple]

Figured it might be neat to give post-mortems of fics I’ve written (in no particular order)

Gonna call this Quantum’s Post-Moretem Mondays even though I’m almost certain I’m never going to post this again on a Monday (work was just suuuuper slow)

So to start off we’ve got Pen Pals: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51609454

Premise: in early 2010 Taylor and Sveta become pen pals (hence the name).

Very much the definition of a rarepair since there’s only one other Taylor/Sveta fic that I’m aware of and it’s not even tagged.

And honestly hot take: the reason it’s a rarepair is that it lowkey just does not work as a ship. Taylor and Sveta are just not compatible, Taylor is far too… her. Sveta deserves better honestly.

What I like about the fic:

The bits of humour always blindside me when I do a reread. This one definitely leans on the sort of online humour you sometimes get with lesbians. Particularly the meme of two girls commiserating you each other that they “wish they could get a gf frfr”

I also just stole some funny bits from worm and adapted them but idk if I should count those bc they were just yoinked from worm.

I’m pretty proud of the background plot that’s happening in the fic. It’s pretty fun to explore those through only the lens of texts between two people. Things diverge a little bit and we end up with Echidna happening early, but the fight goes a lot differently. Ends up being a much longer fight/conflict but upside is case 53 stuff didn’t get leaked. Taylor eventually ended it by tag-teaming with a few heroes, getting the right power combo. S9 shows up after and a while after they’re there Amy takes Victoria. Taylor, thinking the s9 did it went on the warpath, she broke into the prt hq and stole the Bakuda bombs which she used to take out a few members before she found Amy and Victoria, made Amy fix her, then just fully executed her.

What I don’t like:

Taylor is extremely out of character. She’s too like… it’s hard to explain but she’s too cutesy, or dorky in a way that doesn’t really fit with how she is in canon. Triple especially anytime they’re discussing feelings. Honestly the only parts of her that feels in character is latter on in the fic when it starts getting into the broader hero plot stuff.

Sveta is also pretty ooc but not quite as bad as Taylor. She’s a hard character to write because while yea she’s got a lot going on at the end of the day she’s just a really nice person and that’s hard to write out unless you want something super fluffy.

And speaking of: the fic is just way too fluffy for my tastes these days. Like I had to skim the final scene where they’re being all sappy and confessional bc it made me feel ill lmao.

What I would do if I were to redo/re-explore:

Honestly this might be one of my few fics where I’d just cop it and say that it kinda doesn’t work conceptually. Taylor and Sveta just aren’t really compatible without changing one or the other.

Honestly if I were returning to it I’d probably drop Sveta (sorry) and actually just focus on the Brockton Bay plot stuff. So it’d be Taylor joining the wards, getting frustrated and then leaving and teaming up w Victoria and the focus is more in them becoming friends. And the other changes with Echidna and the s9 could be fun to explore.

Or alternatively I keep Sveta and lean into the doomed nature of the relationship, have it be a much more deep exploration of their characters and how they could interact. Follow Sveta as she makes an online friend but slowly realise that this friend of hers is weirdly violent as a cape. Have that introduce a lot more friction with Sveta judging Taylors methods more and more and Taylor just getting really defensive etc. and like…. It wouldn’t even need to have a bad ending per se. It would just be them realising that they’re really not compatible and that getting this invested in each other was a bad idea. Or the super good ending where Sveta comes around to Taylor’s way of thinking and they wage bloody war against evil, that could also be p fun. And not entirely impossible especially if Taylor is literally Svetas only friend.

Final thoughts:

This is one of those fics that still gets the odd random comment on ao3 which makes me remember it more often than other fics despite the fact that I don’t really have much to say/think about the fic beyond what I’ve already thrown up. It sits in my mind as a firm “basically ok, has its moments”

Curious to know what others think of it because honestly I barely do. I think I just picked it bc it was one of my shorter fics and sfw so I could read it between waiting for stuff to happen at work.

[articroses]

I felt very underwhelmed by the Fionna and Cake Ending. Idk, after how episode 7 and 8 were so great and left us on an exciting cliffhanger and there were so many expectations for it to be an incredibly emotional experience and it was so hyped up—and then it just … fell flat for me.

I somewhat predicted what would happen in the finale and I was kinda fine with it (the unhealthy dynamics with Petrigrof, Fionna having to accept her unmagical world) but the execution really sucked in my opinion.

But putting my thoughts and how I would have executed it under a read more~

I liked their final goodbye in Simon’s memories but I think everything that led up to it could have been done better. Simon and (Gol)Betty’s reunion was one of the biggest things fans were looking forward to in the series. I felt that while seeing Shermy and Beth was interesting, it wasn’t a good move to bring them into the plot at this point of the conflict. Plus, the Casper and Nova’s metaphor, while necessary for someone as dense as Simon, was pretty much spoon feeding information the audience could already tell, so it felt like it was pulling more time away from that confrontation.

I felt like they could have pushed Simon’s self-sacrificial (suicidal) tendencies and emotions. We’re coming in from the heels of an episode that had Ice King dying sobbing in his last moments. Simon, when confronting Golbetty was very somber, so to speak. As a viewer, I wanted an explosion between them. With Simon finally getting out all the misery he felt in a world that he doesn’t understand / doesn’t understand him, living in the shadow of your crazed self that was embroiled in sadness and madness and magic for a 1000 years, and having no self-worth and when he (thinks) can finally escape this misery by becoming the Ice King, being useful and saving Fiona’s world too, she—the woman that he loved and who left him—won’t let him die. We see this frustration when Simon's mind is projected in Shermy but it isn’t as fulfilling since it presented as more comedic.

Maybe, even with Simon realizing how much Betty sacrificed for him and gave herself up, he’ll ask why, why she would do any of that in the first place for him (maybe digging more into Betty’s obsessive nature in the first place because it’s obvious she was obsessed with him from the start).

Also, having more of Betty’s voice! While we can tell Betty made the choices she made and that she has agency, I wish there was more showing of how Betty feels being a cosmic deity. Based on the posts on Tumblr, I feel like there’s some confusion on whether Betty is Golb, if they’re fused, or if she’s piloting him(?) like some messed up mech. It doesn’t even have to be a long scene. Maybe, a simple scene of Simon wondering if he had doomed Betty and Betty showing him like a slight sliver of the universe and she experiences it, and of course Simon can’t comprehend it , but she can and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Immortality already seems so lonely, so I wish it was more explicit that Betty was going off on an adventure that she would very much enjoy.

Having to bring in a simple metaphor (Casper and Nova) to explain the unhealthy dynamics of Petrigrof’s relationship (which the audience could already tell) but not explaining enough the ultimately positive experience Betty will have makes me think the writers swung towards one extreme in a pendulum.

I also think Fionna could have been fleshed out a lot more. While I understand she’s a regular human, in comparison to how Finn was fighting in the original show, She’s not really as active (though I understand they are different). It seemed more like plot things just happened to her and all she could do was react instead of acting. I understand they were going for an emotional character development with her with how the fantasy world isn’t as fun as it looks, but I would have liked more actiony scenes of her kicking butt that wasn’t innocent civilians and maybe villains yet still realizing this isn’t the life / fantasy that she wanted. Idk I felt Fiona’s development could have been handled better.

I don’t like scarab as a villain but I understand his necessity. However, dropping off Lil Destiny, Jay and all the others into Fionna’s verse was completely unnecessary. Especially, since they really didn’t contribute that much to the final fight. I would have rather they stayed in their respective universes but have been included in the final montage with showing how their worlds became better due to Fiona’s showing up.

Really, this is my idea with the final montage:

Simon coming back from his adventures and going into his weird room garage museum or whatever, just to see Finn, Marcy and PB worried and waiting there. Simon says something about almost becoming Ice King again. Everyone flips out before embracing him in a tearful hug

More gumlee, they were amazing

I think everything going on in Fionna’s world was pretty good in the original montage

For the whole world that was created with the Lich’s wish, maybe show scenes of the other Mos roaming around. Maybe they become more advanced somehow. Either way, life begins again.

For the vampire world, maybe a group of humans running away from another group of vampires. Suddenly, all the vampires are ran over by the peppermint tank and out pops Baby Finn. The humans surround the tank and see all the weapons to fight off the vamps. Someone picks up baby Finn—it’s Minerva (I can dream)

With the whole world with the Winter King, the ice starts to thaw out from that winter kingdom. There’s more grasslands and forests. We see PB fixing and giving prosthetics to candy citizens. Life keeps going.

With farm world, we see Jay introducing Lil Destiny to Finn over dinner. Finn, with bandages over his head and bear hat still in place drops a bowl of hunter’s stew on the dinner table and stares menancingly at Lil Destiny. All of his kids stare too. The mood is tense as Lil Destiny holds her spoon to take a sip of her stew, only to really like it and grab the bowl and gulp it down. Finn ends up cracking a smile and all the kids laugh now that she’s officially been approved.

In Ooo, more montage of Simon hanging out with loved ones. Since everyone has gotten a tattoo (or at least tried to), it’s Simon’s time to go with the whole crew, except he’s so indecisive with what he wants and nervous about the pain that he keeps jumping off and coming back to the tattoo table, only to end up irritating the spider tattoo artist anyways. Everyone laughs about it

We see that glowing blue being that GolBetty turned into looking over the cosmos, looking excited about what’s to come Also, having all the finns interact would have been very math...

