#...yeah there will probably be another Beast Wars rewatch after this

[inevitablesurrender]

Actually paused this excellent ongoing ReBoot documentary series to watch part of season 3 of ReBoot (not... officially available on YouTube, but you'll find it) for a specific detail I couldn't remember and... wound up watching several episodes, so. Guess I'll loop back around and watch from the beginning again soon. ...Given my feelings on Tron, I'm sure ReBoot appreciation comes as no surprise.

And it's not like I ever forgot how much I love Hexadecimal, but. Just. My god I love Hex. Yes, even at that point. Yes, even at her most PrObLEmATIc. Just. Hex. Okay.

And slamming into the "oh, right, this" of season 4 but. Everything is still worth not remembering the end of End Program until it happened again because who needs to breathe, really.

And I very much love comparing and contrasting how Users are viewed through Tron and through ReBoot. Both share a bit of "They're just idiots." Which...

[randomnameless]

Rewatching Shez's supports with Edelgard, it kind of irritates me that Edelgard looks upset after Shez points out that the average farmer probably hates her for the war. Like, ma'am you knew this would lead to mass death and a lot of people not being fans of yours, and considering Hubert also points out the Edel's policies are meant to benefit nobles who give her money and troops and keep down the commonfolk, she shouldn't be surprised by this answer. Shez even softens the comment by saying "you must have a good reason" but it's like Edelgard can't handle hearing any kind of real criticism from people she respects (or claims to). I think it's another player-pandering thing, can't have the Lord be mad at you, but it just makes Edelgard look like a thin-skinned whiner who can't handle the harsh criticisms that her actions are going to bring her. At least when she went on about "her path of blood and death" in 3 Houses she seemed to have some sense of "yeah people will hate my guts." Idk it probably comes down to the developers being scared to have someone truly criticize Edelgard without pushback.

That supports irks me for other reasons lol, basically the fact that Barney points out how water is wet (something Supreme Sailor Fuku apparently missed, as you noticed) but within 1 convo they completely drop that plot line and get along with her plans because, eggtivation means that someone as bland as Barney - who could represent common sense - must also be drowned under liters of Hresvelg Grey.

Imo, it's not "your lord cannot be mad at you", but again and again with the Fodlan games, "no one can be mad at Supreme Leader, not even you(r self insert character)".

FWIW, FEH got her writing right - faced with contradictions and criticism, Supreme Leader ragingly storms out of a conversation when the characters aren't from Fodlan and thus cannot be eggtivated (or when the Fodlan team isn't writing them?).

Given how her Nopes' Big B's support basically has her say "you're either with me or against me", no wonder why criticism, at least in Nopes, is something unknown for her, hell, Ferdie must behead his father to demonstrate times after times that he and House Aegir aren't her enemies - in a way, even with the twist they added (let's ally with those icky disgusting beasts to get rid of uncle, and THEN we will free Fodlan from their scaly grasp!) Nopes wrote Supreme Leader to be even more uncompromising and more bull-headed than ever, if in Houses she had a modicum of self-awareness (she's still the Adrestian Emperor though!), in Nopes it's written away.

[callsign-relic]

o/ hellooo beast wars liveblog!!! yeah!!!!!!

i actually watched this first ep a lil while ago but i went back and watched it again because the next few eps after didn't have as much Silverbolt and i wanted. to see the pubpy,,,,,,, hes really good,,,

S2 EP4

tangled web... SPIDER TIME YEAH BABEY

i love the way everyones just sorta hanging around LMAO? i think Quickstrike is. swinging his legs back and forth shfbdbfbsj??

honestly Tarantulas, thats pretty fair. it probably is important to research their new forms

the classic Lifting and Moving Stuff time.

black arachnia immediately "flirting" with Quickstrike to get what she wants LMAO

and it works!! hes carrying things for her because hes a biiiiiiig strong bot. 

Tarantulas what are you up to... WHATS THAT. what weird spider contraption is that!!!

shrfkfnmenfksb the way his spider legs kinda just. Fold Up on his transmetal form is so funny

Tarantulas putting on a slight accent to appeal(?) to QS is also very cursed fhdjfbdk???

The Maximals be doing research as well!!! its not going well :(

silverbolt i love uuuuu,, the lil knightly trumpet noises...

rattrap: "man i just hate it when he does that" 

i assume he means when Silverbolt gives a righteous lil speech and flies away but.

im. also choosing to also believe that the music was diagetic and that SB was playing it out loud.

widdergal... sugarbot... i. hes kinda growing on me again. hes annoying but his stupid cowboy accent delights me DEEPLY.

TARANTULAS is in her head again!!!!! AHHH

oh!! New Lair time... will the Predacons be getting a new base?? i assume not. but i also did not think theyd get new forms so. shrug

i love QS nodding at his cobra head lol. 

quickstrike has three faces and half a braincell between them.

id say hes a himbo but actually. that isn't aren't true. hes hot of bod* and dumb of ass, but he is NOT pure of heart.

(*debatable on who you ask.)

i was just thinking that Tarantulas hasnt made any particularly horrendous noises recently and then he keeps doing awful laughter. this is great

⁉️ Silverbolt made a Dinobot(TM) noise. "Eaarrggghhhhh..."

wait i remember u saying smth abt some of the characters having the same V/A- i think dinobot and rattrap had the same V/A...? is this another of those cases.........

hello google.

...

YES!!! rgdjfjdkdnsl epic!!! if it werent for the Dinobot growl i would not have realised dhdkfbsk,, hes got the Range.

Black Arachnia!!! Stop monologuing out loud!!!!!!!!! shut the fuck up friday!

BA :((((((((( Tarantulas is so MEAN to her... oh nvm shes fine shes equally as mean i nearly forgot

Megatron is BATHING again

rhfjfhdk NOBODYS PICKING UP,,

its either freedom or death!!! aughgh. Black Arachnia................ 🥺😭

HEHEHEHEHEHEE THE LINK GOES BOTH WAYS!! GET HIM!!!!!!!

its severed.....!! MY GIRL IS FREED!!!

QS: we've got trouble! with a capital M!!

Mrouble. wait. Megatron.

OH. MAXIMALS.

........... *im* dumb of ass.

i love silverbolts bot mode. he's designed to look like a knight and it's rly cute!! hes even got the tabard... !! or. whatever its called.

the fabric thing that knights have between their legs that is in most fantasy artworks for knights and paladins. it is rarer irl so idk the name for it fbfkfb THAT THING. 

OH are silverbolts weapons his feathers???? YESSS

ITS NOT RIGHT TO STRIKE A FEMALE... he refuses to hurt Blackarachnia.......... :0...

> [addition from future init's second rewatch: ehehe... that low angle on Silverbolt when he lands while fighting Quickstrike........ it's not a suuuper dramatic angle but its enough for me to imagine him Big 👀❣️,,,,, im taking what crumbs i can get ok fbfjfbrj (around 18:20) ] 

oh shit Silverbolt exploded the cavern!!!!!

or not??

well then WHO indeed?

did QS just spit????????? HE DOESNT HAVE A MOUTH I THINK.

SUGARBOT! rhjdkfjdkdnfkfnekbgmfncksb im grimacing really hard but. also hes kinda grown on me. im enjoying him but im gritting my teeth the entire time. many mixed feelings about the weird scorpion snake.

oh. Tarantulas you sly spider. thats not the voice of someone genuinely remorseful. didnt he have that teeny spidery thing goin about earlier. hm.  yeah i wonnnnnnder who was responsible for that explosion...

LETS GO evil lair time again!!!

tarantulas got what he wanted in the end >:0

S2 EP5

Maximal no more... what an ominous title

the fact that it starts off with Dinobot is even more ominous!!

... he's got a laptop.

what ARE Megatron's plans...

YESSSSS DINOBOT'S WAVERING LOYALTIES IS COMING TO A HEAD??

identity crisis...

what perfect timing, to get sent on a mission

oh my god. dinobot having to ride on top of rattrap is so good,,, hes so TEENY.