[dededaio]

tbh with kirby novels i think my personal breaking point was the samurai kirby one, which is also the most recent atm.

it's not translated yet but i know all of the plot details thanks to a good friend who actually knows a bit of japanese. and let's just say i'm very underwhelmed, even though i really should have seen this coming.

gonna hide the rest of the post because there will be spoilers about the novel as well as a bit of ranting about that specific book and kirby light novels as a whole that id imagine not everyone wants to see.

it's all the same trappings mie takase had for the past decade of doing these books repackaged under the new, admittedly flashy, coat of paint.

magolor, of course, is the main antagonist, again.

the main crux of the book is him manipulating everybody to meet his own ends, AGAIN. he even offers kirby to rule the world together or something, AGAIN. takase, you literally used this plot device last year in rtdl novelization, this is embarrassing.

once again we have an awfully boring original side-villain i don't remember the name or design of because has nothing cool or unique going for him. he's not even the true main villain as per usual with magolor stealing spotlight from him in the last second which is just, lol.

once again we have meta knight hogging the most attention in the book by having the most elaborate and "cool" side-plot yet ultimately it has no satisfying pay-off as meta is pretty useless in this book. he doesn't get to help kirby in the climax and the exposition dump he gives out kirby could've been just as well done by elfilin, really.

dedede is once again written as a rude brute that has terrible judge of character that can't seem to ever make the right choices or to even listen to his subordinates that have a leek of common sense. i genuinely don't know how are we supposed to root for this guy, once again, he's this frustrating to follow. only compelling piece of writing he got in this book is him being shocked that he has to capture kirby, hinting at his fondness for the guy, but that's about it.

elfilin and beast pack are sure there! leon sure can speak the same language as everyone else even if the rest of the beast pack still can't, even if this makes no sense here since the only reason he could speak is because of id-f86's mind control and possession.

their inclusion intrigued me at first but the way they were utilized ultimately went nowhere. and i can't say i enjoy the fact that elfilin is being paired with the beast pack as his "found family", when his dynamic with kirby and bandana dee is way more compelling.

so yeah, cool sounding book on paper, but execution is extremely frustrating and underwhelming. if mie takase managed to mess up this awesome concept for a book, even when literally everything was in it's favor of turning out to be one of the series stand-outs, then i literally have no faith in anything else coming next.

magoland novel i think will be the breaking point for most people, since it's announcement became pretty contentious even in japanese fanbase and those guys are usually pretty chill about everything kirby-related from my understanding. things are not looking good for fanbase reception of the novels i think.

i don't know how many people share my view, maybe i'm in minority, but personally i'm kind of tired of putting up with mie takase's frustrating tendency to stick to the same tired tropes she used way too many times at this point instead of attempting something genuinely fresh and new with this world and characters.

[polyamzeal]

Kiznaiver - Anime Review via Polyamorous Lens

I watched Kizaiver long before I knew what polyamory was and ever since I learned this series is one that sometimes comes up as having polyamorous themes. So I rewatched it to scan it for how pro or anti polyamorous it is.

A basic overview of the series is that a group of teenagers are experimented on and altered so that they share each other’s pain receptors. It is hard to bring this series up without mentioning the Netflix series “Sense 8” as it has an extremely similar concept. Course the execution of this plot is very different. As a minor spoiler, eventually they not only feel each other’s physical pain but also emotional pain, especially in terms of heartbreak as affections are confessed and rejected. 

Let me talk about the negatives first or the anti-polyamory themes. In the end, the romantic relationships are pretty harshly monogamous, although I could argue one execution of such is at least fairly cute in a way that a viewer could imagine a non-monogamous solution after the series ends. Mid-way through the series it implores a series of lover triangles and other shapes as you get a complicated diagram character A likes character B who likes Character C who likes Character D and so with none of these affections going the other way. While they learn to maintain friendships though them, they are still fiercely monogamous and protective of their endgame romantic relationships.

Now that sounds like a lot of negatives that paints this show as a very pro-monogamy only show. But on the other hand it does touch a lot upon the concept of close friendships between an umber of people that are more than friends but not quite lovers. I believe at one point they might have even said this kind of relationship might be stronger and more important than lovers. While the “showing” of the rest of the series kind of contradicts that “telling” it is still an ice concept. As a representation of a platonic polycule this actually succeeds quite a bit. Despite romantic pair-bonding being involved it is very clear about how all of the main characters do end up really caring about each other in a chosen family sort of way. A lot of anime has strong themes of “friendship” but this series really does seem like it puts forth a legit effort to show something more than your typical friendship and show a relationship structure that is slightly outside the norm. Throw in the supernatural sci-fi element of being able to literally feel the pain of every one else in their group and I think you do get some large polycule vibes weaved into the series.

My verdict is that the series will disappoint if you are looking for romantic non-monogamy it does tell a great story of strong comradery that transcendence simple friendship between a fairly large group of characters. Putting the frustrating romantic drama aside you do get a wholesome story of multiple platonic bonding which may be relatable to aromantic polyamorous folks. Overall it is also just a very enjoyable series to watch and has strong emotional weight to it.

[raazberry]

(obm rant ahead it's long)

kinda really pisses me off when people dismiss the demand for good writing in dating sims by simply saying "it's a dating sim what do you expect." (and yes this is about a stupid take i saw about obey me specifically on twitter how did you guess.)

like, maybe this is a me thing but if a game is heavily driven by gacha then i am even more obligated to be critical of it. and if i'm going to be investing that much time (and money) into it, i think i deserve Something out of it???

i've complained about this on here so many times but it's genuinely so hard to actually keep progressing in the story (normal mode at least), especially if you're a new player - unless you whale a whole lot, or get extremely unbelievably lucky. and when you get past like, lesson 20 i think? the struggle just seems... meaningless.

why am i waiting four whole days just to level up one card by ONE level, just so that i can get past this one really annoying dance battle, only for the next story to be just... plain bad? and then i have to do it all over again?

like okay, maybe the story does get better in fucking season 3 which is like twenty more chapters away (btw from what i've heard, it kind of just doesn't get better) but as a new player it is just so hard to keep that level of commitment especially if all you're rewarded with is horrible writing and negative character development.

i've played free dating sims with better played out plots and stories than this and it just pisses me off so much because the general "idea" of obey me is SO good and so fun! and the characters you meet are genuinely interesting. although some jokes were objectively cringe i can live with that (i am playing a dating sim, after all...) like spoilers for lesson 16 and above i guess but in my opinion the execution of the whole belphie hating humans and quite literally killing MC was done in a pretty nice way! as well as the backstory cards regarding the brothers (and everyone else other than the MC) and their relationships with each other! for example anytime i think about satan and lucifer's strained relationship i get a little bit emotional - and yes of course sometimes satan's almost childish annoyance towards him can be pretty funny, it's almost always treated as a running gag (even after they "sort it out") - to the point where it's one of satan's defining characteristics (the other is his love for cats and books). and that's it! that's all there is to his presence in the main story for the most part.

the events are somehow even more annoying - (those i can actually play without being frustrated about my level) and the stories always try so hard to squeeze every single dateable character in one scenario. and this ends with all of them feeling like caricatures of themselves and i hate it! so much! because again - these are genuinely really fun characters and they have so much potential! even if the devs want to make MC your typical harem protagonist, they can still do it well but they just aren't and it makes me so mad 😭😭😭

"well raaz stop playing the game then!" i did do that actually for a good amount of time and i came back because solomon birth (fire emoji), also anniversary. but also i feel like the players kinda deserve better. especially given the gacha aspect.

although i do think that the anime and music are genuinely pretty good - it's just kinda frustrating that they're not improving their main product first.

"what was the point of saying all of this?" there was no point at all. im just annoyed that i actually spent time and money on this game. though i will say that i do love the fan creations and people kinda treating the characters like their OCs and giving them the plot and development they deserve.

"this is a really long post why do you complain so much?" at this point im just criticising myself for no reason but also idk! i play a couple of gacha games other than obey me and i've honestly realised that it's the worst and shittiest way to monetise your game. and gacha games deserve at LEAST twice the amount of critical analysis because it could literally be the reason for someone's fucking gambling addiction. idk

good night it is almost three am and i have a road trip to be on tomorrow

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball GT 04

✨GT Stands for Grand Theft✨

Last time, Episode 3 was fuckin’ terrible, and this episode is also horrible.  The gang is stuck on Imecka, because their spaceship was damaged, and now it’s being towed away.  Trunks doesn’t want to lose sight of the ship, but for some reason he doesn’t think to use his super powers to fly after it.  Instead, Goku suggests they intercept the tow truck with Instant Transmission.  Except, no, that doesn’t work, which is another prime example of...

✨”Good” “Ideas”, Poorly Executed.✨

Okay, so I’m not entirely clear on why Toei wanted to de-age Goku for GT.  Most likely, it was a simple nostalgia play, but that never quite rang true for me, since Adult Goku was extremely popular too, so doubling back to Kid Goku doesn’t sound like it would move the needle that much.  But one other possibility is that Toei thought Goku was getting a little too powerful, and this was a way to nerf him just a bit.  So we get this scene here, where Goku discovers his child body can’t perform Instant Transmission properly.  Like, he can vanish and reappear somewhere else, and even take people with him, but he only teleports like a few feet straight up, instead of where he actually wants to go. 

And really, Toei kind of had to take that power away from Goku in order to make the show work.  If he could teleport like he could in the latter half of Dragon Ball Z, then he could just zip back to Earth whenever he wanted.  The ship needs a new part? Goku could just teleport back to Capsule Corp and return with the item they need.  The ship is about to be destroyed in a disaster?  Goku can evacuate himself, Trunks and Pan and be safe on Earth while the ship explodes.  Is Pan lonely?   Goku can teleport her back to Earth to visit her parents for a weekend, or he could just leave her behind, since she wasn’t supposed to be on this trip in the first place. 

So is it a good idea?  Hell no.  The fact that they had to do it only proves that the spaceship journey was poorly conceived.   It’s just one bad idea with a second bad idea to patch the first one.  Two wrongs don’t make a right. 

This is supposed to be a show about Goku.  He’s the main character, and the plot and premise ought to be designed to support and promote him.  Instead, GT keeps changing Goku in a vain attempt to shoehorn him into this awkward storyline.  He has to turn into a kid, he has to lose one of his powers... Who does this serve, exactly?

Also, the way he discovers this predicament is really stupid.   Back in Episode 1, he told Dende and Popo that he didn’t mind being a kid.  And that’s probably accurate characterization.  Goku isn’t worried about how big he is or what he looks like.  But he is concerned with getting stronger and improving himself as a martial artist, so you’d think he would be frustrated if it turned out his younger body couldn’t do all the same things he could before.  My point is that you would think Goku would have tested his new kid body to see if he lost any power, since that’s his main priority.  And yet, this episode shows that he hasn’t even tried to use Instant Transmission in over a week.  It never occurred to him that he might not be able to do it anymore. 

And why can’t he teleport, anyway?  The implication is that his younger body lacks the fortitude or maturity to handle the technique, but it’s not like Instant Transmission was physically demanding on Goku’s body.   It’s not like he would teleport and then have to stop and rest because it was so hard to pull off.  It’s mentally challenging, which is why it took Goku a whole year to learn how to do it, but once he got the technique down he could pretty much spam it at will.  And Goku’s mind wasn’t affected by the wish that made his body younger.  He still remembers how to do Instant Transmission; it just doesn’t work anymore.

And yet, Goku can still use all his other abilities.  We see him do a Kamehameha in this episode, and he turns Super Saiyan in the next one.  And those techniques do take a toll on his stamina, so why is he still able to do them without a problem, but Instant Transmission doesn’t work?

Also, I just want to point out that this episode takes a loooooonnng time to establish that Goku can’t teleport anymore.  Like, he suggests it, and Trunks is all “Oh wow, you’re going to use Instant Transmission”, and then he prepares himself for like a full minute, and it doesn’t work.   And then he tries it a second time and basically repeats that whole nonsense.  It’s just a huge waste of time, and for what?  Why is so much of this episode dedicated to showing us what Goku can’t do?

And why don’t they just fly after the truck that’s hauling their ship away?  Why don’t they fly instead of just falling on their faces when Goku’s teleport doesn’t work?  Oh for fuck’s sake...

✨Is it Worse than The Roaming Lake?✨

I went back and reread my recap of Dragon Ball Episode 29, just to be certain and man, it really sucks.  And yet, at least when characters can’t fly, it’s because they’re not supposed to.  And Goku doesn’t lose powers for the sake of the plot, either.  He doesn’t whip out his Nyoibo and nothing happens and then he goes “Whoops!  Looks like my Nyoibo won’t get longer like it’s supposed to!”

Heaven help me, but this episode is

WORSE

Than the Roaming Fucking Lake.  GT is down 0-4.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind all of Imecka’s problems, Don Kee, talks to his security goons.   The short brown guy is Gale, and the pink lady is Sheila, although I don’t think she ever got called by name in Episodes 4 or 5, so I’m wondering if this is a dub-ism.   Anyway, it turns out Don Kee has possession of the GT gang’s ship, and all he cares about is how much money he can get out of it.  Since there’s nothing aboard that’s especially valuable, and no sign of a crew, he orders the ship to be scrapped for raw materials.   You’d think it would be worth more in tact, but Don Kee isn’t interested in spaceships that work.

Meanwhile, the good guys decide to take their ship back, and they follow it to Don Kee’s impound lot, or whatever it is.  And they still refuse to fly.  They just leap around like that’s somehow sneakier.  Also, why are they sneaking around?  They’re far and away the strongest people on the planet. As it turns out, their stealth doesn’t last long, so they have to fight their way out of this place anyway.  Well, at least there’s a little action in this episode.

During the battle, Pan commandeers the big green tow truck thing and drives it out of the city.  Wouldn’t it be simpler for them to just carry the ship and fly it out under their own power?  I’m pretty sure Pan is strong enough to lift the ship by herself, but even if she’s not, how in the hell does a kid like her know how to drive an alien truck?

So they shoot their way out, and Goku even fires a Kamehameha to get past Gale and Sheila.   This is noticed by a third security good named Ledgic, who suspects that Goku and his group are Saiyans.

Later, Don Kee gets the bad news and he dresses down Gale and Sheila for failing to stop the intruders, but he’s very careful not to say anything mean to Ledgic.   Basically, Ledgic is supporting Don Kee’s corrupt regime for a fee, but Don Kee has to be careful not to piss Ledgic off, since he’s kind of the lynchpin of his entire rule over this planet.

Meanwhile, Goku, Trunks and Pan have their ship back, but it got pretty banged up in the caper they pulled the night before.  So Trunks fixes as much as he can, but they have to go back into town to buy more parts.  But this time, no one wants to do any business with them, because they’re now considered wanted criminals.  There’s posters of them and everything.

Then the local authorities start coming after them, and they have to run away.   Oh, for fuck’s sake!  Pan’s been a holy terror this whole series.  She barged into a hostage situation because it kept her from seeing a movie.  She stowed away on a spaceship because she wasn’t getting enough attention. But she won’t fight cops on a planet that’s clearly corrupt and dishonorable?  That’s the line she won’t cross?

✨Positivity Page✨

Man, the Imecka episodes are liquid death.  As bad as the Roaming Lake was, at least it wasn’t a three-parter.   I came up with this positivity bit as a way to say “no hard feelings” to GT-likers, but we’re only four episodes into this turkey and I’m really struggling here.

You know, I’ll give some love to these wanted posters.  I wish the real GT Pan was more like the knife-weilding maniac in this image.  She’s carve Don Kee a new smile or three, and that’d be pretty satisfying. 

Actually, with that vicious smile and the fingerless gloves, she almost reminds me of Pan’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granny Luffa.  So that’s a good thing, I guess.  For me, at least.   The rest of you are on your own, I suppose.  Self high five?

✨The Blade Braxton Memorial Haiku*✨

Blade Braxton (1975-2021) was a legend in the field of pro wrestling podcasts.  Among his many talents was the uncanny ability to condense a week’s worth of wrestling gossip and rumor into a quick, easy-to-read poem.  Since I wish to spare others the hassle of watching Dragon Ball GT, I have decided to perform a similar service in honor of Mr. Brakestown-sensei’s memory.

Some Imeckians

Don’t have noses.  They couldn’t

Afford the payments.

[superfluouskeys]

need to rant about 6.2 a bit lol sorry not sorry

I’m just like………..soooooo bored by the main plot unfortunately LOL.  And I don’t like Vrtra/Varshahn at all like I find his character extremely weird and annoying at all times.  I think mainly the whole child oc/little brother thing freaks me out LOL like wtf is that he is thousands of years old stop that.  But I was also very bored by his whole plotline in Endwalker and thought it was one of the weaker parts overall, so it might just not be to my taste.  I think it’s a pretty random reason to get them to the Thirteenth also lol but whatever it could work, ff14 isn’t good bc the plots are original it’s good bc of the execution of those concepts so I guess I’ll try to reserve judgment.

Y’shtola’s line delivery drives me insane, I feel this way about every character that va plays, idk what it is.  It’s so forced and unnatural to me and it ruins entire moments sometimes.  I also don’t think they know what to do with the character, like she has all the pieces of an interesting character and they just never DO anything.  Let something mildly interesting happen to Y’shtola for ONCE I stg.

I really like Zero, she has the makings of a very interesting character who is sort of outside the bounds of what they usually do esp with female characters.  BUT I think the way they dealt with residual questions about Zenos’s fate/motives was very ham-fisted and bad.  Ik a lot of people think Zenos is boring but I am not one of those ppl lol—I do like Zero and I’m not saying like Zenos should have been in her place in the story, but I think it just really reminded me how much potential Zenos had and how many really interesting and meaningful moments we could have had w his character even if he still didn’t survive Endwalker.  (I’ve heard rumors that EDW was supposed to be two expansions, which seems extremely likely with how rushed and messy a lot of it felt).

Also like look. Listen.  I try to be mindful of my personal biases but oh my GOD.  WHY wasn’t G’raha in this patch lol.  We went to the THIRTEENTH.  They played the got damn CRYSTAL TOWER RAID MUSIC MULTIPLE TIMES. Cid and Nero showed up and specifically said well haha I was at the Crystal Tower I had to see what this was all about!!!!!  also with the parallels to the situation in the first?????????  Where is the cat!!!!!!!!!  It was like almost comical that he wasn’t there or mentioned at all.  Ig he’s busy or wtf ever but who cares!!!!!  That cat man came here to have adventures not do paperwork!!!!!!!!!!!

This goes to disliking Varshahn but it’s also relevant here LOL because number ONE what the FUCK was that whole here is an adult body thing LOLLLLLLLLLLLL like WHAT that was so weird, but then it turns out that’s what??? just for battle???? and then he slips back into his child skin when he gets home????????  it’s so weird I hate it lol.  But also SCREAMING at how they had to make him a viable tank and force Y’shtola to pick up healing again (it says sorceress or w/e but she still has the conjurer icon LOL, choosing to believe she never equipped her job stone and does not intend to start now)—and I am just SAYING I know of a CAT MAN who is already an all rounder so you know we could have just asked him!!!!!!!!!

There were parts of the patch I really enjoyed—I liked the Thirteenth lore a lot, I LOVED barbariccia as evidenced by briefly going insane on here lol, I’m really hopeful that Zero will continue to have good content, and of course FFXIV music absolutely never fails to SEND ME into a higher plane of existence.

But overall I did find it really frustrating and a lot of it was not especially fun LOL.  I was considering waiting until 6.3 was out bc I kind of suspected I would feel this way and wanted a little more game to play BUT idk when 6.3 will be out and I might be back in school already by then so I decided to just give in.

Anyway, just needed to rant, as you were.

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 2 out of 5

Trigger Warning:    

Summary:

The stakes have never been higher for the young Blue Bloods of Manhattan. After their brief yet beautiful bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force depart for Egypt, desperate to find the elusive Gate of Promise before Jack must face his twin, Mimi, for a blood trial. A blood trial that only one of them can survive. But everything Schuyler thought she knew about the gate turns out to be a lie, and they soon find themselves ensnared in a deadly battle against the demon-born. Schuyler and Jack take up arms, only to realize that there is a much graver threat simmering in the Kingdom of the Dead. Meanwhile, determined to save the only vampire she still loves, Mimi has followed Kingsley Martin into Hell. With the help of her new human Conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry, Mimi makes a bargain with the Queen of the Dead that she may soon regret. When the time comes to choose between love and revenge, both Mimi and Oliver will learn the true meaning of sacrifice. Confronted by danger, betrayal, and loss at every turn, the Blue Bloods must find the will to fight - and love - another day.