INFERNO JUMPSCARE !!

the DRAMATICS with Quickstrike is great. i still dont like him.

"AUR AWRURRRUOO" awh silverbolt... he also has fun noises.

QS (about Inferno): "That bot sure does talk peculiar..." ah yes, says the cowboy. bits like that will never fail to amuse me fhdkfbdk 

QS: "i look like a PACK BOT to you??" WELL. YOU WERE CARRYING A BUNCH OF STUFF FOR BLACK ARACHNIA THE OTHER EPISODE...

poor waspinator :( 

YesuskdjskdndmHDKDFB rattrap's imitation of Quickstrike oh ym goddd. i love it. first Tarantulas now Rattrap...

the fact that it WORKS...

oh lets GO

OUHHHHHHGH... hes gone back to being a Predacon...?

Megatron doesn't look convinced...

RIN TIN TIN,,, WASNT THAT A DOG THAT STARRED IN A WESTERN AS WELL. were the creators just watching western movies during this period !!!!!!!!!!

ARE THEY LEAVING WASPINATOR THERE?

ougugjhfhfh,,, THE DRAMAAAAA

i thought you led us to the wrong planet 👀 l

lore...

hand to hand combat!! TO THE DEATHHHH

WOAUGH... cool fight sequence.......

oh my god quickstrikes feet are his claws. what the fuck

Dinobot didnt kill him!!!

dinobot says he gave the disc to Rhinox 👀? or is that a lie...

OUGH THE INTRIGUE 

WHY DOES RATTRAPS HUD HAVE A PIECE OF ROTATING CHEESE ON IT. RATTRAP. WHAT.

oh shit he DID take Megatron to the disc...

Dinobot: "either way, i will know the truth at last" 👀... what do the discs say abt the future? 

RATTRAP :(

OH NO HE CANT KILL HIM... his honor forbids it...

OH FUCK,,, HE CANT KILLL HIMMMMMM

AUUAUHGH

tension...

SILVERBOLT THATS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. YOU DEFECTED ONCE and you were a baby kinda. u had just come into the world. DINOBOT ALREADY DEFECTED ONCE.

twice technically? 

... if they accept him back does it make it a third time?? pred > maximal > pred > maximal...

Rattrap HRKFJDKDNS so ready to insult him

"BUT i guess i kinda gotten used to him." LMAO

(Dinobot about not killing Rattrap) "consider it a rehearsal" they're friens :]

riding Rattrap is his punishment rhrjfbs??

RHSKFJSKS SLOWLY BOPPIN DOWN THE STAIRS ON RATTRAP. THEY COULDA JUST WALKED. THEHY DIDNT HAVE TI DO THAT IM GONNANS DKCINGBEKALALFNGNMRNGMGNFK LMAO??

i was gonna include the next ep here as well but its a TWO PARTER (AHH??! story things happening...) and also i have a hunch that tumblr glitching out has smth to do with asks being too long so im playing it safe o7

stay tuned for me yelling at the next few episodes because hey. what the fuck. also romance is in the air for like 2 seconds before everything goes to shit oh mygod??

- initiate

YAYYY THE ASK WASNT BROKEN!!!!!

Also I have to say it BRIGHTENED MY DAY to have gotten this ask tonight tysm initiate I love hearing your thoughts always 🤝❤️❤️

Both VERY good episodes omg. And Oh My Fucking God I went back to the timestamp you mentioned and forest of all YES that shot is good as hell Silverbolt deserved to be big as hell. But also. Just. Rewatching that clip again really made me realizing why I love Silverbolt so fucking much. He’s so genuine. Yeah he’s dramatic and “white knight”-y but like, every character in this show falls under some dumb trope. And Silverbolt is just so auahauhaha HE’S OUPPY……!!!!

ALSO SAGSGHDD. THE DIAGETIC TRUMPETS. I’M TAKING THAT HEADCANON FOR MYSELF I LOVE IT AHAGJSDBJEE

THE CHEESE HUD…… it’s such a small detail that’s so dumb but it’s still just so funny. Why does he have a 3d rotating cheese in the corner of his vision of all times. It’s just so Rattrap

AND THE STAIRS BIT. THE STAIRS. I LOVE IT SM. I have provided it here for your rewatching pleasure

Genuinely these liveblogs make me go to rewatch clips and remind me why bw is my top favorite tf show so thank you sm initiate for continuing to share your thoughts 🙏🙏🙏

[lumiy-a]

So I finished my rewatch of Once upon a time and I'm finally ready to share my unsolicited two cents on the relationships that caught my eye - if anything because I know they have cool names in the fandom.

Just a disclaimer: this is no ship war or so, I'm fairly positive towards many if not all ships mentioned below and I stand by the ship and let ship view and respect everyone's shipping preferences.

And, it's a very long post.

Here we go:

The Charmings

They were very sweet (mostly because they share not only a heart but also their single brain cell), the actors had good chemistry (obviously...), overall I can't really complain... I'm usually not too interested in relationships that involve 100% good people so I was not too invested in them but if one looked past their dumb & dumber vibes they were a good stability reference for the whole story for as long as they were there.

Captain Swan

I have mixed feelings for them because on paper, this pairing was supposed to have everything I like: bad boi and good heroin, both good looking, in theory enemies at first, etc etc. However I was not burning for them at the beginning because (1) Hook never really felt like a villain or a bad boy to me (I appreciate the efforts in later seasons to show that he did indeed some nasty stuff, but when he showed up at first and there was supposed to be the build-up of the enemies-to-lovers with Emma he was not villanous enough for my taste) and (2) I would have appreciated more if at the beginning Hook was actually disliking Emma as much as she was disliking him, instead of flirting with her from the first minute. But as said, I have mixed feelings because despite not yearning for them at the start, once they got together I liked their relationship and how he genuinely cared for her and she opened up to him, so in the end I'm happy for them. Also bonus point to Hook because he looks good in season 7 and he deserved it after he was punished with this emo haircut in season 5:

Swan Queen

That would have been soooo cool. Too cool for the times when this show aired, despite having two FF canon relationships later, but having the two main characters together was probably a little too much. Anyway, even if they were not canonically supposed to be such, they indeed had a good enemies-to-lovers potential from the start. But I'm also in awe for their canonical enemies-to-friends/co-parents development, I think their arc was really great and I looveeeee them as co-moms for Henry (regardless of whether their relationship is romantic or not). So I'm happy when I see Swan Queen content but since I'm also happy with Captain Swan in the end I'm also happy to see them as friends.

Golden Queen

Y E S

Did I say I'm only fairly positive towards all the ships? Okay I lied, because I'm not fairly positive towards Golden Queen, I'm dying for them. But again I also like them as buddies. As long as they do stuff together, possibly evil stuff, I'm in.

Golden Heart

This is another background story I liked a lot. It was brief but very powerful, intense and heartbreaking. I would not see them as an endgame couple but I like them as a past relationship that becomes part of each character's emotional baggage.

Outlaw Queen

Oh I was so sad when Robin died. I liked his character, the actors had great chemistry, and Regina NEEDED that happiness. I was very sad when Robin was taken away from her. And in a very silly way no less :(

Sleeping Warrior

Another ship I liked so much, I was rooting for them five minutes after Mulan's journey with Aurora began. How it ended was so heartbreaking, especially knowing that the show was not turning away from having queer relationships. I don't understand why couldn't they have them if they were fine with having Ruby Slippers or Mad Archer Very sad, but they live happily ever after in my head.

Rumbelle

Hmmm yeah, this is maybe another one I'm not so neutral about... I liked the concept of transposing the Beauty and the Beast on Rumplestiltskin. I was also fine with Belle being someone who in Rumplestiltskin's most evil times in the Enchanted Forest could see that maybe there was still a human behind the Dark One. However the middle seasons showed that Rumplestiltskin had only one true love - his power - and I was totally fine with it, and rooting for Belle when she decided to leave him. I think it was a progressive take to have her leave him and for a moment I was hoping they would raise Gideon as a separate but on-good-terms couple, until... she came back to him, even after all he'd done to her (including locking her up, putting a sort of tracking device on her, etc etc...) Sooo yeah personally I would have preferred if they would not have reunited.

Ruby Slippers

I was very happy to see a canonical lesbian couple, but I'll admit the development felt a little too fast for me, I mean they were shown together for like... the scene above? And it felt a bit bitter that when they decided to give a chance to two women it was not Mulan's happy ending - she deserved it so much, and she was standing there, watching. Not that Red doesn't deserve one, but... yeah.

Red Beauty

This one had by contrast some more development than Ruby Slippers in my opinion, because they showed them for some more time together and bonding, and in any case we knew both characters already since a while. I would have liked it if Belle would have gotten closer to Ruby during that hard time for her and then maybe it would have developed into something more.

Dragon Queen

Oooo yeah, they had quite some chemistry in there. Maybe more as a past relationship (kinda like Golden Heart), but I can totally see it. Love it.

Swan Fire

I think I was not 100% convinced by Neal at first, but then he grew on me, perhaps also because of his backstory. I was very sad when he died and I like Emma/Neal as a past story. Would have been happy to see Neal staying in the picture and in Henry's life.

Mad Archer

I liked this couple, they had a cute development and Robin really cares for Alice and sees her as wonderful instead of as just a weirdo. Maybe one of the things I appreciated the most of season 7 (besides RONI of course)

Now also one mention to two platonic/family relationship:

Wicked Queen

When she was the main villain in season 3, I absolutely HATED Zelena (although damn is she beautiful). She was really but really an irritating villain for me, especially for her treatment of Rumple (get your hands off him!). But then when things changed and she reconciled with Regina, I absolutely loved her and I liked how their relationship as sisters developed. Another thing I liked from season 7, I'd say.

Regal Believer

I mean, Emma & Henry also have a great relationship development, but the way Regina switches from being the Evil Queen for Henry, how he even loathes her at times, and how she proves herself worthy of being his mom, and shows him how much she loves him and how she will always put him first... this has no equals in the series to me. I love mom Regina.

The list is of course not exhaustive, as said I just wanted to say something about the couples that caught my eye.

[jadoue1999]

Peter Maximoff’s complicated relationship with Star Wars

Summary: Peter didn't like Star Wars. But not because they were bad movies, no. It's because they somehow were very similar to his own life, and they also showed him what might have been, had his twin lived long enough. This is the story of Peter Maximoff, told through the many similarities between the original trilogy and his own life.

*All Star Wars quotes are in italics*

Peter doesn’t like Star Wars

Don’t get him wrong, the movies are great. The first movie had come out when he was 22 years old, and he had found it amazing. He had never seen anything like it before and had sneaked into the movie theater to rewatch it with his twin several times.

‘I need your help, Luke.’

It was almost ironic how his life resembled some parts of the movie. Both he and Wendy had some characteristics of Luke and Leia. He was the goofball, the one who had been recruited to break someone out of an impenetrable prison. Hell, Charles could be Obi-Wan, the old wizard with strange mind control powers (though he didn’t have them at the time), Hank was Chewbacca, the fierce beast who was loyal to his family, and then the claw guy, Logan, was Han Solo. The dark-haired man with a don’t-mess-with-me attitude that would shoot you down without hesitation. That made him Luke, the farm boy that was raised isolated, unaware of the true danger. Only difference was that Erik wasn’t Leia, no he was Vader. Wendy was Leia, the fierce, loud mouthed, badass princess that didn’t let anyone boss her around.

They had loved the first movie, but then tragedy struck. His twin’s powers were always unpredictable, always on the verge of lashing out. He had tried to help as much as he could, but just a few months after their 23rd birthday, it was too much for Wendy to bear. She lost control and died, taking half a block with her. Peter did his best to carry on, but their lost connection was all he could feel. The aching emptiness that had always been occupied by his twin sister. It took awhile, but he did eventually go see the second Star Wars. It was... a bittersweet experience to say the least.

Seeing the big bad Vader being related to Luke really did a number on him. All he could think about was the fact that he too was related to a literal terrorist. Someone who had hurt hundred of people and would probably not hesitate to hurt him as well. And then it was revealed that Luke and Leia shared a connection, where they could hear each other and feel each other, and it just overwhelmed him. Minus the kissing (ew, that was gross, why did they even include that?!) Luke and Leia’s relationship reminded him of his and Wendy’s.

That’s why he wasn’t surprised when they were revealed to be twins in the next movie.

Actually, he had been surprised, but more about the fact that his grief took over for a moment. Seeing Leia try to reason with Luke, telling him that nothing good would come out of chasing Vader, their father... that was a conversation that had really happened after their mom told them who exactly was Magneto. Peter had decided to chase Erik down the moment he had resurfaced.

‘I won't fail - I'm not afraid.’

‘Oh, you will be. You will be.’

His mom had warned him about Magneto, how nothing good came out of chasing ghosts, but he had to try. A confrontation with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Cloud city The mansion was full of people, and the place was exploding. He saved them all (minus one), of course, because that’s what he did. Why be a speedster if you can’t save people from catastrophe?

‘Luke, don't - it's a trap!’

Yeah, it had been a trap, alright. But unlike Luke, he hadn’t had Leia to warn him. So, the carbon freezing chamber knock out gun had worked. That’s how he ended up captured by the government and woke up in a weird green room. The others, he could understand why they were taken, they seemed to know the man holding them, but why him? Peter was of no interest to them. Unless they knew he was related to Magneto and planned to use him as a bargaining chip, but it seemed unlikely.

Then, they were freed and, on their way to confront En Sabah Nur, or as Hank had described him, the blue god. He had told Raven about his relationship with Erik, and she promised him that she would make sure she would tell him.

‘There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you.’

The cold, cold eyes of Magneto were staring at him with something that seemed almost like interest. “And you?”

‘I am your father.’

It was right there, a perfect opportunity served on a silver platter. An opportunity to make Erik realize he wasn’t alone, that he had more family. Perhaps he’d turn back to the light side if he knew. “I’m your-“

But it was Wendy who was the brave one, she was the chosen one. She never would have hesitated. And he wasn’t his sister. “I’m here for my family too.”

It was all sad and tragic because his life was just like that. He could feel Raven’s eyes on him, she couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told him, but she couldn’t know about Wendy. It was his own painful secret.

With how similar his life was to Luke’s he wasn’t sure why he was even surprised when he got his hand cut off leg broken. Then, there he was, trying to hold on to consciousness as shock settled into his body.

‘Hear me! Leia!’

Oh, how he wished Wendy were here. She would have destroyed them. Peter would have done anything for his twin to answer, like Leia did with Luke. But she was dead, there was no one to answer him. Just the cobwebs of their broken connection and the burning pain of his leg. He didn’t really care what happened next, he was all too focused on getting his message to his long-lost sister. He didn’t really believe in a higher power, of some all-powerful entity that somehow watched over everyone. He did, however, believe in Wendy, his strong, beautiful, powerful sister.

‘I would have preferred her too’

The blue God’s voice resonated in his head, catching him off guard. No one had ever reached in his mind like that, Wendy only could because of their connection.

‘If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will.’

Would his father have tried recruiting Wendy for his brotherhood? Yeah, definitely. She would have been the true last hope. A daughter to be proud about. One with abilities beyond anything anyone had ever seen. One that truly would have saved everyone, hell, she would have prevented the mansion from exploding and never would have been captured in the first place. The blue god looked at him with disdain in his eyes and Peter knew it didn’t mean anything good. He tried to crawl away, but in his current position, that did absolutely nothing.

‘It is pointless to resist, my son.’

En Sabah Nur grabbed him by the hair and tugged, holding him painfully upright and vulnerable. He’d always hated staying still, he was always too full of energy, always eager to chase after the next distraction.

Peter looked up at his father, trying to see if he would do anything, but he saw nothing but indifference. Magneto didn’t care about him. He was an insignificant mutant, a face amongst a thousand others. Soon to be counted amongst the hundred of corpses that Erik had seen in his life.