*Opinions*

Lost in Time is the last book in the series that I read back in 2012 and for some reason that is completely unknown to me, I gave it four stars. Now, I will admit that the parts in the underworld with Mimi and Oliver attempting to get to Kingsley Martin and bring him out were interesting, but that was kind of the only part. While I do think that de la Cruz wrote the emotions that Allegra was going through as she attempted to do what was right for the Coven and what was right for her heart, all the back and forth between her and Charles was rather annoying. Jack and Schuyler continue to be a waste of page space and Schyluer is literally useless in every situation she finds herself in. She is always a damsel in distress who talks a big game and can never back it up. I am going to be happy to finish this series. There really wasn’t a lot of progress in this novel besides the storyline with Mimi and Oliver. The sections with Allegra and Charles was all information that we had heard before and were hardly exciting. Schuyler and Jack had been looking for the same gate for three novels now and at the end of the day, the gatekeeper actually finds them. Deming is hardly part of this novel as more than a plot point. It is all just so…pointless. The sections with Mimi and Oliver were filled with emotion and a goal that they were constantly working towards. I wish that they would let Oliver move on from Schuyler, especially after the witch rid his blood of the venom from when she fed on him, but this is a YA novel after all. I like that he brings out Mimi’s humanity and ultimately it is her friendship with Oliver that leads to them all getting out of the underworld. Do I think the fight between her and Jack was pretty cool, yes? Do I think it was over too soon and it was a bit ridiculous how it all ended, also yes? Mimi is so worried about the Coven, but then both she and Jack leave so that they can “be with the ones they loved” as if Mimi hadn’t just forgotten her love moments ago because she sold her soul. As if Lucifer wouldn’t have a way to keep their loyalty. Don’t even get me started on the fact that a non-fallen angel was able to help out for whatever reason, but told no one who he was or why he was helping. However, we are in the end game now and I am sure more ridiculous things will happen before the novel is over. I didn’t finish this novel that long ago and I honestly can hardly remember anything about it. The thing that I find most frustrating about these books is that the ideas are very solid and could be extremely interesting, but the execution is just not there for me. Luckily, it is just one more set of short stories about the Hellhounds and Bliss and the final novel. I will not be reading the new series that, from the synopsis, seems to rehash the same story over and over again. No thank you.

[bluelunes]

⋆「☾」⋆  It’s ‘i’m finding sevens painful to watch’ hours- so i’ve decided that once there’s a few more episodes out I’ll resume activity on Gakuto! I read up on episode summaries and luckily I think they’re finally moving the plot along at episode 15 but god, rn, i am having tough time tm

[transrevolutions]

enjolras is fucking autistic canonically and here’s why:

-he hyperfocuses. he literally goes one-track-mind when it comes to the revolution he’s working on. neurotypical people rarely if ever go that hard and that long on anything.

-he does not notice, like, at all, that grantaire is in love with him until like, the very end of his plot arc. reading emotions (like romantic interest/recognizing flirting especially) is something that’s often hard for autistic folks like me

-he doesn’t do or ‘get’ flighty romance. and while there’s plenty of non-autistic people who don’t do dates and hookups and such, being uninterested in playing around with finding partners is something that me and many other autistic people experience.

-he’s quiet and relatively focused except for when it’s a topic he’s passionate about or something he feels very strongly about. these ‘outbursts’ of strong feeling that almost feels like it comes from a different mental area than normal conversation is also a trademark autistic trait

-extremely, extremely close relationships with his circle of friends. his very deep and somewhat codependent relationship with the triumvirate is a good example of this. he doesn’t make acquaintances very much, he pretty much either doesn’t really interact with someone on a personal level or has a very close friendship with them

-strong, uncontrollable emotional swells. we touched on that earlier, but things like his sudden impulse to execute le cabuc and the artillery sergeant despite it going against his ideals for how the world should be, coupled with combeferre attempting to talk him out of it/calm him down with logic, something he’d usually listen to but in this moment ignores, as well as how he almost immediately regrets it after he does it is a very strong example of the autistic trait of losing control of emotional impulse. this happens to me a lot, and no logic can talk me out of doing whatever stupid/wrong thing it is. and I almost always regret it later.

-on this vein, occasional outbursts of frustration even towards his friends, like how he snaps at grantaire. having trouble ‘reading the temperature’ of a situation or de-escalating conflict is also an autistic trait. just... not being able to take it after a certain point and snapping.

there are probably more examples that my adhd brain is too lazy to find right now, but these are just a few off the top of my head.

[book-o-scams]

'Sorry Wrong Ed' Alternate Ending Storyboard Sequence

Check out Al Kang's Ed, Edd n Eddy portfolio!

Al Kang worked on the show during seasons 3-4 and had roles on the storyboard and prop teams apparently. (IMDb says he was credited as Al Choi at the time, but it also says he worked on season 1 episodes, which doesn't line up with the timeline he mentioned.. anyway.)

I discovered his portfolio a few months ago after seeing fandom discussion of the alternate 'Sorry Wrong Ed' ending. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few other treats as well! But yes, I even sorta liked what I learned about 'Sorry Wrong Ed' in the process... (I threw in a little analysis comparing the two endings at the bottom)

I noticed Al seemed to mix up the order on these, so I thought I'd try my best to figure out the right order. This was the most confusing one for me to try and figure out the order of since almost all 8 pages were out of order. I think I finally figured out what's going on in the original ending.

So this alternate ending starts at an unknown point with Eddy flat on the ground, presumably injured, picking himself back up. At this point in the final cut of the episode, Eddy has just been squashed by a tree, but this seems more like a different injury, and he's not even retaining his injuries from the truck scene... The scenes with Jonny and Plank from the final cut of the episode seem to not exist at all here, Jonny and Plank don't appear in this sequence.

Anyway, Eddy picks himself up in the middle of an on-going scene, sees Jimmy drop a coin in a jar for Ed, who has inexplicably turned the cursed phone into a scam on his own. Edd is glaring at the off-screen kids, who have somehow learned about this phone and are excited to kill Eddy with it.

Eddy: "Jimmy! No!"

Jimmy answers the phone: "Hello?"

Ed: "HA HA HA"

Edd: "You people don't seriously believe--"

Then we sync up with gags that did happen in the ending of Sorry Wrong Ed, with context that makes its tone a little more sadistic than random. Jimmy's paid phonecall drops the sandbox on Eddy.

This page has the most skeletal dialogue...

Kev: "Yes." (I think he's meant to be fist pumping because Eddy got hurt, more of a "Yes!")

Jimmy: "BAD LUCK EDDY PHONE." (this dialogue must have been a placeholder)

Edd: "HA HA" (sarcastic ha-ha or did Al mean to write "Ed" for this?)

Jimmy seems to offer the phone to Edd.

We sync up again with Edd's denial from the final cut of this episode, except now it actually makes sense that he's so one-track-minded, because there are people actively arguing with him and keeping him disengaged from the victim.

Edd: "There must be a cargo plane overfilled with playground supplies..."

Sarah interrupts him.

RING RING

Sarah: "Oh, that's for me."

Eddy at this point holds Ed responsible, as he should, and starts running to stop Ed or Sarah. Ed offers no explanation for his betrayal.

Eddy: "Ed! What are you doing!?"

Sarah: "Hello?"

Sarah's paid phonecall summons the hippos, the most random moment in the final cut of the episode. Note how both of these slapstick gags were storyboarded on the same generic background, seems like the lane or an empty lot, but clearly a different location than Eddy's front yard from the aired ending.

And that's all we have to go off of!

I'll put my updated opinions below the cut, but suffice it to say, I like the episode a little better now! Knowing what the ending was going to be and trying to figure out the choices that led to the ending we got, I feel more appreciative that it didn't end up a lost episode or something and less annoyed that it was 11 minutes of one joke.

I know I have a reputation for not finding slapstick funny and disliking this episode, but violence was never my only issue. Lots of episodes have lackluster slapstick that I just let wash over me. My point that never gets as much focus is that this episode never felt FINISHED to begin with. It's just a slapstick vacuum with no ending and no point, and it used to be frustrating to me not knowing for sure if my hunch was right or not that it felt like the episode just wasn't working and they had to cobble it together from the scenes that almost worked.

I am surprised to say I like the episode more now that I know that is pretty close to the truth. Judging from this peek into the episode's development, this episode seems to have reached Danny Antonucci's and/or Wootie's (the episode's lead board artist) limit for being mean-spirited with the characters without a reason. I'll still probably avoid rewatching it, but knowing the episode has no ending specifically because it's been trimmed to bare bones is somehow reassuring.

The most obvious flaw to this original ending is the lack of motivation for Ed's or the kids' actions. The kids presumably still weren't in the rest of the episode, so there's really no reason for them to be here other than reiterating the same idea from 'Your Ed Here' and 'The Good Ole Ed' that the neighborhood kids are always looking for a reason to gang up on Eddy, something that isn't really true of those characters in earlier seasons.

I think I can imagine how, on paper (in the writers' outline), this episode sounded funnier. Trying to imagine this ending as part of the whole episode, I think the script's idea of the final joke is that Ed is not satisfied with ending the tests at the point where they tried to return the phone to Rolf. I think Ed converts the curse-testing process to a scam at that point, building off of how Ed already wasn't processing Eddy's safety in anything so far, and is probably more focused on proving to Edd that curses are real (as Ed was previously in league with Evil Tim). The addition of Ed running his own tests and the kids arguing Eddy's point against Edd's while Eddy's busy, does sound more like a complete manic cartoon boiling point than the way the finished episode just petered out with Edd as the sole antagonist. But unfortunately, in visual execution, suddenly piling in so many aggressive characters and so much random violence at once, would only really result in it petering out at a higher volume.

Meanwhile Edd's characterization is made much more structurally sound in the original ending. He's annoyed FOR Eddy's sake, and the only reason he's not actively helping Eddy is because like 3 other characters were supposed to be arguing with him while this was happening. It seems extremely apparent to me that the cuts made to this ending were for the sake of mitigating Ed's reputation in the fandom, as well as the kids', and I think it's really unfortunate that Edd's characterization was the cost for salvaging everyone else's. I'm glad I already considered his behavior in 'Sorry Wrong Ed' non-canon, because now it feels like the reason the aired ending is so out-of-character is just because Edd is basically arguing with the ghost of the original scene. I formally forgive 'Sorry Wrong Ed'. Production turnarounds are tough and AKA did their best to not turn this into another forgotten 'Special Ed' episode that simply wasn't working.

I think ditching the original ending was ultimately the right call. It was not an exemplary episode, but I can admit it's less out of place to have a pure "vacuum of violence" story than it would've been to essentially give the kids a supernatural revenge plot like this. That would've been really weird to have to accept-- Eddy definitely wouldn't want to be friends with anyone at the end of the movie if THIS was their past. Changing it to an unaware Jonny and a questionably aware Plank being responsible, indeed, was a vibe that landed much more like standard EEnE fare. It was weird enough that the kids all saw Santa in JJJ, can you imagine if they all knew curses were real AND participated in attacking a neighbor with one??

If there was a silver lining for me the first time I saw this episode, it was that none of the kids were directly involved in Eddy's suffering. It made the questionable reality of the cursed device slightly more acceptable that only the Eds and Rolf know about the curse. If this ending had happened, I would've reacted the same, but I would've rejected its continuity even more than I do now, because it would just feel like they animated one of the DC Comics (where the kids can blow the Eds up with fireworks at the end or the Eds can randomly be crushed under an avalanche of anvils)-- the art could end up gorgeous but the characterizations don't exactly land as real human beings, the balance this show strives for typically.

And I think that's all I wanted to say! In the end, I found myself liking 'Sorry Wrong Ed' slightly more than I used to, all thanks to this glimpse into how the animation production system morphs the outcome of a cartoon. Thanks so much to Al Kang, for sharing your art and this insight into the industry! I don't know whether he did both the gesture drawings and the revised art, but judging from his other boards I think the cleaned up art is his, and I liked seeing the poses that almost were!

[crusherthedoctor]

Can you list anything you unironically like in the games (and cartoons and comics) that you don't like?

I won't bother mentioning music, since that goes without saying and is to be expected for a Sonic game... unless you're Chronicles.

Sonic Adventure 2 (mixed gameplay-wise, annoying story-wise) - While I prefer Sonic's SA1 levels for a number of reasons, I still think his and Shadow's gameplay in SA2 is fun on its own merit. I also don't mind the treasure hunting gameplay returning or how big the levels are this time around, since Knuckles and Rouge are still fast and not '06 levels of slow. It's mainly the gimped radar that creates the unfortunate domino effect of making them a problem.

- Introduced Rouge, one of my favourite characters for how playful she is and how she's a lot more nuanced and intelligent than you'd expect.

- Some genuinely good scenes, like Eggman's trap on the A.R.K and Sonic escaping from the G.U.N. helicopter.

- Had some good ideas going for it, like the Pyramid Base and the Biolizard as a scientific monster instead of an ancient one.

- Despite my thoughts on the backstory itself (or rather, its execution), Shadow has enough depth and subtle qualities and occasional unintended hilarity to stand out from the typical dark rival characters you see in media.

- The Last Scene's music in particular is one of my favourite cutscene tracks in the series.

Sonic Heroes (mixed gameplay-wise, loathed story-wise) - The gameplay is fun when you're not being screwed over by repetitive combat, overly long levels and/or ice physics.

- Boasts some of the most consistently Genesis-worthy environments in the 3D games, up there with SA1's and Colours'.

- The in-game dialogue that isn't the same tutorial drivel repeated ad nauseam can be interesting, funny, etc.

- Reintroduced the Chaotix, which provided me with another character I quite like in the form of Vector.

- Bringing Metal Sonic back in full force and front and center in the plot after a long absence (not counting cameos and the like) is a perfectly fine idea. Just... not like this.

Sonic Battle (decent yet repetitive gameplay, mixed story-wise) - Emerl's arc is compelling, and it earns the emotional weight of having to put him down at the end.

- While some characters are iffy (read: Amy), other characters are extremely well-handled. Shadow is probably the prime example.

- Gamma's belly dance healing animation is fucking hilarious.

- When I was young, and the game was first announced, I was really excited about being able to play as Chaos. This proved to be my downfall when it turned out he was arguably one of the worst characters in the game due to being slower than me during the writing process, but I still recall that excitement fondly.

Shadow the Hedgehog (comedy classic) - The sheer amount of legendary stupidity this game has going for it makes it practically impossible to actually hate. It helps that it's not quite as white-knighted on the same level as '06... usually. You know you're in for a unique experience when you hear a gunshot every time you click something in the menu.

- By extension, Black Doom never gained an unironic fanbase like Mephiles/Scourge/Eggman Nega did, which means I'm a lot more willing to take Doom's dumbass brand of villainy in stride. He even has a unique design... a terrible one that rips off Wizeman granted, but alas, even that is a step-up from Fridge Shadow and Bumblebee Eggman.

- Despite being... well, Shadow the Hedgehog, some of the environments would fit right in with any other Sonic game, like with Circus Park, Lava Shelter, and Digital Circuit. Even the Black Comet levels look pretty cool.

- This game understands amnesia better than IDW does.

Sonic '06 (what do you think?) - The obvious one: Shadow's character was handled pretty well, even if it came at the cost of everyone else being a dummy and being forced to interact with Mephiles.

- Like SA2, there are some good moments, like the Last Story ending sequence with Sonic and Elise.

- In the greatest form of irony ever, I like Solaris as a concept and design(s), and its backstory has potential to serve as a parallel with Chaos without being a complete ripoff. Iblis sucks, Mephiles sucks, but I'm fine with Solaris.

- Introduced legendary characters like Sonic Man, Pele the Beloved Dog, Hatsun the Pigeon, and Pacha from The Emperor's New Groove.

The Rivals duology (apathetic outside of Nega-related grumbling) - There were some cool zone ideas in both games that were sadly let down by the restrictive and limiting gameplay. I particularly like Colosseum Highway for thus far being the only full-on Roman level in the series instead of merely having a couple minor hints of Roman, and Meteor Base for the unique scenario of the space station being built into an asteroid. These level concepts and others deserve a second chance IMO. (At least Frontier Canyon got a second chance in the form of Mirage Saloon, amirite?)

- Ifrit has a better design than Iblis. Not saying it's amazing, but the Firebird motif it has going on is a lot more interesting for a fire monster than the Not-Chaos schtick they had with Iblis.

Sonic and the Secret Rings (a very frustrating gaming experience) - Erazor Djinn, A.K.A. Qui-Gon Djinn, A.K.A. Dr. N. Djinn, A.K.A. I'll Take It On The Djinn, A.K.A. Not From The Hairs On My Djinny Djinn Djinn, is one of the best villains not associated with Eggman in the series. He's a Mephiles-type character done right, and there's actual weight and reason to his actions, however sinister or petty.

- I don't have strong opinions either way on Shahra as a character, but the Sonic/Shahra friendship is sweet and well-handled.

- The ending is one of Sonic's greatest moments. The sheer contrast between how ruthlessly he deals with Erazor and how comforting he is towards Shahra speaks volumes... Still gonna make fun of the mountain of handkerchiefs though. (Before anyone lectures me, I understand the significance of it and can even appreciate it from that angle... doesn't mean I'm not allowed to poke fun at it. :P)

- Another game with some redeeming environments. I love the aesthetic of Night Palace, and Sand Oasis looks gorgeous too.

Sonic Chronicles (my personal least favourite game in the series) - Uh...

- Um...

- Er...

- I like Shade's design?

Sonic Unleashed (overrated game and story IMO) - The obvious two: the opening sequence and the Egg Dragoon fight deserve all the praise they get.

- Seeing Eggmanland come to life was an impressive moment to be sure. While part of me does feel it didn't quite measure up to what I had in mind (ironically, the Interstellar Amusement Park ended up being closer to what I had in mind), it still looks badass and works well for what it is. I also don't mind the idea of it being a one-level gauntlet... key word being idea.

- Obviously, the game looks great. Not a fan of the real world focus (real world inspiration is fine, but copy-pasting the real world and shoving loops in it is just unimaginative), but it can't be denied that the environments look good.

- This game pulled off dialogue options a lot better than Chronicles did, since they didn't rely on making Sonic OoC.

Sonic and the Black Knight (just kind of boring all around) - Despite my gripes with the story (Merlina wasn't nearly as fleshed out as her unique anti-villain status deserved, which ends up severely undermining the ambition of the plot in more ways than one, and the other characters go from being useless yes men for King Arthur to being useless yes men for Sonic), I will admit it provides interesting insight into Sonic's character.

- Like '06 and Secret Rings, the ending is very nice... well, aside from Amy being an unreasonable bitch ala Sonic X at the very end.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (apathetic) - The admittedly few new concepts sprinkled within had promise. They may not have been as fleshed out as they could have been, but level concepts like Sylvania Castle and White Park, bosses like Egg Serpentleaf and the Egg Heart, and story beats like the Death Egg mk.II being powered by Little Planet, all could have been brilliant had they been better executed.

SatAM (apathetic outside of SatAM Robotnik-related grumbling) - I'm not a fan of the environments on the whole due to them looking too bland or samey, but there are some exceptions that look pleasant or interesting, like the Void.

Sonic Underground (apathetic) - The character designs make me feel better about myself.

- Does "large quantities of unintentional meme material" count as a positive?

Sonic X (mostly apathetic outside of Eggman's handling) - Helen was a better human character and audience surrogate in her one focus episode than Chris was throughout his entire runtime.

- Actually, most of the human characters not named Chris were legitimately likable. Including everyone in Chris' own family not named Chris. Hilarious.

- Despite arguably having the most Chris in it, I actually don't mind the first season that much, partly due to slight nostalgia from seeing it on TV when it was new, but mostly because Eggman actually acted like a villain for the most part, and certain other characters weren't quite as flanderized yet. It's season 2 and onwards where things started going off the rails IMO. (Incidentally, Helen's episode was part of season 1...)