‘Now, young Skywalker...you will die.’

The god pulled his head back sharply, exposing his throat. “End him.”

One of his horsemen was approaching him with a sharp sword. Peter was slightly thankful that it wasn’t his dad that was chosen to be his executioner. His powers had kicked in, trying to give him an opportunity to escape. But it only made his imminent doom even worse.

Then, he didn’t die, and the hope of seeing his twin again was brushed aside for another near-death situation. As it turned out, Raven was a great person when the son of her friend was in danger.

En Sabah Nur let him go too quickly to focus on the blue mutant. He gasped and writhed as he fell to the ground as electricity pain coursed through his body. The blue god didn’t care about him, he continued calling for Charles, calling for his true target.

‘Father! Help me!’

He should cry out like Luke did, there was no way Magneto would act if he didn’t. Then again, he didn’t have a clue who he was. It was doubtful he remembered him from the Pentagon, it had been nearly 10 years and Erik had had a whole other family since. He was just the nameless idiot that got a big head and tried to take on a god and got defeated like a loser.

In the end, they were all fine, just a little shaken. Erik gave him a weird look, either he pitied him, or he was wondering what he had wanted to tell him. But Peter was on the verge of passing out, there was no way he could hold a conversation at the moment. They came back to the mansion and Peter decided to stay, maybe getting out of his isolation wouldn’t be so bad.

So, even if his life was similar to Star Wars, in its turns and tragedy, it wasn’t even close to how the trilogy ended. The scruffy Han never came back, Obi-wan wasn’t next to a redeemed Anakin (he just left all together) and Leia wasn’t at his side anymore. A happy ending wasn’t something that happened in real life. Everything he wanted resolved wasn’t wrapped neatly into a bow. He still had his loads of daddy issues caused by a father who didn’t know was a father and Wendy, his amazing long gone twin still wasn’t at his side. Peter figured that some good would eventually come to him, it couldn’t be all bad, right?

‘This is our most desperate hour.’

He had faith in that, so, when he was woken up by a burning sensation in his chest, he did his best to understand. The pain was so familiar, it was grief. But not his grief, no, this came from the connection he shared with his twin.

“Wanda?” he called out. Using her real name because she was calling to him. Because she needed him. Because she was somewhere all alone.

“I had a brother, his name was… Pietro.”

It was painful for her to talk about him, so he made sure to let her know through their bond that he was there for her, she just had to reach out. Wanda was confused to feel him, but her scarlet magic soon opened a portal. It might be a trap, there was no way to be certain, but Peter trusted his sister. He took and deep breath and ran into the portal without hesitation. She was alone and she was suffering, it was his job as her twin to help her.

‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.’

[cigaretteparfum]

Wooo congrats on finishing LOTR, esp doing the extended cuts as your first time watching! It's one of my favorite movies series (books were great but not a reread for me). I actually just rewatched the movies for New Years. The ending always gets me a little emotional lol

Do you have any favorite moments or characters after finishing?

Deviousdo 🖤🖤 hope you've been well and happy new year!

@thedeviousdo

thank you, thank you~ initially i wanted to just do the theatrical cut and if i like the movies enough do a rewatch with the extended cut, but all the top results were the extended version and i couldn't be arsed to look further so 💀💀

i like faramir a lot!! i was constantly screaming anytime he's on screen after the ... isilgadhir? battle, especially once they started to move on with the burial. i get his dad though, even if man's pissed me off a hell lot by that point he was just so far gone with grief and i think that made the whole burial procession waaaaayyyy more tense because -- you can't reason with him. and it's not even like a "he's so evil and doing evil things on purpose and so set on his evil goal" type of you-can't-reason-with; it was a whole different level of beast. sad he died without ever making up with his kid, though. :/ oh well, there's always another unhinged king!!!

as for favourite moments ... i think i like boromir's death a lot. the whole thing felt like a "character who did Bad redeemed through death" with a twist. of course, considering how old the movie is, this probably wasn't even as solid and overused of a trope back then -- though i also don't really know much about these things, lol. but beyond his actual realisation and regret shortly after trying to take over the ring, the flashback with faramir and the impact he left behind for those who knew him since before the movie started also helped to strenghten that 'redemption through death' thing because -- he's just a guy!! a good guy!!! and with the way his father is also helped to recontextualise his first appearance and insistence on getting the ring for gondor. idk overall i think his death was so memorable to me not only because of what happened at that moment alone, but also everything else that was revealed to led up to that, as well as everything else that was added after the death.

but as a whole i can't get over just ... the simplicity of the premise. it makes me go feral that in spite of all the grand adventure and glorious battles and all that -- the story itself is just about two regular guys being put to a task that ties into something much larger than them. like i've heard people talk a lot about how Mr Tolkien's own experience in the world war coloured the way he tells this story; it's just one of those things where you're like, "oh yeah sure i get it" but you only really get it once you've actually seen the Thing yourself. like i get why this story is so beloved and touched so many people in a way other fantasy adventures couldn't: it's the mundane aspect of Just Some Guy not even being the Chosen One but willingly took the task anyway, then perservered to the end.

honestly i wish i can also say a bit more about the storytelling as a whole but am not much of a Cinema Guy nor have i read the books so i can't even really comment on what's what: like if a certain decision/execution was a Movie Thing following decades of well-established storytelling convention that was also inspired and influenced by the original story; or if that was *that* influence from the legendary fantasy epic adapted wholesale from the book. it's a very solid trilogy of a movie, though. definitely far better than the Hobbit trilogy that i actually watched in theatres because my mum loved them a lot akdjfskj

[deadpanglossian]

My thoughts on AOT S4 episode 66:

How can an episode make me go 'wow' and crying at the same time????

I mean, when Pieck and Panzer unit was under attack by the scouts, I was like 'Wow Sasha!' then crying when they totally defeated Pieck and the guys. I am proud of the scouts but I feel sad to see Pieck defeated.

I was so hyped at the sight of Armin!!! As expected, the colossal titan has the best boss music. When Armin said 'So this is what you saw, Bertholdt', I feel a hint of sadness in that but also.. KARMA TO MARLEY!!!

Honestly, I still don't get why did Marley sent 4 kids to Paradis to retrieve the founding titan when they knew that the king would never unleash the rumbling for his vow of denouncing war. Probably out of greed? Wanting the founding powers for their own agenda? But yeah, whatever reason it is, KARMA TO MARLEY!!!

Aaanddd HANGE!!! I was so happy to see Hange again!! I can't help but wondering how would it be if Erwin is alive when Hange said Armin is possessed by Erwin's ghost. Wait, it would be exactly like that right?

Finally we hear Levi's first line of the season!!!

Seeing beast titan crushing some rocks actually triggered my ptsd from battle of shiganshina. Ugh, damn you, Zeke.

"SASUGA PIECK-CHAN~ SONO TOORI DA YO!"

Yo, forreal forreal the beast titan was defeated that easily by Levi???????

Actually, I thought that the beast titan would somehow be an ally, at least to Eren (remember the baseball glove?) but seems like he isn't? He ordered them to defeat the scouts there and then right?

I actually wished that warhammer titan can do more than that. Warhammer titan is such a badass (except for how badly concealed the shifter's body was)

Eren changed into titan for the 3rd time in the battle!

Porco tho.. he shouldn't have been so full of himself and made fun of Reiner. See?

I love how Porco got one glance of Mikasa and knows that she's the other Ackerman.

Ah, porco the nutcracker. Now I understand the memes lol

Falco is a sweet kind boy 🥺 I was actually scared that Jean might really kill him but he hesitated and missed the aim.

Magath can be a demon, but he seems to genuinely care about Falco & Gabi. Yeah, he confuses me.

I feel really bad for Reiner 🥺 He lost the will to live but still have to fight.

The armored titan looks a bit different? The armor on his face looks different than the usual 'iron man' style and in some parts the armor got spikes.

So we'll get to see another Eren vs Reiner?

Another amazing episode! My day is made. Will do another watch soon. Also, THANK YOU MAPPA!

From the preview of next episode, seems like they are retreating. As I was hyping about another Eren vs Reiner, they explicitly mentioned that Reiner would be defeated in the preview lol.

I'm actually really curious to what happened in the 4 years time skip and what made the scouts decide to attack Marley and what do they plan to gain fom this. I doubt it's only a retaliation for what Marley has done to them. Like Magath said last episode, they should've known full well that attacking like this will only strengthen the world's hatred for the devils of Paradis plus, they played straight into Willy's plan. But even if they don't attack first, eventually enemy forces will attack them too. Maybe something like, eventually they would be at war so might as well do the first strike? In one scene, I think Jean pointed that the cart titan's main body is exposed and it made me think that one of their objective is to capture the titan shifters.

I'm in constant battle with myself about reading the manga or wait until season 4 ends. Since the battle is coming to the end, I'm considering to continue reading the manga.. but.. hmmmm

Update:

After rewatching, I think there is still a possibility that Zeke is working along with Eren & co.

In the beginning, Zeke said “Eren Yeager wa ore no teki janai” which literally means “Eren Yeager is not my enemy”. But it was subbed as “Eren Yeager is no match for me”. Well, it can be translated as that as well but that could be a hint?

When the Marleyan army was in awe at beast titan, Magath expression is a bit.. idk.. different? He had doubts with Zeke’s loyalty in episode 61. I think Magath has incredible judgement because he could guess that enemies are going to attack them on the night of the Festival. So, maybe his doubts are right too?

Then Zeke said, “Come out, Levi. Time is running out right?” or something like that. It can mean something like, come out and pretend to slay me because it’s time for whatever plan they have.

Levi did sliced his nape after that and used grenade to blow it up. That could be a diversion or something. Although it’s awesome that Zeke is defeated that easily by Levi, I still think that it was too good to be true.

This may be just overthinking on my part because when Levi sliced beast titan’s nape, he looked incredibly angry. Of course he would. I would as well lmao. If they are working together, Levi must be holding back from killing Zeke but that killing intent is real. Another thing I noticed in the preview, the scouts are pointing guns at Eren with Levi walking towards him like WHAAAaattTT is happening???

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Ep 26

Note: I will be critical of Jiang Cheng in these posts. If you can’t handle that, please feel free to scroll on.

The absolute what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-here look on Lan Wangji's face right now. I'm cackling. He's really not subtle at all. The genuine shock from this apparently grave impropriety is just written all over his face. In that situation, I'm definitely Lan Xichen. I'll quietly go to the host later and tell them that they really shouldn't have invited that guy. I mean, he's so nice about it, though, and I really do feel bad for Jin Guangyao, who just invited him because they're friends. Aside from all the shit they pull, he and Su She really do care about each other. You know, Jin Guangyao sees himself in Su She, and probably the opposite is true as well, depending on what Su She actually knows about him. It's no wonder Jin Guangyao selects him from the crowd as he does and kind of takes him under his wing. He knows the feeling of being unwanted very well.

He couldn't look more annoyed that Jin Guangyao is bringing up how the Jiang Clan has captured more prey than any clan in the history of these hunts. Part of it is that Jiang Cheng knows that he never would have brought in that many if Wei Wuxian hadn't used Chenqing to bewitch the beasts into the nets. I think the other thing that annoys him is that the whole situation was an embarrassment and now Jin Guangyao is drawing attention to it again, as well as to the fact that Wei Wuxian isn't even there. He's wandering the streets in the city below when he should be at Carp Tower. As I've said before, Jiang Cheng expects and desires Wei Wuxian to be obedient as well as subservient to him. It pisses him off that Wei Wuxian is such a delinquent and has no care for the propriety of the cultivation world.

And the way Jiang Cheng is all smiles to the Jins, toasting with them, being the perfect little clan leader. Like, he has to, right? Anything else would be weird and unorthodox, not to mention rude. But as soon as he sits down again, he's back to that nasty look on his face, brooding about where in the hell Wei Wuxian is and why he had to go and embarrass Jiang Cheng in front of all the other leaders.

Oh, speak of the devil! Here he is! Yeah, remember how Wei Wuxian found Wen Qing at the end of the last episode? Well, now he's really angry. At this point, it's over. Propriety and orthodoxy have been thrown out the window. The Jin Clan is out of line, and he doesn't care what he says and to whom he says it anymore.

I keep saying this, but this is one of my favorite parts. The absolute disdain that Lan Wangji has for this man that he won't even stoop to respond to him. He's seen what he's like on numerous occasions, I'm sure, but not least important when the man was criticizing Wei Wuxian right in front of him to the point that Jiang Yanli stood up to defend him. Lan Wangji is not giving this man the time of day, let alone breaking one of the disciplines just to please him. Lan Wangji doesn't give a damn whether this man deems him friendly or not. And I love all the reactions. Lan Xichen is just like, "He's never gonna do it." Nie Mingjue looks a little worried, like, "Oh, shit, what's he gonna do??"

And my favorite part, where Lan Wangji looks so so thirsty, and there's a tall drink of water right in front of him. Not to talk top/bottom dynamics (but I'm gonna briefly), but this is when I knew CQL Lan Wangji was a bottom. Those eyes just say "fuck me," and I really won't hear any arguments on this.

But another thing I want to say is that this is one of those moments where Wei Wuxian does something rather heroic. Not all of his actions have to be big and grand to be important. Lan Wangji definitely felt rescued here. I think I remember hearing Xiao Zhan complain that he didn't get to do enough fight scenes and he didn't get to run around and rescue people--he felt useless on the battlefield, while Lan Wangji got to do all the saving. But these moments feel more special to me, when he was there for Lan Wangji. Just like I don't really remember the moments where Lan Wangji knocked a sword out of the way, but I do remember how he looked when Wei Wuxian collapsed in his arms in the Nightless City, and I remember how he insisted on Wei Wuxian letting him help him, and I remember how he sang to Wei Wuxian in the cave. Sometimes it's not the big, grand gestures, but the small, quiet, unassuming ones.

I mean, at this point, is there anyone who doesn't want Wei Wuxian to murder this guy? It is kind of amusing to me that Wei Wuxian just moved on from one Jin to another. He's sort of forgotten about Jin Zixuan, who's definitely the less annoying of the two, and now he has turned his attention to Jin Zixun, who is just a gigantic asshole. The guy is just here to antagonize Wei Wuxian, seemingly, by the way he is taunting him here about how long the banquet is going to last.

While he's pretty rude to Jin ZIxun (who cares), Wei Wuxian clearly and calmly explains to Jin Guangshan what the situation is. Not only that, but he's very polite to him. The situation is simple: Wen Ning was kind to him and he wants to return the favor. I feel a bit like CQL didn't do enough to develop the relationship between Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian, even with the added scene with the dog, but even if you just look at what Wen Ning and Wen Qing did for Jiang Cheng--based upon that alone, I think Wei Wuxian would want to save them. Jiang Cheng would be dead right now if it weren't for them. It's interesting how that's reason for Wei Wuxian to save the Wens, but Jiang Cheng wants no part of that. He seems to value looking good in front of the other clan leaders over repaying a life debt. Even without knowing about the Golden Core thing, they still saved his life. Wen Ning brought him out of Lotus Pier on his back. Both Wen Ning and Wen Qing suffered at the hands of the rest of the Wen Clan because of what they did--hello, it's treason. They committed treason for two people they barely knew. And Jiang Cheng doesn't even have the balls to stand up for them now?