The Boom franchise (apathetic) - Along with Chronicles, the games provide yet more proof that just because someone isn't SEGA/Sonic Team, that doesn't mean they're automatically more qualified to handle the series.

- The show had some good episodes here and there, and Tails' characterization was probably the most consistently on-point out of the cast.

- Despite not exactly being favourite portrayals for either character, even I'll admit that many of Knuckles and Eggman's lines in the show on their own were genuinely funny.

Archie Sonic (pre-reboot is mostly terrible, post-reboot is mostly... bland) - Whenever I doubt myself as a writer, I think back to Ken Penders, and suddenly I'm filled with a lot more confidence.

Sonic the Comic (apathetic) - Fleetway isn't a comic I tend to recall much of aside from how much of a loathesome cunt Sonic is, but IIRC, Robotnik's portrayal is pretty good. Different, but good.

IDW Sonic (stop pissing me off, comic) - Putting their handling aside (and being too obviously "inspired" by MGS in the latter's case), Tangle and Whisper are good characters IMO.

- Same goes for Starline, before he was killed off-screen and replaced with Toothpaste Snively.

- Execution aside (noticing a pattern?), the zombot virus was a fine concept on its own and an interesting new scheme for Eggman.

- I get to remind myself that I've never drawn scat edits and posted them publicly on Twitter.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

do you like the plot of the new tlsq? honestly I don't, to me torvus is too angry with mc for something we couldn't avoid imo, the acromantula attacked us, what were we supposed to do, die? maybe i missed something, i don't understand all these "it's your fault" accusations

....I've got a lot to say.

I'm watching the footage right now and honestly...it's really not a very good story at all. It feels like maybe they wanted to make a TLSQ about Torvus but more out of a sense of obligation or opportunity, as he was one of the character who didn't have one yet. Not because they had a story they wanted to tell about him. Like, we don't learn anything about Torvus or about his relationship to Jacob. I'm not saying that I'm opposed to TLSQs that act as follow-up to things that happened in the main story, but between this and the Knighthood TLSQ...it's just never executed very well. Not to mention that the whole motif of togetherness and community is soured by how mean-spirited the tone feels.

First of all, like you said, the premise is absolutely ridiculous. They repeat the idea that MC is to blame for everything, so many times that if it was a drinking game, you'd die of alcoholism. Usually having MC own up to this, regardless of player input. Which is kind of frustrating if you think about it for longer than half a second and realize that not only was none of this was MC's fault, but you'd seriously have to be confunded to think that this was a logical conclusion. The entire trajectory of how all of this happened is a bit woolly and not well defined, but to place the blame on MC's shoulders is nonsense, and as a result the entire story is systematically broken, especially concerning MC's motivation. Torvus blames them for everything, and they just...kind of go with it. Everyone does, for no apparent reason.

So opening the Forest Vault is cited as the reason for why all of this started. Considering how much they try to push a theme of interconnection and the bonds of nature, I could believe that the Vault would have unforeseen effects on the ecosystem. Hey, we still don't get how the Vaults work, so that would be fair enough...Except apparently what it all came down to was MC's duel with the Acromantula. That's what caused a chain reaction of events that...er, somehow, led to the Centaurs having a water shortage. But the Acromantula was responsible for the trouble with the fairies and the red cap. He had nothing to do with the Troll and the Forest Lake. Did I miss something? The Acromantula had no connection to the Centaurs' problems. No, you know what ultimately caused the problem with the Troll? The sleepwalking students. They trod upon the bubotubers while under the spell. So, in other words...MC opening the Forest Vault stopped the problem from getting any worse. Not only did their actions not cause this, they actively helped. Why doesn't Torvus, or anyone for that matter, point this out?

No one seems willing to take apart the logical fallacies of Torvus' vendetta. Why is MC blamed exclusively when it was a joint effort? Charlie was there. Hagrid was there. Torvus was there! They all helped open the Vault! And he has the nerve to act like this is all on MC? It's no better than when Dumbledore gave MC a year's worth of detention and ignored the other students who came along. That's not even getting into the ludicrous idea that MC is at fault for the duel with the Acromantula. Y'know, where it was trying to kill them and their friends? And they didn't do any lasting harm to the creature at all? And it was his choice to leave his colony? Why is that our problem? The story forces MC to "prove" to Torvus that they can be trusted to solve this problem even though he demanded their presence in the first place. Does he want their help or not? It just really tests my patience. We even have to prove to the Acromantulas that we can be trusted to solve the problem. Why? That seems like such a waste of time. Why do I care if they have faith in MC?

So MC's obligation to this problem, which the quest loves to have them restate, is flat. What about the consequences if they don't fix this? Yeah, no, that's nonsense too. Not to call Torvus' bluff, but literally no one in the quest does, so I suppose I'd better. Just what does he mean by saying that MC will be "banned" from the Forbidden Forest? Does he not realize that they already are? Has he forgotten that the humans call it the "Forbidden Forest" and that students aren't allowed to go in? Clearly, MC has been disregarding that for a while, and Torvus knows it. Tell me why MC should stop visiting the Forest just because Torvus says they have to. Y'know, Care of Magical Creatures classes are sometimes taken into the Forest. What is MC supposed to do if that happens? Get a zero for the day? Why should they? I know it's Kettleburn and he's a little bit odd, but the point is that this would cause a conflict and I don't imagine the school staff would care about the Centaurs' wants in this situation.

I know the Centaurs consider the Forest to be their land, and they have a strained relationship with the humans at best, but seriously, what exactly are they going to do if MC disregards their "ban?" Short of killing MC on sight, how are they gonna enforce this? And again, I'm gonna call that bluff because Centaurs do not harm children. Culturally, it is considered extremely taboo to harm a "foal." Never mind the trouble they would get into with Dumbledore and the Ministry, not to mention R, who want MC alive. Speaking of the teachers, why does MC so freely tell Flitwick and Sprout about their plans to try and temper a troll? They shouldn't, because any reasonable teacher would react with alarm and forbid MC from doing this. Confine them to their Common Room while the staff goes to sort this out. Come to think of it, why don't Flitwick and Sprout do this? They just shrug off MC announcing their intent to visit the Forbidden Forest and tame a dangerous creature! (Deep, deep sigh.) Look Torvus, The Creatures Reserve is (probably) within the Forest, so no, Luca's not gonna stop visiting. It's one of the areas in the hub world of the game, and this quest drops at a point when MC still has to visit later on for plot reasons....so I know The Forest isn't going anywhere. This threat isn't scary, it's irritating in how blatantly empty it is.

At the end of it all, MC has to review what they learned in their path of atonement, and show Torvus how much they've grown. Get the hell out of here with that. MC and Charlie could have died a few times over, and that's on Torvus. He didn't tell MC about the troll! He knew, and didn't tell them! Because "something thing, you needed to learn a lesson, etc." No! That's not okay! I'm supposed to consider him my friend after this? Seriously, I wouldn't mind all of this so much if Torvus didn't constantly treat MC like a hated criminal, and MC didn't so humbly accept that treatment. I'm gonna need to rewrite this one a fair bit in my headcanons because Luca may be soft and an occasional pushover, but they also develop a nose for bullshit as time goes on, and this entire TLSQ is demanding MC atone for saving the school, for something they already faced punishment for with the kitchen detentions. For something that Torvus participated in, and seemed quite happy about at the time. Y'know what, I'm starting to think he's got a pretty serious entitled streak. And for better or for worse (and by that I mean, for worse) I think MC may have nurtured that streak when they first met Torvus. He blamed them for Jacob's actions, and MC did everything they could to "make it right." I think Torvus has learned from that incident that he can hold MC accountable for anything so long as he finds some six degrees of separation method of claiming it involved them.

I feel terrible for the fans of Torvus' character. Because this quest is even stupider than the Knighthood TLSQ and it makes me even angrier than the All Wizard Tournament. This one was, to put it nicely, a misfire.

[davidmann95]

Comics this week (10/13/2021)?

Anonymous asked: Non-Superman and the Authority comics this week?

deathchrist2000 asked: So… Thoughts on Strange Adventures? Was it everything you wanted it to be?

adudewholikescomicsandotherstuff asked: So between the immortal hulk finale and the strange adventures finale AND the Superman and the authority finale, this was a pretty stacked week for comics, huh?

pretenderoftheeast asked: Sooo, Superman and the Authority *and* The Immortal Hulk concluding today. Thoughts?

Strange Adventures #12: These beautiful men have composed a 12-issue testament the soul-quaking moral horror of realizing that you fucked Adam Strange. Full offense, if you've ever wanted anything more than this in comics you are the living embodiment of greed.

Wonder Woman #780: Wondering if I should drop off here - this is actually a really solid issue, but it's such a clean breaking point and for some reason I have a feeling it's gonna be weaker going forward.

Hardware Season One #2: I still like this pretty well, and I want to support Brandon Thomas as a rising name who's doing things I like, but I'm only vibing with this so much and now it's expecting me to be reading the other Milestone titles, so I'm not sure I'll keep with it.

The Joker #8: Solid but probably the weakest issue of the title to date, also this extremely casually drops a TITANIC reveal unless I missed something previously and I don't think I'm a fan.

Batman: Urban Legends #8: Another one I'm on the precipice of dropping; this time it's Thomas who's got me holding on, but even Watters' input here isn't grabbing me.

I Am Batman #2: All due respect to Steven Segovia, but without Coipel here anymore and now that I'm finally satisfied in that I've seen this dude become Batman, I think I'm about ready to cut my losses. Lots of potential dropped books this week! Which is probably a good thing given how much I'm obviously dropping, though at least next week's a small one for me to compensate.

Batman '89 #3: This is growing on me fast, and I'm really curious where they'll go with this take on Harvey with the latest curveball.

Justice League: Last Ride #6: I don't know whether I love or hate the twist here. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to the last issue, but this remains a disappointment.

Superman and The Authority #4: Yes I *am* smug that I predicted a few things, thank you for asking. Final mini-annotations incoming.

Second Coming: Only Begotten Son #6: Rapidly burning out on Russell in general but this particular book continues to work for me, I'll stick with it as long as it's around.