Oh, boy, now he's gone and done it. Suggesting the Jin Clan just moved in as the reigning Clan, the one who is better than all the rest, the clan in charge of the others. In other words, the Jin Clan is no better than the Wen Clan--these are the sort of actions that lead to the kind of hubris that they had. And considering the Jin Clan helped the least during the Sunshot Campaign, it's pretty interesting. But, of course, they have a lot of money, they have a lot of men, they were basically untouched during the war. It only stands to reason that they would sort of slide into the place that the Wen Clan carved out. Of course, Jiang Cheng is mortified that Wei Wuxian would suggest such a thing. I mean, in his situation, rightly so. Wei Wuxian is part of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, so his actions and words reflect poorly on all of them. But the sticking point for me is that Jiang Cheng doesn't attempt to understand where Wei Wuxian is coming from. He doesn't try to look at how Wei Wuxian is trying to save the people who saved them--he doesn't see that as a valid reason. Considering CQL is trying to sell that Jiang Cheng has (or had) feelings for Wen Qing, he doesn't seem to care about her very much. Why isn't he disturbed about this news--why is he only angry that Wei Wuxian is being improper? I get what Jiang Cheng is doing here, but what I'm trying to say is that I don't think he's struggling at all with it. I think, for him, it was wham, bam, thank you ma'am, in a sense. He was saved, he got healed, and now he doesn't really have to think about Wen Qing or Wen Ning anymore. They were, in a way, stepping stones on his rise to the top. They were willing volunteers to help him be a better person. He doesn't owe them anything in return. Because, I think, if MXTX or the CQL writers had really wanted us to believe that Jiang Cheng wasn't selfish and narrow-minded, I think he would have gone with Wei Wuxian to try and find Wen Ning.

Me counting down when my toddler is goofing off before bed time.

I think at this point, both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji know that he can't come back from this. After what he just said, then threatening to kill Jin Zixun, then essentially saying he could kill anyone and no one would be able to stop him--there is just no coming back. There's no apology he could give, no words he could say that would convince him to let him back into the fold. It's a moment of desperation, both for Lan Wangji and for Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is going to save Wen Ning and Wen Qing, even if it means sacrificing what is left of his life. Again, he's willing to give up everything for someone else. Lan Wangji doesn't yet understand, and Jiang Cheng certainly doesn't understand him, even though he is the one who should understand him the most.

Lan Wangji has no choice but to go after Wei Wuxian. Even his brother knows and immediately gives his blessing to do it. Why is it that two people from a different clan are willing to go into the lion's den, but someone who is essentially Wei Wuxian's brother won't do anything? We see Lan Xichen having more concern for Wei Wuxian than Jiang Cheng. To be fair, he's also thinking about his own brother here, knowing that Lan Wangji wants to go, knowing that he wants to help Wei Wuxian. And given that, we have another good contrast to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. The Prides of Yunmeng, indeed--both are indeed proud, so proud that they sometimes forget to even care about each other.

This part gets me every time. It's so heartbreaking listening to her scream out for her brother--even in a valley full of the dead, she calls out for him as if he can answer. Truly heartbreaking. And then the silence that washes over her when she finally sees him.

I kind of wonder why Wei Wuxian doesn't immediately help her search the bodies. Part of me wonders if it's because he does not really accept that Wen Ning is dead. He expects that Wen Ning will answer the call, or that he will pop up somewhere, having been hiding. It's as if he starts searching only when he begins to realize that Wen Ning may actually be dead.

I think what we get between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian is a bit of a peek into what may have happened if Lan Wangji had been there when Wei Wuxian decided to give up his Golden Core. More likely than not, Lan Wangji would have tried to stop Wei Wuxian from doing it. I can't really imagine him just standing back and saying, "Go ahead. It's your body." Lan Wangji is always thinking one step ahead, always thinking about the consequences--what would it mean down the line?

Lan Wangji, bottom line, doesn't really understand Wei Wuxian yet. He knows him well, yes, possibly better than anyone else, even given that Wen Qing and Wen Ning know about the Golden Core transfer. He doesn't understand how Wei Wuxian feels indebted to the Wens--but it's not even that, I don't think. I think it's a mix of that and just protecting the weak, doing what's right--I think that's why he has to stand up for the Wens here. He sees the injustice going on, and he has to stop it. And recalling the oath that they made that evening, Lan Wangji knows he has to step aside. He knows that Wei Wuxian has to do this--needs to--wants to--even at the expense of giving up his cultivation status, his life, even going against everyone else in the orthodox world. And Lan Wangji lets him go. It's probably the hardest decision he's ever made in his entire life. But he was faced with a choice too: go with or stay behind. Hold onto Wei Wuxian or give him up. Be with him, or never see him again. Indeed, the implication here is that you aren't supposed to talk to Wei Wuxian after this. He's been ostracized of his own doing, he is a rogue, a villain, dangerous, not to be trusted. No one in the civilized cultivation world would have anything to do with him.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

[zephyrthejester]

Sorry! Not quite sure how to write down the sound that’s in my head right now. Let’s say it’s a very intense feeling overall.

...........Wow, dude.

OKAY! Let’s take this BIT by BIT! One at a time! Starting with the least complex up to the most complex! This is gonna be a L O N G P O S T so click below to see the rest.

1: First up, Cactus Stevens. That’s very obviously a plant, namely, a Cactus, that Steven brought to life with his plant powers. You know, like the Watermelon Stevens? Except these/this malformed Cactus Steven/s are looking a fair bit demonic. Erm... Yeah, I guess that’s what this would have to be, right? Unless the bright glow from their eyes and mouths are telltale signs of some outside force making them evil. What I want to know is, what’s so special about this thing that it’s more than just enemy-of-the-day? What’s so special about it that it landed a spot in the show’s intro? Perhaps it is more representative of Steven’s own actions becoming problems. Out with Pink Diamond leaving behind problems, time for Steven to deal with his own mistakes?

2: More Lapis Lazulis. Both wearing Lapis’ old outfit, so I guess that really does prove the skirt was the standard homeworld uniform for Lapis’... Not that I even asked that question, heh. So! We have a Shoulder gem Lapis with a bob and upward curling bangs, with a steely sneer down at us, and then a Belly gem Lapis with relatively short, unkempt hair and what appears to be a tied ponytail in the back, with an expression that’s a bit softer, and more confused/surprised than anything.

Wow, so... Lapis Lazulis, huh? Comin’ in to be bad guys, huh? Wow, that’s pretty interesting, really. Who’d ever predict this? So... Here’s my take on how to explain them. Our Lapis Lazuli was sent to Earth to terraform it, right? Now, per Season 2 we know that Earth was destined to become a mega-colony, all but hollowed out. And, well, that just seems like a job too big for just one terraformer. I can’t believe I never thought of this, but... Yeah, our Lapis probably had some help. So... I guess that’d be a logical reason why these two would be antagonists. They have unsettled beef with our Lapis.

I guess water wings aren’t based on gemstone location, eh? Heh.

3: That’s unquestionably Aquamarine. The very same Aquamarine who hauled Steven and Lars to Homeworld. But... She’s very different. If that is a fusion, we don’t know for sure. Whatever the second Gem that Aquamarine is fused with isn’t visible here, and it looks more like a bizarre mix, like good ol’ “Cotton Candy Garnet.” Cotton Candy Garnet is the only thing this version of Aquamarine looks like, really... However, the extra set of legs is a big hint pointing towards it being a fusion. Hmm... So, yeah, I’d say this absolutely is a fusion featuring Aquamarine and not some weird half-Corrupted form.

That said, she looks to be the same size as default Aquamarine, so whoever she fused with must have been tiny... Maybe tinier than she was already!

Also, between the collared shirt and the tie, that makes me think of the whole “Dad” fiasco, where Aquamarine was looking for “her Dad” by mistake. So congratulations Aquamarine. You have become the Dad.

Finally... Why is Aquamarine an antagonist? This is a question we’ll have to wait and see for. Previously, Aquamarine was simply a stickler for the rules and her job, though she did show a moment of tender mercy by forgiving Topaz’s attempted mutiny.

Finally finally, her mouth is doin’ the cat thing. You know, the :3 thing. Oh boy.

4: We got giant spiky death beast over here. Yeah, um. Yeah, no, I dunno, dude.

Is it a corrupted Gem? Some manner of Fusion Experiment or Cluster off-shoot? A full fledged alien unrelated to Gems? Some sort of primordial Ur-Gem? Its spikes give the impression of being metallic, like steel, or they could just be reflective gemstone material. Whatever this thing is, it’s givin’ me the willies. Look at those sunken eyes with naught but pinpricks of light shining through...