No One Left To Fight II #1: Was so excited to hear this book was coming back but didn't see any release date, then only saw last night it was today! Lucky me, it's back in fine form and I'm really happy to see a title I wanted room to grow into itself get that chance.

Mamo #4: It's clear now this is meant to be read in trade to the point I kinda wish I'd waited, but this is really, really lovely and I'd fully recommend grabbing it yourself once it drops as a full collection.

6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #5: God this book rules.

Avengers #49: Huh, I thought the current plot would fully wrap up in this issue. Well, it's still dumb as all fuck and I still dig it.

X-Men #4: Avengers' cleaner, less dumb as fuck cousin, I dig it too.

Iron Man #14: A mix of the by-the-numbers dry execution that's often made this run frustrating and the moments of inspiration and joy that make it hard for me to look away.

Darkhold: Iron Man: Damn, Ryan North. I haven't seen Guillermo Sanna before, but he's also real real good.

Gamma Flight #5: This book felt like a quick little sideways glance into a universe where Al Ewing wrote Hulk and it was roughly regular Al Ewing good instead of what we really got, but that still means this is good.

The Immortal Hulk #50: It's unfortunately sort of the perfect capstone that there's a truly beautiful moment in this issue, a testament to all this series has accomplished, that is made specifically, viscerally uncomfortable due to Joe Bennett (who does infuriatingly spectacular work here as his final bow of nominal respectability before going to do comics for fucking Vox Day). This is the best longform run Marvel has ever published and it's not close, and I cannot in good conscience ever recommend it. God willing Ewing gets an opportunity of equivalent profile and scope in the future that doesn't have the foundation torn out from under it like this, nevermind at the last minute.

[julyarchives]

Scintilla (M)

Having to deal with the most handsome and cocky nemesis can be fun when that person is Yanan

→ Pairing: Yanan x Female Reader

→ Genre: Smut

→ Words:  2.6K

→ Contains: Smut; Enemies To Lovers; Mafia AU, Semi-public sex.

→ A/n: This was very fun to write and we may have gotten carried away, hence the word count lol. We truly hope you guys enjoy it, we think there’s too little Yanan on our blog so we decided that the next story will also be an Yanan imagine, although the plot will be completely diferent. Good reading!

Check the sequel HERE

You were born into this, but it wasn't like you are involved against your will. Your father is the head of an organization that runs half of the city through technically not legal ways. People call it mafia, you call it a family. You learned from your father how to be a good leader, how to be tough, and to not let anyone step over you. You were ready to make this organization your legacy and nobody could take that from you. 

 Except for one person.

 The other half of the city is taken by a different organization. An enemy. And just like you, someone else wants to make their legacy. His name is Yanan and he is the prodigy you should keep an eye on, the one who threatens everything you stand for.

 Yanan and you have been in war since you can remember always racing to be one step ahead of the other. You two wanted different things, had different visions that clashed and were not possible to execute simultaneously. You were mafia but you had your morals, and what his crew does is not what you want for the city, and that's why things never go well if you two are in the same room. Today is one day that you two have to be in the same room. Your dad is meeting with his, the current leaders, to discuss the limits and business, and you two as heirs will be attending.

Sitting on opposite sides of the table, Yanan simply does not stop staring at you. He has this stupid smirk on his face, like he knows all your secrets, presumptuously assuming he has some kind of upper hand. At some point, you two were excused so they would discuss private aspects reserved for them only. 

 You stood at the door, and he positioned himself by your side, lazily leaning against the wall.

 “You know, y/n” Yanan was the first to break the silence between you “coming to these meetings is always so fun.

 You rolled your eyes, already anticipating some snarky remark from him.

 “Why is that, Yanan?” you said impatiently

 “Because one day it will be us there, and I’m pretty sure I can have you on your knees for me.” His smirk grew wider “figuratively, of course”

 He winked and your stomach turned. 

 “Gross.” You simply answered “And as if. I’ll have you destroyed in no time. Your little business will be nothing once I’m in command”

 “Cute” he chuckled.

 "You know what's cute?", you smirked at him. He hummed in answer. "You, wasting my time to brag about your defeat".

 You walked away, leaving a laughing Yanan behind. You had no idea why the banter between you never ceased, you both sounded like teenagers sometimes and he annoyed you to no end but as you took your place at the driver's seat in your car, you smiled without thinking. 

 All the Yanan situation was forgotten as you arrived at the nightclub. You were supposed to meet a guy there, a date a friend got you swearing the guy was hot enough to forget about some felonies. In the state you were in, all you wanted was to get laid so you agreed. The club was not packed, it was not a full day but still seemed like fun, the music was loud by the dance floor but the bar and the entrance had music low enough to hear people talking. You spotted some familiar faces from your gang and some others from Yanan's, the club being a very middle term and neutral place in town.

 The guy spotted you as you spotted Yanan coming back from the bathroom doors and for a second you were confused. The guy was all smiles at you but your eyes seemed too curious about Yanan's posture, you hated seeing him here, he always managed to look extremely hot at the club. Shaking those thoughts away, you turned to the guy, finally giving him your full attention, not before seeing Yanan wink at you. You took a seat by a couch, with the guy close to you. Your friend was somewhat right, the guy was kinda cute, but didn't quite match your tastes but you swore to give him a chance.

 An hour later you regretted even leaving home. The guy was such a bore you couldn't stand, his voice was annoying you in a way you never thought possible. His only subjects were his family history and his adventures. Many ridiculous adventures. Not once he asked you about yourself, just speaking nonstop with the cockiest grin ever. Once he tried to touch your thighs but you shook his hand away and ordered your fourth drink. 

 "Hi, sorry to interrupt", someone said just as you were praying for the first time in your life for a rescue.

 Looking up you scoffed. Of course, God sent you Yanan to rescue, like a mean genie that twisted your wish. The asshole was hotter up close and that annoyed you even more. You realized that you truly needed to get laid, more than ever, to even consider Yanan this attractive. 

 "Y/N. Urgent call, sweetheart. You know, heir business".

 The boring dude asked something about heirs but you got up immediately. Business was business and any chance to leave the guy was a chance. You followed Yanan closely to the back doors and sighed in relief when you get fresh air outside. Yanan leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette lazily, he had a very much shit-eating grin and wiggled his eyebrows at you. It all clicked.

 "There's no call, is there?", you asked, already leaning on the opposite wall and taking the cigarette pack and lighter from him. He managed a small "no" between his grin as you lit your own cigarette freshly stolen from him. 

 "Why were you with that idiot?", he asked seriously after some minutes of silence. The alley was well lit enough but seemed cut off from the rush of the club. 

 "I honestly don't know. A friend set us up but that was such a stupid idea", you laughed at your own misery. You didn't even know why you were being so honest with him. Maybe it was the drinks, maybe the frustration. 

 "Do you need to get laid that bad, Y/N?", he scoffed, "that idiot tried to get in with our business once. He was so stupid he got arrested a week later picking pockets at a football game". 

 That made you crack. You laughed hard, thinking of how lame the guy was, your power situation always being your most proud deed. You finished your cigarette and tried to light another but Yanan snatched it from you, pocketing the items before you managed to get one cigarette out. 

 "Shut up, Yanan", you said, crossing your arms almost like a stubborn child whose toy got snatched.

 "I mean it, is that how desperate you are?", he moved his head to the side, analyzing you. Shit. For a second you wondered if all his endless innuendos with you actually meant something that you never read but dismissed it quickly. No way. Yeah, he was hot but he was a cocky annoying enemy and you were just lonely. 

 "What kind of question is that, Yanan? Are you that interested in my sex life?"

 "Yes", his simple answer shocked you, your mouth agape. He smirked. "I almost never see you with someone and always wondered why. I think you're too hot to be that lonely, you know?"

 "I never see you with someone either", was your smart comeback and you wanted to kick yourself.

 "Who's interested in who's sex life now, Y/N?"

 "Shut up, Yanan", you said with no bite, looking away from him. 

 "Maybe…", he said it like he was architecting a plan, "maybe I am a bit lonely as well. I mean, I get you perfectly, don't I? We have the same position, same problems…", he got close to you in seconds and you didn't even hear it, soon enough he had a finger running along your neck to your scalp, "same needs".

 You'd definitely blame the alcohol tomorrow. And the boring guy. But right now you couldn't care less, he was blatantly teasing you and he did make sense. You both had similar life and of course, you two were lonely, in this line of work and life you can't trust anyone. Or almost anyone. That was your resolution as you grabbed him by his leather jacket and pulled him for a bruising kiss. You decided that if anything were to happen, he would not be in charge.

 Yanan seemed to be expecting that, you felt him smirk in the kiss and fist your hair quickly. The kiss was hot and you both moved with your bodies, a full fight for dominance. You knew you had the upper hand when you moved your hips to rub against him and felt his semi-hard already, earning a groan. His free hand grabbed your ass with force, not even hiding his intentions, and lucky you had the same ones, you used his hair to guide the kiss, never letting go of his jacket. 

 Even as you or he needed to pull back to breathe you'd stop, the kissing was replaced by nibs and sucking, you knew both of you would be marked tomorrow and that made you win this as well, leaving many hickeys on his neck and collarbones. You thanked his unique ability to wear loose thin shirts that allowed you to reach downwards on his neck while he fumbled to reach your bra in your tight fit shirt. Saying fuck it to any last reasonable thought, you pulled back entirely and took your shirt off, quickly pulling his jacket away. Yanan got the hint and took his shirt off, going for your bra seconds later, not wasting time and already teasing and sucking on your nipples. 

 Of course, his mouth would be heaven, you thought. He never stopped talking and teasing you all his life, his mouth always drove you crazy and now you discovered he could get you crazy with his mouth in some other way. His thigh reached your covered core and you shivered, you automatically riding his thigh with want. Yanan grunted out your name, his hold on your ass coming back to help you move with even more force, his dick rubbing on your jeans pants with the movement. It felt like you stayed that way for a long time, you needed more but it was too good to stop, his mouth doing wonders on your neck and boobs, it was leading to a very strong orgasm, you could feel it. 