Ah... *sigh* It’s pink colored, by the way. Its got pink skin and pink glowing eyes. Gee, I wonder if this thing has anything to do with Pink Diamond... I dunno, what do you all think?

....Is it just me, or does it have a human nose? That snout looks like Steven’s, frankly.

I have a trillion questions. WHAT ARE YOOOOOU.

5:  I think I know exactly what’s going on here. Now, it may be tempting for some to say that this is some sort of White Diamond clone or replica or what have you, I think the simple truth is that this IS White Diamond, just straight up. And she’s currently having some trouble controlling her emotions.

Think back to the ending of Change Your Mind. The moment Pink Diamond’s composure was broken, the moment her world was shattered around her, the moment she became inescapably affected by the words and actions of another... She began to glow pink all over her body. This, I strongly believe, was literally the emotions and overall world view of Steven bleeding over to her and directly affecting her.

And this? I think this here is White Diamond experiencing too much of a good thing. Look at how she’s grabbing at her head; A typical motion to represent someone struggling with pain in their head. This is a White Diamond who is losing herself to an overwhelming force from beyond herself.

The color White contains all colors, right? What happens when one of those colors takes over...?

6: It’s her. She’s baaaaack.

Jasper is endlessly fascinating to me. When I first liveblogged this show, I wasn’t particularly a fan. But the more I watched, and the more I rewatched, and the more I thought things through? Yeah, no, Jasper’s got all my attention, man.

Born a perfectly flawless Gem in a perfectly awful Kindergarten that produced nothing but Off Colors, born to fight in a war for a Diamond she never met, doomed to failure after a shattering she couldn’t prevent... She ardently clung to her “perfection,” the only thing she had left, which wasn’t even enough to defeat abominable fusions... Until she threw her morals away in a desperate bid for victory, becoming a fusion herself, which resulted in months of mutual mental torment, leaving her addicted to the suffering. She tamed the feral beasts her Diamonds reduced her former comrades to, she was beaten and broken without contest, she lost her mind as she stared down the one person she hated more than herself as he claimed not to know what he even did to her...

AND THEN WA-BAM! She returns to consciousness and suddenly the Diamonds are best buddies with Rose Quartz and Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond the entire time and the whole War that Jasper lived through her entire life was literally for nothing but the cruel selfish game of the person she was born for, and, and--

And that’s where we left her.

Jasper, oh, Jasper. What happened to you? Where did you go? What are you thinking?

I need to know.

[stormcrow513]

It's been a while since I'd rewatched Merlin last and I'm kinda glad cause I'm now notching some changes I'd make to season one, like the episode with the black knight, I would have moved that to the end of season one and I wouldn't have introduced Excalibur right then, instead I'd have had Uther be killed by the wrath, I think it would have been a good exit for Uther, he started all this death because he'd wanted a son bad enough to kill his wife for it, then regretted her death some much he wished he'd never done it and so blamed everyone else and started his bloody reign of terror on all magic, for him to die for Arthur to live as his wife had would have been right, he even says so himself, and if he'd left what he said to Arthur about how dear he is to Uther as a letter, would have been a touching moment, you also could have had Arthur come done just in time to see Uther be like staged through the gut and the wrath disappear, and to get to him in time to hold Uther as he died, since ya know we all eat the shit outta that kind of drama,

Then we could have had like a note where Uther was like oh and by the way don't fuck Morgana she's actually your sister, and they'd have been like what the fuck!

Also if you had the Ealdor episode after Arthur becomes King and he's like yeah Hunith I will totally enter another kingdom with my knights (say what you want about Uther he was right on that one it would be an act of war, he could've like discreetly told Arthur to take a few volunteers and leave behind the Pendragon crest so they'd look like hired muscle)

And then you'd have the conflict with Cendrid in a way that made more since, it'd highlight Arthur's inexperience, how young he is going from Crowned Prince to King in like 3 days, and maybe highlight how much he needs Merlin, could've then had Merlin come clean about the magic, and Arthur who hasn't yet been betrayed by Morgana would've been more understanding, or wait a little longer to draw out that bit of tension one more season,

But like two, two an a half seasons at most, the fact that they waited to the end to reveal Merlin was absolutely shit fucking writing,

Like I just think the whole thing woulda been better if they'd killed Uther in that episode it would of been so poetic, a really beautiful symmetry to it, and Arthur who are treated him like shit all the time could have gotten to carry around the knowledge that his dad loved him enough to die for him without Uther living to piss all over that,

It probably would've also been good to have the Questing beast episode right before hand that part where Uther is carrying Arthur is so agonizing, and would have highlighted for uther that as much as he regrets Arthur's birth he'd regret his death even more, he'd be so ready to die for him after coming so close to losing him

[fly-pow-bye]

ThunderCats - “Berbils”

Written By: Leonard Starr

The ThunderCats meet some weird friends.

(I would, and should, have completed this during the weekend, but ThunderCats reviews were one of the last things on my mind the last few days. Of course, with all this extra time I have now, I had no excuse to not complete it yesterday. If this ends up published unfinished, which it is if this text is still here, please be patient.)

The episode begins with Mumm-Ra the Ever Living proving his tagline, by emerging from his tomb. Sure, he's not the muscular blue guy that Skeletor could look up to anymore, but he's still willing. He talks to himself, and the audience, about how he's going to make sure that Eye of Thundara is "accidentally destroyed." That will be a thing he's doing throughout the episode, as the Mutants of Plun-Darr don't even make an appearance here.

As Mumm-Ra looks on with his magical pool, we see that Panthro has made a Thunder Tank out of the scraps of the ship. Last week's Cool Toy was the Claw Shield, and this week's new Cool Toy is the Thunder Tank, something he had been teasing since the last episode. While Panthro is gloating about how he's the champion scrounger of the universe, the sky turns dark and stones start falling.

WilyKat: Stones, my whiskers! These are boulders!

They don't even have whiskers. At least, not drawn ones.

In the end, this just turns into an advertisement for the Thunder Tank, complete with some rock music for the rock digging. It can protect Panthro from the rock storm! It can dig through rocks! It can dig out scrapped spaceships! It's only $99.99 at Kay Bee Toys!

After the ThunderCats are saved by the Cool Toy of the Week, which only makes a small appearance at the end of the episode, Tygra theorizes this storm could not be natural. They don't seem to investigate who or what caused it, and it never comes up again. It's actually not that clear if it was Mumm-Ra caused it, with only a very slight implication in the intro, though it would be a good guess. I'd imagine being able to summon ston, er boulder storms at will would be a good ability to use constantly.

Meanwhile, Lion-O and Snarf are doing another look in the nearby forest, though Snarf is only following Lion-O and warning him that he's straying too far from the camp. Lion-O shrugs him off, telling him to stay back if he's scared. Not even 5 seconds from his appearance in this episode, Snarf is already being told to stay back. Lion-O tells him he'd jump at his own shadow, and Snarf then proves it by doing just that, proving that he probably should stay back. Ah, the comic relief.

The next scene will try to add a little more to Snarf's character besides, "Snarf Snarf you shouldn't be doing this", and "Snarf Snarf I'm hungry": he can run around beasts that looked like they were just standing there and can cut vines with his teeth. The latter comes in handy when Lion-O falls into a hole. A very, very slippery hole, he says, giving us a hint that this is more than just something caused by a natural or Mumm-Ra-caused disaster.

Snarf tries his best to get him out of the hole, but Lion-O simply can't do it. Emphasis on "try", though not because of him. The hole is also really slippery, and Lion-O can't figure out why he can't. Both Snarf and Lion-O get lassoed multiple times by some mysterious strangers made partially of metal.

In the same year the cartoons based on the Droids and Ewoks from Star Wars came out, ThunderCats came up with a combination of the two. While they can seemingly speak English, they speak in the same manner as the computer from WarGames. Unfortunately, as he's lassoed up, he can't summon the ThunderCats because he can't grasp his sword. The episode even cuts to the other ThunderCats talking about how Lion-O must be okay because he didn't do that. Panthro justifies their lack of caring because...

Panthro: No sense worrying, he's a man now.

Did you forget what Tygra said in the last episode? Well, he did manage to defeat that Mumm-Ra guy once, so he must be okay. Of course, he isn't, as he ends up getting tied to a stake. Lion-O tries to communicate with them by calling them "whatever they are", and they say "Berbil." Berbil? They look more like bears to me. Cute little Care Bears...

...no, wait, sorry! Put that knife away! I'm also sorry I accidentally called you Bergins before I edited that post! I don't know why I did, I really didn't like Trolls! Honest!

No, just kidding, Ro-Bear-Bill, as he eventually names himself, uses that knife to cut the rope. Apparently, trapping people and tying them to stakes is their way of saying "hi". They really just went from "one step away from roasting him over an open fire" to "future friend" in just one minute. Then again, I can imagine Third Earth can do that to people, with those rock storms and all.

We get a brief glimpse of their home village, which look surprisingly similar to another 80's cartoon's village. For a desolate planet, these guys seem to be living okay. There's just one problem.

We eventually had to get some evil dog-men in this series about Thunderous Felines, but they're not going to fight the ThunderCats. Instead, they're going after the Ro-Bear's supply of food. The Ro-Bears do have a line of defense: stun bullets fired via little tubes, as if they’re pelting them with spitballs. They’re just as effective as that analogy sounds, as even they admit that it does nothing. Lion-O is not impressed by this.

Lion-O, in an attempt to finally do something about this constant struggle. They just run away after this. That was a really short battle, but Ro-Bear Bill seems to have an opinion that may not be mine.

Ro-Bear-Bill: My my! That certainly was exciting, Lion-O!

Whatever you say, Ro-Bear-Bill.

Ro-Bear Bill decides to tell Lion-O that they know why they have to steal the Berbil berries: because they have to give them to the Giantors, who will give them their food in exchange for the berries. Now, the Giantors will be angry! This is partially why I hate these kinds of lateral thinking puzzles, they suddenly bring in details they never talk about.

Also, are these guys 100% human? Sure, they're bigger and are probably more Homo Erectus than Sapien. I guess if there's mutant monkeys, as proven by Monkian, mutant humans shouldn't be too far off.

Lion-O uses the Sword of Omen's Sight Beyond Sight, and, sure enough, he sees that those Giantors are angry. They want those berries, dammit!

Lion-O: I can probably handle them myself!

Snarf: Snarf, snarf! No, please, call the other ThunderCats! (clasping his hands, praying he won't try to take on a bunch of giants by himself)

Lion-O: Well, okay, just to please you.

Even when Snarf has a decent idea, he has to be told off. He decides not to try to do it himself this time. I would like to think that even if Lion-O took care of the bad guys last time, he realized he really lucked out with a villain that hates reflections.

So the ThunderCats fight the Giantors, and it's better than the last episode's fight scenes. One of the moves involves Panthero looking like he's going to kick one of the Giantors right in the face, but he stops about an inch away. One more inch, and we'd have to invent FV long before the TV rating system even existed!

It eventually ends when Lion-O does that Sword of Omens barrier thing again, and the Giantors don't even try to see if their giant clubs can go through it. Ro-Bear Bill decides not to give a review of the fight he just saw, but does congratulate the ThunderCats for saving their village.

While it seems that the conflict of the episode is over, Mumm-Ra has to do something in this episode after doing that big speech in the beginning. Realizing the Berbils will give the ThunderCats food supply, he decides to attack the Berbils by transforming again. This time, he shows off that he can transform into a swarm of bugs that can also merge into a giant bug, a pretty creative idea. Lion-O fights this bug by riding it like it was one of those mechanical bulls. Either he actually said "yee-haw", or I just imagined it.

Definitely not worthy of a "yee-haw", at least from Lion-O's point of view: the bug then flies off and dissipates back into the swarm, dropping Lion-O into a volcano. Worst of all, the Sword of Omens, which definitely must have something that can help him out here, is just ever so slightly out of his reach. If only Tutorial Jaga was here!

Thankfully, Tutorial Jaga shows up again, this time in the familiar blue aura he usually has, to tell him yet another feature of the sword: it can be commanded to go right to Lion-O. This also allows it to fly, leading to a scene where Lion-O is flying out of a volcano, looking like he's being dragged out of there.

But what about Mumm-Ra? Sure, he could just go back and cause some more trouble, but he decided to give up here for some reason. He knows he failed, but he does tell himself, and the audience, that he should do better next time, and time is nothing to him.

In the end, Mumm-Ra just gives up, the ThunderCats are victorious, and the Ro-Bear Berbils give them a banquet to celebrate their saving of the town. They even offer to build the ThunderCats' real estate, which they find the blueprints of. The ThunderCats initially initially refuse, but they insist on building it. After all, friends help friends right after catching them in traps and tying them to a stake.

How does it stack up?

There is a little more world-building here that doesn't entirely revolve around exposition this time. I think I'll give this one a higher rating than the last, even if this does give it the same rating as the first episode. I mean, this is the one with the robotic Care Bear...

Ah! Fine, I'll give it four cats, put the knife away!

Next, those Mutants come back.

← The Unholy Alliance 🐯 The Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr →

[the-point-of-vanishing]

i was tagged by @that-pissed-off-tolkien-blogger thanks bro

1. Are you named after someone? lmao no I honestly don’t know why my parents named me Tess, and I don’t think they do either.

2. When was the last time you cried? when my fave character died in Black Sails (I haven’t watched S4 yet so that narrows it down for those who are wondering...I just don’t want to give spoilers lol)

3. Do you like your handwriting? yeah

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? ham I guess lmao 

5. Do you have kids? no thank god

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? honestly not sure...

7. Do you use sarcasm? it’s my defense mechanism in social situations, so yes. 

8. Do you still have your tonsils? yes

9. Would you bungee jump? if someone paid me 

10. What is your favorite kind of cereal? right now I eat Special K. guilty pleasure cereal is lucky charms tho

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? only if completely necessary

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? haha no not really 

13. What is your favorite ice cream? stephen colbert’s americone dream

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? height 

15. What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself? uhhhh probably my skin bc acne hates me

16. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? i’m wearing my star wars pjs which are blue and purple with character faces & no shoes

17. What are you listening to right now? Treacherous Gods by Ensiferum because it’s my current favorite song

18. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? black or lime green

19. Favorite smell? clean clothes (so, my laundry detergent) 

20. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? I haven’t spoken on the phone for a few months but I FaceTimed with my parents last weekend lol

21. Favorite sport to watch? SOCCER. COYG.

22. Hair color? brown

23. Eye color? blueish 

24. Do you wear contacts? no, my vision is good

25. Favorite food to eat? currently it’s döner kebab

26. Scary movies or comedy? I don’t like either genre much but I’d probably choose comedy first

27. Last movie you watched? Beauty and the Beast

28. What color of shirt are you wearing? black 

29. Summer or winter? ...neither. but overall probably winter because summer sucks where I’m from

30. Hugs or kisses? hugs but like...not a huge fan of physical contact 

31. What book are you currently reading? nothing because school. I need to finish Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain and Soccernomics (about what it looks like) tho

32. Who do you miss right now? all my dear friends and family in the US

33. What is on your mouse pad? I have a Bayern München sticker on my laptop next to where I type so that counts, right?

34. What is the last TV program you watched? I’m currently rewatching Shadowhunters because I need a break from Gossip Girl (shoot me)

35. What is the best sound? outside nature in the early morning as long as the birds aren’t awake

36. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? The Beatles

37. What is the furthest you have ever traveled? I think where I am now (Vienna, Austria)

38. Do you have a special talent? procrastinating on everything

39. Where were you born? Fairfax, VA. still live there too lol

I tag @skuhhh @bananas-foster-wallace @mylifeisacosmicjoke etc. etc.