 Suddenly he stopped you, getting his thigh out of reach. He laughed at your involuntary whine and leaned over, hands massaging your breasts.

 "You seriously think I'm gonna let you cum with my thighs only?", he nibbled your ear, "what kind of asshole do you think I am?"

 The wetness in your panties got even damper with his words, your hands already opening your pants. Yanan followed your lead and soon both pants and underwear were by your ankles. But before anything could happen, you put both hands on his chest, feeling his strong body with more calm. 

 "Don't make me regret this, Yanan. This better be good", you meant to be serious but his cocky smile made the corners of your mouth move upwards without intending to. He whispered your name and gently held your chin, placing a gentle kiss on your lips that got you both gasping softly. 

 "Can you turn around, please? With the pants where they are, I think it'll be better this way", he asked, too calm for the situation. You hated to agree with him but moved in silence. You placed both hands on the wall and bent over, looking back only to see him watching you with dark eyes. He was stroking himself and fully moaned when you placed your fingers in your entrance to tease him. It was Yanan that yanked your wrist back and even from behind you saw him suck your fingers next to your head.

 "You taste so good, Y/N. Maybe next time".

 Next time. Was it even going to have the next time? You didn't even have time to think it over before he pushed his dick inside, slowly but surely. You moaned at the feeling, hands turning into fists from how good that was. You could feel he was no better than you, hips spasming to move already even if he was waiting for you to adjust. When you pushed back he held your waist and wasted no time in moving. He got his member almost completely out only thrust in fast and hard again.

 Yanan held that rhythm all along and if you had any coherent thought in your head, you'd praise his physical strength and stamina. But you didn't. He was giving it to you and it felt like magic, he knew how to move and where to move exactly as you needed him to without you having to guide him. He was hitting your g spot dead on and it took all of you to not scream his name over and over in the small alley. His expert fingers moved to your clit and rubbed it deliciously, making you writhe against him.

 "Keep that up and I'll come too soon, I'm so close", you said, already clenching at how he was touching you. 

 "I'm close, Y/N. Shit, come with me", he breathed it out against your ear.

 You'd deny it forever but his pleading voice did the trick. You came with a cry you couldn't hold back. Vaguely you heard Yanan curse at how you clenched around him and you felt him release. You two moved until both came back from the high, now the silence was coming back but you were too tired to care. 

 He stepped out and got his clothes back on first and followed, tired hands retrieving pieces of clothing from the ground. You heard him chuckle, looking at nothing specifically and you somewhat understood. You laughed quietly and you exchanged a look.

 "So, Y/N, any regrets?", there he went. The same old annoying bastard.

 "Shut up, Yanan", you laughed, throwing his jacket at him. 

 "I will start to collect streets from your domain every time you tell me to shut up, by the end of a year you'll have no more power, Y/N", you both laughed out loud and you shook your head.

 "What do you wanna do now?", you said, reaching for his cigarettes in his pocket.

 He only raised an eyebrow at you and extended his hand to collect his items after you used them. With both cigarettes lit and smoke clouding the air a little, he huffed.

 "I'd invite you over to my place for more and just for tonight, I'd pretend we're allies and not enemies. I truly think we are similar, Y/N", Yanan was not looking at you.

 "Alright. Lead the way, Mr. I'm-just-like-you", you mocked him with a very bad imitation of chis voice and you laughed at both your joke and his shocked face.

 "May I hold your hand, m'lady?", it was his turn to mock your voice, a quick recovery from his shock.

 "Don't push your luck, sweetheart". You used the same nickname he used with you earlier and he laughed, walking back into the club without saying a word and without looking back.

 You threw your cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it, shaking your head. Tomorrow you'd deal with all the consequences but tonight you were willing to let this good sparkle inside your belly make decisions for you. Just tonight.

[impalementation]

if you're interested, i'd love to hear your thoughts on That scene in empty places, bc the way that i've seen most people talk about it doesn't always feel very nuanced and like... i get being frustrated and i for sure think some extremely unfair things to/about buffy were said, but i don't think it's as cut and dry as buffy being totally blameless (even though i love her) and everyone else (particularly the main scoobies, who don't have her responsibilities but have fought alongside her and earned the right to disagree w her imo) being terrible. Like it may have gone too far?? But idk, I have trouble articulating why, but I think there's more nuance to the situation than people want to say, so I'm curious about your thoughts

Anonymous asked:

whats your take on empty places and the scoobs kicking buffy out of her house?

Anonymous asked:

Why did Buffy allowed Dawn to kick her out in Empty Places?

Wow, so many questions about “Empty Places”! Sorry, as ever, that these took me a while to get to.

I actually agree, I think there’s more nuance there than it’s given credit for. I talked about that a bit in this post a while back. I wouldn’t say that the character build-up to that scene is as well-executed as it could have been, but it hardly comes out of nowhere, and it’s not some random thing. Or, as I’ve seen people suggest, simply there to make Spike look good and push him and Buffy together. I’m sure their romantic arc was a factor in the storytelling, but to call that the only motivation seems to me a vast oversimplification and dismissal of ideas that were built over the course of the season.

Season seven is, as I’ve discussed before, about how the Slayer system is broken. It’s a system that isolates Buffy and puts all of the decision-making in her hands. Meaning that it’s a system that is neither good for her, nor good for anyone around her, no matter how strong and brave Buffy is. All season long, we see Buffy struggle with both the limits of her power, and the demands of her authority. She wants to be able to save every girl, and fight every ubervamp, but she simply can’t be everywhere and stronger than everything. She wants to be a caring friend, but when she’s the one who has to make decisions about whether people should live or die, she can’t always be. When she’s the one who has to make all the hard choices, that means the blame always falls on her shoulders. When she fucks up, there’s nothing for her to fall back on. The fact that Buffy is forced to be this kind of sole authority means that the people around her are right to feel that they aren’t being listened to, or fully considered. Because often they aren’t. They see the people around them getting maimed and killed and suddenly realize that maybe it isn’t right that all their eggs should be in Buffy’s basket. But at the same time, they’re wrong, because they’re the ones who put their eggs there. They’re the ones who kept looking the other way as Buffy made hard choice after hard choice on their behalf. They’re as complicit in (and victimized by) the broken system as Buffy is.

Keep in mind the season’s perception themes. Everyone gets mad at Buffy, and Buffy gets mad at herself, because they’re all too close to the situation to see that the problem isn’t really Buffy, it’s what being the Slayer has forced Buffy to be. The dynamic it’s forced between her and the people around her. Notice how in the very next episode, Faith finds herself dealing with the exact same problems that Buffy was. The same hard decisions, and the same ambient resentments. It’s actually very important that Faith has to be a leader for a bit, in order to show this--the fact that the problem is being the Slayer, not Buffy. I’d even argue that it’s the much more thematically relevant motivation for the scene than getting Buffy and Spike alone.

As far as thematic motivations go, I also think it’s crucial that Buffy is thrown out of her house. That is some powerful symbolism for a season that leans so hard into the symbolism of Buffy’s house in general, and it’s disappointing to see people ignore it in their eagerness to be mad at everyone. The house is a lot of things—the familiar, the stable, the normative, the safe—but most importantly it’s also Buffy’s self. Notice how Spike and Faith, both Buffy’s shadow at different times, hang out in Buffy’s basement: the realm of the id and subconscious. Notice how as the house breaks down, Buffy gets injured as well.

So for Buffy to be thrown out of her house, it’s the climax of the season’s isolation themes not just in terms of story, but also metaphor. She has literally been cast out of herself. She’s been banished from her identity and role. But at the same time, once she’s on the outside of that myopic, claustrophobic system, she is able to connect with her shadow (Spike) and see the situation with new eyes. The reason that Spike is the one who can talk Buffy back is that firstly, unlike the Scoobies, his later seasons arc is all about learning to not ask Buffy for things that aren’t appropriate--romantic reciprocation, moral structure. Secondly, he was once the tool and symbol of her isolation, the icon of her shame and guilt and belief that she needed to isolate herself. For her to make peace with Spike is about her rejecting that isolation and shame, and transforming it.

Of course, I can talk about symbolism all I want and it doesn’t necessarily matter if the writers didn’t make it believable on the object level too—the level of character and plot and all of that. It’s a regular problem on Buffy, the writing caring more about symbolism than sense. While I think that most of the characters have adequate motivation for the scene—really, it’s been building from the beginning; remember the confrontation between Buffy and Xander as early as “Selfless”? or Buffy fighting with Giles and Wood two episodes earlier? or the way she argued with everyone in “Get It Done”? or the Potentials doubting her from basically their first episodes?—the one character that seems truly undeveloped is Dawn. She got that warning from the First in “Conversations With Dead People”, but the season doesn’t follow up on it well enough to draw a clear line between that seed of doubt and her attitude in “Empty Places.” Given that Dawn is Buffy’s “humanity” or “youth” or what have you, it’s symbolically significant that she would be the final one to cast Buffy out. But that seems like a clear case of the story not earning its metaphor, unfortunately.

To answer the third ask: as far as why Buffy let Dawn kick her out, on a character level I think she was pretty defeated by that point. But symbolically, I think the part about Buffy’s human self rejecting her is important for that. Buffy has a tenuous relationship to her belief in her humanity at the best of times, so it’s pretty easy for me to believe that she would feel lost and numbed enough by being rejected by that part of herself, that she wouldn’t fight it.

(Controversial opinion, but I actually kind of like that “Empty Places” isn’t due to the First sowing obvious discord. I’ve seen lots of people suggest that that would have been the stronger and more believable choice, and I get the instinct. But if the point of the season is to show that the villain is the Slayer system, then it makes more sense for that to be the thing that drives the conflict, and not an external force influencing them. There might have been a way to use the First that was compatible with that, but it wouldn’t have worked if the problem was just The First. Imo, of course.)

All of which is to say, that if you see the season as being about faulty perception, broken systems, and the dangers of isolation, then “Empty Places” actually makes perfect sense as a climax of the season. The problem really comes down to whether you think it was earned enough (which in some cases I think it was, and in others it wasn’t), or generally handled well, and whether you think those ideas are interesting in the first place.